Welcome to the March Cross Canada Blog hop or should I say Bonjour! We are excited to offer you a special blog hop this month featuring our French language stamps!
If you have ever attempted to purchase stamps in french you know just how difficult it is to find any. CTMH offers a selection of our stamps in both French and Spanish- a great solution and a wonderful way to share you love of paper crafting in multiple languages! As a bilingual family, I find these the perfect fit for projects for my in-laws or thank you’s for the school. Check out my ‘petite’ card set created with the school in mind!
Here is the image of the stamp set that I used to create these cards- you can also see a full variety of our stamps on my website HERE.
Well I wish we were going on a Safari, but we did do the Canadian version of one! A few summers ago we visited African Lion Safari- a favourite tourist destination of our’s. You get to drive through very large areas where animals are living in a much more humane setting- no small cages or enclosures here. Of course, you keep your windows up and hope for the best when you drive through the monkey area but it is a great way to see animals in a much more natural setting!
Because we visit African Lion Safari often I was having a hard time deciding how I was going to scrapbook this visit- how would I make it stand out form other trips? Well our Memo Fundamental paper had the answer when I saw the map (especially the piece with Africa on it) – how perfect! In the end I used that paper as my launchpad and developed a layout that I am very happy with! Big on memories from that day.
Items used: Memo Fundamentals, My Boy complements, Jennifer’s Hand Stamp set
Have you tried our Memo Fundamental paper yet? I would love to see your creations- link them in the comments below!
I have heard you mention how you need just a few more dollars every month in order to make ends meet at home.
I have seen your face when you get the new idea book (you are so excited!!) and then again when you realize you cannot get everything you want (my heart just breaks).
I have seen you and heard you and I WAS YOU!
Then… I signed up!!! Now I have been given one opportunity that has answered all of my needs. I continue to help others at workshops, I continue to share my passion, I make LOTS more money than I originally needed, I can get all that I want (and often do for free or at a discount) and my heart now sings!!!!
I love Close to my Heart and would love to show you how you can too!
During February you can become a consultant on my team and for only $95 recieve over $244 in product (some that comes in the kit and some that you get to pick out yourself!) PLUS you will receive an additional $60 in stamps (those pictured above!).
If you are lucky enough to have some heritage photos of your family then you definitely want to do something with them- these memories are the most precious of all and the stories behind them may already be lost. It is important to capture what you can before it is all, indeed, gone. Scrapbooking heritage photos can pose a challenge though with some of the papers on the market- you need just the right papers to make the overall look right.
Our Hello Lovely paper is the perfect fit! I just love how it looks with the photos I have of my family. These demonstrate the lost stories as well- although I can identify some of the family members (and will add that to my journaling as soon as I confirm with my Mom) the stories behind the day are lost. All the men are in uniform so I can imagine what might be happening- our family men off to the war- but I wish knew more. So much history here!
What heritage photos have you scrapbooked? Do you know the stories behind them?
I have written before about why I love single pages. It takes a bit to get over the fact that the left side and the right side in my album will not match, BUT it means getting to scrapbook some pretty special memories that would not have enough photos for a double spread.
The great part of today’s single page saturday is that it allowed me to use up some of the scraps of patterned paper left over from my Dreaming’ Big paper pack- and I mean scraps! I paired with some cardstock and found a layout I liked on pinterest- voila! A layout that I love!
Heat embossing can be such a great way to create some pretty beautiful cards and layouts! On this card I used clear embossing to help contain the watercolour effect I wanted to use for on the flowers. I didn’t use watercolours at all! To ‘cheat’ this look, I used our watercolour pen and picked up ink from the inside of my ink pad (just give them a gentle squeeze to get ink inside the lid). Then I just pick up the ink and paint it into the image. The clear embossing lines protect my colours from bleeding and help to define the image.
If you are a devout Close to my Heart fan you may have noticed that we carry MANY different types of adhesives. Have you ever wondered why? or what they might be all used for? Well today I would like to share with you what our best adhesive’s are and what you can use them for!
CTMH Glue Pen
This pen comes in a fine tip and a broad tip. It is a great glue that holds really well and is rather inexpensive. You can use it for a light hold or strong hold depending on the amount of time you allow the glue to dry before attaching a project together. This glue is really good for paper crafting and does not buckle the paper! I really like it for cards as you can coat the paper (because it is inexpensive) and it will hold all the edges down.
2. Glue dots (not pictured)
When I created my image I realized I forgot to take a picture of this great addition to our adhesive family. Glue dots are a necessary for the crafter’s tool bag. They are the perfect item to glue down ribbon and other small accessories. I prefer the mini ones myself- they are NEVER the wrong size!
3. Duck Brand Adhesive
This little tape adhesive has a strong hold and is my go-to glue- especially for paper crafting! I tend to prefer tape adhesive in any situation that allows for it. The duck brand is non-refillable but the hold is worth it to me. The only drawback is that the adhesive does come out in a tape format- so if your paper is less than 1/2inch thick then the adhesive may run over the paper which can make for a messy look (or you spend some time folding the adhesive down).
4. EZ Dots Adhesive
This blue dot tape adhesive is also one that I like to have on hand (hence why the cartridge is empty in my picture – I ran out! ). This tape adhesive is refillable which does save you a little money when buying refills. Because it is a dot adhesive I can use this wherever my duck adhesive doesn’t work (those thin pieces of paper, intricate cuts from the circut, etc). The glue comes out very smoothly- another plus!
5. Liquid Glass
Please tell me you have tried this!? Our liquid glass has so many uses!!! It is a great highlight to projects (can be used over a stamped image to create the look of embossing, use it over water in a photo to create the look of waves, use it on a flower image to create dew, etc). It is also a very strong adhesive – think super glue! Working on 3D items- this is the glue that will give hold long term. (I have even used this to glue the sole of my shoe back on one- it worked perfectly!)
So, which is the BEST adhesive for paper crafters?
Well, ALL OF THEM!
Seriously- I have all of them because they all have a different purpose and use.
Which of these adhesives do you find yourself grabbing when you craft?
Welcome to 2017 and a new year of fun new products and new blog hops to feature them! My team has prepared some projects using Sugar Rush, one of our new seasonal paper packs. I hope you enjoy seeing all the projects we have designed for you. Be sure to follow the link on my blog (below) to visit the next blog and project. If you get lost along the way then you will find the full list of participants at the bottom of this post.
For my Sugar Rush project I created a Z Fold Card. I have been seeing this ALL over pinterest and I had it on my list to tackle one. It was super easy and so much fun! I paired the paper with Seaglass cardstock and used the coordinating Sugar Rush stamp set with Thin Cuts to create my donut (so cute!). I also added some Sugar dots and white shimmer trim.
With a new year comes new products and I am just in love with everything in our new seasonal book! Even the cover is gorgeous- just look!
Now that our new product is out I want to share it all with you- I am doing this a few different ways.
You can view the online version of the new seasonal book here . This is not the most fun and will not involve prizes or a fun time with me on facebook (just in case you were wondering).
You can join me on my VIP page- I will be posting artwork and workshops there (and on my Facebook business page). The VIP group is much more fun though- you get access to early sneak peeks, exclusive giveaways and so much more! You can request to join at this link.
The BEST way to join in and see all the new product is my joining into my online party!! This will include having a fun time with me on Facebook and prizes!!! It all happens on my VIP page (link above) and will be Jan 7th at 7pm EST. I sure hope you can make it- we will be having lots of fun!!!
Stay tuned though- more to come from our new book and new tips, techniques and videos. This year is going to be AWESOME!
YouTube is a great place for inspiration, tutorials and just plain fun! If you don’t subscribe to my channel yet then be sure to get over there and check it out! I am working hard at loading new videos every month-card tutorials, product how-to’s, the latest in crafting, workshops, customer special information and more!
Feel free to send some love or even suggest a video!
