Inspirational Art Canvas

Art Canvas

• Cut a piece of cardstock to the size of your canvas. (Tip: Do all your stamping and inking first before attaching the cardstock to the canvas.)
• Select four or five alphabet stamp sets, varying the size and styles. (Tip: You can create this “subway art” look with whatever alphabet sets you have on hand.)
• Choose a few simple icon stamps to fill in empty areas.
• Play around with the placement and spacing of the letters and icons before stamping.
• Stamp the words and icons with black StazOn^® ink.
• Attach the finished cardstock piece using a thin coat of Mod Podge applied to the canvas.

August AMAZING PromotionS!!

From August 15 - August 31 there are 3 STUPENDOUS SPECIALS that intersect with Close To My Heart. In fact, if you spend $75 (before shipping and tax) during this period of time, you earn over $40 in stamp sets FREE and another $17.95 stamp set for only $5! No foolin'! Dounle up on promotions this month but only during Aug 15-31st!
Here's how it works:

1. Purchase $50 in product (before shipping and tax) and get the August Stamp of the Month (Wicked) for only $5 ($17.95 value). That $55 also counts toward the $75 in #3 below. The card at the beginning of the post is a standard size card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") that I made using this set (products used list at the end of this post).
2. When you spend the $50, and then the $5 for the Stamp of the Month (worth $17.95), you also get this darling "A Typeface" stamp set FREE ($6.95 value).
3. Add another $20 in product to your order, so you are spending $75 (before shipping and tax) and get Close To My Heart's first ever DOUBLE stamp set called "Pair-a-Phrase" (two of our "D" size stamp sheets, worth $17.95 each, for a total of $35.90 in value) FREE!

Pennant n Balloon card

I love a homemade card. And, I am sure you will love this one. Who can resist smiling at the bright colors, pennants and balloons?

Thanks P.Dolecki for sharing.

CTMH says "Cricut"

I will admit I love the Cricut! Do I own one? No. I have an addictive personality and a very small budget...honestly,  a zero budget for hobbies right now. So, I have never bought one. No sense in owning the machine if I can't purchase all the coordinating goodies, right? Thank goodness for friends and my kids' school who own one and graciously loan their machines to me. Well, times have changed for me! CTMH has teamed with the makers of Cricut and created an exclusive cartridge for CTMH. It has over 700 images, comes packaged in a bundle with 3 exclusive CTMH stamps AND (as if that wasn't enough) coordinates with numerous stamp sets in the Fall 2011 catalog! I have my catalog now. You can get yours August 1st!! I have decided now is the time for Cricut ownership. With over 700 images and all the other possibilities, this one cartridge will be enough for creative heaven!

Card: Celebrate with the July sotm

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your summer celebrations with this fun card. The exclusive July stamp of the month is available in the month of July only. Purchase it for $22.95 or earn it at a discount with purchase, even FREE! I love stars especially this set. Look for more artwork created with this stamp in the near future.

3x3 Thank you gift card and bag

I created these little cuties to attach to a gift bag (see below) as part of a thank you gift to be presented to 19 women who have volunteered at a local school.

I love the classic look of the black and white. I added the color to infuse a little sass of color. They turned out adorable and I love them.

Bags from Xpedx

Created these 3x3 cards with:
2x3 grey scroll print paper from Hobby Lobby
1x3 Silhoutte dot paper from CTMH
d1361 Thank you stamp from CTMH
Clear sparkles z1104 from CTMH


Inside these cute bags- bobby pins with either a resin rose or jeweled brads on the ends. Very cute!

Bliss Sympathy Card

Bliss Sympathy Card

A beautiful card for a sensitive and special time. Created using the Bliss paper packet, the quiet neutral tones will share reverence and your heartfelt love.

Bliss x7132b
Universal Backgrounds stamp D1477
Color Ready Craft Borders z1377
Cocoa ribbon z1316 

Technique: Color Resist with Spray Pen

The super talented K.Pedersen shared this card on her blog. I admit, I am an addicted follower! I love her style and ability to combine products...from old to new, colors, etc.

In this beauty, she shared a color resist technique. It takes a few steps but all are easy. Yet, your final result is elegance.

Directions:
1. Embossed the stamped image from Close To My Heart's April Stamp of the Month with the Versamark Pad and White Daisy Embossing Powder on White Daisy Cardstock.
2. Filled my Spray Pen up to the first line with Chocolate Re-Inker and then to the third line with water.
3. Sprayed the embossed paper lightly with the above mixture until I got the desired look. Hint: if you want a soft look with light spray marks like my card, be sure to hold your spray pen about 6-8 inches away from the paper you are spraying and press the nozzle fast.
4. I used my Heat Gun to dry this quickly.
5. I then used my Waterbrush and picked up color from my Cotton Candy Stamp Pad and my Pear Stamp Pad to color in the flowers.

The Chocolate Cardstock that I used in the background is stamped tone-on-tone with the butterfly image from the stamp set with Chocolate Ink.

For the card: I have been making tons of 3.5" x 8" cards lately. I love these little puppies. Not only do they fit simply in a legal size envelope to mail, they also cut easily from a standard (8.5" x 11") sheet of cardstock. Just cut a 7" x 8" piece and fold in half on the 7" side. You'll have enough cardstock left for stamping on pieces and using them to layer. Cool beans!


She used the April 2011 stamp of the month. You can purchase it or earn it FREE with qualifying purchase on my website http://www.tabatha.myctmh.com/


April Stamp of the Month



Spotlight: Caring for your Acrylix Stamps and Blocks

Caring for your CTMH Acrylix Stamps and Blocks is easy. These products of superior quality and are made to last. The following are handy tips on how to clean them.

You will want to clean your stamps right after you have stamped your images. Using the CTMH stamp scruber and cleaner makes this task easy.

Simply spritz a little cleaner onto the raised side of the stamp scrubber. With your stamp still on the block, gently rub your stamp over the damp scrubber. (I like to use little circular motions.) Then, rub your stamp over the dry side of the scrubber to finish. Peel off your stamp and return it to its storage sheet.

You can gently rub your empty block across the stamp scrubber (if your srubber is pretty clean) to clean and dry it, too--before storing it away for another day. CTMH offers a microfiber cloth to help dry your acrylix blocks. I recommend purchasing one of these, as it will help leave your blocks scratch-less and lint-free. Many digital cameras come standard with the same type of cloth. These are also acceptable to use.

About the stamp scrubber: It doesn't cost very much and does such a great job cleaning the stamps! Well, let me just say the purchase was so worth it. I simply remember to rinse the scrubber under warm water when it needs it--as, with use, a little build-up can occur.

Now, back to the CTMH Acrylix Stamps. Over time, they may lose a little of their sticky-ness. This is perfectly normal. When this happens, use a colander from your kitchen (don't want to lose any down the drain) and warm water and a drop of dish soap to rinse your stamps. Then, leave the stamps in the colander to air dry. After they are dry, return the stamps to their storage sheet for future use.

Occasionally your stamps may require extra care. This doesn't happen often and I will be happy to give you tips on how to do this. A quick visit to my website and you can drop me an email. I'll get back with you promptly.

I hope this helps you enjoy your CTMH Acrylix products for years and years to come!