Baby Birds, Fridays, and Contest Winners

Hello, everyone! Today is an exciting day at Close To My Heart. The 2014 Annual Inspirations idea book is now available to everyone! I’m so excited that all of our careful thought and hard work is open for you to enjoy and use with your own crafting expertise. I look forward to seeing what you will do with this beautiful new book in the upcoming months!

Today is also exciting because it’s Friday! And what a beautiful Friday it is. Here at Close To My Heart corporate headquarters, the sun is shining and the sky is baby blue. From my office I can see the mountains, stoic and silent with whispery white clouds drifting between them. In one of the trees outside our building, there is a nest with 3 baby birds inside. And earlier this week there was a blue heron enjoying our pond. I love seeing all of the life that comes with this time of year.

And lastly, to start the last month of summer off right, we’re excited today to announce our 20 lucky winners from the July Fundamental Crafts Contest! I was overwhelmed and humbled by all of the responses we received. A thousand thanks for making Close To My Heart products such an essential part of your crafting expression.

Here are the 20 lucky winners from the July Fundamental Crafts Contest:

1. Suzanne Webster-Lowrie (Jeanette’s Blog on July 1, 2014 at 9:49 am)
2. Kimberly Clark (Jeanette’s Blog on July 1, 2014 at 12:00 pm)
3. Beth Soler (Jeanette’s Blog on July 1, 2014 at 9:37 pm)
4. Beth Hansen (Jeanette’s Blog on July 9, 2014 at 8:20 am)
5. Sue Yokley (Jeanette’s Blog on July 13, 2014 at 8:51 am)
6. Katrina Brown (Jeanette’s Blog on July 16, 2014 at 8:30 pm)
7. Jami Larson (Jeanette’s Blog on July 18, 2014 at 5:04 am)
8. Kathy (Jeanette’s Blog on July 20, 2014 at 12:03 pm)
9. Melissa Robinson (Jeanette’s Blog on July 29, 2014 at 11:25 am)
10. Lilian YF (Jeanette’s Blog on July 31, 2014 at 10:15 pm)
11. Barbara Brownlee (Jeanette’s Blog on July 26, 2014 at 1:11 pm)
12. Diane Judy (Jeanette’s Blog on July 22, 2014 at 6:41 am)
13. Lorraine Demers Melanson (Facebook on July 17, 2014 at 2:49 pm)
14. Amy Keeler (Facebook on July 21, 2014 at 9:38 pm)
15. Heather Young Birnie (Facebook on July 24, 2014 at 7:38 am)
16. Leanne Price (Facebook on July 17, 2014 at 3:11 pm)
17. Wendy Kessler (YouTube video)
18. Becca Britton (YouTube video)
19. Rhonda Snyder (YouTube video)
20. Erin Probst (YouTube video)

If you’re one of the lucky 20, please send your mailing address to me@jeanettelynton.com with “Fundamental Crafts Contest” in the subject line. Once you do that, we’ll get your free Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment in the mail and on the way to your doorstep! 

And whatever your plans are for these next few days, whether they include enjoying something beautiful or making something beautiful, be sure to do one thing: have a good weekend.

Thank you again! And congratulations to each of our winners!

New winners from June, and a new contest for July!

Can you believe that June is already over? I feel like it was only yesterday that I was announcing the June Carefree Crafting Contest, yet here I am now, announcing our 20 lucky winners! 

But before I get to the winners, let me just say that I loved reading your comments. Whether it’s pictures of a newborn grandchild wrapped in blankets, snapshots of canoe rides and dirty sneakers from summer camp, or photos of your favorite little girl playing dress-up, I know that your memories will breathe life into the pages of these Workshops on the Go™ scrapbooking projects. 

So, without further ado, I’m excited to present the 20 lucky winners of a free Workshop on the Go scrapbooking kit!

Here they are:

1. Jeanenne Wilcox (Jeanette’s Blog on June 3, 2014 at 11:27 am)
2. Linda Johnson (Jeanette’s Blog on June 2, 2014 at 4:20 pm)
3. Helen Gullett (Jeanette’s Blog on June 2, 2014 at 8:11 am)
4. Michelle Stewart (Jeanette’s Blog on June 1, 2014 at 2:00 pm)
5. Gina Brandstetter (Jeanette’s Blog on June 1, 2014 at 3:31 pm)
6. Karen (Jeanette’s Blog on June 2, 2014 at 7:31 am)
7. Barbi (Jeanette’s Blog on June 2, 2014 at 2:11 pm)
8. Anne Grahl (Jeanette’s Blog on June 2, 2014 at 4:13 pm)
9. Dianne Schouten (Jeanette’s Blog on June 2, 2014 at 6:08 pm)
10. Anita Miller (Jeanette’s Blog on June 2, 2014 at 9:31 pm)
11. Nancy Ball (Jeanette’s Blog on June 1, 2014 at 3:51 pm)
12. Rachel Kitto (Jeanette’s Blog on June 7, 2014 at 1:31 am)
13. Shelley Richards (Facebook on June 22, 2014 at 5:12 am)
14. Sharon Young (Facebook on June 2, 2014 at 1:01 pm)
15. Jamie Chambers Turner (Facebook on June 2, 2014 at 2:35 pm)
16. Sheryl Priest (Facebook on June 10, 2014 6:43 pm)
17. Shari Czerwinski (YouTube video)
18. Jayma Malme (YouTube video)
19. Tabitha Carroll (YouTube video)
20. Betty Jo Nelson (YouTube video)

If your name appears on this list, please send an email to me@jeanettelynton.com with your mailing address included, and “Carefree Crafting Contest” in the subject line. Thank you for all of your comments! And congratulations to each of our winners! 

Now that we’ve said goodbye to June, I’m happy to welcome in the new month by announcing the Fundamental Crafts Contest, the social media contest for July! Watch this video to learn more and to see Monica introduce our new Paper Fundamentals product, an assortment of 20 double-sided 12” x 12” paper sheets (2 each of 10 designs) featuring the same design on both sides, with one side featuring a glossy-resist version of the design. They are just the ticket to add a little spice to any of your projects! Each of you always has such a beautiful way of transforming memories into keepsakes. I can only imagine what you can do with this!

For a chance to win your own Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment, leave a comment telling us what your fundamental scrapbooking item is and why you just can’t live without it. To be eligible to win, be sure to leave a comment below, on Facebook, or on YouTube before July 31.

Good luck!

Carefree Crafting Contest

April showers bring May flowers—so what big surprise is left for June? A really great opportunity to win a Workshops on the Go™ scrapbooking kit from Close To My Heart!

Leave a comment telling everyone which Workshops on the Go™ scrapbooking kit of the Spring/Summer 2014 idea book is your favorite and why for a chance to win it. Make sure to comment below, on Facebook, or on YouTube before June 30 to be eligible. Good luck!

Announcing the Bucket List Contest Winners!

It’s May 1st, and that means that I’m not only looking for the May flowers that the April showers promised, but also that I’m announcing the winners of the April social media contest. A landslide of you answered the question, “What’s on your bucket list?” Thank you for your responses! To a lucky 20 winners (with big dreams) I’ll be sending the materials needed to create your own Base & Bling accessory. If your name appears on this list, please email me@jeanettelynton.com with your mailing address included and “Bucket List contest” in the subject line:

1. Tammy Rusch (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 10:43 am)

2. Sue F. (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 11:23 am)

3. Tina (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 12:02 pm)

4. Cindy (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 12:35 pm)

5. Grace Green (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 1:12 pm)

6. Lourdes Alcala (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 2:20 pm)

7. Marbath Carmack (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 4:56 pm)

8. Margi (Jeanette’s Blog on April 1, 2014 at 6:00 pm)

9. RobynL (Jeanette’s Blog on April 2, 2014 at 12:48 am)

10. Di Crawford (Jeanette’s Blog on April 2, 2104 at 6:51 pm)

11. photofunwithfawn (Jeanette’s Blog on April 2, 2014 at 7:19 pm)

12. Beth Bennett (Jeanette’s Blog on April 3, 2014 at 5:21 pm)

13. OregonGma (Jeanette’s Blog on April 24, 2014 at 11:08 am)

14. Bronwyn Hammond (Facebook on April 3, 2014 at 1:19 am)

15. Cathy Shumaker Dismuke (Facebook on April 1, 2014 at 6:50 pm)

16. Jenny Bottom (Facebook on April 1, 2014 at 3:43 pm)

17. Monika English (Facebook on April 7 at 3:09 am)

18. Rachel Brant (YouTube video)

19. Natalie Barrington (YouTube video)

20. Jill Norris (YouTube video)

Congratulations to you all! Enjoy sporting your new Base & Bling accessory all around town in the days to come.

Artbooking Made Easy: Snapshots Mini Album

I know that, as scrapbookers and crafters, many of us are inclined to find any excuse to pick up our cameras and snap a few (or not so few) pictures. Am I right? Have you ever found a stash of photos that you always meant to scrapbook and just never got around to? Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to scrapbook those impromptu family pictures you took at the park. Either way, you’re going to love what’s being featured on today’s episode of Artbooking Made Easy! Look at pages 40 and 41 of the Artbooking booklet to follow along!

See what I mean? I love the camera and the photo strip cutouts on these keys. They are the perfect way to highlight all of those snapshots that I know we all have tucked away! Let’s look at some of the details of this great mini album.

One of the things I love about the circle overlay is all of the fun stamping you can do with it! Jill showed us how the overlay was used as a stencil all over in this album for this fun, shaded stamp pattern. Try this out with the other overlays to pattern your paper! The best part is that you can still use the cutout, even after you’ve used it as a stencil!

The My Acrylix™ Reel Life stamp set used here comes with three arrows, so you can achieve this fun pattern by just stamping it once in four different colors, cutting out all the pieces, and arranging them however you’d like.

Isn’t this a great watercolor technique behind these speech bubbles? All you need to do is take your Exclusive Inks™ pad, and press the lid into the stamp pad so that ink collects on the inside of the lid. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink and then use even brushstrokes on your paper to achieve the look you want.

Of course, you can use the cutouts from these keys for other projects besides mini albums, too. On this adorable canvas, all of the shapes were cut using Real Dial Size to make them fit perfectly on the 6" x 6" canvas. The title and the circle half overlay were both cut at 2" RDS, and the photo mat cut at 4 1/2". The camera and the heart were both cut at 1 1/2" RDS. I like how the artist customized the title by leaving off the “photos” from the “My Favorite Photos” pennants on page 40 of the Artbooking booklet.  

After all these photography-themed cutouts, I’m thinking about all my favorite photos, but I also want to hear about yours! Leave a comment here, on our Facebook page, or on YouTube telling me about your favorite photograph for a chance to win your very own Cricut^® Artbooking cartridge! I’ll announce the winner next Monday.

Recipes

Be Yourself Mini Album:

Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection (cutouts and stamps)

B1431 My Acrylix™ Reel Life

X7179B Ariana Paper Packet

X7171B Sarita Paper Packet

X7172 ProPlayer Paper Packet

Z1751 Baker’s Twine Harvest Assortment

Z1702 Baker’s Twine Paradise Assortment

Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim

Z1918 Teal Shimmer Trim

Z1817 Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape

Z1932 Silver Geometric Washi Tape

Z1935 Black & Grey Epoxy Bubbles

Z1853 Aqua Dots

Z1938 Sponge Dauber Value Pack

Colors used: Colonial White, Crème Brulee, Juniper, Outdoor Denim, Slate, Twilight,

My Favorite Canvas:

Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection

X7177B Skylark Paper Packet

Z1939 Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment

Z1818 My Creations™ 6" x 6" Canvas Display

Z1830 Brown & Tan Glitter Paper

Z1753 Sparkles Brown & Tan Assortment

Colors used: Flaxen, Sorbet, Thistle 

Bucket List Contest

Happy April Fools’ Day! Thank you for leaving your comments about your favorite Picture My Life programs. I know it's hard to choose just one! Congratulations to the winner of her choice, the Chantilly PML program, Donita Wagler! Please send me an email with your mailing address to me@jeanettelynton.com.

Even though it's April Fool's Day, all joking aside, don’t you just love the expanded Base & Bling line? As someone who thrives on creativity, I love finding new outlets for my creative cravings, and it makes it that much better when it’s something stylish that I can wear and show off. The classy Base & Bling wearable crafts are some of my favorite new products! There are so many options that I just know you will be able to create something that’s perfect for you!

As Monica shows in this video, you can choose the color, shape, and even the image for your fabulous accessory, whether it’s a picture of the Eiffel Tower or just a fun pattern. Watch the video to get a glimpse of some of the elegant wearable crafts that are available through our newest Base & Bling line. Then leave a comment here, on our Facebook page, or on YouTube about something that’s on your bucket list for a chance to win the materials to create your own Base & Bling accessory! Leave your comment anytime before April 30, 2014, and you could be the winner!

Artbooking Made Easy: Travel Mini Albums

This week marks the official end of winter! When the weather starts warming up, I know many of us take that as a sign to start planning our summer getaways! With that in mind, today’s episode of Artbooking Made Easy is all about the travel mini-album keys. These keys are found on pages 38 and 39 of the Artbooking booklet, so let’s take a look!

Such great projects! I love how versatile the Artbooking cartridge is—from just two pages of keys, we saw three totally different looks. Use your favorite colors, embellishments, and shapes to make your projects your own! Let me show you some of the details to inspire you.

I really love the simplicity of this page. Using kraft cardstock, the artist cut out the little geolocation icon and the airplane, and then, using the scallop border punch, created a simple border with the White Daisy and Goldrush cardstock. I love how the look of the scalloped borders matches the shape of the clouds on the next page. Sometimes using simple shapes ties things together nicely. If you have a favorite shape or cutout you’re using, experiment to see what other shapes or borders might coordinate with it.

This overlay from page 39 of the booklet looks great sized down for this card, but I especially love how the artist has decorated it with a unique twist on baker’s twine! These little wheels are easy to create, and I love the way they match the circles on the overlay, the border, and the center of the flowers. And of course, baker’s twine is typically used for tying bows or wrapping around paper, so I love seeing embellishments used in a way you don’t see very often! All you need to create these wheels is some Liquid Glass (or Glue Dots). Apply a circle of Liquid Glass to your paper, and then take your baker’s twine, adhering the end to the center of the circle, and just wrap your way around. Because the baker’s twine already has a twisted design, wrapping it into wheels creates a great multi-dimensional look.

The other thing I want to point out on this card is the flower cluster. The artist used several different colors and then cut out each element individually, using 3-D foam tape to make them really stand out.

From the "Our Vacation" album, these washi tape ruffles are just too adorable! They add such a fun element to these pages, and they’re so simple to make. Just put two pieces of washi tape together (so that the adhesive sides stick together), fold to create the pleat, and staple one side down along the edge. You can hide the stapled side behind another piece of paper, or just leave it exposed—however you’d like.

If you love the colors of your plain cardstock but want to give it more visual interest, you can always use the same color of ink to stamp backgrounds onto your solid-colored cardstock. The good thing about creating your own patterned paper using stamps is that you control how it looks—you can stamp several times to create a lot of contrast, or you can stamp it lightly to just give a hint of a pattern.

Another thing I love about this page is how the artist used the "Just Be" title in her own way to create a new title! Use your imagination to see what new titles you can come up with. 

What inspiring artwork! Feel free to adapt and adjust some of these techniques to work for your own projects. I’d love to hear about what you plan on creating with these ideas! But even more than that, because these are the travel mini-album keys, after all, I would love to hear about your dream vacation! Leave a comment here, on our Facebook page, or on YouTube, telling me about your dream vacation (it could be one that you’ve already taken, one that you’re planning, or just one you’d love to take) for a chance to win your own Artbooking cartridge! I will announce the winner next Monday.

Recipes

On This Day Mini Album:

Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection

D1555 My Acrylix^™ All the Details

Z1888 My Crush^™ Memories Assortment

Z1889 My Crush^™ Favorites Assortment

Z1887 My Crush^™ Best Day Ever Assortment

Z3005 Timberline Assortment

Z1863 Color-Ready Midtown Cork Shapes

Z1844 Color-Ready Trinkets Wooden Shapes

Z1853 Aqua Dots

Z1929 Topiary Mini Chevron Ribbon

Z1851 Scallop Border Punch

Colors used: White Daisy, Goldrush, Whisper, New England Ivy, Lagoon, Pear, kraft

Blossom Card:

Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection

B1452 My Acrylix^™ Funky Blossoms

X7180B Balloon Ride Paper Packet

Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment

Colors used: Cocoa, Juniper, Sorbet, Honey, Champagne

Our Vacation Mini Album:

Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection

D1536 My Acrylix^™ Perfect Fit—Frames 2

C1575 My Acrylix^™ True to Life

E1028 My Acrylix^™ Hopscotch Alphabet

C1534 My Acrylix^™ Sightseer

A1150 My Acrylix^™ Charming Chevrons

B1431 My Acrylix^™ Reel Life

D1579 My Acrylix^™ Windy Day

E1029 My Acrylix^™ Marquee Uppercase

D1579 My Acrylix^™ Flight of the Arrows

X7177B Skylark Paper Packet

X7181B Jubilee Paper Packet

Z1935 Black & Grey Epoxy Bubbles

Z1958 Base & Bling Craft Queen Charms

Z1931 Honey Triangles Washi Tape

Z1844 Color-Ready Trinkets Wooden Shapes

Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment

Z1918 Silver Shimmer Trim

Z1850 Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape

Z1817 Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape

Colors used: Whisper, White Daisy, black, Outdoor Denim, Honey, Pear, Lagoon, Cranberry

Mix & Match Contest!

Hello friends! I know that many of you are just as excited as I am about some of our new product lines, including the incredible new Picture My Life™ scrapbooking programs. These programs are such a wonderful option for quick, easy, and beautifully unique scrapbooking! What I love about these programs is that it’s YOUR photos that make it unique. I know that you’ll just love mixing and matching your favorite photos with these vibrant, versatile, and all-around lovely cards.

If you haven't seen all of the amazing Picture My Life scrapbooking programs, watch this video to get a peek or contact your Close To My Heart Independent Consultant for more details. Then leave a comment here, on our Facebook page, or on YouTube telling me what you picture when you think of your favorite Picture My Life scrapbooking program for a chance to win your choice! Leave your comment anytime before March 31, 2014, and you might be our lucky winner!

Artbooking Made Easy: Top Secret Mini Albums

I have always loved any way of preserving memories, and keeping a journal is certainly one of the best ways to make precious memories last. But for many of us, journaling began back in the days of diaries that had a lock and a key in order to protect the secrets hidden within. Keeping secrets seemed so important as a child! But the secret is out on today’s episode of Artbooking Made Easy, which features the top secret mini album keys on pages 42 and 43 of the Artbooking booklet.  

There are so many good ideas here to inspire you when working on your own projects! All of these techniques can be altered and adapted to fit your skill level and your specific projects.

Let’s first take a look at the “I Adore You” page. Even though the keys are designed for a mini album, you can still use them on any layout. Here, for example, the folder cutouts from page 42 become perfect photo mats. They were just scaled down to 6 ½" using the Real Dial Size, and then cut in half where they would normally have been folded to make a folder.

This alphabet overlay is adorable just by itself, but Carlie showed us how it was incorporated into the title of the page by cutting out the overlay in several different colors and then using the letters to create the "I Adore You" title. Contrasting colors can create really eye-catching details. The layering technique was also used on the “approved” stamp. Layering different colors gives it a whole new dimension!

My favorite element on this page is definitely the ruffles placed underneath the word “adore.” This is such a terrific technique that can add more dimension to your projects. To create these ruffles, all you need is a bone folder for those precise folds. For the red ruffle, score your paper at every ¾" and every ¼". You could use either glue or, like you see here, machine stitching to keep it folded down together. To make the yellow accordion ruffle, you just score the paper every ¼".  These ruffles would be a great way to dress up any project!

Notice also how the artist has added a fun detail in the hand stitching around the edges with these chevron arrows. With the stitching guide, it’s simple to do running stitches or zigzag stitches, but let your creative juices flow and see what other stitching patterns you can create.

Now, speaking of diaries, this mini album is the perfect size to document a personal journey, a favorite vacation, or just life’s everyday details.

As Carlie showed us in the video, this little pocket on the front cover is found in the top secret keys, and it’s the perfect place to tuck away all those items that you don’t want seen. Throughout this mini album, different pockets and pouches found on these keys were used to store movie stubs, concert tickets, and other sentimental mementos.  

I can’t get enough of embossed paper! (Which reminds me, there are only a few days left for our February “Embossing is Boss” promotion!) It adds just the right amount of detail to otherwise plain paper and requires hardly any work at all. But always remember, to avoid tearing or warping the paper when embossing, load the paper with the grain and not against it into the embossing folder and make sure that the width of your paper doesn't exceed the edges of the folder.

This simple technique always catches my attention! Here, the artist first stamped the letters from the Framework Alphabet stamp set with the pigment inks. You’ll want to use the pigment inks for this technique because although they require a bit more drying time, they are thicker than the regular stamp pads and won’t smear when you use the blending pen overtop. Once the ink is completely dry (you can heat set it to speed up the process if you'd like), use the blending pen to fill in the color from bottom to top. You want to start with the lightest color and then go over it with darker colors to create this fun ombre effect. Try experimenting with different stamps and ink colors and see what you can come up with!

I love the elements on this page. One of the overlays on page 42 is shaped like a page out of a notebook, and one of the stamps that comes with the Artbooking Collection (My Acrylix^™ Take Note) includes the notebook-page lines for a 4" cutout. There are two different overlay cutouts, one cut at 4" and one at 5 ¼", Real Dial Size. The top one was stamped with the notebook lines and used as a journaling card. The bottom one was stamped with a mini stamp and used as a background piece. It goes to show that you can use the same shape in different sizes and colors together to create a unique, eye-catching page.

I hope something on one of these two pieces of artwork has inspired you. Now go and take that inspiration and incorporate it into whatever you’re working on right now! And if you don’t have the Artbooking cartridge yet, here’s your chance! Leave a comment here, on YouTube, or on our Facebook page about the best secret you’ve ever kept—a surprise, an announcement, or just some good news—for a chance to win your own Artbooking cartridge! I’ll announce the winner next Monday.

Recipes

My Life Mini Album:

Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection (cutouts and stamps)

C1575 My Acrylix^™  True to Life

D1572 My Acrylix^™ My Life

D1580 My Acrylix^™ Catch You Later

M1026 My Acrylix^™ Dotted Love

E1027 My Acrylix^™ Framework Alphabet

C1581 My Acrylix^™ Inspiration Flourishes

C1574 My Acrylix^™ Believe in Yourself

X7177B Skylark Paper Packet

Z1849 Bronze Shimmer Trim

Z1853 Aqua Dots

Z1918 Teal Shimmer Trim

Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment

Z1925 Chevron Embossing Folder

Z1928 Durables Triangle Studs

Z1933 Ruby Chevron Washi Tape

Z1934 Flamingo Dots

3174 Blending Pen

Colors used: Lagoon, Colonial White, Sweet Leaf, Juniper, Smoothie, Outdoor Denim, Blush, Chocolate, Desert Sand, kraft

I Adore You Page:

Z1906 Cricut^® Artbooking Collection

D1574 My Acrylix^™ Take Note

B1431 My Acrylix^™ Reel Life

C1575 My Acrylix^™ Labels

X7181B Jubilee Paper Packet

Z1921 Baker’s Twine Neutral Metallic Assortment

Z1931 Honey Triangles Washi Tape

Z1806 Green & Blue Epoxy Bubbles

Z1753 Sparkles Brown & Tan Assortment

Z1852 Stitch Guide

Z1204 Bone Folder

Colors used: Topiary, White Daisy, Cocoa, Honey, Cranberry, Indian Corn Blue