Water proof ink choices

It seems everybody likes to use water colors right now or use markers. I know I do - the worry is there to go over the line. You don't want to smear the lines. Here are a few ink pad choices for you and you can decided how you would like to use them in your artwork. I will try to make a video soon to make it even a bit easier:

CTMH Archival Exclusive Ink pad. It will take a moment to dry. By the time you clean your stamp pad with a scrubber, your artwork will be dry. I highly recommend to use a scrubber to clean your stamp pad. Even though, your stamp will discolor. But this ink pad will give you a nice dark black.

The Memento ink pad is also a great choice - I like to use this pad, because it does not discolor my stamps as much, even though I still clean my stamp right away with a scrubber. Give your artwork a moment to dry with this as well.

If you like to emboss, the Stazon ink pad is a great choice for both - outline and embossing. But you do need to let it dry before coloring in your image. I always wait for a few minutes or use a heat gun to heat set it. Again, use a scrubber to clean your stamp.

Do you want en inexpensive and colorful way for outlines and still be able to use your water colors or your markers? Use these little babies! I love the pigment inks! You can get our black and cocoa inks in bulk. So, if you use those a lot for outlines - get the bulk and maybe share with some friends :)

Hope, I was able to help you a bit - have fun!

Margit

Tips and Techniques with ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Markers

The ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ markers can take your artwork to a whole new level. Close To My Heart offers a selection of 24 colors with everything from versatile neutrals to vibrant brights. Follow along to see how you can transform your projects with these markers.

This tutorial will show you how much easier it really is to use alcoholic markers than you thought and what all you might be able to color with them. Have fun!

Come see what you can create with the newest addition to our exclusive cricut collection of cartidges at Close to my Heart, CTMH Artistry cartridge.

Our newest cartridge includes shapes spanning a wide variety of themes, holidays, and seasons to add some visual spice to any project you create. Get back to basics with the unique font, banners, layered shapes, borders, backgrounds, and other fun icons you'll find on this cartridge. All of the designs are a must for any crafter!

Collection includes:
1 – Cartridge (700 images: Shapes, Layers, Banners, Borders, Backgrounds, and Font)
3 – My Acrylix® D-size Stamp Sets
1 – Enchantment Cardstock Combo Pack
Recommended blocks for included stamp sets: 1" × 3 ½" (Y1002), 2" × 2" (Y1003), 3" × 3" (Y1006), 2" × 3½" (Y1009).
Cricut® is a registered trademark of Provo Craft & Novelty, Inc. All rights reserved. This version is $99

If you would like to purchase just the digital version, that is available as well, it still contains the same shapes, stamp sets, and cardstock as the cartridge collection. The only difference is the 700 images are accessed using an online code rather than a physical cartridge.* Also, you will not the handy handbook that you will get when you get the cartridge version. The digital version is $79.


Have fun!


Margit

Hello, Cardmaking!

Hello, Cardmaking! by Close To My Heart Cardmakers, rejoice! There’s a new stamp set in town that will bring a whole lot of sassiness to your cards: the My Acrylix® Hello, Life!—Cardmaking stamp set. We've designed this beauty as part of our National Stamping Month trio of stamp sets, and its specialty is creating cards of all kinds. Don’t you just love receiving handmade cards in the mail? Think about it—the thrill you get seeing your name written on an envelope that’s obviously not a bill or a summons to jury duty. You love that feeling, and if you’re a cardmaker, you love giving that feeling to other people, too. A heartfelt card brings sunshine to everyone’s day! This sunny stamp set features big, bold greetings like “Hello” and “Oh, hey,” that are sure to get the recipient’s attention, paired with a variety of other sentiments and phrases you can use. Though the card above features gorgeous blue hues, it would be hard for anyone to feel blue after opening it up. The stylized sentiments work in perfect contrast with each other to fit a variety of moods. The card above is a playful and casual “thank you,” but you can easily see how the “Thanks” sentiment alone could be dressed up for a slightly more formal look. Oh, and speaking of formal… …what could be more formal than a black tie? Even when dressed to the nines in herringbone patterns and an irresistible black bow tie from our black Fundamental assortment, this card still carries such genuine thoughtfulness. The My Acrylix Hello, Life!—Cardmaking stamp set is only available as part of our National Stamping Month celebrations, which end September 30, so get it before it’s gone! And remember, it’s one of three sets that we’ve designed to work together in perfect harmony for a wide variety of crafting projects. Check out the hashtag #ctmhhellolife on Faceboook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see even more artwork being made with this trio of exclusive stamp sets. Happy stamping! Recipes 5 ½" x 4 ¼" Hello, Sunshine Card Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 2: Pattern 26 CC1041 My Acrylix® Hello, Life!—Cardmaking, X7197B Zoe Paper Packet, Z2641 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2172 Whisper Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3188 Paintbrush Set, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Thread 4 ¼" x 5 ½" Oh, Hey Card Make It from Your Heart™ Vol. 2: Pattern 11 CC1041 My Acrylix® Hello, Life!—Cardmaking, X7203B Georgie Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5762 Lagoon Cardstock, X5778 Saffron Cardstock, X5929 Whisper Cardstock, Z2195 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3105 Fundamental Assortment Gold, Z1979 Marvy® Uchida® LePen™ Journaling Pen 5 ½" x 4 ¼" Hello, Friend Card Originals: Center Accent™ (with alterations) CC1041 My Acrylix® Hello, Life!—Cardmaking, X7201B La Vie En Rose Paper Packet, X5776 Peacock Cardstock, X5762 Lagoon Cardstock, X5778 Saffron Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2195 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2651 Saffron Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3105 Fundamental Assortment Gold

All Purpose Mat - Tips and Tricks

 Here is a wonderful video that will show you some great tips and tips how to use this wonderful tool. It is so much more than just another craft mat. Enjoy!

https://www.mycraftchannel.com/shows/crafting-with-close-to-my-heart/season-4/all-purpose-mat-tips-tricks

September CTMH Newsletter

QUICK LINKS   Upcoming Events  These are the cards I made this month for the card workshop. I used the Zoe Paper Pack. I love this paper - there are so many possibilities with this.  The next class will be held on Sept. 17 at 7 pm. Please, let me know right away if you would like to participate. You can find all the details on my blog. Other dates: Ideabook Premier - Sept 12, 10 am - 12 pm Card workshop - Sept. 17, 10 am and 7 pm I am planning a Christmas Card Buffet in October - any interest? I would like to offer card kits - any interest in that? Please let me know, thank you  JOIN OUR LIST September Stamp of the Month September 2015: Paper Garden S1509, set of 10 Recommended Blocks: 1" × 1" (Y1000) 2" × 2" (Y1003) 4" × 5" (Y1012) Beautiful Stamps, Amazing Discounts Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5. When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing. September 2015: Paper Garden (S1509) Spend $50 and get this Stamp of the Month set for just $5. Like this Stamp of the Month? Check out others in these Idea Books.   Hostess Challenge At convention we were challenged to find at least 1 hostess in August for a party - are you it? I would love to work with anyone who love to have some fun with their friends. I only have a few more dates open. You will be the first to see the new products!  Would you say "no" at the possibility of receiving free product? Let me show you how! Welcome to Close to my Heart -July 2015 Dear Margit, as I write this, I will have recently returned from a trip from Philmont, New Mexico - to the BSA Scout Ranch. Loved it! yes, I love it here in Florida, but I must admit, it was wonderful to be back in the mountains again. New Mexico was blessed this year with lots of rain, so it was in bloom! If you are following my facebook page you saw all those sunflowers - wow - what a sight! Hope your summer has been a blessed one. Can you believe we are into fall already? And we have a  new book, good through next August along with a Holiday Expression booklet, that will be good until December 31 of this year. Have fun - let me know how I may help you! National Stamping Month-Hello, Life!   September is National Stamping Month, and this year Close To My Heart has something to help every kind of papercrafter say a big "hello" to life! Available only during the month of September, these exclusive C-size My Acrylix® Hello, Life! stamp sets can be purchased for $13.95 USD each! Or, for an even better deal, you can purchase all three for only $34.95 USD-a savings of $6.90 USD! Each stamp set is designed to fit with a specific type of papercrafting, whether that's traditional scrapbooking, cardmaking, or pocket scrapbooking. However, all the stamp sets coordinate with each other and can be used together to create dynamic artwork. These stamp sets also coordinate with shapes from the new Cricut® Artistry collection to help expand your artwork options even further. Remember, these stamp sets are available for one month only, so get your orders in for one stamp set-or all three-before these gorgeous stamps disappear! Make certain to follow Close To My Heart's blog, Instagram, and Facebook page for artwork inspiration featuring these lively stamp sets all month long. You can post your own artwork to your social media channels using the hashtag #ctmhHelloLife. Watch the campaign video and contact me for more details. While Supplies Last Now that the new book is here, we have lots of great new items - some of our retired items have moved on to the  "While Supplies" last list. Some of the items have been reduced in price, some of them quite deeply. When the items are gone - they are gone! It also pays to keep checking this list, since the company keeps adding on a regular basis to this list. If you have some favorites on here - get them now, when they are gone, they are gone! The new book is here! Here is just a little taste of what you can find in this book: New cartridge (all new cartridges will now have colored cardstock instead of dimensionals and are also available in digital form New Picture My Life scrapbooking programs Tons of new stamps New scrapbook collections with coordinating paper packs, plastick sticker sheets, kraft die-cuts, vellum die-cuts, thick plastic die-cuts or chipboard die-cut Sports stamp sets M-size stamps for all US states and Canada provinces (available online) New embossing folders New colors New organizers For more, check out the book and you can also check out the website by going to "New Products". A post in my blog has more detail as to some of the new items. Have fun browsing!   This is my birthday month! Yeah! Normally, the birthday girl gets the gifts, but I want to do something special for you. So... CTMH gives you a free Holiday Expression with your order - I will give you a free Annual Idea book with your order! If you order a cricut cartridge - I will send you an extra "surprise" This is it for this month - please make sure you keep checking my blog and my facebook for updates! If you are not on facebook, let me know I would love to stay in touch with you with other means. We are about to launch the new idea book and we have always newsflashes I would love to bring your way - I would hate for you to miss something. I would like to serve you - please let me know how I can do that the best way. Oh - one more thing! At convention, we were informed how much we have supported Operation Smile in the passed 10 years! Can believe, it has been that long? We now have upped how much of the Operation Smile stamp set will go to that charity and we offer a T-Shirt with the proceeds going to that charity. If you would like to help share a smile - you may want to purchase a T-shirt! Thank you! Have a great day and I will talk to you soon. Happily stamping,   Margit McCabe Close to my Heart We show you how to celebrate relationships through discovering your creativity, to preserve and share the moments that matter most. Forward this email Close to my Heart | 14573 Spotted Sandpiper Blvd. | Winter Garden | FL | 34787

New products in the new 2015 idea book

The new Idea Book and Holiday Expression is here! The Annual (white) book will be good through next August. The Holiday Expression will be good through this December. Here are some of the products you can find:

Tons new stamp sets - I did not list them here - I will let you explore ... :)

 

Also, the Stamp of the Month sets are all featured in the Holiday Expressions book

 

p. 5

• Picture My Life scrapbooking programs are now available with Hostess Rewards

p. 6-11

• New Hostess Rewards stamp sets are available. Additional sets included in the Holiday Expressions publication

p. 18-103

• Find all of the new paper packets within these pages
• Each paper packet is pictured with the coordinating Complements, Assortments, other complementary products, and a variety of stamp sets.
• The new Complements include 6x6 sticker sheets along with a variety of other textures.
• Textures may include Thin Plastic Sticker Sheets, Kraft Die-Cuts, Vellum Die-Cuts, Thick Plastic Die-Cuts, or Chipboard Die-Cuts

p. 21, 37, 62, 79, 91

• New Workshops on the Go are featured for each of the new paper packets
• Scrapbooking- Zoe, Sangria, La Vie En Rose, Georgie, Urban
• Cardmaking- Kaleidoscope

p. 97

• Note that there is a list of additional activity (sports) stamps that are featured online

p. 103

• New M-size stamps available for every state and each Canadian provinces and territories

p. 108-109

• New patterns in Paper Fundamentals along with, of course, all of the new colors

p. 110-111

• New Fundamental Sticker Packs and Fundamental Assortments. The Sticker Packs are available in each of the color families and the Assortments are available in a variety of colors which will give you embellishments for each of the Paper Fundamentals collections. Did I mention these stickers pack have stars, letters and all kinds of cool shapes - love those stickers!

p. 113-115

• New Picture My Life Scrapbooking Programs that feature both 4x6 and 3x4 cards. Each card has the same design on both sides with one side configured horizontally and the other, vertically. Also available are 2 new overlay card sets, one in gold & silver and the other in black.

p. 119-121

• The new Cricut Artistry Collection available both as a regular cartridge or in digital form.
• All of the original Cricut Collections now feature cardstock instead of Dimensional Elements

p. 122-123

• Two new confetti embossing folders and two new diffusers, one each in circle and square.

p. 126-127

• Brand new Instalife albums, Instalife card collections that include 2x2 and 4x4 sizes, and Mini Memory Protectors to fit the albums!
• New Roller Stamps (just like an old library stamp!) that include a variety of sentiments and images.

p. 129

• Two new card kits, along with 4 new sentiment M-sized stamps.

p. 134-137

• New Base & Bling elements that feature new shiny faux gold and faux silver finishes.
• New charms that are packaged with 3 each of a single design.
• Two new style sheets, Affirmations and Lovely Blooms.
• A brand new A-sized stamp that includes the full alphabet and is designed to fit into the wreaths on the new Lovely Blooms style sheet.

p. 140-143

• New embellishments to include Enamel & Glitter Duos and Enamel Gems
• New shimmer trim colors- Coral, Green, and Aqua
• New foil tape in both gold and silver
• New Thick Twine in Poppy, Fern and Whisper

p. 144

• An updated My Creations calendar
• New My Creations Pint-Sized Container

p. 145

• Two new Glitter Paper colors- Gold and Red
• New 12x12 Watercolor Paper

p. 146

• Brand new Watercolor Paints and a Paintbrush Set

p. 149

• New Thumb Notch Punch

p. 153

• Two new organizers
• Marker Roll-Up designed to hold 25 Shin Han Touch Twin markers
• Accessory Roll-Up with zippers and 16 clear pockets to hold embellishments, accessories, or Base & Bling products
• Both organizers include a hanging loop for easy vertical storage

p. 155

• New My Acrylix Mini Stamp Organizer box designed to hold up to 26 M-sized stamp sets - you can fit all kinds of other items in there. Our ribbons, washi tape, embellishements, re-inkers and so much more fit in that little thing as well. You can so many places with just one little organizer!

p. 156-157

• New colors in the Enchantment color collection

• Eggplant
• Sapphire
• Peacock
• Fern
• Saffron
• Poppy
• Pomegranate

August 2015 card workshop

Here are the 3 cards we made for our August card workshop. It was a lot of fun, but I must admit - the first card was a lot of time to cut all the overlays out. But looking at the card - well worth it - don't you think :)

Tips:

Card #1:

• I used the Artbooking cartridge, overlay - punch out all the little cut outs from the overlay ... save the circles and stars!
•  Originally, the overlay was 12 x 12 and I sized it down to my card size
• For the color spots, I used various scraps of B & T papers - great way to use it up!
• Use either liquid glass or a glue pen to adhere the scraps on the back
• After cutting the overlay in half (you get enough for 2 cards out of each cut), adhere the color spots, then adhere 3-d spots. Make sure you have some in the middle as well
• Also put 3-d spots on your tag to make it even.

Hope these tips, helped - if you should have any questions, please contact me and I will be more than happy to answer them.

You can find any of these products on my website.

A real easy way to look for a product is to type either the product # or the name into the search box.

Card #2:

• After cutting my various strips I started by stamping my glacier strip in the middle using the "random" stamping method in the middle, going out to both sides.
• Stamp the sentiment
• Have two pieces of shimmer trim of equal length, dove tail them and adhere them to your sentiment piece
• Then adhere 3-d spots on the back
• Before you adhere any of the strips lay out your pieces the way you want them on your card, once you are happy the way it looks - go ahead and put it together. If you want to add more bling - go ahead! Make it your own!

Card #3:

• Stamp the sentiment
• Dovetail the sentiment piece
• Adhere shimmer trip to glacier cs
• Adhere sentiment piece, you may want to use 3-d dots for that
• Before you adhere this piece to the white cs, lay it down where you want it and stamp the three leaves, then adhere the sentiment piece, add bling
• Then layer your card and you are done!

Here are the products you will need:

Z1906 Artbooking Cartridge
11385 White CS
S1508 Framed (August SOM) - but we have other great frame sets
Z2060 Thin 3-d tape
Z553 Glue Pen, Mem Bond. Glue
Z2195 Lagoon Ink
Z3041 Oceanside Sequins
Z2140 Outdoor Denim Ink
C1619 So Many Smiles
X7197B Zoe Paper Pack
X5770 Glacier CS
Z2641 Glacier Ink
Z2173 Slate Ink
Z2164 Sorbet Ink
Z1918 Shimmer Trim
Y1000  1 x 1 Block
Y1003 2 x 2 Block
Y1006 3 x 3 Block
X254 White cards & Envelopes value Pack

Again, these were very fun! Until next time,

Happy stamping - Margit