I am a couple of days late, but the new Mini Catalogue is now live for you to order some of the gorgeous Christmas goodies.
There are so many lovely things in this mini catalogue, I think my favourite for Christmas is called the Traditions of Christmas Suite.
And I also love (and already own!!) the Lights of Aurora Suite, which is sure to get a lot of use.
But that’s not all, a new Online Exclusive list was also released, and again there are a lot of Christmas goodies. If you are not into traditional Christmas colours and would like something bold and modern, try the Modern Christmas Suite.
I think it’s fair to say that there is something for everyone in these releases. Time to get started on your Christmas cards? It’s always good to be prepared, and there’s a lot of inspiration here.
Welcome back to the Art with Heart team’s Heart of Christmas blog hops, where we hope you will find some Christmas inspiration to help you get started on your Christmas projects.
Today I have pulled out some of the new A Little Bit Festive Mix and Match Specialty Designer Series Paper which I have paired with the Painted Trees Embossing Folder. This “mix and match” paper set, includes Christmas images which have been die cut, along with some Christmas themed Designer Series Paper, making it easy to combine different elements to create a variety of projects.
Next along on our blog hop is the amazing Vicki Boucher.
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants in our Blog Hop today, you can head over to Sharon Davern’s blog.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy hopping along through all the Christmas inspiration. Happy stamping, Chris
Here I am, back again to continue where we left off with the Sketches from page 22 of the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue, and we are up to Sketch #19.
I will admit that I found this sketch a little challenging. I had a lot of ideas in my head, but I have been unwell with an ear and sinus infection, and whenever I am unwell, my creativity goes out the window!! So there were a few attempts at this one, a couple of them were thrown out before they got past the initial idea, but I may go back to those another time. Here is what I ended up with –
I’m not going to go into all the measurements for the card, they are pretty basic and you can go back to one of the previous posts where I have all the measurements for my cards. The main tools I have used for this card were the Distressed Tile Embossing Folder, and the circles are cut using the Stylish Shapes Dies. The circles were cut from the Countryside Rose Designer Series Paper which was only available to Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators, and I just love all the pretty pinks. The embossed surface and the edges of the circles were all swiped with some Pretty in Pink ink pad.
Thanks for joining me again, and happy stamping, Chris
I’m not sure about you but this gorgeous Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper is just beeeautiful!!
I apologise for again a huge gap in my posts, I’ve had a lot of trouble with internet and getting WordPress to behave, so I will keep this short and sweet. It’s called the Flowering Zinnias Designer Series Paper and is one of the Online Exclusives. It doesn’t really need anything else, does it? The creation of this set of four cards used one sheet of the paper and took just a few minutes. You can purchase the Flower Zinnias DSP right here in my online store.
December and January are particularly difficult in our family, so many of our loved ones have passed on, so it is inevitably a quiet and reflective time of year, and a time when I rarely want to do any crafting. This year has been especially difficult with the financial situation that so many of us are facing, which for us became a whole lot more difficult at the end of December. And to top it all off, the email service provider that I was using to send out my regular newsletters, did some weird stuff, including sending out some unsolicited and rather abnoxious emails to people. I am desperately hoping they didn’t go out to any of you, but if so, I can only apologise. As well, I don’t have access to everyone who was previously subscribed to my list but I am hoping this will get to those who need to see it. So… onwards and upwards, starting again and moving forward.
I plan to send out a regular newsletter featuring one product which I have used in different ways, and hope that it will inspire you with some ideas. I won’t promise to do it weekly, but hopefully at least once each month, and I will also include any promotions and sales, as well as any personal news and Stampin’ Up! news.
So this week’s focus is on the gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous Layered Florals Embossing Folder which is available from the current Mini Catalogue until 30 April 2024.
Isn’t it just beautiful? If, like me, you can’t do without it, you click here to go directly to my online store to buy it. So many ideas, so little time.
As always at this time of year, demonstrators start thinking about the upcoming change over of not just the Annual Catalogue (new catalogue at the start of May) but also the retirement of one set of the In Colors. So if you love them, make sure you get in quickly and stock up on your reinkers and cardstock – they always sell out quickly. Pop over to my store and get what you need before they are no longer available. Do you have a favourite from these five colours? I love both Orchid Oasis and Starry Sky but will admit that they haven’t had a lot of use over the two years. As always, I look forward to seeing what is coming with the new lot of In Colors.
In some other sad news this week, I was so sad to learn that the stamping and scrapbook company Close To My Heart will cease operations on June 30, 2024! It is never easy to hear of the closure of yet another business in these difficult times. From the Founder of CTMH: “Dear Close To My Heart Community,As the founder and owner of Close to My Heart, I have devoted my life’s work to building and supporting this community, helping millions of people to preserve memories and celebrate relationships in meaningful ways. This company has grown and developed into a beautiful, vibrant community devoted to touching hearts with these vital creative arts, offering incredible products, rewarding business opportunities, and deep connections with fellow crafters.As much as I love what Close To My Heart stands for, after a great deal of deliberation, prayer, and counsel, I have come to the heartbreaking conclusion that the time has come to discontinue the business. Close To My Heart will cease operations effective June 30, 2024.The reasons that have brought me to this decision are too many to enumerate fully here. My health is a major factor, as the stresses and demands of the business continue to take their toll on me. At the same time, we have not seen the kinds of growth that were needed in order to achieve long-term stability. The way the company and the economy are trending, I foresee considerable challenges ahead that we simply are not equipped to overcome.Ultimately, I am choosing to end Close To My Heart on my own terms rather than being forced to close at some future date in less favorable circumstances. As upsetting as it is for me and for our thousands of Makers, by taking this course of action now, we can provide our community and our employees with as much notice and as many opportunities as possible.Because I cherish the community we have built together, I have been working with my team to find a new home for our Makers, where they can continue to benefit from the years of work they have poured into their individual Close To My Heart business. We are in the midst of conversations with Stampin’ Up!, collaborating on a solution that we hope will help our Makers make the most of their investments of time and resources and that will maintain at least a part of the legacy we always hoped to build.In the meantime, we still have a lot of product to offer, and we will continue to fulfill orders as usual over the next few months. It is possible that turnaround times may grow a bit longer depending on order volumes, but we will do our best to process orders in a timely manner. We encourage you to continue shopping with your Close To My Heart Maker in order to support them through this transition period.I express my appreciation to you for joining me on this journey and respecting my decision at this time. It has been an honor to be able to serve this amazing community for the past 40 years. I have given my all to the success of this company, and I will forever cherish the love I have felt from you and for you. My heart goes with each one of you as your personal journey takes you beyond the time that we have been blessed to share with one another through this marvelous company. You will always remain Close To My Heart.Sincerely,Jeanette R. LyntonFounder & CEO”
My heart goes out to all involved with CTMH.
And on that note, these difficult times mean that my own Stampin’ Up! business is struggling to stay afloat, and without many orders coming in, I will also have to close. Unless that is, you my valued customers, can help with even just a small order. Every single order helps and is appreciated more than you can know. So if there is anything you need, your order in March would be valued, and you never know what extras might come your way, just to say thank you. You can pop your orders through here, or alternative, send me an email if you live close enough to come and pick up your order from me directly.
Thanks for being part of my papercrafting journey. Happy stamping, Chris
I have three different projects to share with you today, featuring the new In Color Moody Mauve. Who likes it? Who doesn’t? I’m hearing a lot of different opinions on this colour. Personally, I LOVE it!! So here are my projects. The first one is a card that I have made using up some of those scraps of watercolour paper.
I have used some of the scraps of watercolour paper and coloured it with some Moody Mauve, Wild Wheat and Mossy Meadow ink and a Water Painter, before die cutting them with some of the Meadow Dies. I have also die cut the same in Mossy Meadow cardstock, and then overlaid the flower onto the Mossy Meadow, which gives a slight raised appearance to the flower, but also gives a shadowed effect where you can see the tiniest amount of the dark Mossy Meadow behind the flower.
Next I am going to share with you some paper roses that I have been making. My 17 year old son is displaying some of his wonderful woodturned items at a Wedding Fair this weekend and I was given the opportunity to create some flower displays to complement his items. These roses are going to be part of this display but at this stage are just individual roses, four in Mood Mauve, and one Very Vanilla. (I love Moody Mauve paired with Very Vanilla, simply gorgeous!)
And my last project is another card, this one a slightly different fold to a standard card.
The base of the card is a single layer which doesn’t open, with the opening card attached in front.
I have used some Blackberry Bliss for the base of this card to add some depth of colour.
I do hope that I have managed to help you to love Moody Mauve a little better, but if you need some more inspiration, keep on hopping along to Rachel Palmieri.
If at any time you find a broken link, please head to the blog of this week’s host of the AWH Colour Creations Blog Hop Cathy Proctor, who will have a list of all the participants in the Blog Hop.
I have been very active here for the last few months so you might have noticed the sudden stop!!
I spend all day every Saturday at the lake while my son sails his boat with the club he belongs to, it’s so beautiful, relaxing, and surrounded by nature.
But of course, with nature comes nasty biting bugs!!
I was bitten twice on Saturday, once on each ankle, and it has taken me quite a few days to get back to my usual self. Even yesterday I could only do so much before I had to rest with my feet up.
I’m on the mend and catching up with the backlog of things that haven’t happened for a few days. Hopefully that will include some crafting, maybe later today!
I’ll smother my ankles in some more essential oils, that should do the trick.
This week’s sketch at Try Stampin on Tuesday is one that didn’t sit well with me for whatever reason, so I decided to turn it on it’s side!
I have used the gorgeous Heart and Home Designer Series Paper for my card, along with one of the Doilies that goes with it.
The Designer Series Paper has all been embossed with the Timeworn Type Embossing Folder, and then a heap of distressing and sponging. The gorgeous Bee is fussy cut from the Designer Series Paper. I hope you will play along and share your creations with us at Try Stampin on Tuesday. Happy stamping Chris
Use this host code when you order, and if you order $50 or greater you will receive a free gift from me! If your order is $250 or over, please do not use this code, you’ll still get a free gift – your choice of any item valued up to 10% or your order (excluding shipping costs) from the 2021-22 Annual Catalogue or July-December 2021 Mini Catalogue! That includes some of the Host Exclusive items. (Australian orders only please).
***Make sure that you can see my name on the final checkout page listed as your Demonstrator when you order so that you know that you’re ordering with me and you’ll get my rewards!
I am excited to let you know that I have been offered a position on the Design Team with the lovely ladies at Try Stamping on Tuesday, and this is my first sketch challenge with them. Most of you would know that I love, love, love a sketch challenge, so this fits perfectly with me! Here is the sketch –
My card features the Color and Contour stamp set along with some brand new goodies!!
I have used one of the Butterflies and Flowers Layering Decorative Masks to create the pretty sprays of daisies in the background, sponged with some Crushed Curry ink and our Blending Brushes. The torn paper is from the new Designer Series Paper called Abstract Beauty. The flowers have been stamped onto Thick white cardstock with Stazon ink and then watercoloured using a Water Painter and ink, and it has worked quite well, although it was a really hot day so it dried very quickly and I didn’t want to play too much with it on standard cardstock rather than watercolour paper.
I hope you will come and join in with the challenge at Try Stamping on Tuesday. Happy stamping! Chris
January 2022 Host Code: BTZ4CRW Use this host code when you order online, and if your order is $50 or greater you will receive a free gift from me! If your order is $250 or over, please do not use this code, but you’ll still get a free gift. The free gift will be your choice of any item valued up to 10% of the value of your order, from the 2021-22 Annual Catalogue or January – June 2022 Mini Catalogue! That includes some of the Host Exclusive items, PLUS you get your choice of Sale-a-Bration items as well.
You may have seen a few days ago, I shared a card that was the same design and layout as a card that I had made during a Facebook Live, so below is the one I made on the Live…….
It really just needed a little something extra, so while I was packing all of my craft stash in boxes for reorganising, I came across a simgle, lonely flower that was going to be for another project, and it was just right to pop on my card! The flower is from the Color and Contour stamp set, and I have added a little Wink of Stella to the centre of the flower as well. Much better!! Well, back to the reorganising, but I am glad I gave this lonely flower a home. Happy stamping! Chris
Dot Dot Stamping Designs 