Don't throw out your old catalogues just yet!!

I was looking through the online shop this weekend for a customer who had requested a stamp set form the old catalogue (replaced this month, February), and I was surprised at just how many of our old favourites are still available for purchase! So I have been through and marked a copy of the January book with crosses and ticks. I'm thinking that this will be useful to share with customers this Friday and Saturday at my workshops, and I know that other consultants will find it handy too.

Watch the video to see just how many stamp sets are still around. The consumables (papers, WOTGs, assortments, etc) are something to check on at time of sale, but the stamps are made to order, so if they are available today they are likely to be available till the end of the period.

Thanks for watching!

Hearts

Hearts is the theme on Heart2Heart Challenges this week. I saw this idea on another challenge site and thought it was just delightful. Simple and clean and beautiful!
The white daisy squares are 1.25" wide and popped up on foam tape. The white daisy base is 4.5" square, and the Lagoon card is a 5" square (5x10" folded in half).

I used stamps from February's Stamp of the Month set ($5) called "Wild About Love", and colours of the inks on the hearts are: bamboo, goldrush, sunset, sweetleaf, juniper, ruby, twilight and lagoon. The sentiment is stamped in bamboo and sweetleaf.

Preparing your stamps

Have you got acrylic stamps that are hard to see through? Some staining is unavoidable, and just shows that your stamps are well-loved! But you don’t want it to get so bad that you can’t position them anymore. This step-by-step guide will help you to prep your stamps for their first use, and will mean they don’t become so stained.

 

1. You will need: your new stamp set, appropriate sized blocks, a pale colour of ink, scrap paper, spritz cleaner and stamp scrubber.

2, 3. Peel the stamp from the backing sheet and position on your block.

4, 5. Gently rub stamp against the skin on your forearm. This will transfer some of the oils on your skin to the acrylic. The stamp should become a little cloudy.

6. Get a good amount of ink on the stamp. Tap, tap, twist, twist.

7. Stamp the image a few times on scrap paper till you are happy with it.

8. Clean using scrubber and spritz.

9. Now your stamp is ready to be used in any colour you like!

Is it too late?

If you have stamps that are turning violet, you might be using black ink a lot! I find that by using a pale colour first (such as bamboo), not as much of the black transfers to the acrylic.

If you already have violet stamps and want to clean them up, try making a solution with one part water to one part spritz cleaner, and soaking the stamp for an hour or so.

 

 

CTMH Hip Pics Album

Here is another project which I have created with items from the brand new Ideas Book.
I like to send my children back to school or kindy with a mini album at the start of a new term That way they have visual inspiration when their teachers ask them what they have been doing for the holidays. Usually I make the mini albums myself out of cardstock, and I have enjoyed coming up with my own designs. This year I decided I'd try out one of the new Hip Pics albums, since it seems custom made for this kind of purpose.
It has 16 slots for photos, and I needed way more space than that! So the first thing I did was make sure I printed all my photos half size. (They all measure 4x3")

I then added fold out pages to the Hip Pics album, giving me in the end, space for 32 photos.
I love the Skylark range. I think it is very adaptable. Here, it suits outdoors photos particularly well - summertime and sun, ice creams, beach and sea.

I used the Skylark WOTG kit, which includes a set of stamps (I used the dragonfly, swirls, & "Live in the Moment" title) and the embellishments, cardstocks, and papers. I also added the Teal Shimmer Trim which is gorgeous. The inks I used are Desert Sand (this goes perfectly with Kraft), Lagoon and Bamboo.
Enjoy the album!

View a video of the Hip Pics project here:

 

New Product Blog Hop

I am absolutely loving the new Close to my Heart Ideas Book and Catalogue! When it was first released to be previewed by Consultants, I keep flicking through it again and again, seeing new things in it each time. My husband had to keep asking me what the heck I was looking at, to produce so many excited noises!
This blog hop will take you through many of the wonderful new items in the Ideas Book. It's a fabulous way to see how other have used the products and expressed their creativity. You are bound to get a few ideas from here.
Just be aware, as you hop, that the hop takes you around the world to consultants who work in Australia, Canada, the USA, and New Zealand. If prices are mentioned they may be in a different currency, so be sure to check with your own consultant to buy you own copy of the February Ideas Book.


My little project is a 6x4" card, and includes a bit of sanding, a bit of fussy cutting, and a bit of colouring-in. I had a lovely play coming up with this very simple design, and I hope that you like it.

This project is a little card I have made with the Balloon Ride Paper Packet (X7180B), Indian Corn Blue Cardstock (1284), the Give a Lift stamp set (D1581), Silver Shimmer trim (Z1799), 3-D Foam tape (Z1151), Stitch Wonder stamp set (C1564), Black Exclusive Ink Stamp pad (Z2105), Slate Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad (Z2173) and these Exclusive Inks Marker sets: Indian Corn Blue (Z2422), Whisper (Z2432), Buttercup (Z2405) and Goldrush (Z2426). In terms of tools, I have used the Sanding Kit (Z1294), Paper trimmer (Z338), Non-stick micro tip scissors (Z1836), and 4x5" My Acrylix Block (Y1012).

This blogger lives in New Zealand, and would love you to leave a comment before clicking through to the next inspirational post.
Thanks for calling, and come back anytime!

Australasian Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome aboard our Close to My Heart SOTM Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Shauna's Blog, Passionate About Pages,  then you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, you can view all our fun creations by following the link at the end of this post. The hop is circular, so when you get back here you will know that you have viewed them all!

Today I would like to share with you this card which features February's Stamp of the Month "Wild About Love" S1402A, available exclusively throughout February for $29 or for just $5 when you spend $75.  

 

 

This is a gorgeous wee stamp set and is proving to be a firm favourite in the new February Ideas Book. By clicking your way through the blog hop, you will be able to gain heaps of beautiful ideas for what you can create with it.

For my card, I started with a juniper card base (6x4") and then added my layers. I have used White Daisy cardstock, Whisper cardstock and prints from the Lollydoodle paper packet, along with Teal shimmer trim, Juniper Exclusive Ink and Slate Exclusive Ink. I have raised my wee fox up on foam tape, and added some clear sparkles for a bit of bling. With regards to tools, I used my 12" paper trimmer, corner rounder, sponge daubers, and of course my most favouritest scissors - CTMH's non-stick, micro tips.

 

Wild about Love is only available until 28th February from your CTMH consultant. 

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop,  Jenny's Blog, Jen's Creative Classroom.

 

CTMH Australasian Blog Hop - December Stamp of the Month

Hello and welcome aboard the Australasian Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Jenny's Blog, then you are in the right place. The blog hop is a loop, so by following the links at the bottom of the posts you will be able to work your way through all of our fun ideas.

 Today I would like to share with you this layout which features the December stamp of the month, Special Care, a set of 6.

Plus I have also been hard at work creating some Christmas end of the year gifts for the teachers and coaches who work with my children. These little boxes are Cricut cut and have a little soap inside. The "wash away your cares" message is therefore particularly appropriate!

This exclusive stamp of the month is only available during December. It can be yours for just $5 with a qualifying order of $75 or for $29 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant. If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order in my online store. I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to Monika's Blog,  A Sprinkle of Glitter.