Wednesday, January 30, 2013

February Workshop - Buzz and Bumble

Join me for my February Workshop!

This is the new Buzz and Bumble Workshop On The Go! Join me on Monday February 25 to make this fantastic layout! You are welcome to use my ink pads and stamp sets to complete this layout. You will have enough material left over to complete two other bonus projects shown on the Instructional Brochure.

This kit includes: 1 Buzz and Bumble Paper Packet, 1 My Acrylix Buzz and Bumble Workshop Stamp Set, 2 extra Colonial White Cardstock Sheets, 1 Buzz and Bumble Assortment, Brown and Tan Assortment and an Instructional Brochure. Cost: $ 29.95 plus tax and shipping.
If you are interested please contact me to reserve a space!

Monday February 25 at 6-9 PM
Kits must be ordered by February 8, 2013

***CONTACT ME TO RECEIVE THE NEW IDEA BOOK****

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Art Attack: Fabric and Frame

Chantilly Fabric Frame

One way to add texture, color, and pattern to a piece of home décor is with fabric. The new Chantilly textiles make it easy to embellish with fabrics that include the beautiful colors and patterns that are typical of Close To My Heart. In the frame décor featured on page 16 of the Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book, pieces of Pear damask and Buttercup polka-dot fabric from the Chantilly textiles, as well as burlap ribbon, add a little something extra to a standard white frame. Follow these simple steps to incorporate fabric into an embellished frame that you can hang anywhere.

1. Determine how long you’d like the finished ribbon and bow. This is based on the size of your frame and if you’ll be hanging it. If you are hanging it on a wall or door, you’ll need enough ribbon to wrap around the top of the frame a couple of times and still have a long strip coming out the back of the frame.
2. Cut enough strips of fabric to equal your desired length, making sure the strips are about 3½" wide to wrap around the burlap ribbon.
3. Sew the short ends of the strips together to create one long strip that equals the finished size you need for the project.
4. Fold the long fabric strip around a piece of burlap ribbon of the same size and secure temporarily with a straight pin.
5. With a sewing machine, carefully sew four straight lines down the length of the fabric-wrapped burlap ribbon. This will keep the burlap from moving around or bunching up inside the fabric.

6. Loop and hot glue the fabric-wrapped burlap ribbon around the top of the frame a couple of times so that it is nice and sturdy for handling and hanging.

7. Tie the remaining fabric-wrapped burlap ribbon into a large bow. Fold the tails of the bow into a wave and hot glue to the frame to secure the shape.

8. Embellish frame with accessories, as desired.

Easy, isn’t it? Now you have a beautiful piece of fabric-embellished home décor that you can show off to friends, family, and especially your customers! Check out the Chantilly and For Always textiles in the Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book to get your creative juices flowing for more project ideas with fabric.

Click here to view the new Idea Book! Available February 1st 2013.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Whooo's Your Valentine Special!

Whooo’s Your Valentine -January Constant Campaign

***I will be placing an order on January 26 if you would like to order this fabulous kit!

Only available until January 31 (11:59 MST), 2013 while supplies last. One per qualifying order.

Featured Products: Whooo’s Your Valentine kit (CC1022)
12 – Die-Cut Boxes (3 each of 4 colors: Blush, Hollyhock, Ruby, White Daisy)
3 – 12" × 12" Cardstock Sheets (Blush, Hollyhock, White Daisy)
1 – Sheet Silver Glitter Paper – new product for Spring/Summer 2013!
12 – Treat Tubes with Lids – new product for Spring/Summer 2013!
1 – My Acrylix^® Whooo’s Your Valentine Stamp Set (D-size)

When you place an order of $35 or more in Close To My Heart products, you’ll receive the Whooo’s Your Valentine kit for only $10. Qualifying purchases must come from Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book product (or products live on any OBA site through January).

Watch this terrific video about Whooo's Your Valentine!

Items Retiring from Close To My Heart Jan.31 2012

2012 Autumn/Winter Idea Book Retiring List
	(closes January 31, 2013)
Item #	Item Description	Page # Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book
Z1349	Shimmer Designer Brads	127
Z1360	Rhinestone Designer Brads	127
Z1361	Brads Red Assortment	127
Z1362	Brads Pink Assortment	127
Z1363	Brads Blue Assortment	127
Z1364	Brads Green Assortment	127
Z1365	Brads Basic Assortment	127
Z1387	Wooden Designer Buttons	125
Z1391	Buttons Clear Assortment	125
Z1395	Irresistibles™ Eclectic Chipboard Die-Cuts (the alphabet)	130
Z1465	Irresistibles™ Make-It-Count Numbers	130
Z1681	Dimensional Elements Numbers	131
Z1761	Dimensional Elements Ornaments	131
Z1762	Dimensional Elements Snowflakes	131
Z1765	Color-Ready Arbor Wooden Shapes	130
X7147C	Stella Complements Canvas Shapes	68
X7148C	My Stickease® Pemberley Assortment	68
X7150C	My Stickease® Victory Assortment	69
X7153C	My Stickease® Florentine Assortment	69
X7158C	La Belle Vie My Stickease® Assortment	38
X7160C	Flirty Complements Dimensional Elements	50
X7161C	Moonlight Complements Dimensional Elements	56
X7162C	Pear & Partridge Complements Glittery Rub-Ons	62
Z1464	Milepost Shapes	128
Z1466	Bling Assortment	128
Z1695	Urban Felt Alphabet	130
Z1696	Keepsake Felt Alphabet	130
Z1709	Just Blooms® Petals Paper Flowers	129
Z1460	Foundry® Ribbon Slides	126
Z1711	Foundry® Binder Clips	126
Z1712	Foundry® Number Plates	126
Z1461	Décor Journaling Spots	129
Z1687	Bohemian Assortment	128
Z1689	Timeless Charms	128
Z1692	Tough Tags	128
Z1694	Bouquet Assortment	128
Z1741	Haunted Assortment	128
Z1749	Autumn Lane Assortment	128
Z1763	Boutique Assortment	128
Z1772	Dimensional Elements In Color—Holiday	128
Z1393	Mini-Medley Accents Black Collection	126
Z1316	Designer Ribbon Cocoa Collection	124
Z1385	Designer Ribbon Blue Collection	124
Z1615	Designer Ribbon Red Collection	124
Z1616	Designer Ribbon Green Collection	124
Z1388	Newsprint Rub-Ons	130
Z1700	Dark Chocolate Tapestry Velvet Rub-Ons	126
Z1733	Black Tapestry Velvet Rub-Ons	126
Z1743	Festive Velvet Rub-Ons	126
Z1742	Parlor Velvet Rub-Ons	126
Z1407	6" x 6" Olive Quick Pic™ Album	122
Z1408	6" x 6" Pansy Purple Quick Pic™ Album	122
Z1054	My Creations® Display Album	132
Z1378	My Creations® Banner	132
Z1614	My Creations® Memory Game	132
Z188	Craft Jars	120
Z1352	4 1/2" Colonial White Circle Cards	123
Z1353	4 1/2" White Daisy Circle Cards	123
Z1731	My Originals® Sweet Surprises Card Kit	123
X7147B	My Reflections® Stella Paper Packet	68
X7148B	My Reflections® Pemberley Paper Packet	68
X7150B	My Reflections® Victory Paper Packet	69
X7153B	My Reflections® Florentine Paper Packet	69
X7158B	La Belle Vie Paper Packet	38
X7160B	Flirty Paper Packet	50
X7161B	Moonlight Paper Packet	56
X7162B	Pear & Partridge Paper Packet	62
Z1252	Cutting Knife	135
G1041	Workshops on the Go® Avonlea Cardmaking Kit	22
G1043	Workshops on the Go® Pear & Partridge Cardmaking Kit	66
G1040	Workshops on the Go® Spellbound Cricut® Kit	14
G1042	Workshops on the Go® Scroll Album Kit	23
G1044	Workshops on the Go® Advent Calendar Kit	67
G1045	Workshops on the Go® Avonlea Scrapbooking Kit	21
G1046	Workshops on the Go® Clementine Scrapbooking Kit	29
G1047	Workshops on the Go® Dakota Scrapbooking Kit	35
G1048	Workshops on the Go® La Belle Vie Scrapbooking Kit	41
G1049	Workshops on the Go® Scholastic Scrapbooking Kit	47
G1050	Workshops on the Go® Flirty Scrapbooking Kit	53
G1051	Workshops on the Go® Moonlight Scrapbooking Kit	59
G1052	Workshops on the Go® Pear & Partridge Scrapbooking Kit	65
A1104	A Tweet	90
A1111	A Tulip	68
A1116	A Melody	94
A1122	Bravo	92
A1128	Quick Cards—Shell	80
A1129	A Rainbow	85
B1365	Spring Up	71
B1369	Rosy Regards	67
B1374	Bee Happy	83
B1397	He Is Risen	74
B1402	My Peeps	72
C1439	Enjoy Life	95
C1440	Take a Picture	93
C1442	Tailor-Made	94
C1450	Eclectic Edges	99
C1452	Delight	71
C1455	Aspire	96
C1456	Heartfelt Treasures	68
C1457	Happy Camper	84
C1458	Paper Lantern	90
C1473	Remarkable Wreath	70
C1474	10 Things	105
C1485	Super Powers	47
C1498	Country Life	82
C1499	Perfect Day	80
D1195	The Works Alphabet	117
D1222	Tiny Typewriter Alphabet	117
D1296	Chocolate Alphabet Small	114
D1301	Hodge Podge Alphabet	114
D1303	Classmate Alphabet	114
D1462	Splendid Day	77
D1464	Card Chatter—Love	106
D1467	Trees & Things	76
D1472	Simple Memories	66
D1478	Bingo Alphabet	113
D1505	Roar!	89
D1508	Diverse Backgrounds	102
D1509	Magic Adventures	78
D1511	Kick Back	81
E1013	Field Trip Alphabet	114

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Tips & Techniques

**** Spray Pen****NEW: I am very excited about the new Spray Pen. It is fabulous and offered at a great price! They come in a pack of three so you can have lots of fun with different colours! You can use it as a spritz or to create a shimmer mist. All you need to use it as a colour spritzer is the spray pen and re-inker in any colour. Unscrew your spray pen and fill it up to the 7^th line with water and then add a few drops of re-inker. Carefully screw tthe spray cap back on and then you are ready to go. I recommend placing newspaper or cardboard underneath to catch any excess spray from the pen. You can now spray onto cardstock to add texture and a touch of whimsy to any card, scrapbook layout or project! You can use your craft heater to quickly dry the ink and set it into the paper but it will dry on its own too if you do not have one. A tip is to hold it about 7 to 10 inches away from the paper to avoid getting a ringed or circle spray effect on your project. The circle spray effect can be a cool look too however most times a splattered look or fine spray is the desired result. It is great for snow if you use white! To have a glimmering shiny look add a pea sized amount of CTMH Create-A Shade Pearl Paint to the water and shake it up and then add a few drops of re-inker and shake and you are ready to spray! Be sure to water the pearl paint down in water and do not add too much or it could clog your spray pen.

Waterbrush:

The waterbrush is one of my favourite tools. It works better than applying watercolours to the cardstock because it uses CTMH inks! Simply unscress the blue tube from the brush and fill it with lukewarm water from your tap. Sometimes you have to squeeze it to soak up the water from the tap into the brush. Next close up the brush and then you are ready to stamp. Be sure to use an Archival ink like the one from CTMH or Staz On to prevent your stamped image from running, To apply colour, gently press your closed CTMH ink pad down in the centre of the pad and then twist and open but instead of locking into place leave open and you have a built in paint tray! Close To My Heart really thinks of everything when it comes to great product design! Dip your brush into the ink in the white tray and begin to paint. Use as much or as little as you like and as many colours as you desire! You can add more water to your palette by gently squeezing the blue part of your waterbrush but be careful not to add too much as it will make your paper warp. With a bit of practice you will have striking images that look like they were painted by a pro!

Blending Pen: The blending pen from Close To My Heart is great to merge colours for a softer look. It really gives a professional looking blending result to your projects. The blending pen can be used to lighten colours or create a watercolour effect. The blending pen features a brush tip at one end and a fine tip at the other end. The blending pen can be used with CTMH's inks, markers and stamp pads. To use with CTMH re-inkers , add a couple drops of the re-inker to the lid of your ink pad and use the tip of the blending pen to pick up the ink color and then you can begin blending. To use with our CTMH markers touch the blending pen directly to the tip of a marker and then apply to your image or project. To use a blending pen with the CTMH ink pads gently squeeze the lid of your closed ink pad a few times so that the ink pad touches the white tray inside and leaves some ink on it to work from. Open it up and use the blending pen to pick up the ink color that is now on the white inside "tray".

Brayer: Remember brayers from high school art class? They are typically used for printmaking and stamping is a form of printmaking. My favourite techniqueto use with the brayer is a play on negative/positive space. Start by stamping an image with a watermark ink on white or a light coloured cardstock and then pour a Clear Embossing Powder to cover the stamped image and set it with the craft heater. Once this has dried then ink your Close To My Heart brayer with any colour of CTMH ink pads and roll over the clear embossed image on white cardstock. You can roll over the image with several colours and even sponge colour over top to soften the look. To clean the brayer, run it under water and gives it a gentle scrubbing with your fingers and let dry.

Cleaning Stamps: To clean your Close To My Heart My Acrylix clear stamps it is recommended that you clean the stamps immediately after use. If the ink stays on there too long it will be more difficult to remove. Close To My Heart Archival Ink and Staz On will permanently discolor the stamp image due to being pigment inks. The best way to clean your stamps is to use the CTMH My Acrylix Spritz and the Stamp Scrubber . These 2 products are going to be your best bet and most effective for removing the residual ink without damaging the high quality My Acrylix clear stamps. Both of the double scrubber pads are removable and can easily be washed in the sink and rinsed out with water. If your well loved stamps become less sticky over time simply rinse them under water lukewarm water and the stickiness will come back. A mild dish soap can be used but try with water and a gentle hand scrubbing first.

Embossing: Embossing is a great way to create dimension to any stamped image and give it a clean polished look. The lovely shiny and professional raised look is very easy process to accomplish! Simply stamp your image that you want to be embossed onto a versa mark watermark pad or any CTMH ink pad (except archival or any of the pigment based inks) and then generously sprinkle your CTMH embossing powder over the image. Make sure you covered the entire image, then remove the powder back into the container or on an extra paper. I like to catch the extra powder with the CTMH craft tray but a coffee filter will work nicely too. Be sure to get all the excess powder that may be surrounding the stamped image by either using a small paint brush to gently brush away any stray powder or lightly tapping the paper from the bottom side (tapping too hard can sometimes remove powder from your image). Now for the magic to work it's wonders, turn on your craft heater and hold over the powder to give it that raised embossed look. Do not hold the craft heater in one spot for too long or you can over heat it and lose the shine and burn your paper! The trick is to keep it moving around until the entire images is raised and glossy. I tend to hold mine straight up and down and use good light to be sure I do not over heat. Also, never reheat an embossed area once it is perfect.

If you want to add an additional colour to your stamped image that you want to emboss then before you go to use the craft heater, use an embossing pen to draw the area where you want the second colour and then sprinkle that colour of embossing powder overtop and then use the craft heater. The powders may bleed into each other a little but that is sometimes a nice effect too.

Journaling Lines: A great trick to creating straight journaling lines is to start with a CTMH My Acrylix Clear Block and use the straight edge of the block edge directly onto an ink pad.. Then stamp your lines right onto your paper, being careful to keep then the same width apart. You can make them any colour you want! The internet is also a great place to get ideas for quotes, titles or poems if you cannot think of anything to journal.

Liquid Glass: The Liquid Glass from Close To My Heart is a truly amazing and versatile product. I LOVE it! Liquid glass can be used to add shine, brighten, highlight, accent, and add dimension to your stamped images, embellishments and projects. It can also be used to "glue" things together. It is almost like a clear sap. To use it simply hold the bottle upside down and squeeze it onto your project. The hard part is to wait for it to dry without touching it! It will take longer depending on the quantity you have used. I tend to leave my project in a safe place overnight to be sure it is dry. Although it was take as little time as half an hour. I used this to hold the handmade paper flowers together.

Masking: Masking is a technique that allows you to change the end result of a stamps image or stamp several images by cutting and layering them over top of one another . Another very NEW Technique is done with our new spray pen, it is so FUN! You can place an acrylix stamp face down as you would if you were going to stamp the image on the paper and then use the spray pen to spritz colour over top of the stamp onto the paper. Carefully lift the paper and wash the stamp under lukewarm water and set aside to dry. Once the spritzed paper is dry you can place the stamp on a block and stamp the image where you had placed it originally (the area will be lighter in colour and will have a high impact). Really fun! I like to shorten a word or change a phrase on a stamp. Simply ink your image or phrase and then use tape to cover up what you do not want to stamp and then stamp. You will get a stamped impression from whatever was not taped.

Placing Stamps on Blocks: My favourite thing about CTMH blocks are the side finger grooves. It makes them very easy to hold and use! The best way to place your CTMH My Acrylix clear stamps on your clear block it to have the most appropriate sized My Acrylix block to use with your image. When using alphabet stamps and are trying tomake a word with several letters on a block you can use the line guide called the Block Buddy that can stick right to your block to help with your letter alignment. You can also have a random letter look with them purposely off line for a more relaxed look. My Acrylix stamp allow you to look through the top of the block and ensure that the ink is on evenly and allows you to place your image exactly where you'd like it to go. When you have it in place apply firm even pressure to the block. I find it easier to stand and press down with larger images. Don't worry if it does not stamp perfectly with clear stamps you can ink your image again and reposition it directly over top of your previous try and stamp again. The image will be a little darker but perfect!

Random Stamping: Random stamping is a fun technique which allows you to be able to create your own background paper. You have complete control over colour(s), texture, size of pattern and if it is repetitious or crazy. To have a repetitious pattern take one image and stamp it evenly placed over the paper. To have a more random or crazy pattern place a number or stamp (3-10 ) on a block and stamp all over the page, being carefully the images. A great hint is to have some of the images half on and off the page. Do not be afraid to experiment and rotate your images around on the page. I love this technique to have a snowflake or floral background. You can even emboss your images using this technique.

Tie Dye Stamping: Tie dye stamping is a really cool technique to add multi-colour to your stamped image. Start by taking a large block and layer a stack of baby wipes (make sure they are alcohol free) about a cm thick on top of the block. Then you can take a few different colours of any CTMH re-inker and drop them onto the baby wipes to create a truly unique “stamp pad”. You can add as many colours as you like or just a few. Stamp your image carefully into the baby wipes not to move it around too much and then stamp onto paper as you normally would. Clean off your stamp and try inking it up again in a bit of a different direction for a totally different look. No two images will be exactly the same. Using colours in the same colour family works well with flowers or animals. You can play around with values while using pattern and fall leaves. It is fun to have a rainbow effect on text such as for a Happy Birthday for a child's card. Experiment and have fun. It is a bit messy but simple to wash up. Simply throw out the baby wipes and wash your block with soapy water and everything is clean once more!

Rock and Roll Stamping: "Rock and Roll" is a really fun technique to try! This is a two part technique that is easy to do once you get the hang of it. First stamp an image onto paper. Then the second part is where the term rock and roll comes into play. The term rolling refers to stamping and image by rolling the outside only of the image with a colour and stamping directly over top of a the same image stamped before. This can be used to produce a two-tone looked on your image or even to create shading. You can use second generation stamping with your first image and then rock and rolling your second image over top to create a dramatic look. this can be done with the same colour or two different colours. You can also go for a more subtle look by stamping a solid image base for your first image and then rock and rolling using the same colour over top to have a more defined look.

Season Your New Stamps: This tip is great to get your new stamps ready to pick up ink more evenly. Seasoning is a process used to remove any residue that may have gotten on your Close To My Heart My Acrylix clear stamp during the production process. There are two ways to season your stamps. The first is to ink your stamp as normal but stamp it a few times on scrap paper first until you notice the colour eventually stamps evenly. Some agents also like to use the CTMH rub & remove eraser to gently rub off anything that may be on your acrylix stamp. This will make the stamp have a slightly rough texture which will help to absorb ink more, but will not transfer to your stamping. You can also wash your stamp under lukewarm water as well. Although I usually just ink it up and stamp it a few times on scrap paper because it is the fastest way! And we all love easy!

Second Generation Stamping: The Second Generation stamping is a favourite technique that I love to use. It is very simple and can extend the colour palette of your ink.To start ink up a stamp image and have a scrap piece of paper. Stamp it first on the scrap piece of paper and then without inking it up or cleaning it off stamp it directly on your desired location. It will be a lighter shade of the original colour. You can also use this same technique to to third and fourth generation stamping although you may want to hold the inked stamp close to your mouth and take a deep breath and breathe over top of it to moisten the image once your get to the 4th generation!

Solid Stamping: Basic stamping technique is a solid stamping method to give you a nice clean image. I like to start by placing my Versamat upside down so the cushioned all black side is facing up. This gives you a nice workable surface to ensure a solid crisp image every time. Another trick if you do not have a mat is to place the white foam behind your stamps underneath the paper when stamping. It also helps. Gently peel your stamp from the package and place on a block. When using a new stamp be sure stamp it a few times on a scarp piece of paper to " season it" before you stamp it on your project. To ink up your image tap three or four times onto your ink pad, then check it to see if it is inked enough. If not then keep tapping until the ink is evenly spread over your stamp. Now you are ready to stamp your image onto the paper and press down firmly in the middle of the stamp without moving the stamp. Make sure not to have ink on the rim of your block or this could transfer onto your paper. Lift the block from the paper and your will have a nice clear stamped image. Be sure to clean your stamp after each use!

Stamp Kissing: Is the term that refers to two stamps acting as one or used together to create an overlapping image. For example you could use a background stamp (something to add texture or design like our new music notes or wood stamps or even text) on a block and ink it up and then place another stamp (another image) onto another block and ink it up and place that image directly onto the background stamp on the other block so the are "kissing" and then stamp the image onto paper. You can also use tissues to blot coloured ink onto a stamp to create a soft multi-coloured kissed image.

Storing your Clear Stamps: Store your My Acrylix Stamps in a cool and dry place and protect them from direct sunlight. Check out the My Acrylix Organizer for durable storage that is a perfect fit for the Close To My Heart My Acrylix Clear Stamps. I love these containers as they hold 15 stamp sets. You can have deciding how to store them and they come colour coded to help you stay organized!

Tinted Liquid Glass: The tinted liquid glass is a wonderful technique to add a hint of color and shine to your projects or embellishments. Pour a pea size amount of liquid glass onto a non-porous surface, then add a drop of CTMH re-inker at a time and blend them together with a toothpick until you get the desired colour. Now you can dip embellishments right into the tinted liquid glass or brush overtop to glaze any paper project. Remember liquid glass takes a long time to dry so set it aside in a safe place and do not touch it for as long as you can! I like to leave it for the day or over night.

Scrap With Heather

Tips and Techniques

Please visit my Close To My Heart website!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

February Workshop - Buzz and Bumble

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Art Attack: Fabric and Frame

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Whooo's Your Valentine Special!

Whooo’s Your Valentine -January Constant Campaign

***I will be placing an order on January 26 if you would like to order this fabulous kit!

Items Retiring from Close To My Heart Jan.31 2012

March Specials!

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