Reindeer Crossing

Posted on December 1, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our December Stamp Of The Month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Doris’ Creative Inspirations then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a couple of cards which features Close To My Heart’s December Stamp of the Month – Reindeer Crossing.

I’ve chosen to use this stamp set to make a couple of Christmas Cards.

This card uses the pine branch with pine cone stamped in Evergreen Exclusive Ink around a circle I drew using the inside of the 3D foam tape as a size scale. When stamping the branch cluster I overlapped the branches, and the stick end of the branch almost into the centre of the circle. I then fussy cut this wreath out and attached with 3D foam to the white daisy cardstock piece (approximately 5″ x 3.75″). I cut a circle from Evergreen Card Stock with the Stitched Circle Thin Cuts, and used this to cover the centre ‘mess’. For extra sparkle I added a circle thin cut from Gold Glitter paper. The sentiment was stamped in Ruby Exclusive Ink. This white daisy cardstock was matted onto Ruby cardstock.

This time I’ve stamped the pine branch and pine cone along the edge of a masked area that I later stamped the sentiment in. Again I fussy cut this piece and attached with 3D foam to the white daisy cardstock and matted with Evergreen cardstock.

This exclusive Stamp of The Month is only available during December. It can be yours for just $9 with a qualifying order of $88 or for $34 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop Lauren’s CTMH Craftings.



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Posted in Card Making, Christmas, General, Stamp of the Month, Stamping | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

It’s a Holly Jolly Christmas

Posted on November 10, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our Holly Jolly Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 


If you have arrived here from ArtyMaz then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you some Christmas Cards that I made up using the scraps left over from the Holly Jolly Cardmaking Workshop and also the Holly Jolly Scrapbooking Workshop.

I combined the paper scraps and stickers with the Picture My Life (PML) Cards, compliment stickers, glitter paper, bling, shimmer brushes and stickles.

This exclusive Holly Holly Paper Collection is only available until the end of December. It is perfect for your not so traditional style Christmas and would be great for making decorations, and cute off the page projects to make your Christmas Celebrations amazing. Below are some art work created by the CTMH Art Studio.

Contact your CTMH consultant to orders yours now. If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop – Lauren’s CTMH Crafting.

Posted in Card Making, Christmas | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Family Time

Posted on November 1, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our November Stamp Of The Month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Doreen’s Blog then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s November Stamp of the Month – Family Time.

I’ve chosen to use this stamp set to make a couple of Christmas Cards.

This card uses the flower stamped in Candy Apple Exclusive Ink directly onto the card base, random stamping style, with the line detail stamped in Ruby Exclusive Ink. The centre of the flowers is a gold glitter gem. The sentiment stamp I cut in half to place it on the block like this and then stamped it in Versa Mark Ink, embossed in gold embossing powder. The blue square and the black tree pattern paper have come from the new X9009 Mix In Paper packet. And it is trimmed with gold sequin ribbon.

The second card again uses the Mix In Paper packet. This time I’ve added Green Apple cardstock as the card base. The sentiment takes the word Christmas from the “Candyland” stamp set and the “time is the best time” from the Family Time Stamp of the Month. Again I cut this sentiment in half to position it before stamping in versamark over Black Exclusive Inks and then embossing with clear embossing powder. A little bit of clear shimmer brush to add extra sparkle and some Holly Jolly Dots finish off the title. The dovetailed flags are tops with black shimmer trim and a bow from the Cedar and Pine Bows.

This is a double layout created by the CTMH Art Studio.

This exclusive Stamp of The Month is only available during November. It can be yours for just $9 with a qualifying order of $88 or for $34 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop Lauren’s CTMH Craftings.

Posted in Card Making, General, Stamp of the Month, Stamping | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Spooktacular

Posted on October 23, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our Spooktacular Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from aMazing Creations then you are in the right place.

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s Spooktacular Paper Collection. Even for those of you that don’t celebrate Halloween there is still a lot of cool things you can do with this paper.

I have chosen today to share a modified 4-3-2 Method double layout. I started by matting my Black backing cardstock in Lemon cardstock to give a distinct framed look to my pages.

Then I choose my three patterns I wish to work with from the Spooktacular Papers. The bold Icon Green paper I cut two strips of 4 x 11 1/2″. The Orange Chicken Wire Paper I cut two strips 3 x 11 1/2″. And the Black Spot Paper I cut two 2 x 11 1/2″ strips. Plus I added two zip strips.

The photos I’ve chosen to mat in Thistle Cardstock. And the embellishments came from the Spooktacular Sticker Sheet and also black dots from the Black and White Dots.

Here are the Spooktacular layouts and cards that you can download instructions for from the CTMH website until the end of October.

This exclusive Spooktacular Paper Collection is only available during October.

This Spooktacular Workshop Kit (including the thin cuts and stamps) can be yours for just $93.50.  Individual components can be ordered as well from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Passionate About Pages.

Posted in General | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

CTMH Australasian Hawthorn Blog Hop

Posted on October 15, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our Hawthorn Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Lauren’s CTMH Craftings then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Featured collection “Hawthorn”.

One thing that I love about being a Close To My Heart consultant is the sharing nature of my fellow consultants. Each month I got to a consultant training day in Melbourne where we come together and share ideas that we can use with our customers and for our own crafting. So my first two layouts have come from one of these days.

Layout 1 – this layout was designed by my friend Paula and then I’ve added my own bits to it when it came to the title etc. It features the Hawthorn papers mixed with Kraft Cardstock. Kraft is an often forgotten cardstock in our range. I love how it creates a textured look quickly and easily to a project. It matches in beautifully with the Hawthorn colour palette.

The patterned paper strips (9 of them) are 1 1/2″ x 7″ each. The leaf stamps have come from the Hawthorn Scrapbooking Stamp Set. And the heading has been cut in white cardstock using the Alpha Thin Cuts. Overall this is a quick and easy way to use strips of patterned prints that you may not like in larger pieces. Whilst I love the patterns in this Hawthorn Paper collection =, others may not feel the same.

Layout 2: This layout was created using the same 9 paper strips as the previous layout and I presented it to my workshop ladies as an alternative way to use the strips. So I cut them into 1 1/2″ squares and then into triangles. My friend Paula had done a similar layout and the current Spooktacular Promotion uses the same style layout as well in the Halloween papers.

You could easily change up the right hand page to be what ever you like, or with additional patterned papers make it more a mirror of the left page. This time around I used the Hawthorn Stickers from the Paper pack with stickers. And the small word strips are cut from a zip strip that I cut off one of the pieces of Hawthorn paper.

These next layouts were from designs by my Manager Chris and again I changed them up to suit my photographs.

Layout 3:

On this layout I used the Layered Leaves thin cuts and also the Stitched circle thin cuts. I also added in some of the beautiful butterflies and vellums from the Every Day Life Collection. The title was cut on the Cricut.

Layout 4: The below layout again uses those Thin Cut leaves, Stitch Circle Thin Cuts and Cricut cut title. Plus the Sunflower Sympathy stamp set.

For those that would like a bit more pre-preperation in the kits they purchase then the below Hawthorn Scrapbooking Workshop or Cardmaking Kit might be options for you.

The above Hawthorn Scrapbooking Workshop Kit can be yours for just $58.50. The Cardmaking Kit is $62. The paper packs can be purchased with or without stickers and of course the matching compliments are available too.

This exclusive “Hawthorn Paper Collection” and the Every Little Thing items shown above are only available until the end of October, while stocks last.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Doreen’s Blog.

Posted in General | 10 Comments

CTMH Australasian October Stamp of The Month “Autumn Air” Blog Hop

Posted on October 1, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our October Stamp Of The Month “Autumn Air” Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. We are a select little group this month, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

If you have arrived here from Doris’ Blog then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s October Stamp of the Month – “Autumn Air”.

For us Australian’s this is a challenging stamp set, as we don’t as excited about Fall as our Northern Hemisphere CTMH sisters. And it’s also not Autumn for us at this time of year. In preparation for this post I went searching through photos looking for images that screamed Autumn to me. To no avail.

So instead I start to look at the icons and also the words. I’m never one who is afraid to cut up my stamp set to get the pieces that I want out of a stamp and I can see great potential in the little connecting phrases between the key words. And with the addition of some alpha stamps I can see headings like “Love is in the air”, “And just like that Love turned into Marriage”, “I love You most of all“.

I also really love leaves. They are such a versatile picture and when paired with October’s featured paper collection Hawthorn, it’s a great mix.

From the stamp set I’ve used the squares border stamp in Paprika Exclusive Ink Pad onto Paprika cardstock. The topographic map strip is a zip strip piece from the Hawthorn Paper packet, along with the Saffron pattern in the background.

Combine these with Kraft cardstock and it’s a wonderful mix. I stamped the leaves also onto Kraft and fussy cut, then raised on foam tape. Because Kraft is a very absorbent cardstock I choose to use the Intense Black Exclusive Ink, to create a dark as possible stamped image.

The hexagon is a wooden shape from the Hawthorn Wooden Shapes.

This layout could easily have the word “fall” replaced with ‘Autumn’ or even ‘love’.

This exclusive “Autumn Air” Stamp of The Month is only available during October. It can be yours for just $9 with a qualifying order of $88 or for $34 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Lauren’s CTMH Craftings.

Posted in Card Making, General, Stamp of the Month, Stamping | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

CTMH Australasian September Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Posted on September 1, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our September “Random Act of Cardness” Stamp Of The Month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Lauren’s CTMH Crafting Blog then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

September is an exciting month as it National Stamping Month and it’s also the release of our NEW Core and Seasonal catalogues. Yay.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s July Stamp of the Month.

Using my favourite colours of inks (on this particular day it was Pixie, Raspberry, Nectarine, Clover, Bluebird,and the NEW Wisteria) I stamped the white background piece on the diagonal. Then matted it on the NEW Black cardstock that doesn’t show finger prints. I added a dovetailed piece under the sentiment which was stamped in Bluebird. I outlined with the NEW Journaling Pen to frame the sentiment and anchor it more to the card. Of course a few bits of 3D foam tape for dimension and some NEW Julep sequins to finish it off.

This exclusive “Random Act of Cardness” Stamp of The Month is only available during September. It can be yours for just $8.25 with a qualifying order of $82.50 or for $29.50 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

Before leaving you I’d like to share some other creations using another special of the month – “Share the Seasons”. This set has an exclusive double stamp set (only available in September) and a matching thin cut die to make some beautiful multi window fronts for cards or pages. The thin cut is available in the NEW Core Catalogue.

The above card, tags and wreath were inspire by one of the ladies in my Scrappy Chicks Team – Jasminka Tomkinson. I have to admit that I copied her designs and created my own versions in the colours that suited me. The little icons have been coloured in with our NEW Tri-Blend Markers.

You can get the complete Share the Seasons bundle of stamps and die cuts for $66. Or the parts are available separately. You can order from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Shauna’s Passionate About Pages Blog.

Posted in General | 11 Comments

CTMH Australasian “Craft On” Blog Hop

Posted on August 15, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our “Craft On” Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 


If you have arrived here from Doreen’s Blog then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Featured collection “Craft On”.

This layout was Pintrest Inspired. It is so much fun to grab and idea and then create it with our beautiful CTMH products. There is so much in our range that we really can create virtual any idea.

I was using up the scraps of papers – the bulk of the papers here are 1″ x 3″ pieces stuck onto a backing sheet (in this case black). In the left page – the top right emerald green section is actually made up of sticker strips (see the details photo below for a closer look). Yes the papers you use can be from a variety of paper ranges, to suit your photos, and you can add in plain cardstock as well (see the raspberry pieces). The other beauty of this is that it will suit any photo size. You just cut the mats to match your photos.

Then all you need to add is embellishments.

I’ve used a mix of images from the cut aprt page in the paper pack, stickers and chipboards from the compliments pack and also some of the rubber shapes. These have all been layer together in clusters. In places I’ve raised things such as the centre of flowers with 3D foam dots to give more dimension. The camera chipboard I covered in Liquid Glass to give it an extra shiny look. I used the rubber crowns to highlight the birthday girl in all her face pulling glory…. haha…

Pro Tip – stick the rubber shapes down with either glue dots or liquid glass.

Once this is in the page protectors I plan to add some flip flaps to add extra photos. I shall be “hiding the face pulling” with the more “sensible” party photo, and on the right page I’ve got more photos and journalling to add into the flip flap I’ll add over the 6×4 photo.

This exclusive Craft On Paper Collection is only available until the end of August.

In this collection you will find a paper suite, matching compliments, some very cute rubber shapes, themed stamps and die cuts, pocket scrapbooking cards even colourful sequins.

This Workshop Your Way collection can be yours for just $58.50. This and individual components can be ordered from your CTMH consultant.

If you love this paper pack you may also enjoy the mini album kit that is available for August. You can also download the instructions for this to create with other papers if you wish. It’s FREE to down load from a CTMH consultant website during August.

And don’t forget with a purchase of $82.50 you can grab the awesome August Stamp Of The Month for $8.25.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here. You can also follow this link to get the free mini album instructions.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Shauna’s Blog – Passionate About Pages.

Posted in General | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

CTMH Australasian August Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop

Posted on August 1, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our August Stamp Of The Month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Shauna’s Blog then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s August Stamp of the Month – “From Me To You”.

I have to be honest and say when it came to making this card I picked up the scraps – yes that’s all I had left of the Craft On Papers (the Close To My Heart Featured Paper pack for August) after making lots of scrapbook layouts – you can see some of these in a blog post later in the month.

So I headed to my trusted “Make It From Your Heart” How To Guide – Volume 4. And I decided that I wanted to play with a water colour technique that I’d seen in the official Close To My Heart Blog the other week.

This technique involved painting the water colour paint onto my CTMH All Purpose Mat – this mat is a not stick (and also heat resistant). The non-stick surface causes the paint to bead. I then placed the front of my card base directly onto this beading watercolour paint.

Watercolour paints dry quickly. So with my Journaling Pen I drew a line boarder around the edges. I created a variety of flag sizes and stuck them down. The green spotty strip was a sticker from the Craft On Compliments, as was the peg. The two flower embellishments came from the Craft On Rubber Shapes. The later I stuck down with Glue Dots (liquid glass would also work well).

When I stamped the writing – I deliberately double stamped it to get a shadow look. I stamped using Intense Black Exclusive Ink. This is my favourite black ink as it’s a rich black and cleans off the stamps well. It’s also good if you want to add extra water colour paint or colour over it with alcohol markers.

This exclusive “From Me To You” Stamp of The Month is only available during August. It can be yours for just $8.25 with a qualifying order of $82.50 or for $29.50 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop which is Doreen’s Blog.

Posted in Card Making, General, Scrapbooking, Stamp of the Month, Stamping | Tagged , | 4 Comments

CTMH Australasian July Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop

Posted on July 1, 2019 by

Hello and welcome aboard our July Stamp Of The Month Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Shauna’s Blog then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s July Stamp of the Month.

This cute card is very easy to create. My friend Alison showed me a stamping technique using an eraser from the end of a pencil and dipping it into your ink pad and then first, second, third and even fourth generation stamping it. At times I added clear shimmer brush ink into the ink mix as well.

For the centre of this card I cut it out using one of our Heart Thin Cuts out of the inside cut out from the large Rectangle Stitched Thin Cut. The I used my pencil eraser and some Candy Apple Ink to create the imperect dots around the heart.

The cute Mumma bear and her cub are stamped onto a second piece of cardstock and placed behind the heart. This piece has then been raised off the card base with 3D foam. The sequins came from the Craft On Sequin pack.

Another way to do this technique is to use a heart cut out as a mask and the “stamp” the dots around the heart. In the card bellow I again got excited with the sequins from the Craft On pack, using a variety of the different blues.

This exclusive Stamp of The Month is only available during July. It can be yours for just $8.25 with a qualifying order of $82.50 or for $29.50 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I’d love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Kara’s Blog.

Posted in Card Making, Stamp of the Month, Stamping | Tagged , , | 4 Comments