Charlotte Springtime Wishes Thank You

Happy Leap Day!!

I am so thankful we have an extra day in February this year -- as it means an extra day for my current favorite CTMH collection,Charlotte to be in the Spotlight.  Tomorrow, CTMH will introduce a new Spotlight Collection, but for today, all eyes are still on the beautiful Charlotte.

In honor of Charlotte's last day in the Spotlight, I have a simple, yet elegant thank you card for you -- along with a new how-to / process video.  I put together the video while recovering from the flu so please be kind.

Today's card is one design featured in my latest card class / workshop.  It uses the newly released Springtime Wishes stamp set and thin cut dies.  I am absolutely loving this stamp set and the coordinating dies are a dream.

VIDEO TUTORIAL
(Click to view)

Dimensions:

*Card base -- 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" (score at 4 1/4")

*Layers
- White Daisy -- 5" x 3 3/4"
- Champagne -- 4 3/4" x 3 1/2"
- White Daisy (for Sentiment) -- 3" x 2 1/2"
- Charlotte Whisper Arrows B&T - 1/2" x 3 3/4"
- Charlotte White Daisy Floral B&T - 1/2" x 2 1/2"

Supplies used:

*Springtime Wishes stamp set
*Springtime Wishes thin cuts
*5 1/2" X 4 1/4" White Cards & Envelopes, Value Pack

*Charlotte paper packet

*12" x 12" Champagne cardstock

*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock

*Sorbet Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Whisper Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Black and gold ribbon
*Bling gems gold assortment
*Sponge

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Charlotte Springtime Wishes With Sympathy

For many papercrafters, sympathy cards tend to be the hardest to make, but the most important to send.  There is something so special about the added touch of a handmade card that can help comfort family and friends during the toughest times of their lives.  However, there is a fine line to follow when creating such cards -- which is part of why they are so hard to design / create.  You want to be respectful and comforting, but not overly blah and boring.  To achieve this look, I personally find it best to use a subtle color palette with soft / minimal designs.  This is why I chose to use the Charlotte paper packet along with the Springtime Wishes stamp set and thin cut die set.

To create the floral cluster, I first cut the flowers and foliage using the thin cuts and my Cuttlebug.  Then, I added the stamped images using the coordinating stamp set and Whisper ink.  Finally, I used my sponge wedges to apply Sorbet and Champagne ink to the flowers as well as Whisper ink to the foliage.  I used a gentle circular motion to rub the color from the inside of the flowers outward.  This helped keep the intensity of the color in the center. 

As I do many times, I stamped a coordinating image on the envelope for that added handmade touch.  I simply used Sorbet ink along with the same larger flower I used on the card.

Supplies used:

*Charlotte paper packet
*Springtime Wishes stamp set
*Springtime Wishes thin cuts
*Sincere Expressions stamp set
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*White Daisy card base & envelope
*Champagne Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Sorbet Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Whisper Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Bling gems gold assortment

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Charlotte Leftovers -- Valentines Day

A few weeks ago, I shared a couple posts regarding the Charlotte Workshop Your Way and the leftovers remaining after completing the suggested projects in the kit.  You can find those posts here and here.  This week, I'm going to share the projects I made using the leftovers.  By adding a few basic supplies, I was able to create two cards and a single page scrapbook layout.

Today, I have the last project I made -- a quick and easy Valentine's Day card.

Supplies used:

*Art Philosophy Cricut collection
*Charlotte Workshop Your Way (leftovers)
*Mini Valentine stamp set
*12" x 12" Sorbet cardstock
*12" x 12" Black cardstock
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*White Daisy card bases
*Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

I hope you've enjoyed this look at the projects I made using the leftovers from the Charlotte Workshop Your Way.  Come back and visit soon!

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Charlotte Leftovers -- Today Is Your Day

A few weeks ago, I shared a couple posts regarding the Charlotte Workshop Your Way and the leftovers remaining after completing the suggested projects in the kit.  You can find those posts here and here.  This week, I'm going to share the projects I made using the leftovers.  By adding a few basic supplies, I was able to create two cards and a single page scrapbook layout.

Today I'm sharing the layout made using Champagne cardstock for a base.  To create the title, I loosely cut out the outline of the word "today", mounted on White Daisy cardstock, and then trimmed it tightly along the outline of the word.  I added the stitching by hand using the CTMH ruler with stitching guide holes and the extra long foam mat.

TIP:  Using the outline of your stickers in additional to the stickers themselves is a great way to basically double the use of your sticker sheets.  While it may not work with all stickers, it works with a good majority and gives you lots of creative freedom.

Supplies used:

*Charlotte Workshop Your Way (leftovers)
*12" x 12" Sorbet cardstock
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*Scallop border punch
*Marvy Uchida LePen journaling pen
*Ruler with stitching guide holes
*Piercing & embossing tool kit
*Foam mat

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

I hope you'll come back Friday to see the final project I made with my Charlotte WYW leftovers.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Charlotte Leftovers -- Follow Your Heart card

A few weeks ago, I shared a couple posts regarding the Charlotte Workshop Your Way and the leftovers remaining after completing the suggested projects in the kit.  You can find those posts here and here.  This week, I'm going to share the projects I made using the leftovers.  By adding a few basic supplies, I was able to create two cards and a single page scrapbook layout.

Let's start with one of the two cards.

Supplies used:

*Art Philosophy Cricut collection
*Charlotte Workshop Your Way
*Guiding Heart stamp set
*12" x 12" Sorbet cardstock
*12" x 12" Black cardstock
*White Daisy card bases
*Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Marvy Uchida LePen journaling pen
*Black & Grey Epoxy Bubbles (on clearance now!)

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

I hope you'll come back tomorrow and Friday to see the additional projects I made with my Charlotte WYW leftovers.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Valentine for Sticky Boy

Valentine's Day is coming, and in the CTMH world, there's one boy we all want to be our special Valentine... His name is Sticky Boy!

Are you wondering just who this boy is?  Well... let me tell you!  Sticky Boy is the most legendary boy to ever be part of the CTMH family.  Everyone wants to meet him, consultants lose their minds at the sight of him, and all stamps want to be him.  Sticky Boy was the first image to be produced as the prototype of the new My Acrylix® stamps.  That year at Convention, CTMH introduced the new clear stamps to consultants by hiding Sticky Boy stamps in random places.  Everyone had so much fun that CTMH has continued the fun at almost every corporate CTMH event since!  They even "dress up" Sticky Boy in the theme of the event, and consultants spend hours searching for him.  If you find a Sticky Boy, you get to take him home with you.  To learn more about the infamous Sticky Boy, check out this post on the CTMH blog and / or watch the video below.

This Valentine's Day, Close to My Heart will is giving lucky Sticky Boy fans the chance to bring him home!  Simply send make him a valentine and send it to:

Close To My Heart

ATTN: Sticky Boy

1199 W 700 S

Pleasant Grove, UT 84062

The lucky winners will be announced February 12th!

That brings me to my project for today... my valentine for Sticky Boy -- which is currently en route to Utah in hopes of snagging me a sweet & sticky valentine.

Supplies used:

*Art Philosophy Cricut Collection
* Mini Valentine stamp set (retired)
*Paper Fundamentals Whimsy
*12" x  12" Black cardstock
*12" x  12" White Daisy cardstock
*White Daisy card bases
*Sorbet Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Lagoon Hearts washi tape (retired,
but still available in the Clearance section of my online store)

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

February Spotlight Collection -- Charlotte

This month's spotlight collection is the subtle and oh-so-sweet Charlotte.  It is the first collection in the new Workshops Your Way format. 

 

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Stay tuned throughout the month to my blog and my Facebook page for lots of fabulous Charlotte inspiration.  And be sure to follow #ctmhcharlotte and #ctmhwyw all month long for all the Charlotte fun!

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop -- Balloon Animals

Welcome to the February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Brenda Lapp, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure. 

The month's featured stamp set is S1602 Balloon Animals (pictured below).  This set is only available until February 29th and is only $5 with a $50 Close to My Heart purchase.

Personal side note --- Balloon Animals hold a special place in my heart.  My husband's uncle is a clown who specializes in balloon animals.  On the morning of my wedding, my husband-to-be called my cell phone and asked if it would be okay if his aunt (a face-painting clown) and uncle did their thing at our reception.  So there I was at the church about to step into my dress faced with two options -- I could either have a Bridezilla moment and say no way (along with a string of other similiar phrases) or I could take a deep breath and simply roll with it.  I was about to marry the love of my life, and nothing was going to take away from that.  So I smiled and told my other half that his aunt and uncle were more than welcome to do their thing -- but without their clown costumes.  A girl's gotta draw the line somewhere, right??  Having Aunt & Uncle Bubbles "perform" at our reception (sans costumes, of course!) turned out to be a memorable, enjoyable experience for everyone -- balloon hats all around!

Now back to my project...

For today's layout, I used the Kaleidoscope paper packet along with a sketch from the Magic How-To Program / Book to create this fun scrapbook layout perfect for any celebration in life.  The top-center square of the right page opens into a fun mini-album great for capturing extra pictures and memories without taking up valuable real estate on the overall layout.  The Magic How-to Program is filled with lots of wonderful tips and tricks for creating interactive elements on your pages.  I highly recommend adding the Magic book to your scrapbooking tools.

Pop-out Mini Album
revealed by untying white ribbon bow 

Supplies used:

*Balloon Animals SOTM stamp set
*Artbooking Cricut collection
*Artistry Cricut collection
*Kaleidoscope paper packet
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*12" x 12" Pear cardstock
*12" x 12" Canary cardstock
*12" x 12" Pixie cardstock
*Canary Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Gypsy Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Pacifica Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Pear Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Pixie Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Sunset Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*White & gold ribbon
*Gold sequins assortment
*Marvy Uchida LePen journaling pen

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at jd Designs and for hopping with us on the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month February Blog Hop!  Next up on the hop is Lela N. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

February Close to My Heart Specials

February Constant Campaign

Share the love this February by purchasing the exclusive My Acrylix® Share the Love D-size stamp set (CC1060). Filled with adorable icons and loveable sentiments, this stamp set will be a beautiful addition to your collection—but there is more to this stamp set than meets the eye! Not only will you be getting a high-quality, swoon-worthy stamp set by taking part in this promotion, but Close To My Heart will also donate $7 USD of the proceeds from this stamp set to Operation Smile™, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world!* Check out our social media channels all month long to see this stamp set in action, and remember to post your own artwork using the hashtag #ctmhsharethelove to help bring attention to a wonderful and worthy cause.

* * * * *

February Stamp of the Month

Only $5 with a $50 purchase

To order these or any of the other fabulous CTMH products, please visit my online store at jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, remember to design with {heart}!