Sending You Hugs

 National Scrapbooking Day 2021 was filled with great projects.  One of them was called "Sending you hugs" and it was 20 cards- 10 designs of 2 each.  I loved the stamp set and have used it but found the paper that it came with and the original instructions.  These are so cute!!  

If you have made any scrapbook or card or album projects lately that you feel are "cute" - please post them here. 

Hillside pages and cards

 I like to do both pages and cards.  There is a card kit for scrapbooks and for cards on my website. These are pages and cards that I made with the kit.  The wooden embellishments for this kits are so cool.  The black plastic can be inserted into the wooden pieces or each can be used separately.  I really like the look and feel of the Hillside Cottage paper set.  Check it out.

Check out all the kits.  You can use the cutting guides with any paper and you have the stamp set and thin cuts to use!

Stars and Sparkles - cards

 Stars and Sparkles G1232 is great card kit to make.  I love that CTMH gives detailed directions. 

When you are looking at any workshop kit, you need to really look at the "Additional Supplies". This kit comes with the Thin Cuts and you will need to cut 40 balloons (they give you 2 thin cuts), 24 tassels (again 2 thin cuts), 8 bows, 8 Happy Birthday and 12 Strings.  16 of the tassels need to be embossed.  If you are not into fussy work, this may not be the cards set for you.  Close to my heart has brought back the Tweezers  which are really needed when you use a heat gun on the small tassels.  

Many of the card kits have had many tiny pieces lately.  I think the end product justifies all and work but you need to know what you are getting into before you start so that you have patience and the right equipment to get the tasks done.  

The anti static pouch is a must to have.  In scrapbooking, you can take the "sticky" off of the stickers so that you can slide the photo in later.  It is really important to use when embossing.

This was my set up for the embossing.  You see the craft jar  which houses my anti static pouch.  I hadn't put things in the other craft jars I had and I don't think I will.  I found that they are perfect to house all the tiny die cuts that you needed.

I loved this card set and I think you will to.  Let me know how it turns out for you.

National Scrapbooking Day Projects

 You can still get the National Scrapbooking Day projects as they are available.

1. Party Girl pages

2. More than you'll Even know pages

3. Sending you Hugs cards

4. These little piggies album

5. Cheerful Humor Cards.

The one that I want to showcase is the Cheerful Humor Cards.  One person referred to them as snarky.  They are cute and I am sure going to have fun with them.

Check out my website and see what you want to try making.

Post what projects you have made or what you have done with this great paper.

Hillside Cottage Cards

 One of the papers you will find in the CTMH May and June 2021 catalog is called Hillside Cottage.  I made the cards and really like them.  They use the Distress Oxide Inks for color.  You probably could do water color wash as well. 

My old die cut machine quit working and I love my new Close To My Heart die cut machine.  I did learn that there are sometimes older products that have just met their end.  This set of cards has many die cuts.  I had trouble with my Bestie thin cuts in that they moved and cut on top of each other accidentally.  They are still useful but I need to be careful from now on.  

I started using some old washi tape.  I have used it not long ago but this time the washi tape took the top layer of the white off - it didn't really matter on the "negative" piece but it did also come off on the actual thin cut I was making. (you can't see it too well on the image)  My old washi tape got pitched.  I have noticed that some people use painters tape or 3M sticky tape.  I will see what works best in the future for me.  Leave me a note as to what you use and how it is working.

A challenge for myself

 On the YouTube CTMH channel I came across "One Sheet Wonder - Create 11 Beautiful cards".  There is a free download for a cutting guide but I had to watch it again and sketch what they did with the pieces of paper.  

Last month during the stamp sale, I bought the set of 4 Besties.  It was easier to get a picture of the set but these DO NOT have the thin cuts with them - which is how I bought them.  You could fussy cut these but I would recommend getting them WITH the thin cuts.

Every once in a while, I set a challenge for myself.  I wanted to try and use this set of 4 girls AND do the One sheet wonder.  Now the one sheet that is referred to in the title is the patterned paper.  You will need some color cardstock and white cardstock to cut and of course you will need cardstock to do the thin cuts and to make places for the sayings.  

Here is what I came away with - 11 different cards, using the One Sheet wonder cutting guide and using the 4 Bestie stampsets.

I really like the concept of the 11 different cards and using 1 or 2 stamp sets.  You could use new or old ones that you want to try using in a new way.  I didn't cut the color cardstock until I knew which side of the patterned paper I wanted to use.  Check out the CTMH YouTube One sheet wonder and see what you can come up with yourself.  

Post your projects and share what you have learned. 

You can learn something new every day.

 I am recuperating from major surgery.  I am doing fine but my energy level is more like a wrung out dishrag. I have been checking out YouTube craft things.  One of the things that Close to My Heart put out was 4 weeks of Stamping Techniques Video #1-#4.

I have been trying to decide if I should start up my Technique Tuesdays again.  I have been looking at what is out there and seeing if I should do new things or point people to things already out there.  

As I have been watching many Close To My Heart Facebook live and replay things, I realize that I still can learn lots of stuff.

1. The close to my heart blocks are a little bit rounded on one side and flat on the other.  The rounded part is to help you get a better grip when stamping.  I have used these blocks it seems for eons and I never noticed.  I have put the stamp on either side. Check the next time you stamp and put your stamp on the flat side and see if inking and stamping aren't just a bit easier.

2. There is a line on the block.  I knew that but that line is on the flat side to help you line up your stamp.  I usually like to put a stamp that needs a line on the top rather than the bottom because I don't seem to get as much extra ink on the block that I need to wipe off. You can line it up on the top of the block as well as on the bottm.

3.  I have used my Versa mat for scrapbooking but didn't know how much more I could also use it for cards.  You can put the clear block on the gridlines and get a longer stamp straight or you can put it on the Versa mat up side down and put the block on top.

When you want something in the middle, you can line up your paper (seeing through the foam pad) and make sure it is exactly where you want it.

I have done dovetails by snipping up to a point and folding over.  You can put your paper on your Versa mat and snip straight up while using the grid markings on the mat as a guide for the middle and cut to it from each side. 

I have used the Versamat for the pages to line up where you put things.  I have never done this with a card.  It is amazing that you can use the numbers on both sides to make sure things are even and in the place they are to be. 

As you have been doing different things during lock down, have there been new things that you have learned or remembered old things that still work?  Let's chat and see what we can learn from each other.