It's a Sweet, Sweet Life

Hi All! Welcome to the first Rose Blossom Blog Hop for 2017! For this hop, we're featuring some of the delightful products Close To My Heart has released in the new Seasonal Expressions catalog. If you just hopped in from Shelly Nemitz's inspiring blog, Just One Pretty Piece, you're in the right place. If you're starting here, you can just follow the links, or you can find a full list of participants here. Now, on with the project!

There's SO much to love about this release, it was truly hard to choose what to feature today. However, I decided that I just couldn't pass up the sweetness of the Sugar Rush Collection. (See what I did there?) 

Let's take a look:

So for today's project, I decided to do a sweet little card set. (I promise to stop punning soon....) I created this split top card box using cardstocks in White Daisy and Sea Glass. (I was inspired by this tutorial, but I changed up the measurements a bit so that I could store envelopes in the box as well.) I also used the Sugar Rush washi tape to create the hinges for the top.

To decorate the box, I added layers of Sugar Rush paper to both the inside and the outside of the box and then added a panel to the top with foam tape. I also used the panel to attach hook and loop dots for a closure. I embellished my panel with images and a sentiment from the Sugar Rush (Scrapbooking) Stamp Set. (It's not just for scrapbooking folks!) I stamped the ice cream cones on White Daisy cardstock in Tangerine, Sea Glass, Blossom, and Canary inks and hand cut them. I added some glitz to the ice cream with my Gold Shimmer Pen and a bow of White and Gold ribbon to top it off. The sentiment is stamped in Whisper ink and I added some Blossom-colored sprinkles to the back ground for interest. I finished off the front with Gold Glitter Gems to mimic the gold shimmer on the ice cream.

Here's a couple of close-ups:

And here's a look at the box when you open it:

Now for the cards:

This box actually holds 6 cards and their envelopes. For the cards, I used images and matching thin cut dies from the Sugar Rush (Cardmaking) Bundle. LOVE the donuts! The cards are standard A2 bases in White Daisy. I added a panel of Sea Glass cardstock layered with Sugar Rush paper and popped up the sweet treats on the front with foam tape. I stamped the sentiment in Whisper ink. Finally, I added diamond stickles to the treats for pizazz and some shimmer to the sentiment with my Clear Shimmer Brush, because can you really have too much sparkle?

Here's a look at the different card fronts:

And here's the project one more time:

This is just the cutest collection! I can see all sorts of projects using these stamps and papers in the future, and I promise to showcase a few of those right here. But for now, on with the hop! Next stop is the ever inspiring Morgan Vogt at Tweetscraps.

Have a wonderfully creative day!

CTMH Sugar Rush Paper Pack	CTMH Sugar Rush Stamp Set (Scrapbooking)	CTMH Sugar Rush Stamp Set (Cardmaking)	CTMH Sugar Rush Thin Cuts
CTMH Pomegranate Ink	CTMH Blossom Ink	CTMH Tangerine Ink	CTMH Canary Ink
CTMH Sea Glass Ink	CTMH Whisper Ink	CTMH Chocolate Exclusive Ink	CTMH White Daisy Cardstock
CTMH Sea Glass Cardstock	CTMH Sugar Rush Coordinating Cardstock	CTMH White Cards & Envelopes (Value Pack)	CTMH Sugar Rush Washi Pack
CTMH Gold Glitter Gems	CTMH White & Gold Ribbon	CTMH Shimmer Brush (Clear)	CTMH Gold Shimmer Brush Pen
Ranger Diamond Stickles	Hook & Loop Dots	CTMH 3D Foam Tape	ATG Gun

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Friday Focus: I'm Sailing Away.....

Hi All! Welcome to the Kraft-y Hearts' Friday Focus. Today, we're focusing on Close To My Heart's Regatta Collection. This nautical-themed collection is perfect to showcase your summer trips to the shore or just to create fun cards and home decor.

Today I thought I would showcase a new program at Close To My Heart called Workshop Your Way. This program combines elements of a specific collection, like Regatta, along with fun embellishments, giving paper crafters, scrapbookers, and cardmakers all the components you need to create beautiful designs. What's more, if you need to kickstart your creativity, you can download a handy PDF that will give you cutting guides and stamp set suggestions to make layouts and cards to your heart's content. (The biggest difference between a Workshop Your Way and a Workshop On The Go is that the choice of stamp set is left up to you!)

So let's take a look at what you can make with the Regatta Workshop Your Way. First, the scrapbooking layouts. For these layouts, I followed the PDF guide almost to the letter. One of the best things about the WYW, in my opinion, is that there is no stamping required on the layouts. I know that sounds a little crazy coming from an avid ink and stamp girl, but I really do like the fact that you get beautiful layouts even if you don't have any inks or stamps at all.

This layout came together so easily. The title on the left page is from on of the cut-apart sheets included in each WYW collection. I have enough cards from the sheets left over that I can easily make a couple of pocket page layouts to go with these 12x12s. Love that!

This is my favorite layout of them all! I love the grouping of elements over the title on the left and the journaling card with the sticker title on the right. The font used for "Nothing Better" is fantastic!

Okay, somehow I left the zip strip off the right page and didn't notice it until I was photographing the layouts! I didn't want to try to fix it before taking the photos because I'm not sure if the adhesive on the ribbon will tear the cardstock. So here you go, a peek into my crafty imperfections!

Now on to the cards! The PDF shows the cards made with the new My Anchor stamp set along with the matching Thin Cuts dies. So I thought I'd show you not only how those look, but also how you could use any stamp set you have on hand to complete the cards. (This IS after all, a Workshop YOUR Way!) The card on the left in each of the photos is done per PDF instructions. The card on the right is my own creation using design elements from the PDF instructions but different stamp sets. So let's take a look:

The sentiment on the right is from Floral Banners stamp set. I added some left over zip strips and a few Maritime Puffies to change up the card slightly.

Here, the sentiment on the left is from the A Thousand Thanks stamp set. I left off the waves edge and added a zip strip and some ribbon (part of your WYW) to change it up a little. The waves on the left are actually supposed to be the same width as the paper on the right, but I liked it narrower, so I did it my way!

For this card, the sentiment on the right is from the Stamps of Approval set, which works with CTMH's Artistry Cricut cartridge. I decided to change this card up by added a few more embellishments than the original design called for. The cluster at the bottom is made from Regatta complements and Maritime Puffies (both of which come in the WYW).

The card on the right is my favorite! The cake and sentiment are from the Build-a-Cake stamp set. Fun fact: the pattern patterned paper strips are zip strips! I love that you can use every square inch of CTMH paper!

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this look at the Regatta collection and the Workshop Your Way program. Remember, Regatta sails away April 30, 2016. So grab it before it's gone! And for more inspiration, hop over and see what the über-talented Lynn Darda has for you at From My Bungalow!

Have a creative, fun-filled weekend!

CTMH Regatta Workshop Your Way	CTMH Regatta Paper Pack	CTMH Regatta Complements	CTMH Maritime Puffies
CTMH White & Gold Ribbon	CTMH My Anchor Stamp Set	CTMH My Anchor Thin Cuts	CTMH A Thousand Thanks
CTMH Build-a-Cake Stamp Set	CTMH Floral Banners Stamp Set	CTMH Sapphire Ink	CTMH Flaxen Ink
CTMH Pomegranate Ink	ATG Gun

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