Dream Pop CTMH Blog Hop

My CTMH team is joining up to share our love of May's special edition paper pack: Dream Pop! Welcome if you are visiting from Cards By Stephanie!

In honor of National Scrapbooking Month, you can get the yummy Dream Pop paper packet from Close To My Heart for only $10 when you spend $35! This exclusive paper packet includes twelve cardstock sheets as well as 12 patterned papers that were specifically designed for this promotion only — you can’t get these sweet colors and patterns anywhere else! 

I used a little of Dream Pop in a place where I focus on my dreams and faith-my journal! I've recently been tinkering with some simple art journaling to add a little creative boost to my thoughts.

I love the on trend colors and diverse designs for any cheerful project!

For more Dream Pop love, visit Jayma from Playing with Paper!

Encourage Board.

Hey y'all! This is a continuation of last night's post. If you haven't read yet, start here.

This is also a Spring Blog Hop with my lovely team of Close To My Heart Consultants. If you just came from Norhalma's "From Snaps to Scraps" blog here welcome & Happy Easter weekend!

Today I'm introducing the Encourage Board! Yesterday we got our cards stashed & stowed, but today I'm taking it one step further to get those cards into the hands of those you love. 

1) Make a creative card display (bulletin board or ribbon line).

2) Choose an inspiration design (favorite quotes, embellies).

 Chantilly Complements Dimensional Elements, $4.95 here

   

"Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down."

Boutique Assortment, $1.50 here

3) Attach some quick cards.

That's it, now you have a collection of cards in sight, ready to use & ready to bless with! Bunny hop over Brittany's "Paper Craft Creations" blog here!

with redeeming hands, 

Rachel

Dimples & Pigtails

Simplify Cards.

Ever have those stressful "I forgot to get a card for Kelly's graduation" moments? Find yourself making a last minute errand to the grocery store for an over-priced card? 

I sure have! Being pulled in a million directions on a regular basis, the time it takes to make/pick-up a card for an occasion is something I wanted to simplify. Ready to simplify as well?

1) Compile cards. Here's some ideas for ya!

DIY Cards & Envelopes, less than $1/card

Birthday cards: Close To My Heart's Chantilly Cardmaking Kit, $2/card

The Celebrate Card Set from Thirty-One, $1/card

2) Create some space for your stash (clean out a drawer, use a shoebox or do both like me ha!).

That's it, you're ready for the next birthday, thank you, or "just because I love you" moment!

Stay tuned for my next post here where I'll share some more inspiring card solutions.

with redeeming hands,
Rachel

Linking up with:
Weekend Bloggy Reading
Mommy Moments
The 36th Avenue

Shine Bright Like a Diamond!

Hey y'all, it's an especially great time to celebrate women in your life as March includes some sweet highlights like Women's History Month & International Women's Day!

I recently crafted up care packages to honor the 5 women in my immediate family. Gifts include tea & spa items, as well as stationary sets of 3 x 3 handmade cards & Close To My Heart envelopes.

The adorably sized stationary:

 

For myself,  I upcycled a {boring, yet sturdy} cardboard base from Velveeta cheese packaging to a dazzling, crafty storage solution!

I was having too much fun with glitter paper & made it really sparkly inside:) I used Duct Tape, glitter paper & Close To My Heart Dimensional Elements. Isn't Glitter Paper great?

 Close To My Heart's (Black/Gray Combo Pack) of Glitter Cardstock!

Shine bright ladies!

with redeeming hands,

Rachel

Linkin' Up with:
Everyday is an Occasion
Craft O Maniac
Thirty Handmade Days
The Winthrop Chronicles

Inkin' Solutions

Before I get going, THANK YOU for reading, for comments, for following & more! It means so much to me that you read the posts I always want to post & somehow sneak in the time to write:)

I truly love my blog followers & love my Close To My Heart facebook fans! I'm so blessed to have nearly 100 fans & would love to reach that milestone moment this weekend. Would you help share the CTMH love? Like my page here and/or share with friends!

Today I'm sharing more artistic ways to use ink (a budget friendly must-have!) in your projects

Craft Technique: Using Sponge Daubers for Backgrounds

First off, sponge dauber what? Yeah I had no idea either. Here's a 3 pack of sponge daubers from Close To My Heart. I like to think of them as the make-up brushes for ink:)

 

While making this cute ladybug tag from a white chipboard tag, I realized I didn't have any paper in the right shade to coordinate a background for the lighter green grass. To improvise, I gave my sponge daubers a try. I can't tell you how many times in a project pinch I am glad I purchased this affordable 3 pack of tools. Using just one sponge dauber inked in CTMH's Pear Green I was able create a beautiful background & ta-da no paper necessary!

To create this rich colorful effect on your own, simply add any ink to a sponge dauber and saturate the surface, swirl colors together, etc. until you've created the perfect look!

Watch a quick CTMH TV video here for how to incorporate ink into future card designs, party creations & more! Happy crafting!

Redeeming Her,

Rachel

Enjoyin' Fall Favs!

Welcome to the "My Favorite Close To My Heart {CTMH} Things" 2nd Blog Hop!

Our CTMH team is sharing a variety of fall inspired artwork. If you've come here from Ian Dreger's blog, glad you're here!

Don't you just love fall? Growing up in the North, I LOVED fall weather. It's typically chilly sweatshirt wearin' weather paired up with warm, cozy bonfires, trips to apple orchards & pumpkin patches, and time to dine on delicious soups and sip hot tea!

Now being a down home Southern' girl, I prefer winter here aka Northern fall:) My southern fall is more like summer part 2: birds chirping, sweet tea drinking & outdoor grillin'!

Today I am sharing one of my Southern' fall inspired gift tags!

This chipboard Birdy Tag can add a sweet & friendly extra touch to any gift. Who could you create  beautiful gift tags for? Anytime is the perfect time to share gifts made from the heart!

CRAFT TIP: In a pinch for time to complete a project? Always busy? Use efficient time savers like the dimensional elements here & canvas stickers here. This tag took all of 5 minutes to make, there's always time for a 5 minute craft:)

MY FAVORITE CTMH items:

Dimensional Chipboard Tags ($4.95) 

Lagoon Water-based Ink Pad ($5.25) 

 

Canvas Stella Stickers ($5.95 for 2 sheets) 

Would you like to WIN a sample of CTMH accessories? You're in luck, it's time to enter my SCRAP Giveaway! 

Keep hopping fall faves at Jayma Malme's blog!

Happy Fall, 
Rachel

Makin' it Better

Ever have a project turn out not quite right? Maybe an error on your part, you were rushed to complete it, or an overall feeling of it not being what you hoped...well recently I experienced all 3!

Like the Beetles lyrics "take a sad song & make it better", today I'll be taking an okay card & showing you how I made it better with just a few fix-ups:)  

In my original project shown below, I liked the fun idea I came up with to use a kraft envelope shown here re-purposed as a fun way to hold some written out dreams of mine. I could even attach the envelope flap with some hook & loop dots shown here to attach & re-attach it as needed to a scrapbook layout!

Here's the before: 

I didn't like the way I had stamped the follow your dreams sentiment onto the random stamping...I should have stamped the sentiment first. Plus the colors didn't mix well together, there were too many messages, not enough balance, and on & on. I also didn't like how my green faux ribbon was far off the envelope & the bulkiness of the flower on the left. I had some work to do!

Here's the after, with better lighting too!:

 

To give this project a facelift, I trimmed down the green ribbon cut and added a coordinating dimension element shown here to balance the color & weight of the flower. I also used my acrylic Close To My Heart Stamps as shown here to make a new sentiment "anything is possible" and covered dreams into just "dream" for a more colorful & balanced message. 

I also brought more paper onto the envelope & scallop cut another layer of Close To My Heart patterned paper to add a flirty texture layer, resembling ocean waves. The pink twine shown here looks great against the lagoon colored paper. With just a few quick fixes, this is much more cheerful project with layers of fun!

creatively redeeming her,
Rachel

P.S. If you are interested in purchasing an item featured today or any item you fall in love with at my Close To My Heart Business here, don't forget to take advantage of the {New} Customer Shopping Party from 9/4-9/16 here! Part goers will receive 10% off your first order AND $5 off your next order. Email me at rachelctmh@gmail.com to join the party, place your order and/or with any questions, thanks!

Knowin' how to scrapbook!

Sometimes when I admire a DIY home project, a recipe, or a craft technique and I ask the person how they made it, I get these kind of responses:

"Oh you know, it was just a little of this, a little of that" or "it was really easy, you just need {some product I have no idea how to use, pronounce, or where to buy}. Frustrating, right? I need lots of structure and specifics when starting something new to feel confident and successful in it.

Maybe you're even looking for a little (or a lot!) of direction to how to scrapbook your family's precious memories or how to make beautiful handmade cards for friends? Or maybe you're an avid crafter who's in a creative rut & could use some inspiration for new layouts, techniques, & more? 

Would you like to know step-by-step how to make these items and many more?

La Belle Vie Scrapbook Layout in Make It From Your Heart

Avonlea Card Layout in Make It From Your Heart

If yes, here is must-have help for you: Make It From Your Heart, Volume 1. Close To My Heart (CTMH) Let Me Show You How inspired books, like this one, have been the BEST tool in giving me the foundation to create beautiful & versatile layouts for scrapbooks, cards, gift bags, and more!

{This softbound, affordable how-to publication features 16 two-page layout patterns, 2 single-page patterns, as well as 12 different card patterns. Inspired by Jeanette Lynton's Let Me Show You How® philosophy, the patterns are the same as those found in the Workshops on the Go® cardmaking and scrapbooking programs for 2012–2013.}

To top it off, Make It From Your Heart, Volume 1 is completely affordable at only $7.95! Click here to join my New Customer Shopping Event going on now through September 16th, and order this creative resource directly through me for only $7.16!

I've spent 3x that amount on creative how-to books at major book retailers & have found Close To My Heart books to be far superior to get you from beginning to finish with all the direction you need! Happy creating with some new confidence!

with redeeming hands,
Rachel

Schippin' it!

Well you might be wondering about this post title...My maiden name is ridiculously fun to play around with: Schipp. Especially for back in the day when we all used answering machines and my mom thought this greeting wouldn't embarrass me when boys started calling, "Ahoy matey. The Schipp's are out at sea, but when we return to dock we'll get back to you". Or maybe that was her strategy.

My friends had fun with it in their own ways & I would get sweet notes like this one:)

My siblings Shawn, Josh and Sarah have had their share too of Schipp inspired recognition:) I still remember Josh's friends calling him by "Schipp Dog" in our high school hallways lol. My little sister Sarah is still a "Schipp" by name & she found this BEAUTIFUL ship inspiration:

Well you know me, as a crafter now I'm inspired and made her a lil' back to NIU encouragement:)

{I love using CTMH's assortment of buttons!}

{Design Tip: Use sponge daubers dipped in Close To My Heart Ink Stamp Pads around edges of your message to smudge on a little kick of color!}

No matter my name or how far we are from each other, I'll always be "Schippin' it" in my heart, love all my "Schipps"!

{smiling together at Christmas 2011}

with redeeming hands,

Rachel

Movin' friendships!

College Moves. Post college Move. International Travel. Move for Internship. Some more Moves. Marriage. More Moves. Career Moves. Sort of Settled. Local friends Move.

My twenties have been full of changes in addresses and in friendships. There have been so many personal moves in my early/mid-twenties twenties & now in mid/late-twenties it's been my TFA friends near me moving. So it's been a learning process of figuring out how to hold onto (and sometimes let go of) friendships. I've heard women say their 30's are their favorite years--probably b/c you're more settled! Can't wait!

Well one of my friends Sarah recently moved away to pursue some big dreams of her own in St. Louis & to celebrate her new place that she'll call home, I made up a lil' wall art:) The quote "To thine own self be true" is one of her favorites. Sarah was actually a huge support in being the 1st person to support my Close To My Heart business!

{Close To My Heart: Ink, Cardstock, Baker's Twine, Stickease, Glue Dots, Sparkles, Buttons, Paper Cutter}

To create this project, choose a 12 x12 layout and then add 12 x 2 sections on sides.If you're like me and you need a visual step-by-step for how to create beautiful layouts, I recommend Make It From Your Heart: Volume 1. I only need to pick up a frame now to complete it! (The blank white area on this layout will fit a 6 x4 picture of her choosing.) Last fall I found some great 12 x 16 frames at Wal-Mart that work great for these projects! Simply pop this in the frame & ta-da wall art via scrapbooking! I just love it when I can combine my love for crafting with my love for others, yay!

with redeeming hands,
Rachel

Sweet + Salty

Love sweet & salty combos? Try this lovely out-of-the ordinary treat:)

{the line up}

{oh so good ending}

Here's the must-have recipe to enjoy!

with redeeming hands,

Rachel