Today is the LAST Day for September Specials

Yep, that's right. Today is September 30 and the LAST day to take advantage of the awesome September Specials.  Your order must be placed by 11:59 tonight (Mountain Time).  Here are a few reminders in case you forgot what they are:

1. September National Stamping Month "Hello, Life" Special  
2. September Stamp of the Month

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1.  National Stamping Month "Hello, Life!" Special:  September is National Stamping Month and this year Close To My Heart has something to help every kind of papercrafter say a big “hello” to life! Available only during the month of September, these exclusive  Hello, Life! stamp sets can be purchased in 2 ways:

• for $13.95 each! 
• Or, for an even better deal, you can purchase all three for only $34.95! 

See all three sets here.

Each stamp set is designed to fit with a specific type of papercrafting, whether that’s scrapbooking, cardmaking, or pocket scrapbooking. However, all the stamp sets coordinate with each other and can be used together to create dynamic artwork. These stamp sets also coordinate with shapes from the new Cricut^® Artistry collection to help expand your artwork options even further. Remember, these stamp sets are available for one month only, so get your orders in for one stamp set—or all three—before these gorgeous stamps disappear! Make certain to follow Close To My Heart’s blog, Instagram (CTMHofficial), and Facebook page for artwork inspiration featuring these lively stamp sets all month long. You can post your own artwork to your social media channels using the hashtag #ctmhHelloLife.

The layout at the top of this post as well as the card below are made using these sets. Aren't they cute!?!

2.  September Stamp of the Month (Paper Garden):

September Stamp of the Month: Paper Garden (carrier sheet actual size is approximately 6" x 6")

This elegant stamp set is only available in September and is only $5 ($12.95 savings) with each $50 you spend (before shipping and tax). Spend $100, get 2...and so on!  When ordering on my website, you'll be prompted to add your set(s) before checking out.

Floral Card and Layout with the September Stamp of the Month

This gorgeous layout was created by the Close To My Heart Art Department. I love how they took this month's Stamp of the Month and used several techniques all on one layout. 

You can see on the flowers that are cut out they used the rolling technique. I shared simple instructions for that here.

I also love the technique they used on the background flowers (that are stamped directly on the page) poking out behind the layered flowers.  I'm pretty sure they used a sponge dauber to apply the ink to the stamp and then lightly misted the inked stamp with water before stamping that onto the page.  Isn't it soft and beautiful?

Not only is this a top-notch company with great products, but it's a company that is full of amazing artists.  How about this card that was also made by the CTMH Art Department?  WOWZA, right?  On this one they stamped the flower in Whisper Ink onto Whisper Cardstock and then used our Shin Han Markers to color on top of the stamped image to add all of the beautifully blended color.  I also love how on both pieces of art, they used the chicken wire background stamp from the Stamp of the Month to add very subtle detail and texture.

September is almost over and with it goes the September Stamp of the Month. Don't miss it!  It's yours for only $5 ($12.95 savings) with every $50 you order (before shipping and tax).  Order $100, get 2  (one for you and one for a friend!)...and so on. When ordering on my website, you'll be prompted to add your set(s) before checking out.

September Stamp of the Month - Paper Flowers (carrier sheet actual size is approx. 6" x 6")

Laugh Card and Two Stamping Techniques

This simple little card makes me happy!  It took just minutes to make too.  Isn't it perfect for just about anything?  Who doesn't want a reminder to laugh?  Some of my favorite times are when someone makes me laugh so hard my cheeks hurt.  Laughter truly is the best medicine!

I used the September Stamp of the Month to create this card, and paired it with one of my favorite stamp sets,  Love Life.  The September Stamp of the Month (Paper Flowers) is only available this month and is yours for only $5 ($12.95 savings) with every $50 you spend (before shipping and tax).  Spend $100, get 2...and so on.  When ordering on my website, you'll be prompted to add your set(s) before you check out. Easy, peasy!

I used two simple techniques on this card that I wanted to tell you about: Stamp Cutting and Simple Masking

1.  Stamp Cutting:  As you may or may not have noticed, in the Love Life stamp set, the words, "Live. Laugh. Love." are one stamp.  I just carefully took my micro-tip scissors and cut each word apart.  That way I can use them separately, or put them on a blog together. I do this a lot with my stamps. Some people gasp when I tell them this, but it in no way ruins your stamps, it just makes them even more versatile!

2.  Simple Masking:  As you can see in the photo of the September Stamp of the Month below, the chicken wire background stamp is square. For this card, I wanted a round background under my flowers, so I took a piece of paper (thin paper, like printer paper) and used a 2 1/2" punch to punch a hole in it. I then laid that over the area that I wanted my round background and stamped the chicken wire stamp through it.  The stamp was smaller than the 2 1/2" circle the stamp is approx. 1 7/8" x 1 7/8" square), so I stamped it several times. It's easy to line up with our clear stamps!

Paper Garden � September 2015 Stamp of the Month	Love Life	12" X 12" Desert Sand Cardstock	12" X 12" Glacier Cardstock
Colonial White Cardstock	5 1/2" X 4 1/4" Colonial White Cards & Envelopes, Value Pack	Desert Sand Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Chocolate Exclusive Inks® Stamp Pad
Glacier Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Sequins Gold Assortment	Surecut� Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	Non-Stick Micro-Tip Scissors
3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive	3-D Foam Tape	2" X 2" My Acrylix® Block	2" X 6 1/2" My Acrylix® Block

InLinkz.com

Multi-Colored Stars Card and Technique Instructions

Isn't this a fun card? I used a technique on the stars that I'll share a little later in the post.  Keep reading...

As you know, September is National Stamping Month and Close To My Heart has created three awesome stamp sets that you can only get this month.  They are each $13.95, or you can get all three for the discounted price of $34.95 (which is what I did!). I love them!    To get them, just click here.  When you add all three, the price will be adjusted.  Here are photos of all three:

 

 

Now, back to the card and how I made those soft, multi-colored stars.  Here are the instructions:

1.  I wanted my stars to have 3 colors on them so I chose the three pads I wanted to use:  Honey, Thistle and Pacifica.
2. I needed a sponge dauber for each color. Sponge daubers are handy little guys because you can slip them right onto your finger!  I first used a dauber to pick up ink from the Honey pad and then add it directly directly to the stamp. I then added the Thistle, overlapping the color just a bit, and lastly, the Pacifica (using a different dauber for each). I purposely went from the lightest color to the darkest color so that my daubers didn't get darker colors on them as I overlapped colors.
3. Once my star was daubed with ink, I lightly misted it with water from one of my spray pens (this softens the design by making the ink a little bit more watery), then stamped it directly on the paper.
4. Next you'll want to clean your stamp before you make another one.  Just repeat the process for your next star. Voila!

 I have included a products used list, complete with links and photos, at the end of this post for your convenience.

Hello, Life!�Cardmaking	12" X 12" White Daisy Cardstock	12" X 12" Black Cardstock	Black Exclusive Inks® Stamp Pad
Thistle Exclusive Inks� Pad	Honey Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Pacifica Exclusive Inks� Stamp Pad	Sponge Daubers
Spray Pen	Surecut� Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	Non-Stick Micro-Tip Scissors	3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive
2" X 2" My Acrylix® Block	2" X 3 1/2" My Acrylix® Block

InLinkz.com