Mojo Monday 472 - Yuletide Joy

Happy Halloween! I guess I should have posted a Halloween card today, but I'm actually writing about a Christmas card I made!

Since it's the last day of October - and the last day to get the October stamp of the month - I wanted to use the Yuletide Joy stamp set on my card for Mojo Monday this week.

Here's the sketch for this week's challenge:

I know the sketch is a square, but I'm not really into square cards, so I just adjusted it to fit the size I'm used to.

Here's my take on the sketch:

I used papers from the Swan Lake paper packet for this card, and even though many of them are fall-themed, there are always enough versatile patterns that can be used for any season or holiday!

I used the Whisper striped paper as the base layer and then cut circles out of the Glacier triangle paper and the Poppy floral print. I also cut a circle from some Fern cardstock and cut out the Poppy heart from one of the 3x4 cut-apart cards included in the Swan Lake paper packet. I included some Black shimmer ribbon and stamped the star image and the sentiment from the Yuletide Joy stamp set in Black. Finally, I added some Grey Enamel Gems to finish off the card.

I really like how it turned out, and I'm always pleased when I can use non-Christmas themed paper to make a Christmas card!

The October stamp of the month set, Yuletide Joy, has several beautiful images and sentiments for the holidays, and today is the last day to get it! It also coordinates with the retired Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. You can purchase it at its full retail price of $17.95, or you can get it for only $5.00 with a purchase of $50 or more. Click here for more details or to purchase your own set!

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll be back tomorrow with information about Close To My Heart's great specials for November!

Thanks,
Bethany Rielage

765-635-4884
rielage517@gmail.com

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com
www.facebook.com/stampingathome

Friday Favorites - Cardmaking Kits

Some of my favorite things from Close To My Heart are their cardmaking kits. I have purchased several over the years, and I always love their beautiful designs and how quickly I can make the cards.

Party Time Cardmaking Kit

Just To Say Cardmaking Kit

The current Holiday Expressions catalog includes four cardmaking kits, one for each of the four paper packets. The kits include everything you need - except ink pads - to make ten cards. You also receive a stamp set, which allows you to make even more cards in the future.

Thinking of You Cardmaking Kit

The thing I love best about these kits is the ability for me to take the cutting directions and the stamp set and recreate these cards with older papers that I still have. I simply purchase some more card bases and envelopes, and I can make as many cards as I want! I have done this many times over the years, and it's why I never sell the stamp sets that come with these kits.

Here are a few cards I made with the stamp set from the Thinking of You Cardmaking Kit and some older papers:

I hope you'll check out the four current cardmaking kits; they're only available through the end of December!

• Party Time Cardmaking Kit
• Just to Say Cardmaking Kit
• Happy Holidays Cardmaking Kit
• Thinking of You Cardmaking Kit

Happy Holidays Cardmaking Kit

Thanks for stopping by today!

Bethany Rielage

765-635-4884

rielage517@gmail.com

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com

www.facebook.com/stampingathome

Mojo Monday 471 - Hello

I'm really excited to share with you my card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I actually wasn't really feeling inspired to make a card this afternoon, but I knew I wanted to get a blog post up, so I kinda made myself clear off my desk and get started. As I was cleaning things off and putting things away, I found the inspiration for my card, and it all came together in less than 20 minutes!

Here's the sketch for this week:

And here's my card:

The inspiration for my card was actually the white square with the "Hello" sentiment stamped on it. A few weeks ago I was working on the Thinking of You card kit from Close To My Heart, and I was trying out some different sentiment styles. This white square and stamped sentiment was an extra piece, just sitting in the pile of other sentiment pieces I had yet to put together. I almost recycled it, and then I thought that it might work for today's card!

I pulled out the patterned paper scraps from that same kit, and then I wanted to use some Swan Lake paper since that's the featured paper packet for October. Then, since the sentiment is bordered by designs stamped in Sea Glass, I pulled out some Sea Glass cardstock for the mat. I rarely mix papers from different paper packets, but it's something I'd like to get better at. In this case, I think the woodgrain from Oh Deer, the Peacock from Swan Lake, and the Sea Glass look great together!

In addition to those papers, I cut a star out of Peacock cardstock with our Stars Thin Cuts. I then embellished the card with a few Bitty Sparkles - also from the card kit.

All in all, I really like how this card came together, and I want to try using this color combination again sometime!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bethany Rielage

765-635-4884
rielage517@gmail.com

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com
www.facebook.com/stampingathome

Friday Favorites - Thin Cuts

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite products from Close To My Heart - Thin Cuts!

Thin Cuts are thin, metal dies that you use to cut out shapes with a manual die-cutting machine. Close To My Heart introduced their Thin Cuts back in January of this year, and they have been a big hit with everyone! They currently have over 20 sets of Thin Cuts available for purchase, and most of them coordinate with a specific stamp set. For example, here's one of my current favorites - the Cozy Christmas Thin Cuts Bundle:

Thin Cuts can be used with many different kinds of manual die-cut machines; I use the Cuttlebug machine. Here's a video that Close To My Heart made to show you how to use their Thin Cuts:



Here are a few cards I have made with various sets of Thin Cuts.

This card features the Hearts set of Thin Cuts. With this set you get three different sizes of hearts, and you get an outline and an inside with every cut!

This next card features one of the words Thin Cuts. This particular set comes with the words "Thanks" and "Happy." I love how easy it is to make a quick, beautiful card with these words!

This last card features the A Bunch of Love Thin Cuts. The coordinating stamp set is retired, but the set of Thin Cuts is still available for purchase.

If you have any questions about Thin Cuts - or would like to try them out before purchasing - just contact me!

Thanks,
Bethany Rielage

rielage517@gmail.com
765-635-4884
bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com

Christmas Cardmaking Workshop

• Saturday, November 5
• 6:00-8:00
• My house in Fishers, Indiana
• $25
• Sign-up Deadline: Wednesday, October 26

• Saturday, November 12
• 1:00-3:00
• MUGS Coffee in Anderson, Indiana
• $25
• Sign-up Deadline: Wednesday, November 2

Close To My Heart is offering four wonderful cardmaking workshop kits in the new Holiday Expressions idea book, and I'll be featuring one of them each month from September through December. November's kit is the Happy Holidays Cardmaking Kit!

This kit contains materials for creating 10 cards. Easy-to-follow instructions guide you in creating two different card designs, but thanks to the interchangeable designs and stamp sentiments, you can make your cards your way!

Kit Contents:

• 1 exclusive workshop stamp set (B-size)
• 2 sheets City Sidewalks patterned paper
• 2 sheets cardstock (1 Cranberry, 1 Willow)
• 1 roll of gold shimmer trim
• 10 white card bases and envelopes

Because your kit includes a stamp set for you to keep and plenty of leftover supplies, you can continue to make cards after the workshop is over!

The kit comes with everything you need, except for inks and blocks, which I will provide during the workshop. You will need to bring adhesive and basic tools.

Optional Additional Services:
$3 - I will provide any adhesive you need.
$3 - I will cut all of your paper ahead of time so you can just assemble and stamp the cards the day of the workshop.

Sign-Up Deadline:
The deadline to sign up for the November 5th workshop is Wednesday, October 26th. The deadline to sign up for the November 12th workshop is Wednesday, November 2nd. This will allow me time to order the kits so they arrive in time.

What do you need to bring?
Please bring adhesive (I suggest a regular paper adhesive, glue dots, and foam tape) and basic tools (a paper cutter and scissors).

I hope you'll be able to join me for this workshop! You can email, text, or call me to sign up!

• rielage517@gmail.com
• 765-635-4884

Thanks,
Bethany Rielage

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com
www.facebook.com/stampingathome

Mojo Monday 466 - Swan Lake

For this week's Mojo Monday blog post, I'm using an older sketch from the Mojo Monday website. I'm out of town this week, and so I wouldn't be able to wait and make a card after seeing this week's sketch. But hopefully I'll get around to making another one later this week!

Here's the sketch from a few week's ago - Sketch 466:

And here's my card:

I decided to use the Swan Lake paper again since it's the featured paper packet for October. The main image and sentiment were pre-printed on one of the 3x4 cut-apart cards, and I simply trimmed it down to fit on my card. The other papers were scraps leftover from my workshop layouts.

Other than patterned paper, the only embellishments I used were some Grey Enamel Gems. I love it when I can use my scraps to create a simple card!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Thanks,
Bethany Rielage

rielage517@gmail.com
765-635-4884

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com
www.facebook.com/stampingathome



SaveSave

Friday Favorites - Woodland Critters

Today is my first "Friday Favorites" blog post! I'm planning to use Fridays to share with you some of my favorite products or techniques.

Today I'm sharing one of my current favorite stamp sets from Close To My Heart - Woodland Critters.

I loved these little guys the first time I saw them in the Holiday Expressions catalog, and I knew I'd be able to use them on so many cute cards. Isn't that raccoon just adorable?

I also love that this stamp set coordinates with the Cricut Artistry cartridge so I don't have to cut those speech bubbles by hand. What I love to do with a stamp set like this is to go ahead and cut a bunch of the images in White Daisy or Colonial White and store them in the envelope with the stamp set. That way I always have them on hand when I want to use the set. This is what my envelope looks like:

Here are a few cards I have made with this set. For some of them, I was using up retired paper, so unfortunately not everything you see is still available. But any of these cards could be made with a different paper pack. Try Swan Lake if you're looking for something for the autumn season!

If you like this card, contact me about hosting a card buffet and you can make it!

Products Used: Woodland Critters stamp set, Pathfinding paper (retired), Olive cardstock (retired), Goldrush cardstock, Colonial White cardstock, Barn Red ink (retired), Chocolate ink, Florence sequins (retired but still available), Colonial White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

---------------------------

This card is one of the cards you can make at my Swan Lake Card Workshop this month!

Products Used: Woodland Critters stamp set, Swan Lake paper, Fern cardstock, Peacock cardstock, Goldrush ink, Fern ink, Peacock ink, White Daisy cardstock, Grey Enamel Gems, White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

---------------------------

This card is also available to make through hosting a card buffet!

Products Used: Woodland Critters stamp set, Pathfinding paper (retired), Chocolate cardstock, Colonial White cardstock, Chocolate ink, Goldrush ink, Glacier ink, baker's twine (retired), Colonial White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

---------------------------

You can also make this card at my Swan Lake Card Workshop this month!

Products Used: Woodland Critters stamp set, Swan Lake paper, Peacock cardstock, White Daisy cardstock, Slate ink, Glacier ink, Poppy ink, Grey Enamel Gems, White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed this post and now have some ideas for how you can use the super cute Woodland Critters stamp set.

Thanks,
Bethany Rielage

rielage517@gmail.com
765-635-4884

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com
www.facebook.com/stampingathome




SaveSave

Swan Lake Scrapbooking Layouts

The Swan Lake paper is really beautiful and perfect for lots of different pictures, but I especially love it for fall pictures. I have to admit, at first I wasn't too sure about this paper because of the swans, but I have loved using it! Even if you don't like the swans, I think the other patterned papers are absolutely gorgeous.

I want to share with you today my layouts I created using the Swan Lake Workshops Your Way Scrapbooking Kit. I used the cutting guide provided by Close To My Heart and created the layouts pretty close to what they suggested. I love not having to think too much to create beautiful layouts!

I know some people worry about creating layouts without pictures, but I've honestly never had trouble finding pictures later to go with the layouts. And if you have trouble matching colors, just print your pictures in black and white or sepia!

Here are my three two-page layouts:

---------------------

---------------------

I did switch up a couple of the titles to fit better with my pictures, but the rest of the embellishments are pretty much where the guide suggested. I also decided to use White Daisy cardstock as my base pages for the third layout instead of the black script patterned paper. That way I would have more patterned paper leftover for other projects!

After these three layouts and eight cards, I still have quite a bit of paper, lots of the coordinating stickers, enamel gems, and shimmer ribbon left to use on other projects. Check out this post for a card I made with my scraps!

Swan Lake Workshop Kit Contents:

• 1 Swan Lake paper packet
• 1 Swan Lake Complements pack
• 4 cardstock sheets (1 Peacock, 2 Whisper, 1 White Daisy)
• 1 pack Grey Enamel Gems
• 1 roll Black Shimmer Ribbon

If you're interested in completing this workshop with me, I'm having a workshop at my house on Sunday, October 30 from 2:00-4:00. The cost of the workshop is $35, which covers the cost of your kit, shipping and tax, and my instruction. The sign-up deadline is Thursday, October 20. You can email, call, or text me to sign up!

I hope you try out the Swan Lake paper - I think you'll love it!

Thanks,

Bethany Rielage

rielage517@gmail.com

765-635-4884

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com

www.facebook.com/stampingathome

Mojo Monday 469 - Swan Lake

It's been awhile since I've participated in the Mojo Monday weekly sketch challenge, but I'm going to try and get back into doing it every week! I really like the inspiration of a sketch, and it pushes me to try new designs and techniques.

Here's the sketch for this week:

Since this month's featured paper packet is Swan Lake, I decided to use some of my scraps to make my card.

I really love the combination of colors in this paper packet, and there are some very versatile and subtle patterns that help off-set the bolder prints.

In addition to the Swan Lake paper packet, I used the Happy Heart stamp set for my sentiment. This really is one of my favorite stamp sets in the Annual Idea Book, and it's only $6.95! You can also get this stamp set in both French and Spanish!

I stamped the sentiment in Peacock ink and the heart in Poppy. I also added a few enamel gems to finish it off.

Thanks for taking a look at my card today, and if you have any questions about anything I mentioned today, please ask!

Thanks again,
Bethany Rielage

rielage517@gmail.com

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com

www.facebook.com/stampingathome

October Specials

The weather has finally started to change, and one of my favorite months has arrived! And as always, with the start of a new month, there are new specials from Close To My Heart.

Stamp of the Month: Yuletide Joy
Even though it's only October, it's time to start thinking about making Christmas cards, and this month's stamp of the month will help you with that.

This stamp set is also great for scrapbooking, and it coordinates with the retired Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart.

The stamp of the month sets are only available for one month. This stamp set can be purchased at the full retail price of $17.95, or you can get it for only $5 with a $50 order! Click on the link below for more information or to get your own Yuletide Joy stamp set.
http://bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com/ctmh/promotions/sotm/2016/1610-yuletide-joy.aspx

Real Rewards
If you've ever thought of becoming a consultant with Close To My Heart, October is a great month to make that decision!

During this month, if you host a qualifying party, you can put your hostess rewards toward the purchase of a new consultant kit! You could even get the consultant kit for free! Contact me or visit the link below for more details.

http://bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com/ctmh/promotions/campaigns/1610-real-rewards.aspx

Be sure to follow me on my blog and on Facebook to keep up with everything going on this month. I have several workshops coming up in October, and I'll be back on my blog soon with more artwork and ideas!

Thanks,
Bethany Rielage

rielage517@gmail.com
765-635-4884

bethanyrielage.closetomyheart.com
www.facebook.com/stampingathome