It's Official!

The fabulous new blog, Make It from Your Heart, is now live. You can see it by visiting blog.closetomyheart.com!

I have some exciting news to share!

From the window in my Close To My Heart office, I can see ribbons of clouds winding around the middle of the mountains, as if nature is wrapping up her final surprise for us before winter comes. Summer is fading into reds and yellows and the air is filling up with the crispness of fall. It’s a time of change and expectancy, and life is humming with anticipation for the good things that are to come.

This same feeling is also settling within the walls of Close To My Heart. Over the past few months, a new project has been in development and the time has finally come to release it. Tomorrow, a new blog straight from Close To My Heart will be born! The name will be Make It From Your Heart, and tomorrow you will find it at blog.closetomyheart.com.

There are some great things in store with this change that I think you’re going to really enjoy. This new blog will fulfill the needs of our growing company and will be an answer to the suggestions that so many of you have expressed. It will open up a whole new world of creative space, inspiration, and connection. It will be a fresh palette, a place for us to share unprecedented levels of creative expression.

Although this has been overwhelmingly exciting, it’s been a little sad, too, because with the dawning of this new project comes the time to say goodbye to my blog that has meant so much to me for so long.

While the new blog will no longer be under my name, I will still be deeply involved with it, looking over posts and artwork every step of the way, and checking in with my own posts from time to time. My wish for this new blog is that it becomes its own kind of bird—and I want to give it enough space to spread its wings!

This transition to the new blog is a significant change. Changes can be difficult in the beginning, but we must try not to push them away and resolve instead to embrace with open hearts the good they have to offer.

This is not goodbye forever; this is simply goodbye to the times that have come before. I hope you’ll join with me in welcoming this new season for Close To My Heart. I’ll miss my blog and all the joy it’s brought me over the past six years, but I know that the new blog will bring a joy all its own, pushing us onward toward greater horizons.

Always yours,

Jeanette

Annual Inspirations Witch Hats Tutorial

We all love home decor that screams creativity! Several of you have seen the adorable hats on page 38 of Annual Inspirations and have asked for instructions on how to recreate them. Below you’ll find step-by-step directions you can use with the Annual Inspirations recipes already provided to give your home a little more spook this season. 

Happy crafting!

October 31 Hat

Cricut^® Shapes:

Artiste

Spike Flowers: 3 ½" and 4 ½" Shift+Accent 2 (p. 54)

Round Flowers: 3 ½" and 2 ¾" Accent 2 (cut several, p. 54)

Cupcake Liners: 2 ½" and 2" Accent 4 (cut 4 of each, p. 77) 

Circle: 11" Card (p. 48)

Vines: 1", 1 ½”, and 1 ¾" Shift+3D Object (cut several, p. 54)

Spiderweb: 4 ½" Accent 4 (p. 76)

Banners: 1 ¼" and 2" Accent 2 <5> (cut several, p. 35)

To find a list of the other materials required, please refer to the Annual Inspirations recipes.

Cone and Base

1. Attach two sheets of 12" x 12" B&T paper on top of two sheets of 12" x 12" cardstock. This double-sheet thickness is needed for extra stability in the cone of the hat.

2. Using tape, attach the two sheets of layered 12" x 12" papers together to form a 24" length. Ensure that edges are precisely aligned.

3. Starting from one corner, roll the paper into a cone, adjusting to form your desired shape. Use a strong adhesive to hold it in place. Hats will measure differently according to how tight you roll your cone.

4. Cut the 11" circle to form the base of the hat.

5. Center the cone on the base and trace the bottom of cone onto circle shape. Trace another circle within the first, about a 1/2" smaller than the original.

6. Trim out innermost center circle, then use scissors to cut ½" slits approximately 1" apart around the entire outer circle to create tabs. Fold tabs upward.

7. Staple, or adhere with a strong adhesive, the tabs into the cone, starting from where you would like the front of your hat to be.

Edging

1. Cut out spiderweb cupcake liners and trim off the tabs.

2. Attach four of the 2 ½" spiderweb liners underneath the base of circle so that the edges of the webs extend beyond the rim of the hat.

3. Attach the 2" spiderweb liners along the top of the hat’s brim against the inner edges, near the cone.

Decoration

1. Select where you would like the front of your hat to be and adhere the 2" banner to it.

2. Adhere 1 ¼" banners overlapping the larger banner around the bottom of the cone.

3. Cut several ½" strips of B&T paper, pleat them, and attach them end to end on the bottom of the cone.

4. Cut out flowers, spiderweb, and vines from the Cricut^® Artiste cartridge.

5. Use an embossing tool to mold the leaves of the branch shapes. Ink the edges with Slate ink using the sponge dauber.

6. Ink the edges of the flowers in Thistle and Sunset using the sponge dauber. Using your quilling tool, roll the flowers, adhere them closed, and add Sparkles to the center of each as desired.

7. Attach the spiderweb to the side of the cone and layer the floral arrangement on top of it.

8. Back the “Spooky” metal shape from your Scaredy Cat Complements with Thistle cardstock and add it to the floral arrangement.

Top of Hat

1. Cut a 2" x 12" strip of Thistle cardstock. Cut a 1" notch every ¼".

2. Using your quilling tool, roll the strip until the solid edge is small enough to fit into the hole at the top of the cone. Adhere it so it cannot unroll. Make sure the roll is small enough to fit into the top of the cone. If needed, trim the tip of the hat to allow more space for the topper. 

3. Fit the curled hat topper into the hole at the top of the hat and secure with adhesive.

4. Using your quilling tool, roll the ¼" strips downward into tight curls.

5. Cut the ribbon into 3" pieces, loop them, and adhere them individually to the top of the hat, arranging them in layers.

6. Add stars from the Scaredy Cat Assortment.

Embellishment

Embellish your hat with the Scaredy Cat Assortment, sequins from the Mini-Medley Accents black collection, Slate diagonal striped ribbon, or other accents of your choice.

Variations

You can create a variety of decorative hats using the cone and base shapes shown above. Check out these clever variations:

Spiderweb-Topped Hat

Cricut^® Shapes:

Artiste

Circle: 7 ½" Card (p. 48)

Sunburst: 9" Accent 3 <5> (p. 35)

Yo-Yo: 1 ¼" Shift+Card (p. 55)

Decorative Circle: 2" and 3 ¼" Accent 4 <5> (p. 35)

Spike Flowers: 1 ¾" and 2" Shift+Accent 2 (p. 54)

Artbooking

Corner Spiderwebs: 3 ½" RDS Shift+Overlay (cut 2, p. 70)

To find a list of the other materials required, please refer to the Annual Inspirations recipes.

• This hat’s base is made from a sunburst shape from the Cricut® Artiste cartridge.

• The spiderweb topper is made from two webs cut from the Cricut^® Artbooking cartridge.  Adhere their edges together and trim hat as necessary.

• The spider image is from the Scaredy Cat Complements.

• The focal point of this hat is made from a stamped image from the Halloween Greetings stamp set.

• The pleated strip of B&T at the base of the cone was stitched before being adhered to the cone.

Batty Hat

Cricut^® Shapes:

Artiste

Yo-Yo: 1 ½" Shift+Card (p. 50)

Decorative Circle: 4" Accent 4 <5> (p. 35)

Circle: 9 ½" Card (p. 48)

Cupcake Liners: 2" Accent 4 (cut 4, p. 77)

Spike Flowers: 1 ¾" and 3" Shift+Accent 2 (p. 54)

Round Flowers: 3 ¼" and 3 ½" Accent 2 (p. 54)

To find a list of the other materials required, please refer to the Annual Inspirations recipes.

• The streamers dangling from this hat are made from a variety of Scaredy Cat B&T papers that have been folded accordion-style and attached at the top.

• This hat’s focal point is an image cut from a sheet of Scaredy Cat B&T. The bat images are Scaredy Cat Complements.

There you have it. I hope you enjoy your haunting home decor additions! 

We would love to see how your hats turn out! Feel free to share a photo in the comments or on the Close To My Heart Facebook page.

30 Stamps in 30 Days

Happy Labor day, everyone! It’s going to be a fabulous fall.  September is consistently one of the most beautiful months here in the Rocky Mountains, and it always gives me reason to celebrate.

This September actually gives me extra reasons to celebrate. Have you seen the #30yearsofhappy stamp set debuting this month? It’s packed with 30 stamps, and they’re all adorably MINI! This set was designed to celebrate both National Stamping Month and the 30 great years I’ve been in the stamping business. This has been quite a journey—truly 30 years of happy!—and I think this milestone calls for a celebration!

I’ve had this sweet C-size created for our special month. It comes on a 4" x 6" carrier sheet and includes 30 mini icons perfect for small projects of all kinds. It has a $13.95 USD value, but you can get your set absolutely FREE with a qualifying purchase all month—now’s the time to contact your Close To My Heart Consultant to make sure you get your happy on!

Each one of the images in the set holds plenty of possibilities, as we’ve discovered here at corporate. I’m going to share many that we’ve already uncovered—and I also want to know what all of you are creating during the month, too!

Here’s the plan: every day during September, stop by the Close To My Heart Facebook or Instagram page to get some inspiration. There will be a new project presented each and every day, making 30 projects in all. Each one will be marked with the hashtag #30yearsofhappy. Hashtags make it easy to organize your photos, tweets, or posts so they can all be viewed in one place.

With the hashtag #30yearsofhappy you can not only see what we’ve posted, but also share your own artwork! Once you’ve seen the post of the day, show off your own creations to the rest of us by labeling them with the same hashtag. Whenever you search #30yearsofhappy on Facebook or Instagram you’ll find everything with the same label there for you to view. It’s quick, easy, and oh-so happy!

The celebration won’t be complete until we’ve all shared in the excitement! Here’s to 30!