Close To My Heart Retiring Items

The following items are available through July 31, 2012 or while supplies last:

Z1163 Double Scrubber (Note: Being replaced with a new version.)
Z1006 Microfiber Cloth
Z1404 Quick Pic 12x12 Album - Dark Cranberry
Z1405 Quick Pic 12x12 Album - Outdoor Denim
Z1406 Quick Pic 12x12 Album - Dark Chocolate
Z4110 Snapease Album System
Z1323 Clear Cards - 4 1/4" x 5 ½" Asst.
Z1309 Clear Cards - 4 ½” Asst.
Z1383 Sweet Leaf Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
Z1384 Designer Ribbon - Pink Collection
Z1397 Canvas Badge Buttons
Z1367 Bitty Brads Basic Asst
Z1368 Bitty Brads Metal Asst
Z1104 Clear Sparkles (Note: Being replaced with all round sparkles)
Z1698 Mini-Medley Accents - Pacifica
Z1320 Mini-Medley Accents - Tulip
Z1338 Mini-Medley Accents - Sunset
Z1488 Mini-Medley Accents - Honey
Z1403 Photo Hangers
Z1402 Hinges
Z1690 Bitty Buds Asst
Z1691 Bottle Caps
Z1693 Seaside Wooden Shapes (SOLD OUT)
Z1688 Comic Badge Buttons
Z1635 Heirloom Asst
Z1337 Dimensional Elements Ornaments (Note: Updated to coordinate with Cricut Artiste)
Z1224 My Creations All Sorts Mini Album
Z1334 My Creations Mix & Mingle Mini Album
Z1321 My Creations A-Door-Ables
Z1152 My Creations Cube
4275 My Legacy Writers
Z338 Euro Personal Trimmer (Note: Being replaced with Fiskars SureCut Deluxe Craft Trimmer)
Z339 Euro Trimmer Replacement Blades
Z340 Euro Trimmer Replacement Blade/Scoring
1766 Dotto Dots Dispenser
1767 Dotto Dots Refill

Stamps:

A1095 Always Remember
A1099 Angel Sent
A1107 A Twinkle
A1108 A Flitter
A1109 A Sip
A1110 A Timber
A1113 A Game
A1115 A Holiday

B1356 St. Nick
B1359 Fright Night
B1361 Tannenbaum
B1362 Tag The Occasion
B1381 Holiday Cheer
B1393 Joyful Jar
B1394 John 3:16

C1379 Holiday Commentary
C1382 Holiday Commentary - Spanish
C1383 Holiday Commentary - French
C1401 Friendship Alphabet Small
C1408 Live Inspired
C1419 Harvest Home
C1420 Snow Days
C1423 Captured Moments
C1424 Nature's Gift
C1425 Month By Month
C1426 Thanksgiving
C1427 I Believe
C1429 Party Pennants
C1465 Unscripted
C1468 Winter Joy
C1470 Gnome Garden
C1471 Happy Clusters
C1472 Bundled Buddies

D1136 Giggle Caps
D1137 Giggle Lowercase
D1267 Rustic Numbers
D1306 Treasure Life
D1308 All Decked Out
D1373 Childhood Portrait
D1384 Snow Flurries
D1386 Save The Date
D1387 Made With Love
D1397 Save The Date - French
D1398 Save The Date - Spanish
D1401 Authentic
D1436 The Present
D1437 Party Animal
D1446 Adorn-able
D1449 Father Christmas
D1493 Fill In The Blank - Holiday
D1499 Live Your Style

E1002 Rustic Alphabet
E1006 Baroque Alphabet
E1011 Headline Alphabet Large
E1016 Friendship Alphabet Large

 

This list was posted on the CTMH Consultant's Bulletin Board by Debra Van Patten, a consultant from Indiana.  Thank you, Debra for taking the time to compile this list.

New Favorite Stamp Sets Card

Stacked Medallion Made From Accent 1 - Cricut Artiste Cartridge Pg. 56

New toys are always fun to play with!  After you have a chance to use them for awhile, you inevitably have a few favorites.  As soon as I saw these sets, I knew that they would quickly move into "favorite" status.  This card was made with new stamps and some old(er) paper.

CTMH Pirouette and Magnifique Stamps on Diecut Images 

I used 6 of the 7 of the new Jardin stamps to create the background on the Baby Pink cardstock which is under the layered medallion in the center.  This was placed on top of a square from the soon-to-be-retired Lucy B & T paper. Which in turn was placed on a piece of Pear cardstock.  All of these squares were edge distressed.  The card base is Colonial White card stock cut 5 1/2" by 11" and folded in half to make a square.

Image from the CTMH July Stamp of the Month Set: Live Out Loud

Supplies are from CTMH:
Cricut Artiste Collection Cartridge
Cardstock: Colonial White, Pear, Baby Pink - Retiring July 31, 2012
Patterned Paper: Lucy B & T - Retiring July 31, 2012
Stamps: Live Out Loud, Pirouette, Jardin, and La Belle Vie Workshop
Ink: Blush, Pear, Baby Pink - Retiring July 31, 2012
Embellishments: Pearl Opaque Adhesive Gems, Color Ready Seam Binding Ribbon spritzed with Create-A-Shade Pearl paint mixed with water

First Artwork From Artiste Cricut Cartridge

3D Object From Page 35 CTMH Artiste Collection

This adorable purse was created in mere minutes with the new Cricut Cartridge.  I used the instructions in the booklet and cut it at 3" out of CTMH's Lucy paper.  Folded it up, added some feet and some bling and voila!

So easy!  Some miniature Hershey's candies will fit in here just perfectly.  Or a small gift, like a beaded bracelet.

Supplies:
Cricut Artiste Collection
Lucy B & T
Rhinestone Designer Brads
Durables Studs (feet)
Pearl Opaques Adhesive Gems

Thank you for visiting!
Beverly

Downloadable Chart of CTMH's 60 Colors

Earlier today I posted the list of retiring CTMH colors.  I thought it might be helpful to have a chart with all of the currently available colors so that people could take an "inventory" of what they have and what they want to purchase before they are discontinued.

CTMH 60 Colors Chart

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Beverly

Retiring Colors From Close To My Heart

The new Idea Book and Catalog will be released on August 1, 2012.  There are some exciting changes in the new catalog.  One of the biggest ones is that all of the current markers are going to be discontinued because CTMH will be offering alcohol based markers.

In addition to the new markers, CTMH is streamlining their cardstock and ink offerings.  There will now be 40 colors, plus Colonial White and Daisy.  Some of these 40 colors are new.  Which means there is a longish list of colors that will no longer be offered.

If you are wanting to make sure you have reinkers, markers, stamp pads or cardstock in any of the following colors for upcoming projects, now is the time to order them.  They will be available through July 31, 2012 or while supplies last.

Here is the list of retiring CTMH colors:

Grey Wool
Grey Flannel
Vanilla Cream
Parchment
Brown Bag
Baby Pink
Taffy
Sunkiss Yellow
Key Lime
Heavenly Blue
Lilac Mist
Amethyst
Holiday Red
Sunflower
Sunny Yellow
Dutch Blue
Moonstruck
Vineyard Berry
Tulip
Garden Green
Spring Iris
Petal
Garnet
Pansy Purple

To place an order, please go to my website here.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I will be posting a list of retiring stamps next week.

Thank you for visiting!

Beverly

Christmas In July - Canvas Wall Art With Paper and Clay

Martha Stewart Craft Clay Frame Painted With Pearl Paint Mixed with Reinker

It is hard to find inexpensive, yet pretty home decor pieces.  So, I was pretty excited when I found these little stretched canvases at Jo-Ann's on sale for $.50 each!  That meant that whatever I made with them would still fall into the low-cost category. The various ribbon pieces, papers, bitty pearls and the small amount of clay cost less than $5 all together.  What a great gift this will make!

Three Small Stretched Canvases Transformed Into A Single Piece of Art

By placing the canvases on top of the chipboard and cardstock base this 3-d piece of art already has a lot of depth to it.  When adding a clay frame and popped up letters, it makes it even more interesting to look at.  There is a lot of detail with big impact on a pretty small piece.  The overall dimensions are based on the scrap piece of chipboard I used to mount the three canvases.  It is about 9" long and a little less than 5" high.  The ribbon lace across the canvases ties them together, yet still allows each one to stand as its own little creation.

Holly Leaves Cut With Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

Here is a video tutorial on how to make this triptych inspired Christmas art:

Thank you for visiting today!

Beverly

Supplies:
3 - 3.5" x 2.5" Stretched Canvases
Cricut Cartridge - Art Philosophy
Martha Stewart Frame Mold and Craft Clay
Paper: CTMH - Mistletoe (Retired)
Cardstock: CTMH - Cranberry, New England Ivy, Ponderosa Pine
Ink: CTMH New England Ivy, Versamark
Reinker: CTMH Parchment retiring July 31, 2012
Stamps: CTMH Baroque Alphabet retiring July 31, 2012, CTMH Diverse Backgrounds
Chipboard or Cardboard
Ribbon: Kaiser lace and (retired) CTMH
CTMH Bitty Opaques Pearl Adhesive Gems
CTMH Silver Embossing Powder
CTMH Create-A-Shade Perfect Pearl Paint
Markers: CTMH Black retiring July 31, 2012, Copic R27, R29
Adhesive: Golden Matte Medium, CTMH Liquid Glass, 3-D Foam Tape
Dry Embossing/Scoring Stylus
Craft Heater
Micro-Tip Scissors

Dyeing Martha Stewart Craft Clay With Reinkers or Pearl Pigment Powders

Pearl Ex and Perfect Pearls Mixed with Martha Stewart Clay

A couple of months ago I discovered Martha Stewarts Craft Clay. A few weeks ago I made oodles of shapes and colored them after they had dried. Then I realized that it would be easy and fun to color the clay before molding it.  Here is a quick video showing how to mix the clay with a couple of coloring agents and then mold it into a frame.

 This clay is easy to work with and can be molded or free-formed into wonderful shapes for scrapbooking and card making. It drys very lightweight. It is an air dried clay that does not need to be baked.

Martha Stewart Craft Clay Mixed with CTMH Ink from Reinkers

Thank you so much for visiting!
Beverly

Embroidering on Waffle Weave Dish Towels

My dd is moving into a new apartment today.  She will need some new things to make it feel like "home" so I quickly embroidered these store-bought microfiber towels.  In case you are new to machine embroidery, you might wonder what type of stabilizer should be used for this type of towel?

There are different combinations that will work just fine, but I have had pretty good success with a heavy cutaway on the bottom and an aquafilm on top.  The towels pictured above were washed and dryed and you can see that there are no pokies. :-)

Thank you for visiting today!

Beverly

Thinking of You - Art Philosophy Card

Four Layer Six Inch Square Card

Today's card is another one made from an intricate cut using the Cricut. It looks so impressive, but there is very little work involved!  The bottom Outdoor Denim shape is the one pictured  in the Font Layer box on page 66 of the Art Philosophy booklet, cut at 6 inches.  On top of that is the inside part of the Decorative Layer also on page 66.  It, too, is cut from Outdoor Denim cardstock.  The Daisy White shape on the top is the Oval 5 shape on page 62.  It was then stamped and edge inked with Outdoor Denim ink.

Stamped Sentiment in Outdoor Denim Ink

The pretty wired organza ribbon is from my stash.  I topped it with a Rhinestone Designer Brad.  The additional bling on the card comes from Clear Sparkles.  I love how they add another layer of interest to the card.

I hope you have a sparkle-y day!  Thank you for visiting!
Beverly

What Inks To Use With Copic Markers?

Supplies Used For Comparing Different Ink Pads

There is a reason I have so many different types of ink.  They really do serve different purposes in life and this was a good project for me to justify their existence in my craft room. :-)  It all came about because of a question posted on a Facebook group to which I belong.  The query had to do with whether or not SU! ink would work with Copics.

When I first started collecting Copics I read that they did not work with certain inks, SU! was one of them.  But I had never tried it for myself.  When I went through the training for Copic Certification we were given a booklet that has lots of helpful information and some information that was less than definitive!  A lot of the advice was try it and see.  So in that spirit, that is what I set out to do.

Eight Different Black Inks

This is not a scientific study.  It is for my own amusement. I do hope that it will possibly help someone else with knowing whether they want to try certain product combinations.  Even though I am a CTMH consultant and was once a SU! demo, I tried to keep an open mind about the results. And of course, your mileage may vary.

It is recommended that some inks be heat set.  For others, it is important to make sure they have dried on the paper prior to coloring.  Because there is always a difference in juicy-ness of ink pads and the amount of pressure people stamp with, I decided to stamp all of the images and then let them sit overnight. This may seem like an unnecessary step, but it was important to me to try to make sure all of the inks were 'treated' the same. I did not heat set any of them, because of this.  But, I knew they would all be dry and ready to color.

One Red Rubber and One Acrylic Stamp For Each Ink On Cryogen White Card Stock

One ink that is recommended frequently for use with Copics is Memento - Tuxedo Black.  It never fails me when I am coloring.  No feathering or bleeding.  Even with those pesky pinks that seem to have a will of their own sometimes.  I do not Love the stamped image though.  Yes, I am picky.  It gives an okay result.  This will probably continue to be my 'go-to' ink of choice for Copics, though.  But there were some surprising (to me) results with some of the other inks...

Tsukineko Black Inks

Pigment inks are not usually recommended for use with Copics. Though, there are some exceptions. I only included one pigment ink in the test and it is not mentioned on Copic's Good or Bad list.  It is called Versafine.  It is made by the same company that makes Memento inks. Incidentally, one of the exceptions to the 'no-pigments' suggestion is also a Tsukineko product, Brilliance Ink. (More was posted here about Brilliance yesterday.)  There is a lot of information available on the internet about the different types of inks, so I will not address that topic today.  But I will say that water-based, washable inks are to be avoided when using Copic markers.  And just because something says it is archival, that does not automatically mean it is a good ink for use with Copics.

There was NO competition for Versafine's stamped image.  It made a crisp, clear, image.  It is perfect. This is a pigment ink that I normally use for watercoloring and for CAS cards.  I love how the detail shows in the image.  However, even though the ink sat overnight, the pink did bleed a little at first.  After the colored images sat for a bit, both the yellow and pink were bleeders.  Use this lovely ink for other types of projects.

Two Black CTMH Inks

Next up is another ink on the to-avoid list, Close To My Heart. The list did not specify which CTMH ink to not use and I believe that is because the Archival ink has only been out for a couple years, so the list may not have been updated to amend that information.

Both inks stamped very well on the Cryogen cardstock.  CTMH markets their ink for use with acrylic stamps, since that is what they manufacture.  Red rubber typically has thicker "walls" in their images so that results in a little more surface area for the ink.  That is why I included both types of stamps here. Even though this isn't scientific, I would like to give each of the inks a fair chance.

Back to the results:  The regular black dye bled a little with the yellow markers and did not bleed with the pinks.  The opposite was true of the archival.  This was becoming exasperating because I wanted a definitive good or bad result!  If I were in a bind, I would use the CTMH Archival ink for coloring with darker colors.  But it would not be my first choice.

Two Black Ranger Inks

Now, this was the one that I was most surprised by... The Ranger Archival ink was really messy when I colored both images.  It stamped nicely, but you can see in the photo above, it did not react well to the Copics.
The Tim Holtz Distress ink stamps thick.  It is an acceptable stamping ink, but not impressive for thinner images.  However, it plays very nicely with Copic markers.  So I would give the TH inks a definite "yes" for use with Copics.

Stampin' Up! Black Ink

The last two inks I tried  had disappointing results. The SU! ink has a purplish hue to it, as you can see above. I had reinked the pad, so it wasn't drying out.  But, more importantly, the Copics smeared and ran. After the image had dried overnight, I was surprised by how much the ink interacted with the Copics.

Which brings me to the other big surprise to me.  The last ink (which is half pictured on the photo above) is the Stewart Memories dye ink.  It is listed as a Good ink on Copic's list.  Neither image stamped very cleanly and worse, the ink was very smeary when I colored them.  

So after all this lengthy explanation, here is a little chart that I made with my recommendations.  I included Copic's recommendations as well.  Though the Brilliance ink was not reviewed on this post, I did include it because it was reviewed yesterday.

Click on the chart to see it larger.

Ink Recommendations For Use With Copic Markers

I hope that you find this information helpful.  It was a good exercise for me to try these inks with my markers.  It gave me some good data that I can refer back to as I continue to figure out which papers, inks, stamps, and Copics combinations I like the best.  There is no right or wrong, just personal preference.

Thank you for stopping by today!
Beverly