Winter Penguin Cards

The weather has started to turn cold, so I decided to pull out my Winter Penguins stamp set (Z3917) & try my hand at a penny slider card & a wobble card! I've been wanting to use this set since last winter and have also wanted to make a slider a card for just as long!

After embossing a piece of glacier cardstock with the Confetti embossing folder (Z3118), I random stamped some delicate snowflakes in glacier ink.  I used 2 metal dies from the Fancy Borders Thin Cuts set (Z3682) to mimic hills of snow.  All of those pieces were splattered with my clear Shimmer Brush (Z3293) to add a subtle shimmer.  The tops of the snowy hills were edged with Diamond Stickles (Z3563). I also added a dot of Diamond Stickles to the centers of the snowflakes!  

I made a channel for the penny to slide in using foam tape & added the skating penguin to the penny with a small round pop-dot. This made my penguin tumble & spin down the card, instead of slide.  Since I was using the "Sliding By to Say Thanks!" sentiment, I really wanted the penguin to slide.  So I took of the round pop dot & replaced it with a small piece of 1/4" foam tape. This insured that my penguin would stay steady in the channel & slid from side to side.  I used the Dark Red Tri-Blend marker (Z2497) on his scarf & on the sentiment.  Such a fun card! 

The second card is a 4.25 square card.  That size can still fit in an A2 envelope and won't cost more in postage, as most square cards will.  I used a snowflake embossing folder to emboss a 4 x 4 square of white daisy cardstock.  Then using the medium square from the Stitched Square Frames Thin Cuts (Z4259), I cut a square frame & layered it over a 3 x 3 piece of black & white checkered paper. I used a swirly die to cut a white swirl and added my sentiment on a 1/2" piece of dovetailed glacier cardstock.  After paper piecing a glacier scarf (cut from another penguin in the stamp set), I colored his hat and added more Diamond Stickles to the pom-pom.  Three snowflake sequins (Z4319) were added to the base, along with a wobble element to make this little penguin pop up & wobble!

Here are the cards in action:

 

Some of the items I used are retired, but here are links to the Close to My Heart products that can still be ordered:

Winter Penguins Stamp Set 

Fancy Borders Thin Cuts 

Clear Shimmer Brush

Diamond Stickles

Foam Tape

Dark Red Tri-Blend Marker

Stitched Square Frames Thin Cuts

Snowflake Loose Sequins

Card bases & Envelopes

 

 

 

Adorable January/February Catalog

 

The January/February catalog is one of my favorites!!  The colors are fresh and the patterns are adorable!  I have a few favorites that I will tell you about soon (such as the Happiness Lives Here collection pictured below) but before I sway you, check it out for yourself by clicking HERE and see what catches your eye!

 

The November - December catalog has some cute ideas!  I think one of my favorite items in it is the Serenity Cardmaking Workshop. Pictured below are the four cards that the kit can make.  You'll have enough supplies to make 4 each of the 4 cards.  I'm always searching for anniversary card ideas, and this kit has great sentiment stamps for those occasions!  Once you've used the paper in the kit, use the included patterns & instructions with some paper you already have on hand, and make 16 more cards with the same stamp set and they will look totally different!  That's what I love about our kits!  Give it a try!

 

Click HERE to order the workshop!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dollhouse That Mom Built

In the 70’s, my Mom bought a huge Dura-Craft Victorian VH600 dollhouse kit. When she got it home & opened Up the box she was surprised by all of the thousands of pieces of wood! Nothing was pre-assembled. Every wall, staircase, window & door needed to be put together. The instruction manual detailed the process step-by-step. She set-up a work space & started at it. For years she plugged away on that project, until it was finally completed! It had lights & wallpaper & everything!

 It moved with us from California to Oregon. When we relocated to Seattle, it stayed with my Mom’s best friend. I remember thinking it was so cute displayed behind the couch in her living room! When she moved, it was returned to my Mom and was placed in her family room. Fast forward about 25 years.....when my Mom gave it to my daughter last October. 

The house didn’t look too bad on the outside. A few missing roof shingles and several missing spindles & railings. It was a bit dirty too. So we took it outside & started cleaning it. We removed the front bay windows in preparation for a new paint color!

 
Inside of the house was another story!

 The wallpaper had seriously aged over the years! You could also see the copper wiring through the wallpaper, which had corroded in some spots.  We removed all the wallpaper. Even though several lights on the house still worked, we did some research & realized that we could no longer get lights or replacement bulbs for the  “vintage” electrical system. That was the hardest thing for me to remove because, as a child, I remember my Mom working on the lighting & I was fascinated by it. I was always so excited when a new light was working! All that hand soldered copper wiring that she worked so hard on was sadly removed.

The wood slat floor in the living room was buckled & curling in several spots. At first I thought I could just repair the floor, but in the end we scraped out all the slats & dried out glue and decided to put in a new wood floor. 

My next post will continue the saga. Priming & painting :)

Where Have I Been???

I can't believe it's been almost 5 years since my last post!! I would never have guessed all the changes that have taken place over the years!  I'll just summarize by saying we moved to Oregon and I've added a new hobby to my life ... miniatures!  I still love paper crafting & seem to always have some paper project in the works. I also still love Close to My Heart stamps & supplies. But I have fallen hard for all things miniature over the past year! I wanted to document the project I'm working on, so I thought I'd use my blog to do so.  My daughter inherited a huge dollhouse from my Mom and we've been working on restoring it.  I'll be posting about it going forward.  And I'm sure I'll throw in a few paper projects along the way! ;)

December specials!

Attention all planner addicts! During December, you can get your hands on the new, gorgeous Everyday Life™ album from Close To My Heart, the accompanying Everyday Life 2016 planner pages, and the coordinating Everyday Life Perfect Plan roller stamp in an exclusive product bundle for only $29.95. That’s over 15% off the retail price! With the new Everyday Life line, you’ll experience “memory keeping on the go” as you track your water intake, stamp reminders, keep appointments, and tuck away precious memories—plus much more—all at once! This offer is only available while supplies last, so plan to place your order early in the month and start 2016 off right

If you love mason jars as much as me, you'll love the December Stamp of the Month!  It's super cute and only available for a few more weeks!  It's only $5 with an order of $50 or more.  You can also order it alone for $17.95, but only during the month of December!

 

July has a great special for all you Close to My Heart fans!!  All the Hostess Rewards stamp sets that you see in the front of the catalogs are available to purchase until the end of July!  Normally these stamp sets are only for rewards to those who host a gathering or workshop.  But this month, if you place an order for $25 or more, you qualify to purchase one of these adorable sets for only $5!!  There are some really cute ones that I'm sure you'll want to scoop up! Just let me know if you would like to place an order, or order directly from my website HERE at anytime!

The pictures in this post are just some of the Hostess stamps sets or of cute cards made with them. Hostess sets in the smaller Seasonal Expressions catalogs also qualify.

 

During the month of June, when you purchase any My Crush^® book and its accompanying assortment pictured in Annual Inspirations 2014–2015 catalog, you will receive the coordinating stamp set FREE! That is a savings of at least $9.95! Choose from five lovely My Crush book offerings that will provide a swoon-worthy background for your favorite memories. From family reunions to camping adventures to holiday countdowns—and much more—you will be crushing on all these books and the possibilities they provide. Every My Crush book features a hard cover with wire binding and cardstock-weight pages that are printed with eye-catching designs to form the perfect bases for your memory keeping. Additionally, each My Crush book also features unique details—from glossy print, to vellum pages, to gold foil, to ink-resistant patterns—that make displaying your personality easier than ever. Plus, once you add the artistry of the coordinating assortments featuring sticker sheets, envelopes, alphabets, cards, and journaling spots, along with your free stamp set, you will be well on your way to your own gorgeous mini book creation! This offer is only available while supplies last and once they’re gone, these books are gone for good, so put your orders in early to get your summer romance rolling today!

Big Blog Sale!

Just Because card kit $8

 I've been an Independent Consultant for Close to My Heart for 6 years now!  I've accumulated quite a surplus of stamping & scrapbooking supplies! I moved my craft room, which forced me to go through everything! I have many "never been used" items as well as plenty of "gently loved" items that I'd like to sell.  If you see something you are interested in, let me know by sending me an email! Follow the link then scroll to the bottom of the page & click to send me a message. Please include your zip code so I can calculate actual shipping charges. I will be using PayPal for payment & will ship only within the U.S.

Sizzix Flower Embosslit $3

Cuttlebug Embossing & Die Set $4

Cuttlebug Embossing Folder $4

Cuttlebug Embossing border folders set $4

Cuttlebug Embossing Folder $4

Plantin SchoolBook Cricut Cartridge $18

Vanilla Cream ink pad $4

My Acrylix Organizer stamp case. Holds 15 stamp sets. 1 used $8 and 1 new in shrink wrap $10

Used stamps: A1093 Genuine Fun $3 A1102 A Posy $3 B1205 Little Builder B1205 $

4 B1277 Hello Friend $4

Used: B1340 Best Friends $4 C1264 Lovely Daisy $4 D1098 Get-A-Way $5 D1115 Princess $6

Used: D1217 Free Spirit $6  D1359 Comments $6 D1372 Grown w/Love $6  D1373 Childhood Portrait $6

Gently used Double Stamp Sets. Top: CC1020 It's Your Day $8, Bottom:  CC1014

Gently loved: D1427 Tasty Treats $6

Very hard to find set. Only 1 stamp gently used. Build-a-Robot C1038 $18

New stamps: A1093 Genuine Fun $4, A1117 A Typeface $4, B1182 Let it Snow $5, B1315 Code It $5

New stamps: C1221 Choo Choo Train $6, C1366 Fringed Phrases $6, C1422 Unity $6, C1438 Tea Time $6

New stamps: C1560 Wintry Wishes $8, C1568 The Party is On $8, D1261 Simple Beauty $8, D1406 True Friends $8

New: D1422 Wonderful Friend $8, D1454 Sensational Season $8. Bottom 2 are from the Art Philosphy Cricut Cartridge bundle D1497 & D1498. I'm selling as a set for $14.

New D1558 Washi Wonder $10

New: S1209 Fall Favorites $6, S1302 Home Sweet Home $6, S1308 A Chocolate Affair $6, S1305 Pinwheel $6

I will be adding accessories, paper packets, page kits, and other items over the next few days!

It's August already and I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by!!  I'm really excited for today because there are so many great things happening in the world of Close to My Heart!

First of all, the gorgeous new catalog is live as of this morning!  There are so many great new products in it that I keep finding new things every time I look through it!  Please let me know if you want to get your one in your hands.

In second place is the great campaign that is pictured above called Picture Perfection!  Close to My Heart has some great new Picture My Life collections and if you order some this month you get a great deal on the page protectors that the cards fit into.  I really love the new Chalk It Up line - that's because I have a thing for chalkboards ;)  I am really fascinated by this new way of scrapbooking and I hope it will help me to get caught up on the years of pictures that need to get into albums.  I think I will always do traditional layouts, but sometimes they seem overwhelming. This way of placing pictures and cards into pockets seems so do-able in my crazy busy life!

I am thirdly excited about the upcoming year with Close to My Heart. Since our catalog is now published once a year, there will be special campaigns and seasonal product brochures throughout the year.  It will be interesting to see what is to come!

July Stamp of the Month!

For some ideas on how to use the July Stamp of the Month, watch the video above!  After you fall in love with it, grab your catalog and make a list of the items you can't live without!  Check out the list of retiring items - they are only available until July 31st  or while supplies last!

Also, several beloved colors will be retiring at the end of the month as well: Buttercup (one of my favorites), Twilight, Sky, Creme Brulee, and Blush.  Ink pads, re-inkers, and cardstock will only be available while supplies last and history has taught me that they will be gone very soon!!

An order of $50 or more gets you the Stamp of the Month for only $5!! An alphabet stamp set for only $5!!

Another note:  several items will see a price increase with the new Idea Book & Catalog, which goes into effect on August 1st.  This includes ink pads, the plastic organizer bins w/handles, and several other items.  I will post a list or a link to a list as soon as possible!

What's New with Perky Paper?

Back in February I signed a tiny little lease for a potting table inside GinGilli's Vintage Home in Geyserville, CA.  I've always been wondering if I could make a little business selling my handmade cards and this seemed like a great opportunity to try it!  The past few months that's what I've been working on - neglecting my blog and occasionally my household responsibilities! ;)  My creative mind quickly bypassed the card idea and went to all sorts of things: painting little items with chalk paint, finding & reselling small collectibles, sewing items to sell, etc.  My cards seem to be a consistently selling item, so I really need to focus back on that.  "Do one thing and do it well" comes to mind.

My other very consistent seller are my photo booth props.  Mustaches, glasses, top hats, and ties made of paper and mounted on sticks.  Simple but so fun! Saturday I was at the shop and a lady was there showing the shop keeper her phone. "There's Perky Paper right now!" the shop keeper said.  The lady then told me how she had purchased a top hat & tie from my space and used them in a photo shoot.  She said it was really fun and the pictures turned out great!  I was so glad to know that my little props were used to capture someone's fun personality!

National Stamping Month Special

Get an exclusive You Are My Happy stamp set trio in celebration of National Stamping Month! During the month of September, when you make a purchase of $50 or more, you qualify for this whimsical stamp set trio for only $10. You'll love the whimsical alphabet, light-hearted sentiments, and fanciful images for a variety of occasions to give a cheerful touch to your projects!

Watch this video to see the stamp set and visit my website to place your qualifying order to snatch this darling stamp set trio today!

Just Buzzing By...

Yes, I have totally neglected my blog for a while!! Sorry for the huge void in posts!  I started selling my cards & paper crafts at Gin Gilli's Vintage Home Collective in Geyserville.  It has been keeping me super busy! I will post some pics of my little space soon, but for now I thought I'd highlight one of my favorite paper lines from the new catalog! The Buzz & Bumble paper goes really well with all the bumble bee themed cards & projects I've been working on!  Hexagon's & bees are super hot right now in the papercrafting world! So check out the Workshop on the Go layout above.  I love the stamp set that is in the Workshop so much that I might have to get the whole thing just for the lovely little bee stamp! 

The hexagon stamp set featured in the layout above is also really cool!  It would be great for cards as well! Hope this quick post keeps your creativity buzzing..... :)

Adorable Special Treat Set!!

I love all things pink & adorable, and this little set is both!!  This little "Whooo" set comes with an adorable stamp set that is worth the $10 alone!!  It also comes with 12 treat tubes that you can fill with any sort of small items (candy...yes! an assortment of small scrapbook embellishments...yes! seeds for a garden party?...sure!! what about small office supplies?...why not!).  The kit comes a couple sheets of pink and white cardstock, but you could substitute any cardstock and make this kit work for almost any occasion!  I was thinking it would be really for teacher appreciation day or even a cute last day of school gift for your child to give to others in their class. Additional treat tubes can be ordered from the upcoming Spring/Summer catalog after February 1st.

Here's a brief summary of the details:

This kit (with a retail value of $40) can be yours for only $10 when you spend $35 or more in Close to My Heart product from the Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book.  It contains 12 die-cut boxes, 12 treat tubes, 3 sheets of cardstock, 1 sheet of silver glitter paper, and an exclusive stamp set!!

In November, you’ll get something extra when you buy the stamp of the month—50% off another stamp set! When you place an order of $50 or more in full retail products and buy the November Stamp of the Month set, Capture the Date, for just $5, you can pick any stamp set at 50% off! Get Capture the Date and then capture the savings today!

To show their support of Red Cross relief efforts for those areas of the US severely affected by Hurricane Sandy,  Close To My Heart will donate $1 for every Stamp of the Month set sold as a part of this promotion during November.

Hurry! This offer ends on November 30th!!  Please contact me or order online HERE.