Cleaning House - Free to be Me (May Promo)

I LOVE this paper pack!!! I can not describe how beautiful the papers are, especially the gold dot vellum piece. I had to steal an extra sheet from another package because I love it so much. I bought this pack originally in May because it was a steal at $5 and then I won a pack off of a colleagues' blog so I have had lots of opportunity to create some inspiring projects! Here is a quick look at what I created. All of the ideas were taken off of pinterest, so a big thank you to all the various bloggers whose ideas I have borrowed. 

These mother's day cards feature the Free to Be Paper Pack and the Mother's Day Stamp set. I used Lagoon and Cranberry Inks as well as the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge

These cards feature the Free to Be Papers, the May Stamp of the Month 'You've Got a Friend, and black and lagoon inks.

Layout I made featuring all the papers. I still have to add my pictures to fully love it. 

Hope you had a chance to get this wonderful paper pack and made some excellent projects with it! Remember only 2 more days until our new idea book is available online!!

Thanks for stopping by!! - Kiera

Cleaning House - Ariana Scraps

I made a few cards up with some of the scraps I had from my Ariana Paper Pack. Hoping to make a layout too but I just have the cards for now.

Here are the cards closer up and with variations. 

 Lastly this card I made awhile ago but never got the chance to post it, it comes from the Idea Book. I used the Ivy Lane paper, gypsy, pear, hollyhock and lagoon ink. Gypsy, white daisy and pear cardstock and the Mar. SOTM and Doodle Signs Hostess Stamp.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!! Please leave me a comment below!

Cleaning House - Timberline

We go camping every year in Algonquin Park so I was very excited to see the Timberline Paper Line!! I bought the Workshop on the Go kit that comes with a great stamp set. Here is what I came up with for the my camp layouts. Plus I got four (2 of the moon ones) cards out of the scraps! I put some pictures in the first layout but still need to add to the others.  Let me know what you think!

I used materials from the Timberline Workshop on the Go kit as well as the complement pictures. The stamps on the cards are from the March Stamp of the Month set. Thanks for stopping by!!
- Kiera

Cleaning House - Skylark

I Finally had a chance to sit and catch up on some scrapbooking! I wanted to use up my paper packs from the old Idea Book to make way for the new ones that I ordered. Today's focus was using up my Skylark paper pack. I talked about this line in my last post - like I said 'I am really going to miss it!' Its just so beautiful. When I signed up as a consultant I received the Skylark Workshop on the go kit, among numerous other things!! (Let me know if you want one for yourself). At first I thought the WOTG kits were a bit expensive but now that I used this one almost entirely I can see the value you get out of it. I created 3 great layouts and 3 cards plus all the WOTG's come with a full size stamp set you can use over and over again!

I still have to add photos to the pages, but tonight I just wanted to focus on making the layouts. Sometimes I get a brain block when I am trying to create a layout for specific pictures. I loved the freedom of just creating. Lets take a look at what I came up with...

I scraplifted this idea off of pinterest, there are numerous versions of it on there. To see some other variations follow the link to my pinterest page on the top, left hand side of my blog.

The page on the left I copied out of our Idea Book and then made the right page to go along with it. Pages like this are excellent for using up scraps. I tend to piece pages of scraps together onto a white sheet of 12 x 12 paper so I get the most out of a kit. 

The page on the left was posted as part of an earlier post but I thought I would include the second page that goes along with it. These pages are not a great match but I was trying to use up my paper pack and I think they still look quite nice together.

I hope you were able to gain some inspiration! Happy scrapping!     - Kiera

Out With The Old - Brae-er Team Blog Hop July 2014

Welcome to our July Blog Hop that focuses on the products we LOVE from our current Idea Book. As you probably know this is the last month with our idea book before a new one comes out in August. We are very excited for our new book but are sad to say goodbye to the fantastic products that are retiring! 

As you hop along with us you will see creations from our team that showcase their favorite products from the Close To My Heart Spring/Summer Idea book. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, kindly contact your local consultant to place an order. But do it quick - some of these items are retiring in just a few days!!

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we really love feedback from our blog viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop! 

If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow our team's blogs, then please start at the beginning and join Brae Montgomery at The Brae-er. If you came from Michelle of My Creations with Michelle then you are in the right place!

My creation features the Skylark paper line!! I just love this line! It may be because when I signed up as a consultant I was sent the entire line to play with so I have had lots of exposure to it! Not to long ago I posted a card on my blog that was created as a gathering project and I wanted to share the other part of the project with you. Someone posted the idea on one of the convention boards of making a card and then using the card as inspiration for a scrapbook layout. I loved the idea so I tried it out at one of my gatherings. Here is the card and the layout!

Supplies:
Skylark WOTG
Skylark Assortment
The flowers were cut with the Artbooking cartridge.
Teal Shimmer Trim

Lagoon Ink
Believe in Yourself Stamp set

Your next stop on the Team Braer Hop is Carol-Anne Grenier who has a fantastic project for you!

If you get lost along the way, you can head to  Brae's blog, as she has the complete blog list.

Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way.
- Kiera

Cross Canada Blog Hop July 2014

Welcome to the Cross Canada July Blog Hop!!! This month's theme is mini summer albums.  To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local Close to My Heart consultant to place an order. 

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop! 

If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Deanne at My Little Piece of the Puzzle. If you came from Carol's Blog then you are in the right place! 

This is my very first time participating in the Cross Canada Blog hop and I am very excited to share my project with you! I used some of our Picture My Life cards as the basis of my project and added some stamping. I made this album with my niece so I wanted to keep it simple, the PML cards did most of the work for her which was nice. Here it is...

Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Christine of Chris' Creative Life. If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle's Blog as she has the complete blog list. 

Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring alternative uses for Picture My Life cards.  So mark August 15th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Paris Street Festival Recap

On Saturday Inspired Craft Designs was a guest at the Paris Street Festival! This was our first vendor event and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! The sun was shining and the weather was warm -  a perfect day for a street festival. We arrived in the morning and set up went off without a kink! The organizers were prepared for our arrival and we received an excellent spot outside the chocolate shop! To the right is a picture of our fantastic giveaway!! The prize included a tea cup candle, a mini card making kit and a package of 4 thank you cards. Make sure to check us out at the next event for another chance to win a fantastic prize pack! Below I included some pictures of of our set up.

Thanks for stopping by! - Kiera

It's Wedding Season!

It's the summer time and that means it wedding season. I wanted to share some of the cards I made for weddings and anniversaries.

I am in love with this card - the picture does not do it justice! I bought some very reasonably priced supplies at the local Lens Mill Store to make these cards and I am very happy with the way they turned out. Let me know what you think!! - Kiera

Inspire Paper Crafts - a division of Inspired Craft Designs!

What a fantastic week!! My summer vacation is officially in full swing and I am loving it - so much has happened in the last couple of days that I was a little absent from my blog but I am here to catch you up now! As you know, or in case you did not know, Inspire Paper Crafts is a division of a fantastic company that I started with my very good friend Lindsay. Together we designed our company around a love for crafting and teaching.  You can check out our company through our facebook page as well as our blog.

I am excited to announce that Inspired Craft Designs' products are now featured in Liberty Home Decor and Gift Boutique in downtown Simcoe, Ontario. We were busy this week preparing our inventory so it would arrive in time!

Preparing my very first grouping of cards to go out to a store

This week we have also been busy preparing for our very first vendor show!! We are going to be set up at the Paris Street Festival in Paris, Ontario on Saturday from 10-3. Make sure to stop by if you are in the area and say hi! We will also be having a great giveaway contest for anyone who signs up for our mailing list! I wanted to share some sneak peaks of the wonderful things we will have available. First is the a selection of mini 3x3 cards and the picture underneath is a sampling of the tea cup candles Lindsay designed. Be sure to come check us out!

And now you are all caught up on my news!! Thanks for stopping by!!

- Kiera

July with Close to My Heart

Have you heard of our stamp of the month program?? All the projects in the picture below feature this month’s stamp – Circus Alphabet. This is the stamp of the month I was most excited about from this season's Idea Book. Alphabet stamps are great for scrapbookers! I get so annoyed with those alphabet sticker sheets because I always run out of t's and e's and than have an almost full sticker sheet that never gets used. I stopped using those sheets and now stamp or use my cricut for all of my page titles! I am never going back! If you share this annoyance than this month's SOTM is the one for you!!

What is the Stamp of the Month Program?
Each month when you spend $50 on fantastic products you can purchase our exclusive stamp set for only $5!!! (You may also purchase the set individually at the full retail value 17.95) onmy Close to My Heart website there is a list of items used to make the projects featured in the picture, they will add up to about $50 so you can qualify for the Stamp of the Month Promo --- Don’t like the projects featured in the picture? No problem! You can spend $50 on any of our fantastic products and still qualify - it's sort of like a custom kit created for and by you! Check back each month for a new stamp set and new ideas, and remember each stamp set is ONLY available for 1 month! Get yours before time runs out!

Materials Needed for Pictured Projects

1. My Acrylix™ Circus Alphabet
2. X7178BIvy Lane Paper Packet
3. Z3002Ariana Assortment
4. Z1930Chocolate Woodgrain Washi Tape
5. Z1956My Creations™ Hip Pics Album
6. X5762Lagoon Cardstock
7. Z2412Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Marker Set
8. Z2425Olive Exclusive Inks™ Marker Set

Required Tools

1. 1385White Daisy Cardstock
2. X5932Cashmere Cardstock
3. Z2503Basics Exclusive Inks™ Mini Pigment Pads Set
4. Z2295Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Re-inker
5. Z1956My Creations™ Hip Pics Album
6. Z1853Aqua Dots

Also don't forget this is the last month with our featured Idea Book! All the paper lines and Workshop on the Go kits will be retiring at the end of the month and will only be available while supplies last. If there is something you love grab it now!! Check out all the retiring products here.

Gathering Project

Happy Canada Day Everyone!!!
Today's project is for a home gathering, I am posting it online with the instructions so anyone who missed this gathering has a chance to create the project at home! Interested in making fun projects with friends, consider booking your own home gathering - contact me today! If you would like to purchase any of the product used please visit my online store.

Stamping
Outside: Stamp Believe in Yourself on Kraft cardstock (3” x 2 ¼”) with Lagoon ink.
Inside: Stamp chosen sentiment on inside of card base with Lagoon ink using Banner Wishes Stamp Set.

Background

a) Trim Sweet Leaf and Lagoon cardstock (1” x 4 ¼”) strips using craft scissors.
b) Assemble and mount background pieces from bottom to top onto the card base. (Brown 1 ¾” x 4 ¼”, Green 2” x 4 ¼”)
c) Adhere Teal Shimmer Trim.
d) Mount Skylark paper strip (1 ½” x 4 ¾”) and Kraft cardstock sentiment onto Lagoon cardstock. (1 ¾” x 5”, 3 ¼” x 2 ½”)
e) Add embellishments. I cut the flowers using the Artbooking cricut cartridge.

Product Wish List

Skylark Paper Pack	X7177B	9.95
Teal Shimmer Trim	Z1918	4.95
Skylark Assortment	Z3000	5.95
Believe in Yourself Stamp Set	C1574	13.95
Lagoon Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Z2195	5.25
Banner Wishes Stamp Set	B1438	9.95
Black & Grey Epoxy Bubbles	Z1935	3.95
3x3 My Acrylic Block	Y1006	8.50
My Acrylix™ Spritz Cleaner	1778	4.25
My Acrylix™ Stamp Scrubber	Z1782	12.95
Card Bases & Envelopes (50)	X254	14.95