School bells across America are ringing, marking the end of another school year and the beginning of one of the most eagerly anticipated times in a child’s life…summer break! You’ve likely been putting those smart phones to good use and taking lots of pictures of your kiddos, watching in awe as they grew and developed this past academic year.
From first day of kindergarten photos to senior portraits, all of these pictures and memories need a place to live and thrive, as you revisit them from time-to-time, whether to reminisce on “how little they were” or to show off their accomplishments to other family members and friends (it’s okay, momma! You deserve a good pat on the back for these achievements, too! ).
Or, perhaps, depending on where you live in the world, your school year hasn’t quite wrapped up yet and you’re looking for just the right card to express your gratitude to those amazing people who continue to teach and watch over your children for hours every day, as if they were their own.
Whatever your crafting needs are, we’re making it easy to look like a “Smarty Pants” (in the best way…) when it comes to preserving stories and sharing moments.
And just last week we launched TWObrand-new workshops using this collection! The Smarty Pants scrapbooking workshop is designed to make three two-page 12″ x 12″ layouts and one single-page 12″ x 12″ layout, while the Smarty Pants cardmaking workshop makes 16 standard size cards (four each of four designs).
The kits that we’ve assembled for these workshops are made up of products from the Smarty Pants line as well as a few additional items, including exclusive embellishments. (Smarty Pants scrapbooking workshop kit/Smarty Pants cardmaking workshop kit.) Additionally, these workshop kits are available at 20% off their retail value if you purchase the options with the stamp and Thin Cuts! (Because some of you may already own the stamp sets or dies used in these workshops, we also have kits available that don’t include these items. )
Just like all of our other cardmaking workshops, the Smarty Pants workshop also features an artwork technique to help you flex those creative muscles! In this cardmaking workshop we sponge ink on backgrounds to help create focal points with color and also “ground” pieces that are layered on top (so they won’t look like they’re just “floating” there).
You might also notice that we used a journaling pen to create different borders and edges along some of the pieces of each of the cards, adding to the school days theme.
There are so many great techniques used throughout the artwork in both the Smarty Pants scrapbooking and cardmaking workshops! Take a look and let us know what you think! If you have any questions or want to know more, leave us a comment below!
Whether you’re counting down the last days of the school year (or counting down the days until the next one starts), let those teachers know just how much you appreciate them and take some time to document those school days stories to make the memories last!
At Close To My Heart, our bread and butter are our top-of-the-line stamp sets! There’s nothing quite like lifting a stamp block off of your project and seeing a flawless stamped image underneath. It’s definitely one of our favorite things, and we love sharing our incredible stamps with crafters everywhere! Our clear, unmounted stamps provide the highest level of crafting versatility, all while being reusable for years of creative fun!
All of our stamps are made of liquid photo polymer resin, a clear material that is sturdy, yet flexible, allowing for easy removal from stamp carrier sheets and placement on our acrylic stamping blocks. While some care is required, our stamps are durable enough to withstand repeated use over several years, so you can keep your favorites around for countless projects.
Because both the stamp and block are clear, it’s possible to see exactly where the stamped image will be on the project. Having this insider’s perspective on what your stamping will look like gives you greater control and confidence as you create! Whether you’re layering stamped images—as you can see in the card featured below—or incorporating fun color techniques, the ability to see what you’re doing takes the guesswork out of crafting and leaves you with the pure joy of creativity!
Along with simplifying your crafting, the fact that our stamps are clear and unmounted also cuts down on required storage space. Each stamp set comes on a plastic carrier sheet in a specialized envelope. Even after years of use, your stamps can still be stored on the same carrier sheets and in the same envelopes they arrived in!
Our incredible stamp sets come in six different sizes—A, B, C, D, E, and M (for mini)—and feature all kinds of sentiments, icons, and images. We have everything from classic florals and adorable animals to patriotic and summertime sets, so there is something for every crafter and every project!
Many of our stamps also come with coordinating Thin Cuts metal dies. Because these dies are designed in conjunction with specific stamp sets, they perfectly cut the outlines of stamped images for a polished end result without the need for delicate hand trimming. Thin Cuts metal dies are slim enough to fit in the same envelopes, so storage space for these dies is also minimized. Incorporating Thin Cuts dies into your artwork allows you to create accents with added dimension, like the sweet lemonade jar on the scrapbook layout below!
With so much to love about Close To My Heart stamps, it’s no wonder that crafters everywhere love to create with them. Right now, we’ve got an absolutely amazing sale on our stamps and Thin Cuts dies. Our Stamptacular sale offers deals on over 175 stamp + Thin Cuts bundles and nearly 300 standalone stamp sets!
Along with the savings available on this vast array of stamps and Thin Cuts, we’ve also created five exclusive stamp sets that were designed just for this Stamptacular sale! With fourpatrioticthemedsets and a floral set, these exclusive stamps are the perfect companion for the deals available through Stamptacular!
We’re thrilled to be able to share so many of our stamps with you, and we want to hear about your favorite experiences with this crafting staple! Do you have any special memories associated with stamping, a favorite technique, or even a favorite stamp set? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it!
Recipes
4¼” x 5½” Meet Me On the Slopes Card (Vertical) CC6226 My Acrylix® True Blue Stamp Set, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X5950 Toffee Cardstock, X6058 Rosemary Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6531 Mocha Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6529 Rosemary Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad, Z2088 Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z2068 White Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z4220 Anti-static Pouch, Z4252 Heat Tool, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z1985 Gold Shimmer Trim, Z4054 Gold Embellishing Thread
12″ x 12″ Tahiti Page Z4447 Palm Fronds Stamp + Thin Cuts, B1799 My Acrylix® Brush Strokes Stamp Set, X9040 Mix-in Paper Packet, X6053 Avocado Cardstock, X6046 French Vanilla Cardstock, X6062 Harbour Cardstock, X5959 New England Ivy Cardstock, X6051 Sundance Cardstock, Z6523 Avocado Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6533 Harbour Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6503 Mint Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2835 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6504 Sage Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z6025 White Acrylic Flowers, Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins, Z4334 Slim Alphabet Thin Cuts, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z5038 Die-cutting & Embossing Machine
12″ x 12″ Okinawa is Home Page CC6223 My Acrylix® Culture & Tradition Stamp Set, X6047 Black Cardstock, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X6054 Grape Cardstock, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6524 Grape Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6517 Lemonade Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6521 Sundance Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1985 Gold Shimmer Trim, Z3312 Gold Glitter Gems, Z3630 Watercolor Pencils, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3225 Medium Round Waterbrush, Z3560 Golden Rod Stickles™ Glitter Glue, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape
12″ x 12″ Fourth of July Page CC6224 My Acrylix® Fourth of July Stamp Set, X7281B Tutti Frutti Paper Packet, X6038 Candy Apple Cardstock, X5978 Glacier Cardstock, X6057 Capri Cardstock, X5957 Sapphire Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z6509 Candy Apple Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6528 Capri Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Capri Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2841 Glacier Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2848 Sapphire Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4223 Red Shimmer Brush, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z1799 Silver Shimmer Trim, Cricut® Artbooking Collection
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