Damask Divas November Blog Hop -- Flirty

Hello!  The first of the month means one thing around these parts--the Damask Divas Blog Hop!  This month, we are featuring the Flirty Paper Packet.  This gorgeous combination of raspberry, orange, gold, and green is wonderful for scrapbook pages from spring flowers to fall leaves.  It also proved to be perfect for home decor projects.

If you came from Stephanie's blog, then you are in the right place!  If not, you can start at the beginning at the Damask Divas Blog.

It is such a relief to finally post my project.  I have been waiting patiently because I had it finished WAYYYY ahead of time.  I could just not keep my hands off this gorgeous Bracket Frame--so I didn't!  Here it is, FINALLY!

When I first saw the colors in the Flirty Paper Packet, my mind conjured up images of the 70's.  I was just a kid back then, but I can distinctly remember avocado colored appliances and tupperware, orange shag carpet, and Mustard colored tweed chairs.  Tell me it was just a bad dream!  HA!  It really happened, and so the perfect picture for me to decorate this frame for was one from that decade.  This pic is of my dear sis and I making faces in my Grandma's Texas backyard.   That's right, ya'll--I am part Native Texan!  ;)

Back to the present! Let's start at the top.  I used Close to My Heart's Rhinestone Sparkle Brads to anchor each side of this "sisters" banner at the corner of my frame.  The banner comprises several different products.  The very Autumnal Orange Flirty B&T Paper backs the triangles of Burlap Ribbon.  I attached them all to a strand of embroidery floss with liquid glass.  Then I pulled out my new Pixie Glitter Alphabet stickers for the first time.  Sigh.  This is a first cousin to my FAVORITE product--Shimmer Trim!  I outlined the letters with a black sharpie to make them pop from the light background. 

This bottom corner is decked out in Fabulous Flirtyness.  I cut out a couple of beautiful flowers from one of the papers and added some layers with foam tape.  These are backed by strategically trimmed Sparkles Flourishes.   One of the flowers is embellished with a large sparkle from the Sparkles Brown and Tan Assortment.  Then I inserted two pins from the Autumn Lane Assortment into the foam that backs the flowers.  Perfect!  This organdy ribbon is an older product that I was able to get my mitts on for this project.  I really try not to use retired product for my hop projects, but just look at it!  Sorry!

You can see the different textures I have going on in this pic.  I used my paper distresser and foam tape to add visual interest and dimension.  The Flirty Raspberry paper is matting the photo.  I used the large rose stamp in the Love Blooms My Acrylix Stamp Set to random stamp the pattern in New England Ivy.

This frame came together so well with our coordinating products.  That is one of my favorite things about our papers and inks--they are all coordinated!  It is such a joy to grab a B&T paper packet knowing that everything I need to create a paper project is right inside!  Instead of spending my time searching for papers that work well together, I got to concentrate on the creation of my fabulous frame!  LOVE it!

Well, you made it to the end of this month's hop.  We hope you had as much fun browsing our creations as we had making them!  Before you get too busy making your wish lists from all of this amazing inspiration, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter drawing on the Damask Divas Blog for your chance to win some blog candy from our very own Diva, Gloria Shirr!  Thanks so much for hopping with us--now go get your crafty on!

Halloween Birthday Bash!

Alright, yes, I have not been posting much lately because I have been prepping for a certain girlie's Halloween-Style Birthday Party.  Here are some quick shots of what I did, and can I just say, "I {heart} Pintrest!"


Mummy Bars

M&M Tubes with a tag I made with the Mini Monsters Cricut Cartridge.

Back of the tag has a little "thank boo."

Making Mummy Dogs

Yummo!

Pumpkin Bowling

 Rice Krispie Treats!

The birthday girl as Benny the Bull

 Me.  Lost my Cruella wig and had to improvise.  Yikes!

Better go hide the puppies!!!

Babies, Babies, and More Babies!

What a DAY!  Ugh!  I have literally spent the whole time dealing with researching property taxes so I can appeal ours.  My brain is FRIED!  Time to move on to something a little less numeric, lol...

It seems as though everyone I know is prego these days!  I just made two baby cards last week that I can't wait to show you.  But FIRST, here is the card I sent my Senior Director, Mandy Leahy, after she had her little sweet pea in August.

Mandy's team name is the Damask Divas for a reason--she {hearts} all things damask!  I had to work it in somehow to the perfect card for welcoming her new little Diva and came up with this:

Slam dunk!  I don't have any baby stamps per say, so I had to be creative and completely LOVED how it turned out!  The stamp set I used on the front is the August Stamp of the Month.

This "hello life" circle is from the It's Your Day My Acrylix set.  Now if that doesn't say, "new baby" I don't know what does!

Ok, so on to the cards I made last week!  The first is for my hubby's cousin who had a bouncing baby boy on the 11th of this month.  I loved using the "hello life" stamp from Mandy's card so much that I wanted to use it for more baby cards.  I had tons of fun laying this one out with different textures, especially the new burlap ribbon. 

The pattern paper in this one is from the Victory Paper Packet.  The cardstock I used besides the White Daisy are two retired colors, Dutch Blue and Brown Bag.  These small numbers from a retired Stamp of the Month commemorate his awesomely special birth date. 

Hello, Burlap Ribbon!  Meet my friend, the Pewter Brad.  ;)

An Outdoor Navy Button, twine, and ink on the corrugated star all come together for some great dimension.  I used the stitched side of the burlap ribbon that I had cut off earlier to tie on the tag.

I have to say, I was very happy to have a little girlie card to make next!  Bring on the glitter!  ;)

This card is for a former teacher at my girlies' school.  It is their very first baby, and we are super-excited for them!   I dug out my Lucy Paper Packet in her honor.

I really like adding the date to these type of cards to commemorate the occasion.  Guess what?  The Cotton Candy Cardstock that frames the date is actually a remnant from another cut I made a while back.  Now you see why I keep my scraps! 

Alright, my big moment of inspiration came while making these butterflies.  I had trimmed the bottom of the card with the Cotton Candy bulk ribbon and had scraps left.  One look at them laying on my desk, and I had turned them into bodies and antennae!  The cute little feelers are the bottom edge of the pom pom ribbon that I had trimmed off to glue the body flat to the wings!  Thank you, liquid glass, for making this moment possible.  ;)

The numbers I used are from the Storybook Numbers My Acrylix Set.  I also used the Chevron Butterfly and "hello life" stamps from It's Your Day.   The Pear Ink on this flower from the Hooray Bouquet My Acrylix Set just jumps off the paper.  I love how it looks with the Cotton Candy Ink.  The last thing this card needed was bling.  Shimmer Trim first, then some Sparkles and Glitter Glitz.  Absolutely princess worthy.  :)

There, now I am DE-stressed!  Thanks so much for checking out my latest cards.  Now I have to go unpack some boxes that my Fed Ex man just brought--all the supplies for my Advent Calendar Workshop are here!!!  Woot, woot!  More DE-stressing coming right up! 

Autumn with Art Philosophy Blog Hop

Welcome to our Autumn Art Philosophy Blog Hop!  Each month we are showcasing our amazing Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge which can be purchased exclusively through a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant (like ME!)
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It's the time of year where leaves are changing colors, temperatures are dropping, the days are shorter, and the holidays are quickly approaching. This month we will be featuring projects with an Autumn theme made using the Art  Philosophy Cricut cartridge!

If you just happened to come to this blog, you should start at the beginning at Lucy's blog - Love 2 Create.  If you came here from Stephanie at The Quilted Scrapper, then you're in the right place!

I love this time of year and have two Autumn themed cards that I want to show you that feature one of the most popular symbols of Autumn -- leaves and acorns.  Each of them utilizes the Harvest Happiness My Acrylix Stamp Set in conjunction with the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge by Close to My Heart.  The first card is inspired by a fellow consultant who recently lost her battle with cancer.  She was an active member of one of our Facebook groups, and a wonderfully talented and encouraging woman named Maureen.  I used her inspiration as a tribute to her since I did not know her other than seeing and commenting on her work she posted up to share with us.  I wish there was a blog to direct you to, but she did not have one yet.  Here is Maureen's original card:

Now, here is my take on her beautiful card.  The idea to stitch the baker's twine through the holes in the wreath was just the perfect touch.  This wreath shape is found on page 31 of the handbook for Art Philosophy (AP.) The leaves are found on pages 56 and the acorn is on page 36.   The cricut cuts them out the exact size you need to stamp the image on perfectly.  I realized when making this card that I need a "leafy" embossing folder.  I would have loved to give that background some texture.

The next project I made is actually a set of cards with a fall theme.  I used the same stamps and cuts as the card above, but switched out the ink color on some of the leaves to give them a whole new look. 

 My favorite part of these cards is the background paper.  I stamped it myself using an adorable geometric stamp from the Love Life My Acrylix Stamp Set.  This one was made for stamping a pattern onto your project and nests into itself each time you stamp it.  I used a technique that I had never tried before too.  I chose three autumn color re-inkers, Autumn Terracotta, Goldrush, and Ruby.  Then I placed a baby wipe on the inside of my old stamp cleaner and randomly dropped the three colors onto it to create my own stamp pad to use!  Here is what it looked like...

Pretty messy business!  But the results are fabulous!  Sooooo worth it.  Here is a link to a great video to demonstrate this amazingly easy stamping technique.  Just look at all the colors you end up stamping all at once...

These tags I attached were already cut out with the Art Philosophy cartridge and waiting in my scrap cuts drawer.  Yes, I have a recycle drawer full of scrap cuts that didn't make it into a project yet--don't judge!  ;)  I always check to see if there is something I can use in there when I start a project.  Unfortunately, it means I have no clue what kind of paper it is or the size of the cut.

I wanted these cards to coordinate, but not match exactly, so I changed up the Harvest Baker's Twine colors I used and added different sentiments.  The last one I left without a sentiment for true versatility.  :)

I also added a different leaf to this one from page 34 of the AP handbook.  I love these leaf stamps because I don't need to cut out a thing by hand--the Art Philosophy Cartridge does all the work with my Cricut machine!

Do you have a cricut machine?


The next stop on your trail of falling leaves is Jennifer Kramer at 4 Hearts Scrapbooking.

Here's the entire blog hop lineup in case you "fall" off the path:

Lucy ~ Love 2 Create
Darla ~ Caution: Crafting is Contagious!!!
Diana ~ Diana's Free Moments
Stephanie ~ The Quilted Scrapper
Amie Kiger ~ Mimi, Myself, and I  (you are here!)
Jennifer Kramer ~ 4 Hearts Scrapbooking (your next stop!)
Rebecca ~ Stamp and Scrap Studio
Kindred Hearts ~ It Makes Total Cents
Theodora Stacey ~ Celebrate Crafts
Arlene ~ Arlene's Creative Space
Amanda Cortez ~ Scraps of Love
Priscilla ~ Priscilla's Paperie
Ginger ~ Ginger's Creative Cottage
Michelle ~ My Flights of Fancy

Getting Punny and Linky!

Alright!  I am soooooo excited to share my latest creation!  I have been an admirer of Wendy Coffman's art for almost as long as I have been with Close to My Heart as a consultant.  She makes absolutely amazing cards and decor and had been the motivating factor in several of my past purchases, lol.  Well, this time, one of her creations spurred me on to make one of my own.  Here is her beautiful set of cards she made with the Pun Fun stamp set.  I fell in love with it and stewed on it for a while before I decided to come up with a set of Pun Fun cards of my own.  Which paper packet do you think I reached for?  Dotty for YOU of course, one of my FAVORITE ever paper packs!  I cannot get enough of this retired paper so it is a good thing I have a stash of it, lol.  I hope you love these cards as much as I do.  Actually, you have already seen one!  Here they are:

Recognize the little turtle?  It is the card I gave to my monkey on her birthday last week.  You can see it HERE to get the details if you missed it.  Now here are the rest one by one...

All of the sentiments/pictures from the Pun Fun My Acrylix are stamped in Archival Black Ink so that when it was dry it would allow me to color in the pictures without the black bleeding.

How fun is this one?  The lemon is colored with the Honey and Sweet Leaf Alcohol Ink Markers.  I added some extra fun with sweet leaf ribbon from the Designer Ribbon Green Collection and a Dimensional Elements Heart.

This little bee is just darling, and I absolutely love the saying.  I think he goes beeutifully with the striped background paper. 

This was also the perfect card to spruce up with some flower embellies.  I chose the Just Blooms Paradise Assortment Flowers with a pretty green sparkle.  Behind it, you can see the Paradise Baker's Twine in Lagoon.

 A bit of Glitz in Stardust and two Licorice Opaques gave him a little lift.  I colored in his body with Honey Alcohol Ink Markers and the silver Metallic Marker.

I had to incorporate the chevron Dotty pattern somewhere, and this one was perfect for it.  Shimmer Trim really lights up the two lower corners of the card.  Bitty Sparkles are the sprinkles on the cake!

Have you noticed my bows are suddenly a sight to behold?  Lol...that is because I finally purchased a Bow-Easy from Ebay!  I can make several different sizes of perfect little bows now.  I love it!  This one is from the retired Pink Collection. (sorry!)

Oh how I LOVE this big bow!  The dress Punny needed some feminine embellishments, so that is exactly what I gave it.

This is a stick pin from the Bling Assortment Pack.  I stuck it through one of the Smoothie Paper Flowers and on through the bow made of the Sweet Leaf Bulk Grosgrain Ribbon.

Bitty pearls dot the bodice and hem of the little dress.  Sweet Leaf and Smoothie Alcohol Ink Markers filled it in.  These markers are great for shading images to give them dimension.  I am still learning how to get it just right.

 Finally, the rocking chair was colored in Sweet Leaf Alcohol Ink Marker.  How did that Shimmer Trim get in there?!  I am telling you it just hops onto everything I make these days!  ;)

 I ran some grey Neutral Collection Baker's Twine along one side and attached a sweet leaf button.  I used liquid glass to adhere the two glitter buttons that can be found in the Bohemian Assortment.

I had so much fun making these cards and creating a set that actually coordinated.  I encourage you to get a set of these versatile stamps and come up with one of your own with your favorite papers!

I am going to link this up to Wendy's Friday Favorite Things giveaway and show her what she inspired me to create!  :)  Thanks, Wendy!  And thanks to everyone for popping in to see!

Going Batty!

I am serious.  I am totally going batty.  My to do list is growing and fewer things are being checked off.  Well, got this one checked off:  make and send out party invites.  Actually, once I finally sat down to do it, these invitations practically made themselves thanks to the Cricut Artiste Cartridge!  :)

This is one of the card cuts on Artiste.  All I had to do was fold it, add the sentiment on the front,

googly eyes for cuteness, prisma glitter for sparkle (can you see it in the white letters?),

and all the info on the inside.

Here they are all ready for flight!

After I was finished, of course, I decided they should have looked like this:

I will just have to remember that for next time...if I survive this time!  ;)