Color Dare #28, Um, Whatchamacallit! ;)

Hello Color My Heart Fans!  What a great way to close out January....a crazy color scheme!  ;)  This was so much fun to try, you really need to give it a go!  Here is a rainbow list of colors to include this week:

Ruby, Cotton Candy, Goldrush, Juniper, Twilight, and Gypsy  (whew!)

What to do with a crazy color scheme?  Well, random stamping, of course!  ;)  I created an 8 x 10 shadow box framed piece of art.

I random stamped with the retired Close to My Heart Rugged Flowers My Acrylix stamps on a sheet of White Daisy Cardstock.  I could then carefully choose which section of the paper best suited the area of the shadow frame that would show around the quote I was adding.  I popped up some elements of the images and added Bitty Pearls to the centers of some of the small flowers.

I double matted this wonderful sentiment from the brand new My Acrylix, Scrapbook Sentiments--Poets.  This beautiful set is available from Close to My Heart beginning February 1st!  Alas, I was so excited while making the shadowbox, that I accidentally grabbed a sheet of Crystal Blue Cardstock instead of Twilight or Juniper!!!  Oh my....

Can you see my sparkle?  Glitter Glitz Gel added a great bit of shine to the Juniper colored flowers.

Well, since I did kind of inadvertently cheat on the first project by adding a new color to the mix, I decided to use the rest of the patterned paper to create some sympathy cards as well and play by the rules, lol.

I cut two scalloped borders from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge on Juniper cardstock. 

I wanted to give it a bit of dimension, so I stamped this flower again and cut it out to pop up with some foam tape.  The sentiment is from the beautiful Close to My Heart Words of Comfort.

Then I remembered to do what I have been wanting to do with my cards--FINALLY!  I added a little floral stamp, also from Words of Comfort, on the inside of the card, and also to the envelope flap.  I love how that simple image ties everything together.

Now it's YOUR turn to sparkle!  Go ahead and make a paper project using these colors from Close to My Heart (or similar if you don't have them) and link it up to the Color Dare over at Color My Heart.  You have to link up by Thursday the 31st before 9 pm CST.  Don't forget to add a link to the Color My Heart Blog if you enter!  You could be the next one sporting the Color Dare badge on YOUR blog!   ;)  See you soon!

Damask Divas For Always Blog Hop!

Can you believe it?!  Here it is!  Our first blog hop of the new catalog!  This hop officially starts on February 1st, so if you are a bit early be sure to check back in!  If you came from Traci Williams' Blog, Paper Crafting 101, then you are in the right place.  If not, you can start at the Damask Divas Blog at the beginning.  I need to take a few deep breaths, so have a look at my first creation with the For Always Paper Packet while I do that...

I have been wanting to make one of these double pocket cards for a little while, and since Heart 2 Heart posted their fancy folds challenge for week #3, I had the superb motivation!  This type of card gave me the perfect opportunity to highlight the beautiful patterned papers of For Always.

The card takes just one sheet of double sided pattern paper.  It also conveniently gives you a finished card size 4.25 x 5.5...the standard A2 card size!   Here is the video tutorial I used.  As you will see--it is unbelievably simple!  I used the second version she shows so that the paper patterns alternate in the finished card.

I started by making the sentiment for my card.  I cut the "we" and "u" from the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge on Ruby Cardstock that comes with the paper packet.  The "Love" sentiment is cut from our second Cricut Cartridge, Artiste.  Do you see the boarder at the top and bottom of the sentiment?  That is the zip strip that you cut off from each of our patterned papers.  I really liked how this one looked by covering half of it.

3D flowers were actually one of the first things that drew me to Close to My Heart.  At the time, the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge was one of only two that had the beautiful cut on it that allowed you to form these beauties.  But I needed to know HOW to make them, and I needed the right adhesive.  I found Mandy's video tutorial that gave me exactly what I needed to know.  I. Was.  Hooked.  You had me at liquid glass!  Yes, I use our amazing liquid glass to hold these beauties together and also to attach them to the card itself.  Trust me, it is the BEST product out there for this purpose.  It also lasts FOREVER!  A little goes a long way.  To make a long story shorter, lol, when I saw the black and white script design in For Always, I knew that 3D flowers were going to be the first thing I made with it!  I inked up the edges before I rolled them with Ruby, Cotton Candy, Hollyhock, and Blush Exclusive Inks (from left to right above.)

The centers are dotted with our brand new Pink Glitter Sparkles to match each color of ink.  They come with 5 different shades all in one pack!

These tags were SO much fun to embellish.  Each one matches the personality of the girlie who will be writing a sweet sentiment to their grandma on the back for Valentine's Day.  :)  They pull out like this so that she can read them:

The tag cut is found on the Artiste Cricut Cartridge.  I used our Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Tulle, and NEW! Black Shimmer Trim as tag-ties.  I added a new Black Button to one with some black waxy flax.  The girls' names are spelled out with the gorgeously glittery Glamour Glitter Alphabet.

Sparkle galore!

Well, I have kept you long enough for today!  Tammy Smith at Legacy of the Heart is your next stop on the blog hop, so pick up your sparkle and move on along!  Thanks for hopping in!   ;)

Oh, and don't forget to comment on the Damask Divas blog for your chance to win an awesome Close to My Heart Acrylix Stamp Set!!!  HERE

Treat Tube Hot Cocoa on the Go Tutorial is UP!

I didn't quite know the best way to let you all know that I finished my tutorial for my Hot Cocoa Gift in the blog post HERE.  I linked it up to that original post, and I am posting it again here so you don't have to go searching too far.  ;)

Get out your popcorn and laugh along with my lack of vocabulary, lol!  Most importantly, give it a try!  They are so easy to make, and you can decorate them however you like!  Just be sure to use plenty of SPARKLE!  ;)

Playing with My New Peachy Keen Stamps

Hi everyone!  How's your Sparkle today?  Mine is all intact!   

 I wanted to play around some more with my new valentine Peachy Keen Bears, so I made this cute card for someone at church who is healing from surgery.  I wanted it to be super-special for her, and I thought this would do the trick!  :)

 I saw that the Peachy Keen Challenge this week is to use hearts, so I was was like, OH YEAH, I am totally linking up to that!  Ha, ha, ha, I totally went valley on you right there!  ;)  I colored the roses in with my Close to My Heart Alcohol Ink Markers.  Then, I added the necessary bling with my Glitter Glitz in pink and green.  Because of my color scheme, I decided to leave the bear white.  OK, fine, I don't have brown markers yet!  It is killing me, I assure you.  I am being a good girl and waiting though....sigh.  I do like polar bears though...

The heart that tops the black and white bakers twine is made with a stamp from the Whooo's Your Valentine Kit My Acrylix set.  You can still get this kit for only $10 on my website!  Click the link to the right if you are interested by January 31st! 

I love the curly Q's on the sentiments that go with these stamps.  Even the font helps you feel better!

I used White Daisy, Hollyhock, and Garden Green (retired) Cardstock.  The green is embossed with a dot pattern that I love.  The pink paper is part of a cut from my Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  I just wanted something to frame the bear, and this worked perfectly!  Finally, for some more sparkle, our new black shimmer trim!!!  It will be available for you to get addicted to starting February 1st!  Not long now!  See it sparkle?  You GOTTA have a little sparkle in everything you do!

Thanks so much for stopping in!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge #2 Hot Cocoa

Brrrrrrr!  Well, it did finally decide to turn into winter in the midwest, so I was completely ready to embrace Heart 2 Heart's second Challenge for the month of January, "Hot Cocoa."

I am definitely kicking myself for not picking up the perfectly matched My Acrylix set, A Sip, when it was available, but not having it forced me into some creative thinking.  I am not sure when or how it hit me, but I used one of the new treat tubes from the Whooo's Your Valentine Kit to make a sweet little hot chocolate gift.  I also made an important discovery! 

The tiny, dehydrated marshmallows were the absolute perfect companion for this easy to make set.  Inside the folder-style package is a packet of hot cocoa.  The colors of the Wonderland Paper and Whisper Cardstock I used even chill me to the bone!  The snowflake border is from the Art Philosophy Cartridge.  The sentiment is from the My Acrylix Snowflakes Stamp set.

Our new glitter paper was also clamoring to get in on the action, so I cut a snowflake from the Art Philosophy cartridge to bling up the tube, give it some more depth, and help keep it in place.  A couple of discreetly placed glue dots help too.  I love the shimmer trim as a border around the tube!

Next up is the very first thing I made for the project.  I stamped the Color Ready Seam Binding Ribbon with our awesome Mini Pigment Inks.   But I didn't do it that way entirely the first try!

Unfortunately, I first attempted to use the Dye ink pad for the Chocolate ink on the ribbon.  When I looked at it the next day, this is what I found:

Houston, we have a problem!  BUT, not a problem, because the snowflakes I had used the pigment ink for had not bled at all.  I redid the ribbon using all pigment inks, and was good to go with a gorgeous ribbon and a lesson to share.  :)    The "hot cocoa" sentiment is found on the retired January Word Puzzle My Acrylix.

Here is the inside of the folder.  I carefully sized a pocket for the cocoa and created a label type cut with the soon to debut Frame Flair My Acrylix set.  I LOVE this set!!!  It coordinates with cuts from the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge. 

Another snowflake cut from Art Philosophy and adorned with a crystal blue snowflake image and bitty sparkles rounded the project out.

I do have plans to post a video of how to make this easy gift, so keep checking back on my blog or leave a comment so I can let you know when it is ready!  Thanks for stopping in today!

UPDATE!!!!  Here is the tutorial!  :)

 

A Little Shabby Chic for Color Dare #27

Well, January is rolling right along, isn't it?  It is already time for another Color Dare from Sarah at Color My Heart.  This week, the challenge is to use three shades of green--Sweet Leaf, Topiary, and New England Ivy.  OK, so I know you just thought about St. Patrick's Day--I did too, so don't even worry about it.  But I want you to challenge yourself to NOT go there!  I cleared my head with a quick tidy of my craft room, and went in a totally different direction. 

My project this week is a gift tag in a shabby Chic style.  I find this style a bit intimidating to pull off, but I LOVE it when it works.  I think it did this time!  :)

Whew!  I did have to work that baker's twine hemp (new product alert!) and burlap ribbon through the tag hole!   My tag is cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge from Close to My Heart.  This is one of my favorite tag shapes on our two cartridges. The neutral colors I added this week are Colonial White, Cocoa, a teeeny bit of black, and Kraft Cardstock.

You can even see the stray fibers in my close ups today!  ;)  Here are my three greens, two are also cuts from Art Philosophy and the third is from the soon to be released Chantilly Scrapbook Workshop on the Go.  Oh my, this one is a keeper, you guys!  I also used another stamp from this set for the Cocoa colored leafy background on the Kraft paper.

This crotchet flower and button are from the Bohemian Assortment--and retiring at the end of this month, gasp!  Say it isn't so!  *pouts*  When you see the new products, I promise you will get over it!  ;)  ( I almost am....)  Anywho...I cut two small circles of the black tulle and folded them each in half.  Then I laid them side by side with a glue dot on each one to hold it--easy as pie!  Did you know it was national pie eating day yesterday?  Yep.  Don't worry, you can still celebrate.  ;)  I won't tell!

This fabulous "HELLO" sentiment is on yet another brand new Close to My Heart My Acrylix stamp set, appropriately named, Hello Blooms.

Here is my complete creative formulary for this project:

Cricut Expression 2
*Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
*Colonial White, Kraft, New England Ivy, and Sweet Leaf Cardstock
*My Acrylix Stamps Hello Blooms and Chantilly Scrapbook Workshop on the Go (available Feb. 1)
*Cocoa, New England Ivy, Sweet Leaf, and Topiary Exclusive Inks
*Bohemian Assortment (retiring this month!)
*Burlap Ribbon
*Black Tulle
*Wooden Mini Medley (available Feb. 1)

Now--I dare you to leave the leprechauns at the end of the rainbow, and go get busy with your green side!  ;)  Link up at Color My Heart the Color Dare Blog by next Thursday!  You could be the next winner of the coveted Color Dare Diamond blog badge, so what are you waiting for?  I can't wait to see what you make!

A Little Family Project

Hello, Blogosphere!  Today I wanted to share a little SECRET project that I am working on.  My hubby's Grandmother will be the big 9-0 this summer and we are planning a big shindig!  I wanted to come up with a little something to give her for this milestone birthday.  I decided to make her a book about the family using the Close to My Heart My Creations Bookmark Album.  Don't worry, I don't think she reads my blog, lol!

I recently completed the cover and would love to share it with you.  Here it is...

What do you think?  I thought that the Avonlea paper was the perfect look I wanted for a classic family heritage feel.  What better representation of family than the timeless tree symbol.  I hand cut this one and pieced it carefully to the front.  The trunk is formed with one of the B&T Duos in the Dakota Paper Packet.  The greenery of the tree is made with B&T Duos from both the retiring Flirty Paper Packet and the Pear and Partridge Paper Packet.

This flap is held shut with a magnetic closure.  When you open it up, this is what it looks like underneath.

Why yes, those ARE Jamberry nail sheilds!  ;)  I have been trying them out lately.  I added a strip of Shimmer Trim here because it really needed some sparkle at this point.  

How cute is this little guy?  He is stamped from the Whooo's Your Valentine Kit My Acrylics stamp set.  You can only get this kit while it lasts!  The deal ends when supplies run out or on January 31st whichever comes first!  My sources tell me there is only 15% left!  Let me know ASAP if you want to get this fantastic kit for only $10!!!  Details HERE!

I am super-excited about this process and will definitely be sharing more of this project as it progresses, so stay tuned!  Now go leave some glitter in your path!  :)

I {Heart} Sneak Peeks!!! XOXO

I feel like such a tease, but I know you are just dying to see the new Close to My Heart products that will soon be here come February, right?  RIGHT!!!

I made a card that features what might be two or three of my favorite new products.  Ok, so really four of them!  Can you feel the giddiness oozing out of my pores?  ;)  Anyway, I wanted to make a non traditional Valentine and was just coming off the black and white work for the Color My Heart Color Dare, so this is what I came up with.

Glitter paper, fabric, buttons, and WASHI!!!!   {OH MY!}  I adore the X's and O's made with the brand new Slate Washi Tape and the sentiment.  The polka dots are see through!

The circle of x's and o's and the sentiment are stamps from the Whooo's Your Valentine Kit.  It is just about out of stock, so get it while you can for only $10 with your $35 purchase from my website.  Don't wait, because once they are gone, the offer is over.

I made this gorgeous yellow flower with the new Chantilly Textiles and Black Button Assortment.  The textile is a really starchy fabric that is super-easy to cut and work with.  I also made a video tutorial that shows how I made it!   In the video you can see the other fabric that comes in the set of three.  :)  Here you go!

{Snaps fingers}  Hi again!  Over here!  Ignore the poor girl's nails and have a look at the inside of the Valentine I made!  ;)  It gives the answer to the equation on the front of the card...

I hope you are enjoying all the sneak peaks even half as much as I am enjoying making them!  Have a sparkly rest of your Sunday! (or whatever day it is that you see this, lol!)

Color Dare #26 and MORE Spring and Summer Sneak Peeks!

Ever feel like you are wandering around in a black and white movie?  All this playing around with black and white themes has me thirsty for color for sure!  The challenge this week (starting Friday) at the Color My Heart Color Dare is to use black and white with just a {POP!} of color.  I really had a hard time keeping it to just a pop of color!  ;)  I decided to go simply understated for this challenge, and the result is that I came up with quite a few versions of cards!

Here is the first one!  This card was really fun to make.  There were a million and one different directions I could have gone with the spinner spaces, but this is a valentine, so I kept the love theme constant.  I used my Cricut Expression 2 and the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge to cut the circle card base from white daisy cardstock.  Then I cut the rest of the shapes according to the stamp sets that coordinate with them.  

The spinner is from the Wheel of Life My Acrylix Stamp Set D1545--available from the new Spring and Summer Close to My Heart Idea Book beginning on February 1st!  This is a fun stamp that can be used in oh so many ways!  My very first Scrapbooking workshop in February will feature this set!  

There was a skinny little cut of our black tulle ribbon lying around, so I tied it right on the fold of the card.  I cut out the arrow after I stamped it, shortened it, and popped it up with a skinny piece of foam.  That silver brad goes right through it all!  Love how it looks.  My pop of color in this card comes from this letter "u" cut with the Art Philosophy Cartridge on Ruby Cardstock.  I also used an adorable stamp from the Whooo's Your Valentine Kit to stamp teeny tiny hearts in Ruby Ink on the circle card base.  The x's and o's on the heart are also from this set.  It is only available until January 31st or while supplies last!  You can get it for ONLY $10 with any $35 purchase!

Ok, so these next two cards are similar to each other yet different.  I used one of my favorite new stamp sets for Spring and Summer, D1540 In the Background.

Isn't this a fabulous pattern stamp?!  I cut the word, "thanks" from the Cricut Artiste Cartridge at 1 inch on Lagoon cardstock. Simple cards can still make a beautiful statement.

This next card features my favorite pattern from the In the Background My Acrylix stamps.  It is a chevron pattern!  The stamp gives it a slightly distressed look, but if you want it more solid, just color in some of the negative space.  :)  It is available beginning on February 1st!

These little guys are from the It's Your Day My Acrylix and are stamped in Black and Lagoon.  I gave them little shimmer trim bodies to add some much needed sparkle after all the black and white!  I cut "thanks" at 3/4 of an inch for this size A2 card.

That is it for me for now with the black and white...but it is just the beginning for you!  Go ahead and link up your paper project to the Color Dare!  It can be a card, layout, 3D item, gift tag, or anything else you might create with black and white and a POP! of color.  Remember, you don't need to use all Close to My Heart products, just include some!  ;)  Link up HERE at Color My Heart--the Color Dare Challenge Blog starting Friday.