Hello, Again!

Here is another card I made that started with inspiration from an embossing folder.  I saw this folder used on a beautiful card by my fellow Color My Heart DT member, Lela.  You can see her card  HERE.  I loved how it mimicked the little bird in the Hello Blooms My Acrylix, so reeeeealy needed to get my hands on it.  Lucky me, a little birdie helped me out with that!    ;)

Well, I had to use that folder asap, and here is my first card with it!  (UPDATE:  The name of the folder is Bird Scroll Frame by Darice.)

I had a little mishap with my Lagoon Ink in the bottom right corner right next to the little birdie, so kindly ignore that, lol.  Don't ask.

I cut the word Hello on my Cricut Expression 2 with the Artiste Cartridge at 1.5 inches.  I did this on White Daisy Cardstock.  Yes, I am sure.  ;)  Then I used my In the Background My Acrylix to stamp the pretty floral pattern.  It really didn't provide the contrast I was looking for against the white paper underneath, so I used my sponge to ink right over the entire word with Pear Exclusive Ink.  BINGO!  Just what I was looking for.  :)

I really like this flower stamp from Hello Blooms.  I rock and rolled this one again because I liked my first card so much.  First I inked it in Buttercup, and then I rolled it in Sunset.  Awesome!  The leaves are from the Girls Rock My Acrylix which I am also a huge fan of.  (Sorry, that's my second hanging preposition!)  I inked the leaves in Sweet Leaf and rolled in Pear.

Can you see the shimmer from my Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Pen in the pic up above?  Gotta have some sparkle!  ;)

Here you can see the inside corner of the card where I added the cute little birdie from Hello Blooms as well as another Hello sentiment.  I stamped the little guy in Sunset first and then paper-pieced the Lagoon body portion on top.

You can see all of these complete stamp sets in my online store by clicking on the links.  They are some of my favorite new sets!  Thanks for stopping in today!  :)

Hello, Artiste!

What's that?  You say you only have white cardstock and a few pattern papers in your stash to make a card?  No problem at all if you have a simple collection of Close to My Heart Inks and Stamps!  I made this gorgeous little size A2 (4.25 x 5.5 inch) card with just one pattern paper from Chantilly and my White Daisy Cardstock, then added a few embellies.

Let's start at the top and work our way down...

I have been trying to use my embossing folder stash more, and this was the perfect opportunity.  Here, I used The Paper Studio's A2 Quatrefoil folder.  This might be one of my faves!  

These flower layers are cut using my Cricut E2 Cutting Machine and the Exclusive Close to My Heart Artiste Cartridge.  You can pick up your own Artiste Collection from me with FREE shipping this month by ordering HERE!   It is found on page 44 of the handbook.  The cut actually matches one of the flower-shaped stamps from the beautiful C1540 Hello Blooms My Acrylix Stamp Set.  I adore the musical notes on the flowers!  You'll notice one of the cuts is actually the center of one of the doily cuts that I had laying around...save your scraps!  ;)

The bling in the centers of the blooms are from the Pink Glitter Gems, Sparkles Blue and Green Assortment, and Green and Blue Epoxy Bubbles.  A strip of Shimmer Trim lines the pattern paper.  If you don't like to deal with some of the trail that glitter leaves behind, these are fabulous options! 

Speaking of a glitter trail...I love this quote that my fellow consultant, Lalia found for me!

LOVE IT!!!  Thanks, Lalia!  :)

On to the sentiment...which is also found on Artiste on page 65.  I used the same flower-shaped musical note stamp to carefully put the image onto the word Hello.  It looks tricky, I know, but really wasn't that hard.

On the inside, I placed another skinny strip of pattern paper and  a layered flower.  The simplest of embellishments can make the biggest difference, so don't neglect the inside of your cards!  :)

Here is another peek at this month's Stamp of the Month--available ONLY in March from my website!  Click HERE to get it! Better yet, order $50 worth of product to get it for only $5!!!  You only have a few days left!  :)

Egg-cited for Easter at Heart 2 Heart!

I have had SUCH a fantastic time creating with the amazing DT over at Heart 2 Heart this month!  I hope you have had a chance to play along with at least one of the challenges.  If not, maybe this one will get your creative juices flowing...

There is a story behind this project, so if you like to read, grab your coffee and enjoy!  If not, feel free to skip down to the big reveal picture!  ;)

A few years ago, we were majorly spring cleaning the house.  My hubs was vacuuming out the crevices of an old mustard-color, wing back tweed chair in our front room.  Yep--it was a hand me down from Grandma!  ;)  Anyway, he stuck his hand down in the abyss to hear and feel a crunch.  What he pulled out were the remains of a petrified boiled egg!!!  I was seriously grateful at that point that it was his turn with the vacuum!!!  It was literally reduced to dust.  Our best guess is that it was an Easter egg lost in a hunt from YEARS ago.  SO. Gross!

To prevent this from reoccurring, (because seriously, can you imagine his grandparents looking all over the place for the STENCH that must have been present during some of that time?)  I came up with a deliciously cute idea--a chalkboard egg-count canvas!  This must have been the count on that fateful day many Easters ago...if only they had been able to keep track like this!  :)

For the base of my fun and functional decor, I started with the brand new Close to My Heart My Creations 6 x 6 Canvas Display.  I easily adhered the background paper with s thin layer of liquid glass, but you could also use Mod Podge.

This wonderful chalkboard vinyl was introduced to our Idea Book last Fall.  I haven't had too much of an opportunity to play with it until now, and I loved how easy it was to cut with my Cricut Expression 2.  I found this fun shape on the Cricut Artiste Cartridge.  I used the "kiss cut" settings on my E2:  Pressure-3, Speed-3, Blade Depth-3.  This allows the blade to cut through the vinyl, but not the backing sheet so you can easily remove the self-adhesive vinyl later. 

These eggs were cut using the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, and the grass is from Artiste.  I selected several products to decorate the eggs--SO much fun!!!  I also used stamps from two of my favorite past CTMH promos, the Whooo's Your Valentine and It's Your Day My Acrylix sets.  Then I used Glitter Glitz Gel and Shimmer Trim to bling-a-bling-bling!  ;)  The little banner signs are hand-trimmed and adorned with bits of Slate Washi Tape and Pink Glitter Gems for interest.   The Silver Metallic Marker added just the right color for the text.  I propped them up on Foundry Pin Clips that are stuck in the foam behind the strip of grass.

Now, I wanted to share this little trick I discovered that I use on my baker's twine to get all the kinks out from storage.  It really is simple, just hold the twine between your thumbnail and forefinger like shown and apply pressure while you slide it over any creases or kinks.  It straightens them out in no time!  :)

My Easter banner uses the fabulously shimmery Silver Glitter Paper to make the letters from Artiste.  These gorgeous patterned papers are all from the Chantilly Paper Packet--perfect for any Easter project!  The chipboard frames around the numbers are from the new Irresistibles Frames.  You can ink them up in any color you choose!  SO versatile!  :)

Once you have your 6 x 6 canvas all decorated, just use chalk to write in your numbers to keep track!  You can try a little piece of cut-up sponge as an eraser (or quite frankly, a licked finger!)  Just DON'T use a chalk marker!!! While it would look lovely, it would unfortunately be permanent!  ;)

I am really going to miss designing with the rest of the Heart 2 Heart team next week, but I will undoubtedly be playing along with you instead!  I want to say a huge THANK YOU to the team for having me on board this month.  Thank you all so much for the many great comments you have left on my projects, and I will see you again sometime over at H2H!

God bless each of you in your Easter celebrations.   My family and I will be rejoicing as we remember the risen Savior who conquered death and banished our sins!  What great hope we can have because of His amazing sacrifice.  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!

Happy Birthday, Abbie! :)

Today is my niece, Abbie's, birthday!  I love this horse-loving girl so much!   I used some awesome new Close to My Heart products to personalize this adorable kraft journal, and I made her a special card to match.

These banner strips are Little pieces of Dakota B&T paper inked with Chocolate.  (Chocolate Ink, lol.)  I wrapped the front cover with Baker's Twine and tied it up with a large bling button.  These new Durables Artisan Studs were the perfect addition, and I even added one to the end of the matching pen!  Too cute!

When I first saw this beautiful new horse stamp, I knew I would use it on a project for a certain horse lovin' girl.  It is found on the Country-Born My Acrylix Stamp Set. 

Aren't these pens just the icing on the cake?  I found these note sets on Pick Your Plum and "picked" my bushel basket full!  ;)  This will be a true test of how they hold up to use while decorated.  :)

Here is a shot to show what the set looks like with the pen inserted.  Love it.

And now, for the card...

I used the same stamp set for this card, as well as D1525 Casual Expressions for the "Happy Birthday" sentiment with the cute rope around it.  Perfect!

More Baker's Twine in Outdoor Denim and Artisan Studs.  Don't these studs remind you of a comfy pair of jeans?  :)

Inside the card, I added a little star from Casual Expressions.  The paper underneath is the negative cut from a flower I used in THIS project.  Like I always say, I don't throw much away!  ;)  I like the femme effect it has popped up like that over the flower.  What do you think?  

Thanks for coming by today, partner!  ;)

Easy-Peasy Cards

Raise your hand if you think you could never make your own fancy schmancy cards.  If your hand is frantically waving in the air, then this post is for YOU!!!

Sometimes the need arises to make several cards at once or even a simple single card needs to be whipped out lickity split.  Maybe sometimes, you just don't want the fuss of designing a card, and that is totally fine!  Here are a couple of simple, yet pleasing cards for you to make.

This first set went together super-fast and easy.   I used White Daisy Cardstock, Chantilly Paper, the Cricut Artiste Collection, and Shimmer Trim or Washi to accent them.  The Inks I used were taken from the colors of the paper--Buttercup, Cotton Candy, Blush, Pear, Twilight, and Lagoon (because I like it with this paper!)  The cards are all 3 x 3, so I can get 8 of them from one sheet of cardstock!  Guess I better make one in Sunset and one in Ruby to have a complete set!  ;)

The next cards are 3 x 4 and based on the same type of design--simple!  No Artiste Collection needed for this one.  I used the B1398 Just for You My Acrylix Stamp Set instead.  LOVE this set--it was brand new when I was a brand new Close to My Heart Independent Consultant a year ago!  For only $9.95 it is a steal!

I love this little sentiment because it is so versatile.  :)

So, there you have it!  Easy-peasy cards!  :)

Color My Heart Color Dare #35

Welcome back to another Color Dare!  Each week at Color My Heart, Sarah posts up another challenging combination of colors for you to play with.  You get to stretch your creativity, play with your Close to My Heart products, and link up your creation to enter the contest.  If she picks yours as her fave, you get to display the coveted Color Dare Diamond badge on your blog!

This week we have a beautiful combo of spring colors for you to try--Buttercup, Blush, and Sky.

I had not yet had a chance to play with my Close to My Heart Acrylix set B1420 Hello Tweety when I received my assignment on the design team, so I decided to give it a workout for this challenge.  Here is the lovely spring flavored card I came up with:

While I think it is gorgeous, I also think it is soooo sad!  How lonely does that little bird look?  :(  Perfectly fitting of the sentiment, sigh.

That Buttercup Patterned paper in the background is from the Chantilly Paper Packet and it made an absolutely fantastic looking wallpaper, didn't it?  

Because our stamps are clear, I was able to line up the cage bars to add them exactly where they should be on the little bird.

A touch of Black Shimmer Trim at the bottom to draws the eye downward.  I added the image of the little birds on a wire to the inside corner.

I have grown quite fond of this stamp set!  Here is a look at the whole thing...

Now, it's your turn to get creative!  Use these CTMH colors, or some similar, to make your very own paper creation and link up to us at the Color My Heart Color Dare!  You have until Thursday the 28th at 9pm CST!  :)

Just Peachy Chevrons

I cannot believe that I haven't played along with Peachy Keen's Challenge since the beginning of the year!  Time to jump in again!  I created this card with some leftover cuts from other projects, and by golly, I think that bear is just about as adorable as they come!  Paired up with the chevrons, this card is totally a winner!  ;)

Peek-a-boo!  :)  The little bear from the January 2013 Club Stamp is peeking over the Close to My Heart chevron stamp from D1540 In the Backgound.  LOVE, love both these stamps!

    
I used the Close to My Heart Alcohol Ink markers to color in the sentiment from the Artiste Collection.

You can find the Artiste Collection and In the Background on my website by clicking on the links.  Don't forget, time is running out to get the March 2013 Stamp of the Month, Floral Happiness, so if you are thinking about adding it to your order, think fast!  ;)  You can see my new projects with this stamp set HERE.


Creative formulary for Just Peachy Chevrons:

Chantilly Paper Packet
Desert Sand and White Daisy Cardstock
Cricut Artiste Collection
Archival Black My Exclusive Ink
Alcohol Ink Markers
In the Background My Acrylix Stamp Set
*Peachy Keen January 2013 Stamp Club Stamp
*Gelly Roll White Gel Pen

Stamp of the Month Playtime!

I finally had a chance to get my hands on the March Stamp of the Month, Floral Happiness after seeing a lot of beautiful artwork created with the set.  I had to give it a try ASAP, and I am sure glad I did!   Here it is...

not much to look at like this, but when you know how to stamp these gorgeous images...the possibilities just flow!

All of these cards use White Daisy Cardstock and some combination of  Black, Whisper, Hollyhock, Blush, Sweet Leaf, and Pear Inks or paper.  The "Happy Birthday" sentiment is from the Art Philosophy Collection.  "Thinking of You" is from the For Every Occasion My Acrylix Stamp Set.  The last sentiment is found on Card Chatter--Sympathy.

Click on the Stamp of the Month tab above to get your copy or more details about how to get it for only $5!!!  Hurry, when March is over, so is this stamp's availability!  ;)

I Mustache You to Join Us, I Really Must!

Heart 2 Heart has gone the way of the mustache for their latest March Madness challenge.  This is the funniest craze, lol!  One that I really don't quite "get," but am fully prepared to jump in on.

My daughter recently celebrated her birthday with her friends, and she just so happened to request some mustaches as party favors.  For the challenge this week, I took to the task of scrapping some of her party pics!  :{  Bwahahahaaaaaa!  We had mustaches on sticks and mustaches on straws for her party.  Take a peek...I had to try them out first, you know!  ;)

She and her friends had a fantastic time with the craze during the party and at Claire's when we went to get her ears pierced.  My layout shows the fun at Claire's...

After studying the colors in my pics, I decided to use the Claire Paper Packet....and I totally just fell off my chair typing that!!!  I NEVER saw the coincidence of it being the Claire Papers for the trip to CLAIRE"S until I typed it!!!!  Woah.  THAT was weird!  *pulls herself back together*

OK, like I was saying the colors were more perfect than I realized at the time!  I will list all of the Close to My Heart products that I used in my layout at the end of the post, but for now, I just want to show some detail pics!  WARNING!!!  Pic HEAVY!

 I don't necessarily like it, but I am super-picky about lining up the elements of my pages--especially the title.  One of the ways I deal with that obsession minor irritation is to cut out my stickers on their backing and lay it out on the page to see it like this...

That way, I know it will fit and can line them up just right before committing to sticking them down.

Isn't it crazy how this straw matches up perfectly?  This was my original inspiration for my layout.  I was putting away dishes in the kitchen when I came upon the package of straws.  WHAMMO!!!  I knew exactly what to do for the H2H Mustaches Challenge!  Then again, after the name of the paper I used, I really should not be surprised that the straw matched!

I cut the mustache from the Cricut Artiste Cartridge on black cardstock twice, and then once on my black glitter paper.  I made a sandwich around the straw with the cardstock using glue dots to keep it together.  Then I layered the glitter paper over the top, only attaching it in the middle with glue dots, for a cool dimensional effect.

Here I used my black shimmer trim as washi tape, lol.

I hope you like my layout as much as I do!  I also hope you decide to play along with us for March Madness over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  Be sure to use mostly Close to My Heart products and link back to H2H HERE.  You have all month to play along!  I am having a blast guest designing so far.  See you next week for the last challenge!  *sniff*  ;)

Now, just like I promised, here is my creative formulary:

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge (scallop rectangle, flowers)
Cricut Artiste Cartridge (mustaches)
Claire Paper Packet
White Daisy, Black, Outdoor Denim, and Champagne Cardstock
Black Glitter Paper
C1538 Girls Rock My Acrylix Stamp Set
Chantilly Cardmaking Workshop My Acrylix Stamp Set
Hollyhock, Cotton Candy, and Blush Exclusive Inks
Claire Complements Canvas Shapes
Claire Assortment
Buttons Assortment Red
Wooden Mini Medley Assortment
Chevron Ribbon
Hollyhock Zipper Lace (on backorder, sorry!)
Black Shimmer Trim
Pink Glitter Gems
Oh, yes, and one bendy straw!  ;)