Happy Camper on the 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! 

There has sure been a lot of HAPPY going on around here lately and I LOVE it!  Here is another quick way to use the adorable Camper Crazy My Acrylix from Close to My Heart. 

I used a Birch Tree embossing folder and popped the panel up with foam tape.  A bit of coloring with our soon to be retired Alcohol Ink Markers allowed me to make the camper exactly the colors I wanted.  I hear that the new Alcohol Ink markers we will be adding to the new Annual Inspirations Book are even more amazing!  I sure cannot wait to try them.  

I also was able to coordinate the colors with a bit of the Creme Brulee Baker's Twine from the retiring Paradise Assortment Baker's Twine pack.

Have you ever used alcohol ink markers?  Our super-cute Stamp of the Month is PERFECT to use with them!  :)

Photo Inspiration Newbie!

Happy Saturday!

Today I am linking up to another Heart 2 Heart June Challenge.  This one is all about a little photo inspiration.  Believe it or not, I have never made anything based on this type of inspiration, so I was super-excited to jump in head first.  I even rescheduled the rest of my weekly blogs to squeeze it in here today!

Here is the gorgeous photo H2H provided us with:

...and here is my take on it!

As soon as I saw the inspiration photo, I KNEW where to go...my drawer with all the leftover Art Philosophy and Artiste Cricut cuts.  I knew there was not only a bird, branches, and flowers, but also this fantastic doily shape.  The base of the card didn't jump right out at me, so I browsed my sample papers...but not for long!  This little sheet from the retired Florentine Paper Packet was IT.

I have two weddings coming up this summer, and that is what the photo made me think of, so I decided to break out my Love Doily My Acrylix and use this beautiful sentiment on the card.

Now, for the flowers...the FLOWERS!  I just adore them.  I scattered some Color Ready Trinket Wooden Shapes and paper flower cuts on the branches, then filled the spaces with the rest of the  beautiful blooms.  The opaques in the center of each brings out the delicate feel of the photo.  These flowers I used are actually from the Just Blooms Petals Paper Flowers pack that is currently only $1.50 on CLEARANCE in limited supply on my website!  (Um, yeah...you better run!  Just click on the link in the name up above and I will wait, I promise.)   *whistles  ;)

I colored the flowers while they were still all stacked up like they came in the package with my Sorbet (*cough, cough) Alcohol Ink Marker.  You might remember that Sorbet is not my favorite color in our Close to My Heart pallet.  BUT...this could be a game changer!  I LOVE these flowers with the delicate little shading differences due to the blending and spreading of the alcohol ink!  When I took the stack apart, this is what I saw...soooooo beautiful!

I kept the white on white for the bird and the doily because that is the feel I get from the picture.  I want to be IN that picture!  So tranquil and peaceful there.  Sigh....oh, ahem, sorry!  Got a little lost in thought there!  So anyhooo, I hope you are as inspired by this photo as I am!  :)

Color Dare #44 Gets Ready for Operation Write Home

This is a wonderfully special Color Dare today!  In honor of this Memorial Day weekend and the upcoming Operation Write Home (OWH) Blog Hop (more on that in a bit), the DT at Color My Heart is using a sketch from OWH in combination with our new Close to My Heart challenge colors, Juniper and Creme Brulee.   Here is the card I made using OWH Sketch #169...

This gorgeous stamp set, C1533 Fabulous You,  is perfect for using the Close to My Heart Alcohol Ink Markers.  Some of the colors remain out of stock, including the Creme Brulee that I used, which I apologize for!  Anyway, I used my Cocoa Embossing Powder on a Versamark Ink stamped image, then heated it up with my heating tool so that I could color in without smearing.  This is an important thing to do when using Alcohol Ink Markers.  Water based ink images would bleed into the coloring.  The two patterned papers I used are from the retired CTMH paper packets Typeset and Elemental.

I cut the layers of this flower out with my cricut at 1.25 and 1.5 inches and inked the edges with Cocoa Ink and a dauber.  Then I used my Rub On Tool in a circular motion on each of the petals to give them some curve.  An Antiqued Bronze Brad holds them together.  My Cocoa CS scalloped boarder is simply a row of 5/8 inch circles!  :)

 I made another card with similar touches, but included a sentiment on the flower this time...

...and a different ribbon across the bottom.  I have a hard time making up my mind lately, so why not make it both ways?  :)

Alright, so now the colors are in your court!  You can either pick a sketch from OWH to use these colors with, or make anything else you like.  Just be sure to use Juniper AND Creme Brulee (or similar colors) along with any neutrals of your choice and link up to Color My Heart by next Thursday the 30th at 9pm CST.  Come play with us!

More on Operation Write Home:

When my fellow DT member, Becca, suggested we take part in the OWH Blog Hop this weekend, I was ready to jump in headfirst.  I have been wanting to get involved with Operation Write Home for some time now, but it never seems to be the right time.  Well, the time has arrived!  :)  Watch for an OWH Cardmaking Workshop coming up soon!

What is OWH???  Here is a summary from their website:

"This merry band of thousands of cardmakers is made up of Americans – and citizens of other nations too – who care about our military, and want to support them through creativity and encouragement. Many thousands of crafters of all ages and levels of experience have participated since 2007!

Care packages filled with hundreds of handmade cards are sent to our contacts, restocking every 6-8 weeks, and are sent in time for the long journey back home to loved ones. Each box is packed with great care, alternating styles, colors, and cardmakers from all over the USA, creating “eye candy” for heroes who see only khaki around them. The topper on each box is a plastic bag filled with 20-30 letters from adults and children across the country, letters handed out especially to those in need of a positive word from the homefront."

Tomorrow morning you can tune in to the Operation Write Home Blog Hop to see many creations from many of the wonderful people who have been participating in this heartfelt mission!  Here is where you will find it:   http://operationwritehome.org/starsandstamps 

See you all there! 

Be Still and Know Take Two

Hi again!  I combined this beautiful Close to My Heart My Acrylix sentiment with a different paper packet today.  It really is striking to see how different it can look.  Here is the wonderful A1141 Be Still sentiment with the Chantilly Paper Packet.

I used a new embossing folder from Lifestyle Crafts called Whimsy for the background on this card.  Then I sanded the paper to let the white core peek through a bit.  All of our Close to My Heart papers have a white core that can be used in this way, and I love the versatility it adds.  One of the other things our paper packets have are these lovely little trim strips called Zip Strips.  Do you see the strip of paper behind the sentiment and across the card?  I cut it from the end of one of the B&T Duo papers in Chantilly and there is still a full 12 x 12 sheet of paper after you cut it off.  Each double sided pattern paper has a different Zip Strip pattern too.  This one inspired me to actually purchase the embossing folder since it matched so well!

This is my old friend the Color Ready Seam Binding Ribbon--but this time I used my Cotton Candy Alcohol Marker to color it!  It was so easy and dried right away.  Thanks to Consultant Pamela O'Connor for that fabulous tip on her Facebook Page!  :)  I used my trusty bow-easy tool to make the perfect little bow.

This sentiment is just such a comfort for so many occasions.  It really is a steal at only $6.95!  It is one of my favorite stamps in the new Idea Book, and I highly recommend it!


Before I let you go, here is our current Stamp of the Month!   I am sooooo excited to try this one soon!  Click HERE to see it on my website and get it for only $5 with a $50 purchase!  Otherwise, you can always get it for the regular price of $17.95 during the month of March.  :)

Floral Happiness, March 2013 Stamp Of The Month

Happy Birthday, #3!

Today was a very special day for me as my baby had her golden birthday.  I just wanted to share the special card and ribbon badge I made for her.  She loves yellow and she also loves turtles, so I immediately knew the right combo of stamps and papers to use...Pun Fun and DOTTY!  The original version of the stamp says "belated" so I just stamped the "happy" and "birthday" separately without it in between them.  :)  I used my new Alcohol Ink Markers in Honey, Topiary, and Sweet Leaf to color in a bright and happy turtle. 

My edge distresser was the perfect tool to add a bit of texture to the White Daisy Cardstock and I also popped it up for fun.  There is a cute little Lagoon Sparkle on the turtle's party hat.  :)

Twine, button, and corrugated star, CHECK!

These Birthday Badges are just the thing to make a kid feel super-special on their big day.  I continued the turtle/yellow themes with this one as per special request from the birthday girl.  She wanted a turtle on it, and she was going to get one!  :)  I used the fantastic Artiste Cricut Cartridge to cut out the rosette, circle, and "Birthday GIRL" sentiment and some liquid glass to hold it all together.  The smile on #3's face when she saw it was priceless, but unlike the commercials, I didn't go broke in the process!  ;)