CTMH Fiesta Card Kit Part 2

Hey there!  I'm back with another cute way to makeover the NEW Fiesta Card Kit from Close to My Heart.  In case you missed it, I shared THESE Mother's Day cards earlier in the week.

I made this card for one of my Disney loving BFF's and I HIGHLY recommend the Fairytale Birthday My Acrylix stamp set for any of you who love a Disney fan.  I also used some Black and Purple Shimmer Trim, Silver Embossing Powder, Versamark Ink, Calypso and Magical Sequins, and Purple Glitter Paper.

I even embossed the crown image inside the card for a sweet little detail...

Whenever you need a quick card, or even a revved up version, these Cut Above Card Kits and sentiments are super to have on hand!  :)

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A Doctor Who Birthday Card with the Artfully Sent Collection

My niece celebrated her birthday this week.  She happens to be a HUGE fan of Doctor Who, so when I first laid eyes on the new Artfully Sent Cartridge from Close to My Heart, I was immediately drawn to one of the images...

Now, the original card had a cute little Scottie Dog at the bottom as well as a sentiment cut out in the word bubble.

I easily used the contour feature in Cricut Design Space to hide the cuts so they are not in the final card.  I LOVE how Design Space (for the Explore machine) and Cricut Craft Room (for the other Cricut machines) make my images go so much farther--PLUS the software is FREE to use!

To hide the image, just follow these simple steps:

The word, "telephone" appears at the top of this booth, but I am using it as a police call box for my Dr. Who fan...so I had to add a bit of sparkle!  You can also use the hide contour feature to hide this one--unfortunately, I didn't realize it until I had cut it out already, lol!  ;)

See how the front opens?

I just traced the booth onto White Daisy CS to back it for the card front.

These Stuck on You Puffies provided the perfect addition to my sentiment.  I used my Carmine ShinHan Touch Twin Alcohol Ink Marker to make it truly red instead of the dark pink it was originally.  I am linking up with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with this little ink tip (even though they are a different brand.)

It turns out that I added that bow tie AFTER making a little mistake with my ink...but always remember, there are no mistakes, just opportunities for embellishment!  ;)

The Artfully Sent Collection comes with ALL these fantastic sentiments for your cards...

Do you see the "Happy Birthday" that I used on mine?

NOW is the perfect time for you to pick up the Close to My Heart Artfully Sent Collection from my website, because you could be chosen to be my March Madness Mystery Hostess!  If you are chosen, you will get to choose at least $25 worth of FREE Close to My Heart papers, inks, stamps, and blocks...really!  You get one chance for every $25 in products you buy, and you have until April 7th to order on my website HERE!!!

Chalk It Up for Freshly Made Sketches

There is something about suddenly going from being a work-from-home-mom to a work-out-of-the-home mom that wreaks havoc on your schedule.  Haven't put my finger on it yet, but when the weekend hits, I am learning to get in some crafty time! 

Today I got to play with Freshly Made Sketches #152.  When I saw the sketch for the first time, I knew EXACTLY what to use for the shape!  Any other CTMH enthusiasts want to take a guess what I was thinking before you scroll any further?

It is one of the Picture My Life pocket cards from the Chalk It Up Kit! 

 This is one of the few times I have actually used the same shape as in the sketch...

Oh my gosh, this card literally came together all by itself.  I was going to add the Chalk It Up Assortment puffy sticker with glasses, but remembered there was a STAMP with glasses on the School Years My Acrylix that would fit the cookie PERFECTLY!

I had a little fun with the horizontal portion of the sketch to make up for my stuffiness, lol.  The Triangle Border Punch made the perfect little windows to show a bit of sparkle through the chalkboard B&T paper from the Chalk It Up Paper Packet.  Black Shimmer Trim is just too fun NOT to add!  :)

Now, I used the same little trick on this card that I did on my Halloween Shadow Box to place the white and black enamel stars.  Just cut the transparency they are on so you can place them on your project BEFORE you attach them.  Can all the perfectionists in the house say "I" with me?  ;)

My daughter will LOVE this card as a surprise in her lunch this week!  :)

Get it HERE!

Get your FREE #30yearsofhappy stamps HERE!!!

Damask Divas Laughing Lola Blog Hop!

Welcome to my blog!  I know you have been waiting for this!  It is finally time for another Damask Divas Blog Hop!  Be sure to tune in I am sure you are all enjoying the fantastic paper creations of my teammates by now, so let's get down to business...

(If any links aren't live yet, just check out the hop Oct. 1 when it will be free of kinks!)
If you hopped over from Traci's Blog then you are in the right place!  If not, you can find the lineup  HERE at the Damask Divas Blog. (Or you can just go back to Mandy's since hers is the first stop!)  ;)

The Laughing Lola Paper Packet is certainly a new favorite of mine from Close to My Heart's Autumn/Winter Idea Book.  I thought I would add a pop of Sunset CS to see if I could make her Halloween friendly, and I think it worked like a charm!  ;)

This fab little treat box cracker cut is on the Cricut Artiste Collection.  I used my ATG to put it together nice and tightly, then filled it with a Bath and Body PocketBac, decorated Hershey's Chocolate Nuggets, and Kisses! 

The Black Shimmer Trim is one of my all-time favorite embellishments to use for some serious bling.  Isn't the scallop cut on the ends of the box a great detail?!

Check out these Twist Ties I used to decorate the ends where the box gets tied shut...would you believe I was able to color them with my alcohol ink markers?  YEP!  I have also used my ink daubers to color them up as well!  :)

These Nugget candies are so fun to decorate with a simple scrap of 1 x 3 inch paper or cardstock.  I added this awesome spiderweb border found on the Artiste Cricut Cartridge to these as well.  SO easy!  The Dark Chocolate Kisses are are already the perfect color to go with my box!

I am going to give this nice little package to my kiddo's teacher to keep her happy and germ free for the Fall!  ;)

Thanks so much for hopping in today!  Your next stop on the hop (giggle) is Teri's Blog!  If you ever get lost, you can always check out the entire line-up over on the Damask Divas Blog.  Have a great time checking out all the creations and hope to see you here again soon!  :)

A Simple Thank You Card with Laughing Lola

Hi everyone!  Here is one of the cards that we made last night at my workshop.  I created it on Day 4 of my upline's Card-A-Day Challenge this month for Stamptember--National Stamping Month!  It is a simple thank you card that I designed using pattern 19 from Volume 2 of the awesome Make It From Your Heart series inspired by Jeanette Lynton.

I used the Laughing Lola paper along with White Daisy, Slate, Black, and Pear CS.  The card base is from one of Close to My Heart's awesome value packs.  See that adorable little scallop edge at the bottom?  I made it with out brand new Scallop Border Punch!  So cute and easy.

I stamped the Thanks sentiment in Gypsy Ink with the Casual Expressions My Acrylix.  The little banner behind it is from the Laughing Lola Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit and it is stamped in Crystal Blue Ink.  The strip of Black Shimmer Trim is the perfect accent.

Thanks to YOU for stopping in today!  :)

Starburst Card Makeover with Close to My Heart Free Printables!

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday!!!

I have the second card for my Free-For-All Workshop all set!  Guess what?  It showcases the FREE printable download that you can get from Close to My Heart as a part of our "Rediscover Close to My Heart" Campaign.  Just click on THIS link and scroll down to below this banner...

...and click the link to download!  Print them out on some white CS and you are ready to go!  OR, you can come to my Free-For-All Workshop and make one!  Woot, WOOT!

Here is the card which uses one of the eight printables...

My consultant friend, Susan Williams, has a fantastic blog where she shows how to make this kind of starburst effect.  Go HERE to see it!  Thanks, so much, Susan for sharing your talents with us!

I used the For Always Paper Packet and my Dream Pop promotional paper for this one and added some black shimmer trim for added WOW!

Then, I realized that I could add some Claire paper in there to qualify for the H2H Challenges Mix and Mingle July challenge!  Yep, three paper packs used now!  :)  This is the perfect type of design to mix it up with your patterned papers for sure!

Come to my July 19th Close to My Heart Preview Party...also called the Free-for-All, lol...to make this card and other fun projects, enter a drawing, and get your copy of the brand new Autumn/Winter Idea Book with coupon, AND see the new products in person....all for just $10!

I JUST found my picture of the printables!  Adding it here for you to see the colors!

Celebrating with Mojo Monday 300!

Hi everyone!!!  I am sooooo glad to be back in my scrap room after a wonderful trip out to WA state for a family reunion.  I'll share some pics a little later, but I really needed to bust a move and get my Mojo Monday 300 entry blogged and linked!  They are having some amazing giveaways over there to celebrate, so check it out if you can whip up a card in a few minutes...lol, sorry, but I am totes last minute on this one!  (My pre-teen taught me that word--totes--it is apparently hip and short for totally, but only when used correctly...huh?)

Anyhow, here is my entry and the gorgeous 300th Mojo sketch!

I fell in love with this sketch immediately...and even knew which stamp sentiment I was going to use from looking at it just once.  :)  That strong square in the front was begging for the Close to My Heart Be Still My Acrylix stamp.  I also wanted to use the gorgeous round stamp from Love Doily in place of the circle in the sketch. 

This flower is made from some retired CTMH blooms in Tulip and Creme Brulee.  They are the perfect accent colors for the black and white papers.  A black button with black sparkle grounds the flower to the rest of the black tones.  Black shimmer trim fishtail flags instead of green leaves keep the monotone in the background nicely.

Now, lets take a look at this skinny little border that I added as per the sketch.  I didn't think faux stitches would work with the overall feel of this card.  I opted instead to use the zip strip from one of the B&T duo papers from the For Always paper packet where I found these black and white patterns.

I carefully trimmed the sides from this zip strip....and used my bonding memories glue pen to adhere it nicely to the card.  LOVE the way this looks...it reminds me of a ball chain or a zipper.  :)

I added dimension to the layers on my card as well.  What would I ever do without my foam squares?  Actually, I don't want to find out, so it is time to order more!  ;)  I used a 5x7 card base for this one since my sentiment was so large...I forgot to mention that!  ;)

Thanks for coming in to see my Mojo Monday 300 entry!  Hey, did you know that this month Close to My Heart is running a super special!  In case you wanted to check out any of the supplies I used for this card, you can also get the Workshops on the Go Canvas Art Kit for HALF PRICE!!!  You read that right, for this month only, you can get this fantastic kit for only $19.95!!!  There is no other purchase required to get this fantastic deal, so check it out!  :)  Better hurry, because when they are gone, or when July is over, they are history!  Here is a pic...but it doesn't show the stamp set that is included! 

Color Me Happy!

Well this is a bittersweet week over at Heart 2 Heart.  This is the final week for the current Design Team, so we are going to miss the amazing creations these fabulous ladies share with us each month!  I want to thank them each for their inspiration and for all the tips, tricks, and tutorials they have shared. I also want to let them know that I WILL be checking in on them from time to time.  ;)

The wonderful news is that there will be a brand new DT announced later this week which we are all patiently (of course) waiting for...NOT!!!  About as patiently as I am waiting for the new Autumn/Winter Idea Book that is revealed at convention tomorrow!!!!  YES!  You heard me right...tomorrow, the CTMH consultants at convention get to see all the new products and goodies in the super-secret new cattie!!!!  Oh the suspense is crazy-intense, so I had to take a break from VBS planning this week and squeeze in some time for crafting to take my mind off of it...yeah right!  ;)

The last challenge at H2H this month is to use our favorite CTMH color in a project!  HOW AWESOME is that?  NOT at all, would be the annoying answer, lol...as I see repeated in the DT's blog posts, we seem to love ALL colors equally, lol, so choosing just one is torture almost impossible!  Now, my official favorite color is SPARKLE, so I am not sure that would count (but you bet it will be in there!)  I finally was able to settle on my favorite of each color and used them in the same design to see what I liked!  I cannot believe I haven't shown you a pic yet!  Sorry!

Ok, you cannot see all the great details without more pics!  You really need to see these at more than one angle...This first card features my favorite CTMH purple and blue--Smokey Plum and Crystal Blue!  I added some black shimmer trim for my sparkle.  ;)  The edge of the card is trimmed with a Martha Stewart Edge Punch.

Inside the card, I used the Chantilly Cardmaking WOTG My Acrylix set to stamp the two little banners that say, "Happy Birthday."

All of these card variations feature one of my FAVORITE CTMH images ever, and one of my FAVORITE people gave it to me!  It is a retired My Acrylix set called Find Your Style.  This butterfly image is simply gorgeous.

This next card shows off my two favorite warm tones from Close to My Heart, Hollyhock and Buttercup.  What can I say, I like syllables!  ;)

Do you alter your stamps?  I have done this to MANY!  I love this font and the sentiment of this one from Card Chatter--Sympathy, but I certainly didn't need the period at the end.  Easy solution--I chopped it off!  

Here it is on the inside of the card...

Finally, my most favorite two colors from CTMH (I think) right now...Lagoon and Sweet Leaf!

I really LOVE the butterfly in these two colors!  I need to use this combo more often!

 Another sentiment from Card Chatter--Sympathy finishes it off.

So, there you have it, my most favorite Close to My Heart Colors (of the moment.)  Which of my combos do you like the best?  What is your favorite CTMH color?  What's wrong?  Can't pick just one, you say?  JOIN the CLUB!!!  lol...