Card Chatter--Sympathy

Time to clean house!  I have a few projects that haven't made it to my blog yet, and it is time to fix that!  Here is a wonderfully simple sympathy card I made using the Card Chatter--Sympathy and Love Blooms My Acrylix from Close to My Heart.

See how old these pics are!  I used my old watermark since I did this photo shoot many months ago.  You can still find both of these versatile My Acrylix sets on my website though.  :)  I embossed the Chocolate CS in the background with a folder that will remain nameless...because I cannot find the name!  Sorry!  I stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Ink to match.

The squares are a retired B&T from the Stella Paper Packet which is one of my old faves.   The edges are distressed with Olive Ink.  I stamped the flower in Creme Brulee and Goldrush.  After I hand-cut the flower, I spritzed it with my Ink Cleaner, crumpled it up,  uncrumpled it and left it to dry.  Isn't it a great effect?  The leaf is just hand-trimmed out of Olive CS and then detailed with more Olive Ink.

Thanks for popping in! 

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...

Chase Those Clouds Away

Hi everyone!  Today I am sharing another card with the Martha Stewart Scallop Dot border punch that I picked up recently.  Hope it can help to brighten your Monday!  :)

I really like how easy it is to use these border punches.   I also rounded the corners on this one to match the other curves.  The sentiment is from the Card Chatter--Sympathy from Close to My Heart.

These clouds are stamped in black (first and second generation) from the Chantilly Scrapbook Workshop on the Go and cut out by hand with my micro-tip scissors.

This hot air balloon is from a retired stamp of the month.  I used a puddle pad to stamp it in a rainbow of colors!   You can see more about it HERE where I first used this little cutie.  If my friend, Shelly ever blogs hers, I can show you where I got the idea!  Hint, hint, Shelly!   :)

UPDATE!!!  OK, so Shelly blogged hers way back in April and I missed it!!!  Completely!!! HERE is the link!  :) 

See you later!  :)

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!  ;)