End of Summer Blog Hop

Wait, WHAT!?!?!  Didn't summer just start about a week ago?

I promise I won't start whining (even though I WANT to) because you probably came over from Stephanie's Blog looking for something crafty, lol, NOT to join in on a pity party.  Soooo, before my tantrum starts, here you go!

Last week was the start of another school year for me (so long, summer, sniff), and I saw a FANTASTIC piece of art shared on a friend's Facebook wall that featured a teacher's prayer that I had never heard.  By the end of the looooong first week, I NEEDED to create it for daily inspiration.  Here's my take on it and the link to the original piece of art.

original artwork doodle by Stephanie Ackerman

You might recognize the retired Close to My Heart Chalk It Up paper I used in this artwork...it's really perfect for "teacher stuff."  I used the Marker Alphabet set to stamp the title in Ruby, Tangerine, Lemon, Willow, Lagoon, Pacifica, Pansy, and Blossom.  I also used Jennifer's Hand for the word "prayer" and the Handwritten Print Alpha for the "a."

Now, my original vision of this project involved me stamping most of the prayer, but I quickly came to my senses and designed the rest of the prayer on Design Space for the Cricut Explore.  I used a few different cartridge fonts including Artistry, A Child's Year, and two Creative Memories fonts. 

I changed all of the fonts to "write" and duplicated the words I wanted to cut so I could also cut them by setting them to cut lines again.  I was quite ecstatic to find that the cricut pen was alright with me using my ShinHan markers to fill in some of the words--it didn't bleed at all.

The images and dies from the School Kids set were PERFECT for this project!

Well, of COURSE I used some red glitter paper!  ;)

I added a few other tidbits from various Fundamentals line products like the Adventure Ribbons  and two retired complements packs.

I hope you found some inspiration here, but for now you are off to Kelly's Blog to see what she's been up to this summer!

Here's the entire lineup for our little blog hop in case you get lost as you drown in your summer's end tears...

Katy

Stephanie

Amie (that's me!)

Kelly

Wendy

Jayma

Becca

One week left! 

Get 'em while you can!

Freshly Made for Dad

I was sitting in my craft cave having some VERY needed paper therapy this weekend when I remembered the Freshly Made Sketches design this week...

I also remembered this scrap of watercolor scenery I had created previously, but not used...so I guess it was time to use it!

The sketch is pretty wide open this week, but I stuck really close to the original...

I used a leftover Cricut Artistry shape that I had lying around for the sentiment.  I'm a keeper, what can I say?  ;)  This particular sentiment is from the new Close to My Heart Day for Dad My Acrylix, but it looks a bit different than the original thanks to my handy dandy Micro-Tip Scissors!  I did it again--I snipped my stamp to suit my needs.  It is one of the BEST things about clear, acrylic stamps.  :)

My dad is going to get a pretty good chuckle out of this one.  I was actually his firstborn AND born ON Father's Day!  PERFECT!!!

Here are the rest of the supplies I used for my card...

CTMH Watercolor Paper and Watercolors
CTMH Black, Canary, and Sunset Exclusive Ink
Pretty Pink Posh Sequins
Two retired stamp sets for the sunburst and sunshine  ;)

Check out the new June Stamp of the Month!

Stick it in a Pocket Blog Hop

Hello hoppers!  Welcome to the Blog Hops with Heart Stick it in a Pocket Blog Hop!  Now THAT'S a mouthful!  :)

We are SO glad you are here, because Kelly came up with a SUPER-fun theme this month, and we hope you all have as much fun hopping as we did creating!  The hop runs in a circle, so make like a kangaroo and just keep going, and going, and going...you get the picture.  :)  

My particular project inspiration came in the spur of the moment as I was wrapping up a little birthday gift.  I was bored with tying on gift tags...so I made a pocket for it instead!

The pocket is cut from the Close to My Heart Cricut Artiste Cartridge and the tag is cut from the newest Cricut Cartridge from CTMH...Artistry.

I used a sentiment from the For Family My Acrylix and Fern and Whisper Thick Twine to thread the tag.  I separated the thick twine in order to use a strand to stitch on the pocket.  I will take this opportunity to remind you that stitching on paper is a tricky business...it does rip if you lose yourself in the moment while creating...ask me how I know.  ;)

I used a textured stamp and tone on tone ink/CS to create the pocket texture.

This adorable pineapple washi makes a cute little pocket trim.

Sequins are from the Calypso and Magical assortments.

That's all I have for you today, so you are off to Kelly's Blog to see what kind of pocket she's using today! Enjoy!

Here is a list of all the ladies on our hop today--I am THRILLED to have added a few new names this month!

Amie (that's ME!)

Kelly

Becca

Shelly

Stephanie

Jayma

Katy

Mixed Media Madness Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Blog Hops with Heart Mixed Media Madness Blog Hop!  If you need an alternative activity to the bouncing orange ball, WE have just the right kind of madness for you!  Our hop runs in a circle, so just click on the next participant's name at the bottom of each post to take you to the next inspiring creation!  I will post a list of all the talented bloggers at the end.

I have been keeping a bible journal lately, so I want to show you EXACTLY what that involves...

1.  I painted a very thin layer of clear gesso onto my page to prep it.  I don't do this for every page--just the ones I intend to get a little WET...I used a couple of sheets of vellum to protect the pages I am NOT working on today...

Yep, it curls...a bit.

2. Use a bit of washi to keep your page still...

I used a few circle cuts to mask off the bottom of my page.  Then I sponged Crystal Blue Exclusive Ink onto my skyline and up...

3. The verse I am working with is Isaiah 1:18  

"Come now, let us reason^[a] together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool."

I used my watercolors to add some red coming down from the top...then I stepped away to let it all dry...

4. I came back to a nice wrinkly red, white, and blue page.  Hmmmm, that was interesting to me. I stamped the word RED in Ruby Ink, and thought this Ruby Chevron washi worked nicely...and some cloudy washi...and some snowflake Cricut Artistry cuts...and clouds OF COURSE...and white snowy shimmer trim!

5. This last addition was completely spur of the moment...wool.  I stamped the Lamb from the Reason for the Season My Acrylix in White Daisy Pigment Ink and embossed with White Embossing Powder.

See the Wink of Stella Gitter on the snowflakes?  :)

I love the process of hearing God's Word through my art!  Now I can't wait to see the rest of the art on our hop!

Check out the fabulous madness over on Kelly's Blog next!

Here's the lineup for our hop this month:

Amie (that's ME!)

Kelly

Becca

Balloon Animals Zoo Layout

I showed my Facebook followers a little peek at this layout title over the weekend, so I can't keep them waiting much longer, lol...

Speaking of Facebook...how many of you utilize it for keeping track of WHEN your pictures were taken?  I seriously blanked when the time came to date these pics, but Facebook came to my rescue...since I had posted them on the day of the event!  :)

The lettering is from the Cricut Artistry Cartridge and I just elongated it on Design Space before I cut it out on my Explore.

The framed image on the Close to My Heart Balloon Animals Stamp of the Month serves as a great little frame for the letters in my layout title!  I stamped in Sapphire Ink on Crystal Blue CS. The shapes are cut from the Artistry Cartridge on my Cricut Explore where I was able to tweak the size a bit for the inner white shape in Design Space.  It was then that I discovered my carrier sheet has incorrectly listed the size to cut in order for the stamped image to fit.  It should be a height of 1.25 inches, NOT the .75 it has listed.  Does anyone else have that issue?

I stamped this little guy in Eggplant Ink.

I used the super-springy Penelope Papers for my background.  Some Fundamentals Stickers and Silver Sequins round out my embellishment clusters for a quick and easy layout!  :)

Time is quickly running out to get your Balloon Animals Stamp set!  February is just about history!

You can still Share the Love with this special My Acrylix stamp AND donate $7 to Operation Smile! 

Anniversary Card with Cricut Artistry

Tomorrow is my 20th wedding anniversary.  It is pretty crazy to read those words in black and white, let me tell you.

I had this awesome little tree stump cut from the Cricut Artistry Cartridge just sitting around for a while, so I decided to use it on a card for the hubs...

I used the Zoe Paper Packet and Compliments for the top card, as well as some leftover Kraft CS hearts from the same cartridge.  The sentiment is found on a Hostess Rewards My Acrylix call Say It All.  You can earn one FREE by hosting your own Close to My Heart gathering with your friends or by joining my NEW Frequent Buyers Club!!!  (Click HERE for more details.)

Then, I realized I could actually make the card into an entirely different season pretty easily...

The leaves and acorns I used in this version were from a wreath image (also on Artistry) I had used on several gift tags in a previous workshop HERE.  I just LOVE using up shapes I have already cut out!  :)

Which version/season do YOU like the best?  

Moon Phases on Monday

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share a quick project that showcases one of the reasons being a crafty mom with a Cricut cutting machine ROCKS!!!  ;)

My youngest needed to make a model of the moon phases, and one of the choices was to make a mobile.  Now, I am NOT the mom that DOES my kiddos homework for them (good golly I already had to go through school once, I've done my time!)  I just showed her how to put the images on the mat on the iPad and size them, and away she went!!!  I hardly had to give her any direction after that except to supervise proper mat insertion (seriously, these kids have a built-in iChromosome these days!)  Here is her finished project!

The entire mobile hangs from a tube hanger...

 She colored in each dark side of the moon...

She chose Topiary and Pacifica CTMH CS

The Earth is found on the Close to My Heart Artistry Cartridge, while the Moon and Sun are found on my CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Canary CTMH CS

I wish I could tell you the mobile made it to school tangle-free, but that is a strory for another day!

Raise your hand if YOUR kiddos have helped create a school project with a Cricut cutting machine!
This was not our first, and I am SURE it won't be the last!  ;)

Thanks for stopping in today!  Have a STELLAR week! 

CTMH Perpetual Calendar: December

Happy Friday!!!

Today is just a half day at school, and it sure is a good thing because the kiddos are bouncing off the walls!!!  It is also crunch day for me and the fam as we get ready for our own Christmas celebrations!

I showed you the Perpetual calendar I was making for my sis last month HERE, so let's move on to the next month, December....

It sure is amazing what a little heat embossing can do!

I used several Close to My Heart products for this one, so here is a complete list:

White Pines Paper Packet
Peacock and White Daisy CS
Cricut Artistry Collection
Holly Jolly Christmas My Acrylix Stamp Set
Juniper Exclusive Ink (Dye)
Red Sparkle Gems
Silver Sequins
Silver Shimmer Trim
Ranger Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder 

Non-CTMH:
MCT Snowflake Die

Thanks for stopping in today, and come back again soon!  :)

December Stamp of the Month--THIS month ONLY!

Get the Planner Bundle on sale HERE!

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

It really is a shame that the weather isn't very winter-like lately in the Midwest.  HA!  I am not at all missing the typical winter around here--give me El Nino any time!  ;)

Anyway, I wanted to make an ornament to give the hostess of our family party this past weekend, so I used the Cricut Close to My Heart Artistry cartridge to make a snowman without the cold.

Can you believe how little those detailed snowflakes are cut???

I have seen several versions of this type of ornament...and I am a HUGE fan of Olaf and the song, so I just couldn't wait to make my own version.  I ended up using some leftover white circles instead of trying to fit the snowman body into the glass ornament, but I started with the cute little guy below.

I love to have extra tags laying around so I always cut extras when using my Cricut Explore.  I grabbed one to write this adorable phrase and added a peppermint candy image from the Merry, Merry My Acrylix stamped in Cranberry Ink. 

See that tiny little black hat?  I used some Green Glitter Paper to liven up some plain black CS.  This particular color combo is still only available while supplies last, so don't wait!

I have been wanting to use these Cupcake Boxes forever, and this was the perfect time!

Are YOU making any handmade gifts this year?  Tell me what you are making!  :)

December Stamp of the Month!

Planners Gonna Plan!  15% off when you order the bundle this month!

Fundamental Friday Layout

Alright, I think this is officially my favorite Fundamental layout yet!

This font found on the Close to My Heart Cricut Artistry Collection is fantastic for lettering OR using the negative cut...

Did you know that Close to My Heart carries the ENTIRE 50 states???  YES!  Also the Canadian provinces and Australia/New Zealand!  :)  This photo really shows off the shiny embossed side of the Fundamentals Patterns...

Did I ever mention how much I ADORE matting photos?  ;)

JUST one final reminder that TODAY (Friday, December 4th) is the LAST day to save 25% on almost 40 products on my Close to My Heart website!  Better hurry!  You only have until 4pm MST to get the Cricut Artfully Sent Collection for just $74.25!!!  (That's 6pm CST for my peeps!)