Double-Dare for Color Dare 62!

It is Friday!  I have been waiting ever so patiently for this day to come so that I could share this card with you guys!  Maybe not patiently, but definitely waiting, right?

This week at the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge, we want to double-dare you to use TWO greens from Close to My Heart--Sweet Leaf and Olive.  You are welcome to add your choice of neutrals.  I was making glittered up cards for a challenge, when I realized I could add a little bit of Sweet Leaf to this one for the Challenge and it would be LOVELY!

The wonderful Autumn feel of the Huntington Papers were putty in my hands as I trimmed them and inked up the edges with Cashmere Ink. (I think Cashmere should be spelled "caxhmere" btw...because that is how I keep spelling it, lol!)

I created the flower with the Brown and Tan Glitter Papers and the Just For You My Acrylix which has always been one of my favorites.  I simply stamped the images on the BACKside of the glitter paper and trimmed them out.  Be careful when you try this as the ink dries very slowly for some reason on the backing material.  Can you say, "inkyfingers?"  ;)

The leaves and sentiment are stamped in Olive and Caxhmere, respectively, using images from the Happy Autumn My Acrylix stamps.  ;)

Rosewood Mini Medley Accents add some great texture and strength to the feel of the card.  Below, I used a zip strip from the Huntington Paper Packet--don't forget about these awesome 1/2 inch strips of paper that come on the patterns!

The inside of the card got the Bronze Shimmer Trim treatment...as well as a cut from the Artbooking Cartridge that mimics the pattern in the Huntington papers nicely. 

I am SOOOOO ready for Autumn now!  ;)

How about you?  Show us your creations with these two shades of green (or similar) by linking up with us over at the Color My Heart Color Dare!  We can't wait to see what you make!  :)

Close to My Heart Glitter Paper is Just For You!

Hi everyone!  I missed playing along with the Card-A-Day Challenge yesterday, but I had a huge day, so I am giving myself a break.  I'm going to back up a bit and share the card I made for Day #8:  Glitter It Up!  I used all the sparkle I could get my hands on!  ;)

For the glitzy flower, I again used the Just For You My Acrylix Set that I LOVE along with the Black and Grey Glitter Paper!   If you crave the sparkle of glitter without the mess, then this paper is for you!  The sentiment and diamond pattern is from a gorgeous My Acrylix set called Fabulous You.  I stamped in Black Ink on Twilight CS.

Some other bits of bling came from the Base and Bling Black Jewels, Sparkles Flourishes, and Mini Medley Accents Black Collection.

I have been trying extra hard to give some attention to the inside of my cards as well...

Have I ever mentioned that all of the card bases I use come from CTMH too?  Yep!  HERE they are in White on my website in an awesome multipack!  They are pre-scored, and come with envelopes too.  I highly recommend them!

Thanks for stopping in and taking a peek!  I cannot wait to show you a similar card I made that has a different color scheme all together...but you will have to wait until Friday!  Sparkle on!  :)

My Favorite CTMH Stamp Set -- Just For You

Hi everyone!  I am checking in to show you the 3 x 3 card I made yesterday for the Card-A-Day Challenge with Mandy Leahy.  I cannot believe it is already day 6! 

I used my favorite stamp set from Close to My Heart called Just For You and the Huntington Paper Packet. 

This gorgeous little piece of bling in the center of the flower is found in the Rosewood Mini-Medley Accents.  I just love the dash of beauty it adds!

I lined the inside of the card with White Daisy CS since the double sided Huntington paper would not show writing very well.  A lovely little 3 x 3 Kraft envelope will match nicely don't you think?  :)

Last One, I Promise!

Alright, I said I had more of this particular stamp set left in me.  You didn't believe me did you?  ;)

I am a woman of my word!  Here is my LAST Dream Pop/Just for You combination...for now.

This is actually the last photo too, because I can't find the rest on my computer!  Lol...divine intervention?  ;)

I will never get tired of this design though, so I am making NO promises they won't show up again!  I CAN promise they will be making an appearance in my Etsy Shop!  Check it out along with all my other cards and home decor items HERE!

Mistakes: Take One

Hi everyone!  Yep, I make mistakes all the time!  How about you?  I just don't usually blog about them, lol!  ;)

Here is a classic that I have made before in the height of my creative glow, and I am sure I will do it a million more times before I am finished. 

Can't tell what's wrong?  Well, that is because I fixed it before I took this pic!  Otherwise the card would not have stood up well because I PUT IT ALL ON UPSIDE DOWN!  Oooops!  Sigh....

At least there is an easy fix for this problem.  I simply cut the front OFF of the card and glue it to the front of another one!  ;)  

I used Joyful Birthday for the sentiment here in White Daisy Pigment Ink. 

 Love those Black Glitter Buttons!  A purple sparkle in the middle accents it nicely.

 

I used the Banana colored Dream Pop Cardstock for this flower.  I just can't stop making them, lol!  Don't worry, I won't keep posting new versions of this card...I have to move on at some point.  ;)  Until that day comes, just bear with me and enjoy! 

Dream Pop Tangerine!

I have absolutely lost my mind.  Not really, but I am definitely on a roll!  Here is another card combining the bright, bold colors of the Close to My Heart Dream Pop Paper Packet with the versatile Just for You My Acrylix Stamp set.

Isn't it amazing how many different ways you can combine these two?  :)  This Tangerine color just pops right off the Kraft CS.  I love the leaves stamped in Black Ink this time on the Pear CS.  The beautiful sentiment is found on the Beautiful Friendship My Acrylix Stamp set also from Close to My Heart.

The bling sure seems to balance out the plain background nicely on these cards. Not that you would EVER need an excuse to add some sparkle!  ;)

Thanks so much again for coming by to see another creation!  Your comments are sparkle to my ears!  ;)

Dream Pop Goes Gypsy Just for You

Hi everyone!  I have been having WAYYYY too much fun with this Dream Pop paper!  It should really be outlawed at this point...or maybe I should just be banned from spending another $35 to get another pack?  NO WAY!  Lol...

Anyhow, I am over-the-top about using the Just for You My Acrylix with these papers, and here is my latest version!

I am really loving this grey chevron paper as a background, so I mixed it up with some Gypsy CS for a completely stunning look.  The leaves are done in Pear Ink Stamped on Pear CS.  Black Shimmer Trim, a black glitter button, and a large Sparkle all add to the elegant feel of the card. 

Thanks for coming in to see!  I am linking this one up to the H2H May Flowers Challenge.  Go check it out!  Also, for the first time, I am linking up to Dynamic Duos Challenge Blog for their choose an old combo challenge!  I don't have the exact colors, so chose our similar CTMH colors in the bold and sassy shades of these.  :)

Don't forget that the Dream Pop paper promotion won't last forever!  When the paper is gone, it's gone!  If it lasts for the entire month, then the last day to get yours will be May 31st! 

Assembling an Artiste Matchbox Gift Made with For Always

I have to admit that I should probably actually read the assembly guide that comes with the Close to My Heart Artiste Cartridge.  I came to this conclusion when I made my final version of the Matchbox Candy Box for my sister's Mother's Day gift.  I am not sure WHY I decided to look at it, but I did.  And I had assembled it WRONG in a different way than the directions showed, lol! 

First of all, here is my sister's finished gift...

The For Always Paper Packet is super-versatile.  My sister likes yellow, so added a Buttercup stamped flower that I made using my Cricut Artiste Cartridge and the Hello Blooms My Acrylix set.  The leaves are stamped on Pear cardstock using the Just for You My Acrylix.  I will be linking this gorgeous little flower up with the H2H Challenge, May Flowers.  Finally, the sentiment that I stamped in Lagoon is in the Perfect Fit--Mom My Acrylix.

Now, here is the little change I made accidentally in how I assembled the box, and how the handbook tells you to...I left these flaps UP, and the instructions show you to adhere them down...

like so...

I feel that the flaps left up kind of give the box a bit of a sturdier feel, but less of a "finished" look, so the choice it up to you!   Here are my previous two boxes with the sides left up...

What do YOU think?  Have you tried this matchbox cut yet?  Let me know!  :)  HERE is a link to my first matchbox that has all the measurements for you!  :)

Happy Birthday, Bethie and my #1 Fave! :)

I cannot go live with this post until Beth gets her card, so you are probably reading this a little AFTER her big day, Cinco De Mayo, lol.  Just extending that birthday celebration!

Did I tell you how much I am loving the Dream Pop Papers?  Here is just one reason why!

I made this card with a chalkboard look.  I adore that type of style right now, so hope to try it a lot more in the near future.  I used this sentiment from the Joyful Birthday My Acrylix and a flourish from the Love Life My Acrylix.

It is pretty easy to achieve this look, actually, just use White Daisy Pigment Ink on the Black Cardstock.  The tricky part comes while you are trying to let it dry!  Don't touch it or it will look like a hastily erased chalkboard!  ;)

I also just had to use the dark inking idea that my upline, Mandy Leahy, used in her Blog Hop project last week that you can see HERE.  I LOVE this look!  Best of all, it meant I got to use my favorite CTMH tool!  Know what it is yet?

The Just for You My Acrylix worked beautifully for making this flower with Dream Pop paper.  It is truly one of my favorite stamps.  I cut out the petals and inked each one with my #1 Fave Close to My Heart Tool.........a Sponge Dauber!

Before I became an Independent Consultant for Close to My Heart, I had no clue about inking paper edges.  None.  At all.  Fast forward to today and I can hardly complete a project without using one of my daubers!   Such a difference!  Inking the edges of patterned papers just makes it stand out a bit more from the crowd.  I love the effect. 

Here is one of mine in action on a recent project (go figure!)  It came in super-handy to ink up these letters.  :)

I store them in a handy dandy little case that I found online.  One for each CTMH color!  :)

I hope that Beth had a fabulous time extending her birthday a bit for my post!  Happy, happy, birthday!!!  If you want to find out how you can get your hands on the amazing Dream Pop paper, click HERE!  It is only available THIS MONTH! 

Dream Pop Chevron Cards

Monday again!  Yep, how about we brighten it up a bit?  OK?  Great!

Here is a bright little card that I made up with the new Dream Pop paper packet recently.

I adore this chevron paper sooooooo much!  I have made several cards with it like this, so this will be a fun week of sharing.  :)   The stamp set that I used, B1398 Just for You, is one of my all time favorites and has two cricut coordinated stamps on it.  Three of the petals are a pattern paper from Dream Pop and three are black ink stamped on the Raspberry Cardstock from the same paper pack.  I used Pear Ink on Pear color cardstock for the leaves.  Great color combo to wake up to.  Yum.

See the glossy embossed resist pattern?  So sweet!  I had to add some sparkle, you know, with one of the buttons from the Black assortment.  A bit of black waxy flax in the center adds just the right faux stitch. 

Don't you LOVE this grey patterned zip strip from the Dream Pop papers that I trimmed it up with?

I stamped the envelope in Cotton Candy to add a bit of flair.  This is one of the CTMH colors that coordinates nicely with Dream Pop.   :)  Hope you like the pop that the color has in this one.  There are lots more to come!  Hold on!  ;)

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!  :)