Heart 2 Heart Design Team Sunset Debut!

Hi everyone!  I am here for my DT debut with Heart 2 Heart Challenges, and boy did we have a hum-dinger to start with!  This was sooooo much fun to make, so you guys just HAVE to play along with me and the rest of Team Sunset at H2H this week! 

The Challenge is Mix & Match and all you have to do is use 3 or more different papers and/or 3 or more different stamp sets in your project!  WOW!!!  While you start to digest that, let me show you my card...

Can you guess which three CTMH paper packs I used?  Here is a hint--two of them are names!  I will tell you in a bit!  ;)

Which SIX CTMH My Acrylix stamp sets did I use?  Hee, hee!  Here is a hint...some are retired (sorry!)  Keep reading!  ;)

Three or more buttons, too!  ;)  Stock up on your button needs, because you won't see them in the next Idea Book! 

Alright, I'll let you off the hook.  Here is my complete creative formulary:

Artiste Cricut Collection

CTMH Claire, Tommy, and Later Sk8ter Paper Packets
Storybook Numbers (ret.), Sightseer, Wheel of Life, Rock the Block (ret.), Love Life, and Fast and Furious My Acrylix stamp sets

Black and Honey Exclusive Inks

Black, Green, and Blue Buttons Assortments

Black Waxy Flax

So, what do YOU need to do to join in at H2H?  It's easy!  Just make a project using three different papers or stamp sets, use mostly CTMH products or order some from out fabulous designers, and link your post up with us at Heart 2 Heart Challenges Mix and Mingle!  :)  See you there!!!

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! 

First DT Assignment on the Color Dare

So, who's up for a little challenge?  It's time for a Color Dare that starts tomorrow (Friday) over at Color My Heart!  This is my debut performance for the Design Team, so I am super-excited!  Get out your Ruby and Indian Corn Blue colors from Close to My Heart and make up a little something.  It can be any kind of papercrafting project you like.  Here is the one I whipped up.  It is a scrapbook layout of my girlies on the 4th of July several years ago.  If you are a regular reader here, you might recognize part of it.  ;)

It was so refreshing to get back to summer for a bit!  I seized the opportunity to take these shades of red and blue and go patriotic.  Do you recognize the word, Sparkle?  Yep!  It is the cut-out from my new year's theme wall hanging that I made HERE.  I really do try to use EVERYTHING.  I am a total scrap hoarder saver!  And thank goodness, because this was absolutely perfect for the layout. 

I used a brand new size A2 embossing folder from the Paper Studio called Tiny Stars.  The journal box is stamped from the November 2012 Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart called Capture the Date.  I also used the My Acrylix set, Love Life for the rest of the layout on this side.  I only used Ruby and Indian Corn inks, but stamped them in generations to produce different shades of the two colors.  Generational stamping is when you stamp an image without reinking.  Some of the darkest colors can be stamped five times making a lighter version with each impression! 

The corrugated star is from the Milepost Shapes which are retiring after January, so pick some up while you can!  I inked these with White Daisy Ink (thank you, Jayma, for the idea!)  Below, you can see how I popped up the matted photo with my foam tape.  I never thought to do this with pics until I attended the Close to My Heart St. Louis Regional Celebration in September.  I absolutely LOVE the effect! 

I'll show you the second page of my layout tomorrow, so make sure you come back!  In the meantime, why not dig out these two colors and link up a project to the Color My Heart Color Dare?  Have fun and go get your SPARKLE on!  :)

Creative formulary:

*White Daisy, Black, Ruby, and Indian Corn Blue cardstock from Close to My Heart
*Close to My Heart Cricut Artiste Collection (journal box and star cuts)
Cricut Craft Room
the Paper Studio Tiny Stars Embossing Folder
*Black, White Daisy, Ruby, and Indian Corn Exclusive Inks and Indian Corn Pigment Ink Mini (star on Journal box)
*CTMH paper distresser
*Shimmer Trim
*Milepost Shapes
*Sparkles

My St. Louis Regional Contest Entries

OK, so I rearranged the order of my posts juuuuust a bit.  I have been absolutely dying to share these projects with my teammates (read Diana, lol), but was keeping them under wraps until after the contests.  Well, the contests are long over!  First up is my entry to the Card contest using the new Alcohol Markers.  I have not had any training in the pretty coloring and shading that some of you are so amazing at, so I approached this one from another angle and used the markers in sort of random coloring.  I also did not take any pics of the other entries because I have no idea yet how to color like that, lol, sorry!  You will just have to take my word for it that they were amazing and ALL variations of coloring in pictures, so I was apparently clueless in this one.  No prize for this one, but I absolutely adore it.  :)

Yep, my coloring stinks, but I love the card!  I can do this one in so many different colors and plan on making some sets to sell with different sentiments.  This one will go to the next lucky couple I know getting married.  :)  I used a silver brad in the center and some bitty sparkles around the medallion edge.  This Black Tulle Ribbon is simply mahvelous, darling!

The Love Life My Acrylix stamp set provided the perfect background pattern.  Then I used Beautiful Friendship My Acrylix for the medallion shape, and the Avonlea Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go Stamp set for the sentiment.

My favorite new product (I may have mentioned that before), Shimmer Trim,  made itself at home bordering the sentiment.

I even added the flourish stamp from the background to the envelope.  SO who's getting married?!  ;)


NEXT up is my entry for the 3D object contest using the new chalkboard paper or shapes.  Again, no prize, but man you should have seen the competition!!!  Wowzers there are some super-talented consultants out there, and I had no idea how these things went.  NOW I know, lol.  Anyway, I used the chalkboard paper and my cricut to make my favorite of the 3D shapes--the Magazine File filled with cards in the same beautiful Avonlea paper.

 Slate Satin Polka-Dot Ribbon?  Check.   Shimmer Trim?  Oh you betcha!

I used an antiqued copper brad and a couple of stamps from the Avonlea Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go for this embellishment. 

Now, for some pics of some of the other entries...

The winner:

and some of my faves...

They did not post the names of the consultants who created these, so I cannot even mention the fabulous designers, sorry!

Now, back to our regular programming tomorrow!  ;)