Tag (You're It!) Tuesday: It's For the Birds

Welcome back to my blog for another Tag (You're It!) creation!

This tag is dedicated to the birds who were forced to take a break from building their nests when it SNOWED yesterday, April 14th, in what is turning out to be THE LONGEST winter in the history of my life!  (That sentence probably is too!)  ;)

Alas, I have ZERO control over the weather here in the Midwest, but I am in FULL control over my creation today!  Take THAT, snow!

I am just head over heals for this one, and I hope you are too!

Wouldn't this be perfect for some candy eggs?  Chocolate, of course.  I ate mine already, so I just used another kind of candy...hmmm better get to the store before the weekend!  Ooops!  ;)  Anywhoooo, I am linking up with the Simon Says Happy Easter and/or Sweet Treats Challenge!

I used the following Close to My Heart products to make this little treat bag and tag:

Cricut Art Philosophy Collection (cartridge and dimensional elements tag)
Desert Sand CS
Pink Glitter Paper
Black and Grey Glitter Paper
Brown and Tan Glitter Paper
Burlap Ribbon
Skylark Textiles
Mini Medley Accents Wooden Collection (hemp baker's twine)

Let me show you how easy this was to make!  Did you notice there were no stamps used?  ;)

Start off by cutting a length of Burlap Ribbon that is just longer than your tag shape.  Then trim off each side that has the thicker cord...

 Now you can separate all the little fibers of burlap...

I used the Dimensional Elements Tag shape to have a sturdy base for the tag.  You can cut the same shape tag out of the Desert Sand CS and attach it to the chipboard tag with Bonding Memories Glue.

Squeeze out a nice layer of liquid glass onto the CS to apply the pieces of the nest...

You don't have to be neat about this part...just lay the longer threads of burlap fiber out to overlap the sides and hang off the edges of the tag a bit...

It ends up looking nice and irregular with some extra space between the fibers...so you can just go back and add some of the shorter pieces of burlap to fill in the gaps while adding little drops of liquid glass as you do...

Walla!

The egg shape I used is also found on the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Did you hear you can get this cartridge for FREE this month?  Did you hear you can actually get over $425 worth of amazing CTMH products and business supplies for only $99???  It is all true!  There are no strings attached at all to join my Close to My Heart team this month!  Whether you are looking to build a business from home or just build a collection of amazing products for a great discount, you are welcome to take advantage of this limited time offer!  You can actually choose any of the three Close to My Heart exclusive Cricut cartridges for FREE when you purchase the New Consultant Kit pictured below for just $99 with $15 to ship it out.  THAT'S IT!  No commitment, no strings!  Of course, I would LOVE to help you get off the ground running with your very own business, but the choice is yours.  :)  Team Been There, Blinged That is growing and would love to have you!  I really don't want you to miss this opportunity, so if you are interested, follow this link HERE for way more details!  If you have already made up your mind, then click HERE to join me and choose your FREE Cricut Collection!  :)

I Like Pina Coladas!

Hi everyone!  Welcome to my blog today!  I really DO like Pina Coladas, but I don't have any to share right now, because this post is all about Heart 2 Heart's Tropical challenge.  Awwww shucks!  ;)

Tonight I was able to squeeze in some crafty time after a crazy day playing taxi mom--I'm not complaining one little bit because that is my first calling--but I am always happy to give in to my second calling of playing with paper!  I had an idea just POP into my head, so away I ran after the kiddos were in bed.  Here is my entry!!!

I used a few different Close to My Heart embellishments including the Outdoor Denim Chevron Ribbon, Mini Medley Wooden Collection, Hemp Baker's Twine, and the retired March 2013 Stamp of the Month, Floral Happiness.  I also used White Daisy, Black, Outdoor Denim, Kraft, and Buttercup CS.

The sentiment is stamped in Desert Sand Ink.  I cut the shape on Black Cardstock from the Cricut Artiste Cartridge and trimmed it to fit my card.

I popped up the black frame with foam squares.  The kind I use for cards are only 1.5 mm thick, and I love the dimension they give without a whole lot of bulk.

The beautiful sunset is stamped with sponge daubers in Ruby, Autumn Terracotta, Goldrush, Sunset, and Buttercup inks.  Then I spritzed the CS with the stamp cleaner a few times to blend the colors a bit.  I folded it up in a paper towel to dry underneath my dauber case before using it on the card.

The twine fits nicely around the frame to hold the button.  :)  (Thank you, Shelly for the pretty nails!)

The final product is pretty much the vision I had in my head earlier today, so I am a happy crafter tonight!  :)  I hope I inspired you to try your own sponged sunset with your inks!  You can even make your own tropical project and link up any time until the end of June with Heart 2 Heart Challenges!   Come and play along!

Now for that Pina Colada....

Tag, You're It!

I recently discovered that I LOVE making gift tags!  The only problem is that I rarely need to give a gift, lol, so I have a growing collection of tags.  ;)

This one is specially made to enter the Heart 2 Heart Blog Challenge, Tag, You're It.

I started off with this one thinking about woodgrain, so wanted to use the Dakota Paper Packet.
Instead of the woodgrain paper, though, I made my own with some Kraft Cardstock, Saddle Ink, and the wood stamp from the Universal Backgrounds My Acrylix.  I attached this paper to a tag shape that I got from the Dimensional Elements Tags set and covered with Colonial White Cardstock shapes cut to match the tag exactly from the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge.

The flower incorporates both sides of one sheet of B&T Duo paper.   I inked the edges with Outdoor Denim Ink to give each layer some definition.  Yep, it was messy, but oh, so worth it!   I LOVE the way it turned out!!!  The leaves are made of Olive ribbon from the retired Designer Ribbon Green Collection.

I used the flower cut on page 54 of the Cricut Artiste Cartridge which I cut at 1.75, 1.5, 1.25, and 1 inch on my E2 cutting machine to form the layers of the flower.

At the center of the flower is a tiny button from the Buttons Basic Assortment that has a thread of the burlap ribbon tied in the center.  I used one that I had carefully pulled from the edges of the ribbon to make it fray a bit.

I selected a versatile THANKS sentiment for my tag that I fashioned with the brand new Keyboard Kraft Alphabet stickers from Close to My Heart.  I also added a houndstooth pattern Irresistibles Frame to ground my embellishments.  The Hemp Bakers Twine that I used as the tie of the tag is in the Mini Medley Accents Wooden Collection.

Do you like to make gift tags?  Have you ever tried one?  Now just might be the time to give it a go and link your creation up with the Heart 2 Heart Challenge!  You have until the end of the month to enter.  :)

A Little Shabby Chic for Color Dare #27

Well, January is rolling right along, isn't it?  It is already time for another Color Dare from Sarah at Color My Heart.  This week, the challenge is to use three shades of green--Sweet Leaf, Topiary, and New England Ivy.  OK, so I know you just thought about St. Patrick's Day--I did too, so don't even worry about it.  But I want you to challenge yourself to NOT go there!  I cleared my head with a quick tidy of my craft room, and went in a totally different direction. 

My project this week is a gift tag in a shabby Chic style.  I find this style a bit intimidating to pull off, but I LOVE it when it works.  I think it did this time!  :)

Whew!  I did have to work that baker's twine hemp (new product alert!) and burlap ribbon through the tag hole!   My tag is cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge from Close to My Heart.  This is one of my favorite tag shapes on our two cartridges. The neutral colors I added this week are Colonial White, Cocoa, a teeeny bit of black, and Kraft Cardstock.

You can even see the stray fibers in my close ups today!  ;)  Here are my three greens, two are also cuts from Art Philosophy and the third is from the soon to be released Chantilly Scrapbook Workshop on the Go.  Oh my, this one is a keeper, you guys!  I also used another stamp from this set for the Cocoa colored leafy background on the Kraft paper.

This crotchet flower and button are from the Bohemian Assortment--and retiring at the end of this month, gasp!  Say it isn't so!  *pouts*  When you see the new products, I promise you will get over it!  ;)  ( I almost am....)  Anywho...I cut two small circles of the black tulle and folded them each in half.  Then I laid them side by side with a glue dot on each one to hold it--easy as pie!  Did you know it was national pie eating day yesterday?  Yep.  Don't worry, you can still celebrate.  ;)  I won't tell!

This fabulous "HELLO" sentiment is on yet another brand new Close to My Heart My Acrylix stamp set, appropriately named, Hello Blooms.

Here is my complete creative formulary for this project:

Cricut Expression 2
*Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge
*Colonial White, Kraft, New England Ivy, and Sweet Leaf Cardstock
*My Acrylix Stamps Hello Blooms and Chantilly Scrapbook Workshop on the Go (available Feb. 1)
*Cocoa, New England Ivy, Sweet Leaf, and Topiary Exclusive Inks
*Bohemian Assortment (retiring this month!)
*Burlap Ribbon
*Black Tulle
*Wooden Mini Medley (available Feb. 1)

Now--I dare you to leave the leprechauns at the end of the rainbow, and go get busy with your green side!  ;)  Link up at Color My Heart the Color Dare Blog by next Thursday!  You could be the next winner of the coveted Color Dare Diamond blog badge, so what are you waiting for?  I can't wait to see what you make!

UnBEARably Cute Sneak Peek

I honestly cannot wait for you all to see this new Idea Book.  It has the most gorgeous artwork in it by so many super-talented consultants.  I can't wait to see how they did it all!

This is one sneak peak that was hard to keep under wraps for long.  This adorable little bear is from Peachy Keen Stamps.  I love, love, love their stamps!   I paper pieced her together using Desert Sand Cardtock, The Dotty For You Paper Packet, Shimmer Trim for the heart, and our BRAND NEW Chantilly Textiles!  YES!  Close to My Heart has FABRIC in this new Idea Book.  And. I. Stamped. On. It!  Oh my gosh, let me get the smelling salts because I am afraid I lost you!  ;)

The pink patterned pj's are one of the three different fabrics you receive in the Chantilly Textiles Pack that is available starting February 1st from Close to My Heart.  Can you spot the second brand new product?  Here it is up close--the bear's hair!  :)  This is a hemp baker's twine that comes in the new Wooden Mini Medley Collection!  I think it is perfect for hair, lol!  I attached it on the back with my ATG tape and tied it up with floss.

I used the Black Exclusive Ink for this experiment and will try the other kinds of ink soon!  Remember, February 1st all these new products and MORE will go live on my website!  :)

Tune in on Friday to see some more of this fabulous fabric in a whole new way!