An Irish Birthday Blessings Card for a Game of Thrones Fan

Today is my sister's birthday!  She just got home from an amazing trip around England/Ireland including a tour of the filming locations one of her favorite shows, Game of Thrones.  Now, I haven't ever even seen one episode of GOT, but I decided to make her a card designed to take her back!

I combined some brand new products arriving next month from Close to My Heart for this one...including the gorgeous new basic grey, Charcoal, for my base.  I cannot believe I don't have a pic of the inside of the card!  It shows the amazing new feature of the Close to My Heart CS--the softer tone reverse side!  All the solid color CS except White Daisy and Black will soon have this feature and some of the packs are already available!

I also used one of my fast favorite product lines...the Fundamentals!  I combined the NEW Basics pack (floral print) with two colors from the Adventure set (Willow green watercolor pattern and this beautiful Pacifica ombre watercolor pattern...)
 

Here is the cut I used for this card on my Cricut Explore machine...

Those big white clouds are cut using a die from the Little Dreamer Scrapbook Set on my Sizzix Big Shot.  I'll have a layout created with this set up next week right here, so be sure to check in!

IF I had remembered to take a pic of the inside of the card, you would see I chose a beautiful sentiment from Verve called Blessings.  It says, "birthday blessings" with this beautiful verse following, "May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door."

Happy, happy birthday, Sis!  :)

Just a few more days!

ONLY in July!

Good-bye, Mojo Monday!

Oh my goodness what a SHOCKER!  When Julee announced that Mojo 500 would be her final Mojo Monday sketch challenge my jaw totally hit the floor.  I completely understand her two little precious reason, though.  ;)

Thank you, Julee, for providing us with so many wonderful sketches to jump start our mojo!

Mojo was one of the very first "challenge" blogs that I discovered through my other crafty friends after I became a Close to My Heart Consultant.  Let's just say I was quickly hooked on sketches!  I have had the joy of winning a couple of different stamp sets, and my Verve collection has somehow outgrown it's drawer...no idea how that happened.  ;) So I went back and found my very first Mojo Monday post when I played along with sketch 249...so promise you won't click, but it is HERE, lol.  Wow that was a long time ago! My VERY favorite entry (go ahead and click, lol) is THIS one from all the way back in January of 2013!  Or maybe it's THIS one.  I love them both!!!

I guess I can't stall any longer reminiscing, so on to the final sketch!!!

Now, I recall receiving these papers and ribbon with my Mojo order a while back--and there was some new challenge to use them for...but oh my goodness, I had no time to play along and now I have no idea what they were for, lol.  I decided it would be fitting to use them for this sketch along with the Blessings and Sunny Days Verve stamp sets and dies.

Those white dots work beautifully with all the other color here...

I happened to have some perfect paper pairings that complemented the two pattern papers I was working with...a Juniper wood grain paper from Jack that I used for the sentiment and a scalloped lace zip strip from one of the Prickly Pear 12 x 12 papers that runs along the ribbon.

I also glittered up the flower and button with the two Shimmer Brushes offered by Close to My Heart.  Can you see it?

Well, the time has come to say good-bye to Mojo Monday...but I'm hoping it is more of an "until we meet again!"  ;)  (sniff, sniff)

A Huntington Mojo With Meaning

Hello, my crafty friends. 

What is your least favorite card to make?  I am torn when it comes to answering this question.  I most dread needing to make sympathy cards because of the very nature of the situation that caused the need for a card in the first place.  However, I love the very opportunity to provide a word of comfort to anyone that is in need of it.

My friends recently lost their father suddenly, and I while I dreaded heading into my room to make them, I could not wait to send them a hug in the form of a handmade card.  For inspiration, I turned to Mojo Monday's latest sketch, and the soft hues of Close to My Heart's Huntington Paper.

The sketch gave me a great starting point to finally pull out my verve die cuts and matching stamps.  When I can't find what I need in my Close to My Heart My Acrylix, my Verve collection is one of my first stops.  I used the Bloom and Grow set with coordinating dies to stamp this flower in Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red, and Olive.  They were perfect for the overall theme.   I also added some Mocha Opaques to draw out the Champagne color from the Huntington zip strips I used for the banners.  The "heartfelt sympathy" is stamped in Slate Ink from the Verve Blessings set. 

The second card is quite similar using the same supplies except Cocoa Ink for the sentiment...

It will be a long process of saying goodbye for my friends this week.  I pray that God holds them tightly in his loving arms so that they know in their hearts it is really a matter of "until we meet again."