Fundamental Friday is BACK!

You had to know it was coming, so here you go! 

The Rustic Home Fundamentals are quite frankly one of my favorite new products in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  You can even get it for free this month!!!  I used the sweet wood grain paper and the new Sea Glass Glitter Paper on this super-easy thank you card...

I used the brand NEW Thin Cuts--Thanks and Hello to create an entirely new sentiment for my card.  Thin Cuts are made to be used in several different embossing machines like the Sizzix Big Shot and the Cricut Cuttlebug.  This is what the two dies in this super fun set look like...

So how in the world did I do that??? 

It was SO easy, let me show you how I did it with the "hello" die and my handy dandy Micro-tip Scissors!

I even show you another idea to replace the "o" with the heart frame!

 I TOLD you it was easy!  There are so many ways to use these dies!!!  How will YOU use them?

Right now, if you take the plunge and buy one of each of the three new Fundamentals Paper Packets, you can choose one of these for FREE!!!

Just click HERE to go to my website where you can add all three packs to your cart, plus chose your FREE paper all in one click. It doesn't get much easier than that!  ;)

Thank YOU!

My customers are the BEST!  I am so grateful for each and every one of you!  I will be announcing the winner of my mystery box later today, but first, a card!

My super-talented daughter created another amazing card, and since it's a thank you card, it was the perfect share for today!  She used Topiary and Smoothie CS together for an out-of-this-world combination!   I love this combo for Christmas, and it was perfect with her embellishment rub-ons.
The Thank You sentiment is from the retired For Every Occasion My Acrylix set.  She even added to the inside!

I just love her creations!

So, want to see who won the mystery box?  I will meet you back here later this evening after I get all the orders over the past 12 days rounded up!  See you soon, and good luck!  :)

Thanks A Bunch Color My Heart!

Hi everyone!  Thanks a bunch for stopping in today to see the next challenge from the Color My Heart Color Dare.

This week, we are using Gypsy and Buttercup along with any neutrals of your choice.  I used White Daisy and Slate for the neutrals on my card, and tried a little technique with my white gel pen that I have seen around quite a bit.

There are a few things that I just LOVE about this card...first being the awesome background stamp I used from the Close to My Heart Geometric Backgrounds My Acrylix.  I stamped it in Buttercup all down the front of my White Daisy card base.  I wanted a nice "picnicky" feel from it to go along with the grapes.  The Gypsy CS grapes were easy to cut out with a small 5/8" size circle punch.  I inked the edges with Gypsy Exclusive Ink and highlighted a little semi-colon on each of the top grapes with my white gel pen--SO fun!

The edges of this White Daisy panel are distressed to add some texture, and I even popped it up with foam squares.  Some of the grapes are popped up as well--I am kind of a dimension girl, lol.

Now for my absolute FAVORITE part of the card--the Slate Striped Twist-Ties!  I simply cannot thank whoever came up with these enough!!!  They are perfect for grape vines, don't you think?  I find that glue dot minis are perfect for adhering these to my projects.

I try not to use too many retired products in my DT designs, but this was exactly the right sentiment for my grape bunch!  It is from the June 2013 Stamp of the Month, A Flowering Bunch.  I stamped it and the leaf from the same set in Slate Exclusive Ink and added a little Slate CS stem.

Ready to get busy creating yet?  I hope you have time to join us this week over at Color My Heart, and cannot wait to see what you make with your Close to My Heart colors Gypsy and Buttercup!

I still have a few more spots left open in my NEW Close to My Heart Reward Clubs, so please check them out HERE!  You could win your choice of Cricut Collection!  :)

A Simple Thank You Card with Laughing Lola

Hi everyone!  Here is one of the cards that we made last night at my workshop.  I created it on Day 4 of my upline's Card-A-Day Challenge this month for Stamptember--National Stamping Month!  It is a simple thank you card that I designed using pattern 19 from Volume 2 of the awesome Make It From Your Heart series inspired by Jeanette Lynton.

I used the Laughing Lola paper along with White Daisy, Slate, Black, and Pear CS.  The card base is from one of Close to My Heart's awesome value packs.  See that adorable little scallop edge at the bottom?  I made it with out brand new Scallop Border Punch!  So cute and easy.

I stamped the Thanks sentiment in Gypsy Ink with the Casual Expressions My Acrylix.  The little banner behind it is from the Laughing Lola Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit and it is stamped in Crystal Blue Ink.  The strip of Black Shimmer Trim is the perfect accent.

Thanks to YOU for stopping in today!  :)

Month-long Cardmaking Challenge! Who's In?

Hi there!  My upline, Mandy Leahy, is hosting a fantastic little challenge this month to create a card-a-day.  You can find it HERE.  She even gave us a different theme or guideline for each day!  I finished the first one just in time...but posting is another matter all together, lol.  Here is day #1 Use a Banner!

This card is dedicated to my two friends who I was having a washi discussion with yesterday.  I was determined to use it as more than an afterthought...and for this one, it was actually the FIRST part of the card I make!   Girls, I love this banner even more than capris!  ;)

This adorable sentiment is found on Close to My Heart's Joyful Birthday My Acrylix stamp set.

I even used washi on the inside of the card to easily add a bit of interest!

Any other washi lovers out there?  Check out these two that I used on my website!

Slate Polk-a-dot Washi Tape
Lagoon Houndstooth Washi Tape

Guess what!?  Very soon there will be MORE washi to choose from!!!!  I will let you know when they are available, but let me leave you with a few hints of what is to come...spots, chevrons, and woodgrain and MORE....is anyone else drooling???  :)

Mooooooving on to day 2, we had a challenge with embossing!  Sweet!  I desperately need more little thank you cards to send with my Etsy orders, so I came up with an idea using 3x3 card bases made of Kraft paper, our Mini Pigment Inks, and clear embossing powder...

You can see the shiny detail in the stamp a bit better in this one...the stamp is cut out of White Daisy CS on my E2 from the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge...

I used the retired June Stamp of the Month, A Flowering Bunch, to make a row of flowers to go along with the thank you...and added sparkles to match on a few of the blooms!  I was even able to color the clear Sparkles with my Alcohol Ink Markers to match the ink on the stamp!  :)

Two days down and 28 to go!  :)

Color Dare Time Again!

Welcome back for another Color Dare over at Color My Heart!  Let's just get down to the nitty gritty today with our colors for the week!

We have a splendidly similar line-up as two weeks ago for those of you who prefer the lighter side of things.  ;)  Our Close to My Heart colors are Sky, Sweet Leaf, and Buttercup.  Use these three colors (or similar if you don't have the exact Close to My Heart Colors) along with any neutrals of your choice!  I chose White Daisy and Black.

First I cut my White Daisy CS to size.  Then I gently rubbed the area I would be stamping on with my powder pouch.  This really works well to keep your embossing powder from sticking to the other parts of your card front.  I used my Versamark Ink Pad to stamp this little bunch of flowers on the CS where I had rubbed.  Then I dusted it with Clear Detail Embossing Powder and hit it with my craft heater.  This process forms a shiny, slightly raised image that will resist any ink that you sponge over it now.  You can see it in the picture below.  The whole technique is called Emboss Resist.

The next part is easy even though it looks tricky.  I started with the lightest color, Buttercup, and used my Sponge Dauber to apply the ink in a circular motion while the paper was lying flat on my Kraft sheet.  Then I did the same with the other colors and touched up where I needed to add more ink.

I let it dry REALLY well before I stamped the sentiment from Prefect Fit Thanksgiving so that it would not bleed.  I LOVE the contrast!

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the little emboss resist lesson today, and I cannot wait to see what you make for the Color Dare this week!  Come and link up with us HERE!  :)

Color Dare #48 Take Two!

So, I mentioned on Friday that I originally made up a floral themed card with this week's Color Dare colors from Close to My Heart, Smoothie and Topiary.   Appropriately enough, I used the June Stamp of the Month, A Flowering Bunch, lol.  Flowers, anyone?

I really wanted to add this glitter button in the middle, but it was kind of small to go it alone.  It was the perfect opportunity to add a flat button!  Huh?  What's that, you say?  Well, with Close to My Heart's My Acrylix stamp set Buttons, Bits, and Bobs, you can do just that!  Add a button without the bulk!  This is an amazing solution for those of you who don't like the bulk of buttons on your scrapbook pages, but like the look!  :)  The Cricut Artiste Cartridge contains the shapes that match the stamps, even down to the buttonholes!  See how I was even able to thread the Bamboo Waxy Flax right through them both?

To complement the stitching in the leaves, I added a faux stitch around the edges of the size A2 card with my Bamboo Marker.  The sentiment is stamped in Saddle Ink.  Love this color combo!

It definitely isn't too late to play along with the Color Dare this week, so play along and link up with us at Color My Heart before 9pm CST on Thursday!  :)

Also, if you find yourself drooling over this Stamp of the Month, don't wait!

When June is gone, so is this stamp set!  You can get it either at the regular price of $17.95 or for only $5 with a $50 purchase on my CTMH website HERE!  :)