Freshly Made Awesome!

I'm back again to share a little bit more AWESOME from one of Close to My Heart's new stamp sets, Beyond Awesome!  I used the new sketch from the ladies over at Freshly Made Sketches this week, but turned it on its side:

Have you guys ever heard of Kid President?  If not, I HIGHLY suggest you look him up on YouTube.  I discovered him through my peeps at school, and I adore his outlook on life!  He has a thing for making people happy and just plain being an awesome human.  He also likes corn dogs.  You guys...I just had to.

That AWESOME watercolor background was painted my by AWESOME kiddo!

I made a card JUST for him using the Carnival Fun Stamps and Thin Cuts!  The CS colors are Lagoon and the soon to retire Pear--both found in the Adventure CS Pack.  The cute little sunglasses worn by the corn dog (stamped in Goldrush and the retiring ink color Honey) are found on one of the Zip Strips from the Calypso Paper Packet.  Thanks to the awesome consultants who shared their sunglasses Zip Strip ideas!

I hope he likes it, because he is the definition of AWESOME!!!!

Last chance to grab this one today!

LAST DAY for the FLASH SALE bundles!

Beyond Awesome Watercolors

Ready to see more cards with the sentiments from Beyond Awesome?  AWESOME!!!  I you missed my post yesterday, be sure to check that one out too!

LOVE this sentiment still!  I used one of the FUN PML pocket cards from the Calypso Paper Packet to back the watercolored oval this time...

That cute stitched from is from one of my MCT dies...love that look!

I didn't stop there, though!  Last month Close to My Heart had a super fun paper pack called Happy Times with a pretty gold foil.  I used the woodgrain paper from the same pack to create this version of my cards...

I used my Versamark Ink to stamp the image and sprinkled it with Princess Gold Embossing Powder before hitting it with my craft heater to make it nice and shiny...

The watercolor on this one turned out SO yummy!

Just a little piece of advice when heat embossing.  I use this powder tool from EK to brush a fine powder all over the area I will stamp to prevent the embossing powder from sticking where I don't want it.  It works SO WELL, you simply MUST use one!

I had quite a bit of creating going on here!

You can see I made LOTS of watercolored backgrounds at one time, and I'm not done sharing them yet!  Come on back tomorrow to see more!

Don't miss the LAST Flash Sale for June!  This special sale on bundled products will continue until the end of the month so there are just two days left!

Without a Little Help, It Can Be a Long Way Home

Hi there!  Anyone ever have some car trouble?  Yeah, well you can totally understand where I am coming from with this particular post.  One of the worst feelings has to be when the check engine light comes on in your vehicle.  Even more stressful, is when it comes on at 70 MPH on the expressway in another state!

Well, thank goodness my dad and bro-in-law were totally ON it when I cautiously rolled into my Sister's driveway a few weeks ago!  It was SUCH a huge relief to not even have to deal with it, and hello, what a fab opportunity to make a fun card!

The Beyond Awesome My Acrylix stamp set from Close to My Heart is...let's just say...BEYOND AWESOME!

 I love all the fun AWESOME sentiments!  This is probably my fave...

How ridiculously awesome are these vellum arrow accents from the Calypso Complements?

I thought it would be a nice touch to (gently) remind the boys what exactly they were awesome for, so I used the Long Way Home Stamp of the Month to get my point across on the inside...

I used my Watercolor Paints and Beautiful You PML cards for the sentiment background on this one, and I happen to have a few more cards like this one to show you!  Make sure you come back tomorrow to see!  :)

Father's Day Part Two

Soooooo, yeah, it was already Father's Day, but it isn't too late to start planning for next year, so I want to share another card I made the day I got my favorite birthday present...my MISTI stamping tool!!!  ( Did you take a breath reading that, lol?)

I am not sure if the pics I took help...but there are tons of videos about how to use the Misti on YouTube if you want to learn the best way.  I LOVE using a little trick to get the most out of my clear acrylic stamps from Close to My Heart...flipping the stamp over!  I used that simple method along with the Misti to get this bottle filled with my father-in-law's favorite kind of pop--Sunkist.  It just so happens to be my fave too!

The Misti has a clear door that swings open that replaces the need for a block.

I used the Day for Dad My Acrylix stamp set and the Calypso Paper Packet for this easy but personalized card.

Only in June!

Hurry!!!  Ends with June!!!

Color Dare #199 Meets Fundamental Friday!

Are you ready for a dare?

Good!!!  It's time for Color Dare #199, and the sweet ladies over at the Color My Heart blog asked me to Guest Design with them this week!  I haven't had much of a chance to join in, so I was excited to have the motivation as well as the time this summer!

When I heard the color combination of Cranberry, Pacifica, Sunset, and White Daisy, I immediately thought of the new Magical Paper Collection from Close to My Heart...and sang in my head, "Mickey Mouse...Donald Duck!"  ;)

***My apologies in advance--I am old school Color Dare and didn't realize we were to only use this week's colors!  I added black as my neutral...

The current Stamp of the Month, The Long Way Home, is a perfect companion to all your travel pics, so it naturally fell into place in this cluster along with the Mickey head created out of Black Glitter Paper and my circle punches.  I used some ticket shapes cut from the retiring Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge and some bits and pieces from the Fundamental Assortment Cranberry and the Magical Compliments and Sequins to add some punch.

This is my favorite thing to make these days with the little bows in the Fundamental Assortment...Minnie Mouse heads!  I also incorporated some easy texture into my layout by dry embossing onto my CS using the Confetti Stars and Stripes Folders...

At the time I was creating this layout, I was also creating for an upcoming Blog Hop all about embossing, so I also used my Ranger Super Fine White Embossing Powder and Versamark Ink to add some heat embossing with this van image!  It's a great way to add a white image to your creations! 

See that Black Shimmer Trim peeking out from behind the van?  ;)  Thought so!

I had SO much fun creating with this week's Color Dare!  Now it's YOUR turn to get crafty and link up with us HERE!  :)

Be sure to tune in to MY WEBSITE on Friday at 4pm CST for another Close to My Heart FLASH SALE!  Some of the supplies I used have been steeply discounted on the past Fridays, so I expect them to be again...AND it will be the LAST FLASH SALE this month!!!  :)

Throwback Thursday: Back to CTMH Convention 2015!

Hey there crafty peeps!  This week marks the 2016 Close to My Heart Convention in Orlando, FL.  I am sad to miss it, but thankful for all my crafty friends sharing on social media!  Keep the sneak peeks coming, ladies (and gent!)  :)

The theme for Convention 2016 happens to be based on the movie, Inside Out from Disney.  In a CRAZY turn of events, take a peek at the picture my consultant friend, Shelly, and I took at our "off-site" convention last year...wait for it...

WHO knew we were such trend-setters!  We unknowingly predicted the theme for 2016!  THIS was literally mind-blowing.

SO, in case the trend continues, let me post this new image of us in hopes a SUPER fun theme for the 2017 convention!  ;)  Here's to hoping!!!  

(I MUST thank my super-talented niece for sharing her photoshopping skills!!!)

Now....if you want to find me today, just look for my glowing face as I stalk all the social media sites for breaking Close to My Heart news and peeks of new products!!!  Squeeeeeeeeeeeel!!!!

I will be back tomorrow with a project!  See you then!  :)

Mermaid Monday Take 2!

I thought I would squeeze in another quick episode of "Mermaid Monday" before the day gets away from me.  Between home inspections and negotiations, my head is spinning and I need a craft break today even if it is just to share a past creation.  :)

Last month I made a great little card from THIS beautiful artwork I found on Pinterest.

It was not too difficult to use the PIN to create the Little Mermaid using a combination of buttons, sparkles, and sequins from my stash, and I absolutely loved the final result!

The custom sentiment was written by my trusty Cricut Explore...

I wish I could take credit for any of this beautiful card, but the sentiment idea came directly from the awesome mother of the recipient!  Isn't it perfect!!!  :)

Have you guys had any Pinterest wins lately? 

Like A Boss!

Welcome to my blog and the Like A Boss Blog Hop!  You are in for a SUPER treat today!  This hop is all about embossing...in all forms!

Our short (but bossy) hop runs in a circle, so just keep reading and clicking on the next blogger's link and you will be heading in the right direction.  :)

My project involves both dry AND heat embossing.  I really don't know which one I prefer!

Just in case you aren't the bossy type...this is an example of dry embossing supplies...creating a texture on cardstock when you run a plastic embossing folder through a machine such as the Sizzix Big Shot...

Scallop Embossing Folder

AND this is an example of heat embossing supplies...creating a shiny raised image by stamping with Versamark Ink, sprinkling with embossing powder, and then heating with a heating tool until it changes...

Ranger Clear Embossing Powder

VersaMark Ink

Craft Heater

You can see the heat embossing on the blue swirls in this snippet of my adult coloring book page in this close-up.  I used a fine line glue pen to outline them and then sprinkled with a mixture of clear embossing powder and prisma glitter (a retired CTMH super-fine glitter.)  I dry embossed a piece of White Daisy CS with the Floral Embossing Folder for the panel behind it...

Let's not forget all that SWEET Shimmer Trim I managed to use--the colors just matched all the coloring with my ShinHan markers SO WELL!  I used Coral, Aqua, and Green...along with a beautiful sentiment from the Happy to Be Friends My Acrylix stamp set and the Florence Sequins.

Which kind of embossing do YOU enjoy most?

Which kind of embossing did KELLY use?  Check it out over on her blog by clicking on her name!!!


Here is the entire creative lineup for Blog Hops with Heart this month!  Happy Hopping!

Amie (that's ME!)

Kelly

Becca

Shelly

Stephanie

Wendy

Guess what items have been a part of the FLASH SALE this month???  EMBOSSING FOLDERS!!!  They just might be back so be sure to check in on Friday!!!

Flash SALE!!!!

CTMH Perpetual Calendar: June

Yep, I totally forgot what month I was on!  Sorry about that, I am horribly side-tracked these days.  It was a good thing this month came together so easily with a Picture My Life pocket scrapbooking card and a couple of retired puffy stickers.  No sidetracking here!  ;)

Lawnscaping Challenges: Off Kilter

Oh my word it has been absolutely FOREVER since I have been able to play along with Lawnscaping Challenges!  I could not resist finally jumping back in on this one!

I ADORE the new slider dies from Lawn Fawn!!!  Thanks to Kelly's amazing video, I felt completely ready to tackle a slider card for the challenge!

I used my new wave dies to create an off-kilter background for this little guy to slide down!

Alright, I kind of bought out the new releases last month, I guess...but these Make Me Smile faces and sun and cloud frame dies were absolutely necessary, right???

I really HAD to have this little guy to go along with the sliders, but apparently, I already had the otter(Year Five) set!  Now I have an accidental back-up, lol!  Guess that will come in handy if I need to mass produce otters, lol!  ;)  It was super easy to color him in with my ShinHan Alcohol Ink Markers.

Isn't the sentiment that comes with the little otter the CUTEST!?

Here are the other supplies I used for this adorable slider...

CTMH Lagoon Exclusive Ink
CTMH Glacier, Lagoon, Black, White Daisy and Honey CS
CTMH Gold Glitter Paper
MCT Stitched Rectangle Dies

Thanks for the great challenge!  :)

FUNdamental Friday Meets Magical

I sure do enjoy these FUNdamental Friday posts...and I hope you do, too!  My latest project is a layout that features the Disney-themed Magical Collection from Close to My Heart.

SO what's FUNdamental about it?  This awesome little bow embellishment is found in the Fundamental Assortment Cranberry!  These assortments come in 8 fabulous colors to coordinate with all of the different Close to My Heart papers.

The silver foiled Complements and Magical Sequins are SUPER for highlighting Disney moments...

I only wish I had more Disney moments to scrapbook!  I already scrapped most of my pics from our trip, lol!  ;)

I have to let you know that every Friday in June, Close to My Heart is having a FLASH SALE starting at 4:00pm CST.  I have NO idea what will be on sale ahead of time, but last weekend, the deals were A-MAZ-ING!!!  Be sure to tune in over the weekend, because the sales are limited to stock on hand!  CLICK HERE to see the FLASH SALE each Friday at 4:00 CST!

Only in June!

Mojo Monday Means Coffee!

YES!!!  Summer means I have time to play along with Mojo Monday!!!

I grabbed some of my new Verve products and got to work PLAY!  :)

I just LOVE pulling different branded products together when creating...and I have quite the horde collection to choose from!  This cluster easily fell into place with CTMH Florence Paper, Vellum and Gold Bling Gem, Lawn Fawn wooden heart embellie, Studio Calico sequins, leftover die cuts(Cricut and Verve) from prior projects, and misc. ribbon from packaging! 

Oh. My. Word.  I really wanted to use my Verve Coffee die as the sentiment...but what do you add to that...ummmm...nothing!  Coffee?  YES, of course!!!  I actually cut the word twice on my Big Shot and used the little swirly part to create a question mark. That adorable coffee stain behind it is found on the Verve Better With You stamp set.

These sequins are a mix of my faves from Studio Calico, Close to My Heart, and Teresa Collins!

Here are some of the other products I used:

CTMH Colonial White Value Pack Cards
CTMH Cashmere CS
CTMH Chocolate and Whisper Exclusive Ink

Thanks for taking a peek this week!  :)

Only in June!

Flash sales every weekend in JUNE!!!