Oh, Wait, It's WEDNESDAY!!!

Wow, isn't it crazy how fast the week flies by when you pack a few appointments and summer camps into it?  ;)

GUESS WHAT!?  I am a Princess over at Freshly Made Sketches again!  I was so excited to read the blog yesterday to find out...you can see my coffee and donut tag HERE!  :)

Now, on to some business...can you believe they already released the list of retiring items from Close to My Heart???  I KNOW!!!  FIRST, let me assure you that ALL of the stamps that are retiring will be available until August 31st.  We make the My Acrylix Stamps in house, so they won't run out.  :)

I am in shock that one of my favorite new items is already leaving--when the sequins are gone, they are GONE!  :(

These great new epoxy stickers won't be around forever either!

ALL the current Picture My Life cards are hitting the highway as well!  OH my!

The current My Crush line will be history soon to make room for all-new designs!  Want to get the matching My Acrylix for FREE???  Check out this amazing offer HERE!

Can someone please wake me up from this nightmare...not the green glitter paper!!!

If you want to check out the entire list of retiring products, just click HERE to see them all on my website.  Close to My Heart has created an entire category JUST for the retiring items to make it easy for you to grab your must-haves before they run away August 31st (or while supplies last!)

Don't forget to grab your June Stamp of the Month while you are at it!  Only available in the month of June for $17.95 or just $5 with a $50 purchase!  :)

Ice Cream Dreaming on Monday!

I had a really quick idea for a card that turned out kind of not so quick, lol.

I used the sentiment in the Close to My Heart June 2015 Stamp of the Month to make this birthday card...

The Puddle Pad technique is such a fun way to add a lot of colors to your stamping.  Just drop your ink colors onto a baby wipe and let them blend together a bit.  Be sure to use dark enough colors to allow the image to be show up well enough.  I had to revise my colors after my first attempt with this one...

See how the pink ink needed to be darker?  Easy peasy to fix though, just add more ink!  :)

The "tablecloth" below my cake is from the Confetti Wishes Paper Packet.  I stamped the twisty candles from the Blossom Workshop on the Go Cardmaking Kit in different colors that I used in my Puddle Pad...Gypsy, Thistle, Pear, and Lagoon.


A little snip on the top corners with my Corner Rounder gives it a "cake" look.

The Purple Shimmer Trim makes a lovely platter, no?

Call the Orthodontist!!!

Oh, my goodness, I know, what a strange title for a blog post about crafting!  I HAD to remind myself to call today though so I don't forget AGAIN, and my post will show up in my emails in the morning, lol!  Hope this tactic works!  ;)

On to the crafts!

OK, so really this is my post for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge this week!

When I saw this perfect little sketch by Narelle, I IMMEDIATELY thought of a donut for that circle image.  WHY?  I have no idea--it just took over my senses from there and I was stamping a pink frosted donut using the Treats of Friendship My Acrylix in no time flat...that's what I get for creating during coffee hour!  ;)  (AND I seriously had no idea yet that it was National Donut Day yesterday!)

The pink frosting isn't real.  I KNOW it looks real, but it is really Pixie CS from Close to My Heart!  Uncanny, isn't it?  ;)

This time, I created a tag for some extra fun.  I started with a tag shape from the oldie but goodie, CTMH Art Philosophy Collection for the Cricut Machine.

I LOVE vellum, and this sketch was PERFECT for it...along with the Silver Embossing Powder of course!  The Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder is a DREAM!  Melts like BUTTAH on Versamark Ink!

What better way to attach the vellum than with the new(ish) CTMH Mini Stapler!

Sequins are all from Studio Calico, Topiary Chevron Ribbon and Dots Embossing Folder from CTMH, and sparkle sprinkles by Wink of Stella!

TWO FMS sketches in a row for me!  Now that's what I call, SUMMER!  ;)

Only in June!

Lawnscaping Challenges with MORE Critters!

Alright, I already professed my enduring love for Lawn Fawn critters...so another entry this week for the current challenge at Lawnscaping Challenges should really come as no surprise!  ;)

THIS guy is my all-time FAVORITE critter from LF so far...

the YETI!

I just LOVE this Bokeh look paper from CTMH in the Brushed Paper Packet!

I absolutely adore everything about him from his fangs to his toes!  The fantastic sentiments in this set are just perfect paired with his mysterious nature...

Can he pull off the glitter paper look, or what? 

I was so curious to see if I could successfully stamp him onto the paper--and used Memento Ink to find out.  I could see the image from the SIDE view but not by looking directly down at the paper.  I just used a black Sharpie to make the lines darker and then fussy cut his parts that I wanted to stay white.  Glue dots are totally the way to go when you are trying to get something to stick to glitter, just sayin'.

I started to outline his image with Sharpie at the top...

I have been having an absolutely FANTASTIC time getting back into my crafty groove, so stay tuned for a few more!  ;)  Stay sparkly! 

Ice Cream Dream just for June!

Mojo Monday 400 Makes Me Dream Big

Welcome to my little piece of the blog world!  I had a huge day creating yesterday and I just couldn't decide what to share first.  I am the MOST excited about my Mojo Monday 400 card, so lets just start there, shall we? 

With her 400th amazing sketch, Julee Tilman, the wonderfully talented creator of Verve Stamps, has announced that she is also going to be choosing new DT members, so I'm throwing my name in the hat with high hopes.  Actually, if I win some new product, I will be ecstatic even, so lets get to it!

My head was just swimming with ideas before I settled on the Dream Big flowers and a no sentiment card.  These types of cards are JUST the thing to have on hand when you need them...

I stamped in first and second generation Smoothie Inks from CTMH along with Sweet Leaf for the leaves.  Then I added some darker green with my ShinHan Leaf Green Alcohol Ink Marker.

The perfectly round stitched window is made using a circle die from MCT.  I adore stitched dies!  I really also wish I had that scalloped flower die that coordinates with these flowers from Verve, lol.  They are next on my shopping list, I believe.

The spray of peachy sequins are a mix of brands including CTMH, Studio Calico, and Verve.  I also added a couple of green epoxy bubbles on the right...

This fantastic background came together using the Botanical Backgrounds My Acrylix and adding some pops of color with the same green marker and adding Light Orange to the mix...

I just love the combination of colors with the Whisper CS in the background.  Thanks for taking a peek today!  Thanks for so many inspiring sketches, Julee and company!  :)

Lawnscaping Challenges with Critters!

One of my all time favorite brands of acrylic stamps is Lawn Fawn for their hands down adorably cute critters.  Well, the talented DT over at Lawnscaping Challenges is having a CRITTER CHALLENGE!!!

Knock, knock.
(Who's there..)
Ya.
(Ya who?)
I KNOW!!!!  I'm excited toooooo!    ;)

This card was for a special little friend who was in the hospital.  The little nurse bird sure stole my heart...

I love band aids.  They really do make anything feel better!

I also love bending my acrylic stamps into new shapes...

Is a band aid a critter if it has a face?  ;)

 Thanks for taking a peek at my critter card.  I will be back with another!  :)

A Tip for Tuesday: Paper Savers Anonymous

I was making a card last week with the Taste of Summer Paper Packet when a great little tip occurred to me that I needed to share.

Now, I don't know about you, but I am a big time paper saver--I get the most out of my cuts--especially when it comes to my CTMH Glitter Paper!  I LOVE to use it as a mat on pictures and cards, but I don't like how much of the paper ends up unseen.  There is a simple way to use your paper AND save it too!

All you need is a paper cutter that isn't guillotine style so you can cut out the middle.  But you can still enjoy the look of matting without any waste!  :)

Sometimes, if you are a hard-core paper saver, you can even cut the middles out of round shapes!