A Bunch of Thanks

Check out this fun card!  I made this back in March in a workshop using the now unavailable "Hopscotch" paper from CTMH.  This color combination is right up my alley.

I really enjoyed using this paper pack and wish it was still available.  The good news is, the stamp set is still available and it's such a great set.  It's called "A Bunch of Thanks".

It's a great stamp for traditional stamping, coloring in with markers or doing what I did and paper-piecing.

If you've ever been to one of my card workshops or participated in a card swap with me, you know that I love to cut things out with my micro-tip scissors.  I just find it really relaxing and of course it doesn't hurt that it's something I can do while whatching TV.  (It's also a pretty well known fact that I'm a "tv-aholic")

Here's a closer look at the paper piecing of the flowers and one of the vases...

Isn't that pretty?  Oh, and I'm really loving the gold accents.  I used a strip of Gold Shimmer Trim and added Gold Gems to the flower centers for that added bling.  It's been a long time since I've used gold in my crafts, but I'm currently loving it.  It doesn't hurt that it's really shimmery too (is that a word?).

I also used our new Extra Thick Twine in the Flaxen color and just tied a simple knot.  And along with the Hopscotch patterned paper, I also added a piece of Smoothie paper from the Paper Fundamentals - Whimsy pack.  It has a shiny, embossed texture which adds a little something extra.

Here's a list of supplies used on this card with links to my CTMH website where available:

Paper: "Hopscotch" (no longer available), Colonial White card stock, Paper Fundamentals - Whimsy

Stamps: "A Bunch of Thanks"

Ink: Black Exclusive Ink stamp pad, Shin Han Marker - Pastel Green

Embellishments: Gold Shimmer Trim, Bling Gems Gold Assortment, Flaxen Extra Thick Twine

Other: Micro-Tip Scissors, Colonial White Card Bases & Envelopes

**Note: I'm also listing some of my cards in both my Etsy shop and my Ebay shop.  You can find the links on the sidebar of this blog.  Sales will go towards the cost of a school trip to Italy my 15 year old son will be taking next Spring.  Every little bit helps, right?  ;)

Until we meet again...

Always Be Your Own Kind of Wonderful - good advice, I think.

Here we go again, another card from my April "Brushed" card workshop.  I originally designed this card for a Card Swap I participated in but thought it would be a good one for my workshop as well.  I really like Pixie pink, Pear green and Canary yellow together.

The card pictured was actually one from the Swap.  In the workshop, the green strip was replaced by the green polka-dot paper from the Brushed paper pack.  The green strip on this one is a sticker from the Brushed Compliments.  I also used a fun yellow, metal flower from the Brushed Assortment as one of the accents.  I love those flowers and the sparkle in their centers!  Here's a closer look.  

The "Your Own Kind of Wonderful" stamp set is a pretty one with lots of butterflies and lovely sentiments.  These butterflies are nice because you can stamp them or color them with markers.  It's really quite versatile.  On this card we stamped one butterfly in Pixie Exclusive ink, cut it out and added 3 Bitty Sparkles for that added bling.  The sentiment was stamped with the Pear Exclusive Ink.

I hope you enjoyed this card.  As always, please visit again.  Ciao!

A fun "Birthday Wishes" card

Here is another of the cards I created for a Card Swap that I participated and also used in my April "Brushed" card workshop.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I just love the "Brushed" papers from Close to My Heart.

We didn't have a very bad Winter here in NW Oregon, but I'm still ready for some fun Spring flowers.  I love all of the bright pinks, reds, yellows and greens.

When you first glance at all of the papers in the Brushed paper pack, you tend to see more pinks, but I wanted to bring out more of the red, so I added Cranberry cardstock and stamped the sentiment with Cranberry ink.

I found the layout of this card in the CTMH Annual Inspirations catalog and just changed up the papers and stamps to fit my needs.  It's it fun?  Along with a piece of the Brushed papers I also used some of the fabulous, extra sparkly, Green Glitter Paper as an accent.  I can't get enough of all of the glitter papers Close to My Heart sells.  I also added some extra texture to the White Daisy cardstock using the Scallop Embossing Folder.  I forgot how much embossing folders really add to cards.

Here's a closer view:

The stamp set I used on this card is called "Lovely Birthday".  I really like this set.  You'll see that I also used it on my "Have a Lovely Day" card I posted a few days ago.  Here's a closer look at the set.

You can see that I also stamped the Flowers, cut them out, popped them up and added a Sparkle to each one to give some more texture.  And do you see that little tiny green & white stripe framing the sentiment?  I used a bit of our Topiary Striped Washi Tape under there.  If you've never used Washi tape, you should give it a try.  :)

Well, as always, thank you for stopping by my blog.  I've tried to add links to items used on my card but if you have more questions, please let me know.  Have a Lovely Day!  ;)

Hello... Is it me you're looking for?

I don't know why, but so often when I look at the word "Hello" by itself, I think of the Lionel Richie song from back in the 80's.  I even picture the video of the blind girl he was following around the school.  Yes, back when MTV was new and cool and actually played music videos.

Either that or I hear "Hello" and I follow it up with "...Neuman".  Seinfeld fans will get it.  ;)

Anyhoo... back to my card.  This was the 3rd card we made in my April "Brushed" card workshop.  I originally designed this card for a Card Swap that I participated in.  I really like this one because it's not really the colors you first notice when look at the paper pack.  I wanted to do something with the Juniper & Pear patterned paper so I took it and added the Canary accent and I think it worked out great.

Of course, it helps that the stamp set is super cute.  I used the "Have a Happy Day" stamp set and I just love it.  That flower reminds me a bit of Mary Engelbreit from back in the day.  Am I dating myself?  

  

Isn't that fun?  Again, a stamp set that can be used with so many different paper packs and stamp colors.  And what great little sentiments.  I'll be using this set a lot more in the future.

Another fun thing I did with this card was to add that same Juniper houndstooth patterned stripe, like I did on the Mother Day/Birthday cards I made (previous post).  Apparently I can't get enough of that paper from the "Paper Fundamentals Whimsy" pack.  I also used our newer White Shimmer Trim to add two more accents.  I put a strip along the houndstooth and I also made a center for the flower by doubling up the tape and punching it with a regular 1/4" hole punch (the kind most people have around the house).  It didn't add too much bulk, but gave it a little somethin' somethin', hee hee.

Here's a closer look at the popped up flower and shimmer trim accents.

  (CTMH Exclusive Ink colors used are: Canary, Juniper & Pear)

I hope you enjoyed this card.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for stopping by!

Sparkles, sparkles, sparkles... I love sparkles!

An easy card for Mother's Day or a Birthday.  Who wouldn't love a pretty card chalk full of itty bitty sparkles?  I know I would.

Here is the second card we made in my April "Brushed" card workshop. 

This is a pretty simple card packed with a lot of feminine charm.  I originally designed this card to be for Mother's Day, but for those in my class that do not have a need for that sentiment, I made it easy to switch out the sentiment to "Happy Birthday".  Both cards are identical with the exception of the sentiment...

So simple, yet so pretty.  I just chose a fun pink paper from the "Brushed" paper pack and a strip of paper from the "Paper Fundamentals Whimsy Assortment".  I just love that houndstooth pattern.  I did the stamping on a circular piece, layered a scalloped circle for a boarder and popped it up with some foam adhesive.

The stamp set we used is not in the Annual Inspirations catalog, it was in the Seasonal Expressions supplement which expired at the end of March.  HOWEVER, the stamp set IS STILL AVAILABLE!!  The stamp set is called "Happy to Be Friends".  I just love it.  It has so many sentiment variations and those cute little flowers which can be done in colors to match any paper pack.

Here's what you get in this stamp set...

Here is a close up of the stamping on one of the cards...

I ended up with a total of 16 "Bitty Sparkles" on my stamped images.  So pretty!  In case you're wondering, the CTMH Exclusive Ink colors I used were: Cranberry, Pixie, Juniper and Canary.  

I've tried to link to most of the items used on my cards to my Close to My Heart website.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you for visiting and come again.

Have a Lovely Day!

Wow, I can't even believe I can still remember my blogger password.  Oops.

Anyway... I haven't perused blogs for quite some time and the last few days I've had this yearning to get back to it.  Facebook is still my main source of keeping up with people, but it's just not quite the same as a blog.

I've been continuing to do my monthly card classes and doing the random swap or two, but I've been neglecting to share my work.  I keep blaming the fact that I can't find my camera cord (which is true - missing for over a year), but I do have a camera on my phone.  While it's not as nice as my "real" camera, it's not so bad.  So no more excuses.  I'll be posting some recent cards I've done over the next couple of weeks and then I'll be going back in time and pull out some past cards, because hey, I still need inspiration for all kinds of cards and I bet others do too.  :)

My latest card class, about a week ago, was created using the "Brushed" paper pack from Close to My Heart.  I think this is my favorite paper pack in the Annual Inspirations Catalog.  It's so Springy (is that a word?).  I'm usually partial to these kinds of colors and I'm sure a lot of it has to do with me having boys and not getting to do a lot of the "girly" things.  That's alright, I'll take it.

This is a great card to give to anyone.  "Have a Lovely Day!"  Who doesn't want to hear that?

Isn't that paper fun?  And I just love all of the added sparkles.  

As I said, this card was made using the "Brushed" paper pack from Close to My Heart.  I originally designed this card for a Card Swap I participated in to showcase the new CTMH products.  In fact all of the products are exclusively CTMH.  I used a combination of two different stamp sets on this card.  The butterfly and the leaves come from the "Brushed Workshop on the Go Scrapbooking Kit" and the sentiment is from the "Lovely Birthday" set.  I just love the font on that one.  That fun pink metal flower is from the "Brushed Assortment".  I used more of those flowers on another card and a layout that I will share in the near future.  And don't forget the bling.  I used both the "Sparkles Assortment" and the "Sparkles Small Flourishes".  I've tried to link most of the products used on my card to my CTMH website in case you would like more info.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

I hope you like my card.  Have a lovely day!

"It's Your Day" and it's a Blog Hop too!

Well... hello there.  It's been a long time.  I'm just going to jump right back in and post my first post in over a year (yes, you read that correctly).  Yikes!

I'm very excited to be a part of the CTMH Blog Boosters Annual Inspirations Blog Hop.  I've recently participated in a card swap using one of the new papers in the new Annual Inspirations Idea Book and I thought this would be the perfect place to showcase it.

My assigned paper pack was one of the new Winter papers called "Snowhaven".  It has a wonderful variety of papers which can look very "Winter-like" or they're also versatile enough to be used in a beautiful non-seasonal project.

This is my card:

To go with this fun Snowhaven paper pack I chose to use the super cute scooter stamp found in the "Make it Merry" stamp set.  I love me some paper piecing so that's what I did for the body of the scooter and the two gifts on the back.  I also used the fun new mini-stapler to add some cute Slate colored diagonal striped ribbon for some interest.

I didn't want my card to necessarily be for Christmas so I used a sentiment from a different stamp set called "You Mean the World to Me".  I figured this card could then easily be turned into a birthday card.  I hope you agree.  :)

For the swap, we had to make 26 identical cards.  I always feel a sense of satisfaction when I'm done and like to take a photo of my work.  Here they all are.

I hope you'll check out the other links at the bottom of this post to see many more wonderful examples of artwork from my fellow consultants using new products from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.

Thank you for stopping by!

Guess what day it is??

Be Mine, ya big Flirt

Hey there~  Just finished up one of the cards for this weekend's card workshop, so I thought I'd take a couple minutes and post it.  We all know how I work, if I don't do it now it just may be a while.  ;)

For this weekend's card workshop I'm using some of the papers I haven't had a chance to use previously.  Once the new Idea Book goes live on February 1st, there will be 7 new paper packs to play with.

I've used a couple of the papers in this "Flirty" paper pack previously, but I haven't had a chance to use this great, graphic floral paper until now.  There is no stamping involved on this card, so it's quick and easy peasy.  Got to love the CTMH Cricut cartridges.

A little closer view of the Cricut "Artiste" Be Mine image.

Aren't those colors fun?  Well, I'd better get off of here.  My goal is to design one more card tonight before I got to bed.  Wish me luck!

Creative University 2013 - it's going to be fabulous!

Okay, it's pretty sad that I have neglected this blog since September 10th.  What??  That's crazy!  I said it before, facebook is leading to my blog's demise and hopefully I can prevent that from happening.  I'm not one to publish New Year's Resolutions, but I do think about them each year.  I will say that one of mine this year is to do much better at updating my blog, starting now...

Some of you know that for the last 2 years I've attended something called "Creative University" for a weekend in February. It's a fantastic getaway on Lake Coeur d'Alene in Northern Idaho. You can choose either a 3 or 4 day stay (Thurs/Fri - Sun).  This year it's February 14th - 17th. 

The "University" consists of several crafty classes designed by a fellow CTMH consultant, Tresa Black. Tresa's a fantastic artist and makes this getaway so much fun. Even though she's a Close to My Heart consultant, this is not a CTMH sponsored event. There are many different crafts and products represented. There is also a lot of time to work on your own projects too.

I'm telling you all about this because there are still some spots available and I thought some of you might like to attend or know someone who would.  Tresa has set up a website with all the details.  

http://creativeuniversity.webs.com/

I'll be attending again this year and I'd love to have you join me.  And a little secret that I can now let out of the bag, I get to be one of the instructors this year - yipee!  I'm not sure what I'll be instructing yet, but I know whatever Tresa comes up with will be FABULOUS!

Here's a quick video to give you a visual of this wonderful event.  (If you look closely you'll even see me a couple of times.)



Now, if this sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, please register before it fills up.  If any of you are interested and have any other questions that aren't addressed on Tresa's website, please feel free to ask me. I'd love to have some more friendly faces joining me this year. Did I mention that you get 3 wonderful meals a day - woo hoo, no cooking!!  (Now that's my kind of weekend.)

I hope some of you can take advantage of this. I've really enjoyed my past experiences there and have even learned new skills that I've passed along to some of my friends. Be sure to pass this info along to anyone that you think might be interested. And if anyone is nervous about the classes, not to worry, they're all doable by beginners. There are so many fabulous ladies there willing to help. :)

Until next time...