Monogram Card Set

This set was made for my sister-in-law's birthday next month.  I wanted to keep things simple and flat for mailing.  The Monogram stamp is a fabulous bargain in the new Close To My Heart Idea Book at only $2.95!  I have several others to create personal card sets.  The new Slate paper will not photograph the color accurately...this looks tan/brown and the blue paper not color-correct either  :-(   In real-life all 12 cards are Slate on the fold and patterned paper on the right from both Stella and Avonlea collections.   The frame was stamped with Grey Flannel (retired CTMH color), and I added small pearl embellishments. I used the CTMH White Daisy card bases and envelopes. The band was cut at 12" X 2 1/2" and scored to have 3/4" depth.  All 12 cards with envelopes fit nicely inside.

Heart 2 Heart Color and Tuesday Sketch #80

A Thank you card.  {sigh}   I am not very thankful that summer is nearly over.   The sun has stopped coming around until noon now in my shady yard.  And I've had to begin the setting of the alarm... About half of my back-to-school treats are made, so I will still have an excuse to spend time in my craft room!  But the classroom calls.  The start of the year anticipation has always been dreadful, but actual school I do love. 
Heart 2 Heart has a color challenge this week - Lagoon, Pear, and Sunset - which you see above.  I used the long-ago Key to My Heart set for flourishes, and a brand new set for the sentiment, Paradise flower assortment and the Sunset mini-accessory pack for brad and ribbon. 

The sketch is from Try Stampin on Tuesday blog.  Now I realize I need more stamps with flourishes!

Avonlea Cards

         
 Two cards made with Close To My Heart Avonlea paper collection.  For the top card, I used pattern #27 from the new 'Make It From Your Heart' publication.  This book has 18 patterns (including cutting measurements) for scrapbook layouts and 12 for cards.  It is available in the new Idea Book. The sets used for this card are Beautiful Friendship and Universal Backgrounds, stamped with Chocolate and Slate inks, and an opaque pearl. 
            The second card features Avonlea paper mounted on a White Daisy die-cut card base. The sentiment stamp is from the Artiste collection placed on a rosette made from Twilight card stock and CTMH Color Ready ribbon sponged with Twilight ink. Simple, but that lovely paper does all the work!

Dakota Versatility

Almost did not buy this new Close To My Heart paper thinking the colors were too dark...then I saw the jeans pocket stamp next to it in the new Idea Book.  Years ago CTMH had a pocket set and I regretted not buying it for years!   I have made several versions of my hankie-in-the-pocket card now and just love the stamp and the paper.  These cards show how versatile the paper pack is, and that you can get some very different looks with shape, color, and embellishments.  We made all three at my workshop yesterday.


Card, flowers, and sentiment cut with CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

The round card was cut from
Sky card stock, the mat for the Dakota paper was cut from Pacifica card stock. The ribbon is from CTMH Blue collection. Barn Red ink used for the sentiment.

For this card I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder, matted the Dakota paper with some Whisper card stock. The sentiment was stamped with Indian Corn Blue. The paper color is a very pretty blue...my camera has not done it justice.











And the most recent version of my pocket card.
I wanted to have them use the sanding/distressing and rock n' roll techniques.

Celebrate National Stamping Month!

This is one of the cards I made with the double set offered by Close To My Heart. I used Honey, White Daisy and Outdoor Denim inks and card stock, and a strip from the Pemberley  paper collection. Inside sentiment is 'Happy Birthday.'

To celebrate National Stamping Month in September, Close To My Heart is offering a double stamp set promotion! You can get the exclusive, new My Acrylix^® It’s Your Day double stamp set for just $5 when you place a minimum order of $35 in full retail products from August 15 through September 30, 2012. You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets in one envelope—which includes nearly 50 trendy images that makes it easy to capture the everyday moments in your life. The double set has a retail value of $35.90, which drastically increases the value of your qualifying purchase! Have twice the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with our new, exclusive It’s Your Day double stamp set!  You can click on the CTMH 'Shop with Me' image on the right sidebar.

Just Us Girls: Ribbons Scraps= Wicked Fun

Do you love ribbon?  Oh my, I can't have enough!  The spools always look pretty heaped in the $1 bin or lined up in rainbow rows...as cute as kittens. Once they are home in the craft room they misbehave almost as much as those kittens, too!  I've yet to discover an organizational method that keeps them from unrolling.  I have a blue bin, a white/cream bin, a red/black, a pink, a brown/chocolate, a yellow/orange, a green, and a miscellaneous....AND a drawer of little tube collections long retired from Close To My Heart.  Most of those have less than 5-6", and I'm afraid this card did not make a very serious dent in the collection!

But it was fun.  I didn't have a die or stamp for shoes so I drew them and cut them out from black card stock.  The ribbons were adhered to strips of white card stock.  I used some small sparkles for shoe buttons, and some of CTMH's new tulle and a bling button, and used foam tape on the shoes and front panel.

FOR JUGS #149 Technique Challenge: Use Up those Ribbon Scraps

Sweet Purse

There are several designs for darling little purses on the new CTMH Artiste cartridge.  This is one I cut in Dutch Blue card stock (retired) and decorated with a little tag.  Inside are six  design paper wrapped Nuggets.  Quick, sweet door prize for my card group next weekend.  I am making one each of the purse designs. 

CFC 65 Square Card

CAS-ual Fridays challenge is a square card this week.  I inked up my new Close To My Heart quick card Bountiful Season. I sponged with Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta and Cranberry inks, and then rolled in Chocolate ink. The PTI card stock is cut to a 4 1/4" square.  I used the embossing stylus to create a border around the image.
Love these 'Quick Card' stamps!  This one is A1130 in the new Idea Book, and only $6.95. 

OLW 100 Transportation

I had fun playing with One Layer Wednesday, the challenge is here on Cheryl's blog this week. The theme is transportation, and I had two thoughts...My CTMH set A Journey had not been inked yet, so I used it to create the trees. First stamped in the new Slate ink, and then again second generation.  I added another layer of trees with second generation Ponderosa Pine ink.  After adding the text, it looked plain, so I made another card and added the little car from a  set called The Neighborhood (retired). It made me happy - just last week we drove into the WA rain forest with the car stuffed full of camping gear.
My second card - because I adore the quote, and I wanted to try a technique I've seen often on one- layer cards.  I cut out a rectangle about the size of my stamp text and sponged inside the frame.  Then I stamped with Outdoor Denim ink.  I like it...not sure if the area needed to be a bit larger or smaller...but if I keep doing samples, I'll never post!!  Hopefully, someone will feel free to give me some advice about this.  The sentiment is part of a Wordsworth set.

Both card bases were cut from luscious, thick PTI card stock.

Cake a la Artiste

I have begun exploring the amazing new Close To My Heart Artiste Cricut cartridge.  Like the Art & Philosophy cartridge, it is packed with wonderful shapes that coordinate with many CTMH stamps, but it also has dozens of 3-D projects.  This yummy piece of cake is made with Florentine papers and coordinating card stock.  The cartridge comes with all the cutting and assembly directions, too! 
This was really easy to put together, and it will be a drawing prize for one of my workshop gals next weekend, and a project class offering later this fall.  I can imagine a whole cake in chocolate as a special gift - each piece could hold something - a scarf, socks, gloves, a bracelet....It would also be a fun way to package favors for a child's birthday.

Flowers were cut from Vanilla Cream (retired) and Creme Brulee card stock sponged with Goldrush and Autumn Terracotta ink.  Leaves cut and I used my embossing stylus to draw some veins and then sponged with Olive ink. 

Week #5 at CASology -Pond

So happy to have a few crafting minutes today. I have been so busy with family and vacation fun, I did not get to play along last week at CASology.  The theme this week is Pond, and there are some very fun cards being shared here on their site.
For my card I dug into my Stampin' Up! box and found the Stampin'Around Lily Pond and their set Unfrogettable.  I used CTMH Black, Topiary, Sky and Cotton Candy inks.  The sentiment stamp is from the CTMH set called A Tree.  Had to add a bit of sparkle to that fun dragonfly.

Off to a movie and good-bye dinner now.  My oldest son returns to his work/home in Japan tomorrow. I get choked up just thinking of saying good-bye once again...he's my oldest son, and a very good friend as well. 

H2H Deepest Sympathy

This week the challenge here at Close to My Heart is to create a sympathy card.  For this card I stamped the flower in black over spray 'splotches.'  Cruising blogs recently, I saw someone suggest this. Unfortunately, I did not write it down and so am unable to give credit for the idea.  But it really looks marvelous, and I will be trying out my other reinkers with this soon...thinking autumn leaves might look great using this technique.

Stamps: Card Word Puzzle, Card Chatter-Sympathy
Paper: Colonial White base, textured Black, Crystal Blue, Watercolor
Inks: Crystal Blue reinker, Black
Sparkles: Blue & Green Assortment
Spray pen

Some Things Go Together

I've been away. We all went camping and it was marvelous to hike, canoe, and just sit around the camp fire.  The little grandsons hiked the whole 4 mile Quinault Loop  trail. and earned every bit of the ice cream cone at the end of the trail. There was a day out at the coast as well. It was very hot upstairs in my craft room today, but I have missed all my toys and really wanted to cut some paper!
This image has always made me happy, and I've used it quite a lot.  Today I changed the sentiment and added a sweet quote from the book by that name inside.  Cuddling with a book has got to be one of the nicest things to do!

FOR TWO CHALLENGES:    Stella Says Sketch #116 at Catch the Bug
                                       Sweet Stampin' - use text, Books, and stamp

 

Image: Bugaboo digital; sentiment computer generated
Papers: Close To My Heart, Scholastic collection; Barn Red, Desert Sand, Outdoor Denim    and White Daisy
Inks: water brushed Barn Red, Outdoor Denim, Olive, Buttercup
Ribbon: Stash grosgrain and CTMH Outdoor Denim twill
Tools: punch, edge distressor, sewing machine; Cuttlebug cut Nestabilities