H2H Challenge - Mar 7th

This week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog is to create a scene using 3 different stamps. Wow! This really was a challenge, but it was SO much fun! I had started out wanting to do somethingwith my rainbow stamps and create a card for St. Patrick's Day, but just couldn't quite get what I was looking for. Maybe the lack of creative juices stemmed from the fact that I couldn't really get excited about a St. Patty's card...? I'm not sure, but it wasn't happening!
Anyway, I knew I wanted to use the cloud toput my sentiment on and was using the masking technique to try to make the rainbow come thru the cloud and have the sun behind it when inspiration struck! Ah-Ha!! Perfect time for a clear card!! So the moral of the story is, whenever you're making a card and think 'masking technique', try thinking 'clear card' instead. Let me know if it works for you!

All materials are Close To My Heart. Click here to order!

Stamps: Over the Rainbow, Month of March, Month of April, Doodle Alphabet, Card Chatter-Birthday

Paper: Cherry-0, Sweet Leaf CS, White Daisy CS

Ink: Vineyard Berry, Pacifica, Sweet Leaf, Sunflower, Gypsy

Accessories: Clear Cards, Splendor Designer Brads

Kraft Backgrounds & Borders

Using kraft colored papers and accessories is the trick to adding charm, toning down bright colors, or bringing an artsy flair to your projects. Using white or black can sometimes create too much of a contrast - kraft is the perfect alternative! Close To My Heart is now offering kraft cardstock for your page and card backgrounds and a package of 24 sheets is only $9.50. And I'm SO excited about their newest accessory - Kraft Borders. These are the perfect embellishment to add a unique touch to your layouts and cards. The pack includes 50 assorted, 12", adhesive backed borders and cost just $5.95!! Check out this great CTMH video then click here to order yours today! :)

H2H Challenge - Feb 28th

Wow! I love color challenges because they show us so many great combinations that we wouldn't normally have thought of. I'm not a huge fan of purple, but just love how the CTMH Gypsy color looks when mixed with Creme Bruele and Black.

Gorgeous! Thanks, H2H, for once again pushing us outside our comfort zone.

All materials are Close To My Heart. Click here to order!

Stamps: Delightful Things, Card Chatter-Birthday

Paper: Black, Gypsy & Creme Brulee CS

Ink: Black, Gypsy

Accessories: Black Opaques

H2H Challenge - Feb 21st

Well, a week has flown by and I'm posting again thanks to the fun challenge posted at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog.

This week's challenge is to design something that makes you think COLD. I've been having fun this week working with my rubber brayer to create skyscapes and this was a perfect challenge to create something against a chilly, winter sky. The color in my photo isn't quite true - - it's actually a very rich midnight blue - - but I think you'll get the idea.

All materials are Close To My Heart. Click here to order!

Stamps: Nature's Gift

Paper: Outdoor Denim CS, Sky CS

Ink: Black, Outdoor Denim, Versamark

Accessories: Sparkles, Clear Embossing Powder

H2H Challenge - Feb 14th

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week's challenge at the Heart 2 Heart challenge blog is to create something that incorporates hearts. I was lucky enough to have my daughter's entire hockey team (20!) stay with us this weekend - what a great group of girls!! I love Valentine's Day and wanted to make them a little something, so this is what I came up with.

The heart boxes came from Michael's and are made of kraft paper. I painted the bottoms red and the tops pink, using basic craft paint with some CTMH Pearl Paint mixed in for a little shimmer. The heart stamp on the box is from the December SOTM, 'Amore', backed with a White Daisy flower. The glitter dots on the border are made with CTMH Glitz Glitter Gel. I filled the boxes with Hershey's Extra Smooth Chocolate Hearts. Mmmmmmm! :)

The candy tubes are an idea I got at Karen Pederson's blog. Aren't they cute? They're filled with M&Ms & the heart on the circle tag was included in one of the exclusive stamp sets I received at Convention last year. (This year it's in Anaheim at the Disney hotel!! I can't wait!!)

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to post your own creation at the H2H Challenge Blog - it's so much fun!

February Gathering Projects

What a fun morning I had in my craft room, preparing new projects for some gatherings I have coming up! I'll be doing one for my friends from my old neighborhood & am really looking forward to teaching them a little about scrapbooking, then spending the rest of the night gabbing and solving the world's problems (we're really good at that - just ask us!! *Ü*). I miss seeing them every day! I'm also doing one for my friend, Laura, and her friends & family. She loves the Wings paper, so I know she'll enjoy making these projects.

I love making sample art for my Workshop On The Go workshops, but it's so nice to start with a blank (well, almost! :) slate and just create. Working with the Wings papers is so fun - the colors are vibrant and the designs are really unique. Projects practically create themselves!

Using one of my favorite layouts designs, 'Creative Rhythm' from the Cherish layout book, I made this layout then added some embellishments using the Stamp of the Month for February, 'Friendship'. The stamps in this set are so versatile! As you can see, I stamped one of the larger flower designs twice to create the butterfly and stamped the smallest one across the thin strip of Vineyard Berry cardstock. They're also great for creating background designs - - try stamping them on a darker cardstock with Versamark ink for a very subtle, classy result!

With my scraps ('Don't collect it - Use it!'), I then created this card which is a variation of one created by Lynn Como. Take a good look at the subtle background behind the sentiment... When I teach classes, I always remind people that "there are no mistakes, just happy accidents". Well, this is a perfect example! I had tried using Vineyard Berry ink first, but didn't really like how it came out. I thought I had cleaned my stamp before changing to Juniper, but apparently hadn't :{ Because I was using the 3rd generation stamping technique, there wasn't very much VB left on there anyway, but it created just a hint of red in the design which actually enhanced the soft, watercolor effect and looked great! I just hope I can recreate it at my gatherings!!

All products used are Close To My Heart. Click here to order!

Paper: Wings, Vineyard Berry Cardstock

Stamps: Friendship

Inks: Juniper; Vineyard Berry; Black

Accessories: Pearl & Black Opaques

H2H Challenge - Feb 7th

What an appropriate challenge for Valentine's Day -- Kissing!! Isn't that fun? 'Kissing' is a stamping technique used to transfer one stamp image to another. If you want to watch a terrific YouTube video demonstrating this technique, just click here.

Inspired by CTMH's beautiful new Bohemian alphabet, I wanted to try adding patterns or images to other alphabet stamps. In this project, I used the Rustic alphabet and a small heart image from the Over the Rainbow stamp set. To create the pattern, I inked each letter with Blush ink, placed the block on my work mat ink side up, applied Vineyard Berry to the heart stamp and stamped it carefully onto the letter. I repeated this multiple times, then stamped the letter.

Check out the Heart 2 Heart challenge page for more wonderful ideas using this fun, creative technique. Thanks for stopping by and have fun kissing! xx

All products used are Close To My Heart. Click here to order!

Paper: Black & Colonial White Card Stock

Stamps: Rustic Alphabet; Over The Rainbow; Amore

Inks: Vineyard Berry; Blush; Black

Accessories: White Organdy ribbon