Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to take some time to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas. The rest of the day for me will involve church services, and gift-exchanging with my in-laws. Tomorrow is going to be filled with family and fun as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

I'll be back after the new year with more stamping projects!

Happy 2009!!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Merry Gifts


Here's a fun and quick 4" x 4" card. I made the card base from New England Ivy cardstock. Then cut a 1" x 4" strip of Creme Brulee cardstock. Using my paper trimmer and a stylus, I dry embossed two lines across the one inch strip, and then glued that to the center of my card.

On a 3" x 3" White Daisy piece of cardstock, I stamped the three gifts (from the December Word Puzzle set) in Cranberry, Creme Brulee, and New England Ivy, and then the words merry Christmas in black. At 1/2" from the top and bottom, I dry embossed lines across the white panel as well. Then glued that to the card front. Done!!

My picture doesn't do it justice, but it's a pretty, simple little card. I like the "cleanness" of it!

Hope your day is blessed today!

(Supplies are all Close To My Heart)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Merry and Bright


This was a really simple card! I was inspired by a card I saw from a similar sketch. The B&T on the triple panels is a pretty and soft snowflake pattern from the Aspen Paper Packet. The sentiment circle is from the December Word Puzzle, along with the snowflake in the center.
All pieces are layered on Outdoor Denim cardstock and the card base is Twilight cardstock.

For a final touch, I added a white (although in the photo it doesn't look too white) snowflake button.

So....may your day be merry and bright! Thanks for stopping by!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Gift card Holder #2














Here's another Gift Card Holder - this time using the Merry Pursuits stamp set and Aspen Paper Packet.

I love all the character in these little elves! This little snowman builder is colored with CTMH markers: Twilight, Outdoor Denim, Sorbet, and a touch of Baby Pink. I used my waterbrush to apply the shading to the snow with color picked up from my Twilight marker tip. And up in the corner, I added an Outdoor Denim button.

(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Here's a fun gift card holder and card in one. I used the December Word Puzzle for this card. The ornaments on the front are stamped in Dutch Blue, Clover Meadow and Holiday Red inks. I drew the string and bow on each ornament with a black My Legacy marker. The saying is also stamped in Dutch Blue

The card is made with a 12" x 4" piece of cardstock that is scored at 4", 6" and 8". The middle section is then folded into the center of the card. Using scissors, I cut out a small slot in the fold of the pop-out center section. On the inside of this section, I glued the top and bottom edges, as well as along the folded edges at the back of the card - so that the holder portion is glued closed around the edges only.

I added a small panel on the front side of the card holder section with more ornaments, and the rest of the saying is stamped on the inside of the card.

Quick and easy! And perfect for your holiday gift giving.

Monday, December 1, 2008

No internet at home....

I have several more holiday cards ready to share with you, but our internet at home has been down now for two days. I was told it was our computer, but I'm hearing from more and more people with the same provider that theirs is out as well.....so I'm thinking it's not my computer!

Anyway, I'm posting from work right now and hopefully we'll be back online at home soon so I can share some more photos!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Snowflake Wreath?

I have seen several examples from last year and again this year in which a stamper used a snowflake to create a beautiful wreath. So, the other day when I was looking at my Feathery Flakes set, I thought, "I'm gonna try it! Can't be that hard!"

Well, my first attempt was a disaster - totally wrong snowflake. So I tried it with a small flake from that set - and look what I got!!! I love it!

I lightly traced a circle on my White Daisy cardstock and then stamped one ring of snowflakes all the way around the circle. Then I turned the flake, and stamped around again over and between the flakes in the first round. I did a few in second generation, too. (I erased the pencil circle with a good eraser.) I added "berries" by sticking on some red sparkles and a cranberry organdy ribbon at the top.

Lovely!

The wreath is stamped in Sweet Leaf ink and the wreath panel is layered on another panel of Sweet Leaf cardstock. The word Christmas is stamped in Cranberry ink.

Here is a close up of the wreath.

Hope you have a great weekend!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart)

Friday, November 28, 2008

Merry Trees

This is my version of the card made in the Art & Soul video on the CTMH website (click on the CTMH TV button.)
The card is made with a base of New England Ivy cardstock, a layer of pretty Evensong B&T that covers the entire card front. The main image panel is a two inch strip of NEI cardstock wrapped with a piece of Cranberry Grosgrain, and the trees from the December Word Puzzle set stamped in NEI ink on a 2" square of White Daisy. I used a Cranberry marker to color the ornaments on the center tree and a red sparkle for the top of the tree. Using a paper piercer, I poked faux stitching holes across the top and bottom edges and then attached this piece to the NEI strip.

The sentiment is from the same set, stamped in NEI on White Daisy and layered on NEI cardstock.

Of the cards I've made lately, this was my husband's favorite.

Have a great Black Friday!

(All supplies are CTMH)

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving and a Holiday Gift


Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a simple holiday card! The word "happy" is stamped in New England Ivy ink across the top of a standard size top-fold card.

The gift panel is created with a large panel of striped B&T from the Evensong Paper Packet, and the gift from a smaller piece of the New England Ivy swirl patterned paper from the same packet. I used Glue Dots to attach the ends of the ribbon to the back of the "gift" and then another glue dot to attach the bow. The ribbon is Cranberry grosgrain.

Finally, I stamped the word "HOLIDAYS" in Cranberry ink at the bottom of the card and placed New England Ivy brads on either side of the word. The sentiment words come from the December Word Puzzle stamp set.


Have a great day!

(All supplies Close To My Heart.)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Blog candy alert

Go here and check out this blog candy! Cool!!

I really have been stamping up a storm....just haven't had time to get photos....hopefully today, but we'll see!!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Yes!

Cards to come soon! I spent quite a bit of time today creating a variety of cards. Had a lot of fun, relaxed, and hopefully will get them photo'd tomorrow to share.

Have a good night, come back tomorrow!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Snow Trio


All Decked Out is the stamp of the month set this month. It has everything you need to create your own stamped snowmen. Adorable!

I used the Aspen Paper Packet for this card, and colors are Creme Brulee, Outdoor Denim, Twilight, and Orange for the carrot nose.

The brads in the bottom shadowy corner are Twilight and Outdoor Denim.

I used the SC200 sketch from SCS for this fun card, too!

Hope you have a happy day!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Brads and ribbon are the embellisment winners!

So according to my poll, it looks like brads and ribbons are the favorite embellishments out there! I find I tend to grab those two the most, myself. I used to use eyelets more, but I don't tend to pull out all the tools as often anymore. Thanks for participating in my poll!

Love is spoken here

This is a card I made using the Treasure Life stamp of the month set from a couple months ago. I used the rolling technique to get the fall leaves in two colors. (Ink the whole stamp in one color, then roll the edges in another color. I stamped in first and second generation to fill up the whole white panel with layers of colors. Then I also sponged around the edges. Colors used are Sunflower, Juniper, and Barn Red.

I used the Word Window punch from SU! to make the oval cutout in the bottom. The sentiment is stamped on a one inch strip of cardstock that is glued to the bottom inside of the card, and also stamped with leaves.
(All supplies except the punch are CTMH, punch is from SU!)

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Recipe quest

Hello again!
Just thought I'd ask if any of you out there also have to cook for a child with food allergies? I have a 14 year-old son who is allergic to milk and eggs and mold (which amazingly takes all sorts of things out of our regular grocery shopping!!!) Anyway, we only found out about these allergies a year ago and I'm still struggling learning how to cook for him. The poor kid had to give up all his favorite foods!

I want to make him some cookies for the holidays.....so here's my question - do you have any good cookie recipes using no eggs (or egg replacer) and no milk (or subbing soy or almond or rice milk)? He can have soy milk and he likes almond milk. It just doesn't seem like all recipes work when you use these substitutes.

If you have a good recipe, would you be willing to share it with me?

Thanks so much!!

Fun new background!

Nothing to post this morning, but I had fun looking through free backgrounds and choosing THIS one for my blog. Kinda fun to have a totally different look to the blog!

It is pouring down rain here in the Tri-Cities this morning. Have a lovely fall day wherever you are! And don't forget to vote today if you haven't already!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Gift Bag...in a box


After seeing these delightful little bags....or boxes....bags in a box....all over the web lately, I had to give one a try. So here is my attempt. I used Evensong papers, New England Ivy and White Daisy cardstock, New England Ivy and Cranberry Inks, and the Annotations stamp of the month set for October.

(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Friday, October 31, 2008

SC199 - Happy pumpkin

This is another sketch challenge I accomplished recently! It can be found here, at SCS, so check it out!

My card uses Orange, Clover Meadow, and Chocolate Cardstock. I stamped the pumpkin and the sentiment in Chocolate ink. The vine is stamped on the Clover Meadow cardstock in Clover Meadow ink. The Orange Organdy is old CTMH ribbon.

To color in the pumpkin, I broke out my almost forgotten soft chalks! It was fun to use them again!

The stamps are from the Harvest Memories, and Say It In Style stamp sets.

Have a happy PUMPKIN day!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Mojo Monday - Let it snow!

Not the best picture - sorry about that....but I'm so excited! I decided this week that I am going to try to do at least 2 sketches from either SCS or other blogs each week. I loved the Mojo Monday sketch this week - and this card is what it inspired!!

I used paper from the Aspen paper packet, along with Outdoor Denim and White Daisy cardstocks. I stamped the images in Outdoor Denim ink and the snowflakes on the circle in Creme Brulee. I colored the elf image with my CTMH markers in Creme Brulee, Twilight, Outdoor Denim and Bamboo.

I don't have a small scallop circle punch so I cut two circles with my Coluzzle system. Then I used a pair of scallop scissors to cut around the larger blue circle - it wasn't very easy!!! And it's not toally even, but I think it looks ok!

Stamp sets used are Merry Pursuits and Christmas Scripts.

To snow or not to snow.....oh let it snow!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Give Thanks for Fall!


I really like this striped paper from the Enchanted Paper Packet - can you tell?

This card was quick and easy to make. I stamped the fall tree from the Four Seasons stamp set in Pansy Purple on a piece of White Daisy cardstock. The moon is a circle stamp from the Solo B stamp set - which is stamped in Sunflower ink. The tree is layered on a piece of Pansy Purple cardstock.

I also layered the piece of striped B&T paper on Pansy Purple. The sentiment is also stamped in Pansy Purple ink. Just below the sentiment are two White Daisy itty Bitty Brads. Love them - they are soo tiny! The card itself is Sunflower cardstock.

Hope you're having a good fall day!

(All Supplies are Close To My Heart)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

New Poll Posted

No artwork today...or at least not until later, maybe. I have some I need to photograph today - it's on my list of things to do!!!

But I did add a new poll on the right about embellishments. I'm curious - what is the favorite embellishment out there right now? You can choose more than one on the list, but if you choose "Other" please leave a comment and tell me what you like to use on your cards and pages!

Have a great day!!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Stamplifted NOEL


You know, sometimes you see a card and you just HAVE to copy it. I saw the original for this card on our corporate artwork bulletin board and had to make one. Love it!!

I did use different paper than the original creator. This card has the blue pattern from the Notebook paper packet, Moonstruck cardstock and White Daisy cardstock.

Stamp sets used are Essential Alphabet, and Feathery Flakes.

This technique is so fun to do, too. It's called stamp-kissing. I inked the N EL with Crystal Blue ink. Then using the small snowflake, I inked it in Moonstruck and stamped it directly onto the letter stamps. (Note: you have to have a very steady hand for this because the stamps slide very easily!) Then I stamped the whole thing on a piece of white cardstock. Beautiful! I added the large snowflake for the O and stuck a White Daisy bigger brad through the center of it. NOEL got layered on a piece of Moonstruck which has the edges distressed a bit. The small snowflake on the blue Notebook B&T is stamped randomly in second generation. After putting it all together, I thought it needed just another little something, so I added the tiny layered snowflake image in the lower corner. Perfect!

Have a great day!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Sweet Angel

I LOVE this little angel set - Angel Sent. The four little angels are so sweet. This little angel has a frame of Cranberry cardstock accented with a gold brad and a piece of New England Ivy organdy. The angel is stamped in black ink on White Daisy cs, and is colored with CTMH markers. I added a bit of prisma glitter to her wings and halo.

The card base is White Daisy cs, with a panel of B&T from the Evensong Paper Packet. I wasn't sure I liked this square pattern until I used it on this card. The sentiment is stamped in black and is layered on Garden Green cs. The sentiment is from the Peace on Earth set.

Hope your weekend is going great! Come visit again soon!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)


Here is a close up of the framed angel. The frame is set up on foam tape.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Feathery Flakes

Every single time there's a new snowflake set I think...."I gotta have it!" Now sometimes, I manage to get past the temptation to buy, but not this time. I love this new set!! There are three different sizes of snowflakes in it and they are all gorgeous!

For this card I used Moonstruck, Crystal Blue and White Daisy cardstocks and Moonstruck and Crystal Blue inks. Some of the smaller flakes are stamped in second generation - although it's a little hard to tell in this picture.

The card is a gatefold and there is also a sentiment on the inside along the lines of Merry Christmas and Happy New Year with a couple of smaller flakes accenting.

The sentiments came from the Peace on Earth set, and the B&T on the right side of the card is from the Notebook paper pack. There is also a Moonstruck Bigger Brad in the center of the middle flake.

Stay warm where you are!! It's only 28 here this morning....brrr!!
(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Enchanted Harvest

Loved this sketch when it was posted on Splitcoaststampers last week -SC198. So, I had to give it a try. The two B&T papers are from the Enchanted paper pack. Cardstocks used are White Daisy, Garden Green, and Pansy Purple. I used CTMH markers to color the image from the Give Thanks stamp set. The vine on the Garden Green strip is stamped with Garden Green ink in second generation and is from the Harvest Memories set.

(All supplies, except the square brads, are CTMH.)

Have a great day!!

Where does time go?

I know this is an often asked question, but I am constantly amazed at how fast the days go by anymore. Suddenly my oldest child is a Senior in high school. I remember when I took him to his first day of Kindergarten...and how I cried all the way home. My middle child is a Freshman...he's supposed to still be in second grade!! How'd he get so tall? Taller than anyone else in the family. My baby, my daughter, is 10!! She's 10? My little girl is getting taller and beautiful and full of teenage ideas.

Not only that, but it's already almost the end of October?? How in the world did that happen? School just started yesterday, didn't it? Two and a half months.....wooosh.... Seems impossible that we are already staring another holiday season in the face! Don't get me wrong, this is my favorite time of year, but didn't we just have it? I turned 40 last December...and now all of a sudden December is just right around the corner and my next birthday is coming with it. What???

Well, I hope you all have a great day today. Thanks for "listening" to my rambling. I just looked at my kids and the calendar this morning, and felt really, really tired all of a sudden. Like life has been a virtual whirlwind and it's going by way too fast.

Thanks for visiting!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

happy Fall

This card is one of my favorite newest creations! It is a 4-1/4" square card of Olive cardstock. The red strip is a 1" x 4-1/4" strip of Barn Red cardstock. The tree is stamped in Cocoa ink on a piece of Colonial White cs an layered on Cocoa cs. I used CTMH markers - Sunflower, Barn Red, and Olive - to add some color to the leaves. The Olive Waxy Flax is attached using a pewter photo hanger (love those!) and the tag is a stamp from the Annotations Stamp of the Month. The word "happy" also came from the Annotations set, and the word "Fall" came from the Four Seasons set with the tree. The tag is stamped in Olive and Barn Red inks.

Happy Fall!


















(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Monday, October 20, 2008

Noel Elf

I love these new little elves in the Merry Pursuits set....they are just so cute! The original card I made was the lower one in this picture with the darker B&T paper. But then when I was giving the class, one of the ladies decided to use the lighter back side of the paper and I liked how it looked so much that I made one that way, too. So cool to have choices with one piece of paper!!

Both B&T papers are from the new Evensong scrapbooking kit from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. It's a really pretty set of papers....

I colored the elves with my CTMH markers using Cranberry, Olive and New England Ivy, and Vanilla Cream.

Enjoy!


(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)


Saturday, October 18, 2008

Just Because

Little Owl! Love this little guy - he's in the same set as the larger owl a few days ago - Whooo loves you.

I stamped Little Owl in Chocolate ink atop his Chocolate branch. I colored in his beak with a Sunflower marker.

The leaves are from the Treasure Life stamp of the month set. I inked them in the new Juniper ink, then rolled the edges in the new Tulip ink - omitting the stem portion of the stamp. Then I stamped them in first and second generation, overlapping a bit. The edges of the White Daisy panel were rubbed across the Chocolate ink pad. The panel is then layered on a piece of Juniper cardstock.

The red strip is a strip of the lovely new Tulip cardstock...I love that color!! The cute little mushroom is stamped at a slight angle and inked in Tulip and Juniper. Oh, and I stamped the sentiment above in Tulip, too.

Have a great weekend! We actually have very few plans this weekend - imagine that!!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Friday, October 17, 2008

Peace on Earth


Here's a pretty Christmas card!

The B&T paper is from the Notebook paper pack...love this kit! The next layer is Moonstruck cardstock that I used the edge distressor on. Then Crystal Blue cs, also edge distressed. I stamped the sentiment in Moonstruck and added two white Bigger Brads to the bottom corners. For the stamped piece, I used Moonstruck and Crystal Blue ink to stamp the new snowflake images from the Feathery Flakes set.

Not really looking forward to snow yet, but this card does put me in a little bit of a holiday mood!!

Have a great day!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Whooo loves you?


Don't you just love this owl? He looks so bright eyed with his little chocolate brad eyes. Colors in this card are Garden Green, Chocolate, and Goldrush.

The owl was stamped and cut out. I used my Coluzzle system to cut out the moon, stamped the branch on it in Chocolate ink, and then rolled the edges of the moon across the ink pad. The owl is attached with pieces of foam tape so he's popped up a little bit.

I stamped the grass across the bottom of the Garden Green cs panel in Garden Green ink. The little mushroom was stamped, cut out and attached with a foam square. After layering it all together, I placed the sentiment stamp in a curve on an acrylic block and stamped it along the side of the moon.

Come back and see another owl card soon!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Plant Smiles

This card was made using the new CTMH color, Creme Brulee and the Stamp of the Month set from last month, Treasure Life.

The top strip of Creme Brulee cs was scored at 1/2" intervals. Then I adhered the end of a piece of white organdy ribbon to the back of the strip and folded it over the top, tied a knot in the other end, and attached the knot with another glue dot. That strip was then attached to the top of the card.

The flowers were stamped with Creme Brulee ink in first and second generation. Finally I added the sentiment in the open space.

Hope your day is full of smiles, laughter and love!
Thanks for visiting!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart)

Monday, October 13, 2008

season, time, purpose...


This card is another CASE. I just loved the idea so much that I had to make one. I changed the papers from the one I saw, but I can't take credit for the main idea.

The stamps are from a new set - Four Seasons. I started out by adhering the striped B&T from the Enchanted paper pack to the bottom half of the card. Then, using that as a guide, I stamped all the trees in Garden Green. Once the trees were done, I added the strip of Garden Green Cardstock. I inked the saying from the Make It Count stamp set with Garden Green ink....wiped the ink off the words I wanted to highlight and used a Pansy Purple marker to re-ink them. I stamped that on a piece of White Daisy cs, layered it on a piece of Pansy Purple cs, and added a piece of purple ribbon with a White Daisy Bigger Brad in the top corner. Then I just attached that whole piece to the card.

Thanks for visiting today! Have a great day!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart.)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Autumn Splendor


This was a pretty fun card to make. I used the swirl stamp from the Free Spirit stamp set and stamped it in Autumn Terracotta on a piece of White Daisy cardstock. I moved it a bit, and stamped it again in second generation. Then I stamped leaves and the berry from the Autumn Splendor set in Olive and Autumn Terracotta inks in second generation. I stamped the sentiment in Olive ink. This panel is layered on an Olive panel 1/4" larger. I layered that on the B&T paper (one of my FAVORITE patterns from the Expedition scrapbooking kit). I used a glue dot to adhere the end of the piece of gingham ribbon to the back of the b&t, knotted the other end of the ribbon and attached it down with another glue dot. Then the whole thing went onto the front of a standard size card made from Autumn Terracotta cardstock. Finally, I used a glue dot to adhere a paper leaf from the Just Blooms Autumn Leaf collection.

Happy Autumn!

(All supplies are from Close To My Heart. Ribbon is from the Autumn Terracotta ribbon rounds collection!)

Friday, October 10, 2008

Grateful


I LOVE the new Notebook scrapbooking papers from Close To My Heart. They are just so much fun! This card is made with two of the papers from that kit, and was inspired by a card made by another consultant. Unfortunately, I can't remember who, so if it's you....post a comment and let me know!! I stamped the coffee cup and saucer (from the Coffee Shop set) in black on White Daisy cardstock. Then using the solid stamps, I stamped the cup in Hollyhock ink, and the saucer in Bamboo ink. The steam is also stamped in Black. Then I cut out the image and adhered it to a circle cut out of an OLD cardstock called Bark. (The Bark cardstock is also what I used for the card itself.) I cut the circle using my Coluzzle system. The circle is attached to the card with foam tape. I stamped the word Grateful in Black on the Notebook patterned B&T paper. The inside of the card has another panel of the lined notebook paper for writing your message.

Love this card! Hope you do, too!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Awesome blog candy

Javablustamper is offering some awesome blog candy....which you can check out here!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Picnic Accordian Album

I made this little Picnic Accordian Album for a silent auction at our church to raise funds for our Youth Mission Trip we take each year. I was fortunate enough to go on the trip this summer as an adult leader. It was wonderful! We spent time at the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana - a week of working in the town of Lodge Grass and running a Kids Club for the beautiful children there. I got to watch our high school youth bloom in the love of Christ - it was a great experience for all of us.

This album is made with a 6x6 accordian album available from Close To My Heart. I used a retired scrapbooking kit and new rub ons. Also added ribbons, and buttons. Some of the die cut elements are popped up on foam squares.

Colors are Holiday Red, Star Spangled Blue, Clover Meadow. I hope that the person who bought it at the auction has a fun time adding their own photos and memories to this album!

(All supplies are Close To My Heart, except ribbon.)



PS. If you want to see close ups of the pages, let me know in a comment and I'll post those, too!













Monday, October 6, 2008

So...it's been a while...

I've realized that blogging is a lot harder to keep up with than I thought it would be. (Not to mention easy to get out of the habit, too!) I have spent a lot of time looking at other blogs in the last few weeks - which is great fun, and very inspirational to say the least! And I find I am amazed at the number of people who can find the time not only to stamp something almost every day, but to also sit down and put it on their blog!! When I first started, my plan was to get something up at least every other day...works every now and then. I'd love to find the time to stamp every day - but it's not gonna happen. So my new goal is now to post something new at least twice a week. (And what I'm really hoping is that I'll be able to find a way to work time into my daily routine a lot more often than that....but shhh, we'll see how it goes before I really say that out loud!!!)

So, with that said...today will not be a stamping day, but I am going to try to get some photos taken today so that I can post a card or two tomorrow. And in the mean time....I'll keep checking out your blogs....but maybe a little faster so that I have more time for my own!! LOL

Have a great week!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Whoops - wrong link

Just fixed the link below to the correct site for the blog candy! Sorry for any confusion! That's what I get for having 6 different tabs open at the same time! LOL

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Cool blog candy on a hot summer day...

Check out this blog for an amazing blog candy offer! These are some really cute stamps you can win - subscribe to her blog, post a link to her blog candy post and you can enter to win. Check it out!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Watermelon Hello

To me, watermelons = summer. Just love them - love eating them, love stamping them! My kitchen has lots of different watermelon decorations, too. In fact, when I need new kitchen towels, etc. I always look for green or red.

This is a fun long and skinny card (8 x 3-1/4") with a cheery hello at the bottom. The watermelons are all stamped on white and cut out to be layered on the colored panels. The middle watermelon has black gingham ribbon tied around it and is popped up on foam squares.

And, you can't see it in this photo, but I used Liquid Glass on the black seeds.

(All designs and supplies are Close To My Heart, except the ribbon.)

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Life's a Jungle


Here's a really fun card that was inspired by the work of several other fellow consultants...love how these little animals stack together! The stamp set is Life's a Jungle and was last month's stamp of the month. I colored in the images with my CTMH markers.

(All supplies and designs are Close To My Heart.)

Monday, August 4, 2008

Another Clippy Board

Here's another little Clippy Board that I made over the weekend with a larger binder clip. Really looks a little better than the small clip. I also inked the edges of the coaster after the papers were glued on and trimmed. And!!! I learned a really great trick for trimming those edges - rather than use a pair of scissors - use a sanding block. It shapes the corners really well, and takes off any excess paper. Very cool!
Papers are from the Good Times paper packet and the stamps are from the Star Struck set. The ric rac collection is a lot of fun for a "different than ribbon" look.

(All supplies and designs are Close To My Heart, except coaster and binder clip.)

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Cool Coluzzle projects and a paper bead bracelet


These projects were made using the coluzzle cutting system! No kidding!! Lots of fun!











And my bracelet is made with paper beads!! Yes, paper beads - they are rolled strips of B&T paper with clear embossing layered several times. I strung them with some really pretty silver filigree beads and a toggle style clasp. I wore it all day yesterday! Got lots of ooohs and aaaahhhs when I showed it to friends!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Clippy Board

This cute little "clip board" is made with a 4" square coaster. I covered both sides with a different pattern of paper from the Good Times paper packet. Then I stamped and cut out the star images (from the summer booking set). The circle star and green star are layered and attached with a foam square over the brown ricrac. The green star has liquid glass on it. The small binder clip is covered (even though you can't really tell in the pic) with a strip of another patter of B&T from the same paper pack. Then I tied a small piece of green ric rac and foam mounted a brown square onto the side of the clip. A thin stack of post-it notes are attached with the clip. I attached the brown ric rac with small dots of the liquid glass.

I would really recommend getting larger binder clips, but other than that I really love this little project! Hope you do, too!














(All products and designs are Close To My Heart, except the binder clip!)

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Sweet Watermelon

Here's a really simple card. The watermelon is stamped in Cranberry and New England Ivy, cut out and layered on Cranberry cardstock and cut out again. It is then attached to the panel of black cardstock using foam squares. The paper flower has a red sparkle in the center and is attached with a glue dot. Along the bottom edge of the card is a strip of New England Ivy textured cardstock with a piece of polka-dotted ribbon attached along the top edge.

Hope you like! Thanks for visiting today!













(All supplies and designs are Close To My Heart, except the ribbon.)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Cottage Floral


I've decided I really love this stamp set, Cottage Floral. I tried to resist it, I really did. I was NOT going to order another flower set, but after seeing what so many people have done with it...well, I just had to do it!

This card uses B&T from the Boom Di Ada scrapbooking kit, and Olive, Barn Red, and Autumn Terracotta inks. There is also a clear button tied with waxy flax attached with a glue dot to the center of the flower.

Hope you enjoy!


(All supplies and designs are Close To My Heart)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Summertime


This is a card that was inspired by a fellow consultant. I loved the idea so much, I had to make one - and actually I made it last summer.

Sweet, simple, and pretty!







(All supplies and designs are Close To My Heart)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Footprints and Roses

This 6x6 layout is perfect for memories from the beach.

The stamps used are a newer CTMH set called Footprints. I love the shells in this set - there are several different sizes and designs for your seashore inspired projects!

I used Bamboo and Desert Sand inks to stamp the shells on Bamboo cardstock. The saying, "Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone." is stamped in
Outdoor Denim ink.

The photo mats are cut from Outdoor Denim cardstock and bordered with Cranberry Grosgrain ribbon. The B&T paper comes from the Majestic Blue paper pack.

(All products are from Close To My Heart)

Today is my (our) Anniversary - 19 years of marriage. These are the roses my husband sent me today - pretty, huh?


More artwork tomorrow!!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Got home from Montana a long time ago.....

....and I've been busy getting VBS going at work. We are doing it differently this year so that instead of one full week, we're meeting once a week on Wednesday nights for 5 weeks. It's great because I have lots of time in between each night to set up, etc....but it's long, too.

I have lots of cards to photo and upload to share, and I'll get on that tomorrow. So.....to keep me accountable, check back tomorrow for a card project.

Hope everyone is well and stamping happy!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Going to Montana

Well, I'm just not very good at keeping up my blog, am I? I have such good intentions and then the day slips away and becomes a week, or two weeks.... I have lots of cards to get photographed to share, but just haven't had a chance to do it. School is out now, and things are finally slowing down just a little tiny bit.

BUT, I'm leaving tomorrow morning with a group of high school students from our church to go on a Mission Trip. We will be helping to paint houses and run a Kids Club with at a Youth Works site. It's an exciting opportunity and so I've been spending time getting ready for that, too.

So, I hope you have a great week of stamping and I'll get some new work posted after I get back from our trip.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Memorial Day prayer

Please, remember to lift up all our military personnel in prayer today. Their courage and sacrifice are what keeps our country free! Remember also, their families and friends who support them.

Friendship Postage

Just a quick post today. This card uses the Stamp of the Month set offered by CTMH last month - Express Postage. It's a fun set! For this card I used the Caprice paper pack, Crystal Blue cardstock, Colonial White cardstock, Chocolate and Honey ink, Chocolate grosgrain ribbon, a giant scallop circle punch and a small Chocolate paper flower.

All supplies, except the punch, are from Close To My Heart.