Amy's Art from the Heart

H2H Sketch Challenge {"cap" it off with some metal!}

2012-02-20T02:56:00.000-08:00

It's a sketch challenge this week on Heart 2 Heart. But, there's a "twist"!! Add some metal on your project. Woo hoo! That sounds like fun!

Here is the sketch. As you can see I have turned it 90 degrees to fit my sentiment.

So many favorite new products on this card! The first item is the Cruisin' papers. A little bit masculine, but so cool and graphic! Another fave is the bottle cap. You'll see a little pic below on how I added it to my card. Lastly, the grey twine. Twine is all the trend and I'm thrilled that Close To My Heart has it. I hope they will carry it in more colors in the future! I've also brought in some oldies but goodies with a swirly stamp from Enjoy Life and a sentiment from Card Chatter Birthday. Along with the bottle cap as my "metal" item, I've also added some silver brads.

To get a secure placement on my card, I used layers of 3D foam tape under my bottle cap. It's not going anywhere! Ha, Ha!

Please visit the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog for lots of inspiration and please play along with this week's sketch!

Colorful Ribbon

2012-02-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the color ready seam binding ribbon? What an innovative product! It's so easy to color and the results are stunning.

For these cards I simply sponged the ink directly onto the ribbon. I was worried that once it was inked I would have ink all over my fingers, but amazingly the ink absorbs well and my fingers were still clean!

This is the card I was telling you about earlier this week. My other creation to the Inspired By #10 challenge. You can see the inspiration photo and post here.

H2H {1,2,3} Challenge

2012-02-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

This week on the Heart 2 Heart Blog we are challenged to create a project using~

1. stamp

2. different patterned papers

3. embellishments (can be same or different)

My {1} stamp is a small flower from the Card Word Puzzle stamp set. I used it multiple times on the half circle banner pieces to give them interest and texture.

The {2} patterned papers come from Lucy (floral pattern & giggle definition) and Cruisin' (gray cross hatched).

My {3} embellishments are the glitter buttons, pink sparkles inside the buttons and grey twine.

Take a closer look~

Please visit the Heart 2 Heart blog this week and play along!

Treats for your Sweets!

2012-02-14T06:52:00.001-08:00

I made some little goodies for purchase at my last club meeting. These were all made using the AP Cricut cartridge. I also used this month's Stamp of the Month Thoughtful Tidings. Each were filled with delicious milk and dark chocolates. Take a closer look~

I love how the zebra striped Roxie papers jazz this little tote up! I also took some leftover plaid Roxie paper and ran it through my paper shredder to create "filler" for the inside.

This little stamp on the mini petal box is called Crafted with Love.

I also made some delicious sugar free chocolate cupcakes and banana nut muffins to feature the Enjoy stamp set.

This stamp set is perfect for personalizing your homemade goodies to give to family, friends or even at a bake sale!

Make something special for your loved ones today!

Inspired by #10

2012-02-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

I had fun with the inspiration photo this week on Inspired By! Check it out~

I thought of a few directions I could interpret this photo {I actually made 2 cards} but this was my first thought. I love the colors, same as my wedding, so I did not alter that at all. I was also most intrigued by the umbrellas and knew I had a stamp in my collection that has not seen ink for some time. Here is what I created~

It would not be complete without some raindrops!

Perhaps I will get around to sharing the other card I created later in the week. In the meantime you should stop by the Inspired By blog and see the other entries and play along!

{all product is Close To My Heart}

Family Love

2012-02-09T07:44:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share another favorite stamp set from the Spring/Summer Idea Book with you today. It's called Family Love {D1506}. This stamp set contains some great "family" sentiments, but it also has some smaller images that work perfectly for creating a textured background paper.

I chose just a few of the sentiments for these cards and you can see those smaller images stamped to create interesting background papers. My colors are Juniper, Goldrush, Cocoa, Kraft, Garden Green, Tulip and Colonial White.

I have also incorporated this stamp set for my own personal scrapbook pages. It's perfect for those family events captured within scrapbook pages. However, incorporating these heart felt sentiments in a card will be great for sending to loved ones; perhaps for Grandparents Day!

February Cricut Club

2012-02-07T10:40:00.001-08:00

Did you like my 3D Heart project I made yesterday for the Heart 2 Heart Love challenge? I made another one on a little bit smaller scale for my Cricut Club that's meeting this Saturday. It still has plenty space for some sweets like candy or chocolate and could be the perfect tote for a small set of 3x3 cards. The details are simple, but cute and this little heart could easily be duplicated for all of your sweethearts this Valentine's Day!

Love challenge on Heart 2 Heart

2012-02-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! One of my favorite sayings is from the Moulin Rouge movie..."One of the greatest gifts in life is to love and be loved"...or something like that!! I feel blessed to have so many people in my life that I love and to feel their love in return.

I made something for this week's challenge on Heart 2 Heart for someone who is very special to me, my husband! Using the Cricut Cartridge I was able to make this 3D heart box. To cut it the largest size possible I chose the "fit to page" button and then "cut". Once the shape is cut all that's left is folding, gluing and decorating. I chose to do some big roses in the Sweetheart papers from last year. They too are cut on the Cricut machine. A little "love" pennant and shear ribbon were just the right finishing touches.

The space in the heart is plenty room for all sorts of gifts like candy, travel lotions, cologne, etc. I can't say what I'm putting in this heart, because there might be blogger spies out there and I don't want my hubby to know what he's getting!!!

Here is a close up of the roses and pennant~

Favorite Spring Stamp

2012-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

With every new Idea Book I usually find a stamp set that quickly becomes my favorite. In the Spring/Summer book my pick is the Card Word Puzzle. From the moment I opened it a ton of ideas kept flooding my head. Here are the images in this stamp set.

These are the first 3 cards I created~

I stamped the flower on a solid surface and cut it out, I colored it in with watercolors, and I stamped it multiple times creating a background. This stamp has so much versatility!

Then I decided to create a few sets of cards. I put them all together using another new stamp called Crafted With Love. I placed the sentiment on a band tied with some new grey twine.

All three sets contained 4 cards each in all the same color combination of colonial white, creme brulee and grey wool!

I also stamped the back of all the cards with the Crafted With Love stamp for a personal touch.

Sweet Surprises!

2012-02-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

There are so many wonderful new items in the new Spring/Summer Idea Book. With 6 new paper packets, fabulous My Acrylix stamps, chipboard shapes, bottle caps and colorful twine, just to name a few, are you curious what my number 1 seller so far is?

It's the My Originals Sweet Surprises Card Kit!

It's really no surprise to me though! I sold 6 kits within my first order. The kit comes with everything you need to create 10 {3D} cards that you can fill with treats! And not just candy treats, look what I did on this first card!

I was able to fill this container with several Close To My Heart embellishments. Perfect for giving to those crafter's you know or perhaps someone without a sweet tooth!

The outside of the card is decorated with chipboard dimensional elements, while the inside is decorated with printed adhesive sheets. The card bases come cut already so all you have to do is adhere your treat cup filled with goodies and decorate. White grosgrain ribbon is included along with box envelopes to fit your finished card.

Here are a few more pics of the 5 styles you'll receive~ {2 cards per style are in the kit, totaling 10 cards in all}

Check back soon as I will reveal my favorite My Acrylix stamp set in the new book!

Spring/Summer Idea Book is Here!!

2012-02-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

During my last club meeting I gave all the ladies a sneak peek at several new goodies from the brand new Spring and Summer Idea Book. Here is just a quick peek for you. I will show more of these projects up close later in the next few weeks.

Be sure to browse the new book, see all the new products and enjoy the spectacular artwork!

Inspired By #8 {party card}

2012-01-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

Another Inspired by challenge for you. I'm hooked on these challenges, they seem to push my creative boundaries! Here is the pic for us this week~

I really liked the graphic design and clean lines. I stuck with the same color combination, but chose to use more creams and less orange. Take a look~

I pulled out an old index card and sponged the edges to further it's aged look. To achieve the lines on the "Party" sentiment I inked the letters in black then stamped on some journaling lines of another stamp before stamping on the index card. The chipboard arrow was inked up with a stamp pad and marker. Other than the twine {twinery} all product is Close To My Heart.

Non-Traditional Valentine Colors

2012-01-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

Over on the Ribbon Carousel Challenge Blog we are invited to create a Valentine project with "Non-Traditional" Valentine colors. We typically see the red, white, and pink colors in many projects and decor for Valentine's Day! It usually looks like Cupid stormed all the stores directly after Christmas! By using some lovely whimsical papers {Florentine} and this sweet image {Childhood Portrait} you can clearly see that it is still a Valentine.

By the way...Ribbon Carousel is having a BIG giveaway! Look at this stunning carousel, isn't it fabulous?! Go to the blog to get all the details.

Rock the Block

2012-01-25T15:14:00.001-08:00

Time is running out to get this wonderful promotion! I thought I would share my creation for anyone that is "on the fence" about purchasing the Rock the Block promo!

Not only do you get the brand new blocks with tray, but you also get this awesome "E" size stamp set.

I decided to create my blocks with some of my favorite family photo's of 2011.

I used the new Stella papers that can be found in the upcoming Spring Idea Book. This little sentiment above can be found on the border of one of the papers, as can the 'love' shown in the picture below.

I also snuck in a sentiment from a new stamp set called "Family Love", also coming soon in the Spring Idea Book. The flower that you see here is from the coordinating canvas embellishments to the Stella papers. Peel and stick canvas with bright vivid colors...GORGEOUS!

If you miss this promotion, don't worry! You can always order the blocks in the new Idea Book and use any of the beautiful paper packets and coordinating products to complete your project.

Inspired By #7

2012-01-24T14:03:00.001-08:00

Last week I was selected as the winner of the Inspired By challenge #6, see it here. Once I saw this week's photo I was definitely inspired and had to play along.

I love the converse shoes. I can totally see my own daughter doing this for her wedding. She is a big fan of converse shoes and the color green, but they would be {lime} green!!

For my card I wanted to pick up the lovely color combo of grey and yellow, which I've been doing a lot lately in much of my card making. I wanted the white to be minimal and really just pop the green in there with a fun ribbon! This card also gives you a sneak peek and my absolute favorite new stamp called Card Word Puzzle found in the new Spring 2012 Idea Book. Hope you like it!

Be sure to visit the Inspired By Blog and play along with the challenges, it's fun and addicting!

Heart 2 Heart Inspiration Photo Challenge

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

This week on Heart 2 Heart challenges we want to see what inspires you from this photo. Is it the design, the textures, or the colors?

In this photo, I was intrigued by the leaves, the vintage looking tags and the crystals. Not to mention the wonderful cork texture, which I tried to actually incorporate cork, but did not succeed!

Instead of cork I did some background stamping on Kraft cardstock. Next, I knew that the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge had the perfect leaf and vine image. After it was cut out I added some Create-a-Shade paint with a bit of green re-inker in it and some glitter. It added the perfect shimmer I needed to match the photo. The tags were simple to cut also and I found little images that worked well for the design. The bird is under a clear plastic sticker which I found at a craft store a few years ago. This was the best way to incorporate that "crystal" type embellishment.

Here is another view.

All products are Close To My Heart except the clear bubble circle thingy ; ) !

Be sure to play along this week at Heart 2 Heart! Thanks for stopping by!

New Year Hike Layout

2012-01-19T10:56:00.001-08:00

One very common resolution is to get healthy, eat better and exercise more! We started our year with this resolution in mind by taking a family hike through the beautiful desert and red rock landscape.

Another resolution for me personally is to scrapbook in a more 'timely' manner. I usually start every year with good intentions and stay caught up until summer vacation. That's when we travel and I come back with 200 or so photo's! I get a bit overwhelmed and before you know it we are heading back to school, holidays and those fall sports and hobbies that take up the weekends.

As I try to complete my 2011 album still, I'm attempting to stay current on my 2012 album. I pulled out some older papers for these photo's from our hike. They work well with the gorgeous red rocks and blue skies, making sure not to take away from the focus. Another product I used for the first time is the Make-it-Count Irresistibles Numbers. These were introduced for the first time in the Fall/Winter Idea book, but will also be available in the new Spring Book page 129. I'm a big fan of all the Irresistibles products and these are no exception. They are so simple to use, simply add whatever color ink you want and adhere to your project. In addition to the numbers they added new Persnickety Journaling Spots. You will see these soon on an upcoming project!

See how fabulous these Irresistibles Numbers look!

H2H Wintery Color Challenge

2012-01-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

It's a color challenge on Heart 2 Heart this week. Our colors are Crystal Blue, Amethyst and White Daisy or Colonial White. I obviously used some Kraft cardstock to warm up this "chilly" palette. The snowflake was cut out on the Kraft paper using the Art Philosophy cartridge, then mounted on some blue Wonderland paper. We were also dared to throw in a little glitter or sparkle too. It's hard to see from my photo, but the tiny white dots all around the snowflake have a little shimmer to them!

The bottom of the card also says "warm winter wishes". All product is Close To My Heart except the punch to create the scallop border.

Be sure to see all the beautiful artwork and try the color challenge yourself on the Heart 2 Heart Blog.

Inspired By #6 {Every Mile a Memory}

2012-01-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this photo! This is the inspiration photo this week at a fairly new challenge blog called Inspired By. I wish my garage was this organized and colorful!!

I loved the little scooter in the photo, but did not have a stamp with one. This is what I came up with instead.

Laurel Seabrook is the owner of this new challenge blog and a very talented artist. You can find her other blog in the right hand column on my home page. Please visit her challenge blog and play along!

All product used is Close To My Heart!

Birthday Memories Card

2012-01-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

This appears to be just a simple Birthday card, but there is a "surprise" inside!

It all begins with a Kraft scallop edged card base. The scallop is tucked on the inside and everything is held together with a belly band and brightly colored twine.

Once the band is removed you slowly reveal the "surprise" inside this card!

Here it is all the way open. It's like a PARTY inside a card! Quickly it becomes a 3D Birthday wish and mini album to record those special memories! There is space for 3 large photo's and a journaling space to write down all the details. I love the hanging pennant banner!

Here's a side view of those cute pennants!

A top view to show the scallop border. It makes me think of a store front and we're getting to peek into all the fun!

Bicycle Mojo Monday {223}

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

Great sketch on Mojo Monday this week. I wanted to play along and I was inspired by a card that fellow consultant Vicki Wizniuk did. Take a look at her card here as well as all the inspiring artwork on Mojo Monday!

{The inside of the card says "DREAMS"!}

All product is Close To My Heart

It's New! {take two}

2012-01-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

When I first heard about our challenge this week on Heart 2 Heart, I immediately went to this new stamp that comes in the Art Philosophy Cricut Kit. I had only used a couple of the images, but not this adorable pennant yet. When I saw that another Design Team Member used the same stamp, I grabbed those Valentine Lanterns instead. I still wanted to share my card with you, because the more ideas the better, right!

Here is the stamp set. You can "clearly" see what stamp images I already used!

I used bright playful colors on a black & gray base. {Mischief paper}

I used small black button brads between the pennants and Lots of Dots irresistibles stickers sponged in black ink.

I used some sand paper on just a section of the gray cardstock to reveal the white core allowing my "birthday" sentiment to really POP!

Please be sure to check out all the fabulous artwork at Heart 2 Heart Challenges Blog!

It's New! {sort of}

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's the first challenge of the year at Heart 2 Heart Challenges! Yeah, I'm so excited!
My very first challenge as a Design Team Member was to show some love to a new stamp or one that has not been inked yet!

I was showing lots of love to this not-so-new stamp called Paper Lantern {C1458}. You will see it in the new Spring Idea Book on page 90. I also thought I could get a head start on my Valentine cards. As you can see by this picture, I had used some of the images on this stamp, but did not ink that cute heart lantern yet!

Here is a great tip I learned from some other consultants. When you get a fresh new stamp, it's shiny and slick and does not bond well with the ink at first. The solution is to rub the stamp on your skin picking up oils and creating a film on your new stamp. Now it will adhere to ink much better. I also try stamping a few times in a light or neutral color like bamboo or blush to avoid too much discoloration.

Here is a closer look at each card as they are all unique and different from one another.

The inside of the card uses sentiments from A Little Everything {D1408} and the "love" on the outside of the card is from one of the stamps in the Art Philosophy Kit.

Card base: White daisy die-cut cards {Z1473}

Colors: blush, tulip, sky, kraft, chocolate

Papers: jingle, animal cookies

Twine is not CTMH, but we have new twine in the Spring 2012 book! woo hoo!

Please visit the Heart 2 Heart blog to see the other talented Design Team artwork and play along with us! Thanks for stopping by!

Ter.RUFF.ic!

2012-01-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolutions... Love them or hate them? I suppose it's a good opportunity to set new goals, why not begin at the start of a new year.

One of my smaller goals is to get out and walk at least 30 minutes everyday. I also decided I needed to take my slightly over weight beagle with me. It will be good for the both of us. Have you ever tried walking a hound dog though? She wants to sniff and track the entire walk. I figured if I walk the same path each day, she will realize it's familiar and will no longer need to stop along the way. When she walks good for me she will be rewarded back at home. {She stopped to taunt a great big Husky and Rottweiler the other day, which I found slightly amusing, so she still got her treat!}

Having some canning jars left over from Christmas crafts, I decided to make a little jar to keep her "cookies" in. It's much more stylish than the bags they come in. She also recognizes the sound of the lid spinning off already!

The jar and top of the lid are decorated in some older Cherry-O papers. The dog is from an old stamp called Puppy Love. The label is glued then held around the jar using some simple blush grosgrain ribbon.

Be sure to check out the other artwork at the Ribbon Carousel Challenges Blog!

Exciting News!

2012-01-06T08:09:00.001-08:00

If you have been following my blog for some time now, then you know how much I enjoy playing along with the challenges at the Heart 2 Heart blog. The challenges are dedicated to using Close To My Heart products, which happen to be my product of choice! You can see my intro here.

I was a guest designer for about a month back in the summer of 2010. Now with more free time, I decided to apply as a Design Team Member. I will be on Team A which is lead by Mary Vogel who is also the blog creator and owner. Each team will altar week by week with new and exciting challenges. You can bet that when it's not my team's week, I will still be playing along!

On the right hand side of my blog you can view a list of the other talented designers of both team's. Please take a look at their beautiful artwork and play along with us each week.

The brand new 2012 challenges begin this Monday the 9th of January. The new year is already off to a great start : ) !

Roxie Mojo

2012-01-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

Kids are back to school today. The Holiday vacation flew by, it always does. I love having my kiddo's at home with me. However, it's also nice to have some peace and quiet in the house too. It allows me time to focus and to get some crafting done!

Jumping back into challenges, I could not resist the Mojo Monday sketch this week. I am also trying to use up some older papers before new ones arrive! I really love these Roxie papers still, so stylish and hip!

Speaking of "challenges", come back soon as I will share some very BIG and exciting news!!!

January Cricut Club

2012-01-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

New year, new club! This year I've decided to host a Cricut Club and it's going to be so much fun! Each month we will create a different project using the new Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge. I will show guests how to use the cricut machine to complete an entire project. Items will include gift sets, interactive scrapbook pages, 3D items, home decor items and card kits like our first project shown here.

This projects begins with a petal box held closed with a belly band~

Once open guests will discover 4 beautiful circle cards and envelopes~

My Annual Album

2011-12-31T06:12:00.000-08:00

Every year we do a gift exchange in my Husband's family. This is the second year I did an annual album as my gift. The sister-in-law that received it this year has a young daughter at home still and this January will have a total of 3 grandchildren, so she will get plenty of use from this album!

This is how I wrapped my gifts this year. I used the Remarkable Wreath stamp on the tag. It was tied on to sheer ribbon with scraps of ribbon and a big jingle bell I got on clearance last year. This was a great way to keep the kids wondering what was in the boxes. When they would "shake" the boxes all they could hear was a jingle bell! Ha, Ha!

The faux leather album contained a two page layout for each month.

January~

February~

March~

April~

May~

June~

July~

August~

September~

October~

November~

December~

The Reason for the Season

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

To all who visit my little blog, I'd like to wish you and your families a very

Merry Christmas!

Snowman Ornament

2011-12-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

I added a new ornament to my tree this year. This adorable little snowman is hanging out and he is soooo cute!

He is a telescoping snowman, so at the end of the year he will "melt" down for easy storage!

Inspired Christmas Wall Hangings

2011-12-23T16:31:00.001-08:00

I was inspired by some tone on tone wall hangings on Jeanette Lynton's blog. At first I just made one, this one~

Then I decided to make some more in cheerful festive colors. However, I kept them all tone on tone still! The photography is not the best, they are much nicer in person.

Believe Banners

2011-12-22T16:14:00.000-08:00

Hope you haven't seen enough Holiday banners, because I have two more for you today! They are both "believe" banners made almost entirely from the Cricut AP cartridge. The first one is more a traditional home made banner. It uses the colors of colonial white, barn red, kraft and new england ivy. I joined the pennants together with the lovely striped chocolate grosgrain ribbon. I kept it very simple.

This believe banner is more playful and has lots of fun ribbons and twine. Most of the pieces were cut using the Cricut AP cartridge except the scallop circles that the letters are adhered to. The color combination is similar to the other except lighter shades of red (cranberry)and green (garden green).

I have it hanging here above my Tai Pan Trading snowmen I picked up last year at the after Christmas clearance sale. They are soooo cute!

My daughter said, "Mom, we have too many believe banners in the house." I told her that one of them might become a gift for someone.... I wonder who might like one?!?!

Jingle Banner

2011-12-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

Do you ever create one of those projects that makes you happy. When it's completed you feel a sense of accomplishment and so proud of your creative abilities. This is one of those projects for me.

I tend to do my best work when I create for others. When I have a specific person in mind and want them to have something one of a kind, those projects become my favorites. Who was in mind for this festive Jingle Banner? My mom of course!

I used some older tags from a tag book that Close To My Heart sold. The white base is from the Top Note sizzix die. The "jingle" letters and snowflakes were cut from the Cricut AP cartridge. I added several different types of ribbon & twine.

You have to add some bells for a "jingle" banner!

So difficult to capture through photography, but the base of the tags are sprayed with some shimmer paint and there is a bit of glitter glue flakes in the center of the white snowflakes.

I placed it in some cute packaging to mail it off to her!

Also, while my mom was visiting in November we sat down one day to create her Christmas cards. She wanted something with snowflakes and unique, hence the pink and brown color combination.

inside~

Home Made From the Heart

2011-12-20T07:05:00.001-08:00

A few years ago I met a group of ladies from my church. Our children are close in age and we quickly found that we all had a passion for cooking. We started getting together at each others homes to cook and let the kids hang out. We always have a feast to eat and several stories and laughs are shared.

We had our Christmas get together last weekend and as usual had more than enough food to eat. Thank goodness our "guys" like to eat too! I wanted to give them something special for Christmas. Here is what they received.

My little tag cards with this darling snowman matched perfectly with the gift bag.

The tag swings open to reveal the greeting.

M&M cookies in a jar look so festive! It looks as if the M&M's are packed in snow!

The Holiday Fudge bars was an idea from a friend and the Close To My Heart consultant that I signed up under. The poem is to the tune of Jingle Bells.

I fell in love with chocolate popcorn when I discovered it at a little novelty shop. When we moved I had to figure out how to make it myself. The red and green M&M's and colored chocolate make it perfect for Christmas. It's awfully hard to eat just plain buttered popcorn now!

Yummy!

And of course I must include some paper craft items. I made some Holiday Cap Magnets using some old bottle caps and the Believe papers.

I adore these gals, they have really become a part of my life. I hope they enjoy all their goodies and can't wait for the next get~together. I wonder what we'll eat...chicken curry, pea soup, tamales, lumpia, tiramisu.....?

Merry & Bright Ornaments

2011-12-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

Last Monday I finished making all my cards, addressing the envelopes and mailed them out. Here was my last group of cards using up some leftover papers and embellishments. I had a few cards leftover from the ones I created for my Christmas card exchange too. I love how the bright colors of the ornaments pop against the black and white card. The little colored pearls are actually from a dollar store and worked perfectly.

Here is the card with the envelope.

Finally, the whole assortment {minus a few others that you'll see later}. Thank goodness for pictures, because I really get attached to my little creations and it's hard to send them off!

I have so many more treats for you this week! Be sure to check back soon!

Melty Snowman Card

2011-12-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

I'm playing along with this week's Ribbon Carousel Challenge. I just love using twine on projects, especially Holiday projects. The twine I used for this project is definitely tangled and twisted.

If you could only see the underside of the snowman's scarf, it's a tangled mess! The twine was wrapped around giving dimension to the stripes of the scarf. I just love these "melted" snowmen cards.

{A card A month} Take a Closer Look

2011-12-16T06:06:00.000-08:00

My Mystery Mini Gift was a set of 12 cards all using the Pair-a-Phrase stamp set. They are perfect to send to a loved one each month of the 2012 year!

This stamp set was perfect for celebrating each month~

Mystery Mini Gifts Revealed

2011-12-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

At my Christmas Card Exchange we also held a Mystery Mini Gift Exchange. Participants created a hand made gift and brought it packaged in a plain brown bag. I attached a small puff ball in different colors to each bag and then we drew a matching puff ball from a bowl. Here is what some of the gifts were.

My dear friend Nanette makes her own fruit preserves. This year she made a triple berry preserve. Look how cute her little tag turned out and the preserves were delicious too!

Janet makes our tissues look so pretty!

Pat decorated this little box with some Believe papers. Wait 'til you see what's inside...

... Look at all those tiny tags!!!

29 tiny tags to be exact. She was having a good time playing with her Cricut AP cartridge.

I did not snap a picture, but my friend Tommie decorated a little box similar to Pat's and filled it with her "famous" peanut clusters!

Here is the project I made~

I created a set of cards called "A card A month". There were a total of 12 standard cards in the set, perfect for sending to that special someone each month for an entire year! Each one was made using the Pair-a-Phrase stamp set.

Here is a pic of all of them, but I will post each card individually later on.

Virtual Card Exchange

2011-12-12T14:35:00.001-08:00

It's a virtual card exchange on Heart 2 Heart challenges this week! It will be the last challenge for the year on H2H, so sad!

I was able to use up a small amount of papers, stickease and ribbons for these darling snowmen cards. As usual all products used are CTMH.

Here is the small set and a peek on the inside!

Please see the wonderful inspiration on H2H and play along.

Merry Christmas to all of you and your families!

Peppermint Twist RCC Challenge

2011-12-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

Check out this photo, our inspiration on the Ribbon Carousel Challenge Blog this week. I love the red and white colors, but even more I enjoy the peppermint scents this time of year. How do I create a card that evokes that joy? Make it scented of course!

I wish someone would invent "Sniff-a-Blog" because these cards smell as good as they look! I used the candy cane scent from the scent my cards company. The stocking were cut on the Cricut using the AP cartridge then hung with care on some fluffy CTMH Sassy Strands.

Christmas Cards with Mojo Monday {218}

2011-12-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

I decided to use this weeks Mojo Monday sketch to complete another small set of Christmas cards. I have really been able to use some scraps and bits of leftover ribbons and embellishments for several cards this year. I also pulled out some older stamps that have not even had ink on them before! {crazy right?} I love how this card turned out especially the embossed corrugated star!

All supplies are Close To My Heart

Heart 2 Heart Wreath Inspiration

2011-12-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

The above photo is this weeks challenge on Heart 2 Heart Blog. I was inspired by this photo to use the Remarkable Wreath stamp {again} to create a small set of cards.

Gifts To My Customers

2011-12-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

I really have the best customers. They are the nicest bunch of women and I'm guaranteed a laugh every time they visit! I try to give them little goodies at Christmas to show my appreciation for their business as well as friendship.

This year they got to choose one of these cute little boxes if they placed an order this month. Inside each of them was a tiny scroll of paper that revealed their prize! These little boxes were cut on the Cricut using the Art Philosophy cartridge. They have been adorned with various Christmas stamps and ribbons.

A peek inside~

Each of my customers also chose one of these darling treat sacks filled with Dove chocolates. {Have you tried the peppermint bark candies...YUM!} The shapes were cut from the Art Philosophy cartridge for these also. They had a difficult time choosing between the festive elves or the beautiful blue snowflakes!

Want to see more ideas using the Art Philosophy cartridge?

Christmas Card Exchange 2011

2011-12-05T16:09:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday I hosted my annual Christmas Card Exchange. There were a total of 10 girls that participated this year. Just feast your eyes on this table!!

First up, Tommie~

Allison~

Stacie~

Pat~

Peggy~

Aysa~

Janet~

The inside of Janet's card contained this little poem~

Nikki~

Nanette~

My card~

Inside of my card~

I also held a Mini Mystery Gift Exchange. I will show those items later this week. Also, I made some goodies for my customers in appreciation for their loyalty and friendship. Some of them also spoiled me with some wonderful unexpected gifts. I will show those items later this week as well.

Candy Canes & Gingerbread Men

2011-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have another set of Christmas cards for you today! These "sweet" cards will also be entered in the Ribbon Carousel color challenge this week. The colors in the challenge are Kraft, Brown (Chocolate) and Red. Once again I pulled out some older items that have not seen daylight in years. My "spool" item however is some newer adorable ribbon from the red collection in the Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter Idea Book.

inside~

Greetings 4 You

2011-12-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

My next set of Christmas cards uses the Heart 2 Heart sketch challenge this week. I used some Mistletoe papers in olive green with Cocoa and Cranberry cardstock. My wreath has been adorned with some red glitter gel to give this very classic looking card a bit of bling.

Here is the sketch~

Snow Buddies

2011-12-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

It's officially December! Time to get serious about those Christmas cards. I sometimes find that creating smaller groups of cards is easier. It allows me to explore my creativity and use up limited supplies like scraps of paper or a bit of ribbon. "Snow Buddies" is my first small set of cards this season. I just love these little characters and once again I've turned to that red/blue/chocolate color scheme!

Difficult to see in the photo, but these little guys have liquid applique on their hats and are standing in snowflake glitter.

I will have more posts with sets of Christmas cards all month long. This weekend is my Christmas card exchange, so come back soon to see ideas that will surely inspire!

December Card Club

2011-11-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

It is sometimes difficult to find the perfect gift for that special someone. I often find myself purchasing a gift card for that person or sending money. Rather than throwing that card or bills in an envelope, I think it's better to package it beautifully. That is my theme for my last Card Club class. Two of the cards are made to perfectly fit a gift card while the third is designed for the ever appreciated cash!

This first card/tag was inspired by the one and only Jeanette Lynton. In her Shape-a-Day series she featured a gorgeous Holiday tag using several shapes from the Art Philosophy cartridge. For my card I sealed the bottom and one end so I could tuck a tag in the middle. This creates the perfect place for my gift card.

I've seen many different takes on the "coffee cup" card, but no templates did I find. So I just made it up as I went along. I've got a long list of recipients that would love a gift card to their favorite coffee house!

Last but not least, I wanted so badly to incorporate a Christmas stocking into one of my cards. The shape is cut from the Art Philosophy cartridge. I dolled it up with lace ribbon, buttons and holly leaves. It has an opening at the top perfect for some Christmas cash!

This should be a great class. The Card Club has been fun this year, can't wait for new classes next year!

"Time" to Celebrate!

2011-11-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

Heart 2 Heart challenge blog has a theme of "Time" this week. Create a project with the words "time" or "timeless", or images of time. It is that time of year that we are scrambling and preparing hastily for the Holiday season. Here is my card with the man who is the busiest this time of year!

Mojo Snowflakes

2011-11-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Here is this week's Mojo Monday sketch. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and that means Christmas is just around the corner. Time to get started on those Christmas cards!

I'm really attracted to the blue/red/brown color combination lately. I have been creating lots of Christmas goodies with this similar combination. {I will post them soon!} I really love this stamp set too and the darling sentiment.

Thankful Decor

2011-11-17T11:48:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is only a week away from today! Can you believe it? The house is decorated and the turkey has been purchased. I did some different decorations on the fire mantle this year and the banner is a new addition thanks to the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge!

I was able to cut the base and layers from the Cricut machine as well as the letters. Then I strung them all together with some silky leaves from the craft store.

Thankful from the Heart

2011-11-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

November is a month of gratitude. A time to reflect on those people and things we are thankful for. Heart 2 Heart Blog is sharing those special projects this week that shows your gratitude for those in your life. My project is a dry erase frame. It is not to be given to anyone in particular, rather it is to remain in my home for all those that enter here this season. Whether it's family or friends I invite everyone to write something on it, even my CTMH customers, whom I am very thankful for all year long.

This is what the frame looks like before any writing has been done on it. The words and pumpkin are under the glass so you could write directly over them.

Be sure to check out all the beautiful projects on the Heart 2 Heart Blog.

Metal Mania Sketch with St. Nick

2011-11-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

I am completing two challenges today with one card. Heart 2 Heart blog is challenging us to use metal on our creations this week. I've chosen to use a metal frame, new england ivy metal tab and some metal brads to attach them both to the card base.

This card is also for the sketch on Mojo Monday this week.

I also wanted to share my inspiration for this card. While my mom is visiting this month we will create her Christmas cards together. I like to give her a Close To My Heart Idea Book for ideas. This was one of the cards she liked, so I gave it a try with the two challenges this week. You will have to stay tuned to see what her final card selection will be!

Calendar Club Complete!

2011-11-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my Calendar Club completed their last two pages. We only needed to finish November and December. Now they are ready to have the dates filled in and pictures posted in the spaces provided. This was a really fun Club and I think I may do it again sometime.

The November page uses the beautiful Dreamin' papers and some fall leaves cut and stamped using the Cricut cartridge and coordinating stamp set.

The December page uses the festive Believe papers and a stamped sentiment that was cut from the Cricut cartridge as well as the holly leaves.

Be sure to look back throughout the year to see each month's pages. You can use the Search on the right side of the column under key words "Calendar Club".

Thankful ~ RCC27

2011-11-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

I had fun creating this background paper with these lovely leaf and acorn stamps. I thought it would be interesting to throw some purple into the usual autumn colors. I used some purple twine to tie it all together as well.

Family For All Seasons ~ Mojo Monday

2011-11-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

With the recent cooler weather I have fall on my mind. I've already taken down the Halloween decorations and put up the fall ones. This is definitely my favorite season and is also a time for Family. My Mother will arrive tomorrow and will stay with us through Thanksgiving. I'm so excited to spend time with her.

With that being said, here's my take on this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

There's that Bronze Glitter Gel again, I love this stuff!

Fall Color Challenge on H2H

2011-11-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

It's a color challenge on Heart 2 Heart challenges Blog this week. It's so pretty and reminds me of fall colors. The colors are Autumn Terracotta, Juniper and Bamboo. I used the Captured Moments stamp, some new and old Juniper B&T papers and the new Bronze Glitter Gel.

Try out this color combo for yourself and be sure to check out the other creative artwork on the Heart 2 Heart blog today!

Time for Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T11:13:00.001-07:00

You've seen some Halloween projects, decorations and some yummy treats. But, Halloween is really all about the costumes, trick-or-treating and getting lots of CANDY!! I simply can't bring myself to paying these prices for Halloween costumes in the stores, so we decided to make our own.

Here is my daughter with her best friend. They came up with these crazy lady costumes. It's all about finding things around the house and making it work! She's working balloons for these costumes. These hips would make Shakira jealous!

Call me!!

My husband and I dressed as insurance commercial characters. I thought of doing Flo and he of course would make the perfect Mayhem!

He's out jogging. He needs to keep it looking a perfect 10.

Are you checking out his awesome headband?

Then the girls dressed up for a school dance. They make the cutest nerdy chicks ever! Look at those dance moves!!

Happy Halloween!

Scenes of Halloween

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I invite you to take a look around my house. These are just a few fun decorations I have set up this year. Some are items I created last year while others are new like this first one.

Have you seen these blood dripping taper candles? They are from Yankee Candle and really creepy cool!

My daughter filled the jars this year with eyeballs and spiders! The skull sits atop some classic Halloween films.

I love my Mr. Bones! You can find these cuties at Party Lite.

I created this Halloween countdown last year. It's simple to create. You'll need an old frame, wire and paper crafting products to create tags.

And finally a "Spooky" banner that can easily be created using the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge!

Halloween Cards

2011-10-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

I created two Halloween cards to send out to friends and family this year. I am also entering them in the Ribbon Carousel Challenge this week. On this first card you really have to look closely to see the "ribbon" I used. Did you find it? It is actually the "BOO" sentiment. I cut a small portion of the ribbon and used it as the sentiment detail of my card. I also went for an unusual color combination for Halloween, what do you think?

This next card keeps with very traditional colors typically associated with the Halloween holiday. I had fun painting these chipboard stars white then embellishing them with a big brad and sparkly rhinestone. My choice of ribbon for this card is some white ric rac.

Inside of card and back of envelope~

Dear Friends

2011-10-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

How cute is this little dear? I am shifting gears from Halloween to play with this sketch from Mojo Monday. I love the traditional colors and that dear is just so sweet!

Mischief Rub-Ons Layout

2011-10-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

Are you scared by Rub-Ons? They can be a little bit intimidating, but once you get the hang of them you'll find that they are fun and easy to use on any project. You can find the Mischief Complements Rub-Ons in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book on page 46. Two sheets are a Halloween theme and the other two are an Autumn theme. In this 2 page layout I kept it all in a Halloween theme.

I used the Mischief papers for this layout and the design is from the Magic book. {Magician's Choice}

When you take a closer look you will see that I've created quite a bit of dimension with them. Rub-Ons would typically be used in a very flat manner. So what I've done here is rubbed them on the cardstock, cut them out, and then used 3D foam to pop them off the page.

Notice that with the jars I was able to rub-on a spider's web on top of another rub-on creating more layers. It really appears that there is depth on a shelf or counter.

Hmmm.... I wonder if anyone would like some Halloween pages ; ) !!!

Halloween Challenge on H2H

2011-10-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Heart 2 Heart's challenge this week is anything Halloween or an Autumn theme. I have wanted to try one of these paper cupcake's for some time now. I've seen some that have a hidden gift card in the center, but I wanted to use mine as home decor. To achieve that I used some CTMH pin clips to hold a cute pumpkin and sentiment, but I can also clip pictures of my kids in their costumes too!

Halloween Decor

2011-10-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy decorating my house for Halloween. With the new Art Philosophy cartridge from Close To My Heart I was able to create this fun banner to decorate my kitchen nook this year. I used a pennant shape set at 5 inches. Then created a jagged circle and all the letters too.

I am also entering this in the Ribbon Carousel Challenge this week. This photo just inspires fun and playful decorating. I also used a few different ribbons to complete the top of each banner and to string it all together.

As you can see it stretches almost the entire length of my nook.

Here is a closer look~

Chili Cook Off 2011

2011-10-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

My final post for "Giving Back Week"! I wanted to post this yesterday, but I was so exhausted! I worked on our annual Chili Cook Off all week long. Much organization, some sign making and 3 days worth of baking! Normally I would have just made posters with some markers, but now that I have a cricut and the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge, I was able to design these professional looking signs.

Here is some of the baking I did. I made some other goodies, but did not think to snap a picture.

Cake pops~

Mini Cake Bites~

Peanut Butter Dipped Fudge Shortbread cookies~

{Have you seen these Jif to go cups? Easy way to spruce up some store bought cookies.}

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Gourmet Cupcakes~

{These were amazing, the peanut butter buttercream frosting was to die for!}

Hershey's Chocolate Halloween Cake~

{This cake was auctioned off for $20}

Mojo for our Military

2011-10-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

Giving Back Week continues with a sketch from Mojo Monday. A friend of mine asked to donate Christmas cards to those serving in our military. This way they can take the hand made cards, personalize them and send them home to their families that they are desperately missing over the Holidays. I pulled out 20 cards that I've been holding on to and decided to create a new one using this weeks Mojo Monday sketch. Check it out.

Lots of hand~made love. Hope these create some smiles!

Can Cozies

2011-10-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

One last project for the Elementary school's Santa Shop. I wanted to do something for the Dad's and Grandpa's. I thought about these can cozies. They are useful and personally decorated for the man of the house. {well we ended up with just a couple pink & purple ones too for mom} I am also entering this first design in this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge. They wanted to see numbers on our projects...so how about that 1 cool Dad!

I have more to "Give Back" this week, come back soon!

Cap Magnets

2011-10-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am continuing my "Giving Back Week" with another project for the local elementary school Santa Christmas shop. These are what I call Cap Magnets. I have been saving bottle caps for some time now. I simply spray paint them in black then decorate the inside with coordinating papers and stamped sentiments. They'll make a great gift to attach the kids pictures, artwork and those A+ report cards on the fridge!

I created an everyday and Holiday version.

Pin-a-Pic

2011-10-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

I would like to dedicate this week as "Giving Back Week". I don't know about you, but I enjoy volunteering and giving back to my community whenever possible. If you have followed my blog over the years you know that I'm always posting my projects for school or church programs. I have hosted the annual Chili Cook Off at my parish for a couple of years now. This coming Saturday I will host it once again to raise money for our children's Faith Formation program. I will show goodies I've been making for that later this week. But first, I would like to share some projects I have been working on for one of our local elementary schools.

A couple of my customers, and good friends, have been responsible for the Santa Shop that opens every December for students of the school. They make several hand-made crafts to sell at a minimal cost to students so that they can give Christmas gifts to their parents, grand-parents and siblings. The money raised goes back to the school and ultimately back to the students. I was able to create a few items for them last year, but wanted to do more this year.

My first idea comes from the multi talented Nona Davenport. I created some designer clothespins and packaged them neatly with a cord of twine. The kids can give this as a gift and even choose some family pictures to hang from the line! I call them "Pin-a-Pics".

Be sure to come back all week to see more projects and inspiration to "Give Back"!

Thank "Fall"

2011-10-15T16:36:00.001-07:00

Today I held my Card Club and Fall Card Exchange. The ladies were asked to make cards with a "fall" theme, using as much CTMH product as possible. They all created wonderful cards. Please be kind and leave a comment for these awesome gals!

First up is the card I created using the new Kraft cards in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. Rather than using the scalloped flap on the outside of the card I chose to use it as a pocket for the inside. I even tucked a little goodie inside for each of them, but they can use the pocket for a photo or recipe or just about anything!?!

Tommie~

Suzy~

Janet~

Nanette~

Stacie~

Pat~

Julie~

Peggy~

Aysa~

Nikki~

Story Time on H2H

2011-10-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Heart 2 Heart Blog wants to see some scrapbook pages this week that includes some journaling that tells a story. That is truly the reason I began scrapbooking in the first place. After discovering some photographs of my grandparents and no story, names or dates to go with them, I vowed to scrapbook for myself and especially my children.

These pictures are from a recent camping trip we took this summer. The story is about the crafty paper sack owls our little campers made. What was originally suppose to be a project to keep their little hands busy, became a way for each of them to express their own creativity and show their own unique personalities!

Be sure to stop by the H2H blog this week for more story telling and scrapbook inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

Peek - a - "BOO"

2011-10-10T17:43:00.001-07:00

My Card Club meets this month. In celebration of October and Halloween we are creating Peek-a-"BOO" cards. These aren't scary though! The entire card base is cut on the cricut using the new Art Philosophy cartridge. Even the center cut out is done for you.

Inside~

Christmas Begins at Home

2011-10-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

It's a sketch challenge on Heart 2 Heart this week. I had this idea for a Christmas card and the sketch worked beautifully for it. Here is the sketch.

I am also entering this card in the Ribbon Carousel Challenge this week~

Here is my card~

All products are Close To My Heart.

MOJO 209 ~ Fright Night

2011-10-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Finally cooler weather today! Even some light rain showers. The change of weather put me in the mood to make this frightfully delightful Halloween card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

All products are Close To My Heart except ribbon and black glitter.

Baptism Acrylix Album

2011-10-04T15:43:00.001-07:00

Good friends of ours asked us to be the Godparents of their little girl. A couple weekends ago we held the ceremony with a celebration to follow. I wanted to create something special for her and her parents to remember the occasion by. I used the Acrylix album and the Miracle papers and embellishments. I think they all worked perfectly together. Take a look.

If you are interested in creating a mini album similar to this one, please contact me for more information.

Make It From Your Heart ~ Scrapbook Layout

2011-10-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is the other scrapbook layout I entered for the Close To My Heart, Make It From Your Heart contest. This is a Level 3 layout which means that I used a new paper pack, any embellishments from the current Idea Book and stamping is a must. For my paper I chose the Elemental papers. I kept the design clean and simple. I used the new Cricut cartridge for the stars and the " Paddle Board " title. I also used the new journaling spots and antiqued brads.

I like that the journaling can be kept in the pocket and that the photo's were not over powered by lots of embellishing.

Make It From Your Heart~ Cards

2011-09-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

I submitted two cards to the Make It From Your Heart contest. They are both done in a Holiday theme and use several new goodies from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book.

The first card was submitted for the Elemental papers. I also used a couple new stamps, Bundled Buddies was on my "gotta have it" list right away and December 25th. I also got to use one of the new Journaling Spots and a Foundry Pin Clip. How much do you love that cocoa grosgrain striped ribbon?

This card uses a completely different Holiday color scheme thanks to the new Believe papers. I love how bright and cheery they are! The card design is from the Fancy File template in the Wishes book. I like how you can pull out the tag to reveal a message or perhaps some Christmas cash! For this card I also used the December 25th stamp set and the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.

They were not winners, but they are still special to me. I have another two page Level 3 layout to share with you. Look for it soon!

Make it from the Heart ~ WINNER!

2011-09-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

When I received my message from Close To My Heart that one of my projects won the Make it from the Heart contest I was completely surprised! I have entered artwork for the contest for a couple of years, but never won before. I was jumping around my craft room and shrieking with excitement. My husband and kids thought I lost my mind!

My project is a Level 2 meaning that I created a two page layout using one of the new Autumn/Winter paper packs {Roxie}, any embellishments from the Idea Book and the layout contains NO stamping!

Here is the story behind the photo's. They were taken this past August on our annual trip to Lake Tahoe. We go to visit my Brother and his family and take in the cooler weather and gorgeous scenery all around. For YEARS I have wanted to do the Flume trail and it was SO worth it. What I did not mention in my journaling is that I had a full blown asthma attack right from the start of the trail (5 miles all up hill!). My husband stayed right with me and I pushed myself to get over the top. So glad I did because I would have missed the cliff side views, the lakes {one that we actually had to cycle through the water} and the most amazing experience!

You can see all the winners of the make it from the heart contest on the CTMH website. Tons of inspiration there to get your creativity flowing.

I will share my other projects that did not win later this week.

Girlfriends & Chocolate

2011-09-26T12:49:00.001-07:00

I created this sweet jar to place on the table when I hold my scrapbooking workshops. I feel that it makes the creative day complete. A bunch of girls getting together for crafts, chatting and chocolate! When I'm not teaching a class it will sit near my desk in my craft room ;) !!

Fall Fabric Card

2011-09-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

I could not resist joining the fun challenge over at Ribbon Carousel this week! Using fabric on your project as well as the usual challenge of adding ribbon. I played with some fabrics on some scrapbooking pages last year and had some left over. Take a look at the card.

Wondering where the fabric is? Here's the swatch of fabric I had left over ~

Now you see it! The fabric does all the work for me. I simply cut out the image I wanted and glued it to the front of my card base. Pretty cute and simple...I need to do more projects with fabric!

Only Cardstock!

2011-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

Heart 2 Heart challenges us to create something this week using only cardstock, no background and texture papers! I can do only cardstock, no problem, but I still want some 'texture'! I chose some fun Halloween colors and ran them through my Big Shot in a variety of Cuttlebug folders. I kept the rest of the card fairly simple with a stitched ribbon and spooky sentiment.

Close up on the texture, don't you just love that embossed skull?

Be sure to see what else you can do with only cardstock on the H2H blog!

Making Jewelry & Such

2011-09-20T12:00:00.001-07:00

A brief detour from playing with paper! I do enjoy learning new crafts and expanding my creativity in various hobbies. I was looking up some videos on resin and using it to create jewelry items as well as this key chain. I found the metal base for it at Hobby Lobby. I used the Hope for Japan stamp or what I refer to it as my "Bon Jovi" heart stamp. {I used it for some Bon Jovi concert scrap pages!}

There are lots of tutorials out there for these washer necklaces. I was waiting on my hubby to find what he needed at Home Depot one day and they were calling my name. Super inexpensive and crafty cool!

Finally, Hobby Lobby also had these great ring bases. I knew there were lots of crafty gals out there creating fun button rings with these. My daughter wanted one to match her dress for a wedding we recently attended. How fitting that the black and purple will transition so well into Halloween too!

Cricut Cards ~ Die Cut H2H Challenge

2011-09-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

They are all about Die Cuts this week on the Heart 2 Heart challenges blog. Now that Close To My Heart has introduced its very own Cricut Cartridge, I've been all about die cutting too! Here are a few cards I've made using the new cartridge. The card bases were even made using the Cricut. I have also incorporated 3 new paper packs: Roxie, Typeset and Believe.

Having the Cricut cut the rose spirals makes these beauties quick and easy! ~

I love that you can just layer the shapes together! ~

Imagine a cute family photo peeking through the window. Wouldn't family and friends adore receiving these for the Holidays! ~

Check out all the other great ideas on the Heart 2 Heart blog.

Teacher Banner

2011-09-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

My daughter was thrilled to find out that she would have a teacher again this year that she had last year. She is a wonderful instructor and fairly new to teaching. Seeing that her classroom was a little empty, my daughter wanted to create something special for her.

I flipped through my Cricut Art Philosophy booklet and gave my daughter all sorts of options to choose from. {There are 700 images on this cartridge you know!} She chose the scallop banner and insisted on the layered butterfly. She also picked out some Wings paper which was a perfect fit for that butterfly image. The Cricut practically did all the cutting. My daughter inked and pieced everything together. I only helped with the ribbon connecting each pennant.

Bottom line~ The Cricut is so easy to use a "middle-schooler" can do it. A cute and simple project. Her teacher really liked it too!

Calendar Club ~ September & October

2011-09-09T12:59:00.001-07:00

Calendar Club really worked hard at our last gathering as we needed to complete 3 pages. This month we will only be doing two, September & October. We will also get to play with lots of new goodies including: new paper kits, fun accessories and the ever popular Cricut Art Philosophy Collection. Take a look!

Discover My Colors {an H2H challenge}

2011-09-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Heart 2 Heart challenges us this week to share our favorite color combinations. I really had to think about this. What is my favorite combination? A glance around my craft room and a look through some past scrapbooks I found my "usual suspects"! I gravitate towards Autumn colors, that is reflected throughout my entire home decor. I pulled some faves, originally 7 colors on my list, then narrowed it down to just 4. Here they are:

Tulip Olive Juniper Creme Brulee

My card uses lots of new goodies. The flowers and branch were made with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. I chose a subtle background of creme brulee stamped with the Damask Tiles. The B&T paper in a soft Juniper is from the new Typeset papers and the Juniper triple stitched ribbon is from the new green ribbon collection. The base of colonial white cardstock and cocoa stamped sentiment gives just a touch of neutrals.

U & me {Mojo 206 Sketch}

2011-09-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

Great sketch from Mojo Monday this week, check it out!

I chose the round sketch, but used a jagged edged circle thanks to my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. Some older Wings paper met the newer Typeset papers. The ticket was also cut on my Cricut and then simply stamped with a coordinating My Acrylix stamp set. I am also loving the new Green Collection Ribbons. Here I used this "triple" stitched Juniper ribbon, then finished it off with some mocha pearls.

Color Cruisin'

2011-08-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's a color challenge on the Heart 2 Heart challenges Blog! I thought I'd just "cruise" on by with this sweet little card.

The colors are Pear, Sorbet and Cocoa. I used images from the Pair-a-Phrase stamp set that you can earn for free this month until the end of September. Be sure to check out all the artwork using this color combination on the H2H Blog.

Card Club ~ Circles

2011-08-28T07:06:00.001-07:00

This month's card club is all about circles! The ladies learned how to create a simple circle card using a pre-cut colonial white card and a template from the Wishes book. They took on the challenging clear acrylic scallop card with multiple layers including a tricky button and ribbon embellishment. Finally, they saw how easy it was to make their own jagged circle card on the Cricut. This card also featured other elements cut with the Cricut then stamped with the coordinating stamp set that comes in the Art Philosophy kit.

This card also featured the new Remarkable Wreath stamp. So easy to use with such a beautiful result.

Back To School

2011-08-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

I have some "new" stuff for you today and a project for 2 challenge blogs. It's back to school for many of us and that is the theme for the Heart 2 Heart challenges and Ribbon Carousel Blogs.

I just received the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and wanted to give the "fry box" a try. I thought to start small and create two little boxes for my kiddo's for their first day of school treat. They only stand 4" tall and will hold 4 Hershey Nuggets. I used the new Typeset papers along with some other new cool corrugated chipboard and Canvas Complements. For my fibers I chose a teal colored twine and Juniper CTMH ribbon.

Campground Owls

2011-08-24T07:47:00.001-07:00

One last project for you today from our camping trip. A cute and easy project that's perfect for not only camping, but for elementary age kiddo's heading back to school too!

You only need a paper lunch sack, yarn, construction paper in various colors, feathers, adhesive gems or foam, stapler and some glue.

I made my own template for the owl bodies, wings, feet and beaks. I used two different circle punches for the eyes.

I think all of our owls hanging around camp kept the bears away.... or perhaps it was all the laughter from the happy campers!

Trail Mix Buffet

2011-08-18T08:20:00.001-07:00

What does every kid need before a long hike up the mountain? Their own trail mix of course!

I'm always saving these Crystal Light containers. I had just enough to create these little trail mix containers for all of our Happy Campers! I used some older B&T papers, Spellbinders die for the labels, an alphabet stamp and the FREE Pair-a-Phrase stamp set available this month.

For the compass, I glittered the outer edge in copper to give it a little flair!

The kids munched on their goodies as we hiked up to the most beautiful lake high in the Tahoe mountains. I noticed some of the little treats left behind on the trail, but the squirrels were quick to clean up after them!

My nephew was super prepared for the hike! How cute is he?

Our trail mix goodies included:

Honey roasted peanuts, M&M's {plain & peanut}, gummy bears, sour worms, pretzels, mini marshmallows, teddy grahams {honey & chocolate}, almond joy pieces and rainbow goldfish crackers.

C.A.S.E. Challenge at H2H

2011-08-17T16:43:00.001-07:00

Who did I C.A.S.E. {copy and share everything} on the Heart 2 Heart blog this week? Pamela O'Connor's card caught my eye. She says her "style" is a reflection of her love for color, stamping and distressing. I can't agree more!

I took her circle card design and made it square. I stayed in a similar color family. I tend to pull colors from the Autumn palette quite often. It is my favorite season after all! I created with lots of distressing. My techniques include sanding, edge distressing and inking. I also love that several of Close To My Heart papers already come with a distressed look. My customers are shocked if I ever do a project that does not include some form of distressing!! Finally, last but not least, the stamping! I love our open and closed images, but especially the open because I get to feel more like an artist when I pull out my water brush and color in the image.

The stamped image I chose is from the new Pair-a-Phrase stamp set that you can get for free in celebration of National Stamping Month. Please see the right side bar for more details.

Happy Campers!

2011-08-16T09:51:00.001-07:00

Just about every summer we like to take a camping trip to Lake Tahoe. My little brother and his family live there and we usually travel with members of my husbands family as well. This year our group had a total of 10 kids. I love to bring games and activities for them all. This year I tried something new! I finally got out my Yudu screen printing machine and came up with this fun project.

I gave the kids an assortment of washable markers. They went crazy on their shirts, not only coloring in the letters and camper, but designing them all over! I chose washable markers so that they could clean them and get to color them again and again.

Come back soon and I will post pics of the other projects we did!

Week of Pages {Part 7} Sweet Mayberry

2011-08-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Final day for Week of Pages! Thank you so much for joining me all week. I hope that you have been inspired and gathered lots of ideas for your own scrapbooking layouts.

My final pages use the gorgeous Mayberry papers and fruity stickease. These pages shout summer to me. All the things we adore about summer; blooming flowers, sweet fruits and bright joyful colors. Perhaps these pages would be perfect for enjoying a sunny summer day or maybe a picnic in the park!

Sweet Mayberry ~

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Thank you again! Enjoy the weekend, make some memories!

Week of Pages {Part6} Beach Vacation

2011-08-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Anyone headed to the beach for summer vacation? For these pages I used up what little bit of the Moon Doggie papers and stickease that I had. Lots of space for those ocean/beach pictures you might capture over summer break. For the Beach title I used my Cricut.

Beach Vacation ~

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Oh my goodness! The final day for my Week of Pages is tomorrow. I hope you'll come back and see what I have for you!

Week of Pages {Part5} Wild Thing

2011-08-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

I started my week of pages with some Animal Cookie papers and stickease. Here are 4 more pages using those same papers, but with a totally different look.

Wild Thing ~

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Only a few more days left! See you tomorrow.

Week of Pages {Part 4} Twitterpated

2011-08-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I told you that my favorite pages were the Cherish layouts. These pages today are most likely my second favorite! I've used the Twitterpated papers and stickease. We "enjoy" many outdoor activities and these pages are perfect for scrapping those! The stickease images were just adorable and really do all the work. I love that I could create clusters and scenes with them and it brings so much interest to the page.

Twitterpated ~

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Please stop by again tomorrow for more ideas and inspiration!

Week of Pages {Part 3} Love

2011-08-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome back! Today I have some "lovely" pages to share with you. The Floral Tapestry papers were featured in the Close To My Heart Idea Book several years ago, but they were my favorite collection for quite some time. I love all the heartfelt sentiments on these pages as well as the hidden journaling tags.

Love ~

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See you tomorrow!