Manly Thank You Box

Not too long ago I shared with you some cards I created with the guys in mind. The cards were masculine and would be great for a husband, brother or father. Shortly after my man themed card workshop, I was preparing for my nephew's graduation. I'm not a fan of just giving cash, although it is always well received,  I like to give a little gift that was handmade by me.

I decided to make a box full of some Thank You cards for my nephew to give to those in attendance at his graduation party or gave him a graduation gift. He could also use them to write a note to a teacher or mentor that was a great influence to him through his schooling years. Either way, I felt the cards needed to be simple and masculine.

The cards and box were decorated with the Urban paper collection. I used a couple of distressing techniques and adorned the box with some triangle studs. What's more manly than diamond plate and messy ink blots?!

Since I decorated a box to hold the cards I am entering this project in Heart 2 Heart's 3D challenge this week. The studs and chipboard "J" are also 3D on the cover of the box. {The J is for my nephew's name. He can store other trinkets in the box when all the cards have been mailed out.}

The card itself is a simple design with the center focus on a Cricut cut "thanks". I used just a bit of decoration on the envelope as well.

The Urban papers are essential for those manly cards or projects. Be sure to get them before they retire at the end of July!

Magical Universal Studios

I had a post before on my Blog about how the Magical papers are great for more than just your Disney vacations. Here is a layout I finally got around to creating with the iconic Universal Studios globe and some pics from the entry gate. As you will see, these papers and complements worked perfectly for this theme park, no mouse required! {Check out my post with more Universal Studios pictures and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter here.}

On the left side of the layout I chose some nice big block letters for my title. I used the globe from the new Smarty Pants stamp set to replicate the photo background. I decided to emboss it in a little bit of silver and gold like the big one. It also complemented the arrow from the Magical accessories. You will see I added lots of the little embellishments from that collection with the banners, arrows, hearts, stars and camera. However, the blue picks with the Universal Studios emblem on it came from some sandwiches we had at lunch! ;)

A closer look at the embossed globe and the hint of color in the block letters of the title.

On the right side of the layout I showcased some great pictures of my kids at the entry gates. I wanted to focus on our passes to get in the front of the line. The journaling at the bottom tells the story of how we were treated like celebrities with our passes and never had to wait in line all day! I also kept the passes and displayed them in a 4x6 flip flap.

Under the flip flap of passes is a fun Magical PML card dressed up with some embellishments and under that is a photo of my daughter trying out a director's chair. *ACTION* Those flip flaps are such a magical surprise on any layout!

You can order the Magical papers and complements online here. Don't wait too long, they will be magically disappearing at the end of July!

Enjoy the Ride {in a cute two-toned van!}

Today I have a card using the stamp of the month and the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. I just can't get enough of this stamp set. I have done some random stamping in colors, but fell in love with just the gray tones. A neutral background really let my two-toned van stand out on this card. I used some fun star paper from Magical and some yellow twine looks like the lines on the road.

I used some liquid glass on the blue portion of the van to make it look like a nice new paint job!

Get The Long Way Home stamp of the month before the end of June. You can order online here.

For the Fellas

Recently I held a card class with the focus on masculine cards. I made sure to keep them manly, but colorful still! The Magical and Urban papers were perfect for achieving this as well as the Stamp of the Month, The Long Way Home. I am also entering the last card pictured in Heart 2 Heart challenges this week for their theme, "the ties that bind", you'll see why. Take a look~

Some other stamp sets that were really handy for these cards were A Day for Dad and Beyond Awesome. Father's Day is coming fast, I hope some of these cards inspired you to create the perfect "manly" card!

Congrats Smarty Pants!

The theme last week on Heart 2 Heart Challenges is a "congratulations" theme! Perfect timing for all those High School and college grads! I just celebrated my nephew's graduation this past weekend. While celebrating with him and his family, we came to the realization that several of the cousins were going to be graduating back to back for at least the next 4 years! So why not make a few graduation cards to prepare and since my own daughter will be one of the graduates next year, she was my inspiration for these cards. I like to call them the Smarty Pants Series!

I made a total of 4 cards that all vary in size, but carry the same theme by using the papers from the Magical collection, the eye glasses cut on the Cricut Artistry cartridge and images stamped from the new Smarty Pants MyAcrylix stamp set.

Pretty cute collection of cards to celebrate that super smart graduate on their success! Be sure to visit the Heart 2 Heart Blog to see how others celebrated this theme!

You can order the Cricut cartridges, Magical papers and the Smarty Pants stamp set online here.

Calypso Popsicle

Today I am playing along with the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. The side layers in this sketch were just calling for the fun colors and patterns of Calypso papers. Adding a popsicle with sprinkles as the focus made it extra yummy! What says summer more than that!

 Where is this cute popsicle from? It is actually one of the stickers included in the Calypso Complements. It doesn't get more simple than splashing a few stamps on the background and popping a popsicle in the center! Whether it's ice cream or fabulous scrapbooking products..."too much of a good thing can be {and is} wonderful".

Order the Calypso collection of papers and complements online today!

Flash Sale Number 2

The second Flash Sale this month is on now! Don't wait to get these deals! Sale ends Monday, June 13th. Let's go shopping!

Retiring Soon!

Close To My Heart has put out the list of items to retire on August 1st. There are some great stamp sets listed and many cool products. Don't miss the opportunity to purchase these items before they go. Especially if you have been thinking about some of the Cricut collections! Yes, that's true, here are the collections going away!

Art Philosophy

Artfully Sent

Artiste

Do you love dry embossing? Guess what...they are retiring!

All of the thick twines and shimmer trim are going away too!

Plus, many home decor items like the chalkboard, shadow boxes and hinge trays!

Here is a list of all the stamps sets retiring and other products retiring. You can order with me directly or shop online!

Best Pop Ever!

Today I am playing along with Freshly Made Sketches. I am already preparing for Father's Day which will be here before we know it! I don't normally have many masculine cards in my stock, so this was a start to creating a few cards for use in the near future. I used the new Day for Dad stamp set that is available in the latest Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book. I love the images and quirky sentiments on this stamp.

On this sketch I used some Magical papers and popped the super cute bottle image in the center focus of my card. I did a little fussy cutting and stamping on the bottle to get the final look I wanted. I also found that if I placed my cardstock in the right spot of the confetti embossing folder, it would look just like the sparkling fizz in a soda bottle.

You can find this stamp set and all the new papers online or in the newest Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book.

Calypso Van and First Flash Sale

Did you take a look at the Stamp of the Month yet? It really is adorable and perfect for those summer road trips! When I started playing with the little van it reminded me of the iconic VW van of course. I immediately think of our visits to the beach towns along the California coast. I love to look at the old vans that are rusted out and the freshly restored ones decked out with a couple of surf boards. For this card I wanted the fun and freedom of the cute little van to come out. Calypso was the perfect paper to make this card with that hippie, laid back feeling! The "way awesome" sentiment really helps capture the feeling also. You can find more awesome sentiments on the Beyond Awesome stamp set in the newest SE2 Idea Book. The Long Way Home stamp set however, is only available at a discounted price for the month of June only. I am also entering this in Heart 2 Heart Challenges this week for their "Vintage" theme. What's more vintage that an old VW van!??

Today is the first day of the June Flash Sale! You can check out my website to see the sales going on this weekend. Sale begins at 2 pm {pst} The sale runs until Monday afternoon or while supplies last. Click here to see the bargains!

Flash Sales in June

News flash! During the month of June, we’re offering great deals on bundles of discounted Close To My Heart products every weekend! Check back each Friday during June to find a new set of bundles. There will be lots to choose from at various discount levels and price points, but you’ll need to snatch them up quick, because they’re only available through the following Monday while supplies last!

Flash Sale bundles will be posted at 3:00 pm (MDT) each Friday and will be removed at 3:00 pm (MDT) the following Monday. Log on to my website to place your order! 

 

Don't forget to add the Stamp of the Month to your order before checking out! This is such a cute stamp set perfect for your Summer travels!

The Long Way Home

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I will be posting projects using the Stamp of the Month in the next coming weeks. Be sure to visit again soon and make sure to check out the Flash Sale each weekend in June!