Heart 2 Heart Color Challenge

This weeks challenge on Heart 2 Heart was a color challenge. I love color challenges and enjoy trying to use my colors in interesting ways. The color challenge this week was Black, Tulip and Buttercup.

As I was looking through everyone's entries on Heart 2 Heart, at last check no one had done a layout yet, it was all cards. With cards not being my forte, I choose to use a picture which has the perfect colors in it. I bought a top for my daughter from the Gap ages ago and when it finally fit we had to take pictures of it because she was and still is growing like a weed!

This is the layout I came up with and I think it turned out better than I expected. Using mostly Close to my Heart products, I think this layout ended up in one of my favorites.

There is a ton of faux stitching on this layout, including on this CTMH Chipboard border. I originally used this piece of chipboard as a mask for Candy Apple Red Glimmer Mist, so it was already the correct color, what you can't see in the photo is that Candy Apple Glimmer Mist has some gold flecks in it which looks really great with the Buttercup Cardstock. Also the brads are a mini-brad from Close to my Heart and I used that to add some fun flair to the chipboard.

The top Buttercup cardstock die cut was actually had cut and I added the 2 colors of faux stitching around the border. Just for fun I added the mini-brads as an accent in the corner.

This is the element that brought it all together, the title, colored with Tulip Ink, these are an Close to my Heart exclusive, Color Ready Alphabets: Hodgepodge. I can choose any number of fonts and mix and match to my hearts content, I like the mixed font especially for kids as it shows whimsy and fun!!!

Journaling Reads: It gets a whole lot more complicated when you have kids...The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born...Your life, as you know it...is gone. Never to Return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn to talk...and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life. -
This Quote is from the movie, Lost in Translation, and it is better said by writers than by me!
Would love to hear what you think, and please play the Heart 2 Heart challenge with us next time.

Heart to Heart Father's Day Card Challenge

Another reason to get inspired this week, I decided to play along with Heart to Heart Challenges (see button in sidebar) and of course it was a Father's Day Card challenge. So as I was looking thru the latest issue of Papercraft's Magazine a card caught my eye. Following thier design, I created my own version of this card using Close to my Heart products.

Using a my favorite 2 patterned papers from the Sarsparilla Paper Pack and stamping with Western Flourishes in the background. Mostly monotone, this a cool masculine card that will please my husband.

As you can see I used a large Chipboard star(not CTMH), that was inked in Twilight and then stamped Western Flourishes in Black for a neat design. Colonial White buttons with Black embroidery floss finish off the center of the star.

Just for fun I stamped the inside with my favorite swirly star stamp from Out West, just to make the inside as cute as the front. Hope you all like my Father's Day card, I welcome any comments and suggestions.

5 for $5 Workshop - Thank You's

Lately, I believe thta there is a lost art of giving real, hold in your hand cards. Even I am guilty of giving e-cards, they are fast and some are really cute, even though I have a hundred cards I have made and can send at any time, convience is key with e-cards. So my goal this year was to stop sending e-cards and start making cards to give away. One set of cards I NEVER have enough of are 'Thank You's". I make them and send them out immediately. I like to give them to eveyone, for helping me with lunch, giving us a gift, for being nice, mostly for anyone who has gone that extra mile, I try to give a card that also goes tht extra mile, I made it for them. This month's workshop is dedicated to Thank You's. On Wednesday this week, we will be making 5 Thank You's for $5, a great price for any handmade card, seeing as how Hallmarks printed cards can range from $3 - $20, I am pretty reasonable!

I always try to give variety with my card workshops, using lots of different colors and trying interesting techniques on each of them.

This card is really fancy, with organza ribbon, cute scalloped edge and jewels.

A cool card for a male or a co-worker, this fun card has a fun design with a retro 'Thanks', this card can be assembled in under 5 minutes.

I adore the colors on this card, with a sampling of Close to my Heart's Boom-di-ada paper pack, this card is sure to please anyone. Front and center is a sweet flower Thank You for your friend.

With subtle colors and fun faux stitching, this card is an easy crowd pleaser.

This card was inspired by a fellow consultant, I call it Fairway Trees, cause it looks like the trees are on the fairway. This is an easy card to get more creative with because the Treetops (C1368), there are a variety of trees that you can choose from!
Each card is different and fun, I hope that when they take these cards home, they will be mailed out right away...why not when you have them on hand!!!

Random Stamping Project #2

This next project is one of my favorite newer stamp sets called Flourished Blessings (D1379). We stamped the background in Juniper, Cocoa and Garden Green.

I also did some Second Generation Stamping on the background to fill and not make it feel so layered. As I was searching through my pictures, I found this cute shot of my Daughter looking through one of the holes in the tubes at the local playground, she kept sneaking and peeking at me so I did get more than one shot of this, but you can tell in her eyes that she is smiling.

This layout is mostly Close to my Heart products except the chipboard letters are American Crafts and then I altered them with Tattered Angles Glimmer Mist to give it a pewter/hammered metal look. I also added the brad circle to mimic the circle in the picture. I still have room to add a journaling circle in the bottom left corner but I am not one for journaling...I like it when the pictures and titles tell the story.

I think this layout is fun and I love the colors in it. Next post is going to be the last sheet of random stamped paper and the projects I made with it!!!

Random Stamping Creation #1

Just as I thought the first thing I started on after random stamping my papers was Thank you Cards. Stamped with Aspiration(C1340)in Juniper, Hollyhock, Blush and Bamboo, the final page looked like this:

I finally decided that making Thank You cards you save me time when our little girl arrives in August and who wants to make Thank You cards after the baby comes! So this sheet yielded 16 small cards, each one an individual.

The cards are 3"x3.5", made out of Hollyhock Cardstock, then I took my cut up piece and lightly sponged the edges with Blush Ink and adhered to the cardstock base. Then I stamped 16 'Thanks' and matted them on a small piece of Hollyhock Cardstock (leftover from the cutting the bases), popped them up on 3D foam tape and Voila! they are complete.

I have already completed another project with the Random Stamped Backgrounds so I will post that tommorrow. If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear what you think.

Random Stamping Class

I have been inspired lately on the CTMH Consultant Bulletin Boards with Random Stamping, so I booked a class for June 9th and we will be playing with random stamping. Some scrapbookers are afraid of stamping in this is a great way to get over that fear and create something completely unique and fits your color schemes. This post I will show you the random stamped pages for my class and in a following post I will show you what I made with each random stamped sheet!

Using this My Acrylix Stamp Set - Aspiration - C1340 and using CTMH Exclusive ink colors: Bamboo, Juniper, Hollyhock and Blush, stamped on White Daisy Cardstock.

I have a feeling that this page will end up in Thank You cards as we are expecting a little one in August and I may as well get a jump on Thank You notes.

This My Acrylix Stamp set is Flourished Blessings - D1379. I wanted to use some darker colors so we used CTMH Exclusive Inks: Cocoa, Juniper & Garden Green stamped on Vanilla Cream Cardstock. I also used another stamp technique on this page, Second Generation Stamping, you will see lighter shades of leaves in the background and instead of choosing another color I thought this would fill up the page nicely.

A great print for fall or any outdoor layout...I am not sure yet what this will turn into but I am very happy with the outcome.

The final stamp set is Discontinued but one of my favorites, My Acrylix - Adorable -D1183. This stamp has been used over and over again, I always find uses for it. I paired the stamp with Exclusive Inks: Barn Red, Sorbet, Chocolate & Creme Brulee stamped on Colonial White Cardstock for an unusual color combo.

This page looks kinda western to me so we will see where it will end up. As for my class I hope to post thier random stamped pages and I hope they are as happy with them as I was with mine.