H2H - Weddings & A Fond Farewell

This week at H2H our theme is weddings, but before I get to my contribution I'd like to take a moment to say thanks!  My tenure as a design team member is now over, and I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to create & share with the H2H community.  Thanks to all those of you who stop by to read my posts, and especially to those who take time to leave a little message.  I've enjoyed seeing new crafters join the H2H community and always look forward to seeing what "the regulars" have to share. It's been a fast six months...

Now on to my card -

I went a little "Art Philosophy" crazy with this one.  I used it to create the borders which I weaved with ribbon and added bitty sparkles to, I used it to make the frame for the sentiment, and I used it to make the two white flowers.

The sentiment is from an old Stamp of the Month, I think.  It had a frame around it so I created a mask that would allow me to stamp just the sentiment.

And that's it from me!  Thanks again for making my time on the design team fun & inspirational.  I'm looking forward to participating in future H2H challenges!

H2H - Father's Day

This week at Heart 2 Heart we're celebrating fathers.  I created this Father's Day card for my children to give to my husband, who really IS the World's Greatest Dad.  I had fun working on this one.

H2H - Photo Challenge

This week at Heart 2 Heart we're having a photo challenge!  I've gotten very far behind in my scrapbooking, so I used this as an excuse to work on my daughter's album.

I apologize for my laziness in taking pictures.  The layout on the left has a flip flap and I didn't feel like trying to get the layout back out of the sheet protector to photograph it.

These pictures are from my daughter's first birthday party.  I made the invitations and kept one to put in her album.  I cut the card on the fold and put the front in the flip flap, and then put the inside of the card directly on the layout.  This way you can open up the invitation and it's totally protected!  (Also, I got to sneak in another picture of her.)

I kept the layout fairly simple, because I love the patterns and colors of the Lucy papers.  I used the Art Philosophy cartridge for the swirls and the journal box, and added some ribbon to both pages, and that was it.

It's not too fancy, but sometimes you just have to keep moving!  Thanks for visiting!

H2H - Polka Dots & Stripes

This week at Heart 2 Heart we're playing with polka dots & stripes.  My first thought was the Dotty For You paper pack - of course!  I took a moment to look at the inspiration projects, and found the inspiration for a Mother's Day card.

This is the specific item I based my creation on: 

I liked the circles on the layout and how the title worked with it.  So I pulled out my 1.25" circle punch and used it to punch out pieces of patterned paper.  Then I had the Cricut crank out a bunch of 1.5" Colonial white circles.

I spent FOREVER laying out the circles to get them to look just the way I wanted them to.  It was a lot trickier than I expected!  Some arrangements just did *not* look right.

To embellish I used a few brads & buttons and a pair of flowers.

I really like the original inspiration layout, and might give that a try sometime, too.  At least I won't have to mess around with the circles again - Close To My Heart has them perfectly arranged and it would be easy enough just to duplicate what they did.

A little dotty, a little stripey...hope you enjoy it!

H2H - April Showers Bring May Flowers

This week at Heart 2 Heart we're playing around with flowers!  I have so many flower stamps and there are so many possibilities with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, that I didn't know where to begin.  I've been seeing a lot of "rainbow" creations lately, and that provided the inspiration for my card.

I started by stamping the same flower from the Card Word Puzzle Stamp Set 5 times and cutting them all out.  I knew I wanted to cut the front of the card a little short and let the flower petals hang over the edge. Next I pulled out that popular Dotty For You Paper Packet and created the vertical bars.

I pulled out some of my older stamp sets to create the sentiment, which I stamped on a shape from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  One Mother's Day card down, one to go!  I hope you decide to join in the fun of this week's challenge at H2H!

H2H - Stitching!

This week at Heart 2 Heart we're asking you to show us what you can do with stitching!  I've done "faux" stitching before, but just recently tried using the new CTMH ruler to do "real" stitching.  I used to cross-stitch, and I'm finding it fun to play around with needle & thread again.

This week, I made a birthday card in Lagoon, Smoothie, and Sunny Yellow.  I stitched the background swirls with black thread.

To help me get the swirls just right, I stamped some swirl images on the back side, like this:

Then I used the ruler and stylus to poke tiny holes along the images.  I didn't bother with every single swirl.  By flipping the cardstock over, I could see what my design would look like.

Originally, I planned to stitch the entire swirl, but after I started, I realized I liked the "dashed line" look better.

Then I used the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to dress-up the card, and finished by adding some bling.

I'm very excited to see what sort of stitching projects you come up with!  I hope I'll see you around at H2H!

H2H - Hoppy Easter!

This week at Heart 2 Heart we are celebrating Easter and Spring.  I decided to make a CAS card using only stamping and embellishments.

I used the Easter egg stamps from CTMH's Sensational Season to create flowers in Dutch Blue, Sunset, Smoothie, and Creme Brûlée.  Then I added buttons to the centers.

I recently bought CTMH's ruler and decided to try it out on this card.  I used the ruler to punch holes in the card and then I hand-stitched the border across the top.  This is my first attempt at "sewing" on a card, and I enjoyed it.  It did take a little time, but it's a pretty effect and I managed to keep the reverse side looking neat.  (I meant to take a picture of it, but forgot!)

I'm happy with my cheerful little card.  What will you create this week?  Be sure to share with us at H2H!

H2H - Inspiration Photo

This week at H2H we're using an inspirational photo as a starting point - specifically, this one:

For my card, I used Goldrush cardstock and paired it with Florentine paper.  I added some Twilight buttons & ribbon.  The sentiment is from the Little Reminder stamp set.

To make the hot air balloon, I used the 1.25" circle punch to punch out two Goldrush circles, one Vanilla Cream circle, and then I made that top Goldrush piece by doing two punches on one piece.  I layered them all, then cut out the basket shape.  I used Waxy Flax to add the ropes.

Thanks for visiting!

H2H - Spring Color Challenge

This week at Heart 2 Heart, we're challenging you to try out some spring colors - Sunny Yellow, Sweet Leaf, and Sky.  Almost immediately I decided I wanted to do a clean & simple card - I really like that style and it has been awhile since I dabbled in it.  The colors made me think of butterflies, for some reason, and they became my focal point.

A touch of nice, crisp black in the baker's twine and sentiment finished it off.

I love how the butterflies came out, and it was one of those "happy accidents".  I was trying to figure out how to give them some definition while keeping to the clean & simple design.  I cut a whole bunch of them using the Art Philosophy cartridge, and at first, I cut them too small.  I went a size up (to 3/4", I think) and then had all these butterflies fluttering around.

As soon as I layered one of the small on top of one of the large, I knew that was the look I wanted.  This was a very quick card to make and I really love how it turned out.  I used just a touch of liquid glass to hold the butterflies together.

Are you inspired yet?  We hope you'll link something up at H2H this week.  And please remember to use CTMH products in your design!  Thanks for visiting!

So Touched!

I just received a very nice recognition from a fellow blogger, and just had to share.  Miriam from Sooner Rather than Later just awarded me the Cute as a Button blog award, which you can see in my sidebar!  I am so surprised and so very touched!  It's a wonderful way to make someone's else feel good.  If you haven't seen Miriam's work before, I encourage you to follow the link and check it out.  Her designs are amazing and original.  I've never met Miriam and think it's so nice she chose to reach out to someone new and share.

The nicest part is that I now get to make someone else's day by making them the next recipient.  There are so many contenders who leap to mind, but to keep it special I'm going to choose just one.  I'm off to do some thinking about that with a smile on my face....stay tuned!

Scrabble Card

I made this card for my father-in-law for his birthday.  The Cruisin' paper pack has the cute little scrabble tiles on one side.  I cut them up and then applied foam tape to the backs of them.

To make the tile racks I stamped a woodgrain pattern on bamboo cardstock.

This card was a lot of fun.  I hope you enjoy it!

H2H - Sketch Week

This week at Heart 2 Heart, we're given a sketch to use as inspiration.  I tweaked the sketch a little and came up with this card:

I really enjoy the Pemberley paper paired with Outdoor Denim, Indian Corn Blue, and Bamboo.

The stamped images are from the Card Word Puzzle Stamp set.  I did some second generation random stamping behind the sentiment and on the flower which gives a faint hint of pattern.  Thanks for visiting and be sure to join in the fun at H2H!

H2H - For the one you love

This week at Heart 2 Heart we are helping you finish off your Valentine's Day crafting by having you share something you made for someone you love.  The project I'm sharing is a candy box I made for my two kids.  I chose the Lucy cardstock because it has the pinks for Valentine's Day in it, but it's more subtle so the box can be reused for something else after the holiday.

I started with a Close To My Heart Card Box and covered it with cardstock.  I then cut out all the decorations you see on the lid using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  I added some buttons and the new baker's twine (love it!).

When you open the box, you see the top tray which holds 6 flowers with Hershey kiss centers.  I cut the flowers using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge (cut at 5") and used Liquid Glass to hold them together.  By creating a tray I was able to add a second layer.

When you remove the top tray, there's another layer of 6 flowers underneath.

I really like the colors of the Lucy cardstock.  After Valentine's Day this will make a nice keepsake box for my daughter.  Thanks for stopping by!  Comments welcome!

H2H - Inspiration Photo

This week at H2H we're using a photo as inspiration - specifically, this photo:

I decided to use the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge to make a tag card.  I cut the card at 5.5".  I used Chocolate cardstock as the background and added a bit of Dreamin' paper that mimicked the leaves in the inspiration photo.  The baker's twine is new from CTMH and will be available in February!  I was very excited about that.

I embossed the card with clear embossing powder on the background and the sentiment - it's hard to photograph, but you can kind of tell in the next picture.  Both images came from one of the Art Philosophy stamp sets.

The base of the tag is decorated with Opaques and flourishes from the Limited Edition stamp set.  The last piece I added was the acrylic tag attached to the baker's twine.  I think it came from a Connections Club reward from awhile ago.  I added two coats of liquid glass on top and the snippet of paper underneath.  I loved all those clear shiny shapes in the inspiration photo and tried to add some of that shine to this card.

I love the clear embossing powder.  It adds such a nice texture and shine to stamping.  You have to see it in person to really get the full effect.  Are you inspired?  Please share your creations at Heart 2 Heart!  Don't forget, this is a CTMH challenge blog, so make sure you've used some CTMH products in your work!

My First H2H Design Team Post!!

This week at Heart 2 Heart it's time to use a stamp set you've never used before, or one you haven't touched in awhile.  This was the *perfect* challenge for me, since I am the proud new owner of the CTMH Exclusive Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge (thank you, Santa!).  With the cartridge you get three awesome D-size stamp sets.  I was in need of an anniversary card, so I took this opportunity to play with my new toys.

The stamp set I haven't used before is D1497 - it comes with the cartridge, but I couldn't find a name for this set.  If someone knows it, leave me a comment and I'll update my post.  I used the star, banner, and heart stamps on Sorbet cardstock cut with my Cricut - sooooo fun!  

A piece of Elemental cardstock serves as the background, layered onto Desert Sand cardstock.  Colonial white waxy flax is threaded through the banners and buttons.

It's hard to tell from the photos, but the heart is attached with foam tape and the sentiment stripe sneaks underneath.  The sentiment is from the Say It In Style stamp set and stamped in Indian Corn Blue.  The little blue circle is one of the Elemental Complements Dimensional Elements that coordinates with the paper pack.  If you haven't picked up the Elemental Paper Packet yet, you really need to!  It's so versatile and can be used for a variety of occasions/layouts.

Thanks for reading!  I'm so excited and thrilled to be part of this Design Team.  The only thing more exciting is waiting to see what you come up with!  We'd love to have you participate in this challenge - just remember that you need to use Close To My Heart products in your artwork.

Fun News!

I have been accepted as a Design Team member for my favorite challenge blog Heart 2 Heart!  I was thrilled to find out I made it onto the team - there have been so many talented Design Team members that I have been inspired by, and I'm honored and humbled to take a turn.

I'm also really excited because I haven't been doing much scrapbooking or card-making lately, so this will motivate me to jump right back in!

If any of you haven't bumped into me before on the 'net, I'd love to have you join me as a follower, and I hope to meet you joining in on the challenges at Heart 2 Heart.

Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to my upline, Mary of Mary Gunn FUNN, who also made it onto the Design Team.  Congrats, Mary!  I'm looking forward to trying to keep up with you :).