Hello, Winter Card

I LOVE winter, but I'm very glad that I now live in Arizona and get only a little bit of snow each year, and not the mounds that I grew up with in Nebraska!!!  I enjoy working with images that bring back memories of those fun times in the snow as a child.  The stamp set "Hello, Winter" from CTMH  has such great images on it - and the sentiment works for Christmas, winter, or even switch things up a bit and it can be made into a birthday card!  This card - both versions of it - was created using the sketch over at the Paper Players Challenge Blog, but I missed the deadline to enter over there by a couple of hours.  However, I incorporated elements from two other challenges - the embossed snowflake background works with the challenge over at Stamp Ink Paper and the fact that it is masculine card works with Merry Monday's challenge. 

So here's a list of what I used on these cards - all from CTMH unless indicated
Stamps: 
Hello, Winter (C1658)
Merry & Bright (retired) - Christmas sentiment
Papers:
Colonial White cardstock
Desert Sand cardstock
Sea Glass cardstock
Inks:
Desert Sand
Saddle (sentiment stamped on the Sea Glass banner needed to be a little darker)
Sea Glass
Other: 
Snowflakes Embossing Folder (Z400)
Sponge dauber for inking edges
Nestabilities Labels Four dies

I should mention that the Hello, Winter stamp set and the snowflakes embossing folder are found in the CTMH Holiday Expressions catalog, and if you like them, you only have until the end of December to order them.  But they are available only while supplies last, so act soon if you want them!  You can find them on my CTMH website if you are interested.

Be sure to pop over to the two challenge blogs that these cards are entered in - Merry Monday and Stamp Ink Paper.  Enjoy the other great projects people have shared.

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your weekend and stay warm!

A Gift - Gift Card Holder!

The final Heart 2 Heart Challenge I am participating in for November is a "k"rafty one - literally, using Kraft cardstock on the project.  I needed to make some gift card holders - another project for December's Stamp Club - and thought the kraft paper would be very versatile.  This card holder could be used as a birthday project as well, just by changing the colors of the stamped images.

In addition to the kraft cardstock, I used White Daisy and Cranberry cardstock.  The stamped images are from the "Jolly Holiday" stamp set (C1654) and I used Cranberry, Willow and Lagoon inks.  I also used CTMH's Thumb-Notch punch (Z3131) for the notch to make it easier to pull the gift card out!

The gift card holder is simply a piece of 4-3/4" x 7-3/4" cardstock, scored at 1-3/4" and 4-3/4".  The punch is used on the small 1-3/4" section.  The sides of that section are taped at the edges.  The belly-band is a piece of 1-1/8" x 12" piece of cardstock, scored at 4-7/8" and 9-3/4".  It is just taped together and the packages applied to the front of it so it can slip over the gift card holder.  This will fit nicely inside of a standard A2 card, or you could just put it in its own envelop.

Check out the other krafty projects over at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog.  And thanks for stopping by mine!

The

Heart 2 Heart Holiday Color Challenge

The challenge at Heart 2 Heart was to create a Christmas card without using red or green!  I love pinks and rose colors for the holidays, so thought this would work.  I used the new Blossom ink from CTMH for the floral image and front sentiment and Crystal Blue for the leaves and inside sentiment.

The "Christmas" image is done with two layers of the same die cut - CTMH's Christmas thin cut die (Z4004).  After gluing them together, I used the CTMH Shimmer Brush (Z3293) to give some shine and added interest to the word, since it would be white on white.  Helps it stand out a little more.

The flower is from Pretty Poinsettia (B1540) and the shapes are cut from the new CTMH Flower Market Cricut cartridge (Z3285).  I added a Pink Enamel Gem (Z3091) to the center.  The front sentiment is retired.

The inside of the card uses another of the poinsettia images, only I didn't want the dimension of another gem, so used Canary ink to add the center of the flower.  The inside sentiment is from Hymns of Praise (C1653)

This card will be one of the projects in my December Stamp Club classes.

Be sure to check out the other cards from this color challenge over at the Heart 2 Heart Blog!

Thanks for stopping by.

Anything BUT a Card project for Heart 2 Heart!

It's the last day of November, so time to get all of the projects posted up to the Heart 2 Heart challenges before the month runs out!!  We were away for Thanksgiving, and time just got away from me.  So one of the challenges was to create something from paper, but it couldn't be a card. So this cute cup works great!  This is a project we will be making in my December Stamp Club classes.  It is only 3" tall, and sits on a small appetizer plate.  I found some 2x2 gusseted bags that work perfectly inside to hold a few small biscotti, which are perfect with coffee.  But don't try to pour any coffee into this cup!

Here are the products I used:
CTMH Sea Glass Cardstock
CTMH Simple Chevron Embossing Folder
Wilton 4" doillies
4.5" Squaerete dessert plate by Laura Stein (purchased on Amazon.com)
2"x2"x8-1/4" gusseted plastic bags from ClearBags.com
Sheer ribbon from Hobby Lobby
CTMH Liquid Glass to hold cup & doily on plate

I will be posting the dimensions and basic instructions soon - so check back!

Be sure to pop over to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog and check out the other non-card projects!

Stamp Club for November 2016

This is the complete set of projects for November's Stamp Club classes. We will make the card box (which can hold 6 - 8 cards, depending on how much dimension the cards have) and the three cards - all made with the Oh, Deer! papers from CTMH. 

The cost of the class is $20.
All classes start at 9:30 in my craft studio in Prescott Valley, Arizona. But kits are available if you aren't in the area!
Upcoming dates are:
Thursday, Nov 3
Saturday, Nov 5
Monday, Nov 7
 
Kits are available for an extra fee if you are not around those days, or if you are not in the area. Kits can be mailed.

Email me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com if you are interested in this class

Christmas Presents!

The Christmas Thin Cut Die from CTMH is definitely a focal point on a project - it just fits across the width of a standard card!  The challenge this week at Just Us Girls is to make the sentiment the focal point, so I am entering.

In addition to the Christmas die, I used the Gift Thin Cut Die from CTMH - standing one present upright and rotating the second to give some variety.  The gifts themselves are cut from some metallic cardstock that was in my stash, while the bows are cut from CTMH glitter paper.  I love this paper - and the thin cut dies cut through it so easily!

The background paper is from the Oh, Deer! paper pack (also CTMH).  The "Merry" sentiment is stamped in Desert Sand ink, and is from the "Woodland Wishes" stamp set. 

The sentiment panel is popped up with mounting foam - and a LOT of mounting foam because of all the little ins and outs of the cut design.  But I liked the dimension it offered more than just putting it flat on the background.  I used Sea Glass cardstock (our new color of the year) behind the presents.

This card will be a part of my November Stamp Club classes.


Be sure to check out the Just Us Girls blog for other cards with the sentiment as the focal point.

Thanks for stopping by.

Merry & Bright Christmas Card

I love the new Oh, Deer! papers from Close to My Heart - and the Woodland Wishes stamp set and glitter papers worked so well on this card.  The tall tree is embossed, using the Sea Glass Pigment Ink and clear embossing powder.  So I am entering this into this week's Technique Challenge over at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Blog.  The Woodland Wishes stamp set has a coordinating set of Thin Cut Dies, so cutting the deer and tree was quite easy!  The snowflakes are also cut from the new Snowflake Thin Cut Dies - and they cut through the glitter paper like butter.

You can see the embossing on the tree a little better in this close-up photo.  And you can see the difference between the Sea Glass pigment ink - used to emboss the tree - compared to the Sea Glass dye ink that is used on the image on the inside of the card.  Both of them are so pretty!

I added dimension to the deer and the sentiment block with mounting foam.  Rather than matting the sentiment piece, I used the gold metallic marker to doodle around the edges!  A little cleaner look.

Hop over the the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Blog to check out the other embossing techniques people used - either heat embossing or dry embossing.  They are beautiful.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you are interested in any of the products I used on the card, you can check out my Close to My Heart shopping site - scrappingail.closetomyheart.com/

OH, DEER! Christmas Card Workshop

In the next few weeks, I will be offering workshops to create 16 beautiful Christmas cards using the Oh, Deer! papers from Close to My Heart.  Take a look at the cards -

All materials for this workshop are pre-cut.

You will receive the card bases, the stickers/die cuts to decorate your cards, the twine and the small clear sparkles to embellish the cards.

All this to create these 16 cards is only $35.

You also need a set of gold and silver metallic pens and a clear shimmer brush.  If you don't already have these in your craft stash, they can be purchased for $4.95 each (plus shipping & tax).

Dates for the workshop are:

Tuesday, October 18

Saturday, October 22

Thursday, November 10

 

Another class can be added on 

Thursday, October 20 

if there is enough interest. 

All classes meet at 9:30 in my craft studio in Prescott Valley, AZ. 

Email me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com to register.

Let me know when you register if you need the metallic pens or shimmer brush.

Register by October 10 to ensure materials 

are available for the October 18 & 22 classes. 

Once your registration is confirmed, you are committed to purchasing the 

pre-stamped kit to complete the cards if you are unable to attend on class day.

None of those dates work, or not in the area? 

 You can purchase a pre-stamped kit for an additional fee.  

Shipping is also available.

CTMH Consultants can also purchase the kit or the instructions for the kit.

For KIT information, visit the Kits for Sale page on my blog.

 

OCTOBER 2016 STAMP CLUB PROJECTS

 

Fall is definitely in the air in Arizona!  I am enjoying working with the Swan Lake paper pack from CTMH - the featured paper for October.  You can see in the two cards above the rich fall colors in the papers.  You will make ONE of these cards - you will decide in class which stamp set you will use to complete it.

The Swan Lake papers also offer some softer colors in their palette.  The Christmas card below also uses the Swan Lake papers, and the October Stamp of the Month - Yuletide Joy. 

One more fall card - actually, a Thanksgiving card.  I couldn't resist these cut little squirrels, and combined them with our technique for the month - using an embossing folder, but not embossing with it!  Come to class to find out what we are doing!

Finally, we will use the City Sidewalks paper.  While it will be featured in November, I jumped the gun a bit and combined our little Surfin' Santa and some trees with the bright Christmas colors in this paper pack.  Don't worry, we'll still work with it again in November!  As with the Swan Lake card, you will make ONE of these designs, deciding during class which images you want to use.

Class dates are:
Saturday, October 1
Monday, October 3
Tuesday, October 4
Thursday, October 6

Cost for the class (which includes everything to complete 4 cards) is $20.
All classes meet at 9:30 in my craft studio in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
Not in the area? You can get a kit mailed to you for an extra fee!
If interested, email me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com.

Christmas Card for Mojo Monday #467

Can you believe it's time to start working on Christmas cards!  Of course, I heard on the news this morning that some one million people already have their Christmas shopping done, so maybe I'm a little behind! 

I used a variation of the Mojo Monday sketch to create this card for my October Stamp Club classes.  I love the sparkle of the shimmer trim and the embossed star image.  The detail in the stamp is great - and I didn't want to get caught up in trying to color it - so thought embossing it would be the easiest thing to do.

Here's the items that I used - all from Close to My Heart:
Papers:
Swan Lake paper pack (X7212B)
White Daisy and Glacier cardstock
Stamps: 
Yuletide Joy (S1610) - October Stamp of the Month
Mini Christmas (M1152)
Inks:
Glacier
VersaMark
Other: 
Silver shimmer trim (Z1799)
Ranger Silver Super Fine embossing powder (Z2067)
Confetti Stars embossing folder (Z3119)

Be sure to pop over to the Mojo Monday blog and check out the other great cards made with this sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great weekend.

CTMH September Special Celebrating National Stamping Month - CREATE KINDNESS

Celebrate National Stamping Month this September with

 hand stamped cards designed to help create a little more 

kindness in the world. The Create Kindness card kit contains 

all of the supplies needed to create 24 beautiful handmade 

cards that you can use to brighten someone’s day! 

The kit can be yours for only $46.95—

a 15% savings off the retail value! 

Thanks to pre-printed card bases, these cards come together in no time, leaving you more time to do something thoughtful for someone. Watch Close To My Heart’s blog, Instagram account, and Facebook page throughout the month of September to see what they’ve created with this card kit & the acts of kindness it has inspired! This exclusive kit is available in the month of September while supplies last, so make sure to get your order in early.

The Create Kindness Kit sells for $46.95

(a $56.40 value if purchased separately)

Kit Contents:

• 24 – 3" × 3" pre-printed card bases & envelopes ($9.95 purchased separately with circles)

• 24 – Pre-cut 1 ¾" white circles

• 8 – Exclusive M-size stamp sets (8 @ $2.95 = $23.60)

• 1 – Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ mini stamp pad ($2.95 value - this mini pad cannot be purchased separately)

• 1 – 2" × 2" My Acrylix® block ($6.95)

• 1 – My Acrylix® mini stamp organizer ($12.95)

As a special bonus, the exclusive stamp sets and pre-printed card bases with envelopes are also available for separate purchase, 

but only in the month of September while supplies last!  

All 8 of the stamp sets are shown below – each can be purchased for $2.95 each plus shipping and tax.

The 3x3 cards with envelopes and the circle are also

 available so you can purchase as many sets as you will need.   

These are available for $9.95.

The 2x2 block ($6.95) and the M-size stamp organizer ($12.95) are regular items in our catalog, so they can be purchased at any time.

Contact me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com

Or head over to my CTMH shopping site and order yours today!

August Stamp Club Projects

OK, so I'm a little late sharing the cards we made in the August Stamp Club Classes.  Normally, I post these BEFORE the classes so people can sign up.  Things were a little hectic around my house with carpet cleaning which resulted in furniture rearranging and clutter purging!!!  All very good things, but time consuming.

We made two cards using the retiring Florence papers (X7208B).  The one below made use of the Bunch of Love stamp set (C1647) and coordinating thin cut dies (Z3251).  The rose gold foil tape (Z3218) was added, along with some of the rose gold sequins included in the Florence Sequins (Z3213).  All of these products are featured in the Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog, and they are only available until the end of August - so if you are interested, head over to my CTMH Shopping Site to get yours before they are gone! (One exception - the rose gold foil tape is being carried over into the new Annual Inspirations book!)

 

The next card also used the Florence papers, but all of the stamps are from the new Annual Inspirations book.  The stamps are Birthday Sparkles (B1537) - sentiment and sparkles on front, Wise Guy Birthday (C1662) - cake and stand, and Way to Go (D1700) - border garland.  A strip of Gold Glitter paper (Z3238) was added as a border, and the shimmer pen (Z3293) was used to add some dazzle to the frosting area of the cake.

We used the new Whimsy Fundamental Papers (Z3255) for this fun card, along with the new Hearts Thin Cut Dies (Z3260).  The Operation Smile stamp set True Love (D1711) was used on the top card, and Happy Heart (A1192) on the bottom card.  A little shimmer pen was used to accent the heart, and a couple of Clear Sparkles (Z3274) were added.  Cardstock colors are Whisper, Sweet Leaf and Crystal Blue.

The final card used an inking technique featured several weeks ago on the Close to My Heart Blog. 

The images are stamped on our watercolor paper, but the background ink is applied using a sponge.  You can see a video of the technique on my Facebook business page. The paper used is from the Rustic Home Fundamentals (Z3262).  I love the fact that the woodgrain papers are grey on one side and brown on the other!  Kraft and Slate cardstock were used to mount the watercolor panel.  Stamp sets are Nature's Wish (D1703) - the trees, and Hooked on You (B1535) - the fish and the sentiments.

Stay tuned for an early preview of the cards for September's Stamp Club - I will post them before the class meets!  Thanks for stopping by - and I hope you enjoy your weekend. 

HEART2HEART FLORENCE CHALLENGE

Close to My Heart is featuring the Florence paper pack this month, the Heart2Heart Challenge features Florence this month, and I featured it in my Stamp Club classes as well! This is one of two cards we made using the Florence papers.  It also uses three new stamp sets from the Annual Inspirations Idea Book that was released on August 1. 

The papers of course are from Florence - and that paper pack is still available until the end of the month.  So if you are interested in this great paper, act now over at my CTMH shopping site.  Here's a list of the rest of the products I used on this card:
Papers:
Florence paper pack ( X7208B)
Colonial White Cardstock (1388)
Gold Glitter Paper (Z3238)
Inks:
Flaxen (Z2824)
Poppy (Z2852)
Peacock (Z2849)
Stamps:
Birthday Sparkles (B1537) - sentiment and sparkles on front
Wise Guy Birthday (C1662) - cake and stand
Way to Go (D1700) - border garland
Other:
Shimmer Pen (Z3293) - shimmer glitter added to the frosting area of the cake!

Check out the other great Florence projects over at the Heart2Heart Challenge Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!  Keep watching for more projects with the new products from Close to My Heart.

I've been so busy with house things and CTMH activities, I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted here!  The end of July saw me hosting my annual Catalog Launch Open House - but this year, several other consultants from the Paper Pals team joined me.  The card shown above was the make-n-take project we did.  The beautiful mint green color was one of the reveals at the Open House - the new Sea Glass Color of the Year.  This beautiful color is available in cardstock, glitter paper and inks - but only until the end of next July!  It is such a fun color - and you can see how well it goes with the shiny gold.  This Sea Glass color can really be seen everywhere - so much so, that I was able to find napkins and charger plates at the local craft store - and I've seen it on storage containers at the discount stores!  It will be a fun year adding it to our papercrafting projects.

If you weren't able to make it to the Open House but want to have more information about the new products in the Annual Inspiration Catalog, you can click here to check out the online version of the catalog.  Or send me an email at scrappingailaz@gmail.com so I can make arrangements to get a catalog in your hands!

I'll be posting up more projects from the new Idea Book, so stay tuned!

Wedding Card

I have been putting off making a wedding card until I found a sketch that I thought would work for what was inside my head.  Well – I found it!  The sketch at FabFriday was just what I was looking for.  In addition, one of the Heart2Heart Challenges this month is for a congratulations card, so that works.  And Stamp Ink Paper has a Card Makers Choice challenge going on with the stipulation of using your favorite stamp, colors and paper.  Well, white cardstock seems to be a staple, so guess you could say it is a favorite.  Gold and Silver are always fun to work with.  But the favorite stamp was easy.  It’s the striped border stamp!  I have used that stamp on so many projects – glad I could use it on this one as well.

I knew that I wanted to use the Cricut cuts of Mr. and Mrs. overlaid on the stamped ampersand.  I decided to emboss the ampersand with silver and cut the words from gold glitter paper.  I also embossed the card base to give it a little more definition.

 On the inside of the card, I stamped flowers in a light grey ink, then embossed the "Congratulations" in gold over the top.  Just wanted to keep the silver/gold theme going on the inside as well!

Here's a list of what I used on this52 card.  

All products are from Close to My Heart:

Stamps:

Mr. & Mrs. (C1621) - ampersand

The Happy Couple (retired) - inside sentiment

Celebrate Love (retired) - inside flowers

In the Background (retired) - my favorite diagonal stripes

Paper:

White Daisy Cardstock

Gold Glitter Paper (Z3076)

Inks:

Whisper Grey

Versamark

Other:

Gold embossing powder (Z2066)

Silver embossing powder (Z2067)

Floral embossing folder (Z1994)

Mounting foam

Cricut Artistry cartridge (Mr. and Mrs.) Z3190

Be sure to pop over to the other challenge blogs and see the projects showcased there:

Fab Friday - Challenge 89

Stamp Ink Paper Challenge 52
Heart2Heart Challenge Blog

Thanks for stopping by! 

Father's Day Pocket Card

Wow - Father's Day is almost here!  Glad I have this card ready to go.  I loved the cute mustache/bow tie stamp set the CTMH had in the last Seasonal Expressions Catalog (unfortunately, it retired at the end of April).  I had seen a pocket card on Pinterest that I thought would work well the give the look of a shirt.  The Magical paper from CTMH worked great for it because it is double-sided, so the collar is just turned down, giving the new pattern!

I am entering this card in two challenges this week - the Heart2Heart "The Ties That Bind" challenge and the "Holiday" challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More.

You can see how the card pulls out of the pocket to reveal the greeting for that special dad!  

A really fun card to make.  

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my work - 

and hope you have a great weekend with the fathers in your life!

July 3 update - I was thrilled to find out that I was selected as the "TOP ADDICT" 
with this card over at the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge!!!  Thanks!