FOREST CRITTERS for FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES & JUST ADD INK CHALLENGES

This is the second card I've posted using Forest Critters - the December Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart.  I had no idea how fun this set would be to work with.  On the last card, I left the tree branches bare, but decided to add that greenery to them this time.  I still have the deer, but I used several little birds instead of one of the ground-based animal.  That allowed me to work with the sketch challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  You can see that I needed a couple of smaller elements on the left top of the circle, so the birds were perfect.  And then I found that the Just Add Ink challenge allowed you to choose two elements from these three -- Deers - Trees - Sparkle  Well, I think I have that covered!  Be sure to click on those highlighted challenge blogs to pop over and see what others have created with these parameters.

The card shared by Freshly Made Sketches design team member Narelle inspired me for the paper layering and the ink smooshing on the circle.  I'm so glad that distressing has made a comeback - I think it adds to the rustic look of the forest scene.

Every element on the card is found in this stamp set.  I really like the versatility of the sentiments.  This can work all year long!

Images were stamped with Mocha and Pine inks.  The sentiment was heat embossed on Mocha cardstock.  I used colored pencils to color the images, and Distress Oxide inks for the ink smooshing on the circle. 

I was glad to have my Misti stamping platform since I was stamping over the circle layered on top of the background cardstock.  Being able to stamp several times was great, but I still needed the help of my Sepia LePen to fill in the few blank spaces!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blog world.  I hope you have a wonderful week!
 
 

Paper Players Sketch Challenge & Time Out Winter Challenge

 

I love sketch challenges - they help me when I'm stuck on a creative idea!  That was true with this cute stamp set - Forest Critters - the December Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart.  I wanted to use the kraft base, but it was a little too much with the smaller animal images.  The sketch this week at Paper Players Challenge helped me see that breaking up that background would make it easier to get the scene I wanted.  Be sure to click on the red link so you can see the other amazing creations for this sketch on their blog.

I'm also submitting this card to the Time Out Challenge Blog with a Winter/Holiday theme.  The red link for Time Out will also take you to their website and you can get inspiration from the submissions to their challenge.

I created a mostly monochromatic card with the kraft base - I just had to add some green for the pine branches!  White embossing helped the sentiment stand out on the colored base.  I used an old bottle of white craft paint mixed with water to splatter the snow on the card.  I used Mocha ink on toffee cardstock (it's slightly lighter than kraft) for the forest critters, fussy cut them and then inked the edges with Espresso ink.  There was NO coloring on this card - making it pretty easy to put together.

I did cut the smaller kraft panel for the front and used low-tack tape to secure it to the card base for stamping.  Luckily, my stamp platform helped me since I needed to stamp the images several times to get the overlap areas to come through!  Then I mounted it on the white and was able to match up the stamped images.

Here's a look at the stamp set - and I think you can see that it's pretty versatile for not only holiday cards, but after the holidays as well.  Think of those thank you cards you need to send! 

Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blog world!  I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week.

GRATEFUL

 

As Thanksgiving is just a few days away, I wanted to let everyone who follows or visits my blog how grateful I am for your support.  I love to share my creations and hope they inspire you to play with the products in your stash!

 

I like to coordinate the inside of my card with the front - and that's what I did with this one!  I had an extra flower so I needed to use that!  I cut another of the background die from cardstock and used it as a stencil just on the corner of the inside (Seabrook ink).  Finally I added a sentiment stamped in Mist ink.

 

Here's a look at everything that I used to create this card.  All of the materials are from Close to My Heart, and you can click on the red product numbers below if you want more information.

The card base was created with the two-part Stitched Card Front & Background die (Z4652).  The white has the stitched edge and is the exact size of an A2 card front.  The detail open-design piece was cut from Seabrook cardstock.  The open-design piece is what I cut again from neutral cardstock and used it as a stencil for the inside of the card.  The Pumpkin Thin Cut (Z8044) was cut from Paprika cardstock.  I used some low-tack tape to keep all the cut pieces together and then removed the pumpkin outline before running the inside pieces through the Botanical Embossing Folder (Z4095).  Then I was able to re-assemble the complete pumpkin with some fun dimension.  The flowers are from a retired Stamp of the Month Happiness Never Grows Old (S2012) that some of you might have in your collection.  The size of the flowers was perfect for adding to the pumpkin.  They were colored with the Spectrum Noir TriBlend markers and then fussy cut.  Finally, that bit of spiky greenery behind the flowers is the inside of a die from the Leaf Layers Thin Cuts (Z3945) that is no longer available.  That greenery and the "grateful" sentiment were cut from Mist cardstock.  The sentiment die is from the Gratitude Thin Cuts (Z8045).  

I hope that everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

THE COLORS OF FALL - The Card Concept #181

 

As I've stated on previous posts, I LOVE fall/autumn.  My husband and I have been traveling and enjoying the changing colors in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and now Nebraska.  So this challenge from The Card Concept - The Colors of Fall - was perfect! 

You can click on the link above to head over to the Card Concept Challenge Blog and see the creations by the design team as well as others who have created with this theme. 

I was inspired by the theme of the challenge, and used a background paper full of the colors of fall!  I stayed with those colors as I created the die-cut leaf with shortbread and paprika cardstock, and the sentiment is stamped in paprika ink on sundance cardstock.  I think this all falls into the category of a Clean and Layered design - not a lot of pieces, one main focal point, which happens to be the sentiment.

That sentiment is from the October Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart - "Blessings of the First Noel."  I know, that title makes you think of Christmas.  However, this versatile stamp set has phrases that work year-round, and this one was suitable as a Thanksgiving greeting.  Other sentiments work for New Year's and several for Christmas.  You can click here to see the details of that set (shown below). 

 Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blog world.  And Happy Fall!

FALL CARD - SKETCH CHALLENGE

I have let it be known that I LOVE Autumn (or fall, whichever you want to call it!).  So I have been working a LOT with the Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart - Enjoy These Moments.  I have another post that uses the sentiments only, and I'll be posting another card that uses the large heart image.  But this post is all about the "Fall is in the Air" sentiment that made a great focal point on this card.

I used the Freshly Made Sketch #552 for the basis of the card.  The papers are from the Crisp Air pack from CTMH.  I had the background piece and the plaid piece all figured out, but couldn't find a coordinating pattern for that last tilted rectangle.  But no problem - I grabbed the pack of Picture My Life cards that coordinate with the paper and found the perfect piece.  So glad that all the elements came together.

You can click on the sketch link highlighted above to see all of the other great cards created using this sketch.  One of the things I love about challenges is that you really have a lot of freedom with what you are given, and it's fun to see how everyone interprets it!

The sentiment is rather large, and to put it on a circle and mat that circle created something too big for the card front.  So I decided to fussy cut the sentiment and let it hang over a smaller circle that worked.

I actually inked the sentiment with pine ink - the same color as the green cardstock on the card.  I decided to make it stand out a little more by using clear embossing powder over the green, and it ended up looking more black than I had anticipated.  So I brightened it up by adding color to those leaves and acorns.

The stamp set I mentioned is seen below.  You can see it on my website.  I think you can see why this set is great for someone who loves autumn!

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a wonderful week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paper Pals Challenge PP607 - Fall Theme

 

I love the autumn season, so when a challenge comes along with that theme, and I have a pumpkin die just waiting to be used, I am in!  That's the case over at The Paper Players this week, so click on the link above and check out all the other fall projects you will find there - and there are plenty to see!

I used the pumpkin die a little different way.  I cut the die shape out of a piece of cardstock to create a stencil template.  Then, I used a technique from Gina K where I lightly inked the pumpkin shape.  I used both sundance and nectarine inks.  Then I laid the plastic stencil over the cardstock template and used a heavier hand with nectarine to show the design.  Adding the actual die outline helped to define the image.

Then I decided that I needed to use that same stencil design near the sentiment, and once I finished that, I decided to create a landing pad of "grass" for the pumpkin and used the same stencil again! 

The sentiment and all of the leaves are from "Enjoy These Moments", the September Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart.

I also like to add similar images to the inside of my cards, so I just used the stencil again, a smaller sentiment from the same stamp set and a few more leaves.

And I am thankful for you stopping by my blog to enjoy these fall colors and leaves.  All products are from Close to My Heart -

Pumpkin Thin Cuts (Z8044)

Card Front Stencil Pack (Z6093)

Enjoy These Moments stamp (S2209)

 

OPEN HOUSE - CLOSE TO MY HEART'S NEW CORE CATALOG PRODUCTS

I am glad you've stopped by to check out what I displayed at my recent Open House!  I focused on Close to My Heart's Core Catalog with products available from the beginning of August 2022 through the end of July 2023, but there are products shown from the current July-September seasonal book, as well as a sneak peak at the September National Stamping Month specials!  I hope you enjoy taking a look at these great products.  Here's the link to the video, and there are a few more photos of the displays after that.

One of the things I like best about the Open House is the chance for people to see up close the new products.  And of course the one that interests most people are the new colors!  CTMH did not disappoint - there are six wonderful new colors, including Melon - the color of the year.  

Here's a card showcasing several of those colors.  Melon is the color of the main flower , and Seabrook, one of my favorites, is the color of the background cardstock and the stamped leaves!

On the display below, the top row of colors (left to right) are periwinkle, melon, and seabrook.    The second row colors are pine, honey butter, and mist.

I just had to add a photo of the cute backpack gift card holder.  In the video, I show the various ways I used the purse gift card holder die for cards and a candy holder.  The same possibilities exist for this backpack die.  The possibilities are endless!

 

I hope you enjoyed walking through the Open House with me!  Have a creative day.

 

Festive Card for Time Out Challenge

Several weeks ago, a card I submitted to the Time Out Challenge blog was selected as the winner!  And they asked if I wanted to be a guest designer for them.  This is the week.

The Time Out Challenge #221 begins today, and the theme is FESTIVE!  You have two weeks to participate in the challenge and share your artwork on the blog.  So think of what is festive to you, and see how you can express that with whatever form of papercrafting you enjoy.

The challenge runs from Thursday, August 25 through Wednesday, September 7.  

 Click here to head over to the Time Out Challenge Blog for all the details.

This challenge is sponsored by Birch Press Design.  The winner gets $25 in store credit and an offer to Guest Design with us for a future challenge.  It could happen to you as it happened to me!

 

I chose to share a festive birthday celebration.  As our sons were growing, we always made birthdays pretty special.  Being a paper crafter helped me create themed parties on a budget.  They weren't quite as fancy as this, but they were always fun. 

I played with some new and retired thin cut dies from Close to My Heart, as well as my new Celebrate die from Scrapbook and Cards Today.  More information is at the end of this post.

I used lots of different elements in the shaker balloon.  These include both silver and gold star confetti, clear loose gems, and bright and bold bitty beads (all from CTMH).  These were small enough to move about freely in the smaller shaker window that the balloon provided.  

Here's a list of those dies I mentioned before -

Close to My Heart - Stitched Lattice background thin cut die, Round Balloon thin cut dies, For You thin cut dies, Small Circle Shaker Window thin cut die, Small Circle Shaker Window Foam & Acetate 

Scrapbook and Cards Today - Celebrate die

Thanks for stopping my corner of blogdom.  I hope you have fun creating a festive project!

 

 

JUST US GIRLS PHOTO CHALLENGE #642

 

The photo challenge over at the Just Us Girls blog this week made me think of a different way to use this floral stamp!   To give the look of the hanging vines, I just flipped the image and had it come down from the top of the card.  In addition, I didn't add any color to the flowers - just left everything green, giving the impression of the greenery shown in the photo.

I actually used one of the new colors from Close to My Heart - Seabrook - giving you a sneak peak of what is coming on August 1! 

I used multiple layers of the ink to get the depth of color I wanted, the true side of the cardstock, and die cut the Seabrook glitter paper for the sentiment.  That's harbour cardstock backing it!  The stamp is called "Language of Flowers" (#C1945) from CTMH.  

You can see some of those details a little better in this close-up photo.  

It's always fun to play with new colors for the first time - and I think this turned out well!  Love that they all coordinate.

 

I had so much fun with the single color usage, that I broke out another new ink pad - Periwinkle - and made a slimline card, rotating the floral image so it went both ways on the card.  The blank area was easy to cover with the circle sentiment.

I love challenge blogs, and was so glad for the inspiration provided by Just Us Girls this week.  Click on the blog link (highlighted above) and check out the other creations that have been submitted.   

Thanks for stopping by my blog - and I hope you have a great week!

IN A BOOK - ANOTHER CARD!

 

This is the second card I've made this weekend with this stamp set - In A Book (D2049 from Close to My Heart).  This one used only the stamp set - nothing extra!  And no surgery on any of the images.  But I did use a bit of paper piecing to get a more realistic look to the lady's shirt.  Some intricate cutting, but worth the effort for the look it gives.

I have several friends that are perfect recipients of this card.  Who would you send it to? 

I am entering this card in the current Time Out Challenge with a reading theme.  Click on the title of the blog so you can see other creations on this theme.  I love to see what's out there in the stamping community with all the cards people create.  Such fun!

Here's a link to the previous card I created - with details of the surgery I mentioned.

Well, thanks for stopping by - and I hope you are enjoying a good book.

IN A BOOK

 

This stamp set - "In a Book" from Close to My Heart - has been waiting for me to play with it.  Well, this was the week to finally do that.  I felt that the sketch at the Freshly Made Sketches challenge was perfect for my main project, although I needed to rotate it to a landscape orientation.  I then checked out the Time Out Challenges blog and found they had a reading theme, and I knew it was time!  By the way, you can click on either of the challenge names to head over to the blogs and see other creations using the same inspiration.

The main reason I bought this set was because my sons love to read - the oldest since he was a young child.  The younger one grew into it!  While the stamp set had a woman reading (you'll see that image soon), I knew that I could use the "Buddies" series of boys to create someone who looks like Jonathan as a child.  So - I started with "Ian" as a base (the hair and clothes were correct), but needed the glasses from "Joey"!  So I stamped and embossed Joey's head, then cut out only the glasses to add to Ian.  

Now I used the image of the woman from the "In a Book" set and cut out the book she was holding to read.  The problem I ran into was that Ian's arms were both straight down.  How was I going to get him to hold the book?  Well, a little "surgery" on the stamped image allowed me to rotate his arm so it was bent and could now hold the book.  

I had to stamp three sets of the bookshelf books to go across the card front, and I needed something to make them stand out a bit.  I found an edging stamp that was the right width, but I didn't like the design.  So, I switched it over and put the image side down on my stamp block and inked up the solid backing of the stamp to create my shortbread colored strip.  As I look at the card from a distance (not sure if it is visible in the photo), the books look as if they are popped up over the backing - but they are adhered straight down to the card front!  How fun that something as simple as that backdrop created a fun dimension.

I used LOTS of different markers to complete this project - but had I not had the Spectrum Noir TriBlends, it would have been a lot more!

I'm working on another card with this same stamp set - but using the woman reading as the focal point.  Here's a link to the post with that completed card.

But I did think you might like to see the card I made recently for the younger son's birthday using the "Buddies" sets.  It took three sets to create the correct Nathanael!

 

I used "Ian" for the body because that fit Nathanael's outdoor attire.  But, Nathanael has curly hair, so I had to use "Ezra" to get that.  And of course, I needed "Joey's" glasses to make it complete.  At least no surgery was required for this card!  These "Buddies" sets are pretty versatile, and really fun to see what you can create.

Just so you know, these "boys" are both in their 30's now, but it was fun to go back to those younger years and create for them.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of blogdom!  I hope you have a great day.