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MY CHALLENGES

I started participating in the Heart 2 Heart weekly challenges.  They are posted on my home page, but this page gives you a little more detail of the cards that I am submitting.  Hope you enjoy - and be sure to click on the H2H box on the left to go directly to the site and link to all the other wonderful participants!

I love seeing the designs others have posted with Mojo Monday designs, so I decided to join them!  These challenges are posted on my home page as well, but you get more detail about the development of the card here.  And click on the box to the right to see what others have done with the same challenge!


January 25, 2013
Freshly Made Sketches #70
This is the first challenge from Freshly Made Sketches that I have participated in.  Their premise is clean and simple, so that's what I tried to achieve.  

Here's a list of products I used - all are CTMH unless otherwise indicated:
Stamps - Lovely Lily (B1401) and Words of Comfort (C1524)
Inks - Creme Brulee, Basic Black and Smokey Plum
Background Paper - Claire (X7166B) - available 2.1.13
Cardstock - Colonial White and Pansy Purple (retired)
Alcohol Markers - Creme Brulee, Blush, Sweet Leaf, Blending pen
Bitty Opaque Pearls colored with Tim Holtz alcohol ink 
Punch for border edge - Stampin' Up
Cuttlebug embossing folder

We will be making this card in my February Stamp Clubs - so if you are interested, contact me to be a part of one of the groups!
   

January 20, 2013
MOJO Monday 276

I had so much fun playing with the new paper and stamp sets that will be available for everyone on February 1.  
Materials used - all are CTMH unless noted
stamps - Easter Wishes (B1422) available 2.1.13
paper - Chantilly (X7163B) available 2.1.13
cardstock - Sweet Leaf, Twilight and Cotton Candy
inks - Sweet Leaf, Cotton Candy and Black
markers - Cotton Candy and Honey
embossing folder -  Elegant Lines (Stampin' Up)
embellishments - bitty pearls 
grass and decorative edges - CTMH Cricut Artiste
image shape - Cricut Elegant Edges
 

October 21, 2012
I entered this window card in the Heart 2 Heart Christmas challenge.  More details on the Stamp Club page.

September 26, 2012

Christmas is the theme this week at Heart 2 Heart and a new challenge I found - Black Tie Fridays.  Since the new CTMH Stamp of the Month for October is Christmas themed, it was a perfect challenge for me.  

I gave the specifics of making this card in the post on my home page, so no need to repeat myself.  But I loved adding the "hint of black" with the new black tulle ribbon from CTMH - it's so fun to work with. 

Hope you enjoy this card - and be sure to check out the blogs of these challenges and see the other great projects!  Click on each blog link below to see for yourself.

Heart 2 Heart                      Black Tie Fridays

September 12, 2012

WOW!  I didn't realize it had been THIS long since I had done a challenge - but with all the things that went on this summer, I'm really not surprised.  So here is the challenge this week from Heart 2 Heart - use mostly CTMH materials and make a card that is bigger than normal A2 (4.25 X 5.5).  The long colonial white die cut cards (3" X 8") that CTMH sells fit the bill, and I had created this card for my son's birthday.  I had never shared it on the blog, so now is the perfect time!


The left side of the card is a little flap, so I used the darker paper and tucked it under the car.  The papers and stamps are from the retired Cruisin' Workshop on the Go.  The highway sign was cut with the Cricut and the Potpourri Basket cartridge - I used the Friendship Alphabet numbers and Say it in Style for the greeting on the sign.  Unfortunately, both of those sets are retired as well!


Inside, I made a pocket for the birthday gift - what 21 year old doesn't want money?!

And it is big enough you don't have to fold the cash or check!  Would also work for a gift card.

Thanks for looking - hope you try one of these long cards on a future project!


June 11, 2012

I wanted to use this stamp - "Quick Cards - Shell" (A1128) to demonstrate using several inks on one image before stamping it.  We had just returned from the wedding in Tucson, so I was a bit fatigued - and the colors for this week's Play Date Cafe Color Challenge were perfect!
Just the inspiration I needed.
I used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the lagoon cardstock.  The tag shape is cut from the Cricut Elegant Edges cartridge.  The stamp was inked directly from the pads with Lagoon on top and Pacifica on the bottom.  The clear stamp made it easy to see exactly where the ink was so I only inked the sections I wanted to.  The image was stamped a second time with Autumn Terracotta, and then only the shell was cut out and adhered with glue dots.  The Lagoon and Terracotta sections were highlighted with a Sakura clear stardust gel pen - giving just a hint of sparkle.  I had thin and thick sheer ribbon that coordinated with the terracotta color, but none the right size.  So I took white sheer ribbon and ran the ink pad directly over it, drying it with a low setting on my heat tool.  The edges of the tag are inked with a sponge daubber with the Autumn Terracotta ink.
Thanks for taking a look at this project.  It is truly a QUICK card!


May 20, 2012

I needed a card for a young man giving his senior piano recital.  With little time to get it done (you'd think I would have started when the invitation came weeks ago, right?) the challenge sketch and color scheme were a great help!  I've been doing piano cards for years because both of my sons are pianists, so am used to the black and white thing.  Adding that splash of mustard yellow was truly the unexpected.  But I like it!  The sketch allowed me to try cutting a design and putting it back together with the three strips, which I turned into banners.

UPDATE:  I found out on May 24 that this card received honorable mention, "The Cream in our Coffee," on Play Date Cafe.  I've added that badge to the side of my blog!


May 17, 2012

 I combined challenges again this week - used the Mojo Monday 241 sketch and the Dots and Stripes from H2H for this birthday card for a dear friend. 

The Dotty for You paper pack was perfect for the H2H Challenge.  There is a piece that is yellow with a diagonal strip of white and grey - and while I'm not super crazy about that design, I loved the colors.  So a little bit of that paper made it into the banner at the top, but I used the yellow and grey dots based on that.  Not a normal color combination for me, but that is what I love about the challenges - they inspire you to try something different!  I cut the butterfly on the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge (CTMH) and then ran it through an embossing folder.  I love the Spellbinders Lotus Pendant die, and that worked great as a backdrop for the accordion pleated flower and phrase from the "Authentic" stamp set (D1401).  Opaque gemstones (licorice) provided the accents.


 May 12, 2012

The H2H challenge this week is "Mother's Day."  I used the Mojo Monday 240 sketch as my basis.
I used two retired paper packs - Bliss and Perfect Day.  It didn't show up very well on the photo, but I ran the juniper paper through an embossing folder, then toned it down by inking it with the White Daisy pigment ink.  The little flower is from the Lucy Bitty Buds assortment, and the ribbon is from the discontinued Wings Creative Basics kit.


May 3, 2012
The H2H challenge this week is "April Showers Bring May Flowers."  Flowers are blooming all over these boxes, so I hope you enjoy them. 

 All of the boxes are made with the My Creations Card Box (Z1647) from CTMH.  These chipboard boxes are designed to hold standard A2 cards - and they dress up very nicely!  These are all covered with various Background and Texture paper from CTMH, with flowers cut on the Cricut.  The juniper green box (Typeset paper) has a metal bookplate (discontinued) surrounding an embossed image.  A coordinating image is embossed on the front of the box.  A Foundry Pin Clip (Z1612) is holding the butterfly, and Pearl Adhesive Gems (Z1336) provide accents.  Wooden feet have been added to this box.


Roxie paper was used on the rose colored box.  Discontinued Framed-in Top Coats (Z1211 - still available, while supplies last - on my CTMH website - click the shopping badge on the side) were used on the top and front of the box.  Pearl Adhesive Gems (Z1336) and hat pins from the Bling Assortment (Z1466) are the accents. 
The last box used Pemberly paper and the Top Coat overlays again.  The daisies are cut from the Flower Shoppe Cricut cartridge.  The chipboard bookplate is discontinued, but the Pearl Adhesive Gems (Z1336) are still available!


Thanks for looking at these boxes.  Click here to check out the posting for the workshops where you can make one of these boxes yourself!

April 29, 2012
The H2H challenge this week is a photo inspiration - here it is!

The colors are beautiful, and the bathroom setting made me think of water.  I've been wanting to use the new set "Under the Sea", and had fully intended to use the Footloose paper it was featured with in the IB.  But this photo challenge made me change my mind - and here is the result!
 


 
Have to say that I was pleased with the results.  I used the Stella paper for the background, and then added the Dotty for You papers as banners.  I used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the bubbles, and added the pearls for the air bubbles.  
Click on the H2H badge at the top of the page to see all the other great creations based on this photo.


April 20, 2012
I am adding two cards that work for three different challenges!  I am using the May Stamp of the Month - Friendship Bouquet - for both cards.  This is a GREAT set and there are lots of possibilities.

The first card is for the H2H April Sketch challenge.  Here's the sketch followed by my card!  The sketch really helped me with this card.  Sometimes I get stuck in a rut of what I've been doing - so the sketch made me think in a different way!  I used the juniper B&T paper from Typeset, and stamped the flower with brown StazOn on the creme brulee B&T paper from Footloose. 
I like to do the paper piecing with several layers, so the first layer is glued directly to the background piece, and the second layer is attached only in the center, allowing the petals to be free.  Allowing the image to extend beyond the background layer gives it more dimension.

I used a creme brulee marker over the top of the creme brulee B&T paper, leaving blank spots for "texture."  I embossed only the center of the sunflower with cocoa embossing powder and filled in with a chocolate marker.  I stamped the leaves and stem on juniper cardstock and used a juniper marker to color the stem.

The second card I made works for the H2H Stitching Challenge as well as the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge for April 16.   I've been wanting to add stitching to my cards, and had even pulled out my sewing machine, but just hadn't gotten to it.  So this challenge was PERFECT to get me going.  
 I followed the design of the sketch challenge with the smaller sunflower image from the SOTM set.  I used the Pemberly B&T paper and stamped the flowers on buttercup and honey cardstock. I played around with the only 2 Copic markers I have - both yellows!  
Like I did with the large flower, I embossed the centers of these flowers with cocoa, but on the darker flower, I started the stitching - adding French knots for dimension.  I repeated a few French knots on the background paper.  
I machine stitched the buttercup strip to the honey cardstock before attaching to the card, and popped the phrase up on a banner.
I hope you enjoy these cards - and be sure to click on the logos at the top of the page to see what everyone else did with this challenge!

April 4, 2012
The theme this week's H2H challenge is Easter, which makes sense, since Easter is Sunday!  This is my entry  - a side step card with the adorable little peeps and lots of eggs.
I made the Easter basket as a pull-out tag so a message could be written on it.

Products used (all CTMH):
  • "My Peeps" stamp set B1402
  • "Sensational Season" stamp set - retired SOTM from 2011
  • Happy Easter is stamped with a mix of "Say it with Style" and "Card Chatter - Birthday"
  • Lucy B&T paper
  • Animal Cookies Creative Basics paper pack (retired)- grass
  • Card Stock - white daisy, buttercup, blush
  • Inks - archival black, basic black, creme brulee, smoothie 
  • StazOn brown ink for basket
  • various markers for coloring eggs and basket
  • Cocoa embossing powder (eyes of background peeps)
  • Mocha Opaques adhesive gemstones (eyes of popped-up peep)
  • Adhesive springs
  • Non-CTMH - Martha Stewart picket fence border punch!
Click here for a link to splitcoaststampers.com for the side-step card instructions.
    Hope you enjoy this fun little card!

    March 19, 2012
    Heart 2 Heart Photo Inspiration Challenge


    This is the challenge photo, and the banner below is my entry for this challenge.

    Materials used - all CTMH
    • My Creations Banner - 1 chipboard piece
    • Victory B&T paper
    • Sonoma B&T paper
    • Bamboo cardstock for the plane
    • Square Durables Stud
    • Embossing Powder - cocoa and white
    • Stamp Set - "Horizons" retired
    • Hemp
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