Friday, November 29, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving and Chocolate Tins


Happy Thanksgiving.......I am a day late and a Black Friday dollar short! I hope each of you have a family and love filled weekend being thankful!

These are just 2 examples of chocolate filled tins I recently made, to sell at the annual craft fair I sell in.
I started with Hershey Nuggets purchased while in the U.S. I also ordered these wonderful tins from Paper Mart that fit 12 chocolates, perfectly.
I used the stamp set from Season's Tweetings in combination with Pear & Partridge and Sparkle & Shine paper. Each chocolate is wrapped with a 1" x 3" piece of patterned paper. Then the entire tin is wrapped with either coordinating cardstock or patterned paper.

The wreaths are stamped with Black Memento ink, then coloured in with Close To My Heart alcohol markers. I've added Ruby Chevron ribbon and some lovely retired velvet ribbon. You can not see it, but both wreaths are adorned with Stardust Glitz, also.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Stamps: Season's Tweetings
Paper: Pear & Partridge; Sparkle & Shine
Cardstock: Juniper; Ruby; White Daisy; Olive
Ink: Olive
Embellishments: Stardust Glitz; Ruby Chevron ribbon; retired velvet ribbon
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge
Other: Paper Mart tins


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Snowflakes

Since we rarely get snow here in Victoria, on the beautiful wet coast, or Vancouver Island.........I decided to use lots of snowflakes for my Christmas cards.
This snowflake die is an exclusive Simon Says Stamp die. First I cut if from fun foam, then inked it up with Twilight and Crystal Blue ink to stamp my background on Crystal Blue cardstock. I matted that with Twilight and also stamped my sentiment with Twilight ink. I backed the sentiment with a Glitter paper border. 

The snowflake is cut from White Daisy cardstock and attached to Whisper and Twilight cardstock shapes with a Twilight Brad.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Cardstock: Crystal Blue; White Daisy; Twilight; Silver Glitter
Ink: Twilight; Crystal Blue
Embellishments: Twilight Brad
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge
Other: Simon Says Stamp die


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

'Tis the Season

This is the final card from my, Trim the Tree, workshop.
We used Ruby Sparkle Trim with the Sparkle & Shine patterned paper. The circles are cut from Whisper; Juniper and Ruby. The sentiment is from retired, Holiday Wishes. I have taken full advantage of our clear acrylic image, by shaping it to match the curve of my cut circle. The sentiment and ornament, from Trim the Tree, are stamped in Ruby ink. I tied it all up with Grey Wool Baker's Twine.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamp: Trim the Tree; Holiday Wishes
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Cardstock: White Daisy; Whisper; Juniper; Ruby
Ink: Ruby
Embellishments: Ruby Sparkle Trim; Grey Wool Baker's Twine
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Trim the Tree Workshop

This is the second card made at my recent, Trim the Tree, Workshop.
We stamped the shapes with Juniper and Ruby ink. All of them got strung up with Cranberry Baker's Twine and one got coordinating Sparkles from, Sparkle Holiday Shapes. The sentiment and birdie are stamped from, Perfect Fit-Holidays. The patterned paper is from Sparkle & Shine.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamps: Trim the Tree; Perfect Fit-Holiday
Ink: Ruby; Juniper
Cardstock: Juniper; Ruby; White Daisy
Embellishments: Sparkle Holiday Shapes; Cranberry Baker's Twine
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Cats and Dogs

These are the last two cards of my October workshop using some sweet stencil dies I picked up in the summer.
 I used Whisper cardstock and Slate ink. I embossed this lovely pattern with Whisper cardstock, then wiped Slate ink over top. The border is Silver Glitter paper.
The stamping is from CTMH's, A Bowwow and Cozy Cat in Slate ink. The sweet cat and dog stencil dies are from Joy Crafts - Lin & Lene. They were both cut from White Daisy cardstock and inked with Black ink.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Cozy Cat; A Bowwow
Cardstock: Whisper; White Daisy; Silver Glitter
Ink: Slate; Black
Other: Joy Crafts - Lin & Lene cat and dog stencil dies


Friday, November 22, 2013

Sparkle & Shining while I "Trim the Tree"!

Here is the first card created for my latest Sparkle & Shine Workshop, featuring "Trim the Tree".
I was inspired by artwork made by Karen Pedersen with this set. I added a swiping motion to my ink pad while doing the tree, then used a Ruby marker to add the ornaments. The image stamped on the Ruby ribbon is from Merry & Bright and the sentiment from a retired stamp of the month, Very Merry Christmas.

I used our scallop punch for the borders. I added a wee bit of Silver Glitter paper and then the sweet, Sparkle Holiday Shapes to the Juniper stamped tree.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamps: Trim the Tree; Merry & Bright; Very Merry Christmas
Ink: Whisper; Juniper; Ruby
Cardstock: White Daisy; Juniper; Ruby; Silver Glitter
Marker: Ruby alcohol marker
Embellishments: Sparkle Holiday Shapes


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Polka Dot dies

Here is another card gals made at one my Embossing and Die cutting class.
We used a die from My Favorite Things to cut the polka dots. We added different colours of cardstock behind the dots, then matted on Gypsy cardstock. The sentiment is also stamped with Gypsy ink and we added buttons tied with Natural Hemp.

All supplies are Close to My Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Thank You
Cardstock: Gypsy; Lagoon; Sweet Leaf; Twilight; Juniper; White Daisy
Ink: Gypsy
Embellishments: Sweet Leaf and Crystal Blue buttons; Natural Hemp
Other: My Favorite Things Die-Namics Dispersed Dots

Friday, November 15, 2013

Creating a Stamp with your favourite steel die!

This is the 3rd card gals made at my Embossing & Die cutting class. Sometimes I find a die shape I love so much, I want to stamp with it, too. This snowflake is that image, so here is how I did the stamping.
First, I used the snowflake die, from Couture Creations to cut from fun foam. Then I just used my herma dots adhesive, on the snowflake, to attach it to a clear block. I inked it up with White Daisy pigment ink and stamped away on Kraft cardstock. It really is that easy to use any die to make a stamp.

I added some snowflake images from another stamp set to fill in the extra spaces. They were stamped with Desert Sand ink, from the Pear & Partridge WOTG stamp set.

All supplies are Close To My  Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Pear & Partridge WOTG
Ink: White Daisy pigment; Pacifica
Cardstock: White Daisy; Kraft; Pacifica
Embellishments: Burlap Ribbon
Other: Couture Creations Snowflake die

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Snowflake in Crystal Blue

This is the second card made at my November Embossing & Die cutting class.
The gorgeous snowflake die, from Couture Creations, cut and embossed White Daisy cardstock in one Big Shot pass. I stamped the Crystal Blue cardstock with a retired background image, in Twilight ink. Both of those were then matted with Twilight cardstock. The sentiment is stamped on Crystal Blue cardstock in Twilight in from, Perfect Fit-Holidays, set. The centre of the snowflake is a cut out from Glitter paper.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Perfect Fit-Holidays; retired background
Ink: Twilight
Cardstock: White Daisy; Twilight; Crystal Blue; Glitter
Other: Couture Creations snowflake die


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Snowflakes.....oh beautiful snowflakes!

I LOVE snow and snowflakes! Since we do not get much of either on the "Wet" Coast of Vancouver Island, I decided to substitute with a paper snow storm! This is one of the cards made at my recent Embossing & Die cut card class.
I wanted to utilize a non-traditional Christmas colour and went with the gorgeous purples of Close To My Heart's, Laughing Lola paper. I stamped the sentiment from, Merry & Bright, in Black ink on Lagoon cardstock. The border patterned strips are the zip strips cut from the patterned paper.

This lovely wool felt is from My Favorite Things and is "Grapesicle" in colour. I cut the snowflake with a die from Couture Creations, purchased from Crop Stop. I added a Glitter Paper star to the centre of the snowflake. It was what remained on my cutting mat after cutting a snowflake with Artiste.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Paper: Laughing Lola
Stamp: Merry & Bright
Ink: Black
Embellishments: Glitter Paper
Cardstock: White Daisy; Lagoon
Tools: Artiste Cricut cartridge
Other: My Favorite Things Grapesicle felt; Couture Creations Snowflake die

Friday, November 8, 2013

Owl be using Season's Tweetings more!

OMG.....here is another card with Season's Tweetings using Red and Turqouise....can't stop!
I LOVE this colour combo and the Season's Tweetings stamp set that comes with the gorgeous, large gift bags. I have followed along the same colours as my previous 2 cards before this one.

Randomly stamped flower on Ruby and White Daisy cardstock for backgrounds. I used Lagoon cardstock for the accent. Here I've used a corduroy flower for an extra accent on my Ruby Chevron ribbon that is atop my Ruby Washi tape on Lagoon cardstock border! I've also added a Sparkle to the centre of my flower.

The sweet Owl is coloured with our Lagoon alcohol set of markers. The wreath has been coloured with Ruby; Sweet Leaf and Lagoon alcohol markers. I've also added some Stardust Glitz.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Season's Tweetings
Ink: Ruby
Cardstock: Lagoon; Ruby; White Daisy
Alchohol Markers: Ruby; Lagoon; Sweet Leaf
Embellishments: Ruby Chevron ribbon; Ruby Mini-Medley: Ruby Washi tape; Sparkle
Tools: Cricut Art Philosophy
Other: Memento Black ink


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Another Challenge with Season's Tweetings

Once I started playing with Close To My  Heart's new Season's Tweetings set, I found more challenges to enter. This card is for the Merry Monday #82 Challenge at, Always Playing With Paper.

I started by random stamping the flower image with Ruby ink on coordinating cardstock. I matted this piece with Lagoon cardstock on a White Daisy card base. I used the Ruby pattern washi tape, from Sparkle & Shine, and applied it to Lagoon cardstock for the border. I wrapped the border up with Ruby Metallic Baker's Twine.

I stamped mistletoe and sentiment with Black Memento ink. I coloured the images in with Sweet Leaf; Ruby; and Lagoon alcohol markers. I added some Stardust Glitz to each  berry, then stamped the ribbon image in Ruby ink.
All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Season's Tweetings
Cardstock: Ruby; Lagoon; White Daisy
Embellishments: Ruby Metallic Baker's Twine; Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape; Stardust Glitz
Alcohol Markers: Ruby; Sweet Leaf; Lagoon
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge
Other: Black Memento ink

Season's Tweetings and a Challenge

I thought this week I wanted to get in on some challenges. I used my new Close To My Heart, Season's Tweetings set, for the challenge over at Dynamic Duos Challenge Blog.

I love this colour combo of a red and a turquoise, so I used Ruby and Lagoon. I randomly stamped the Ruby cardstock with the flower image, in coordinating ink. I added Ruby chevron ribbon and some snowflakes I cut from felt. 

I stamped the wreath, owl and sentiment with Black Memento ink and then coloured in with our alcohol markers in Ruby; Sweet Leaf; and Lagoon. I added Stardust Glitz to the owl's eyes and around the wreath.
All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Season's Tweetings
Cardstock: Lagoon; Ruby; White Daisy
Alcohol Markers: Lagoon; Ruby; Sweet Leaf
Embellishments: Ruby Chevron ribbon; Stardust Glitz
Other: Memento Black ink; White eco felt; Sizzix snowflake die

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Birds shimmer with Sparkle & Shine

This is the 4th and final card from my recent Sparkle & Shine workshop.
I lifted this card from a fellow CTMH Consultant. I switched the patterned paper; border and Red Shimmer Trim, but the stamping is an exact lift. The birds are stamped in Ruby and the branches in both Ruby and Juniper. The sentiment is stamped with Slate ink.

I started with this glorious shimmer houndstooth pattern in the Sparkle & Shine pack. I added the circle zip strip, then added Stardust Glitz the the centre of each circle. The flourish bird has a tiny Opaque Gem for an eye and I added Ruby Shimmer trim, also.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamp: Merry & Bright
Ink: Juniper; Ruby; Slate
Cardstock: White Daisy; Juniper
Embellishments: Stardust Glitz; Ruby Shimmer Trim; Opaque gem

Friday, November 1, 2013

See you later, Scandinavian Wishes!

 I must say October's stamp of the month, Scandinavian Wishes, was one of my all time favourites! Here is the 3rd card from my Sparkle & Shine workshop.
Now, if you haven't seen the Sparkle & Shine paper up close, the silver on this pattern is shimmery. It is a lovely, understated touch to this fabulous paper. We stamped the bulb from, Scandinavian Wishes, in Ruby ink on the coordinating Cricut cut. The scallop border is in Ruby cardstock and the sentiment stamped in Ruby ink is on Juniper cardstock. There is a strip of Glitter paper and the bulb has been tied up with Grey Wool Baker's Twine.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine; Glitter paper
Stamp: Scandinavian Wishes
Ink: Ruby
Cardstock: White Daisy; Juniper; Ruby
Embellishment: Grey Wool Baker's Twine
Tools: Scallop Border punch; Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge