Merry & Bright design

This is the second design from my Sparkle and Shine workshop.

What I most love about Sparkle & Shine paper, is the patterns are striking and elevate a simple design! We stamped the wreath from, Merry & Bright in Juniper ink. The flowers were added with  Ruby ink. We tied it up with Cranberry Baker's Twine and this card was done.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamp: Merry & Bright
Cardstock: Juniper; Ruby; White Daisy
Ink: Juniper; Ruby
Embellishments: Cranberry Baker's Twine

Sparkle & Shine Workshop

Here is the first card of four, that gals at my recent Sparkle & Shine workshop created.

Each gal got a Sparkle & Shine paper pack, with precut pieces and embellishments for each card. They also received stamp sets: Merry & Bright and Tree Delights.

They cut the patterned paper into 3 strips that were 4" wide. Then cut those at 5 1/4" so they had 6 of each pattern. I provided one design and they could substitute any pattern from Sparkle & Shine, that they wanted.

For this card we stamped Tree Delights with Juniper ink, then added Red Glitz and a Sparkle on top. The sentiment was stamped in Slate ink, from October's stamp of the month, Scandinavian Wishes. The cardstock colours are White Daisy; Ruby; Juniper and Slate. We finished the card off with our Ruby Chevron ribbon.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamps: Merry & Bright; Scandinavian Wishes; Tree Delights
Cardstock: Slate; Juniper; Ruby; White Daisy
Ink: Juniper; Slate
Embellishments: Ruby Chevron Ribbon; Sparkle; Red Glitz

Sparkle & Shine Gift Tag

I don't normally make too many tags, but this year I decided I would sell some and use them as gifts for my customers.

I started with Sparkle & Shine patterned paper. I stamped the trees from, Trim the Tree and stamped them with Slate and Juniper ink. I added a tree from the Sparkle Holiday Shapes, then adhered the trees to the circle centerpiece. The three words are stamped from October's stamp of the month, Scandinavian Wishes in Slate; Juniper and Ruby ink. I also stamped the white circle with the border image from Scandinavian Wishes in second generation Slate ink.

The top shape and sentiment are from, Holiday Tags. The border is stamped in Slate and the sentiment in Ruby. I finished the tag off with Ruby and Grey Wool Baker's Twine.

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

Always Grateful Christmas

I was invited to provide a project for a gathering of very crafty Ladies. They requested a Christmas themed card and here it is.

This gathering was hosted in September and I didn't quite have all of my Christmas stamps out yet. When I saw this tree in the Always Grateful set, I knew I could switch things up. The tree is stamped with Twilight ink in first and second generation. Then we added some Liquid Applique to the branches and used a heat gun to puff it up, like snow.

The sentiment is from, Merry & Bright, and was stamped in Pacifica ink. I cut the tag with Art Philosophy, then we added some Silver Shimmer Ribbon and Sparkles. The gorgeous pattern paper, in the background, is from Frosted.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Frosted
Stamps: Always Grateful; Merry & Bright
Ink: Twilight; Pacifica
Cardstock: Colonial White; Twilight
Embellishments: Silver Shimmer Ribbon; Sparkles
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Ombre paper details

At my October die cutting and embossing class, we used some new dies I purchased on my summer holidays. This is the first of 3 designs each gal made.

The die used to create the Ombre like cardstock technique, is from L'il Inker Designs. We cut Sweet Leaf; Lagoon; and Twilight cardstock, then layered them with Sweet Leaf at the top and bottom. The border is Lagoon, tied up with Lagoon Baker's Twine and a Sweet Leaf button. (I miss our buttons!) The sentiments are from, Joyful Birthday.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Stamp: Joyful Birthday
Cardstock: Sweet Leaf; Twilight; Lagoon; White Daisy
Ink: Lagoon
Embellishments: Lagoon Baker's Twine; Sweet Leaf button
Other: L'il Inker Designs Fanfare Scallop Border Die

Christmas Tag

I am having trouble putting down the polka dot paper from Sparkle & Shine.....I LOVE polka dots! I wanted to create a tag for an upcoming workshop and here is a possible candidate.

Everything on this tag is cut with Close To My Heart's 3 Cricut cartridges. I stamped the tag on the card with an image from October's Stamp of the Month, Scandinavian Wishes. I love this stamp set.....it is by far one of my favourite Christmas stamp sets. This tag is on a Juniper card.

I cut rolled flowers from the polka dot paper, yet rolled them so you could see the candy cane stripe pattern on the other side. I added Glitter Sparkles gems to each of their centres. I cut the flourish image from Juniper cardstock, then added Cranberry and Grey Wool Baker's Twine to complete this tag.

All supplies are Close To  My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamp: Scandinavian Wishes
Cardstock: White Daisy; Juniper
Ink: Ruby
Tools: Art Philosophy; Artiste; Artbooking Cricut Cartridges

Scandinavian Wishes

Close To My Heart's October Stamp of the Month is, Scandinavian Wishes. I was in a lifting mood and created this card.

I used the gorgeous polka dot patterned paper, from Sparkle & Shine. I stamped some Slate cardstock with the border stamp, in coordinating ink, for the bottom piece. I added our Ruby Chevron ribbon and some Red Sparkles. I stamped the main image in Ruby ink and the sentiment in Slate. Once I inked the main image on my stamp, I dragged the stamp across the ink pad to create this swiped ink look. I added some Stardust Glitz to the flower centres.

I lifted many aspects of this card from a couple of other consultants....namely Karen Pedersen and Nancy Brown. You can see their versions by finding their links on the lower right hand side of my blog.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamps: Scandinavian Wishes
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Ink: Ruby; Slate
Cardstock: Ruby; Slate; White Daisy
Embellishments: Ruby Chevron Ribbon; Red Sparkles; Stardust Glitz
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Snowflakes and Holiday Gift Guide Hopping

I am loving our new Sparkle and Shine paper! Polka Dots are wonderful for everything...even snowflakes!

I started with Juniper cardstock, then added some Ruby, stamped with the border image in October's Stamp of the Month, Scandinavian Wishes. I cut out the snowflakes from Art Philosophy and Artiste. The stars in the middle of each snowflake are from the centres of larger snowflakes I cut from our glitter paper. The sentiment is stamped with Black pigment ink and is also from Scandinavian Wishes.

All supplies are Close To My  Heart.
Stamp: Scandinavian Wishes
Ink: Black Pigment
Paper: Sparkle and shine
Cardstock: Juniper; Ruby; White Daisy; Glitter
Tools: Art Philosophy and Artiste Cricut cartridges

Another "Holidays From The Heart" Card

Trim the Tree is a wonderful new stamp set, from our "Holiday From The Heart Gift Guide"

I started with Juniper cardstock on a White Daisy card base. I added some Sparkle & Shine polka dot for the snowy sky....just imagine! I tore some White Daisy cardstock for snow and added a sentiment from, Holiday Tags, in Ruby ink.

I stamped the trees, cut from Art Philosophy, with Trim the Tree in Juniper and Slate ink. I added Silver; Red; and Green Glitz to look like ornaments. I cut this cute deer from Artbooking, then added Red Glitz to his nose and Grey Wool Baker's Twine for reins.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamps: Trim The Tree; Holiday Tags
Cardstock: White Daisy; Juniper; Saddle
Ink: Juniper; Slate; Ruby; Slate
Embellishments: Red, Silver, and Green Glitz; Grey Wool Baker's Twine
Tools: Art Philosophy and Artbooking Cricut cartridges

Holidays From The Heart Blog Hop

I have another card for our, Holidays From The Heart Blog Hop. This card features new Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape and paper.

I was inspired by Pinterest to create this card. I started with a Juniper mat, then added White Daisy cardstock. The top was embossed with a snowflake embossing folder and the bottom stamped with Scandinavian Wishes, our October Stamp Of The Month.

I embellished this card with Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape and patterned paper. The 3 ribbons are our wonderful new patterns of tape, with the silver one being shimmery. I stuck them each down to White Daisy cardstock, then added them to this base.. The hounds tooth border is Sparkle & Shine patterned paper and it too is shimmery. I finished off the border with Red Glitter Gems on a Ruby mat.

All supplies are Close To My Heart, unless noted.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamp: Scandinavian Wishes - Oct 2013 Stamp of the Month
Cardstock: White Daisy; Juniper; Ruby
Ink: Ruby
Embellishments: Sparkle & Shine Washi Tape; Red Glitter Gems
Other: Snowflake embossing folder

Holidays From the Heart Blog Hop

Welcome to the "Holidays From the Heart" Blog Hop. This hop focuses on amazing new Close To My Heart Products, released today, from our Holiday Gift Guide. 

I used our sweet new paper pack, Sparkle & Shine. You can not really tell, but the houndstooth patterned paper is silver and shimmery. The polka dot pattern is also in this wonderful new paper pack. I stamped the bulbs in Ruby ink, from the new stamp set, Trim the Tree. I added Grey Wool Baker's Twine to each of the ornaments, then stamped the shape and sentiment with, Holiday Tags.

All mats are from Ruby cardstock. I also added Stardust Glitz to the white polka dots on the patterned paper. The bulb and sentiment shapes were cut with Art Philosophy and Artiste Cricut cartridges.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sparkle & Shine
Stamps: Trim the Tree; Holiday Tags
Cardstock: White Daisy; Ruby
Ink: Ruby; Slate
Embellishments: Grey Wool Baker's Twine; Stardust Glitz
Tools: Art Philosophy and Artiste Cricut Cartridges

**This blog hop is open for members of the CTMH Blog Boosters. Please do not enter if you are not a member of the group.**

Some Christmas Cheer

It is time for a Christmas card, using our sweet October stamp of the month, Scandinavian Wishes.

The Juniper border is stamped with coordinating ink, with this sweet image from Scandinavian Wishes. The Ruby cardstock is stamped with an image from Merry and Bright, in coordinating ink. I cut the deer with our Artbooking cartridge from Saddle cardstock. I added some Red Glitz to his nose and some Cranberry Baker's Twine, too. The sentiment is our new, Santa's Greeting. It is coloured in with Ruby alcohol markers.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamps: Scandinavian Wishes; Merry & Bright; Santa's Greeting
Cardstock: Ruby; Juniper; White Daisy; Saddle
Ink: Ruby; Juniper; Saddle; Ruby Alcohol markers
Embellishments: Red Glitz; Cranberry Baker's Twine
Tools: Art Philosophy & Artbooking Cricut cartridges

Here is a complete look at Scandinavian Wishes, October's stamp of the month. Contact me to order yours now! The red lines indicate which shapes can be cut out with our Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.

Sarita brithday

Love that I can use my Gypsy cardstock and have matching patterned paper. Here is another birthday card I created with Sarita.

I stamped with the star image from, You Are My Happy, in coordinating ink on this Gypsy cardstock. I also used a tiny image from Hello Blooms. I used, Heartfelt Birthday Wish, for the sentiment, then added Outdoor Denim grosgrain ribbon and Sparkles.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sarita
Stamps: You Are My Happy; Heartfelt Birthday Wish, Hello Blooms
Cardstock: Lagoon; Gypsy; Colonial White
Ink: Gypsy; Cocoa
Embellishments: Sparkles; Outdoor Denim Grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Artiste Cricut cartridge

A SPECIAL Friend's Birthday

My special friend, Nancy #2, celebrated her birthday yesterday. This is the card I made for her.

Nancy #2 has been a friend for more than 20 years. She is apply named "#2" because she was born after me and also remarried after I had already done it! So, I am "#1" and she is always running behind!

So, for this card I used images from our September special, You Are My Happy. I stamped the flowers on Gypsy cardstock in coordinating ink. I stamped the sentiment with Black ink and flanked it with Glitter paper strips. I also used our Scallop border punch on some Black cardstock.

I stamped the embellishment flower on some Sarita patterned paper. I cut it out, then added a metal flower for some extra dimension.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamp: You Are My Happy
Paper: Sarita
Cardstock: White Daisy; Gypsy; Black; Glitter
Embellishment: Base & Bling Metal Flower
Tools: Scallop border punch

Happy 50th Birthday!

Today is my husband's 50th birthday! He was an amazing person when I met him and he HAS continued to get BETTER with age!

For his birthday card, I used Sarita patterned paper and My Stickease for this card. The background is Outdoor Denim cardstock with the patterned paper mounted on Lagoon cardstock. I inked our Houndstooth Alphabet Irresistibles with Lagoon ink, for "50". The word "Happy" is our cute Keyboard Kraft Alphabet stickers. Then I have added Square Durables Studs.

My husband doesn't know it, but I am having a surprise birthday party for him on Saturday. I was busy making pieces and parts for several appetizers today. I also baked Lemony Lemon Brownies and a Cinnamon Bun cake. Both recipes are from Pinterest...so we will see what they taste like?! Tomorrow my son and I are going to bake Randy his birthday cake, which will be a Pumpkin Cheesecake. I will finish the appys and stash them over at my neighbours, so my husband doesn't wonder what all of the extra food in the fridge is for. A friend of his will take him out for dinner while friends arrive and then we wait to surprise him. This is the exact same thing I did for his 40th, so I hope he is not suspicious!

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Sarita
Cardstock: White Daisy; Outdoor Denim; Lagoon
Ink: Lagoon; Outdoor Denim
Embellishments: Sarita My Stickease; Durables; Keyboard Alphabet; Irresistibles

Tweet Tweet

I love birds to stamp with and this little sweety from Hello Blooms, is no exception.

I stamped with Twilight ink for both birdie and sentiment, then used Sweet Leaf ink for the bullseye. I added patterned paper from Chantilly and retired Footloose. I stamped the Sweet Leaf cardstock with the hounds tooth image from Distressed Backgrounds, in coordinating ink.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Chantilly; Footloose
Stamp: Hello Blooms; Distressed Backgrounds
Cardstock: White Daisy; Sweet Leaf; Twilight
Ink: Sweet Leaf; Twilight
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

You are my Happy Birthday!

Well, I am sad to see this stamp set officially gone, as of today October 1st. This card is an altered lift of a card I saw on Karen Pedersen's blog.

I grabbed 3 pink cardstock scraps from my bulging bin.....I think we have a Cotton Candy; retired Bubblegum; and an exclusive paper pack pink, too. I layed them side by side, then random stamped in Cocoa ink with the small flower from,  You Are My Happy. Then, with Hollyhock ink, I random stamped with this bullseye from, Hello Blooms.

I added retired Blush ric rac ribbon and used our new scallop punch to make this border from Cocoa cardstock. The sentiment is one of our new "M" stamps, Heartfelt Birthday Wish stamped with Black ink. The coloured mat is in Smoothie cardstock.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamps: Heartfelt Birthday Wish; Hello Blooms; You Are My Happy
Cardstock: Cotton Candy; Bubblegum; Smoothie; Cocoa; White Daisy
Ink: Cocoa; Black; Hollyhock
Embellishments: Blush ric rac
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge