Back to school with Creative Embossing

Wow, it is hard to believe Labour Day Weekend is here! Normally I would be encouraging my kids to get their supplies and clothes ready for back to school, but for my daughters, we don't know when school will start.....sadly!  Our Teacher's strike continues and I am not confident the government wants to settle.

My son, however, will have his first day at the University of Victoria on Tuesday. He is taking Software Engineering and we couldn't be prouder of him. The bonus for us as parents, is our son graduated high school on the Honour Roll with Distinction and with a Double Dogwood. The Double Dogwood means he graduated in the French Immersion Program. It also meant that our university gave him scholarships totaling the cost of his tuition for his 4 year program. The caveat is he has to maintain his grades. He also received another scholarship that is paying for his books. Lucky for all of us, he will not have to rely on student loans!

Okay, now onto my "Creative Embossing" card, made with Confetti Wishes and You Mean The World To Me.

The mats for this card are Crystal Blue Cardstock on a White Daisy base. To make the Quatrefoil background, I swiped Versamark ink onto my embossing folder. I put my White Daisy cardstock inside, then closed the folder and rubbed the folder so the ink would transfer. Then I added clear embossing powder and melted it with my heat gun. Then I used my Thistle ink pad and rubbed ink all over the piece. Where the embossed lines were, there is no ink.....like a backwards or reversed Quatrefoil.

I added patterned paper from Confetti Wishes and stamped in Pacifica ink, with this image from, You Mean The World To Me. I added a bit of Black Arrow Washi Tape to the top and bottom of the main piece just to highlight the arrows in the sentiment piece.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamp: You Mean The World To Me
Paper: Confetti Wishes
Ink: Pacifica; Thistle
Embellishments: Black Arrow Washi Tape; Quatrefoil Embossing Folder; Clear Embossing Folder
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge; Heat Gun

Owl hello!

Today was a surprisingly hot day.......hopefully FALL weather is on its way! Rain and grey skies are one of my favourite things about living in Victoria......no kidding....it is!

Despite my love of those grey weather days, OWL things make me smile and this cutey is no exception!

This was another card where I used my Quatrefoil Embossing folder as a stencil. I rubbed the side with CTMH logo with NEW Flaxen ink, then spritzed with Lagoon reinker mixed with a bit of water. Then I put my White Daisy cardstock in and just rubbed the ink onto the paper.

I cut and used this great shape from Art PHilosophy and stamped the image from Perfect Fit-Frames in Black ink. I added some Black Shimmer Trim and stamped this sweet owl from retired set, Hot Diggity, in Lagoon ink.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamp: Perfect Fit-Frames; retired Hot Diggity
Ink: Flaxen; Lagoon; Black
Cardstock: Black; Lagoon; White Daisy
Embellishments: Black Shimmer Trim
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge; Quatrefoil Embossing Folder

Awesome

I have decided it is time for my 2 daughters to return to school mode, for sleep.....even though we are not sure when school will start this year. Our Teachers are currently on strike and while I hope they sign a contract, so my girls can leave the house on weekdays......it is anybody's guess what will actually happen. Our Teachers have been on strike since the end of school in June and the government seems nowhere near settling. My son will start university after Labour Day weekend and those Teachers are not affected by the strike.

I dedicate this card to Teachers!

When I first saw Chalk It Up paper, at convention in Disneyland, I thought it needed to be roughed up a bit. My school paper was always tattered and torn, so that is what I wanted to do here. I used my handy Distresser on all of the edges. I started with Lagoon cardstock, then added the dual sided patterned paper. I stamped the arrows with Flaxen ink and the file tab with Lagoon and Black ink. I added some of our NEW White Epoxy Stars and Chalk It Up Puffy Stickers.

All supplies are Close To My  Heart.
Paper: Chalk It Up
Ink: Flaxen; Lagoon; Black
Cardstock: White Daisy; Lagoon
Embellishments: Chalk It Up Assortment; White Epoxy Stars
Tools: Distresser

What a HOOT!

I LOVE Owls! I don't really know how this started, but it started a few years ago. I bought some artwork from Etsy with really sweet and colourful owls. I started to notice more and more owls and now it seems many have gotten on the train! Here is another card with our sweet owl Stamp of The Month for August, What A Hoot.

This card is  a simple paper pieced card with Chalk It Up patterned paper along with some embellishments. Black and Lagoon cardstock are the accents. I coloured with my retired Lagoon marker. I added Silver Shimmer Trim and Black Epoxy Dots and this sweet owl is done!

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Chalk It Up
Stamp: Aug SOTM What A Hoot
Cardstock: Black; White Daisy; Lagoon
Ink: Black; retired Lagoon marker
Embellishments: Silver Shimmer Trim; Black Epoxy Dots
Tools: Corner Rounder

Happy Birds today!

Oh how I love creating sets of 3x3 gift cards.....it makes me smile! Here is a set using the fantastic Happy Birds set and Chalk It Up paper.

I created this sweet little set as an Open House gift. Along with Happy Birds and Chalk It Up, I also added some Oodles of Doodles and Shin Han Markers in there, too!

I have added Black Baker's Twine and retired Black Hemp to the cards, also. Get your own sets by clicking on the picture below and adding them to your online shopping basket!


All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamps: Happy Birds; Oodles of Doodles
Paper: Chalk It Up
Cardstock: Lagoon; Black; White Daisy; Pear
Ink: Pear; Lagoon; Black; Shin Han Markers
Embellishments: Black Hemp & Baker's Twine
Tools: Scallop Border Punch; Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Are you reaaaaaaady for a "Smack Down".............

Yes, I did type that correct......a "Smack Down" is what the technique I used for this card is called. I created this card after seeing a video online. I decided I would use this card as the project my team would make, at our August meeting.

I started with a 4x4 piece of White Daisy cardstock. I used the largest flourish image from Inspiration Flourishes for this technique with Glacier; Sweet Leaf; and Lagoon ink.

I started with Glacier and stamped the image, then tapped the stamp around the image so the residual ink would create some faint colour around the image. I repeated this 3 or 4 times with Glacier ink and the image, then repeated it with Sweet Leaf and Lagoon inks. (In another piece, I went back in with the Sweet Leaf, after the Lagoon ink layer, just to add a bit more green back.) I stamped the flourish again as a feature, in Pacifica ink, then added the other image stamp to the upper corner and Lagoon cardstock border.

The sentiment is from the Hostess set, Happy Hexagons in Black ink. I also added Black Epoxy Bubbles and Black Shimmer Trim. I simply cut the Shimmer Trim to the correct length with my paper cutter, then used our Scallop Punch. I added some Black cardstock to mat the technique piece and would say that I won this "Smack Down"!

All supplies are Close To My Heart.

Stamp: Inspiration Flourishes; Happy Hexagons

Ink: Glacier; Sweet Leaf; Lagoon; Pacifica; Black

Cardstock: White Daisy; Black; Lagoon

Embellishments: Black Epoxy Bubbles & Shimmer Trim

So Grateful!

I feel grateful every day and here is a card that also shares it, using NEW Pathfinding paper and Hostess Stamp, Thanksgiving Wreath.

I started with a Chocolate mat on a White Daisy card base. I added this sweet patterned paper from Pathfinding. I then added NEW Glacier cardstock, as well as, Autumn Terracotta cardstock and some Bronze Shimmer Trim. 

I stamped this wreath, then added some colour with our NEW Shin Han markers. I stamped the circular image in the centre of the wreath in second generation Glacier before adding the sentiment in Autumn Terracotta ink. I added some retired Natural Hemp and a wooden piece from the Pathfinding Assortment to finish this card.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamp: Hostess Thanksgiving Wreath
Paper: Pathfinding
Cardstock: White Daisy; Glacier; Autumn Terracotta
Ink: Autumn Terracotta; Shin Han Alcohol Markers
Embellishments: Natural Hemp; Pathfinding Assortment
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

Life is GOOD!

It is HOT and HUMID in Victoria today.......YUCK! Oh no.....here comes the sun! With all of the storms in Washington State moving North, I expect lots of thunder and lighting tonight....I can hardly wait for the exciting show! Plus, I love rain and am going to do a rain dance, so it will move to us sooner!

Well, on with the artwork show! This is more of the amazing and gorgeous Chalk It Up!

This stamped image is from the Chalk It Up Workshop On The Go set. I stamped it with second generation Black ink, then over stamped it with Lagoon ink. I paper pieced the triangles similiar to a card Lisa Stenz did. I added one of our NEW epoxy stars, also.

Both patterned paper are from Chalk It Up. My accent colour is Black except for the Turquoise Shimmer Trim I added. This is what is left over from using our scallop border punch on the Shimmer Trim. I have been saving these pieces to use as a reverse scallop border.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper/Stamp: Chalk It Up Workshop On The Go
Cardstock: White Daisy; Black
Ink: Black; Lagoon
Embellishments: Epoxy Black Stars; Turquoise Shimmer Trim

Get your PARTY on!

Today I am getting my PARTY on.....my "Puppy Party", that is! This card will be included in a upcoming Birthday Card class I am planning.

This vibrant patterned paper was the first we saw at our recent Close To My Heart convention in Disneyland. At Leadership, we enjoyed working with NEW Confetti Wishes and our NEW Shin Han Markers. I wanted to use a cute NEW stamp set with Confetti Wishes, called Puppy Party!

I started with Pacifica and Crystal Blue cardstock on a White Daisy base, then added this amazing NEW Thistle coloured patterned paper from NEW Confetti Wishes. Then, I cut these sweet candles from another patterned paper in NEW Confetti Wishes and mounted it on Pacifica cardstock. I stamped the cute puppy; streamers and stars with Pacifica ink. I stamped the party hat and sentiment with NEW Thistle ink. I cut the puppy and hat out, then added a Crystal Blue mat to the sentiment. 

I finished this card off with NEW Confetti Wishes resin squares, from the Assortment pack. I also added some retired Gold Glitz to the sentiment and hat. There is also some NEW Gold Shimmer Trim underneath the candle border.

You too can create some fun artwork with SPECTACULAR NEW Products, in our Annual Inspirations Idea Book. Contact me to get yours!

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamp: NEW Puppy Party
Paper: NEW Confetti Wishes
Cardstock: Pacifica; Crystal Blue; White Daisy
Ink: Pacifica; NEW Thistle
Embellishments: retired Gold Glitz; NEW Gold Shimmer Trim; NEW Confetti Wishes Assortment

Season of Thanks - Day 6 of Blog Hop

 My favourite season is Fall. Here in Victoria, we are experiencing a very warm summer with no Fall weather in site. I can dream of Fall weather, so I created this card with some cooler weather in mind.

It is Day 6 and the second to last day of the New Product Blog Hop. I own every background stamp and this NEW Season of Thanks one, is no exception.

I stamped with Champagne ink on coordinating cardstock and matted with Chocolate cardstock. The patterned piece is from the lovely Fall- like paper, NEW Pathfinding. I stamped this sweet tree, from NEW set, Keep Your Chin up, with second generation Autumn Terracotta ink. The sentiment is stamped with Barn Red ink. I tied it all up with some retired Chocolate grosgrain ribbon.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamps: NEW Keep Your Chin Up and Season of Thanks
Paper: NEW Pathfinding
Cardstock: Chocolate; Champagne; Colonial White
Ink: Autumn Terracotta; Barn Red; Champayne
Embellishments: retired Chocolate grosgrain ribbon

Day 5 New Product Blog Hop

I was stunned at all of the amazing artwork I saw at Close To My Heart's annual convention in Disneyland, in late June. There was an amazing banner made my Michelle Snyder and I had to replicate it, once home. This card is my Day 5 entry in the New Product Blog Hop. It features 3 of our NEW Colors.

I made the banner and ended up with a left over panel. So, I made a 5 x 7 card with the panel. I used my new Score Board to make lines on NEW Glacier cardstock. Then I rubbed my Whisper ink pad over top to highlight the lines. I think it almost looks like painted wood.

I used our fabulous Paper Fundamentals...that are clear resist patterns on one side and the same printed pattern on the reverse side....and matted it with NEW Flaxen cardstock. The flowers were cut with NEW Thistle cardstock and I added a NEW Gold Sequin embellishment to the centre.

I cut the White Daisy shape and flower from Art Philosophy and then used my journaling pen to outline different pieces.

All supplies are Close To My  Heart.
Stamp: Say It In Style
Cardstock: Paper Fundamentals; White Daisy; Whisper; Slate; NEW Thistle, Flaxen, Glacier
Embellishments: NEW Gold Sequins
Tools: Journaling Pen; Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

New Product Blog Hop Day 4

Are you a "Scaredy Cat"........me neither....but I sure do like to play around with this paper! I made this card for my July team meeting, then wanted to show 2 slightly changed versions of the same card. These cards are my Day 4 entry for the NEW Product Blog Hop!

 NEW Thistle and Canary cardstock got cut up for these cards, along with Black for drama. I also tried out my NEW Chevron punch and some NEW embellishments. The 1st card got a delicious Gold Glitter Gem; the second a sweet Gold Sequin; and the 3rd a tie from our delicate Thistle Ribbon.

 I also used NEW Flaxen ink to stamp the leaves along with NEW Scaredy Cat paper. It is not just for Hallowe'en!

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Stamp: Pretty Petals
Paper: Scaredy Cat
Cardstock: Canary; Thistle; Black; White Daisy
Ink: Flaxen; Black
Embellishments: Gold Glitter Gems; Gold Sequins; Thistle Ribbon
Tools: Chevron Border Punch; Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge

Day 3 New Product Blog Hop

Our kids may not be going back to school in September, due to a Teacher's strike. I can, however, still make cute cards with school references!

This is my 3rd entry for our NEW Product Blog Hop. I used the gorgeous Chalk It Up paper and Workshop On The Go stamp set.

The patterned paper mats are Black and the sentiment's is Lagoon. I stamped with NEW Flaxen ink on White Daisy cardstock, then outlined with our Journaling Pen. I stamped these sweet hearts with Sunset ink then cut them out and popped them up. I finished the tag sentiment off with NEW Black Twill Ribbon and a Zip Strip from Chalk It Up. I can't forget to tell you I attached the ribbons with our NEW Mini Stapler! What crafter doesn't need a special crafting stapler!!!

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Chalk It Up
Stamp: Chalk It Up WOTG
Cardstock: White Daisy; Black; Lagoon
Ink: Flaxen; Sunset; Journaling Pen
Embellishments: Black Twill Ribbon
Tools: Mini Stapler

Day 2 New Product Blog Hop

Today I am sharing a card made with NEW Pathfinding paper; NEW Hostess stamp and another NEW stamp set. So many NEW things and so little time to play with them all!

I have many favourite things and leaves are one of them. For a few years I would collect leaves and make prints from them. I did this after watching a PBS show about Gyotaku, the traditional method of Japanese fish printing. I did actually try the fish method to a huge, smelly mess.....much to my husband's chagrin. He was much happier when I moved on to leaves!

So, back to my card! I chose this lovely pattern paper because it features our new Glacier colour and Chocolate. I added Bronze Shimmer Trim to either sides of the border. Both the main patterned paper and the border are matted with Chocolate cardstock.

I stamped with these sweet leaves from NEW stamp set, Thankful Heart, on Autumn Terracotta cardstock in coordinating ink. The lovely wreath and all of the parts within, are also from a NEW set, called Thanksgiving Wreath. It is a Hostess Reward stamp set and is stamped with Olive; Lagoon; and Chocolate inks. I coloured the wreath in with our NEW Shin Han Markers. I also elevated the center part and sentiment with our fabulous NEW thin foam tape.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Pathfinding
Stamps: Thankful Heart; Thanksgiving Wreath Hostess set
Cardstock: Chocolate; White Daisy; Autumn Terracotta
Ink: Chocolate; Olive; Lagoon; Shin Han Markers
Embellishments: Bronze Shimmer Trim
Tools: Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our:

Today, August 1st is the launch of our NEW Annual Inspirations Idea Book. I'm joining the blog hop with a card using the amazingly sweet, August Stamp Of The Month, What A Hoot.

I started this card with the gorgeous NEW patterned paper from Chalk It Up. Don't let the name fool you...there are amazing patterns in the pack that go along with a chalk style patterned paper, also. I matted everything on Black cardstock.

This sweet owl's body has been coloured in with our NEW Shin Han Art Markers. I stamped his belly with images from the set in Flaxen; Lagoon; and Black ink, then paper pieced it. The wings were stamped with Black ink, then I patted them with Lagoon and NEW Flaxen ink pads to add a bit of colour. The sentiment is coloured in with the same alcohol marker as the owl's body.

I added Aqua Dots; Turquoise Shimmer Trim; and retired Black Hemp to the border. I punched the scalloped edge with our Scallop Border punch. I also used retired Colonial White brads to attach the wings. If you were up close and personal with this card, you would also see I have used our NEW Thin 3-D Foam tape on the owl and sentiment pieces.

All supplies are Close To My Heart.
Paper: Chalk It Up
Stamp: What A Hoot, Aug 2014 Stamp Of The Month
Cardstock: Colonial White; Black
Ink: Flaxen; Lagoon; Black; Archival Black; Shin Han Art Markers
Embellishments: Aqua Dots; Turquoise Shimmer Trim; retired Black Hemp