A Box Full of Happy

Hi All! Today I'm sharing, as promised, the little box I made to go with birthday cards I created using the Blossom Cardmaking Workshop On The Go.  Let's take a look:

The box itself is Close To My Heart's My Creation Journaling Cards Box that was designed to hold Picture My Life Cards. It has a removable riser in the bottom that allows the 3x4 cards to peek over the 4x6 card, which I removed to accommodate the standard greeting cards. The My Creations line is designed to be altered, so this box was white when I received it.

To alter the box, I first inked around the edges from the outside to the middle with Smoothie Exclusive Ink. I then cut panels from Pear Cardstock that were 1/4-inch shorter (length and width) than the box and adhered them to the box. I covered the Pear panels with Blossom paper that was cut 1/8-inch shorter (length and width) than the Pear. While I did add a Pear panel to the bottom of the box, I didn't add the Blossom paper so that the box would remain level.

Here's a look at the covered sides and back:

After I finished with the panels, I turned to decorating the front.

First I cut a piece of zip strip from the Blossom paper that was the length of the Blossom panel. (The zip strip is the extra 1/2-inch of paper at the top of the page that is patterned on one side and has information regarding the paper colors on the other.) I then cut two lengths of Glacier Extra Thick Twine--one that ran the length of the Blossom panel, and another that was long enough to tie a bow with. I tied the bow to the first length and then adhered them both above the zip strip with a thin line of Liquid Glass.

After the Liquid Glass dried, I moved on to the embellishment cluster toward the bottom of the box.

For the cluster, I relied heavily on stickers from the Blossom Compliments pack. I adhered the stickers to Pear Cardstock and then fussy cut around them. I left a slight edge of pear showing on the "Friends" and "Family" flags to help them stand out. I then layered everything with dimensional adhesive of varying thickness. I added a pin from my stash to hold the "Live A Happy Life" sentiment, which is anchored in dimensional adhesive. Then I finished it all off with stickers from the Junebug Puffies pack (currently on the "while supplies last" list) and Sparkle Flourishes. (This girl needs her bling....)

Here's a look at the box slightly open:

And here it is with a sampling of the cards inside:

The number of cards these boxes can hold varies with the thickness of card embellishments. I was able to house 9 of 15 cards and envelopes in it pretty easily. The whole set would make a lovely gift, but I think this one will stay with me. It just makes me smile. And when I run out of cards, I can find a gazillion uses for the box!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Blossom Card Box. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to leave them below!

Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share Day 3: Merry & Bright

Hi All! Welcome to Day 3 of the Kraft-y Hearts' October Blog Share. Can you believe it's the last day already?! (Me either!)

Today's project is a little home decor piece I put together for you:

The base of this piece is one of the 6x6 canvas display frames by Close To My Heart. I covered the face of the canvas with paper from the Sparkle & Shine collection. (Love that silver hounds tooth.) The Merry and Bright sentiment is from the Sparkle & Shine Workshop On The Go stamp set. I stamped the sentiment in Ruby ink on White Daisy cardstock cut at 2 1/2 inches using the coordinating shape on the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. For the Candy Stripe and Ruby layers, I increased the cutting sizes by 1/4 inch for each layer. The little flags under the sentiment are stamped in White Daisy ink on Ruby, Juniper, and Slate cardstocks. The sentiments are from the October Stamp of the Month: Scandinavian Wishes. The large embellishment in the corner is made from gross grain ribbon from my stash and embellishments from the Sparkle & Shine assortment pack. The two long flags ("Celebrate the Season" and "Winter Wonderland") are cut from one of the Sparkle & Shine zip strips.  Finally, I added small Sparkle Flourishes and red rhinestones to give it a little extra sparkle and shine. To finish the edges of the canvas, I painted them silver and added a little ribbon that matches the front.

Here are some close-ups:

I hope this little canvas brightens your day! Thanks for joining us for this month's Kraft-y Hearts Blog share. Be sure to stop by From My Bungalow and see what beautiful inspiration the amazingly talented Lynn Darda has for you!

Enjoy the weekend!

Freshly Made Sneak Peek...

Hi All! Are you enjoying your sneak peeks? I hope so!
Here's another peek that was inspired by the challenge over on Freshly Made Sketches. I enjoy clean and simple sketches like this one:

Here's my take on the sketch:

The A2 card base is White Daisy cardstock, layered with a 5 1/4 x 4-inch piece of Lagoon cardstock. The paper collection is called For Always, and will be available in the new spring idea book that is being released on February 1st. This black and white collection is great for everything from Valentines to Weddings, to everyday life. I used Ruby Exclusive Ink for the sentiment, which is from the For Always Workshop On The Go, and to ink around the edges of the paper. I also sanded down the patterned paper to make the sentiment more legible. The hearts were made with a punch, but either of the Cricut cartridges--Art Philosophy or Artiste--could cut them for you in no time. I added white dots to the black and whisper doily heart with a gel pin. A little Color-Ready Seam Binding (to which I never seem to add color!) adds just the right texture. 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

Hope you enjoyed the Freshly-inspired sneak peek. Have a peaceful Sunday!

12 Days of Christmas: Day 9

Hello All! Welcome to DAY 9 of the Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share. I hope you've been inspired to whip up some crafty goodness for the holidays this year!

Today's home decor project uses the My Creations Star by Close To My Heart.

The star comes in white ready for decoration. CTMH has a template that you can print out that allows you to easily cover the star to match your decor. To make this one, I used Pear & Partridge paper. (A single sheet will cover the star with a bit left over.) Before covering, I inked the edges of the star and the paper pieces using Cashmere Exclusive ink. I then adhered the pieces to the star. For the rosette in the middle, I cut two strips of coordinating patterned paper at 2 x 12 inches, scored both at every 1/2 inch and then accordion-folded them. I attached the two strips together to form a ring, and collapsed it in the middle to form the rosette. I used my hot glue gun and two 1-inch circles to secure it. (I've found with larger rosettes, hot glue is a must.) If you want more elaborate edges in your rosettes, you can find several options on the Artiste Cartridge, which is also the cartridge I used to cut the large snowflakes that I layered behind the rosette. The banner is cut by hand from a piece of Kraft cardstock and layered on coordinating patterned paper. I stamped the background in a snowflake pattern using the Pear & Partridge Workshop On The Go stamp set and Bamboo Exclusive ink. "Peace" is stamped in Cashmere Exclusive ink using the Trinity Alphabet stamp set. The small snowflakes were made using a retired punch by Creative Memories (but you could also use the Artiste or Art Philosophy Cricut cartridges to make them). I added some Pearl adhesive gems and a little Almond Glitz for a little extra pizazz. The red pearl stick pins are from my stash.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

I hope you enjoyed my little star, and are inspired to go out and create your own. CTMH has some fantastic 3D creative pieces that are simple to embellish and make wonderful gifts. Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win some fabulous blog candy from me (a Capture the Date stamp set and a Chocolate Exclusive ink pad!). And you definitely want to go and see what Lynn has been up to at From My Bungalow.

Truly Amazing

The wild west is back! Yep it's time to dig out those prairie skirts circa 1981, grab your Stetson and get crafting! Close To My Heart has released two new western-themed paper collections. Today's card features the Dakota collection.




This collection includes weathered wood grains, bandana paisley prints, stripes, and houndstooth in stunning rich reds and blues.

For the main sentiment, I used stamps from the April 2012 Stamp Of The Month. The background and "You Are Truly" banner are stamped in slate ink (the background is a second generation stamping). "Amazing" is from the same stamp set and is double-stamped in barn red. All the stamping was done on Colonial White cardstock. I mounted "Amazing" on a banner made from the blue bandana paper and popped it up with foam tape.
Here's a close-up:




The second sentiment, "true story," is stamped on Colonial White cardstock in sky blue ink. I then double matted it on two pattern papers and added a couple of antiqued copper brads for a little flair. The stamp is from the "It's Your Day" double stamp set.
Here's a close-up:




Hope you enjoyed a quick look at Dakota. Now put on your happy boots and get out there and create somethin'! (Just so you know, I'm resisting adding y'all at the end....)




Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Little Flirty

When I first saw our new Flirty collection, I thought, "Hmmm. Nice, but not me." But when I had the actual papers in front of me, I was hooked. This collection has all the richness of fall colors, but with lovely versatile patterns.




The card base is a standard A2 in Kraft cardstock. Though it doesn't come through that well in the photos, I stamped the card base using the large flower from the "Card Word Puzzle" set in desert sand ink using the second generation stamping technique to give a subtle texture. The accent cardstock and the ink used for the sentiment are both Outdoor Denim. The sentiment is from the "A Little Thanks" stamp set. I added some mocha opaques for a little bling, though silver brads or clear sparkles would also be a nice touch.

Here's a close up of the sentiment:




If you look carefully you can see a little bit of background stamping on the base. The sentiment is stamped on White Daisy cardstock and popped up with foam tape.

Hope you enjoyed! You can check out the entire Flirty collection here.






Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

One More from the Avonlea Collection

Here is one more example of the beauty of Avonlea.



Honestly, this might be my favorite line of all. Then again, it's really too hard to choose! For this card, I took a more formal approach. Again, it's a standard A2 (4 1/4 x 5 1/2) card base cut from Colonial White cardstock. I used our NEW Exclusive Inks slate ink for the sentiment.

The flower was inspired by an example shown in the new Idea Book on page 49. (Kids, this book is so much more than a catalog!) I think it's a great example of "beautiful whimsy."

The petals on the flower are made from a series of hearts that have been folded in half and adhered to a small circle using glue dots. (Liquid glass would also work well.) The button in the middle is from the Bohemian Assortment embellishment collection. I decided that I wanted the matching thread look, so I cut a sliver of Avonlea teal cardstock and threaded it through the button holes. I then attached the button and "thread" to the middle of the flower. Simple but elegant.

Here is a close-up:




I hope this inspires you to go make some beautiful whimsy of your own!




Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Avonlea meets the Hexagon Trend

My friend Lynn and I are exchanging cards so that we have more creative examples from the new Close To My Heart lines to share with you. I thought I would post some of the cards I made over the next few days just to give you an idea of how beautiful and versatile the new lines really are.


With today's card, I used paper from the Avonlea B&T paper pack and a long-retired hexagon punch. The hexagon shapes allowed me to showcase all the beautiful patterns and colors this paper pack has to offer. Aren't they gorgeous? (A simple, but effective design!)

The green and teal cardstocks are unique to the Avonlea collection. However, our Exclusive inks in olive (used here), desert sand and chocolate (both used on the Avonlea layout posted here) work well with this entire collection including the unique color-trend colors.




Here is a close-up of the sentiment stamped in olive ink. The background is second generation stamping using a stamp from the Avonlea Workshop On The Go exclusive set. "Hi!" is from the "It's Your Day" double stamp set that will be available between 15 August and 30 September in celebration of National Stamping Month. ("It's Your Day" can be purchased for $5 with any $35 order during that time period!)

The base of the card is a standard 5 1/2-inches by 4 1/4-inches, and was cut from a 12x12 sheet of our Kraft cardstock. The sentiment is stamped on colonial white cardstock, and popped up slightly using glue dots.

I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to post any questions or comments. If you want to take a look at Avonlea, just click on "Shop With Me" to the right.




Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Avonlea Note Box

When I signed up as a new consultant with Close To My Heart, my kit came with the Avonlea Worrkshop On The Go and a My Creations recipe box so that I could complete the extra project. According to the WOTG example, the recipe box was to be used to store and sort photos. That's a great idea, but I tend to print as I go, so my photos are generally stored on the computer until I use them. So I decided to use my recipe box to store some of my handmade card creations. I followed the instructions for the box, but changed the title to "Notes" and added a little stamp to the front from the upcoming double stamp set "It's Your Day."

Here is what I came up with:










Here are a couple of close-ups:










I hope you're inspired! If you would like to make a similar project, just click on "Shop With Me" to the right to go to my Close To My Heart shopping page.












Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Layout from Avonlea

I wanted to share a layout I did from the new Avonlea Workshop On The Go. This kit has an amazing amount of supplies in it. Over the next few days, I'll be posting all the projects I was able to do with it. The layout shown here is the main layout for the kit.

Because I'm new to this, I didn't have all the recommended ink colors or alphabet stamps. Rather than ordering those, I wanted to see what I could do with what I had. I think it worked out pretty well.

Here are the pages separately:

I used desert sand ink for the title and a mixture of desert sand and chocolate  for "so happy together." The kit instructions calls for olive and chocolate inks on the stamped images, but I substituted desert sand for olive, and really liked the effect. The alphabet set that is used in the kit example was the keepsake alphabet. I don't have that set yet, so I substituted the glamour lowercase alphabet.

One of the things I really enjoyed about using this kit was the multiple stamping techniques it employs, such as reverse and second generation stamping. You can see both techniques here:

These stamps were reversed (that is the side that usually clings to the acrylic block was used as the image and then stamped to the page on the second generation (that is after the ink has been stamped of once on a scrap page). I then cleaned the stamp and placed it back on the block in its with the reverse side down as usual and stamped over the reversed image. It softens the image a bit, I think.

The kit comes with a package of opaque mocha adhesive gems that look gorgeous scattered across the page randomly.  The stamped images and "so happy together" are part of the exclusive stamp set that also comes with the workshop. Four of the images coordinate with the new Artiste cartridge as well.

I also enjoyed using the parlor velvet rub-ons. I had never used them before and I think they add a nice touch to the layout.

The slate gray is a little light for the base cardstock, so the instructions suggest outlining the rub-ons in chocolate ink. It really does give them extra pop.

I substituted desert sand in for the chocolate in called for in the title. In order to make it stand out a little more, I gave the stamp a shadow. (I'm sure the technique has a name, but I can't seem to find it.)

I stamped the each word directly to the page and then did a second generation stamp a little below and to the right of it. (That's the nice thing about clear stamps. You can do techniques like this because you can see through the stamp for placement. It's much harder to do with rubber stamps, though not impossible.)

So what do you think?

I hope you enjoyed this, and are inspired to get out there and get those pictures on some pages for everyone to see!