Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share Day 2:

Hi All! Welcome to Day 2 of the Kraft-y Heart's June Blog Share. Today features another creation for "him" that was inspired in part by this lovely card that Lynn created last Friday. And wasn't that a FABULOUS Father's Day Card yesterday?! Lynn's an amazing artist!

So on to today's project. Over the weekend, we had several parties to attend (lots of people born in June). As always, I wanted to make the cards (or in this case, the gift card holders) a little extra special. Using this tutorial, here's what I came up with:

For this fun card, I used the last scraps of my Later Sk8r paper and assortment pack. (The paper pack is retired, but you can still get the awesome patterns in the Later Sk8r Picture My Life kit, which has some fantastic journaling cards in it that are perfect for using on greeting cards and scrapbook pages if you're not into the segmented scrapbooking scene.) Anyway, I created the patterned paper for the base of the card using Slate cardstock and stamps from the Later Sk8r Workshop On The Go stamp set (which is retired). I randomly stamped the images in Outdoor Denim Exclusive ink using 1st and 2nd generation impressions. You can see it a little better in this image:

For the belly-band, I used a 1 1/4 x 11-inch strip of patterned paper and added layers of White Daisy, Slate, and Pear cardstocks along with patterned paper as the focal piece. I stamped "Let's Celebrate!" from the June Stamp Of The Month (Kaboom) in Outdoor Denim and Lagoon Exclusive inks. I then fussy-cut the banner from the Lagoon image and adhered it to the card over the Outdoor Denim image. I stamped "YOU" using the July Stamp Of The Month in Outdoor Denim ink on White Daisy cardstock. I then layered it onto Pear and Lagoon cardstocks, popping each layer up with dimensional adhesive. The gears and star is from the Later Sk8r assortment pack.

Here are a few close-ups:

Now, let's take a look at the inside:

The inside is covered in Later Sk8r patterned paper and White Daisy cardstock. The "You're the Bomb" sentiment is from the June Stamp Of The Month and is stamped in Lagoon Exclusive ink on White Daisy cardstock. "Happy Birthday" is from one of the stamp sets in the Artiste Cricut Collection (the banner coordinates with the cartridge), and is stamped in Outdoor Denim. 

Here's a close up of the sentiment:

And here is the card and it's belly-band once again:

We also had a Bat Mitzvah this weekend, so I made a girl version of this card using Gypsy cardstock and (retired) Sarita paper and stamps from a retired Workshop On The Go card kit.  I also changed the orientation of the card to vertical.  Here's a little collage of that one:

I hope you enjoyed the gift card project for today, and the Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share for June. Don't forget to stop by From My Bungalow and see what the lovely Lynn Darda has for your inspiration today.

It's All About Gratitude

Hi All! Happy Friday! It's time to answer another Rose Blossom Garden Challenge. Don't you just love going into the weekend with a little crafty inspiration? This months' challenge is all about Thanksgiving. Lately I've been pondering a little quote I read that says, "Gratitude makes what we have enough." Wow! That's been pretty convicting for me! Thinking about Thanksgiving, then, I wanted to do something that would be a reminder of that powerful little truth. Here's what I came up with:

For this project, I started with an unfinished wooden 12x12 inch tray that I picked up at my local craft store. I layered it with various paints and finishes to give it a distressed look. I then used Mod Podge to cover the bottom of the tray with fabric from Close To My Heart's Sarita textiles collection.  Using the Artbooking cartridge, I cut out the overlay on the "b" key from Kraft Cardstock. (I used the recommended measurement of 11 inches.) The overlay has a nice area for journaling on the right side if you're using this for a scrapbook layout. However, I wanted a lighter look, so I cut around the tree on the right side so that the background would show through, like so:

Using the negatives from the overlay cutout for templates, I cut various leaves and the tree trunk from the Sarita paper pack and did some paper piecing to add interest. I then cut "Gratitude" and "Enough" at 1 3/4 inches using Artbooking. I used both Colonial White cardstock and Sarita for the letters, and inked the edges with Goldrush Exclusive ink. The "makes what we have" phrase is stamped in Stāz-On Opaque White ink using the retired "You Are My Happy" alphabet. Since I was putting several layers of Mod Podge over everything, I wanted to make sure the white ink wouldn't fade or run. Stāz-On plays well with Mod Podge.  "Gratitude" got lost in the tree, so to make it pop, I backed it with Burlap ribbon and added some copper brads for interest. (Love mixing all the different textures!)

I decided that the edges needed something more, so I added a strip of scalloped Goldrush cardstock to the top. The little flower in the middle is cut from Burlap ribbon, bronze glitter paper (which matches the Bronze Shimmer Trim at the bottom), Sarita fabric and a button from the Rosewood mini medley collection.

For the bottom, I pleated a piece of Sarita fabric and then added the Bronze Shimmer Trim to give it a finished look.

Finally, I added antiqued copper studs (also from the Rosewood collection) in each corner for a little extra texture.

And there you have it! My little gratitude reminder. For more inspiration, be sure to go see what my fellow design team members have created in the Rose Blossom Garden. 

Sweet Little Challenge

Hi All! Just thought I'd share a little card I created for this week's Sweet Stop Challenge. Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

The base of the card is a standard A2 in Colonial White. For the card layers, I used patterned paper from  Close To My Heart's new Sarita paper pack. The sentiment and frame are from a new CTMH stamp set called "In The Moment." I used the Artbooking Cricut cartridge to cut the coordinating frame from Colonial White cardstock. I sponged the frame stamp in Cotton Candy, Gypsy, and Outdoor Denim Exclusive inks to create an ombre effect, and then popped the frame up with dimensional adhesive. The sentiment is stamped in Goldrush Exclusive ink. I used the new Scallop Border punch from CTMH to created the scalloped edge, and then added a double bow with twine from my stash and a small metal fleur de lis from the Sarita Assortment to finish it off.

Here are some close-ups:

And here is the card, once again:

I hope you enjoyed my sweet little challenge. Don't forget to stop by The Sweet Stop blog to see what their design team has created!

Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share Day 3: (Almost) Nuthin' but New

Hey Folks! Welcome to Day 3 of the Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share for July. I'm so excited about today's project because it's all new! (Well, almost all anyway...) I have lots to share so let's dive on in....

My kids are off to camp next week, and every year I make a little album for them to take. This one is for my daughter. It's a brand new kraft  3-ring binder sized for 8x8 inch pages. I used the new Sarita collection for the papers and many of the embellishments. The funky Outdoor Denim overlay and the Sunset "today"pennant were cut with the Artbooking cartridge. (This cartridge is just the ticket for the scrapbooker who likes lots of layers and perfect proportions. Just set the dial size to whatever size page you're making and the cartridge takes care of the rest. Perfect proportions every time!) The "Reel Life" image is from the new Reel Life stamp set. (And notice the new Lagoon houndstooth washi tape.... Wait a minute! That slate tape isn't new! How'd that get in there?! ...Looks pretty cute though, doesn't it...)

Here's a peek at the inside:

Oh how I LOVE the layered look! All the pages were cut with the Artbooking cartridge. Truly, if you're a scrapbooker and could just buy one cartridge, I'd say this was your best bet.

Let's take a look at the pages:

So page 1 is the cutest little speech bubble shape. It's cut from White Daisy cardstock and matted with Hollyhock cardstock. While Hollyhock isn't one of the colors used in the Sarita paper collection, I think it looks great with it, as does Sunset. The arrows and "epic" stamps on the tag in the pocket are also from the Reel Life set. "Brilliant!" is from the new School Years stamp set. The sentiment and it's frame are from the new In the Moment stamp set.

I cheated a little on the back of the page and used the Girls Rock stamp set for the sentiment and flowers. "Love" on the tag is from the Hello Blooms stamp set. The fabulous paisleys and "perfect 10" is from the new Paisley Perfect stamp set. (Notice the paper piecing on the large paisley.)

Page 2 is actually cut at 7 inches. It's a folder that is designed to go with a 7 x 5-inch project. I thought it would be cute in this project as a smaller page, so I just added some holes and voilà! I'll add a title to the front of the folder as soon as I think of one. The cute speech bubble journaling spot is from the Sarita Stickease Assortment, as are the stickers used on the inside card. I added a Hollyhock insert for photos or journaling. The border stamps are from the One-Way Borders set. (SO COOL!) The sentiment is from the Clementine Workshop On The Go.

I added an L-pocket to the back of the folder and tucked in another little journaling/photo insert. The lined paper is from my stash, and each spot is also a pocket. The sentiments are from the new All the Details stamp set. (And there's the washi tape again....LOVE the washi tape...)

Page 3 is actually an 8 x 8 page from Artbooking. I added file folders and some titles. The folders and the pockets on the Goldrush and Gypsy folders were all cut with Artbooking. Everything was cut to the perfect proportion without me having to figure out what to change the settings to. The "hugs" frame, "just Be," and "i love you" are all cut from Artbooking. The REAL life, pennants, and arrow images are from the All the Details set, which coordinates perfectly with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. The "Live..." sentiment is from the You Only Live Once hostess set (a great little set, to be sure). The "Fabuloso" flag on the paper clip is from one of the Sarita zip strips. (This is my favorite page, I think...)

Here's the back of page 3. The hearts overlay is cut from Kraft cardstock. It and the little heart flag are cut using Artbooking. The sentiment is from the Sarita Stickease.

Page 4 is a simple tag page that I embellished with Sarita stickers and a couple of pockets that I made. The bling on the pocket on the back of the page is from the new Base & Bling Teal Jewels collection. 

Page 5 is a pocket page I cut using Artbooking. The camera insert is an icon on Artbooking that I cut (using the "real dial size") to accommodate a 4 x 6 photo. The title is also from Artbooking. The little bow and paper clip embellishment is from the Laughing Lola assortment. Isn't it cute?!

Page 6 (the final page) is a simple undercut page that I embellished with Sarita Stickease and a little pocket and tag. 

And that's it! 

I added Sarita paper to the back of the binder, much like the front. I didn't add any embellishments because I wanted to keep it as flat as possible. Since I'll be filling this with notes and "coupons" for my daughter, I'll probably add a few more pockets. But this was such an EASY project! 

I can't wait to show you more projects using the new collections, but this post is long enough. Thanks so much for joining us for the Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share. Don't forget to hop on over and be inspired by my über-talented teammates, Lynn (fearless leader of the Kraft-y Hearts) & Jody (Queen of Doilies And ALL Things Girly-Girl). We'll be taking a break for August from the Blog Share, but we'll have lots of Kraft-y goodness to show throughout the month, so don't be a stranger!