Freshly Made Sketch #58 and Cupcake Inspirations #184

Freshly Made Sketch is one of my favorite sketches to contribute to!  I really like their clean lines and how easy they are to use.  I'm also submitting this to Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #184 and there are pumpkins in the background and it follows a Halloween theme. Here is yet another Halloween card using Close To My Heart products and Freshly Made Sketch #58.

Supplies (most of which are available on my website here.)
Sunset CS
Bamboo CS
Pear and Partridge Paper
Gypsy CS
Thriller stamp set (retired)
Red Sparkle Gems
Licorice Opaque gems
Versamark Ink
Black Ink
Clear Embossing Powder
Ponderosa Pine Ink
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder
Eyeball ribbon

To color the Sunset background  paper I inked up the Cuttlebug Embossing Folder with Ponderosa Pine ink and then ran it through the Cuttlebug machine.

Here is the Freshly Made Sketch:

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week of fun and creativity!
:) Marie

Sunday Sketch #20 Get Well Card

I found this really great sketch at Sunday Sketch and decided to try it.  It came together really quickly with Florentine paper and the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart.  The background paper is CTMH Colonial White.  The Olive CS label  was cut at 2.5" from Shape 8, Decorative Layer from page 47 of the Art Philosophy handbook.  The greeting is from CTMH Say it in Style (retired) and was first stamped in Versamark ink and then in Twilight ink and then clear embossed.  The corners of the label were embellished with Silver Glitz Glitter Gel.

The card:

The sketch:

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend of fun and creativity!

:) Marie

"Wicked" Halloween for Numerous Challenges

I was initially inspired to use this sassy witch from Close To My Heart when I saw the latest Cupcake Inspirations photo of  witch decorated cupcakes--very cool!  The card is a little bit larger --6.5 x 5--so I could have the witch placed in the side panel and have room for the greeting. The witch and the greeting were clear embossed using versamark ink first and then black ink.  The products I used are all retired from Close To My Heart except for the Art Philosophy cut label and layer (page 55 rectangle 7 and layer cut at 2.25"). The stamps are from the Wicked stamp set which was a stamp of the month in 2011 and the papers are from Hooligans paper pack which was available in 2010. 

The adorable cupcakes that inspired me:





I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #183--Witch
Exploring Cricut--Happy Halloween
Heart 2 Heart--Halloween/Pumpkin
Fantabulous Cricut #134--Orange and Black
Top Tip Challenge #88--Halloween
Friday Favorite Things--Anything
Sweet Stampin'--Halloween
Crafty Mess Challenge #20--Halloween

Color Dare #15 with Pals Paper Arts Sketch 145

Hooray!  Color My Heart Color Dare has returned from a 6 week absence!  This week's colors are Lagoon, Pear and Creme Brulee--all colors from Close To My Heart.  I used  Pals Paper Arts Sketch 145 to make my card.  The greeting is from 4 My Friend and I used a small amount of Colonial White Rosette Ribbon.   (You can order these supplies from my website here.) The rectangles were cut with the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge.  The patterned paper is from the now retired Footloose paper pack from CTMH.

The card:

The sketch:

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week filled with fun and creativity!
:) Marie

100th Post Giveaway Goes To....

Two weeks ago I reached my 100th blog post and wanted to offer something to my readers in celebration of this event.  The winner of the giveaway is Michelle from Wandering Scissors blog. Michelle, please email me your address so I can rush your goodies to you ASAP.--mflayer@comcast.net

Happy creating!
:) Marie

Freshly Made Sketches #57, Cut it Up Challenge #4 and RRR #58

As usual I really liked the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and decided to combine it with a Halloween theme as in Cut it Up Challenge and Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I used Close To My Heart Hooligans paper (retired) with a bat cut from the Close To My Heart Cricut Artiste cartridge.  The Pear CS was embossed with a cuttlebug folder. The card is 6.5" x 5" and the bat was cut at 2.5" (pg. 76 of artiste handbook).  The greeting inside the bat's wings is from the Thriller stamp set from Close To My Heart (also retired). The bat was outlined with a CTMH Silver Metallic Marker and the eyes are shimmery silver brads.   Don't you just love the eyeball ribbon that I found?

The sketch:

Thanks for stopping by!  I invite you to check out this blog post for information about a giveaway I'm offering in celebration of my 100th blog post--deadline for entry is October 21, 2012.

Paper Players #17 Color Challenge with Deconstructed Sketch #73

Here is my card to meet the color challenge requirements of Paper Players and the sketch challenge of Deconstructed Sketches:

 

 

I used Close To My Heart Vineyard Berry CS, Autumn Terracotta and Outdoor Denim.  The wreath is from Remarkable Wreath stamp set and the birthday greeting is from Just a Number.  You Are Special is a very old CTMH wooden stamp.

 

The color challenge:

 

 

 

The sketch challenge:

 





FCCB's Columbus Day Challenge

My previous post featured an Artiste cricut cut skeleton which I had fun with. Today I decided to enter the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #132 in celebration of Columbus Day in which we were to use a boat of some kind. I chose a pirate ship from the Wrap it Up cartridge and the waves from Cricut Sampler. Since Halloween is only a few weeks away I thought it would be fun to have the skeleton dangle off the gangplank. The sky paper is computer printer paper from Geographics. The waves are Pacifica CS from Close To My Heart and the pirate ship is Clementine also from CTMH and available on my website here.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by. I invite you to check out this blog post for information about a giveaway I'm offering in celebration of my 100th blog post--deadline for entry is October 21, 2012.

Halloween Theme for Freshly Made Sketch #56 and My Craft Spot

It was a lot of fun making this card using the Freshly Made Sketch #56.  It is a little bit larger (5" x 6.5") to accomodate the cuttlebug embossing folder image.  Before I embossed the Gypsy CS I inked up the embossing folder with CTMH Black ink.  The skeleton was cut with the Close to My Heart Artiste cricut cartridge (pg.76) at 2.75".  Sunset CS and White Daisy CS make up the background layers.  The speckled strip of paper underneath the black ribbon is from a security envelope that my cell phone bill came in!  I applied Silver Liquid Pearls Paint to the moon to complete the card. I am also linking this card to Friday Favorite Things and My Craft Spot.

Freshly Made Sketch #56:

Thanks for stopping by. I invite you to check out this blog post for information about a giveaway I'm offering in celebration of my 100th blog post--deadline for entry is October 21, 2012.

Inspired by Cupcake Inspirations Photo

I'm entering this card into 3 challenges this week:  Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 181,  Mark's Finest Papers and Stamps--1,2,3 Recipe (1 ribbon, 2 dry embossed elements and 3 diecuts; Crafty Friends Challenge #8--Dry Embossing.  Other than the 2 Cuttlebug embossing folders all ingredients used are by Close To My Heart and can be ordered through my website here.

 

It was inspired by this photo from Cupcake Inspirations:

 

 

 

CTMH Supplies used:

     Sky CS

     Pacifica CS

     Lagoon CS

     Casual Expressions Occasions Stamp Set

     Artiste cricut cartridge--feather--page 78 at 3.75"; ovals from pg.36 at 1.25" and 1.5"

     Lagoon Ink

     Versamark Ink

     Clear Embossing Powder

     Silver Metallic Pen

     Silver Shimmer Trim

 

Thanks for stopping by!   I invite you to check out this blog post for information about a giveaway I'm offering in celebration of my 100th blog post.



Pear and Partridge for Freshly Made Sketch #55

This holiday card was made with the Close To My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge, papers and glitter gels. I cut 4 trees from page 52 at 1.75",  folded 3 of them in half and glued them together on the 4th tree as a base. This was mounted over a 2" Bamboo CS circle. The vertical stripe is Cranberry CS and the green horizontal stripe is the reverse side of the Pear and Partridge paper. The red ornaments on the tree were made with Red Glitter Gel and the base paper was dotted with Stardust Glitter Gel. All of these supplies can be obtained through my website.

 

 

Here is the sketch:

 

Thanks for stopping by.  I invite you to check out this blog post for information about a giveaway I'm offering in celebration of my 100th blog post.

 

 

100th Blog Post Giveaway!

This is my 100^th blog post and I’m celebrating by offering FREE Close To My Heart supplies!  Thank you to all my readers, followers and commenters.  Here is what one lucky winner will receive:

You and Me stamp set (special promotion no longer available—NEW—never used)

Mocha Opaques Adhesive Gems

1 yd. Dark Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon

Some  paper surprises  too!

 

Here are a couple of cards I created with this very versatile set:

 

 

 

How to Enter:

1.     Become a Follower of my blog AND leave me a comment telling me you are participating in this giveaway. (You could also tell me that you like my artwork, what your favorite post is etc....)

2.     Grab the code for my button and install it on your sidebar (In blogger, copy the code, go to layout, “Add a Gadget”, go to HTML/Java Script, paste the code and it will be installed on your sidebar. If you're on Wordpress, copy and paste it into a Text widget.) OR copy the direct  link to this post in one of your posts letting others  know about my giveaway. Link is:  http://njstampingqueen.blogspot.com/2012/10/100th-blog-post-giveaway.html

3.       The deadline for entering is Sunday, Oct. 21 at 11PM ET.

4.     Keep reading my blog for the winner announcement on Oct. 22, 2012.

Good luck everyone and thanks for reading my blog!

Mojo Monday 261 with Clementine and Friday Favorite Things Linky Party

I made these cards for Mojo Monday 261 and am entering it in Wendy Coffman's Friday Favorite Things Linky Party .  Other than the ribbons above the scalloped circles all supplies are from Close To My Heart.  Card #1 uses Clementine patterned paper, Desert Sand CS, Creme Brulee CS, Twilight CS banner, Sorbet CS for vertical stripe and Silver Shimmer Trim which was colored with a Honey marker (How fun is that to be able to color this ribbon with CTMH alcohol markers?!!!).  The scalloped circles were cut using the Art Philosophy cricut cartridge and the birthday greeting is from Salutation Seals and was stamped in Twilight Ink on Colonial White CS.

 

Here is the sketch from Mojo Monday 261:

 

 

Here is card #2 which uses Chocolate CS and Creme Brulee CS and the zip strip from the Clementine paper over Creme Brulee CS for the vertical stripe.

 

 





 

Which of these two cards do you like better?  Does one look more masculine or feminine than the other?

 

Keep reading my blog--a Giveaway of some sort--details with my next post!

I will be celebrating my 100th post as a blogger with my next post! I am planning some type of giveaway but am open to hearing your suggestions too. What kind of requirements should I have to be eligible to win? Please leave a comment below if you have any suggestions for me. (this is post #99 already!)

 

Here is the link for that 100th blog post!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful week filled with creativity and fun!

:) Marie