Masculine Theme for Try Stampin' on Tuesday #160

As a golfer I have lots of golfing friends who will receive birthday cards from me.  I was inspired to make this card by the Try Stampin' on Tuesday Sketch #160--although I did change the orientation of it to fit the golf green.  I usually prefer to use acrylic stamps rather than digital stamps but this golf green digital image by Digi Darla seemed to fit the space well and coordinate with the turf and golf ball papers too.

Close to My Heart products used:
    Banner Wishes birthday stamp
    Outdoor Denim CS
    Tee Time golf ball stamp (retired)

Other products used:
    Golf Green image by Digi Darla (recently closed their business)
    Turf paper by Frances Meyer
    Golf ball paper by Frances Meyer

Here is the Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch that inspired me:

Their challenge closes at midnight on Monday, April 1 (ET). 

 If you enjoy sketch challenges as I do I invite you to try out the current sketch at Sunday Stamps which closes at 6pm ET April 4.

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

:) Marie

Basketball Birthday for Freshly Made Sketch #129

Basketball is one of Tommy's favorite sports (and one of mine, too) so I made him this card using the Freshly Made Sketch #129 to commemorate his 13th birthday.  It is 6"x 6".  The Close To My Heart Artbooking cartridge was used to cut the numbers and basketballs.

Close to My Heart products used:
   Saddle CS
   Buzz and Bumble paper
   Outdoor Denim CS
   Gold Polka Dot Washi Tape
   Artbooking cartridge
 
Other:
   Orange textured paper--the Paper Company

Here is the Freshly Made Sketch that inspired me:

If you enjoy sketch challenges like I do, I invite you to try out the current sketch at Sunday Stamps.

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

It's Sketch Time at Sunday Stamps Again!

Welcome back to another Sunday Stamps sketch challenge!  Thank you to all who participated in the spring color challenge.  This week Steph has a great sketch for you to try:

How did I decide what to use to follow this sketch?  I looked at what new Close To My Heart papers I hadn't yet used and picked Jubilee for the vertical panel and paired it with Indian Corn Blue CS background. The starfish is another underused stamp from the Under the Sea stamp set (retired CTMH).  It was stamped with Cocoa ink onto Cashmere CS and popped up with 3D Foam Tape.  The sentiment is from Banner Wishes and the stars are stamps from the Artbooking collection.  The white squiggly lines were made with my new Coconut gelato by Faber Castell.

We can't wait to see what you create using this sketch!   Please use a direct link to join us here and include a link back to us in your blog post.  (Feel free to post our sketch graphic too to let your readers know about our challenge.)  You have until Friday, April 4 at 6PM EST to enter this challenge.

Please take the time to visit the rest of the Design Team's blogs and leave them some appreciation.
Hayley, Joan, Brenda, Holly, Steph and Kathya.

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

:) Marie

Embossed Patchwork Squares for Color My Heart Color Dare #86

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare post where we challenge you to use Close To My Heart colors.  (Substitutions are allowed if you don't have CTMH colors yet and you may also use neutrals such as white, colonial white, greys, tans, black).  This week our challenge colors are Ponderosa Pine, New England Ivy and Goldrush.

I started out by using each of the 3 challenge colored papers, the Cuttlebug machine and 3 of the new Close To My Heart embossing folders.  Next I used a 1.25" square punch and glued the squares onto a 4.25" x 4.25" square of Black CS.  This was then mounted onto a Whisper CS card base with Thinking of You (from Sincere Expressions stamp set) stamped on the bottom right hand corner.

Next I black embossed Classy Doily onto vellum and cut out part of it which I mounted to the center of the card with a small piece of 3D Foam Tape.

Lastly I placed a Green Epoxy Bubble onto the very center of the doily stamp.  Here is my finished card--although I must say that I like the card without the doily attached too!

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

    Cards in Envy--Anything Goes in A2 size

    Stampin' for the Weekend--Anything Goes

     Love to Create--Clean and Simple and/or Classy and Elegant

     Just for Fun challenge--Anything Goes

Check out what our Guest Designer Casandra and the rest of the fabulous Color My Heart Color Dare Design Team B has to inspire you:  Gretchen, Michelle, Hansi and Sarah.  You have until Thursday, March 20 9PM CT to enter your papercrafted creation here.  We look forward to visiting your blogs and seeing what you create with the colors Ponderosa Pine, New England Ivy and Goldrush.

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

:) Marie

Glittered Happy Birthday Card for Simon Says

This card was inspired by the sketch at Crazy4Challenges.  I adapted it with some glitter so I could enter it into the Wednesday challenge at Simon Says.

Close to My Heart products used:

    Moonstruck CS (retired)

    Moonstruck B&T paper (retired)

    Moonstruck Ink  (retired)

    Star Spangled Blue ribbon (retired)

    White Daisy CS

    Heartfelt Birthday Wish stamp

    Silver Glitz Glitter Gel  (retired)

Other:

    Goose Bumpz embossing folder

Here is the sketch I followed:

  

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

     Seize the Birthday--Birthday

     Cards in Envy--Anything Goes in A2 size

     Stampin' for the Weekend--Anything Goes

     Fussy and Fancy--Birthday

     Love to Create--Clean and Simple and/or Classy and Elegant

     Just for Fun challenge--Anything Goes

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

:) Marie

p.s. Please stop back tomorrow for a new Color My Heart Color Dare challenge!

    

Colour Me ...Colors #11 Join Try Stampin' on Tuesday Sketch #158

This card was inspired by for two challenges:  Colour Me...Card Challenge #11 and Try Stampin' on Tuesday #158.

Close To My Heart Products Used:

     Claire Paper Packet

     Outdoor Denim CS

     White Daisy CS

     Chalks (retired)

     Waxy Flax

Other products:

    Darice Spring Tulips embossing folder

    Heart buttons

Here are the challenge graphics that inspired me--please visit these sites.

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

:) Marie

St. Patrick's Day Card for Numerous Challenges

As I was reading my blog list this morning I found a new card challenge with a sketch I wanted to try.  It is called The Challenge #2 and is on Lesley Croghan's blog "Always Playing with Paper".  She even includes cutting dimensions to help you get started.   Here is the sketch that inspired me today:

Since I needed to make some St. Patrick's Day cards, I changed the heart shape to shamrock shapes. 

The shamrocks were cut with the "Celebrate with Flourish" Cricut cartridge from Kentucky Green CS (retired Close To My Heart).  The patterned paper is also retired from CTMH.  I used  the Darice St. Pat's Day Background embossing folder and a sanding block for the bottom card layer.  The gold metallic CS is also retired CTMH.  (I really used a lot of old stash to make this card!)  The gold accents were made with a regular paper punch form the gold metallic CS.  I skipped the sentiment because I thought that it was obviously a St. Patrick's Day card!

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

    Exploring Cricut--Luck of the Irish

    Cut it Up--Green for St. Patrick's Day or Spring #40

    Pinspirational Challenges--#98 St. Patrick's Day

    Simply Create Too--#56 Shop in Your Stash

    Cuttin And Stampin Challenges--St. Patrick's Day/Lucky

    Diecuttin' Divas--#156 Luck of the Irish

    Time 4 Scrap--#35 St. Patrick's Day

    Artistic Inspirations--#82 St. Patrick's Day, Green or Anything Goes

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

:) Marie

Pals Paper Arts Colors #194 Meet Freshly Made Sketch #126

Combining stamping challenges is fun for me so I'm using the color palette from this week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge along with the current Freshly Made Sketch.  Here is the result:

Close To My Heart Products used:

     Grey Wool CS (retired)

     Petal from Winter Cozy B&T (retired)

     Outdoor Denim CS

     Salutation Seals stamps

     Outdoor Denim Ink

     3D Foam Tape

     Scallop Circle Punch (retired)

     Scallop Border Punch (retired)

Here is the Color Palette from Pals Paper Arts:

Here is the Freshly Made sketch that inspired me:

Since this is a birthday card, I'm linking this up to Seize the Birthday also.

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

:) Marie

Color Challenge at Sunday Stamps!

Welcome back to another Sunday Stamps Challenge post!  This week we are bringing you some pretty colors to work with:

SU Colors are: Wisteria Wonder, Baked Brown Sugar & Wild Wasabi
CTMH Colors are:  Topiary, Saddle and Gypsy

My card was made following the Tuesday Morning Sketch #239

Close To My Heart Products Used:

          Lifting Spirits stamp set

          Saddle CS

          Gypsy CS

          Topiary B&T paper (retired)

          Gypsy Ink

          3D Foam Tape

          Chalk Marker

          Black Ink

Here is the sketch I used:

We can't wait to see what you create using these colors!   Please use a direct link to join us here and include a link back to us in your blog post.  (Feel free to post our color graphic too to let your readers know about our challenge.)  You have until Friday, March 21 at 6PM EST to enter this challenge.

Please take the time to visit the rest of the Design Team's blogs and leave them some appreciation.
Hayley, Joan, Brenda, Holly, Steph and Kathya.

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

:) Marie

March Sketch Challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown

If you are looking for the Color My Heart Color Dare blog post please go here.

The Close To My Heart Artbooking cartridge has so many wonderful images to choose from that it made it really easy to make this card.

There is holographic paper (Colorbok) underneath the raised snowflake overlay (Artbooking page 76 overlay shift at 2.25" and trimmed to fit the space.  The greeting was silver embossed from the Holiday Wishes stamp set (retired CTMH).  The background paper is Close To My Heart Sky CS.  The stitching was done with a piercing tool, ruler and white gel pen.

This is the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown sketch that inspired me:

I'm also entering this card into the Merry Monday #98 challenge to use stitching and buttons (I'm taking artistic liberty to consider sequins as buttons--buttons were just not sparkly enough for my card!)

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

:) Marie

Watercoloring with Stamp Pads for Color My Heart Color Dare #84

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare post!  This week we have 3 wonderful Close To My Heart colors for you to combine:  Sky, Topiary and Sweet Leaf.  (Of course, if you don't have Close To My Heart colors you may substitute similar colors).

How did I achieve this watercolored look?  I spritzed watercolored paper with water and used a Waterbrush and my CTMH inkpads.  With the lids closed I squeezed the top onto the inkpad to make a small pool of ink on the lid.  From left to right on my card are Topiary, Sweet Leaf and Sky inks.  The greeting was cut from the watercolored paper with the Artiste cartridge (page 65 accent 1) at 1.25".  Before I cut it out I experimented with a piece of scrap CS so I could center it the way I wanted.  (From the landscape orientation on my cricut machine I moved the cutting dial down .25" and 1.25" to the left).  The top layer was raised with 3D Foam Tape.

After I photographed this card I decided to embellish it with some flowers and sparkles.  I'm not really sure which I like better.  I would love to read your preference in the comments below.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

     Hiding in My Craft Room--spring colors

     Cut It Up--green for St. Patrick's Day or spring

Check out what our Guest Designer Lauren and the rest of the fabulous Color My Heart Color Dare Design Team B has to inspire you:  Gretchen, Michelle, Hansi and Sarah.  You have until Thursday, March 13 9PM CT to enter your papercrafted creation here.  We look forward to visiting your blogs and seeing what you create with the colors Sky, Topiary, and Sweet Leaf.

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #83 Makes Me Smile

This week's Color My Heart Color Dare #83 features a brand new paper pack called Skylark.

My card features a Hostess Rewards stamp set called "Enjoy the Little Things", Lagoon Ink and Slate Polka Dot Washi Tape.

This was a really quick card to make following last week's Clean and Simple Stamping Sketch.#281.

We would love to have you join in on the fun at the Color Dare--if you don't have the exact colors you may use something similar.  The challenge ends at 9pm CT Thursday, March 6.  

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

:) Marie