Army Fatigues and Dogtags Card With Global Design Projects Sketch

My newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant nephew in the US Army needed a Get Well card so I made him one that I think he will appreciate.  The background started with CTMH Desert Sand paper with the wrong side of 3 different Ink Blots stamped in Aspen Green (retired CTMH color) and Slate inks.  The dogtags were embossed in Ranger Fine Detail Silver Embossing Powder and the greeting is from CTMH "Kiss it Better".

This card follows the Global Design Projects Sketch #38:

Close to My Heart products used:

     Desert Sand CS

     Aspen CS (retired)

     Aspen Ink (retired)

     Slate Ink

     Black CS
     Ink Blot stamps

     Salute Our Heroes stamp

     Kiss it Better stamp (retired)

     Versamark Ink

     Ranger Silver Fine Detail Embossing Powder

Other products:

     Recollections White Gold Shimmer paper

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

:) Marie

     

Zoe Sympathy Card for House That Stamps Built What if Wednesday Challenge

Sympathy cards don't need to be in greys and blacks!  My card today features Zoe patterned paper and A Bunch of Love stamp.

Here is a close up of the flowers so you can see the effect of the Crystal Nuvo drops.

Here is the House That Stamps Built sketch that inspired my card:

I'm also entering my card into the Die Cuttin' Divas Anything Goes with Diecuts challenge.

Close to My Heart products used:
     Peacock CS
     Crystal Blue CS
     Zoe paper
     Art Philosophy cartridge for doily cut
     Sorbet CS
     A Bunch of Love Stamp and Coordinating Thin Cut Die
     Sincere Expressions stamp
     Peacock Ink
     3D Foam Tape

Other products:
     Nuvo Crystal Drops--Sugared Almond, White, White Blizzard
     Prismacolor pencils

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

Congratulations Graduate for Bitten by the Bug 2

Here is a quick and easy card that I made for my nephew who graduated from Loyola University last weekend. Their school colors are dark green and white thus this color choice.  I used the Cricut Simple Everday cards cartridge.  The card inside was stamped with Smarty Pants from Close to My Heart.  I'm linking this card up to the Bitten by the Bug 2 blog Graduation/Thank You theme.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Ponderosa Pine CS (retired)

     Ponderosa Pine Ink (retired)

     Smarty Pants stamp set

Other products:

     Recollections White Gold Shimmer Cardstock

     Cricut Simple Everyday Cards cartridge

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

;) Marie

Color Dare #195

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge post.  Our challenge this week is to combine Close to My Heart colors Thistle, Pear, Crystal Blue, Lagoon and White Daisy.

My card features the "smooshing" technique.  I inked up my craft mat with all 4 colors, spritzed with water and then picked up the ink using an acetate sheet and then smooshed it down onto the paper.  I held the acetate between my fingers to limit the contact with the paper so that I could create lines of color.  Then I stamped a small flower from the Hawaiian Hibiscus stamp set in Thistle ink across the page and added some purple and clear glitter gems.  The sentiment is from the Artfully Sent Cricut collection which will be retiring soon.

Close to My Heart products used:
     White Daisy CS
     Lagoon CS
     Lagoon Ink
     Pear Ink
     Thistle Ink
     Crystal Blue Ink
     Hawaiian Hibiscus stamp
     Artfully Sent stamp
     Purple Glitter Gems
     Clear Glitter Gems (retired)

Here is the Color Dare challenge graphic with this week's challenge colors:

Now it's your turn to get creative--how will you use all and only these challenge colors?  Come check out what the rest of the fabulous Color My Heart Color Dare Design Team has to inspire you.

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

Smarty Pants Graduation Card for Sketch Saturday #413

Smarty Pants is the name of a new graduation stamp set by Close to My Heart.  I used the cap and diploma to make this card:

For the most part I followed the Sketch Saturday #413 but I really wanted the Congrats diecut from Gypsy Wanderings to fit inside the mat so I turned that one element on its side.  You can call it "artistic license" if you want.

Here is the sketch I followed:

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Black CS

     Smarty Pants stamps

     Happy Times gold foil strips

     Gold Glitter paper

     Black Ink

Other products

     Black washi tape--source unknown

     Gypsy Wanderings image from Cricut

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

:) Marie

Congratulations Card for the Paper Players and Cuttlebug Mania

This card was made for a fine young man who just passed an entrance exam to be  a policeman.  It came together pretty quickly following the wonderful sketch by the Paper Players.

Close to My Heart products used:
     Tommy striped paper (retired)
     White Daisy CS
     Honey CS
     Smarty Pants stamp set
     Sapphire Ink
     Happy Times gold foil paper (Design Space star cut out of it)
   
Other products:
    Cuttlebug Star embossing folder
    Pebbles Pearlescent Jewel Tone chalks

Here is the Paper Players sketch that inspired this card:

     

I'm also entering this card into the Cuttlebug Mania challenge to use embossing.

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

:) Marie

   

Color Dare #194--Shades of Blue with Black and White

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog!  This week we are challenging you to use all and only the following colors to create with: Pacifica, Crystal Blue, Sapphire, Black and White. If you don't have these exact Close to My Heart colors yet you may substitute similar colors so you can still join in the fun!

 I made this card for my lovely daughter-in-law who loves tea.

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Whimsy Paper Fundamentals

     Pacifica CS

     Sapphire CS

     Glacier CS

     Crystal Blue CS

     White Shimmer Trim

     Black CS

     Liquid Glass

     Artistry cartridge

     3D Foam Tape

     Seaside Greetings stamp

     Liquid Glass

Here is another view of the card so you can see the glossy shine made by the Liquid Glass application.

Here is the Color My Heart Color Dare graphic:

My card was inspired by Atlantic Hearts Sketch #160:

I'm also entering this card into the Cardz 4 Gals challenge theme "Tea for Two" and the Seize the Birthday challenge--"Dimension".

Now it's your turn to get creative--how will you use all and only these challenge colors?  Come check out what the rest of the fabulous Color My Heart Color Dare Design Team has to inspire you.

Have a wonderful week filled with fun and creativity!  Have a wonderful week filled with fun and creativity!

:) Marie

     

Happy Times Thank You for Addicted to Stamps and More

I am really loving the Happy Times paper and stamp set available from Close to My Heart (while supplies last) in May!  Here is a really quick card I made (inspired by Jean McNulty's card here.)

Here is another view so you can see all the glittery gold:

Close to My Heart products used:

     Pomegranate CS

     Pomegranate Ink

     Happy Times paper

     Happy Times stamp

     A Thousand Thanks

     New England Ivy Ink

Other products:

     Nuvo Crystal Drops--Bright Gold

I'm entering this card into the Addicted to Stamps and More CAS challenge and the Lil Red Wagon challenge called "Blooming Fun".

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #193 Meets Retrosketches #214

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge post!  This week we are challenging you to use all and only  the colors from the Close to My Heart paper pack called Georgie:  Canary, Champagne, Juniper, Slate, Whisper and White Daisy.

My card began with the Doodled Designs circle stamped in all the challenge colors minus White Daisy.  The daisy is from Friend in Me which was in the Seasonal Expressions 1 catalog.  It was stamped twice and the top daisy was fussy cut and slightly curled up.  The Canary Ink sponged flower center (and tiny Doodled Design stamps) were "glossed" with Liquid Glass.

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Georgie paper (zip strip for top border)

     Friend in Me (retired)

     Doodled Design

     Slate Ink

     Whisper Ink

     Champagne Ink

     Juniper Ink

     Canary Ink

     Belated Birthday (retired)

     Juniper Buttons (retired)

     Liquid Glass

I'm also entering this card into the Seize the Birthday challenge. Here is the Retrosketch that I followed to make this card:

   

Here is the Color Dare challenge graphic with the Georgie colors: 

Now it's your turn to get creative--how will you use all and only these challenge colors?  Come check out what the rest of the fabulous Color My Heart Color Dare Design Team has to inspire you.

Have a wonderful week filled with fun and creativity!  Have a wonderful week filled with fun and creativity!

:) Marie

Bunch of Love Sympathy Cards for Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome back to the April Joyful Stars Blog Hop!  We are a group of Close to My Heart consultants who share something each month on the 9th and at 9PM EST.  If you are coming from Joyce's blog you are on the right track. (The complete lineup is also on Joyce's blog in case you get lost.)  Have fun being inspired!

Recently I needed to make more sympathy cards so I took out the new "A Bunch of Love" stamp set and coordinating Thin Cuts from the Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog.  I curved the word "Condolences" from the Sincere Expressions stamp set on an acrylic block so it would nearly fit into the banner.

Card #1:

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Whisper CS

     Gypsy CS

     A Bunch of Love stamp and Thin Cut

     Sincere Expressions stamp

     Slate Ink

     Prismacolor pencils (retired)

     3D Foam Tape

     Artfully Sent cartridge for overlay background

Card #2:

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Whisper CS

     Eggplant CS

     Fern Ink

     Slate Ink

     A Bunch of Love stamp and Thin Cut

     Sincere Expressions stamp

     Chalks (retired)

     3D Foam Tape

     Artbooking cartridge for overlay background

Card #3:  

Close to My Heart products used:

     Whisper CS

     White Daisy CS

     Peacock CS

     Happy Times stamps

     Peacock Ink

     Goldrush Ink

     Sincere Expressions stamp

     Art Philosophy cartridge for scalloped oval frame

     Artistry cartridge for banner

Which one do you like best?

Now, hop on over and see what Debi B. has to share.  I'm sure you'll be inspired!

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

:) Marie

    

Things With Wings for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #276

Welcome back to another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge post!  Our theme this fortnight is "Things With Wings" and we are being sponsored by Aurora Wings.
My focal image is called "Eye Butterfly" and is a digital image supplied by our sponsor--Aurora Wings.  They will be awarding a $10 gift certificate to one lucky participant!

 I used the Cindy Loo cartridge to cut the frame from "Happy Times" paper--a special promotion by Close to My Heart in celebration of National Scrapbooking Month.  I used my new Laser Printer to print the Eye Butterfly and then used Heidi Swapp Heat Reactive Gold Foil with the Minc machine. It was colored with Pearlescent chalks by Pebbles.  The second photo will show you just how shiny the foil is!  (The teal outer border is also foil).

Now head on over to the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog to see what the rest of the fabulous Design Team has to inspire you.  We hope you get a chance to play along with us.

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

:) Marie

Happy Times Blog Hop

Welcome to our Happy Times Blog Hop!  We will be featuring  Close to My Heart's May National Scrapbooking promotion called "Happy Times" a set of 12 gorgeous papers.  If you have come here from Jean McNulty's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html. 

This month we have 31 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's special promotion "Happy Times" and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

I needed to make a masculine birthday card so I pulled out the light gray woodgrain paper, gold and white foiled paper and a Green Ombre paper to pull together this card.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Happy Times Paper

     Artistry cricut cartridge

     Whisper CS

     Peacock CS

     Warm Grey Shin Han Touch Marker (to draw another line to make the

          planks smaller in the woodgrain paper) 

      3D Foam Tape  

I followed the Paper Play Sketches 007 to create my card:

Now "Hop" on over to Lauren Moore's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, Happy Times Paper and/or stamp set is only available until May 30!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this Happy Times paper pack for FREE!

Here is another card I made with Happy Times Paper Pack for the current Color My Heart Color Dare challenge featuring Happy Times Paper.

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #192 Meets Mojo Monday #446

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post.  May is National Scrapbooking Month and Close to My Heart is celebrating with a special offering of a fabulous paper pack called Happy Times (FREE with $60 purchase) and a coordinating stamp set called Happy Times only available in May.  Here is a picture of the beautiful papers:  

Color Dare #192 is to use all and only the colors from the Happy Times paper packet plus gold:  Fern, Canary, Cotton Candy, Glacier, White Daisy and Gold. (If you don't have these exact CTMH colors yet, feel free to substitute similar colors so you can still join in on the fun.)

My card features a brand new stamp set called "A Bunch of Love" that has coordinating dies called Thin Cuts.  The shiny gold mat was cut from the large striped gold and white paper from the Happy Times set.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Happy Times paper

     White Daisy CS

      A Bunch of Love stamp

     Artfully Sent Just to Say stamp greeting

     Fern CS

     Fern Ink

     Cotton Candy CS

     Cotton Candy Ink

     Tender Pink Shin Han Touch Marker

     Golden Yellow Shin Han Touch Marker

     Sap Green Shin Han Touch Marker

Other products:

     Heart punches

The inspiration for my card layout came from Mojo Monday #446:

Now it's your turn to get creative--how will you use all and only these fabulous Happy Times colors?  Come check out what the rest of the awesome Color My Heart Color Dare Design Team has to inspire you.

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

:) Marie

Celebrate With Cake in the May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring May's SOTM, which is Celebrate with Cake, a set of 17 stamps.  If you have come here from Alyson Mayo's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  http://ifyoublingit.blogspot.com/p/stamp-of-month-blog-hop-list.html. 

This month we have 33 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! 

I'm thinking that many of us who have created something for this blog hop will feature the cake--that is why I'm featuring the tiny rose and Celebrate greeting--there are still 15 other stamps in this set. 

This second photo shows the shiny flowers as a result of Liquid Glass application.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Lagoon CS

     Cotton Candy CS

     Calypso CS

     Celebrate with Cake stamps

     Black Memento Ink

     Tender Pink Shin Han Touch Alcohol Marker

     Turquoise Blue Shin Han Touch Alcohol Marker

     Liquid Glass

The inspiration for my card layout came from Case This Sketch challenge blog.

Now "Hop" on over to Jennifer Dyksta's blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the May SOTM is only available until May 31st!  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

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

:) Marie