Fabulous Flamingo

My Florida sister has a birthday this week so I made her this flamingo card:

Close to My Heart products used:
     White Daisy CS
     Tickled Pink stamps and Thin Cut Dies (newly retired)
     Calypso paper (newly retired)
     Black Ink
     Pixie Ink
     Cotton Candy Ink
     Cotton Candy CS
     Clear Shimmer Brush (on wing)
     3D Foam Tape

Here is the Paper Players sketch that inspired my card layout:

I'm also entering this card into the Just Add Ink--"Just Add Wings" challenge.

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

:) Marie

Adventure Colors for Heart 2 Heart

Here is a quick birthday card I put together using strips of the new Adventure Fundamentals and Artistry cartridge.

Close to My Heart products used:
     Adventure Fundamentals paper
     Lemon CS
     Artistry cartridge
     Peacock Green Shin Han Touch Marker
     Clear Shimmer pen
     Vellum (retired)

Here is the Feeling Sketchy Sketch that inspired my card layout:

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
     Heart 2 Heart--Adventure theme
     Seize the Birthday
     Sunny Day Challenges--Anything Goes

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

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #286--Fantasy

Welcome back to another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog post.  This fortnight we are challenging you to create something with your Cricut with the "Fantasy" theme.  The "Ladybug Friends" in my card came from the Ultimate Creative Sampler.

Here is another view so you can see the shimmery wings and shiny metallic paper.

Close to My Heart products used:
     Cranberry CS
     Black CS
     Silver Metallic CS (retired)
     Pixie CS
     Whimsy Fundamentals--Pixie love pattern
     Clear Shimmer Brush (on wings)
     3D Foam Tape

Cricut cartridge--Ultimate Creative Sampler.  Here is the Design Space file if you want to replicate this card.

The inspiration for my card came from Sunday Stamps sketch #136:

Here is more information about the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge and the prizes you could win!

Challenge #286-Fantasy
Create a project that features a fantasy subject.

This Weeks Sponsor

The winner will recieve $10 gift certificate!

And we are giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate, courtesy of FCCB Design Team! 

To qualify for the prize, be sure to use at least 1 Cricut cut on your project and if it's not obvious, let us know what cartridge you used. If you use a Cricut Explore machine, at least one cut must be from the Cricut catalog of images.

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #212--Purples Challenge

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post!  This week we are challenging you to use all and only the following Close to My Heart Purples:  Eggplant, Pansy and Thistle with Black and White Daisy.  Of course if you don't have these CTMH colors yet you can substitute similar colors so you can still join in on the fun!   Here is my card: 

Here is a closeup of the 3 small embellishments I used.  Can you guess where they came from?

 

The white discs came off the CTMH stamp envelopes!  To save some storage space I have removed the snaps so I can get more stamp packages into my storage containers.  

Close to My Heart products used:

     Thousand Thanks stamps (greeting and small hearts--       recently retired)

     Whimsy Fundamentals Paper (Thistle striped)

     Adventure Fundamentals Paper (Small polka dot banner)

     Eggplant CS

     Black Ink

     White Daisy CS

     Black Shimmer Trim

     Clear Shimmer Brush (used on small black hearts over white discs)

I'm also entering my card into the Stampin' Royalty #347 Monochromatic challenge this week.

My card was inspired by the Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch #288: 

Here is the Color Dare graphic.  Just click on it to get to see what the rest of the fabulous Color Dare Design Team has to inspire you.

 

We would love to have you share your Purple creations with us at the Color Dare blog.  

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

:) Marie

Addicted to Stamps #21--Make Your Mark

Welcome back to another Addicted to Stamps and More challenge blog post!  This week we are challenging you to "Make Your Mark" with markers, paints, ink or whatever.  My card was made for my cat loving friend Diane following the Paper Players sketch #15. 

 

Here is a closeup photo so you can see the sparkly layer of Clear Shimmer Brush applied to the relaxing kitty.

Close to My Heart Products Used:
      Sea Glass CS     
     New England Ivy Green CS
     Spring Iris CS
     Birthday Sparkles Stamp
     New England Ivy Ink
     Black Memento Ink
     Clear Shimmer Brush
     Cozy Cat stamp (retired)
     Grey Wool Marker (retired)
     Spring Iris Marker (retired)
     Green Chiffon Marker (retired)
     Golden Ember Marker (retired)
     3D Foam Tape

Other:   Paw Print paper--unknown source

Here is the Paper Play Sketch that inspired my card:

 

We would love to have you play along!  Click on the graphic below to get to the ATSM blog and check out what the rest of the fabulous Design Team has to inspire you.

Sponsor

 

 

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

:) Marie

    

Anniversary Card with Atlantic Hearts Sketch #177

Here is a lovely card I made for my some special people.  The flowers were fussy cut from Stampin' Up's Gold Soiree Specialty Designer paper.  I was using up some stash so I used Close to My Heart Moonstruck paper.  The greeting is from CTMH Happy Couple which is newly retired.  The gold sequins have drops of White Opal Liquid Pearls.

Here's another look so you can see the shiny sequins.

My card was inspired by this fabulous Atlantic Hearts sketch:

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #211--Poppy, Fern, Saffron and Colonial White

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post.  This week we have some lovely fall colors for you to play with:  Poppy, Fern, Saffron and Colonial White.  As always if you do not have these exact Close to My Heart colors yet you may substitute similar color so you can still play along.

Close to My Heart products used:
     Colonial White CS
     Saffron CS
     Poppy CS
     Fern CS
     Lovely Leaves stamps
     Poppy Ink
     Saffron Ink
     Fern Ink
     Sponge Daubers

Other
     Cricut Alphabet

Here is the Design Space cutting file if you are interested.

My card layout was inspired by Nacho Average Challenge #180:

 

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

     Stampin' Royalty #346--Fall Theme

     The Three Muses Challenge--Autumn Colours

     Sunny Day Crafting--Anything Goes

Here is the Color Dare Challenge Graphic:

 

Please head on over to the Color My Heart Color Dare blog to be inspired by the rest of the fabulous Design Team.  We hope to see your creations in our gallery this week!

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

:) Marie

Beehive Birthday Card With Case This Sketch #189

My friend Chris is a Beekeeper and she has a birthday this week.  When I saw this week's Case This Sketch sketch I knew what I would make.

Here is a closeup photo of the shimmery bee wings:

Close to My Heart products used:

     Colonial White CS

     Honey CS (retired)

     Champagne CS

     Happy Birthday stamp (old wood stamp--long ago retired!)

     Black Ink

     Flower Market cartridge (beehive and bees)

     Black CS

     Vellum (retired)

     Clear Shimmer Brush

     3D Foam Tape

Here is the fabulous sketch that inspired my card:

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

     Crafting When We Can--Happy Birthday

     Seize the Birthday--Frames optional

     Broken Fairy Designs--Things with Wings

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

:) Marie

Pretty Poinsettias for Freshly Made Sketch #253

There is a great sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week and I just finished my card with 30 minutes to the deadline!

Close to My Heart products used:

     Flower Market cartridge

     White Daisy CS

     Desert Sand CS

     Fern CS

     Canary CS

     Sea Glass Glitter paper

     Oh Deer! paper

     Ruby Ink

     Pretty Poinsettia stamp

     Ruby Ink

     Canary Ink

     3D Foam Tape

Here is the sketch that inspired my card:

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

:) Marie

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #285 Meets Sketch Saturday #429

Every other Monday there is a new challenge posted at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog!  This week we are inviting you to create a project using wet or dry embossing.  

I made this card for a dear friend who is also an avid golfer using the Sports Mania cartridge for the background.  Do you see the golf greens and flagsticks in the Topiary Green (CTMH) background?  The Happy Birthday panel was printed in Design Space from Anna's Lovely Layered Cards with a Cricut gold pen.  After the Happy Birthday was printed I dry embossed it or "debossed" it to resemble the dimples of a golf ball.  

The inspiration for my card came from Sketch Saturday #429:

I'm also submitting it to Hiding in my Craft Room challenge to use scraps (Gold piece behind sentiment is a scrap piece) and the Seize the Birthday challenge.

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge:

Challenge #285-Embossing
Create a project that features wet or dry embossing!

This Weeks Sponsor

Bugaboo Stamps

The prize is 7 digital stamps!

And we are giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate, courtesy of FCCB Design Team!  

To qualify for the prize, be sure to use at least 1 Cricut cut on your project and if it's not obvious, let us know what cartridge you used. If you use a Cricut Explore machine, at least one cut must be from the Cricut catalog of images.

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

Create Kindness for Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome back to the August 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 Krista Hersheberger'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!
 

For this month's blog hop I created two cards using sentiments from the September Constant Campaign "Create Kindness" and the new "Simple Chevron" embossing folder.

Card #1:

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Simple Chevron Embossing folder (colored stripes with Markers)

     Lagoon CS

     Thistle CS

     Create Kindness "Special" stamp

     Shin Han Touch Peony Purple Marker

     Shin Han Touch Peacock Green Marker

     Swirling Stars stamp (stamped with 2nd generation Peacock)

     Peacock Ink

     Silver Assortment Sequins (colored with above Markers)

     Silver Metallic Marker (used a ruler to frame sentiment panel and color inside Special)

Card #2:

Close to My Hearts products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Saffron CS

     Artbooking cartridge for frame

     Simple Chevron Embossing folder

     Sapphire Ink

     Create Kindness "Everything" stamp

     Gold Metallic Marker

     3D Foam Tape

I'm entering this card into the Cuttlebug Mania "Anything Goes With Diecuts" challenge and the Heart 2 Heart Use a CTMH stamp on your project.

I'd love to hear which card you like better--please leave me a comment if you can.

Now, hop on over and see what Debi Brile has to share. 

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

:) Marie

P.S.  Did you know that there is more to the September Constant Campaign offer than ordering the whole kit?  It's true you can order any of the stamps or papers separately.  Check it out here.

Color Dare #210 With Try Stampin' on Tuesday Sketch #287

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare blog post!  We are up to challenge #210 already.  This week we are challenging you to use the following Close to My Heart colors:  Eggplant, Fern, Desert Sand, Peacock and Colonial White to create something you like.  (Of course, if you do not have these CTMH colors yet, you may substitute similar colors so you can still join in on the fun!)

Close to My Heart products used:

     Colonial White CS

     Enchantment Fundamentals Peacock patterned paper

     Fern CS

     Eggplant CS

     Way to Go stamp set

     Peacock CS

     Eggplant Ink

     Desert Sand Ink

My inspiration for my card layout came from Try Stampin' on Tuesday #287:

http://trystampinontuesday.blogspot.com/2016/09/challenge-287.html

I really love this sketch and will be using it again soon!

Here is the Color Dare challenge graphic:

     

The back panel of my card was random stamped with the Way to Go ribbon stamps so I can also enter it into Between the Folds challenge.  (This is another challenge blog featuring Close to My Heart products).

Please head on over to the Color My Heart Color Dare blog to be inspired by the rest of the fabulous Design Team.  We hope to see your creations in our gallery this week!

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

:) Marie

Twin Birthday Cards With Sunday Stamps #134

My twin nieces have a birthday in the end of August.  One loves everything purple and the other loves everything pink.  The inspiration for my cards came from Sunday Stamps #134.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Artbooking cricut cartridge for heart banners

     White Daisy CS

     Ink Blot stamp (background colors)

     Wise Guy Birthday (greeting and cake)

     Ranger Silver Embossing Powder

     Hydrangea Ink (retired)

     Pixie Ink

     Amethyst Marker (retired)

     Shell Pink Marker (retired)

     Friendship Alphabet--15

Other products used:

     Purple Reflective paper by Colorbok

     Pink Glitter paper--unknown source

     Nuvo Crystal Drops--White Blizzard 

Look how sparkly the White Blizzard Crystal Drops look as the cake frosting!

Here is the Sunday Stamps Sketch that I used to make these cards:

The theme for this week's Crafty Creations Challenges is to use a number.  I'm also sharing these cards at Seize the Birthday challenge.

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

:) Marie

ATSM #210 Meets Case This Sketch #188

The new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More is a "photo inspiration" challenge and we are being sponsored this week by QKR Stampede.

Sponsor

QKR Stampede and Eureka Stamps was purchased by Stamp On It in 2013 from the state of Colorado and moved to its new home in Michigan! We(Stamp On It) had its humble beginnings over 25 years ago and is now a mobile(on-the-road) family owned and operated business. We travel coast to coast and attend as a vendor over 25 retail stamping and scrapping shows each year. 

Blog: http://qkrstampede.blogspot.ca

Prize: 3 digital images 

When I first saw the photo I was drawn to the quilt and wanted to create something that resembled a quilt.  The blotches of color on the wall behind the quilt called me to create a watercolored background with a "smooshing" technique.  Here is my card:

If you would like to "recreate" this card and have a Cricut Explore here is the Design Space file.  Enjoy!

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Thistle Ink

     Canary Ink

     Crystal Blue Ink

     Flower Market cricut cartridge

     Thistle CS

      3D Foam Tape

      Spray Pen (for water)

Other products:

     Cricut silver and black pens

     Ruler

     paintbrush

     Nuvo Embellishment Mousse Pure Platinum

          (used with water to paint "quilting lines" on watercolored panel)

     

My creative process usually entails finding a card sketch challenge to play along with so I used Case This Sketch #188 pictured here:

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

     CAS on Sunday--pastels

     Cut it Up--Watercolor

Now it's time to head on over to the Addicted to Stamps and More blog to see what the rest of the fabulous Design Team has to inspire you.  We are looking forward to seeing how this photo inspires you to create and commenting on your blogs.

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

:) Marie