Leaf Themed Card for Numerous Challenges

I spent a lot of time deciding on how many stamp challenges I could fit this card into as is the challenge at pile it on #40.  This is a new challenge for me along with some of the others ones I've chosen to enter this week.

Challenges:
pile it on #40--card made for a child (I think the smiley face on the maple leaf qualifies for this)
My Craft Spot Monday Challenge #70  Falling Leaf
Friday Mashup! -- Fall leaves with Twine
Frosted Design Fabulous Friday -- Something Embossed
Dynamic Duos -- Cherry Cobler and choice of other color
Cupcake Inspirations --photo of leaf topped cupcakes as inspiration

Here is my card:

 

 

 

The leaves were cut with the Close To My Heart Artiste Cricut cartridge (pg.78 at 2" and 1.75") and the acorn and oval were cut using the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge (acorn pg.36 at 1.25" and oval2 from page 32 at 1.25".)  Papers are CTMH Colonial White background, Cranberry (Cherry Cobbler substitute for Dynamic Duos), Honey and Kraft.  I used the Swiss Dots cuttlebug embossing folder to texturize the oak leaves and acorn and the Spots and Dots folder to dry emboss the kraft stripe.  A deckle edge scissor was used to trim the cranberry stripe.  The greeting stamped in Cranberry ink is from Hooray Bouquet and the smile face stamp is from a very old wood CTMH set called Scrapbook Kids.

Keep reading my blog--a Giveaway of some sort--details to come soon!

I will be celebrating my 100th post as a blogger soon. 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 #98 already!)

 

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

:) Marie

Personalized Birthday Card for Freshly Made Sketches #54

My good friend Linda is celebrating a big birthday today!  I used the Freshly Made Sketch #54 to create this one of a kind card.  It features Pemberly patterned paper, Bohemian alphabet, Indian Corn Blue Ink, Artiste cricut cartridge, Sky CS, Silver Shimmer Trim, 3D Foam Dots and Outdoor Denim Light Marker--all available through Close To My Heart and my website.   I used the marker to outline the shape to provide more contrast and make it pop up from the card. The "TH" is from a retired stamp set called Friendship Alphabet. The Artiste cut shape was found on page 33--Accent 2 cut at 3". The card measures 5" x 6.5".

 

 

The Freshly Made Sketch #54 that inspired me:

 

 

 

 

Keep reading my blog--a Giveaway of some sort--details to come soon! 

I will be celebrating my 100th post as a blogger soon. 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 #97 already!)

 

Thanks for stopping by today and a very happy birthday to Linda!

Transportation Theme at Exploring Cricut and My Time to Craft

Here is my entry for this week's Exploring Cricut challenge called Planes, Trains and Automobiles and for My Time to Craft #190.  My favorite cartridge is Close To My Heart Artiste which doesn't have those vehicles so I chose a hot air balloon which it does have. The "Oh Happy Day" banner is also one of the coordinating stamps that come with the Artiste Cricut Collection and the "Birthday Greetings" stamp is from Just a Number which has a wonderful assortment of sayings that can be used inside a card also. The greeting was first stamped in Versamark and then stamped in Ruby ink and then Clear Embossing Powder was applied with a heat tool.  The sky paper is very old computer paper which I thought would fit as an appropriate backdrop for the hot air balloon.  The base of the card is Desert Sand CS and the balloon was made with Ruby CS and Elemental paper pack.  I used Silver Shimmer Trim (which is also adhesive) between the sky and base of the card.  A couple of small strands of black baker's twine attach the balloon to the basket.

 

 

Thanks for taking a look at my card! 

 

I will be celebrating my 100th post as a blogger soon.  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.  (I think this is post #97 already!)

Freshly Made Sketch #53 Entry #2

If you haven't seen my previous post this week's Freshly Made Sketch #53 is here:

 

 

Card #2 is 6" square. The alternating stripes are from the Zip Strip of the Clementine pack and strips from the Florentine paper pack. The stripes were placed on a Creme Brulee background over black CS. The bottom layer is Clementine paper. Black Baker's Twine was placed under the black 3" circle. the greeting is Happy Birthday from 4 My Friend.



The circles were cut from CTMH Cricut Artiste cartridge and the greeting was embossed with Black embossing powder.

I can't decide which one I like better. Which one do you like better? Thanks for taking the time to look at my blog post!
Happy Creating!
:) Marie

Freshly Made Sketch #53 Entry #1

When I first saw this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches I didn't really like it, but I have to admit that it has really grown on me--so much so that I decided to try 2 different cards with it.  All materials are Close To My Heart except the cuttlebug embossing folder "Divine Swirls" in card #1.

Here is the sketch:

 

 

 

Card #1 is 5.5" square.  It uses 1/2" strips of CTMH rainbow colors: Cranberry, Sunset, Honey, Topiary, Pacifica, Gypsy and Pansy Purple cardstocks over a White Daisy base which was embossed with the above mentioned cuttlebug folder.  To pop it up a bit it was placed on black cardstock.  The Thanks greeting was embossed with with black embossing powder.  Since the swirls around the word Thanks look almost circular I did not place it on a circle as in the sketch.

 

 

 

 

Starburst Card for Friday Mashup

Two posts in one day!  How did that happen?  I wanted to try this Starburst Technique to enter the Friday Mashup Challenge and the deadline was 2 hours away so I had to do it today.  I used Miracle papers (retired CTMH), Silver Embossing Powder, Versamark Ink, Silver Shimmer Trim, Twilight CS and A1125 Thanks--all from Close To My Heart.  I found the directions to make this card here.

 

Please excuse the flash photography--it was dark outside when I got the inspiration to make this card and I wanted to post it right away.  I will be approaching my 100th post in a few weeks and would welcome suggestions on how to commemorate it on my blog.  I would love to read your comments.....

 

Happy creating!

:) Marie

All White Except a Stamped Image!

My Time to Craft's challenge this week is to make an all white card except for the image.  This idea really appealed to me so I cut many layers with my CTMH Artiste cricut cartridge. I used the Card function from page 63 to cut the flourished square at 2", 2.5", 3.0" and the negative piece that was cut at 3.5".  The featured stamp is from the new Casual Expressions Occasions set--a very versatile set!  (Most of the stamps in this set have a corresponding cricut Artiste cut.)  I first put my stamp in Versamark ink and then into Crystal Blue ink and then sprinkled clear embossing powder and heat set to give it a shiny appearance.  I also used a stylus to score the paper at 1/2" and 5/8" from each edge.  The top two layers are popped up with 3D mounting tape.  This is my first time entering this challenge and using the new Artiste cartridge made it so easy and fun to do! 

 

 

Thanks for visiting my blog today--what do you think of my new self made blog button (top right side)? Feel free to copy the code and put it on your blog to easily find me again.
Happy Creating!
:) Marie

Freshly Made Sketches 1st Anniversary Choice and Heart2Heart Challenge Go Big!

Congratulations to Freshly Made Sketches for providing inspiration for us for a full year!  I only recently started playing along and I really enjoy their clean sketches.  I'm also entering this card into the Heart2Heart challenge to make a card bigger than A2 size. My card is 5 x 6.5 which made it easier to showcase Close To My Heart's new Rosette Ribbon.  The papers are from CTMH--Lucy patterned paper and Grey Wool CS (both recently retired).  The greeting is from a very versatile new stamp set called Casual Expressions.  Although it may be difficult to see in this picture the greeting I chose says "You're Appreciated". I used Cotton Candy and Topiary markers to color in the accents on either side of the greeting.

Here is the card:

Here is the Freshly Made Sketch #18:

 

Thanks for stopping by to check out my artwork.  Feel free to leave a comment--they always make me smile!

Freshly Made Sketch #51 Numbered Birthday Card

I am really enjoying Freshly Made Sketches designs because  I like the clean lines and simplicity of them.  When I need to make a special card (like the one below) they are easy to follow.  Kudos to their designers!  This card uses all Close To My Heart products: Pemberly paper, Sunset CS, Honey and White Daisy.  Since we are allowed to use any shape for the focal element I wanted to embellish it by using a fancy cricut cut from the new CTMH Artiste collection.  This is a 5" by 6.5" card. The medallion was found on page 42 of the Artiste handbook--letter W accent 4 cut at 3.25".  The Sunset base is 3.5".  The numbers and Honey circle were cut at 1.75".  I applied Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel. and Durable Studs as the final accents.  This card came together very quickly and I love how it turned out! 

My card:

The sketch:

Color Dare #14-- Outdoor Denim, Indian Corn Blue and Crystal Blue

The challenge at Color My Heart Color Dare this week is to make a card (or other paper project) using the Close To My Heart colors of  Outdoor Denim, Indian Corn Blue and Crystal Blue.  I have to say that I struggled with this one for a while.  I like how the first 2 colors look together but I was have trouble  adding Crystal Blue to them comfortably until I remembered the striped pattern from the Miracle papers.  The greeting is from "A Little Thanks".  Here is what I came up with:

 

The bow was cut from the new CTMH Artiste cartridge--page 55 Accent #3 cut at 1".  I'm glad that I finally got to try this little cute paper bow which was so easy to cut and assemble.  Thanks for stopping by!  I wonder what wonderful colors Sarah will have for us to play with next week?!  Please consider playing along in this color challenge.

Clean and Simple Stamping FTL205 with Baroque Borders

When I saw this sketch I knew that I wanted to use one of the corner stamps from Close To My Heart's August Stamp of the Month called Baroque Borders.  I used Twilight as the base, Outdoor Denim as the middle layer and Sweet Leaf as the top layer.  The corner stamp was stamped with Twilight ink and the greeting was stamped in Outdoor Denim.  I really like how these colors work together.  The greeting is from D1476 Card Chatter--Sympathy which is a very versatile set of 15 greetings.

My card:

 

The sketch:

 

I'm still seeking 2 more players to receive a free handmade gift by me.  Check out the details here. Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketch #50 and Cas-ual Fridays 67--Use a Banner

Here is a birthday card made with holiday paper! It is new CTMH Pear and Partridge with Desert Sand and Cranberry CS.  (The green stripe is the reverse side of the patterned paper).  It was made using the Freshly Made Sketch #50 rotated 90 degrees.  Cas-ual Fridays 67 challenge is to use a banner or flag.  It was easy to cut this flag using the new CTMH Artiste cricut cartridge which comes with 3 coordinating stamp sets! I am having so much fun making cards and 3D items with this new cartridge!  The flag is popped up with mounting tape. and I used Stardust Glitter Gel on the red/pink elements on the patterned paper and the top of the flag to add some sparkle.  I really like how it turned out and hope you do too!

 My card:

 

 The sketch:

Thanks for stopping by and thanks to all the artists who provide these wonderful challenges!

Pay it Forward!

As I was being inspired by artwork on blogs I came upon a post by Carol Labuski at Scramping with Carol describing this challenge. This challenge applies to the first 3 people to post a comment on her "Pay it Forward" blog post. As I was one of the first three to comment on her blog post Carol has promised to send me something home made sometime in the coming year! I don't know what or when as it will be a surprise! For me the most fun is that I will get to offer the same challenge for others. I don't want to miss any of the details so I've copied the guidelines from her post here.

I will send a surprise gift to the first 3 people to comment on this post. This gift will be made by me and I will send it sometime within the next year. Exactly when you will receive it will be a surprise!

Of course there are some rules in this game and here they are:

1. I will make a little something for the first 3 people who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and may arrive at any time in the next 365 days (yes, a year).
2. To sign up to receive a gift from me you must play along, too. Share the giving love on your blog by promising to send a handmade goodie to the first 3 people who comment on your blog post.
3. You MUST have a blog.
4. After commenting on my post, you have to post this (or similar) on your blog to spread the love. If you haven’t posted in 48 hours then the next commenter will be chosen. If you want to join in just comment below and if you’re one of the first 3 I’ll send you something before the end of August next year! Can’t wait to hear from you!

Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are one of the lucky three for address details.  Enjoy the artwork I've posted on this blog while you are here. Thanks for playing along!
:) Marie

Freshly Made Sketch #49 and Color Dare #13

It's good to be back home and happily crafting again--although vacations are wonderful too!. I'm entering this card in these two challenges: Freshly Made Sketch #49 and Color My Heart Color Dare #13 which uses the Close To My Heart colors Twilight, Sorbet and Creme Brulee. Here is the sketch:

Here is my card:

I used the prescribed CTMH colors. The small flowers are from the Florentine paper pack. To make the flower centers, I used a regular hole punch to make the centers from Creme Brulee CS and then applied Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel. The greeting was stamped in Versamark and then Cocoa ink and then clear embossed and is from B1398 Just for You. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Freshly Made Sketch #47 and Color My Heart Dare #11

Happy Birthday to nephew Brendan! I followed the sketch that I found here for this card using the colors from here. The Color My Heart Dare #11 is to use any or all of these exclusive Close To My Heart colors: Ruby, Goldrush, Honey, Sweet Leaf, Indian Corn Blue and Cocoa. This card uses all of them except Sweet Leaf or Cocoa. I also used my new CTMH Cricut Artiste cartridge to cut the numbers, gear shaped label and banner that matches the Hip-Hip-Hooray stamp that comes in this collection. A little bit of stardust glitter gel was applied to the gear label and numbers. I enjoyed working with this sketch:

Here is my card:

I really like how nicely these colors have come together--especially the Ruby and Indian Corn Blue colors. Thanks to the talented ladies that sponsor these challenges and for stopping by to look at my artwork.