Color Dare #23--Sky and Gypsy--A Tribute to Toby

This week I have the honor of being a guest designer for Color My Heart Color Dare #23--Sky and Gypsy.  (You can view my winning entry that earned me this spot here.)  Last week my local quilt store closed it's doors forever and I wanted to do something special for it's owner, Toby, who has decided to retire and enjoy her new grandchild.  I have been wanting to make a card with a quilting theme for a long time and thought these colors would work together nicely in this format.  The CTMH patterned paper that I used was from Believe (blue with dots), Hooligans (darker purple--Gypsy and outside lighter purple scalloped edged border) and Magnifique (light blue squares in the center).  I also created my own "fabrics" by stamping images from the Love Life set with Sky and Gypsy inks.  The light purple center squares were made with a sponge and Gypsy ink.  I chose this particular quilt pattern because it was very similar to a pattern made by the quilt store owner called "Namchee Bazaar"--there were even smaller 1/2 square triangles and squares that I eliminated to make it easier to do.   Here is a helpful hint--when assembling these small pieces--glue them on to a piece of grid paper.  (The grid paper I used had 1/2" squares).   After I had all my pieces glued down I used a dry embossing folder by Darice (Plaid) and my Cuttlebug machine to add some texture.  The greeting is from the For Every Occasion set and was stamped in Versamark ink and Gypsy ink and then clear embossed.

This card truly was a labor of love and appreciation for all the wonderful times I spent sharing my love of quilting at Toby's store and all the inspiration I found there with all the people who worked there.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please consider joining in on the challenge this week at Color My Heart.  Have a wonderful week filled with fun and creativity!
:) Marie

Super Simple Birthday Card

Here is a very simple birthday card to make using our fabulous new Magnifique papers. Use a .5" of Pacifica CS and glue it .25" from the left side vertically.  Cut a 3.25" of striped paper and overlap the Pacifica stripe. Cut a .75" strip of patterned paper and glue it horizontally across card front about 1.5" from the top. Stamp "Happy Birthday" from D1187 For Every Occasion stamp set onto Lagoon CS with Pacifica Ink. Use your favorite tool to cut into an oval shape. (I used the Coluzzle cutting system). Sponge the edge with White Daisy ink and glue it onto the card centered over the horizontal stripe. How easy was that?





Fall Card Workshop--Make 20 beautiful greeting cards with a fall theme!

Here is a photo of all the cards we will be creating in my Fall Card Workshop on Wednesday, October 13 at 1:30 PM and at 7 PM.  If you are in the Hunterdon, Warren or Somerset NJ county areas and would like to attend please email me at mflayer@comcast.net.  The fee is $10 and all materials will be supplied including envelopes. (Where else can you purchase 20 greeting cards for $.50 apiece?) You must RSVP by Monday, October 11 so I can be sure to have enough supplies ready.  (Can't make the workshop but would like to make the cards--I can send all the card elements with the directions.  Email me if you are interested in that option.)

These cards were made from the Olivia Workshop on the Go set (G1013) from Close To My Heart.  The cardstock colors used are and Barn Red and Honey for the greetings.  Ink colors used are Barn Red for the greetings and Sunset and Barn Red for sponging the backgrounds.  I used my favorite greeting set--D1187 For Every Occasion which says just about everything! (if you don't have it and now "need" it you can order it through my CTMH website--just click the button on the right.)  I used an oak leaf punch for small embellishments and leaf stamps from the Olivia Workshop on the Go set and some Glitz Glitter Gel (Z1313) to make some of the elements sparkle.  I LOVE the Olivia papers!