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

Color Dare #190 Joins Retrosketch #211

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge post!  This week we are challenging you to create something using the following Close to My Heart colors:  Ruby, Gypsy, Honey, Pear and Colonial White.

(If you don't have any of these CTMH colors yet you may substitute with a similar color so you can still join us in our gallery).

Close to My Heart products used:

     Colonial White CS

     Ruby CS

     Kaleidacolor paper

     Your Beautiful Self stamps

     Say it All stamps

     Gypsy Ink

     Ruby Ink

     Honey Ink

     Sponge Daubers

     Hemp Twine (retired)

Before I sponged the background panel I applied a piece of washi tape to mask off the Colonial White background so I could stamp my greeting.

My card was inspired by Retrosketch #211:

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

Regatta Birthday Card

This card was made for a delightful young lady with Close to My Heart's Regatta paper and the Artfully Sent cartridge.

Quite a while ago I cut out this birthday cake and candle image from the Artfully Sent cartridge and this is what was left on my mat.  I applied Close to My Heart Bonding Memories glue pen to the remnants on my mat and carefully placed the Regatta paper panel on it and lifted up all the pieces.  I personalized by writing in the cake stand with a My Legacy Writer and purple glitter pen (Crayola).  The candle flames were colored with Gold Wink of Stella and the cake stand was colored with Metallic Silver pen.

I'm entering it into the following challenges:

     Between the Folds--Regatta paper

     Cards in Envy--Birthday

     Seize the Birthday--Anything Goes

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

:) Marie

p.s. Please be sure to stop by tomorrow when a new Color Dare challenge will be shared.

Happy Times with Sunday Stamps Sketch #124

Here is a sneak preview of the Happy Times paper packet which will be available during May from Close to My Heart.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Happy Times paper (available May 2016)

     White CS

     Juniper CS

     Canary CS

     Juniper Ink

     A Blossom stamp 

     Scallop punch (retired)

     Sponge Dauber

The inspiration for my card came from Sunday Stamps #124:

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #189 and Try Stampin' on Tuesday Take Two

When I made my Color Dare challenge card the other day I had leftover pieces from the background panel I randomly stamped with the Ink Blot stamps.  Here is what I made with those extra pieces:

Here is my first card:

Which one do you like better?

Close to My Heart products used:
     White Daisy CS
     Juniper CS
     Thistle CS
     Hollyhock CS
     Hollyhock Ink
     Thistle Ink
     Ink Blot stamps
     Artistry cricut cartridge
     White Shimmer Trim
     Thistle ribbon

Here is the Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch that I used:

Here is the Color Graphic from Color My Heart Color Dare:

I invite you to play along in both of these fun challenges this week.

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

:) Marie

Music to My Ears Hello Card

The theme at Bitten by the Bug 2 this week is "Music to My Ears" and I decided to play along by combining it with a Heart 2 Heart sketch.  I love these two colors together!

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Sapphire CS

     Thistle CS

     Sapphire Ink

     Thistle Ink

     Hello Blooms stamp set

     You Rock stamps (retired)

     Artiste cartridge

     Art Philosophy cartridge (blue mat modified in Design Space)

     Silver Foil Tape

Other products used:

     Crystal Stickles

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

:) Marie

     

Color Dare #189 Meets Try Stampin' on Tuesday #266

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post!  This week we are inviting you to create something with just these colors:  Juniper, Thistle, Hollyhock and White Daisy.  Here is my card:

Here is the Color Dare color graphic:

    

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Juniper CS

     Hollyhock CS

     Thistle CS

     Artistry cartidge

     Ink Blot stamp set

     Hollyhock Ink

     Thistle Ink

     Thistle Ribbon

     White sequins from Coral Reef sequins (retired)

My card was inspired by the Try Stampin' on Tuesday #266 Sketch:

Now it's your turn to get creative--how will you use 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

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #155 Sympathy Card

I'm a Guest Designer this week on the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog! As a past Design Team member I was invited back to share something from a sketch of my choice.  Thank you to the lovely ladies of AHSC--I have always enjoyed your marvelous sketches!

I made my own flat embellishments by using a 1/4" hole punch and Peacock CS. Crystal Stickles were then applied to them to give them that sparkle! (Oh, how I miss CTMH Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel!)

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Glacier CS

     Peacock CS

     Keep Your Chin Up stamp

     Sincere Expressions stamp

     Laughing Lola Cardmaking ink blot stamp (retired)

     Glacier ink

     Peacock Ink

Other products:

     Crystal Stickles--on some leaves

     Wink of Stella White--on some leaves

Here is the fabulous Atlantic Hearts Sketch that inspired me:

I hope you can find some time this week to create something using this wonderful sketch and share it with the Atlantic Hearts challenge blog.

If you are looking for a good color challenge I also invite you to check out the current Color My Heart Color Dare challenge to use colors from the Regatta paper pack.

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

:) Marie

     

Case This Sketch #167 With a Golf Theme

I really liked this week's Case This Sketch #167 and this is the third card that it has inspired:

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Grey Wool CS (retired)

     Tee Time stamp set (retired)

     Topiary Ink

     Share the Love greeting (retired)

     Versamark Ink

     Ranger Super Fine Silver embossing powder

Here is the Case This Sketch #167 that inspired my cardmaking:

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

:) Marie

Penguin Baby Card for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #274

Welcome back to another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog post!  This week we are challenging you to make a project with your cricut machine that has a "Babies" theme.

The penguins on my card are from the Ultimate Creative Sampler and the sentiment is from Close to My Heart Artbooking cartridge.

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Sapphire CS

     Artbooking cartridge  (look whoos here)

     Heavenly Blue CS (retired)

     Heavenly Blue B & T paper (retired)

     Honey Marker (retired)

     Black Legacy Marker .02

     

Other products:

     Holographic curling ribbon

     Metallic curling ribbon (I hand cut the 3 stars)

     Ultimate Creative Sampler cricut cartridge (Penquin image)

My card was inspired by the Sketch Saturday sketch #406:

Head on over to the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog where you will find inspiring Design Team projects and by participating you may just win a prize!

Challenge #274-Babies
Make a project with a Babies theme.

  This Week's Sponsor

$10.00 Gift Certificate

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.

If it isn't a card, you will get two entries into the drawing!

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

Pen Pals 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!

The card I have to share with you was made with two new Close to My Heart stamp sets that I just acquired called Pen Pals and Ink Blot.  

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Peacock CS

     Ink Blot stamps

     Pen Pal stamps

     Glacier Ink

     Sapphire Ink

     Saffron Ink

     Peacock Ink

I followed Case This Sketch #167 for my card layout.

The next stop of the blog hop is Debi B.'s blog.  I'm sure you'll be delighted with what she has to share!

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

:) Marie