Floral Sophia Card for Freshly Made Sketch #245

The current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches really appealed to me so I made this quick card using my stash.

The stamp is from a Close to My Heart consultant only set called "A Huge Thanks".  I stamped it in a very old pale ink called Lavender and then used old Hollyhock and Pear CTMH markers to color over it.  (I've found that marker coloring does not work as well on acrylic stamps as it does on red rubber stamps).  Other products used were CTMH Sophia paper, White Daisy CS,  Pear CS and the Artistry cartridge to cut the matted frames.

Here is the Freshly Made Sketch that inspired my card:



If you like the color brown there is a fabulous color challenge over at the Color Dare blog.

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

Color Dare #202 Meets Sketch Saturday #420

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post!  The Color Dare challenge this week is to combine Colonial White and any 1,2,3,4,5 or 6 of the following Close to My Heart Browns:  Cocoa, Chocolate, Saddle, Cashmere, Champagne and Desert Sand.

 My card was designed on my Cricut Explore machine using a diamond shape which was repeated in various sizes to make a stencil to sponge ink through.  Here is the Design Space file if you'd like to use it.  :)

Close to My Heart products used:

     Colonial White CS

     Chocolate CS

     Champagne CS

     Sponge Daubers

     Bamboo Ink

     Champagne Ink

     Cashmere Ink

     Desert Sand Ink

     Saddle Ink

     Cocoa Ink

     A Huge Thanks (consultant only stamp set)

Here is the Color My Heart Color Dare graphic.  (Just click on it to get to the blog).  

Here is the Sketch Saturday #420 sketch that inspired my card:

Now it's your turn to get creative--how many CTMH browns will you use?  Come check out what the rest of the 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

Seashell Card for Bitten by the Bug and Designer's Choice Challenge #713

Have you ever bought a Cricut cartridge because you really liked one image? One day I was looking to make a seashell type card from the choices in Design Space and found this card from Anna's Summer Soiree cartridge.  Off I went to Ebay to bid on the cartridge and several days later it arrived at my door.

Which one do you like best?

Products used:

     Anna's Summer Soiree cartridge

     Recollections Shimmer Champagne paper

     CTMH Desert Sand CS

     CTMH Indian Corn Blue CS (retired)

     Cricut Copper and Bluebonnet Pens

I'm entering these cards into the following 2 challenges:

     Bitten by the Bug--Pool or Beach Theme

     Designer's Choice Challenge at Repeat Impressions--Masculine Theme

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

:) Marie

Frog Birthday for Addicted To Stamps and More #202

I'm happy to announce that I have become a Design Team member for the wonderfully talented Addicted to Stamps and More team!  Thanks, Kylie, for this wonderful opportunity to share my passion for stamping and papercrafting.  

This week's challenge is to "Make Your Mark" and we are being sponsored by Sami's Stamps.  My card features the following two digital images from Sami's Stamps: Frog Birthday and Bird on a Branch. 

Products used:

     Black CS

     Sky Ink (sponged background)

     Ranger Gold Embossing Powder

     I Frogot your Birthday from Rubbernecker stamp

     Shin Han Touch Markers:  Leaf Green, Sap Green, Cerulean Blue

           Golden Yellow, Mahogany

     Gold Metallic Marker

     Glitter Glue

We would love for you to stop by and play along with us if you can. 

  

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

:) Marie

       

Shaker Birthday Card for Joyful Stars Bllog Hop

Welcome back to the July 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 Helen'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 frame on my card was cut with the Artistry cartridge.  There is a foam sandwich (also cut with the Cricut) between the layers with an acetate window so I could put in some gold foil stars.  (from the May Happy Times paper special).

Close to My Heart products used:

     Whimsy Paper Fundamentals paper (Juniper)

     White Daisy CS

     Juniper CS

     Peacock CS

     Peacock Ink

     Happy Times Gold Foil paper (retired)

     Say it All stamps set (Hostess Rewards special)

     Juniper Alcohol Marker (retired)

Other products:

     White craft foam  

My card was inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #244:

I'm also entering this card into the Addicted To Stamps and More #201 Anything Goes challenge and Cut it Up Anything Goes Challenge.

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

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #201 Meets Mojo Monday #455

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post!  This week we are challenging you to use all and only the colors from the Magical paper pack: Black, Cranberry, Crystal Blue, Honey, Sapphire, Whisper and White Daisy. (Of course, if you don't have these Close to My Heart colors yet you can substitute similar colors so you can still join in the fun!)  I needed to make an anniversary card for my son and daughter-in-law and thought that the colorful heart background would be fun to use.

Close to My Heart products used:
     Magical Paper Pack
     White Daisy CS
     Cranberry CS
     Crystal Blue CS
     Whisper CS
     Black Ink
     The Happy Couple

Here is the Color My Heart Color Dare color graphic:

Here is the sketch from Mojo Monday #455 that inspired my card:

I'm also entering this card into the Between the Folds Magical challenge and Addicted to Stamps and More Anything Goes challenge.

Thank You Card with Case This Sketch #179

The card sketch at Case This Sketch #179 really appealed to me and I was able to find the time to make a quick card.

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Peacock CS

     Artiste banner stamp (stamped on the reverse side)

     Doodled Designs

     A Thousand Thanks stamp

     Happy to Be Friends stamps

     Fern Ink

     Peacock Ink

     Saffron Ink

     Glacier Ink

     Glitter gems (retired)

Here is the wonderful sketch that I followed:

Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge Blog is celebrating their 200th challenge with a prize giveaway this week.  Please go here to check out how you can win a FREE pack of Close To My Heart paper. 

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

:) Marie

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #280--Celebrating National Ice Cream Month

Welcome back to another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog post!  This week we are challenging you to create something in honor of National Ice Cream month!

My card features an ice cream cone cut from the Close to My Heart Artistry cartridge.  The greeting is from "Ice Cream Dream" the June 2015 CTMH stamp of the month.  The patterned paper is from the Florence paper pack.   

I am also entering this card into the Scrappin' 4 Fun challenge called "Quotes/ Sentiments".

Challenge #280 National Ice Cream Day/Month

This Weeks Sponsor is:

$15.00 Gift Certificate

And we are giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate, courtesy of Penny Light!

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.

You can enter your project at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog here.

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #200 Meets Try Stampin' on Tuesdays #276

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post.  This is challenge #200 and we are very excited to share the opportunity for you to win a paper packet of Close to My Heart paper of your choice.  Details later in this blog post.  This week we are challenging you to use all and only the following Close to My Heart colors:  Ruby, Sapphire and Colonial White.  (If you don't have these CTMH colors yet you can substitute similar colors so you can still join in on the fun!)

Close to My Heart products used:

     Sapphire CS

     Ruby CS

     Colonial White CS

     Ruby Ink

     Sapphire Ink

     Fairytale Birthday

     Ruby Chevron Washi tape

     Vellum (retired)

Here is the Color Dare challenge graphic.  Just click on it to get to our challenge blog to be inspired by the rest of the fabulous Design Team.  

Here is the Try Stampin' on Tuesdays sketch that inspired me:

I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Wednesday Anything Goes challenge.

Now on to the Color My Heart Color Dare celebration!  If you enter a project with the challenge colors and you are selected as the Diamond Award winner you will get to create a future Color Dare challenge! That could be lots of fun especially since Close to My Heart will be introducing eight new colors on August 1.

The Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog has been challenging our followers for the past 4 years and we very much appreciate all the ways our Design Team and participants have inspired us to create with these awesome Close to My Heart exclusive colors.

  

Would you like to win a new paper pack (Fundamentals, solid cardstock, or themed paper from the current Annual Inspirations catalog, Seasonal Expressions catalog or upcoming Annual Inspirations and Holiday Expressions catalog)?  

All you have to do is comment on ALL the Design Team's entries this week and your name will be put into a random draw to win.  You don't need to create a project to be eligible--just comment on all of our entries. For each 10 people who comment on all DT entries there will be one prize given. If we have 20 people comment on all entries then we will have 2 prizes., etc.

The Design Team entries can be found here.

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

P.S. If you really like what you see on my blog please consider becoming a "follower". There is a "join this site" button on the right side of the page down quite a bit.  Thanks!

A Bunch of Love Condolence Card Again

It seems that I've needed quite a few sympathy cards recently and I've been reaching for my "A Bunch of Love" stamp and matching Thin Cut die.

This time I also added some "shimmer" by using Recollections Shimmer Champagne cardstock and Nuvo Crystal Drops Neptune on the round accents.  (I applied some Neptune drops onto Peacock CS and swiped across with an old plastic gift card.  When it dried I then used a 3/8" hole punch.)

Close to My Heart products used:

     Peacock CS

     White Daisy CS

     Peacock Ink

     A Bunch of Love stamp

     A Bunch of Love Thin Cut

     Sincere Expressions stamp

     Whisper Ink

Other products:

     Prismacolor pencils

     Recollections Shimmer Champagne CS

     Nuvo Crystal Drops--Neptune

     We R Memory Keepers Wave embossing folder

You can go here and here to see some other Sympathy cards I made with this stamp and Thin Cut die.

My card layout was based on this wonderful Tuesday Morning Sketch #357:

I'm also entering this card into the Simon Says challenge to add some Shimmer,  Can You Case it favorite die challenge and Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes With Dies.

If you are looking for a fun color challenge this week I encourage you to try Color My Heart Color Dare's Pacifica, Sunset, Cranberry and White Daisy challenge.

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

:) Marie

Hooray Bouquet for Color Dare #199

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post. This week we have a 4 color challenge--Pacifica, Sunset, Cranberry and White Daisy.  My flowers were cut with the soon to retire CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge and stamped with the soon to retire Hooray Bouquet stamp set.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Pacifica CS

     Cranberry CS

     Sunset Ink

     Cranberry Ink

     White Daisy CS

     Art Philosophy cartridge

     Hooray Bouquet stamp set

     White Shimmer Trim

     3D Foam Tape

Here is the Color Graphic for Color Dare #199.  Just click on it to get to our challenge blog to be inspired by the rest of the fabulous Design Team.  We would like you to use all and only these colors but if you don't have these Close to My Heart colors yet you may substitute with similar colors.

My card layout was inspired by this fabulous sketch from Freshly Made Sketches #242:

I'm also adding this card to the Simon Says Stamp Shimmer challenge.

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

:) Marie

Foiled Fourth of July Card for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #279

Welcome back to another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog post!  This fortnight our theme is "Patriotic".  This week we are being sponsored by Bugaboo stamps. To be eligible to win 7 digital stamps from Bugaboo all you have to do is be sure to use one Cricut cut.  The red border around the card is red foil curling ribbon from my stash.  The light blue sprayed background was created with Summer Sky Fireworks glitter spray by Imagine Works.

My 4th of July card is very sparkly although it may not have photographed that way.  I used the Summer Celebrations cartridge and Heidi Minc toner paper and foils for the sparklers and sentiment.  The white star is Recollections Antique Gold Shimmer cardstock.

The inspiration for my card layout came from Case This Sketch #177 challenge.

We hope you'll stop by the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog to be inspired by the rest of the fabulous Design Team creations.  We would love to have you join us in this challenge.

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

Freshly Made Father's Day Card

Here is a quick Father's Day card I made following Freshly Made Sketch #241.

Close to My Heart products used:

     White Daisy CS

     Aspen Green CS (retired)

     Ponderosa Pine Ink (retired)

     Say it All stamp     

     Turtle stamp (retired)

     3D Foam Tape

Other products used:

     Holographic gold ribbon

     Gold Thread by Stampin Up

     Geometric Embossing Folder by We R Memory Keepers

     Tiny wiggle eyes

Here is the Freshly Made Sketch that inspired my card:

I'm also entering this card into the Hiding in My Craft Room and Cards in Envy Masculine theme challenges.

     

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

:) Marie

Color Dare #198--Cotton Candy, Sweet Leaf and White Daisy

Welcome back to another Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog post.  This week we have another 3 color challenge--Cotton Candy, Sweet Leaf and White Daisy.  Here is a quick card I made using the Artistry cartridge and a Sketch Saturday sketch.

Would you like to know how I created the "texture" on the main panel behind the Cotton Candy flowers?  Here is a closeup view:

Okay, here is what I used:
     Sweet Leaf Ink pad
     White Daisy CS
     Large acrylic block
     Glad "Press n Seal"--place the 'sticky" side onto the block, smooth it out and            apply ink to the other side and then "stamp" onto White Daisy CS.

Close to My Heart products used:
     Artistry cartridge
     Cotton Candy CS
     Zoe paper
     White Daisy CS
     Seaside Greetings birthday greeting
     Adorable stamp set (retired)
     Cotton Candy Ink
     Sweet Leaf Ink
     Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel (retired)

Other products:
     White craft foam to back the center panel
     Liquid Pearls White Opal

Here is the Color Graphic for Color Dare #198.  Just click on it to get to our challenge blog to be inspired by the rest of the fabulous Design Team.  We would like you to use all and only these colors but if you don't have these Close to My Heart colors yet you may substitute with similar colors.
   

   

Here is the Sketch Saturday sketch that inspired my card layout:

I'm also entering this card into the Seize the Birthday Anything Goes challenge.

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

:) Marie

   

Sympathy Card in Sapphire, Crystal Blue and Whisper For FMS 240

My favorite colors are in the blue family so I decided to combine Close to My Heart Sapphire and Crystal Blue with a neutral Whisper for a Sympathy card.  I am happy with the result.

Close to My Heart products used:

     Crystal Blue CS

     Sapphire CS

     Whisper CS

     Sapphire Ink

     Crystal Blue Ink

     Floral Embossing Folder

     Sincere Expressions stamp

     Sponge Daubers

Here is the fabulous Freshly Made Sketch #240 that inspired my card:

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

:) Marie