CTMH Stampaganza Time!

June is a special month for Close To My Heart.  It is Stampaganza time.  Every so often, CTMH runs a deal that for every 2 stamps sets you purchase, you receive a 3rd of equal or lesser value for free!  Yes, for free!  This is the perfect time for this deal.  The current Idea Book will be replaced with the Fall/Winter Idea Book come August 1st.  It is so much fun anticipating the new Idea Book, but, it is possible that some of those wish list Christmas Stamp sets may be retired.  So, hop over to my website and make sure that you don't miss out on any sets that you may really want to use for all of those Holiday Cards you will be making.

Many of you may not know that I'm a design team member at Crafting By Designs.  This is a terrific community of crafty people, all of whom, have become friends while sharing their terrific creations.  Today I am hosting a sketch challenge called "Get Ready For Christmas."  I dug out some of my Christmas Stamps and created this card...

A few fun things about the "workings" of this card.  The Olive mat was first stamped with the flourish from "Adorn-able" (D1446) in New England Ivy.   I then scored it on the 1/2 inch mark, sanded and sponged the edges.  The Sentiment is from "Christmas Love" (D1492.)  If you look closely, the flourish on the star is a close match to the flourish from Adorn-able.  One of the easiest ways to make your cards look "finished" is to use repeating elements.  The flourish on the mat and the flourish on the stars create motion, interest and continuity.   By the way, the side stars were heat embossed in gold.  I merely heat embossed the sentiment twice and cut the stars out and popped them up on the card.  Oh...guess I should share the sketch...it is from Card Positioning Systems.

CTMH's Stampaganza runs through the end of the month.  Don't forget to hop over to my website to double check those wish list stamp sets.  For Now, Happy Crafting!

A Heart 2Heart Wedding Challenge Card

I have been sooooo busy creating, but none of it can be post yet!  In just 2 short weeks, I'll be heading off to the Close To My Heart Convention in Dallas!  This will be my second Convention and one of the traditions at any CTMH event is making swaps and roommate gifts.  Yes, you guessed it...that is what I've been working on.  I will post the all this work closer to the date.  I am taking a short break for the sea of Pemberely that I have been drowning in to work on my July Workshop, a challenge I am hosting of for Creating by Designs tomorrow and the Heart 2 Heart Challenge.

The Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week is to create a Wedding project.  So here is mine...

I dug out some retired stamps to complete this simple but elegant card.  The image was heat embossed in gold, cut out and popped up.   It from a a set called Precious Love (C1444.)  The congratulations is from a wonderful retired set called Gracious Greetings (D1265.)  I always grab that set whenever I want a "formal" card.  It has also been heat embossed in fold.

Well, it is not even 7:00am yet in Philadelphia and I am ready to get busy working on more projects.  :o)  For Now, Happy Crafting!

CTMH Stamp of the Month Meets Color My Heart

Whew, I can't believe that it has been a week since I got a post done.  I was so busy preparing for my monthly workshop that time just got away from me.  I love my monthly workshop.  My gals are getting so good that I am now really challenged to find fresh interesting ideas for them!  Love it!  :o)

Anyway, as soon as the last workshop is done, I start thinking about what what we will be doing the next month.  The Color My Heart challenge this week is to use Sky, Cranberry and Sunkiss Yellow on a project.  While we won't be using those colors in July, we will be making this fun slightly different gate fold card.

Before I get into the measurements needed to create this card, let me mention that  used the Close To My Heart June Stamp of the Month called "Life is Tweet."  This is such a cute stamp set and it can be yours for only $5 with a $50 purchase.  The birdie on the front flap has been stamped in Cranberry and his wings were colored by adding a drop of Cranberry re-inker to Glitz Glitter gel.  I randomly stamped the small flower stamp along the bottom to make it appear the the bird is standing in a field of flowers.  A tip...you should always "ground" your images.  For example...sponge grass along the bottom of a flower or tree.  Or, in this case, the flowers.  In life, objects don't just float in the air, so make sure that your card images aren't floating.  Anyway, I repeated the flowers on the inside flap along with stamping the sentiment.  I stamped the flower stem flourish on the outside cover and each of the inside flaps.  I did this to create "repeating elements" and have continuity.  "It's your birthday" was positioned so that it is hidden by the front cover when the card is closed.

Now for quick measurements for this card.  It is actually an A2 sized card and shouldn't cost additional postage.  The "base" is 4 1/4 x 10 inches and is scored at 4 1/2 inches.  The flap is 3 x 8 and is scored at 4 1/2 inches.  Attached the shorter portion of the flap to the back of of the card base for closure.  You now have several fun panels to decorate as you wish.

I had fun designing this card.  I love the CTMH Stamp of the month and you know I love color challenges.  The Color My Heart blog talks about triadic color combos.  If you remember, red blue and yellow are the primary colors.  As I mentioned, "brown" for card purposes is a 'neutral."  For this card, I used Chocolate...I thought it was totally unexpected and different and none the less a triadic color card.  Don't forget to hop over to Color My Heart for more CTMH inspiration.  For Now, Happy Crafting!

It's Never To Early To Start Those Holiday Cards...

This week's challenge over at Heart 2 Heart is an interesting Challenge...create a card using black, white and one color.  I know, I know, it's summer and everyone is thinking bright colors.  But, you know me, I had to do something a little different. 

Working with color is a "science."  We've talked before about the primary, secondary, analogous and complementary colors, but we've never really discussed neutrals.  White, black and gray and really the only neutral colors.  Brown is not really a "neutral" color because brown is a combination of many colors mixed together.  For card making challenge purposes, we usually do consider it as a "neutral."  Can you image how boring all of our cards would be if we only used black, white and gray?   :o)

Back to the Heart 2 Heart Challenge....their challenge was to create a card using black, white and one color.  I chose Ponderosa Pine as my "one" color.  I know, odd choice but I did so for a reason.  Remember, black and white are true neutrals.  Green (Ponderosa Pine) in this case is a Secondary Color...meaning that it is obtained when you mix blue and yellow (primary colors) together.  To my mind's eye, Ponderosa Pine has equal amounts of both the primary colors which allows it to match well with the true neutrals.  Think about Olive or New England Ivy.  They are also Secondary colors but have more yellow in the mix which causes them to match better with the Cocoa.  Remember browns are a mix of colors.  Now for my card...

This is a "Clean and Simple" card done on an A2 black tent fold base.  The first mat is White Daisy, the next is Ponderosa Pine and the image mat is back to White Daisy.  The sentiment and tree are stamped with Ponderosa Pine.  Both are from one of my all time favorite Close To My Heart stamp sets called "The Beauty of Christmas."  (B1116)   It has been retired for years, but it is one of my go to Holiday stamps.  I used my waterbrush to pick up just a touch of Ponderosa Pine to "ground" the tree and added Prisma Glitter to the branches and ground.

It's never too early to start those Holiday Cards.  Even though this is a "simple" card, I did put a great deal of thought into the science of the color.  Don't forget to check out Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog for more fun one color cards.  For Now, Happy Crafting!

A Color My Heart Challenge Card

A very special "thank you" to the Color My Heart Challenge Blog for citing my entry last week as their first challenge winner!  Whoo Who...made my day!  This week, their color dare is to use Pear, Moonstruck, Topiary and Lagoon....Some of my favorite colors together.  You know me, I love greens and blues together.

The challenge this week is the same as last.  In addition to using the selected colors, a project from one of the CTMH sketch books, along with current projects gets you bonus points.  For this card, I used a Card #4 from the Wishes "Just Because" workshop.  The butterfly was "rock and roll" inked and is from A Flutter and the sentiment is from Childhood Portrait.  For just a touch of bling, I used Prisma Glitter on the butterfly.  For just a tad more depth, I did tone on tone inking on the edges of the strips.

What fun....keep an eye on the "Color My World" challenge blog....I think you'll see a surprise in a week or so...  :o)  For Now, Happy Crafting!

A Heart 2 Heart Thank You

The other day, while at my Studio, I struck up a conversation with my next door  neighbor.  She is a remarkably bright and energetic women in her 80's.  I have know her since I was a baby.  We were reminiscing about  flower gardens and feathered friends.  In the past years, she has had beautiful blue birds that nested in the bird houses that her late husband had built.  When I asked her if her blue birds were still around, sadly she responded that they hadn't returned this year.  I remembered the photos that I had taken last year of these impressive creatures.

I have wanted to give her a little "thank you" for keeping an eye on my Studio on the days that I can't be there.  This week's Heart 2 Heart challenge is to add a photo to a project.  Perfect!  Make that thank you and do something for Heart 2 Heart.  :o)

This is a one page layout that I will frame that will act as both a "thank you" from me and a "thank you" from the blue birds for their home.  The base of the layout is "Sky."  I had one left over scrap of Sorbet Elemental that served as the element in the upper left corner.  The strip along the bottom is Pacifica and was stamped tone on tone using the flourishes from "Love Life." (D1482)  After I did the stamping, I scored and sanded it.  My goal was to pick up the movement of the tree limbs in the background and the texture of the wood bird house.  The letters were cut with the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge with Opaques added as embellishment.  Blue and Orange are the perfect complimentary colors to show off the beautiful markings of the birds.  A few pieces of ribbon, a few more Opaques and hand rolled flowers and the layout was complete.

I'm glad that I had the opportunity to get this layout completed and can't wait to give it to her.  Don't forget to check out the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog for more inspiration using photos on your projects.  For Now, Happy Crafting!