You Are Awesome Card

Do you know someone who is just amazingly awesome? I believe that it is good to recognize those who have blessed you with their friendship, willingness to listen, and ability to tolerate you.  This week, I created a card that you can give those awesome people using the a sentiment and little girl image from our A Bushel & a Peck stamp set.  Isn’t this just adorable?!  I love the combination of Glacier and Bashful together. If you would like to recreate this card you can find the list of supplies I used at the bottom of this post.

Paper Needed: 5½” x 4¼” White Card Base, 5¼” x 4″ B&T (Blue Leaf Fresh Air), 4¾” x 3¼” Glacier Cardstock, 4¼” x 3″ White Daisy Cardstock, 4″ x 2¾” B&T (Pink Beautiful Freindship), White Daisy Cardstock for stamped image

Techniques & Tips Just for You:
• The Glacier cardstock was embossed using a small dots embossing folder.
• I curved the sentiment and placed it onto a block before stamping it onto the B&T paper with Black Ink.
• Here is a list of the ShinHan™ markers used:  Mahogany, Bronze, Clay, Light Orange, Pastel Peach, Tender Pink, Cerulean Blue Light, Turquoise Blue, Colorless Blender

I hope you take some time to create a few of these cards to give to those who are willing to put up with your nonsense. 😉  Remember, this exclusive  A Bushel & a Peck stamp set is only available through June 30th for $17.95 on my website or for only $5.00 with a qualifying purchase.  I can’t wait to see what you create with our Stamp of the Month.

A Bushel & a Peck Stamp Set	Fresh Air Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Markers
Black Memento Ink	My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit	Glacier & Gold Ribbon	Glue Dots	3D Foam Dots
	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	MicroTip Scissors

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Thanks a Bushel Step-Card

Life is about trying new things, having experiments blow up in your face, and finding the blessing in everything. This week, I wanted to try my hand at a Front Panel Step-Card, and, since card making is one of my weaknesses, it just didn’t seem to go as planned.  Even though the end-result turned out beautifully, the path to discovery was not so glamorous.

As you do in each experiment, I researched the subject. After browsing Pinterest for hours, saving snippets of summer meals, scrapbook sketches, farmhouse decor, …oh, and a thousand ways to make a step-card, I finally settled on a pattern by Colleen Vaux. I thought “I can do this!” (I am sure Tesla and Einstein said the same thing when they formed their hypothesis.) Now the experimenting begins.

Observations:
1. If you choose to change a horizontal step-card to a vertical step-card, take the time to research a new pattern. You aren’t Einstein and math hurts the ever-aging brain cells.
2. When altering one’s pattern, make sure it will fit into the envelope you intend to send it in. Measure twice, cut forty times. (Procedure not working – time to go back to original horizontal pattern.)
3. Do not cut off the side panels. You need those. (Gathering more materials.)
4. When all else fails, turn to your Cricut®. (Make sure you have a decent cutting mat to avoid another piece of cardstock being ruined.)
5. If you are going to go to all this trouble to create a card, you should take some time to enter the Three Amigos and  heARTful stamping challenge.

My experimenting led to a mess of excess, cut-up, cardstock that will go into my scrap pile. I did finally turn to my Cricut® to create this cut file that I can use in the future and avoid additional failed experiments. I proceeded to use products from our New Seasonal Expressions 2 , including the Fresh Air Paper Packet and A Bushel & a Peck stamp set, to decorated the card. All of the supplies I used can be found on my website.

I hope you take the time to try to create a step-card this week using the Free Cricut Design Space™ File I created for you. Now, time to continue on riding the bicycle of life, because in order to keep my balance I must keep moving. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Father’s Day Card & Gift Box

Father’s Day is right around the corner, and, since I enjoy giving you crafty ideas for holidays, I decided to create this Pinterest inspired “Apple of My Eye” card and gift box using the A Bushel & a Peck stamp set.  This fun four-inch card not only has a sweet saying on the outside, but it includes the “I love you a bushel & a peck” sentiment inside.  How great would this be to give to a dad in your life?  You can fill the box with their favorite treat or add some baseball tickets or a few gift cards.

This “Apple of My Eye” card and gift box was not only designed with you in mind, but I also created it to enter this week’s Color My Heart Dare and heARTful Stamping challenges.  It’s been awhile since I have joined one of these challenges.  My craft-room has been in such a disarray that I haven’t been able to make much of anything, so being able to join these challenges makes my crafty heart happy.  If you would like to recreate this project you can find the list of supplies I used at the bottom of this post, along with the instructions for completing the project.

Paper Needed for Card: 8″ x 4″ White Daisy Cardstock, (2) 4″ x 4″ Nutmeg Cardstock, 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy Cardstock, 1″ x 2¾” White Daisy Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock Scraps

Card Assembly Instrucions:
1. To create the card base, fold the 8″ x 4″ White Daisy cardstock in half lengthwise and burnish the fold with a Bone Folder.
2. Adhere one of the 4″ x 4″ pieces of Nutmeg cardstock onto the front of the card base.
3. Using your paper trimmer, cut out a 3″ square from the center of the other 4″ x 4″ piece of Nutmeg cardstock. If desired, shade the edges of the “Frame” using a Sponge Dauber and Nutmeg Ink. Using Foam Tape, adhere the “Frame” onto the card.
4. Using Glacier Ink, stamp the “Buffalo Check” from the Documented Scrapbooking stamp set onto the 1″ x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock. Adhere this across the base of the 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock. (You can choose to use B&T paper instead.)
5. Using Nutmeg Ink, stamp the “You’re the Apple of My Eye” sentiment onto the upper left corner of the 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock. Using New England Ivy Ink, stamp the “Small Hearts” below the sentiment. (If you don’t own the Documented stamp set, the Leaf would look cute as an alternative to the hearts.)
6. Adhere the 2¾” x 2¾” White Daisy cardstock onto the center of the card.
7. Using Black Memento Ink, stamp the “Apple Basket” and “Apple” onto scraps of White Daisy cardstock.
8. Shade the “Apple Basket” and “Apples” using ShinHan™ Markers.  Cut out the images and add them to the card using Foam Tape.
9. Stamp a sentiment inside the card, if you desire.

The Apple of My Eye Treat Box was create using a box image that I uploaded into Cricut Design Space™ and it decorated in much the same way that I did the card. You can find instructions for uploading the box image in this Tuesday Tutorial. Don’t forget that the A Bushel & a Peck stamp set is only available through June 30th for $5.00 with a qualifying purchase.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

A Bushel & a Peck Stamp Set	Fresh Air Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Nutmeg Cardstock	Documented Scrapbooking Stamp Set
Black Memento Ink	Nutmeg Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	New England Ivy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Glacier Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Markers
New England Ivy Twine	Foam Tape	Fresh Air Shapes	My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit	Glacier & Gold Ribbon
	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	MicroTip Scissors

Thanks A Bushel Card

If you are like me, you always have a need for Thank-You cards, so, this week, I created a few using the adorable images and a sentiment from our exclusive A Bushel & a Peck stamp set. I love sending happy mail to customers, especially homemade cards, but each one needs to be quick to make as well as fun to receive.   This card defiantly “fits the bill” – quick to create, easy to assemble, and ready to send.  If you would like to recreate this card you can find the list of supplies I used at the bottom of this post, along with a few techniques to help you complete a few thank- cards to add to your collection.

Paper Needed: 5½” x 4¼” White Card Base, 5¼” x 4″ B&T (Green Fresh Air), 4¾” x 3½” B&T (Burlap Fresh Air), 2½” x 2½” B&T (Green Fresh Air), 1½” x 4″ Espresso Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock scraps

Techniques Used:
• The circle was created using a 2¼” Stitched Circle Thin Cut cut in half.
• The background on the Espresso cardstock was created by randomly stamping the “Blowing Leaf” image onto the Espresso cardstock with VersaMark™ Ink, then it was sprinkled with White Embossing Powder and heat applied with a Craft Heater.
• Three stands of New England Ivy Twine was wrapped around the shorter ends of the Espresso cardstock.
• Color was added to the apples using ShinHan™ markers. Each of the apples was shaded fully with Cherry Pink, then I used Carmine to add shadows and a Colorless Blender to add light reflections. I shaded the “Leaves” with Sap Green.
• I used the Bronze and Clay ShinHan™ markers to shade the “Basket” then used Sap Green and Pastel Green to finish the details.

How cute would this look if you made the apples bright green? Or added a stitched border? Your imagination is your only limitation. I hope you take some time to create a few Thank-You cards using the A Bushel & a Peck stamp set. This exclusive stamp set is only available through June 30th for $17.95 on my website or for only $5.00 with a qualifying purchase.  I can’t wait to see what you create with our Stamp of the Month.

A Bushel & a Peck Stamp Set	Fresh Air Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Espresso Cardstock	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Markers
VersaMark™ Ink Pad	Ranger™ White Embossing Powder	Fresh Air Shapes	Marvy® Uchida® Journaling Pen	Craft Heater
All-Purpose Mat	Thin Cuts Stitched Circles	Black Memento Ink	My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit	Glue Dots
Bonding Memories Glue Pen	New England Ivy Twine	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	MicroTip Scissors	3D Foam Dots
		SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer

Seasonal Expressions 2 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Seasonal Expressions 2 Blog Hop,where we will be featuring products from our amazing Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog .  If you haven’t had a chance to view this catalog, you can do so online or receive one free when you place an online order in May.  If you have come here from Krista Hershberger’s blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished here, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

For this Blog Hop, I was able to do three things I love: Join a blog hop full of talented ladies, create some cards for my wonderful downline, and join in a Color My Heart Dare challenge.  I just love the Sapphire, Smoothie, and Heather combination in our Beautiful Friendship collection. I have been seeing this color combination everywhere lately.  How awesome is it that Close to My Heart is “in the know” when it comes to seasonal color combinations?!

And those tea cups….oh, my gosh!  I have fallen in love with the Beautiful Friendship Cardmaking set.  I just love those little flowers that you can add to the Cup and Teapot, not to mention that adorable little Teabag.

Here are a few techniques I used on this card:

• The Sapphire background was created using one of the PML cards from the Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet.  I always end of with a few of these leftover and they make great backgrounds for cards.
• The “Create” sentiment is from another one of my favorite stamp sets – We Are Makers.  I just love all these crafty sentiments that can be used on cards, scrapbook pages, or in a frame with Cricut® flowers.
• The “Steam” was stamped with Heather Ink using the second-generation stamping technique. This prevented it from competing with the sentiment, yet still gave another layer of depth to the card.
• The “Teacup” was stamped in Black Ink, then I added the Flower design with Smoothie ink.  I wanted to add a little blue, but I was too lazy to color the flowers, so I added some dots with a ShinHan™ Twin Touch™ Marine Blue Marker.
• Both the Teabag and the Teacup were cut-out using our matching Thin Cuts. You can purchase the Beautiful Friendship Cardmaking stamp set as a bundle with these Thin Cuts dies.
• For another layer of texture, I stitched the “Banners” along the right side of the card using a Ruler and Piercing & Embossing Tool.

Just in case you wanted to re-create this card, I have included a complete list of the supplies I used at the very bottom of this post. You can continue through the blog hop and see more ideas from almost twenty other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using our products from the Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog on their blogs.

Now “Hop” on over to Alayne Fleming’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting tips and other fun ideas! If you would like a free Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog, contact your CTMH Consultant, or send me a message on my website. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Beautiful Friendship Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts	Beautiful Friendship Paper Packet	12 x 12 Smoothie Cardstock	12 x 12 Sapphire Cardstock	We Are the Makers Stamp Set
White Twine	Smoothie Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad	Black Memento Ink Pad	Heather Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock
My Acrylix® Block Starter Kit	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Marine Blue Marker	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Pastel Peach Marker	ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Tender Pink Marker	White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack
Piercing & Embossing Tool Kit	Thin 3D Foam Tape	Bonding Memories Glue Pen	3D Foam Dots	Tweezers
	Adhesive Runner	SureCut™ Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	Non-Stick MicroTip Scissors

Step Right Up! Blog Hop

Welcome to the Step Right Up! Blog Hop where we will be featuring the products from our Step Right Up! bundle which is available at an incredible discount during the month of March. If you have come here from Darlys Recker’s blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished reading my post, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog.  This blog hop is designed to allow you to start here and work your way around. It’s simple, fun, and full of ideas using the Step Right Up! bundle. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on  Melinda’s Blog.

Can you believe that I have never been to the Circus? When I first saw the Showtime stamp set I honestly thought, “I have never been to the circus. What use would I have of this set?”.  After receiving the set and examining it some, I realized that this set could be used for birthday parties, dance photos, county fairs, carnivals, talent shows, marching band, parades, theme park vacations, rodeos, and more.  This stamp set is so versatile and well worth the purchase.

Along with the Showtime stamp set, you can purchase the Step Right Up! bundle which includes a wonderful assortment of primary cardstock, Gold Foil paper, Red Shimmer Trim and Gold Pearls.  All of which can be used for any of your paper crafting projects.

This layout was so simple and fun to make that I would like to share a few of the techniques I used to create these pages:

• The banners were designed by first drawing the lines with a black Journaling Pen, then, using Cranberry, Sapphire, Black, and Saffron ink, stamping each of the pennants along those lines.
• For the title, I used Pebble ink to stamp the Ferris Wheel in the center of the title block, stamped “Showtime” in Black ink, then stamped it again, without reinking, to create the shadow.
• To create the Ferris Wheel embellishment, I stamped the image using Black ink, then used a Basic Circle Thin Cut to cutout the circle.  The “Chairs” were shaded using a Marine Blue ShinHan Marker.
• The journaling block was created using a Basic Banner Thin Cut. I partially cut the banner, then moved the Thin Cut to the opposite side and partially cut the banner again to create the shape.  The treats and star were stamped using Black Ink and shaded with Shinhan Markers.

You can continue through the blog hop and see more ideas from eleven other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using our Step Right Up! bundle as well as other great Close to My Heart products on their blogs.

Now “Hop” on over to Kirsten Desorcy’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting tips and other fun ideas! Remember, our Step Right Up! Bundle and Showtime Stamp Set are available until March 31st, while supplies last!  Contact your CTMH Consultant, or visit the “Monthly Specials” page on my website to view all of the amazing products available. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Birthday Time Treat Box

Throughout the month of March, I have been showing you various projects using our Birthday Time stamp of the month.  This stamp set h is full of images that you can use for birthdays, school photos, family celebrations, invitations, parties, and so much more.  In my opinion, this stamp set is an incredible deal and defiantly one that you should add to your collection. If you have missed any of my previous projects using this stamp set, you can use the “Search” feature on the right and find more inspiring uses for our stamp of the month.  You can avoid missing any future projects by “Following” my blog, Facebook page, or Instagram posts. 

To continue with the birthday theme this month, I chose to create a delightful little treat box that could be used for any of your upcoming birthday celebrations. These would also be fun to fill with goodies for a movie night, game day, or as a classroom treat. I have included the list of supplies used at the very bottom of this post for you.

I was able to find this sweet Popcorn Box SVG and upload it directly into Cricut® Design Space. I resized the box image to 11.5″ wide, changed some of the “Cut” lines to “Score” lines in my Layers Panel, then cut out the image from White Daisy cardstock.  I decorated the outside of the box with our Stargazer paper, a Ruby cardstock Rosette, Stargazer Complements, and the Birthday Time stamp set.

The Birthday Time stamp set is available for purchase on my website through March 31st.  You can purchase it for $17.95 or for only $5.00 with a qualifying $50.00 purchase.  I will be posting more projects using this stamp set throughout the month, so make sure to visit often.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Birthday Time Stamp Set	Stargazer Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Ruby Cardstock	12 x 12 Sapphire Cardstock
Black Memento Ink	ShinHan™ Golden Yellow Marker	Cricut Air 2	ShinHan™ Marine Blue Marker	Stargazer Complements
Tombow Permanent Adhesive	3D Foam Dots	My Acrylix Blocks Starter Set	3D Foam Dots	Bonding Memories Glue Pen
		SureCut Deluxe Paper Trimmer

 

 

 

Color Dare Easter Card

This week’s Color My Heart Dare allows you to choose colors from a Tic-Tac-Toe board featuring the palette from the “Make Waves” collection.  Since Easter is coming much sooner this year, I decided to begin making a few cards to send to family and friends.  I was inspired by a card I found in a magazine and decided to try to recreate it using ONLY the colors Lagoon, Willow, and Pansy. As always, the list of supplies used on this project can be found at the very bottom of this post.

I began with a 4¼” x 4″ piece of White Daisy cardstock that I sponged with Willow and Lagoon Ink.  I created various masks to create the hills and sky, then sponged the entire creation with White Daisy ink to blend the colors even more.  The images were stamped using Black Memento Ink, then shaded using our ShinHan Markers.

I, of course, had to add a little bit of sparkle with the Clear Shimmer Brush to the images. The White Daisy cardstock was adhered to some Pansy cardstock, then onto the card base.  Even though was very simple to make, the cheery warmth of this card makes me feel ready for Spring to arrive.

 

I would love to see you join the Color My Heart Dare challenge this week.  They love to see participation from all of their crafty friends.  If you join the challenge this week, we can  pick up this special “Buddy Badge”  to proudly display on the side bar of our blogs,  and get an extra chance to any of the random draws. Make sure to let me know if you decided to join in this week.  I can’t wait to see what you create!!

12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	Chelsea Gardens Cardmaking Stamp Set	Easter Basket Stamp Set	He Is the Way Stamp Set	12 x 12 Pansy Cardstock
Marker Bundle	Lagoon Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	White Daisy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Willow Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	Black Memento Ink Pad
Bonding Memories Glue Pen	Cards & Envelopes Value Pack	Round Sponge	My Acrylix Blocks Starter Set	Clear Shimmer Brush
	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	SureCut Deluxe Paper Trimmer	Micro-Tip Scissors

 

Sparkly Scrap Card

Each quarter, a new Seasonal Expressions catalog arrives and I purchase packs of papers for my workshops and personal projects.  This can amount to a plethora of paper.  I made it a personal goal this year to use up ALL of my paper supplies each quarter BEFORE another idea book arrives. If you are like me, you have lots of random scraps that need using so, this week, I used up some of my Make Waves scraps to create this Sparkly Scrap card for the Color My Heart Color Dare and Heart 2 Heart weekly challenges. As always, a list of supplies I used on this project can be found at the very bottom of this post.

This card uses up random scraps of paper from the Make Waves Paper Packet.  I used ½” strips of leftover paper and PML cards to create the background, a 12″ strip to create the Rosette, and matching cardstock pieces to finish the card.  You can use any paper strips or zip-strips in your paper stash to create a card like this.  I suggest sticking to 3-4 colors and creating a “visual triangle” with the colors you chose.  This prevents the card from looking jumbled and allows your eye to flow across the images.  As you can see, I used only Pixie, Emerald, and Pansy, then placed them so that each strip along with the rosette and large butterfly created “visual triangles”.

To make the card “extra sparkly”, I painted to butterflies with our Clear Shimmer Brush.  These cards went together quickly and I now have less paper to use up before the end of the quarter. 🙂 I would love to see how you use up your paper stash of scraps.  Feel free to post your projects on my Facebook Page for everyone to see.  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Chelsea Gardens Cardmaking Stamp Set	Make Waves Paper Packet	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Pansy Cardstock	Notes of Inspiration Stamp Set
Marker Bundle	Bone Folder	My Acrylix Blocks Starter Set	Clear Shimmer Brush	Black Memento Ink Pad
Bonding Memories Glue Pen	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	SureCut Deluxe Paper Trimmer	Micro-Tip Scissors	Thin 3D Foam Tape

 

Punny & Smart Valentine Treat

Even though Valentine’s Day is over a month away, there are many people who like to plan ahead and create.  This week, I was playing around in Cricut® Design Space and decided to use the A Little Bit of Pun stamp set to create a sweet Valentine treat.  At the very bottom of this post, you will find a list of the supplies I used to make these cards.

Each month, I teach people how to use their Cricut® machines to create simple paper crafting projects.  I love watching people excited to learn something new, and enjoy seeing them take what they have learned an apply it to future projects.  This month, I will be teaching a Cricut® Design Space Basics class for those who recently purchased an Explore machine (or have had one sitting in a box for a while).  My hope is that you are able to learn how to use your machine with the Design Space program and create something amazing.

The cards I created above, use images from our Artistry cartridge.  I was able to manipulate the images, then add score, cut, and sliced images to create these adorable little valentines.  After the images were cut, I used our A Little Bit of Pun stamp set to add those adorably “punny” sayings, a “to/from” on the back, and a “Happy Valentine’s Day” sentiment.

If you would like to make these adorable little cards, you can purchase the Cricut® Design Space file from me in my online Holiday Store or receive the file FREE with any purchase of $30.00 or more on my website.  (You will need to own the Artistry cartridge to cut out the card and the sun shape.)

This layout was simple to make, and I truly love how it turned out.   Remember, the A Little Bit of Pun acrylic stamp set is only available until December 31st!  Contact me, or visit the Promotions tab my website to see how you can get this stamp set for only $5.00. I can’t wait to see what you create! 

A Little Bit of Pun Stamp Set	Cricut Artistry Collection	Cricut® Air2	ShinHan Twin Tough Markers	Marvy® Journaling Pen
12 x 12 Canary Cardstock	12 x 12 Thistle Cardstock	12 x 12 White Daisy Cardstock	12 x 12 Pixie Cardstock	12 x 12 Sweet Leaf Cardstock
12 x 12 Blossom Cardstock	Black Memento Ink Pad	12 x 12 Nutmeg Cardstock	Pixie Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad	12 x 12 Crystal Blue Cardstock
	Tombow Permanent Adhesive	2 x 2 My Acrylix Block	Microtip Scissors

* The links provided to the Cricut® website are through the ShareASale affiliate program and are posted as an endorsement. ShareASale compensates me a small portion of sales made through these advertisement links.