Annual Inspirations New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to the Annual Inspirations New Product Blog Hop. This blog hop features new products from the brand new Annual Inspirations catalog that went live on August 1st. There are some terrific new products available and I am sure that as you move through this blog hop, you will see various new products used in all sorts of ways. 

You should have arrived here from Haley Dyer's blog.

If you get lost, a complete list of hoppers on this blog hop can be found on Melinda Everitt's blog. 

I chose to create a card with a bird's nest on it... it sounded like a good idea until I got a little further into it. This took quite a bit of time. The nest itself is a combination of three of our twines - Whisper Twine, White Twine and the new Juniper coloured twine from the Whimsy Ribbon collection. All have been unravelled and then sort of gathered and rewound to form the nest and kind of glued together - kind of... 
The background was created by stamping the M-size stamp "Delicate Flower" multiple times and then colouring it with ShinHan markers. The background pieces for the nest were cut from the Flower Market Cricut cartridge.

I hope you enjoyed my project. 

The next blog on this hop is Wendy Coffman's blog.

I am sure she has a fabulous project to share with you. 

Products used are Close To My Heart

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Juniper Cardstock, Charcoal Cardstock, Lemon Cardstock, Whimsy Fundamentals
Stamps: Delicate Flower, Sending Smiles

Inks: Black Pigment Ink, Juniper

Accessories: Flower Market Cartridge, Artiste Cartridge (ret.), ShinHan Markers, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, White and Gold Ribbon, Whisper Twine, White Twine, Whimsy Ribbon Pack, Clear Shimmer Brush, Foam Tape

Enjoy,
Alyson

Cross Canada Blog Hop - Annual Inspirations New Product Showcase

Welcome to our August Blog Hop featuring artwork created from products found in the 2017-2018 Annual Inspirations Catalog. To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order.

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop!

If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at Michelle S' blog. If you have come from 
Michelle H's blog, then you are in the right place! 

I chose to create a card based primarily on the the Hello Canada digital Cricut cartridge. 

Each province has a flower associated with it and the Ontario flower is the trillium. I love this flower and it grows in abundance in my area. The white trillium is by far the most common but red trilliums are also found, although they are far less common. I based my card on one I found on Pinterest made by Mary Fish. The background panels are embossed with the new Rose embossing folder. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Mink Cardstock, Canary Cardstock, Willow Cardstock

Stamps: none

Inks: none

Accessories: Hello Canada Digital Cartridge, Flower Market Cartridge, Whisper Thick Twine, White Pearls, Rose Embossing Folder, Foam Tape, Corner Rounder

Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Janet's blog.

I'm sure she has something wonderful to share with you.

If you get lost along the way, you can head to Michelle S's blog.

Thanks for joining us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. 

We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring projects inspired from the new products from the new Holiday Expressions catalog. 

So mark September 15th on your calendars and join us again at that time.

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Sketch Challenge

This week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart is a sketch challenge - my favourite kind of challenge. I have always loved working with sketches as I find they give me a starting point. Whether you choose to create a card, a layout or something else, as long as we can see the sketch design in your project, that is what matters. You can rotate it, flip it, use a different shape, etc. Just make sure the basic sketch is visible. 

I chose to stay pretty true to the original design. I did want to leave the ends of my card open, though, and that took some extra time to do. I love this new floral pattern in the brand new Adventure Fundamentals - and I did add some shimmer with the Clear Shimmer Brush in a few places but it is hard to see. 

Come and join us and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above at Heart 2 Heart. You have the rest of August to enter this or any of the other August challenges.

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Adventure Fundamentals, White Daisy Cardstock, Raspberry Cardstock
Stamps: Sending Smiles
Inks: Raspberry
Accessories: Flower Market Cartridge, Foam Tape, Clear Shimmer Brush, Acetate (not CTMH), Sequins (not CTMH), Sticky Tape (not CTMH)

Enjoy, 
Alyson


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AH 224 - Mason Jar Birthday

This week's Atlantic Hearts sketch is a very straightforward sketch - but those sketches lately seem to be drawing a lot of participants, which is terrific! They can be interpreted in SO many different ways. You can turn them over and around and even upside down. You don't need to follow the sketch exactly - just make sure that we can identify the sketch within your project. 

I chose in my card to stay very close to the actual sketch as it worked for what I had in mind. I liked the side panels for the bold colours and the centre section for the main image - in this case, a jar of flowers that were stamped and fussy cut. I added shimmer to the flowers for emphasis. 

Join us at Atlantic Hearts and show us your interpretation of the sketch shown above. You have until Sunday evening to link up your project. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Prickly Pear Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Gold Foil Paper

Stamps: Keep Dreaming, Banner Wishes (ret.)

Inks: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, Emerald

Accessories: Flower Market Cartridge, Gold Shimmer Trim, Gold Glitter Gems, ShinHan Markers, Clear Shimmer Brush, Thin Foam Tape, Adventure Ribbon Pack

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Colour Dare 255 - Bear Birthday Wishes

We are into colour combinations with the Jack paper pack as a basis at Colour Dare for the month of August. Challenge 255 invites you (if you wish) to use some of the papers from the Jack paper pack (like Ruby, Slate, Black and White Daisy) but to add Willow and Sapphire - and Silver is optional.

Since I have a masculine birthday coming up, I decided to pull out the bear stamp set and use that for my card for this challenge. The Willow and Sapphire colours are used minimally - in the mug and hat plus in the sentiment at the bottom. The patterned paper is from the Jack paper pack. 

Join us at Colour Dare and show us how you use the colour palette shown above. Use all and only the colours shown (silver is optional). If you don't have the exact colours shown, use whatever you have that is closest. 

You have until Thursday at 10pm EST to link up your project. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Jack Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Slate Cardstock

Inks: Black, Willow, Sapphire

Stamps: Jack Cardmaking, Sending Smiles

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge (ret.), Silver Shimmer Trim, Silver Sequins (ret.), Jack Cardmaking Thin Cuts, Sewing Machine and Black Thread (not CTMH), Thin Foam Tape

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Friends

The theme this week at Heart 2 Heart is Friends. National Friendship Day is August 6, so this theme is perfect for this week! 

The Flower Market Cricut Cartridge has a wonderful cut with the word "Friends" as you will see below. Although I am writing my post a week in advance, I have a funny feeling that I will not be the only design team member using this image for my artwork this week! The image works so well for both cards and scrapbook pages that I expect you will see it on a lot of artwork - both design team artwork and on participant entries for this challenge! I found the pattern for my card in the Make It From Your Heart book - Volume 2 (pattern #29).

I chose to use the Little Dreamer paper pack for the colours because I liked the floral paper and the colour scheme within that paper. I added silver glitter paper for some extra shimmer. 

Join us at Heart 2 Heart this week and celebrate National Friendship Day. Show us your project about friends. This is the first challenge for the month of August so get started now so you can complete every challenge this month and be a Heart 2 Heart Sweetheart! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Little Dreamer Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Thistle Cardstock, Silver Glitter Paper

Stamps: None

Inks: None

Accessories: Flower Market Cartridge, Little Dreamer Glitter Gems

Enjoy, 

Alyson

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AH 222 - Do I Have it Together?

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge 222! Peacock feathers are the way to go this week but more than anything, I LOVE the stamp on this card! 

My life has been so hectic the last several weeks and this is EXACTLY the way I feel... You know that feeling when you put something down and 10 minutes later when you go back to find it, it's not there? Or that never ending to do list that just keeps growing and growing? Does it ever feel like you have it all together? Probably not... at least it doesn't for me. That was why I simply HAD to have this stamp!

I wanted my peacock to wrap around the sentiment but that wasn't possible so she sits above and that's ok... I coloured some sparkles with a marker to match them to the papers. 

Come and join us at Atlantic Hearts this week - and maybe in the process, you might get it together and find where you put it! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Peacock Cardstock, Seaglass Cardstock, Seaglass Glitter Paper, Peacock patterned paper (not CTMH)

Stamps: Together (Impression Obsession)

Inks: Peacock

Accessories: Circuit file (not CTMH), Large Sparkles (ret.), ShinHan Marker, Bitty Sparkles

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Colour Dare 253 - Tipped Flower Pot Card

Welcome to Colour Dare 253! This week, we have some fairly bold and bright colours on hand.

I chose to create a tipped flower pot with a crop of flowers cascading out of it. This idea worked perfectly with the colour scheme as I was able to incorporate the bolder colours into the flower collection and use the neutral for the flower pot and Glacier for the background. I brushed some of the flowers in the collection with the Gold Shimmer Brush for added emphasis. I purposely kept this card simple with no additional embellishments and no sentiment so it can be used for any occasion. 

Join us at Colour Dare and show us your project using all and only the colours in the photo shown above (gold is optional). You have until Thursday at 10pm EST to link up your project. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Prickly Pear Paper Pack, Jack Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, Poppy Cardstock, Tangerine Cardstock, Willow Cardstock

Stamps: None

Inks: None

Accessories: Flower Market Cartridge, Gold Shimmer Trim, Dots Embossing Folder (ret.), Gold Shimmer Brush, Foam Tape

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - "In Stitches"

The challenge at Heart 2 Heart this week is "In Stitches". I thought I would start off my post with some hints and suggestions about stitching on paper projects for anyone who may be intimidated by trying this technique. I have been doing it for many years and here are some ideas... 

Stitching by Hand: 

- choose a stitch guide and use a piercing tool to pre-punch the holes 

- embroidery floss is a terrific option to use but 6 strands is too thick - separate the floss into 3 strands and stitch using only 3 strands 

- mix colours of floss for a unique effect

- secure the floss at the back of your project by either taping it down or running it under previous stitches 

- if patterns may not line up at the end (see my example below as I stitched alternate spaces - like if you end up with two stitches side by side) PLAN where you will start and finish so you can hide that part behind or under something like another piece of paper, ribbon, etc. so it will not be visible

- small cross stitches are a terrific way to adhere vellum as no adhesive is required 

Stitching by Machine:

- DO NOT EVER stitch over adhesive of any kind! It can gum up the inside of your machine and potentially damage your machine to the point where it cannot be repaired

                    Adhere pieces down in the centre with a thin strip of adhesive that 

                    will not touch the machine mechanism 

- don't be afraid to try various stitch types on your machine - zigzag paired with a straight stitch can look really cool

- it doesn't have to be perfect - lines are often not straight in real life

- plan for the end of the stitch line as you will want to stitch backwards a few stitches to secure the thread in place - this will show

- you will have to secure the start of the thread to the back of your project as well, either by taping it down or tying to to the back

- again, plan for the start and end of your stitching area if you don't want that to be visible

- stitching is a terrific way to adhere vellum or transparencies as no adhesive is required

- use a different needle for paper than for other sewing purposes - it tends to dull faster

- stitch on individual paper pieces rather than the entire project to avoid having to stitch through multiple pieces of paper at once (ex. do photo mounts individually and then the edge of the entire layout rather than doing the mounts AFTER they are adhered to the layout)

Faux Stitching:

- you can always use a fine-tip journaling pen to add stitching marks to a card or layout - it can look very realistic if done with care

- use a variety of strokes - it doesn't have to be just straight lines

- try zigzag stitch marks, alternating dots with lines, even doodle type of markings

- try using co-ordinating colours

- fine tip markers are usually the best choice but they need a bit of time to dry completely

- if you want to to be exact, use a ruler and draw a thin pencil line along the section where you want to "stitch". You can also use a stitch guide for this purpose. DO NOT ERASE the pencil line until you allow sufficient time for the pen or marker to dry completely or you will end up with smudge marks.

I hope this helps :) 

Happy stitching! 

----------------------------

There are a number of ways to interpret the "In Stitches" challenge... the most obvious way is to use some form of stitching on your project, which is what I chose to do. However, there is also being in stitches as in laughing terribly hard, or medical stitches... and that's not a pretty sight! There may be other kinds of stitches - like the types of stitches used to sew up something similar to a book or perhaps a heritage item. 

For this challenge, I chose to create an easel card. I also chose to hand stitch on this card. I used embroidery floss - but not a normal floss. This is a slippery floss and it does not stay together at the ends! It is terribly hard to work with and it slipped out of the needle halfway though my stitching of the second piece of cardstock. I spent the better part of an hour getting it threaded again! 

The flowers and leaves were masked and brushed with our Clear Shimmer Brush and a couple of ribbons and enamel hearts were added to dress it up. 

Join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your "In Stitches" creation. You have until the end of July to link up with this or any of our July challenges.

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Little Dreamer Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock
Stamps: Hello Lovely - Scrapbooking (ret.), Sending Smiles
Inks: Lagoon, Thistle, Blossom, Lemon
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge (ret.), Whimsy Ribbon Collection, Purple Hearts Enamel and Glitter Duos, Glitter Embroidery Floss (not CTMH), Foam Tape, White Twine, Clear Shimmer Brush

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Hard to Say Goodbye Blog Hop

This blog hop features products that are retiring as of July 31st from the Annual Inspirations Catalog. Some items that are used in projects that you see on this blog hop may already be sold out... Retiring products are now available on a while supplies last basis. When products are THAT GOOD, they are in demand! 

This blog hop is a wonderful chance to see how many of the retiring products can be used and decide if any of them may be on your final wish list to order! 
To see which products are retiring, you can go to my Consultant Website and click on the SHOP link. Near the bottom, there is a link called "Going Soon". Any products that will be retiring are shown there. 

You should have arrived here from Brenda Lapp's blog. 

If you get lost, a complete list of hoppers on this blog hop can be found on Melinda Everitt's blog. 

I chose to create a unique style of card using the Adventure Fundamental papers, a couple of retiring stamp sets as well as a few retiring embellishments. I found this on Pinterest and followed the video to create the card - it isn't difficult to do at all. The end product is really pretty neat. I have taken three photos to show you the entire card. 

The first picture shows the front of the card, which looks like a normal card... 

As you open the card, you see that there are layers underneath and the the front is not really the front as expected... 

Finally, you see how the entire card folds open to reveal that the front where the butterfly was is really attached to the folded out component of the card. I added a small section to be able to write a message. 

I hope you enjoyed my project. 

The next blog on this hop is Darlys Recker's blog. 

I am sure she has a fabulous project to share with you. 

Visit my Consultant Website to shop for any current or retiring products! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Raspberry Cardstock (retiring),Adventure Fundamentals (retiring), No Worries Paper Pack, Gold Glitter Paper, White Daisy Cards and Envelopes
Stamps: Balloon Wishes (retiring), Finding the Words (retiring), Lovely Leaves (retiring)

Inks: Raspberry, Willow

Accessories: Artistry Cartridge, Sponge, Uptown Ribbon Pack (retiring), White Twine, White Button (not CTMH), Gold Sequin Assortment (retiring)

Enjoy,
Alyson