Thursday, August 30, 2012

Clementine Card - So Thankful for a Friend Like You

This card was a lot more difficult to create than I had anticipated. I found the inspiration on Pinterest  but there were a lot of little details that took a lot of extra time (the hand stitching on the Sorbet circle, getting the twine just the right length under the flower, creating the layers of the flower, etc.) However, I love the final product. It's perfect for a special friend. 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Clementine Paper Pack, Cashmere Cardstock, Champagne Cardstock, Colonial White Cardstock, Sorbet Cardstock
Stamps: A Friend Like You, Avonlea Cardmaking Workshop
Inks: Cashmere, Twilight
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Artiste Cartridge, Baker's Twine - Paradise Assortment, Embroidery Floss - Neutral Assortment, Foam Tape, Brown and Tan Sparkles, Edge Distresser, Sponge

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

La Belle Vie Box

This little box can be made so much easier than I had originally thought! It took me just a few minutes to put it together and it is just so adorable. Like Brian said on the video I posted yesterday, the Artiste Cartridge has everything set up so that when you need to cut different pieces for a project like this one, you cut them all in ONE size (here they were all cut at 1 inch) and everything fits together perfectly. How nice is that?? Plus they are all colour-coordinated in the instruction book so you know exactly which images go with each project - it just doesn't get any better than that! 

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: La Belle Vie Paper Pack, Colonial White Cardstock
Stamps: Bonjour
Inks: Black, Blush
Accessories: Artiste Cartridge, Foam Tape, Blending Pen, Sponge, Wrangler Assortment

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Cricut Artiste Video

Brian Holman from CTMH Corporate Office has some amazing information about the new Cricut Artiste Cartridge here for you. I know that my new cartridge has only been removed from my machine when I have had to use our other cartridge, Art Philosophy, and that's it! I am totally IN LOVE with this new one! There are SO many things you can do with it and I have only just scratched the surface. I need so much time to play and explore! 
Enjoy, 
Alyson


Monday, August 27, 2012

Sweet Stop Challenge Card - Avonlea Thinking of You

This card was made for the Sweet Stop Challenge this week. I have used the sketches from this website but have never actually posted a card to their site before. I love their sketches - I think maybe the pink colour of each of their sketches appeals to me! I have many of them posted on my Pinterest site. The sketch can be found below the card.
I kept my card simple, using only the Avonlea papers and Stickease along with some ribbon. Stamping on the Stickease was a breeze using our new Pigment ink! 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Avonlea Paper Pack (includes cardstock available only in Avonlea Paper Pack), Slate Cardstock
Stamps: Casual Expressions
Inks: Twilight Pigment Ink
Accessories: Avonlea Stickease, Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Foam Tape, Black and Grey Sparkles

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Display Tray for My Favourite Author

Finally, my last large project for a while is completed! This is a display tray for my new favourite author - Kathy West (Kathleen R. West, if you are looking for her books). She happens to be Michelle West's mother - the one for whom I created the cubby last week. Michelle gave me a copy of Kathy's latest book when I was at Convention and once I started to read it, I simply could not put it down, it was SO good! I contacted her and bought her first novel as well. She is working on her third novel now and I cannot wait until it is complete! 

Anyways, I thought I would do this for her as my way of expressing how I feel about her and her writing. It, along with Michelle's cubby, will be mailed out together shortly. Neither of the two of them had any idea that either of these were coming their way so they were a total surprise and I LOVE doing things like that! 

Here are the photos and the details of each box in the tray. 


Top row, left to right: 
This is an author's quote I found on the internet - I thought it was so appropriate. 
Casey is Kathy's dog. I know that he is loved and treasured and Kathy is a huge animal advocate. 
Typical writer's folders, I would think....
My interpretation of three characters from Kathy's second novel, "RSVP"

Middle row, left to right: 

Every author needs a beautiful bookmark....
A couple of shelves of books - pretty common in the home of 
an author, I would guess... 
A cross to represent Kathy's strong faith.
Kathy's photo from her second novel, "RSVP".

Bottom row, left to right

Kathy's photo from her first novel, "Relic".
Typical tools for a writer... 
Kathy is truly a "shining star" in the eyes of many - I'm not sure she realizes this! 
Many authors have a "muse" for inspiration - I hope this comes close to what I think Kathy might use.

I had a lot of fun creating this display tray. Yes, it is time consuming to make, but the end result is SO worth the amount of work that goes into it. 

To contact Kathy West or to order her novels, 
her email is west.kathleen@verizon.net

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted: 

Paper: Scholastic Paper Pack, Ruby Cardstock, Outdoor Denim Cardstock, Cashmere Cardstock, Saddle Cardstock, Cocoa Cardstock, New England Ivy Cardstock, Champagne Cardstock
Stamps: None
Inks: None
Accessories: Artiste Cartridge, Art Philosophy Cartridge, Display Tray, Adhesive Springs, Burlap Ribbon, Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Slate Satin Polka-Dot Ribbon, Designer Ribbon - Blue Collection, Designer Ribbon - Cocoa Collection, Colonial White Waxy Flax, Baker's Twine - Harvest Assortment, Baker's Twine - Paradise Assortment, Baker's Twine - Neutral Assortment, Wooden Buttons, Binder Clips, Sparkles - Clear Assortment, Sparkles - Brown and Tan Assortment, Pearl Opaque Adhesive Gems, Basic Brad Assortment, Timeless Charms, Foam Tape
Non-CTMH Items: Angel, Black Paper Clip, Cross, Wooden Spool "People", Sharpie Markers to draw faces, Dog Footprint Stickers, Computer font





Saturday, August 25, 2012

Marker Storage

I am working on another large project which will hopefully be posted tomorrow, so that's why I haven't been posting this week... hopefully I will be back to regular posts again next week!

However, in the meantime, between working on this project, I have been slowly reorganizing my workspace. I finally received my order of the new markers and I discovered something - our ink tower doesn't have 80 marker slots - it has 76 slots (19 x 4)! And I am an organization freak, so that just is NOT going to work for me! It means that 2 sets of my new markers (when they all finally arrive) aren't going to fit and I just can't have that! In addition, there are the metallic markers, the Chalk marker and the Alcohol blending marker that need homes as well... 

So, I went on a search and hunt mission yesterday and I found something that would work for me. These folding marker cases were on sale (less than $10 each) at a locally owned craft shop and they each fit 48 markers. One will hold all my blues and greens plus all the basic colours and the other will hold all the yellows, oranges, reds, pinks, purples plus the extra markers and some other markers that I also use. It is a perfect system for me. 

Some photos are shown below. 


I found the Copic marker cases extremely expensive and the openings were too wide for our markers (as they were designed for their Sketch markers). 

One other thing - our new storage cases will not fit in our rolling tote like our old ones do (along the sides in the zippered compartments). I assume corporate is working on a solution to this, hopefully sooner, rather than later. I will miss being able to put my block case in the side of my bag when I crop away from home.
 
Just my thoughts for the day... 

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Gift for a Special Friend

This will be a very long post as there are several photos. 
Michelle, a good friend of mine, just recently landed a part-time position teaching at a Junior College and is hoping that this will open some doors for her to help her to teach in an area where she feels better qualified to apply her skills. I wanted to do something to celebrate her achievements so I made her this gift. It uses one of Close To My Heart's new Cubbies. I carefully cut out sections to give me the spaces that I needed and then I began adding iems that I thought would best represent a new professor. Her first teaching day is tomorrow. I really wanted her to have this in her hands but I just wasn't able to complete it on time so I emailed her the photos and she was in tears when she saw it. 
Every section has special meaning and those photos are shown below with a brief explanation of each box. 

I tried to go across in an organized manner... here goes: 

1. The angel: The quote reads "Friends are kisses blown to us by angels." This is so true. I met Michelle almost a year ago through the CTMH boards and she has become such a great friend - I'm not sure how I would survive without her sometimes!
2. A Cross: We are both Christians and it's a very important aspect of our lives. 
It just goes without saying that it had to be part of this. 
3. Michelle's photo: This is the picture that you will probably recognize if you check out 
her blog, Pinterest boards, etc. 
4. You're a Star: Each star is sewn through the top piece of cardstock so it hangs freely, as does the title piece. They are stamped with Pigment ink so they will not fade. They are there to remind her that she IS a star in the eyes of many. 
5. File Box and Folders: Cut from the Cricut, I thought these would be typical things 
found on a professor's desk... 
6. Easel: I stained this with Bamboo reinker and Pearl Paint and sanded down the legs to get it to fit in the box. I covered the front with our Chalkboard Paper and used our Chalk Marker to write the message. 
7. Another picture of Michelle: I found this on Facebook - a great photo!
8. Professor's Desk: I stained this using Bamboo Reinker and Pearl Paint as well. And yes, each of those tiny little books are individually made by hand! The file boxes are cut using the Cricut, 
as are the pages on the desk. 
9. Assignment Pages and Booklets: I thought these might be things that a student might carry around.
10. Graduation gown, hat and diploma: speaks for itself. 
11. Professor Texts/Books: Books I thought a professor might have laying around. 
12. Professor Michelle and a Student: I even dressed each of them!

The most difficult part of this project was that everything had to be moved to the front of the cubby since the boxes are so deep. That required some serious thinking about how to do that with some items. Nonetheless, I am happy with the way things turned out. Now, to figure out how to ship it to her... 

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted: 

Paper: Scholastic Paper Pack, Ruby Cardstock, Outdoor Denim Cardstock, Saddle Cardstock, Chocolate Cardstock, Cocoa Cardstock, Cashmere Cardstock, Champagne Cardstock, Honey Cardstock
Stamps: Angelic Blessings, Art Philosophy Cricut Stamps, Love Life
Inks: Ruby Pigment Ink, Cocoa Pigment Ink, Bamboo Reinker
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Artiste Cartridge, My Creations Cubby, Baker's Twine - Neutral Assortment, Burlap Ribbon, Slate Satin Polka Dot Ribbon, Black Tulle Ribbon, Designer Ribbon - Cocoa Collection, Bohemian Assortment, Scholastic Stickease, Distressing Ink - Chocolate, Chalk Marker, Liquid Glass, Spray Pen, Pearl Paint, Foam Tape, Embroidery Floss - Neutral Assortment, Pearl Opaques Adhesive Gems
Non-CTMH Supplies: Scor-Tape, wooden desk, wooden easel, graduation gown and accessories, wooden "people", Sharpie markers, beaded cross, Willow angel








Monday, August 20, 2012

H2H Colour Challenge - My Card

The challenge at Heart 2 Heart this week is a colour challenge - and it uses my most favourite colours! How did they know?? I love creating with Lagoon, Pear and Sunset - to the point that many of my cards use these colours (probably too many...) 
It gave me a chance to go back to one of my all time favourite paper packs as well - Dotty For You! But I did incorporate several of our new accessories to bring it up to date, like our tulle ribbon, Autumn Lane flowers and Black Sparkle Flourishes. 
I am working on a couple of very large projects at the present time, so if I don't post for a few days, you will know what I am up to! 

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Product used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Dotty For You Paper Pack (ret.), Black Cardstock, Pear Cardstock
Stamps: Tea Time
Inks: Lagoon Pigment Ink Pad
Accessories: Artiste Cartridge, Autumn Lane Assortment, Sparkles Black Flourishes, Black Tulle Ribbon, Foam Tape

Saturday, August 18, 2012

National Stamping Month Video

From August 15 until September 30, when you purchase just $35 worth of products, you can purchase this gorgeous double stamp set called "It's Your Day" for just $5! 

Monica is here to tell you all about it!


Enjoy, 
Alyson

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Celebrate Card - Freshly Made Sketches

Today's card is based on this week's challenge from Freshly Made Sketches. Again, I used the Moonlight papers without making it look like a Halloween card. I am totally not a Halloween fan so it's really important to me to be able to utilize those papers in a non-traditional way. 
I know Freshly Made Sketches really promotes simple cards but when I finished, my card looked so empty that I felt I had to add something so I put the two pin clips in at the top to finish it off. And yes, I even had the nerve to stamp a floral pattern on Halloween paper!
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Moonlight Paper Pack, Sweet Leaf Cardstock, Autumn Teracotta Cardstock
Stamps: Perfect Fit - Frames, Perfect Fit - Holidays, Salutation Seals
Inks: Sweet Leaf, Autumn Terracotta, Smokey Plum
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Foam Tape, Haunted Assortment, Pin Clips

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Mojo Monday - Happy Birthday Card

The Mojo Monday Sketch this week is one that I rotated 90 degrees to fit my idea better. I needed a Happy Birthday card and it just worked out better in a different orientation. That's what I love about working with sketches - you can rotate them and come up with so many different results that often, it's hard to tell what the original sketch actually looked like! 
I chose to use Avonlea paper for this card - and since I wanted to outline all my pieces in Slate cardstock, I stamped the sentiment using our new Pigment inks. I used Twilight and then embossed it with a combination of Prisma Glitter and Clear Detail Embossing Powder. It matches pretty well, I think. 


Enjoy,
Alyson

Products are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Avonlea Paper Pack (including cardstock available only with Avonlea kit), Slate Cardstock
Stamps: Casual Expressions
Inks: Twilight Pigment Ink Pad
Accessories: Slate Satin Polka Dot Ribbon, Prisma Glitter, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Boutique Assortment, Brocade Assortment

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

H2H Challenge - Doggone Good Day Card

The challenge at Heart 2 Heart this week was to create something that represented the "doggone days of summer". Since summer is almost over, this is so appropriate. And I have always wanted to use this Close To My Heart A-size stamp set, but I haven't really had a purpose for it until now! I just love this little doggie - he is so cute with his adorable tail up in the air. 
I used the Dakota papers - love that blue paisley print and the woodgrain. I even finished of the doggie's scarf with some fussy cutting of the same paisley print paper. 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Dakota Paper Pack, Whisper Cardstock, Barn Red Cardstock, Pacifica Cardstock
Stamps: A Bowwow
Inks: Slate, Crystal Blue, Pacifica
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Marker, Foam Tape, Brads - Blue Assortment

Monday, August 13, 2012

Flirty Thank You Card

The more I work with the Flirty Paper Pack, the more I am liking it - even those great big flowers! 
This base of this card was created using the Artiste Cartridge. I haven't ordered any of our new markers yet so the only ones I had were the two we were given at Convention but I LOVE the shading that I was able to do with just the two of them - I can't wait until I can order all the other ones (I am waiting until I can get them all before I order them).
I decided to be a little bit different this time and stitch on my burlap. I just hand-stitched through the material with our new Baker's Twine, giving it a more unified look. 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Flirty Paper Pack, Colonial White Cardstock, Bamboo Cardstock
Stamps: Love Blooms
Inks: Black Staz-On, New England Ivy, Ponderosa Pine, Markers - Cotton Candy
Accessories: Artiste Cartridge, Art Philosophy Cartridge, Sparkles - Clear Assortment, Burlap Ribbon, Baker's Twine - Harvest Assortment, Foam Tape, Autumn Lane Assortment

Sunday, August 12, 2012

I'm Grateful for a Friend Like You Card

I finally found a few extra minutes this afternoon to play with my new Artiste Cartridge... I need a few weeks to explore everything on there! Right now, I want to focus on the cards and there are SO MANY to choose from, it's just overwhelming! 
This is a slider card - the circle part actually slides on and off the main card section. However, I ended up putting flourishes over the two parts, so it doesn't really slide anymore. But I really like the concept. 
Yet another benefit of My Acrylix stamps - being able to bend them to stamp your sentiment - I had to do that in order to get the sentiment to fit onto my banner. I love Close To My Heart for their awesome and wonderful products!! 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Products are all Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted: 

Paper: Clementine Paper Pack, Twilight Cardstock, Creme Brulee Cardstock
Stamps: Universal Backgrounds, A Friend Like You
Inks: Twilight
Accessories: Artiste Cartridge, Rhinestone Designer Brads, Sparkle Flourishes, Prisma Glitter, Copic Marker (Twilight Shade) (not CTMH)


Friday, August 10, 2012

Mojo Monday - Learn Something New Card

The Mojo Monday sketch this week was interesting... a little different, I thought. I also wanted to try the new Scholastic Paper Pack. It's not a paper grouping I would normally choose, 
so it was a bit of a challenge for me. 
I chose to use Baker's Twine in place of the ribbon shown on the sketch as it worked better with the papers. I also added a few buttons as the card looked unfinished to me once I had completed the sketch. 

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Scholastic Paper Pack, Ruby Cardstock, Cocoa Cardstock
Stamps: None
Inks: None
Accessories: Scholastic Stickease, Baker's Twine - Neutral Assortment, Baker's Twine - Harvest Assortment, Foam Tape, Buttons - Blue Assortment

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Friends Forever Card

This card was created using  the Clementine Paper Pack, which I am falling in love with very quickly. It is so versatile, for both male and female cards and layouts. This card came together in minutes - hence the website "Clean and Simple Challenges". The sketch is shown below the card. A couple of simple stamped images and cuts and I was finished! 





Enjoy, 
Alyson

All products are Close To My Heart

Paper: Clementine Paper Pack, Colonial White Cardstock, Sorbet Cardstock
Stamps: Flirty Scrapbooking Workshop
Inks: Twilight, Sorbet
Accessories: None

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Extravaganza Layout

I finally got around to printing and scrapbooking some photographs from Convention. This beautiful layout is one, though, for which I cannot take credit. It was designed by a fellow consultant, Brenda Rose. I contacted Brenda and asked her if she would mind if I used her gorgeous layout and she said she would be happy to let me use it. So, here is her stunning layout with photos added. The neat thing about this layout is that it was the La Belle Vie Paper Pack that I taught at Convention and this is the same paper pack used to create this layout! What a nice coincidence! It is actually based on the La Belle Vie WOTG layout but I like her version a lot better!
The main photo is on a Flip Flap as there is a ton of journaling underneath. 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: La Belle Vie Paper Pack, (Cardstock available only with La Belle Vie Paper Pack), Black Cardstock
Stamps: Dreams Come True (ret.)
Inks: Black
Accessories: Cricut Artiste Cartridge, Black Sparkle Flourishes, 4x6 Flip Flaps, Foam Tape

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

H2H Challenge - Sympathy Card - with Moonlight

I was determined that the next card I made would be made with Close To My Heart's Halloween paper - Moonlight. I am not a fan of Halloween but I am determined to show that this paper can be used for other purposes and not just for ghosts and goblins. Wouldn't you know that the first H2H Challenge that comes along is a sympathy card? Probably the most challenging type of card to make, let alone with Halloween paper? But I did it - and it wasn't that difficult because the paper is surprisingly versatile. There is really only one paper in the entire pack that is definitely Halloween-based and that is the one with the owls. The others are all usable in other settings, which is really nice. 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Moonlight Paper Pack, Colonial White Cardstock, Sweet Leaf Cardstock, Slate Cardstock
Stamps: Words of Comfort
Inks: Smokey Plum
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Haunted Assortment, Slate Satin Polka-Dot Ribbon



Sunday, August 5, 2012

Flirty Card - Just a Note...

I am trying to use the Flirty Paper Pack while trying to avoid the mustard yellow colour in that paper pack... I like the way this card turned out. It is from an idea I found on Pinterest. 
The Kraft paper goes well with just about any paper pack so I decided to incorporate it here and I really like the effect. 
Enjoy, 
Alyson

Supplies are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted. 

Paper: Flirty Paper Pack, Kraft Cardstock, Bamboo Cardstock, Colonial White Cardstock
Stamps: A Friend Like You
Inks: Ponderosa Pine
Accessories: Cricut Artiste Cartridge, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (not CTMH), Brads - Metal Assortment, Sparkles - Black and Grey Assortment, Foam Tape, Corner Rounder