Sangria Sympathy Card

A friend of mine recently lost her mother a couple of days ago... I think it is particularly hard for women to lose their moms. 

This card was created using the Sangria paper pack and some co-ordinating embellishments. Simple but it gets to the point. I love the sentiment because it is so true. The memories will cause tears - but they should also make you laugh as there should be so many great memories... memories of all the good times. That's what matters. I hope she can hold those memories close to her heart when she remembers her mom.

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated

Paper: Sangria Paper Pack, Cocoa Cardstock, Eggplant Cardstock, Pomegranate Cardstock
Stamps: Big Hug
Inks: Cocoa
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Artistry Cartridge, Purple Enamel and Glitter Hearts, Purple Ribbon (not CTMH), Foam Tape

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Playing Around with Other Products...

A friend of mine is here in town from Australia to visit her mother. She is an avid card maker. Since she is visiting for several weeks, she brought many of her craft supplies with her - and one of those items was a set of dies from Stampin' Up called Botanical Builder Framelits. I have seen several cards on Pinterest and loved the images so she let me borrow the dies for a few days. I decided to CASE a few cards I had pinned... they were so easy to create using just the dies as she didn't even bring the stamps with her. I love the fact that the dies allow the flowers to be kind of 3-D in nature - the centre of the petals can be raised. 

I used some CTMH sentiments for each of these cards and embossed them in white. The background paper for the first card is from La Vie en Rose. 

I don't want to return the dies to her - I might just have to order my own set...

The original designer of this card was Cindy Wilkinson of www.justspongeit.com

The original designer of this card was Susan Best at www.stampinginferno.blogspot.com

Products used are all Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated

Paper: La Vie en Rose Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Gypsy Cardstock, Sweet Leaf Cardstock, Canary Cardstock, Thistle Cardstock, Pear Cardstock, Topiary Cardstock

Inks: Versamark

Stamps: Big Hug, Casual Expressions

Accessories: Botanical Builders Framelits (not CTMH), ShinHan Marker, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Regatta

The challenge at Heart 2 Heart this week is to use the Regatta Paper Pack. When this paper pack was first introduced, I was not a big fan of it but it has grown on me. I have used it in various ways but this time, I decided to stay true to the original use it was designed for and also use the stamp set that was designed to go with it - My Anchor. 

I like the idea of sending a card to someone to let them know how much they have helped me out or "kept me afloat" so I decided to use that sentiment. The large boat with the anchor was the perfect combination of images to fit the sentiment. 

A little bit of embossing and hand stitching... here is the final product:

Join us at Heart 2 Heart and share your love of the Regatta Paper Pack in whatever project form you choose! You have until the end of April to enter this or any of the April challenges. 

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

Papers: Regatta Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Pomegranate Cardstock
Stamps: My Anchor
Inks: Pomegranate, Glacier, Sapphire, Flaxen
Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, My Anchor Thin Cuts, Dot Embossing Folder, Foam Tape, Red Enamel Gems, Playful Puffies, Red Embroidery Floss and Needle (not CTMH) 

Enjoy, 
Alyson

SNOW layout

Now that it looks like spring has FINALLY arrived, this winter layout seems a little late... However, until the last couple of days, winter has been the norm around here. We had the most incredible snow and ice storms in late March and April... The photos in the layout below were taken early in April this year - yes, APRIL! By that time, usually the snow is melting around here and we are on our way to the start of spring but not this year. That was why I went for a walk in the gorgeous new fallen snow and took these photos as proof. 

It took me a long time to decide on a colour scheme for this layout and then I wasn't able to find the background paper that I wanted for the circles so I created my own. Peacock was the colour I wanted to use, along with black, white and silver. The flourishes are coloured with ShinHan markers. The hand stitching took FOREVER... All the white snowflakes are cut from white glitter paper although that is very hard to see in the photos. I have included some close ups after the layouts to show some details of sections of the layout. 

Left side only 

Right side only

Title

Cluster on lower left side of left page

Journaling Tag

Cluster on right side of right page

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock, Slate Cardstock, Gold Glitter Paper Pack, Silver Glitter Paper Pack, Basics Fundamental Paper Pack (Black)

Stamps: Best Christmas, Snowflakes, Snow Flurries (ret.), Ink Blot

Inks: Peacock, Pacifica, Black, Glacier

Accessories: Artiste Cartridge, Art Philosophy Cartridge, Artistry Cartridge, Artbooking Cartridge, Base Camp Cartridge (not CTMH), Sparkle Flourishes (ret.), Sparkle Flourishes Small (ret.), Clear Sparkles Assortment, ShinHan Marker, Grey Embroidery Floss and Needle (not CTMH), Neutral Baker's Twine (ret.) 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Atlantic Hearts Sketch 156 - Floral Thinking of You

When I first saw this sketch, it reminded me of bandaids across the page... I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it. I decided not to round the edges of the shapes and I also decided to move the location of the ribbon between the last two shapes for some added interest - after all, a sketch is starting point for a design. I also added a sentiment separate from the elements on the sketch.

For this card, I went back to one of my favourite stamps sets - Have a Happy Day. I love that stamp set - it has so many great sentiments plus terrific flowers and greenery, even though it involves fussy cutting... The Penelope papers are so bright and cheerful for a card like this as well!

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: Penelope Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock
Stamps: Have a Happy Day (ret.)
Inks: Thistle, Pear, Pixie, Honey
Accessories: Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon (ret.), Clear Sparkles Assortment

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Have a Happy Day card - Brushed

I was just playing around a couple of days ago and decided to pull out one of my favourite paper packs, Brushed. I didn't have anything particular in mind so I went searching on the Cricut Artistry cartridge for ideas and really liked this leaf and flower grouping. I had some leftover space and decided to weave three layers of shimmer trim at the top of my card. A hand stitched border, a sentiment and a few other minor additions and that was it!

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Brushed Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock
Stamps: Perfect Fit Birthday, Have a Happy Day (ret.)
Inks: Pixie, Pear
Accessories: Artistry Cartridge, Flamingo Dots (ret.), 1/4" Circle Punch (ret.), Green Shimmer Trim, Pink Shimmer Trim, White Shimmer Trim, Foam Tape, Pink Baker's Twine (not CTMH), Green Embroidery Floss (not CTMH)

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Sketch Challenge

It's my favourite kind of challenge at Heart 2 Heart this week - a sketch challenge! Brandi created the awesome sketch for us to use and I love it. I decided not to stray from the actual sketch and to use it as is so she could see just how awesome her sketches really are. Using a very busy paper from the Kaleidoscope paper pack for my background, everything else had to be pretty straightforward. I used a simple, coloured flower and solid cardstock for the focal point and shimmer trim for the lines behind. 

Join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your interpretation of this awesome sketch. You have the entire month of April to enter any or all of the challenges this month! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Kaleidoscope Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Pear Cardstock, Gypsy Cardstock
Stamps: Just for You (Artfully Sent Cricut Collection), Wavy Blooms
Inks: Black Pigment Ink, Pear, Gypsy
Accessories: Artiste Cartridge, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, ShinHan Markers, Silver Shimmer Trim, Clear Sparkles Assortment

Enjoy, 
Alyson

CAS Thinking of You card

I am at that point again where the lady at my church who sends cards to those who deal with grief or other crisis situations needs more of them. I volunteered to create the cards for her because there really isn't anything more special than receiving a handmade card, right? 

Emboss resist - something I don't do very often. I wanted to do it directly on the card so washi tape worked great to keep the ink from "traveling" outside the desired area. I have also learned to keep a container of wipes at my workspace so I can wipe my hands after using sponges because I have ruined far too many cards with fingerprints where they don't belong... Such is the life of a paper crafter! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock
Stamps: In the Background (ret.), Casual Expressions
Inks: White Daisy Pigment Ink, Peacock, Lagoon, Glacier
Accessories: Lagoon Ribbon (ret.), White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponges

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Three Flower Thinking of You card

With a few new stamps from SU in the last few weeks, I decided to play in my craft room late last night and after looking around on Pinterest, I found an idea that I really liked. This card is is a sample of that idea. The stamp for the leaves and flowers is called "What I Love". It is a layering flower, to be done in 3 steps. 

I inked the background in 2 shades - Pear and Topiary. I stamped the flowers using Cotton Candy. The ribbon is from my stash but it matched really well. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock
Stamps: What I Love (not CTMH), Say it All
Inks: Cotton Candy, Pear, Topiary
Accessories: Sparkles Collection, Foam Tape, Pink Ribbon (not CTMH) 

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Colour Dare - Stormy Pop-Up Card

I am not a huge fan of all shades of green but I was challenged by a friend to do this particular challenge for Colour Dare so I thought long and hard about exactly what I was going to do. And then I found out that my computer and all related devices had been completely hacked... That cost me a couple of days as I had to deal with that. No access to the internet, photo editing, etc... It is amazing how much we rely on our electronics these days. 

However, my card is done and it has two major components to it - the exterior and the interior. The exterior has the main sentiment and the general idea. That's here: 

The inside is a pop-up card that I found on Pinterest. I really liked the idea but I struggled with what to use as my "pop-up" item. That was what drove my idea for this card when I decided to use an umbrella. I also wanted to use watercolours to paint that the umbrella so the greens are not an exact match... it's tough to match colours exactly with the paints. 

There is another co-ordinating sentiment at the base on the inside of the card and the umbrella is popped up with foam tape. I paper-pieced the jacket using the Fundamental cardstock and Pear cardstock. I like the way this whole card came together. 

I wish I could show both parts of the card on the challenge site but that's not possible so I do hope that the judges take the time to visit my blog to see the entire card. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Pear Cardstock, Topiary Cardstock, New England Ivy Cardstock, Green Glitter Paper (ret.), Adventure Fundamental Cardstock Pack (Topiary)
Stamps: Rainy Day (ret.), Words of Comfort (ret.)
Inks: Black Memento Ink, Topiary 
Accessories: Artistry Cartridge, Liquid Glass, Foam Tape, Olive Baker's Twine (ret.), White Shimmer Trim, Green Diagonal Washi Tape (ret.), Topiary Washi Tape (ret.), ShinHan Markers, Watercolour Paints, Paintbrushes, Transparency Sheet (not CTMH)

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Atlantic Hearts Sketch 154 - Regatta Tag Card

This week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts can be an interactive project if you want it to be that way - my card is exactly that. I chose to place the tag inside my card - it is shown below the card in my post so you can see all of it.

The sentiment on the actual card is from one of the Picture My Life cards from the Regatta Paper Pack - it just fit so well that I decided to use it rather than stamping something on the front. I am loving the colour scheme in this paper pack.

Join us at Atlantic Hearts this week 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: Regatta Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Pomegranate Cardstock

Stamps: Happy to be Friends

Inks: Sapphire, Glacier, Flaxen, Pomegranate

Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Gold Sequin Assortment, White and Gold Ribbon, Hole Punch (not CTMH)

Enjoy, 

Alyson