TSOT #423 - Hello Shaker Card

Welcome to Try Stampin' on Tuesday and Challenge #423!

This week, we have a sketch full of squares and rectangles for you... please keep in mind that a sketch is a guideline and can be interpreted in many ways. As long as we can see the sketch in your project, a reasonable interpretation of it is fine. 

I chose to create a shaker card for my project. I prefer to embed my shakers within my cards rather than leave them on the top - just a personal preference. I used pattered paper for the shaker base and after adding silver sequins, I placed a die cut sentiment on the top of the acetate. 

The additional flowers were cut from the same paper inside the shaker for continuity. I also added some silver embellishing thread and a few sequins and then brushed the flowers with a shimmer brush. This card came together very quickly - a good sketch always helps! 

Come and join us at Try Stampin' on Tuesday and show us how you interpret the 

sketch shown above. 

You have until Sunday, September 8 to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Craft On Paper Pack, Pink Glitter Paper, Bluebird Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: none

Inks: none

Accessories: Shaker Window and Confetti Thin Cut, Silver Embellishing Thread, Shaker Window Foam and Acetate, Loose Sequins - Silver, Clear Shimmer Brush, Hello Die (Pretty Pink Posh) 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - From Me to You

Welcome to Heart 2 Heart's weekly challenge! 

This week, the theme is From Me to You. Close To My Heart happens to have a stamp set by that name and that is most certainly a possibility for this challenge but it is not a requirement. You may interpret this challenge in whatever way the theme speaks to you! 

I did not use the related stamp set... instead, I chose a different stamp set to create my card. 

The True Love paper pack retires at the end of this month and it is filled with gorgeous paper patterns. I love the deep, rich colours in this pack and decided to focus on those colours and patterns for my card. I have a set of square stitched dies that happened to fit perfectly when lined up along the card base, leaving just the right border. I cut a few of each of the pieces of the patterns I wanted to use and then placed them randomly on the base. I also wanted to use some of the cut apart pieces so I added those where they fit, along with a banner sentiment. 

I used a journaling pen to line around the border of the card and I also added some shimmer to all of the flowers. One of those groups is shown below the card as the shimmer doesn't show well in the full photo. A bit of crochet thread, some white dots and this card came together pretty quickly. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the theme From Me to You. 

You have until the end of August to link up with this or any of the other August challenges. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: True Love Paper Pack, Ballerina Cardstock, Eggplant Cardstock, White Daisy Cards and Envelopes

Stamps: Bunches of Joy

Inks: Sapphire, Eggplant

Accessories: Square Stitched Dies (Gina Marie Designs), Touch Markers (not CTMH), Pennant Banner Thin Cut, Black and White Dots, Sapphire Crochet Thread, Clear Shimmer Brush, Foam Tape, Black Journaling Pen

Enjoy,

Alyson

CD 357 - Tic Tac Toe and an Ink Splattered Card

Welcome to Colour Dare Challenge #357!

It's another Tic Tac Toe board! This time, the colours are not associated with any particular paper pack - they are just random colours selected from Close To My Heart's colour palette. 

Black and White are permitted but NO OTHER NEUTRALS are allowed other than what is shown on the board. 

I used the colours along the left side (Pomegranate, Ballerina and Glacier) along with the bottom row (Glacier, Peach and Sapphire). 

I went back to an old technique of ink with water (spritz cleaner also works) on a base. I don't have an acrylic block large enough to cover a card base so I had to remove a cover from a stamp platform to do this. I covered the platform with Ballerina ink and then added sections of Pomegranate ink. I spritzed the ink a few times with water and lifted the platform slightly so the colours would run together just a bit. I put it down flat and then put my white cardstock down on top of it. That was easier than trying to turn the platform over on top of the cardstock. The inks settled nicely on the cardstock and it took a while for it to dry. 

In the meantime, I stamped the flowers and leaves and coloured them using Touch markers. The flowers appear Peach although they were coloured with a light pink marker... I also coloured some sparkle flourishes and clear sparkles using the same type of markers. The sentiment was stamped using a combination of Sapphire and Pomegranate inks. 

Here is the card fully assembled. I love the Sapphire flourishes poking out from the floral grouping as they bring out the centre of each flower. 

Come and join us at Colour Dare and show us how you use the Tic Tac Toe board shown above. Please identify the row or column that you use - and you may use more than one row/column or the entire board if you wish. 

You have 2 weeks to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Pomegranate Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Floral Delivery, Wreath Builder (Gina K. Designs) 

Inks: Intense Black, Pomegranate, Ballerina, Sapphire 

Accessories: Floral Delivery Thin Cuts, Clear Sparkles, Sparkle Flourishes, Foam Tape, Thin Foam Tape, Touch Markers (not CTMH), Stitched Circle Dies (Gina Marie Designs), Nestabilities Circle Dies

Enjoy,

Alyson

Noel Circle Card

It's still early to be creating Christmas cards but last year it was a major rush for me so I figured this was as good a time as any to start working on them... plus, this type of card worked for a couple of challenges. 

Double Trouble has a challenge happening that requires a circle - whether the project itself is a circle or contains a circle, there must be a circle present. 

They have also paired up with the Joy of Sets Challenge... 

The Joy of Sets requires you to use one row, column or diagonal line when you create your project. 

I chose the diagonal line containing:
Circle, Animal, Plaid

I haven't made a circular card in ages! I went to my trusty Cricut machine for the file. It was the animal component that made me decide to turn my card into a Christmas card. The best plaid paper I had was from an older paper pack called Jack - and it was red and black. 

I used a deer head - and cut everything using glitter paper. The snowflakes sit behind the deer head and the word NOEL is in the forefront, added with foam tape. I placed a couple of sparkles inside the centre of the snowflakes as well. 

Come and join the fun at Double Trouble and the Joy of Sets! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Jack Paper Pack, Black Cardstock, White Glitter Paper, Silver Glitter Paper, Black Glitter Paper, Red Glitter Paper

Stamps: none

Inks: none

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Artistry Cricut Cartridge, Flower Market Cricut Cartridge, Clear Sparkles, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH #330 - An Embossed Little Note

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch #330!

I love this sketch and can see myself coming back to use this one over and over in the future. It lends itself to both simple and more detailed card designs. 

I stayed very true to the sketch this time, just because it worked so well. I chose an old stamp set called Hello Lovely - Cardmaking. The main image is one of a cluster of flowers. Since a few flowers and leaves were filled in, I chose to emboss the image three times - once in gold, a second time in Clover (green) and a third time in Thistle (purple). After that, I fussy cut the leaves and flowers that were already filled in and glued them onto the gold embossed image. 

I coloured the remaining flowers and leaves and brushed the main flower with a gold shimmer brush. A little bit of gold embellishing thread was added behind the image. The sentiment was masked at the bottom to add some leaves around it. 

Come and join us at Atlantic Hearts and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above. 

You have until Sunday evening to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Products used are all CTMH unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Gimme Some Sugar Paper Pack, Heart Happy Paper Pack, Happy Times Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Hello Lovely - Cardmaking, Bunches of Joy

Inks: Versamark, Clover Pigment Ink, Thistle Pigment Ink, Raspberry, Clover

Accessories: Hello Lovely - Cardmaking Thin Cuts, Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Glitter Gems, Gold Embossing Powder, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Gold Shimmer Brush, Touch Markers (not all CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

TSOT #421 - Birthday Wishes

Welcome to this week's Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch! 

I stayed true to the sketch again this week - only pulling my long strips all the way to the left side as I thought my card looked more finished that way than with them sort of hanging in the centre. 

I chose to use a Close To My Heart paper pack called True Love - the background paper is very busy so the other patterns I chose were more subtle in nature. I backed all the patterned paper with cardstock to help set it apart from each other. The sentiment was stamped on a patterned piece of paper that is very light so it shows up well. I used two stamp pads - Eggplant and Sapphire - and rocked and rolled the sentiment so both colours would appear on the image. Some twine was added along with gems that were coloured to match the papers. 

I am also entering my card in the Double Trouble challenge this week. The main challenge is a recipe challenge: to use at least 3 colours, 2 design papers and 1 sentiment. 

I used more than 3 colours, more than 2 design papers but just the one sentiment. 

Come and join us at Try Stampin' on Tuesday and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above. 

You have until Sunday, August 25 to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: True Love Paper Pack, Sage Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Eggplant Cardstock, White Daisy Cards and Envelopes

Stamps: Card Captions

Inks: Sapphire, Eggplant

Accessories: Sapphire Crochet Thread, Black and White Dots, Basic Circle Tag Thin Cuts, Foam Tape, Touch Marker (not CTMH), Stitched Circle Dies (not CTMH) 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Adventure Awaits

Welcome to this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart! 

The theme this week is Adventure Awaits. Since summer is here in Canada, all sorts of adventures are possible, along with the adventures that can occur during vacations. 

I chose to create a card using the Close To My Heart Multi-Circle Window die. I love that I was able to place all sorts of elements related to adventures in the windows. 

Adventure to me makes me think of outdoor activities - camping, hiking, trail-walking, exploring, etc. I chose everything from a mountain to a tent, a marshmallow on a stick, leaves, flowers, evergreen trees, a tree background... all outdoor-related items. I coloured some of them and others just needed to be stamped and that was it. The background piece is from the Into the Wild paper pack and was mounted on White and then New England Ivy Cardstock. The sentiment "Live in the Moment" is so true - if we don't do things now, we never seem to get around to them! 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the theme of Adventure Awaits. You have until the end of August to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Into the Wild Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, New England Ivy Cardstock

Stamps: Lifetime of Happiness, Grateful Heart Cardmaking, Bunches of Joy, Camping Life

Inks: Ruby, New England Ivy, Toffee, Black, Pewter, Sage

Accessories: Multi-Circle Window Thin Cut, Touch Markers (not all CTMH), Sharpie Markers (not CTMH) 

Enjoy,

Alyson

CD 355 - Stitched Flower Birthday

Welcome to Colour Dare Challenge #355!

This week, we have a colour palette taken from the Love of Colour Book. Please note the neutrals that are included on the palette plus Black and White are also allowed. 

I decided to pull out some old Fundamental paper since it had the Espresso background on it. I coloured in the remaining parts using markers in four of the colours from the palette - Candy Apple, Goldrush, Fern and Glacier. 

Using a background of Candy Apple and Glacier, I cut apart the coloured background and placed it on the Glacier checkered paper. Then it was time to create the flower. This was an idea that a fellow Design Team member did a couple of weeks ago. Miss Carrie's Creations showed how to create these gorgeous multi-stacked flowers using vellum and a fringe at the top. I added a small sentiment and bow that finished off my card. 

Come and join us at Colour Dare and show us how you use the colour palette shown above. 

You have two weeks to enter your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are as follows: 

Paper: Basic Fundamentals, Central Park Paper Pack, Candy Apple Cardstock, Goldrush Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, Fern Cardstock (all CTMH), Vellum (Misc.), Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Short and Sweet (CTMH)

Inks: Goldrush, Espresso, Fern

Accessories: Stitched Flowers Thin Cuts, Decorative Border Thin Cuts, Glacier Twine, Basic Circle Thin Cuts, Stitched Circle Thin Cuts, Clear Shimmer Brush (all CTMH), Touch Markers, Foam Tape 

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH 328 - Life is Better with Friends

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch #328!

This is an interesting sketch with a lot of possibilities. 

The image can be whatever you want it to be so I chose a partial shaker and some leaves 

coming from the shaker. 

I used a standard circle shaker and cut it off at the 3/4 point - easier said than done as additional foam tape had to be added and the edge had to be cut evenly which isn't easy when taping is involved. I stamped the leaf images inside the shaker as well. The leaves are from an Altenew stamp set called Leaf Canopy - involves two step stamping. I took it one step future and added some darker ink on the edges of the leaves. 

I chose a border from the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge and placed silver glitter paper underneath as I wanted to emboss the sentiment in silver so it would be a good match. I used some silver glitter gems and silver embellishing thread to add some extra detail to my card. 

Come and join us at Atlantic Hearts and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above. 

You have until Sunday evening to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Products used are as follows: 

Paper: Happy Times Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock, Silver Glitter Paper, White Cards and Envelopes (all CTMH)

Stamps: Leaf Canopy (Altenew)

Inks: Bluebird, Carolina, Sapphire, Versamark (all CTMH)

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge, Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Silver Glitter Gems, Silver Embellishing Thread, Loose Silver Sequins, Shaker Window and Confetti Thin Cuts, Shaker Window Foam and Acetate (all CTMH), Leaf Canopy Dies (Altenew), Blue Sequins (Unknown), Rectangular Stitched Dies (GMD), Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

You & Me Layout

A good friend has a birthday coming up and I wanted to do something special for her. She and her daughter spend a lot of time together and I just adore the two of them. The photo that I chose for this layout is one that was posted on Facebook - and she has no idea that this gift is coming her way! I am hoping that she will hang it in a special place in her home. 

I chose to use the Sweet Girl paper pack from Close To My Heart to create the layout. The papers coordinate perfectly and to avoid any conflict with the photo, I changed it to black and white. I also softened it slightly. 

The flowers were cut from the Flower Market Cricut cartridge, as was the title. Those roses... they take a long time to assemble! They were brushed with the Clear Shimmer Brush after being edged with Ballerina ink. It's a little difficult to differentiate between the Peach and Ballerina colours in this layout - since I hand stitched all around the edges, the layout didn't lay perfectly flat for me so it was easier to photograph it when it was mounted in the frame. The roses are Ballerina (very light pink) and the daisy tops are Peach, as is the background. 

There is twine running above the banner although that is almost impossible to see as I added silver glitter gems between each piece. I also went way back to find the sparkle flourishes to place beside the flowers as they add such a great finishing touch. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Sweet Girl Paper Pack, Sapphire Cardstock, Peach Cardstock, Ballerina Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, Heather Cardstock

Stamps: none

Inks: Ballerina, Peach, Sapphire, Heather, Fern

Accessories: Flower Market Cricut Cartridge, Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Basic Shapes (not CTMH), Silver Glitter Gems, Mink Twine, Silver Sparkle Flourishes, Foam Tape, Clear Shimmer Brush, Blue Embroidery Floss and Needle (not CTMH), Stitching Guide, Sponges, Sponge Daubers, Sharpie Marker (not CTMH) 

Enjoy, 

Alyson