Heart 2 Heart - Home Sweet Gnome

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge. 

The theme for this challenge is Vacation/Staycation. Many of us haven't travelled anywhere lately with lockdowns in place for so long... "staycations" are the new normal.

Since I haven't gone anywhere and I don't take pictures of my "staycation" at home, I had to decide on a different approach for this challenge. I used a gnome stamp for a home sweet home idea. 

The background was created by masking around a circle (I cut that on my Cricut) and using Distress Oxide inks to create a multi-coloured background. Once the mask was removed, I stamped two gnomes in black (masked one of them), the flowers along the left side and a sentiment at the top. That piece was adhered to a piece of Sundance cardstock and then to a white card base. Clean and simple! 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the Vacation/Staycation theme. 

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:

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Sundance Cardstock, White Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Gnome Matter, Angel Hugs

Inks: Archival Black, DO Inks - Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers

Accessories: Cricut Basic Shapes, Circle Shaker Window Thin Cut

Enjoy,

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Full Circle

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge!

We are going full circle this week - make sure you use circles on your project. 

I used several circles - the background pattern, the sentiment shapes and the centre of the flower are all circles. 

This card is based on a gorgeous card created by Susan Opel for Scrapbooks and Cards Today. I loved her design and wanted to try it in a different colour scheme. 

The background was created using a circle stencil (die cut from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge) on black cardstock with Black Diamond Stickles. That piece was mounted on craft foam and then on Blue Belle glitter paper. I cut the centre out of the Blue Belle glitter paper as only the edges show - no point in wasting all that great paper! 

The sentiment was stamped and die cut with the Stitched Circle Dies and the outline was die cut with the next largest circle. I cut some strips of patterned paper and dovetailed the edges. They were placed side by side. The flower and leaves were stamped in black and and left uncoloured. I added some shimmer on the flowers and leaves using the Clear Shimmer Brush. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the Full Circle challenge! 

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: Mix-In Paper Packs, Wander Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Blue Belle Glitter Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Daisy Meadows Scrapbooking, Chelsea Gardens Cardmaking, You Brighten My Day 

Inks: Black

Accessories: Cricut Artbooking Collection, Stitched Circle Thin Cuts, Basic Circle Thin Cuts, Daisy Meadows Scrapbooking Thin Cuts, Chelsea Gardens Cardmaking Thin Cuts, Black Diamond Stickles, Daisy Meadows Dots, Clear Shimmer Brush, Craft Foam (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

Double Trouble and H2H - Christmas in July

Welcome to Double Trouble and Heart 2 Heart! 

This week, it's Christmas in July! We all need Christmas cards so this is a great opportunity to get started! 

The small graphic for Double Trouble is shown below. Please visit the Double Trouble Challenge Blog for additional information. 

There are three cards shown below and each is slightly different with the placement of the flowers (colour-wise). My inspiration for these cards came from a card created by Tae Eun You for The Ton Stamps. I used a beautiful set of poinsettia stamps that I bought not long ago. These layering stamps create such lifelike flowers and greenery. I stamped the flowers and branches in three colour schemes - purple, teal and blue. The images were all die cut and set aside while I worked on the backgrounds. 

The backgrounds were created using Distress Oxide inks in various colours and then I splattered the Clear Shimmer Brush on them. I die cut a white stitched rectangle to place on top of the background and then added the images. A small Christmas sentiment was stamped in black and added at the bottom right. The last step was to add some Diamond Stickles around the flowers and on the first card, I also added some silver embellishing thread behind one of the flowers.  

Come and join us at Double Trouble and Heart 2 Heart. 

You have two weeks to link up your project at Double Trouble and until the end of July to enter at Heart 2 Heart. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Slimline Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Festive Trees, Poinsettia Wishes (The Ton), Berry Branches (The Ton) 

Inks: Green Apple, Clover, Lilac, Pansy, Eggplant, Glacier, Lagoon, Peacock, Carolina, Bluebird, Sapphire, Toffee, Espresso, Archival Black, DO Inks - Peacock Feathers, Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire, Pumice Stone, Tumbled Glass (not CTMH)

Accessories: Poinsettia Wishes Dies (The Ton), Berry Branches Dies (The Ton), Stitched Slimline Dies (Pink and Main), Clear Shimmer Brush, Diamond Stickles, Silver Embellishing Thread, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Birthday Pennants

Welcome to the first July challenge at Heart 2 Heart! 

The theme this week is pennants, flags and banners. I decided to use a sketch from the latest Make it From Your Heart collection (Volume 5). This is a clean and simple card. 

I started by selecting the colours and patterns for the banners and the background. I didn't want a white background so I chose an old paper pack (Oh Deer) and found a birch tree print that was perfect. The banners were cut from papers in Blue Belle, Sapphire, Sundance and Paprika. I coloured some clear sparkles and placed them between the triangles. Some bitty sparkles were coloured in the coordinating yellow shade and added around the card. Simple and quick! 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret this week's theme. 

You have until the end of July 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: Mix-In Paper Packs (misc. current and retired), Oh Deer Paper Pack, Paprika Cardstock, Linen Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Blue Belle Glitter Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: On Your Birthday

Inks: Sapphire

Accessories: Clear Sparkles, Bitty Sparkles, Tri-Blend Marker, Touch Marker (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Sunburst Star Birthday Card

Welcome to Heart 2 Heart! 

The theme for this challenge is Let's Hear it for the Boys. 

I always struggle with masculine projects... I wanted to do something fairly simple but make sure it still made a statement. 

One of the Cricut images from the Artbooking collection is the sunburst that I used. I cut that from some patterned paper and adhered it with foam tape on the same colour of cardstock. I also cut two ovals - one for the background and a second for the sentiment. The sentiment was stamped with Peacock ink along with some little stars stamped with Lemonade ink. The large stars were die cut and added to the front of the card. I also decorated the inside of the card using the stars. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret this theme. 

You have until the end of June to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: Aurora Paper Pack, White Daisy Carsdstock, Peacock Cardstock, Lemonade Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock 

Stamps: On Your Birthday 

Inks: Peacock, Lemonade

Accessories: Artbooking Cricut Collection, Basic Stars Thin Cuts, Foam Tape 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Get Inky!

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

The theme this week is to get inky - pull out those ink pads and show us some interesting ways to use them! 

I used Distress Oxide inks to create the background for my card. I used four colours - Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers, Mustard Seed and Mowed Lawn - and created small sections of each, blending them at the edges. I then placed a stencil on top and spread Moondust Glitter Gel over top of the coloured layer. That took some time to dry. 

Meanwhile, the butterfly and circles were die cut. I stamped a sentiment and when the background was dry, it was all adhered together. The final step was to add a few blue gems.

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you get inky! 

You have until the end of June 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: Blue Skies Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Sundance Cardstock, Green Apple Cardstock, Vellum, Teal Glitter Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Friendship is a Blessing

Inks: Lagoon, DO Inks - Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed

Accessories: Stencil Pack, Moondust Glitter Gel, Butterfly Thin Cuts, Basic Circle Thin Cuts, Stitched Circle Thin Cuts, Teal Gems 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Love Your Crazy Side Diagonal Stripe Card

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

The theme this week is sponging. There are a lot of ways that sponging can be done - I chose to sponge the background of my card. 

I started by using three widths of washi tape and masked off the entire card. I pulled every third piece off and sponged on the first colour. Those sections had to be covered and then the next sections were peeled off and sponged. Finally the last colour was done. I added a mixture of water and Perfect Pearls to the card to create a shimmery effect. That piece was die cut using the Stiched Rectangle Thin Cuts. 

The sentiment was stamped and die cut. "I Love" was die cut in black and the other three sections were stamped in black on Lagoon cardstock. Those were also die cut and then a piece of twine was tied in a small bow and attached to the edge of each piece. I added some Black Bursts and a coloured sparkle in the centre of each one. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you use sponging on your project. 

You have until the end of May 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, Black Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Moments with You

Inks: Archival Black, Lagoon, DO Inks - Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed

Accessories: Moments with You Thin Cuts, Fancy Tags Thin Cuts, Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Yellow, Pink and Turquoise Twine (misc.), Perfect Pearls (Ranger), Black Bursts, Bitty Sparkles, Sharpie Markers, Foam Tape

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Celebrate Connections

Welcome to the first May challenge at Heart 2 Heart! 

This challenge is titled "Celebrate Connections". May is also National Scrapbooking Month and Close To My Heart has released a stunning collection called You are Enough. the collection includes a gorgeous paper pack, coordinating cardstock with rose gold embossing, stamps, dies and some other goodies. I decide to use those products to create this layout. 

I don't do a lot of scrapbooking these days but I really liked this photo of a friend of mine. My doggie adores her, as I am sure you can tell from the photo. 

There is a lot happening on this layout... more than you see at first glance. I used a diamond stencil to add texture paste behind the photo. The wreath and doily were cut with my Cricut and I stamped and die cut the flowers and leaves. The butterflies were die cut from Sangria cardstock and holographic paper. The little details... Sapphire crochet thread, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, the Clear Shimmer Brush... I love how this turned out! 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the theme Celebrate Connections. Your project does not have to be a layout - it can be anything as long as the theme is evident. 

You have until the end of May 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: You are Enough Paper Pack, You are Enough Coordinating Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Blue Belle Cardstock, Sangria Cardstock, Majestic Holographic Paper

Stamps: Mothers are the Best

Inks: Sangria, Ballerina, Blue Belle, Sapphire 

Accessories: Cricut - Basic Shapes Collection, Artbooking Collection, Art Philosophy Collection, Flower Market Collection, Mothers are the Best (Thinking of You) Thin Cuts, Layered Butterflies Thin Cuts, Friend Die (PPP), Stencil Sheets, Opaque Matte Texture Paste, Sapphire Crochet Thread, White Liquid Pearls, Stickles - Tiara and Diamond, Clear Shimmer Brush, Sharpie Marker

Enjoy,

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Cherry Blossoms

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

The theme this week is Old and New. You are to use some OLD products and some NEW products on your project. 

My NEW item is the Cherry Blossoms stamp set. It is such a pretty set of flowers and I used the largest branch on my card. The OLD is the paper - it is from the first Mix-In paper pack a couple of years ago. The soft pink patterns along with the black patterns made a great backdrop for the cherry blossoms. 

I stamped the floral image and only coloured along the shaded areas. I went back and added some darker pink with the Flamingo Shimmer Brush. The card pattern is from Make It From Your Herat - Vol.4. I stamped a sweet little sentiment at the bottom so as not to distract from the flowers. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret this week's challenge. 

You have until the end of April 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: Mix-In Paper Pack (not current), White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Cherry Blossoms, Flowers for You (May SOTM)

Inks: Intense Black, Archival Black 

Accessories: Touch Markers (not CTMH), Flamingo Shimmer Brush

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - What's Your Angle?

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge!

It's all about angles this week - specifically diagonal angles. 

I began by creating a mixed coloured background using Distress Oxide inks. I placed a circle stencil on top of that and brushed over it with Moon Dust Glitter Gel, giving it a glittery effect. Once that piece was dry, I created a shaker on top and added some coordinating cardstock diagonal stripes. The finally touch was to add the Hugs sentiment. 

Come and join us at H2H and show us how you interpret the angle challenge. 

You have until the end of April 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, Black Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Nectarine Cardstock, Canary Cardstock, Green Apple Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: none

Inks: All DO Inks: Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers, Carved Pumpkin (only one not CTMH) 

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Gold Loose Sequins, Gold Confetti Stars, Clear Sequins (not CTMH), Hugs Die (Pink Fresh Studios), Moon Dust Glitter Gel, Acetate (not CMTH), Foam Tape, Stencil Pack 3

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - The Midas Touch (Gold)

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge. 

The theme for this challenge is The Midas Touch. We are asking you to use gold in your project.

I finally pulled out my Geometric Grid Thin Cuts and used the diagonal one (there are two in the set). I cut that piece from gold glitter paper and then I cut away a few of the sections. I used three Distress Oxide inks to create the background and I also splattered that piece with water. The sentiment was embossed in gold in the centre section and the four corner squares became mini shakers.

 Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret The Midas Touch. 

You have until the end of March 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, Sapphire Cardstock, Gold Glitter Paper, Acetate (not CTMH), White Card Bases and Envelopes 

Stamps: Sunny Days Ahead

Inks: Versamark, DO Inks - Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch (none of the DO inks are CTMH)

Accessories: Geometric Grid Thin Cuts, Foam Tape, Gold Star Confetti, Iridescent Flower Confetti, Blue Sequins (not CTMH), Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Floral Birthday Card

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge!

We have a sketch for you this week. A sketch is a starting point and although this one has measurements on it, please remember that a sketch can certainly be altered - just make sure that it is visible in your project. 

I chose to stay true to the sketch, which I don't do very often. This one just worked for what I had in mind. I did rotate it a quarter turn to create a vertical card instead of a horizontal card. 

The card base (Linen) was splattered using three shimmer brushes. The papers are from the Eat Play Love paper pack and the current Mix-In paper pack. I used one of the flowers from the patterned paper for the focal point on the card. The sentiment was masked and stamped in two different colours. I added some gold embellishing thread and gold glitter gems. The flower was brushed with the gold shimmer brush and the card was outlined with a fine tipped marker.

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above. 

You have until the end of March 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: Eat Play Love Paper Pack, Mix-In paper Pack, Linen Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Birthday Borders

Inks: Candy Apple, Lagoon

Accessories: Red Shimmer Brush, Lemonade Shimmer Brush, Lagoon Shimmer Brush, Gold Shimmer Brush, Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Glitter Gems, Sharpie Marker, Foam Tape 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Slimline Birthday

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

The theme this week is to use a border. You can stamp, die cut or even draw a border - there are lots of ways to do this. 

I created a slimline birthday card and used a stamped and die cut border at the bottom. The balloons and the sentiment pieces were also stamped and die cut. The top piece was die cut using a stitched slimline die and then I embossed it. I added a few glitter gems, some embellishing thread and the images were coloured using markers and three different shimmer brushes.

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your project with borders.

You have until the end of February 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, Ballerina Cardstock, Mint Cardstock, Desert Rose Glitter Paper, Slimline Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Birthday Borders, On Your Birthday, Wishing You Everything 

Inks: Intense Black, Desert Rose 

Accessories: Birthday Borders Thin Cuts, Wishing You Everything Thin Cuts, Stitched Scalloped Brackets Thin Cuts, Stitched Slimline Dies (Pink and Main), Dot Embossing Folder, Tri-Blend Markers, Gold Glitter Gems, Gold Embellishing Thread, Thin Foam Tape, Clear Shimmer Brush, Mint Shimmer Brush, Desert Rose Shimmer Brush 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H and Double Trouble - Hello My Friend

Welcome to both Double Trouble and Heart 2 Heart this week! 

The Double Trouble challenge image is below - more details can be found on the website. 

Heart 2 Heart this week is "All You Need is Love". The two challenges are combining forces this week!

I created a heart shaker using the Blossom paper collection. Blossom is one of my favourite packs from the past and I was so glad to see it brought back again. 

The front is a piece of the patterned paper from the pack and I cut out a heart so I could turn it into a shaker. The sentiment was stamped on the inside heart and brushed with the Clear Shimmer Brush. I added some mixed turquoise sequins inside the shaker. The zip strip from one of the papers was used as a border along the bottom and I also added some teal shimmer trim and a few gems to finish off the card. 

Come and join us at Double Trouble and Heart 2 Heart. 

The Double Trouble challenge runs for a two week period. Heart 2 Heart is running this challenge through the month of February. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Blossom Paper Pack, Lagoon Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, Smoothie Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Sending Well Wishes, Doodled Borders 

Inks: Lagoon

Accessories: Heart Shaker Window Thin Cut, Heart Foam and Acetate, Teal Shimmer Trim, Clear Shimmer Brush, Sharpie Markers (not CTMH), Turquoise Gems (not CTMH), Turquoise Sequins, Foam Tape 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Slimline Shaker

Welcome to the second H2H challenge in the month of January!

The theme this week is slimline cards. 

I have created a few slimline cards and really like the longer size, whether it is used vertically or horizontally. I chose to create my card horizontally. 

I started by cutting a card front from white cardstock and I spread Moon Dust Glitter Gel on it. That had to dry overnight. In the meantime, I used four distress oxides inks and blended them together on another piece of white cardstock. I used a new slimline thin cut from CTMH to cut out the diagonal pattern. Once the glitter gel was dry, I separated sections of the die with foam tape and added sequins behind to create a shaker. The sentiment was masked and stamped in three coordinating colours. The flower was stamped, coloured and fussy cut. Parts of the flower were brushed with the Gold Shimmer Brush and I added a few loose sequins and some gold embellishing thread around the sentiment. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your slimline card creations.

You have until the end of January to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Sundance Cardstock

Stamps: Hey, Hi, Hello, Every Bit of Wonderful

Inks: Intense Black, Green Apple, Smoothie, Sundance, Distress Oxide Inks: Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers

Accessories: Diagonal Stripe Slimline Thin Cut, Pennant Thin Cuts, Moon Dust Glitter Gel, Tri-Blend Markers, Loose Gold Sequins, Iridescent Flower Confetti, Foam Tape, Gold Shimmer Brush, Gold Embellishing Thread

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Out with the Old...

Welcome to 2021 and a new year at Heart 2 Heart! 

We are making some changes for this challenge with the start of the new year. There will be two posts each month - the first and third Monday of the month. All design team members will participate in all challenges as well. 

The first challenge of the year is "Out with the Old and In with the New". 

I chose to focus on new products for this challenge - products that are "in with the new" as of January 1. 

The Sweet Safari paper collection is geared toward childhood animals and trips to the zoo... but it can certainly be used for other purposes. I chose to use a few of the papers to create this adorable elephant love card. The elephant was coloured blue to match the papers (who says you can’t have a blue elephant?) I added a tiny envelope with a message inside and the elephant is holding the envelope with his trunk. I coloured a few acrylic hearts to embellish the card. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret this challenge. 

You have until the end of January to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: Sweet Safari Paper Pack, Blue Skies Cardstock (red), Espresso Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Sundance Cardstock, White Daisy Cards and Envelopes

Stamps: Oh, Hay There

Inks: Intense Black, Avocado, Candy Apple

Accessoires: White Acrylic Hearts, Tri-Blend Markers, Foam Tape, Mini Envelope Thin Cut

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Gifts from the Heart

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge. 

The theme this week is Gifts from the Heart. 

I create a LOT of card sets and I give them all away as gifts. I do this for a variety of friends, acquaintances and often for the fellow patients at the hospital that I visit every few weeks. Everyone is always so appreciative of receiving handmade cards as they aren't something that can be easily purchased.

This set was created using the Serenity paper pack which contains gorgeous shades of blue combined with gold. I used the same basic pattern on each card, just changing it up a bit. The cards are each 6x6 in size and there is a set of eight cards. I love how these turned out! 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your gifts from the heart. 

You have until the end of December 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: Serenity Paper Pack, Mix-In Paper Pack, French Vanilla Cardstock, Blue Belle Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Toffee Cardstock, Sapphire Glitter Paper, Blue Belle Glitter Paper 

Stamps: Serenity Cardmaking Workshop, Serenity Cardmaking, Bloom with Grace Cardmaking, With All My Love, Happiness Never Grows Old, Every Bit of Wonderful, Dearest Friend (Altenew)

Inks; Sapphire, Blue Belle, Intense Black, Toffee 

Accessories: Serenity Cardmaking Workshop Thin Cuts, Decorative Borders Thin Cuts, Lace Border Thin Cut, Scalloped Borders Thin Cuts, Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Stitched Simple Brackets Thin Cuts, Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts, Stitched Brackets Thin Cuts, Petals and More Thinlets (SU), Dearest Friend Dies (Altenew), Corner Rounder, Gold Glitter Gems, Gold Embellishing Thread, Tri-Blend Markers, Copic Markers (not CTMH), ShinHan Markers (not CTMH), Thin Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Peace Wreath

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

The theme this week is Peace on Earth.

The Serenity paper collection has fast become my favourite paper and colour combination... the blue hues are just so pretty. I decided to use some images from the Serenity Cricut collection to create my card. 

I started by embossing the French Vanilla background with a small dotted embossing folder and then die cut it using the Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts. I Cricut cut the wreath using Blue Belle cardstock and Gold Glitter Paper. I stamped PEACE on a piece of Sapphire cardstock and embossed it with gold embossing powder. It took me a long time to cut in just the right places to attach the sentiment behind the wreath without any extra pieces showing. The flower was assembled and added to the bottom of the wreath. I brushed the centre section of the flower with the Gold Shimmer Brush and then added some embellishing thread and gems. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the Peace on Earth theme. 

You have until the end of December 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: French Vanilla Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Blue Belle Cardstock, Gold Glitter Paper 

Stamps: First Noel

Inks: Versamark

Accessories: Serenity Cricut Collection, Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Dot Embossing Folder (not CTMH), Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Gold Glitter Gems, Gold Shimmer Brush, Goldenrod Stickles, Gold Embellishing Thread, Thin Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Thankful

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

It's all about being thankful this week.

Thanksgiving in the US is way after our Thanksgiving holiday here in Canada. We celebrate the second Monday in October. However, it is ALWAYS appropriate to be thankful! 

I created the background for my card using 3 shades of Distress Oxide inks - Speckled Egg, Cracked Pistachio and Peacock Feathers. Those inks blend so well. I created circles of each colour on white cardstock and gradually blended them into each other. I then covered the inked cardstock with a stencil and inked over that using Black Soot ink. The last step was to brush Asteroid Stickles Glitter Gel over the black ink while the stencil was still in place. That took some time to dry. 

In the meantime, I die cut three leaves in the same colours as the inks (Mint, Glacier and Lagoon). The sentiment is from a retired stamp set but it was perfect for this challenge. That was die cut using a stitched rectangle die. Finally the leaves were added and a silver ribbon was tied in a double bow at the top. A few Silver Glitter Gems were added on each side of the sentiment and the card front was mounted on Charcoal cardstock. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the thankful theme.

You have until the end of November 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, Charcoal Cardstock, Mint Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Falling for You Cardmaking

Inks: Charcoal, Black Soot DO Ink, Speckled Egg DO Ink, Cracked Pistachio DO Ink, Peacock Feathers DO Ink

Accessories: Artbooking Cricut Collection, Stencil Sheets, Leaves Thin Cuts, Asteroid Stickles Glitter Gel, Stitched Rectangle Dies (SSS), Silver Glitter Gems, Silver Ribbon (misc.)

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Christmas is Coming Early

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

The theme this week is Christmas is Coming Early. That very thought may terrify some of you... but it's a reminder that Christmas truly is right around the corner. 

I have been working on Christmas cards for a few weeks already, although I feel like I will never have enough made by early December. This challenge allowed me to create yet another one to add to my total. 

I used the Comfort and Joy poinsettia paper as the background and created a shaker along the side. I wanted the images to be coloured in similar colours to coordinate with the paper so I chose a holly sprig, an ornament and a group of pinecones. All were coloured using Tri-Blend markers and each square was made into a small shaker to which I added some artificial snow. The sentiment was stamped in Candy Apple and cut with the Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts. It was mounted within the outer stitched frame. I brushed the veins on the poinsettias with the clear shimmer brush but that isn't visible in the photograph. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your Christmas projects. 

You have until the end of October 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: Comfort and Joy Paper Pack, Black Cardstock, Candy Apple Cardstock, Avocado Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Traditional Holiday, Yuletide Greetings 

Inks: Intense Black, Candy Apple 

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Stitched Square Dies (GMD), Red Enamel Dots, Tri-Blend Markers, Black Sharpie Marker (not CTMH), Acetate (not CTMH), Craft Foam (not CTMH), Artificial Snow (not CTMH), Clear Shimmer Brush 

Enjoy,

Alyson