Get Well Thoughts for a Friend

A friend of mine is in need of a get well card... not exactly the kind of cards we like to create, but life goes on. 

This one was made using a beautiful die that is all one piece. It required 2 cuts - the first is the purple piece. The second is for the green leaves that were cut from the second die cut and placed on top of the purple base. The pink flowers underneath were cut to fit under the purple open flowers (and that was quite a task!) It is not able to be seen in the photo but the leaves are embossed from the die cut. 

I also added shimmer to the pink pieces of the flowers and that is shown under the complete card. 

The background was created using the Ink Blot stamp set using the three colours that were used to create the floral cluster. The colours in the photograph are not exact to the the colours used on the actual card - I used Pansy, Pixie and Willow. The pink and purple seem to be more on the reddish side in the photo. Nonetheless, I hope this card brightens my friend's day when she receives it :) 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Pansy Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Willow Cardstock
Stamps: Ink Blot, Sending Smiles (ret.)
Inks: Pansy, Willow, Pixie
Accessories: Die Cut (not CTMH), Purple Hearts Enamel and Glitter Gems, Clear Shimmer Brush, Foam Tape

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Emojis - Say it Your Way!

The theme this week at Heart 2 Heart is EMOJIS! 😍😊😩😳😁😂

How many different emojis have you seen in your texting, writing and messaging with others? They have become so common in society today that just about everyone knows what :) represents now! Of course, it is a happy face emoji - just like this: 😊

I decided to do something different for this challenge! I used emojis alright, but I decided to make a card that will be used when a friend is having a difficult time... You know - one of THOSE days when nothing seems to be going right. We have all had them - everything seems to go wrong. Everything you touch seems to fall apart or get messed up. This card is for one of those days... The inside has a message to remind that friend that I will be there to offer a shoulder during that difficult time... and perhaps even a smiling face (in the form of an emoji, of course...) 

Here is the inside of the card...

Come and join us to celebrate the world of emojis at Heart 2 Heart this week! You need to use at least some Close To My Heart products in your project (and there is a fabulous Emoji stamp set by CTMH available!) You have until the end of June to link up with this or any of the other June challenges. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Whimsy Fundamentals Cardstock (ret.), Enchantment Fundamentals Cardstock (ret.), White Daisy Cardstock, Lemon Cardstock

Stamps: Emojis, Here for You (ret.), Noted (ret.)

Inks: Black, Lemon, Glacier, Whisper

Accessories: Artistry Cartridge, Flower Market Cartridge, Enchantment Ribbon Pack, Foam Tape, Sponges

Enjoy,

Alyson

SaveSave

Retiring Stamp Sets Blog Hop

This blog hop features stamp sets that are retiring as of July 31st from the Annual Inspirations Catalog. There may be some sets that you haven't even considered purchasing... until you see how they can be used in this blog hop. Sometimes when you see different ways that stamps (or any item for that matter) can be used, it can suddenly change your mind and make you say, "I NEED that!" I know that has certainly been the case for me - on many occasions! 
So, enjoy the tour and see how some of our retiring stamp sets can be used! 

You should have arrived here from Darlys Recker's blog.

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

I saw this awesome card idea on Pinterest and I cannot take credit for the design. The original artist is Yvonne van Bruggen. I CASEd her card idea because it was such a fabulous way to showcase several of our retiring stamps on one project. 

I began by stamping the flowers and greenery that I wanted to use. I stamped far more than I ended up needing. They had to be cut out. 
The next step was to create the background using the Ink Blot stamp set. The sentiment was stamped first. Creating the background is harder than it looks - trying not to make the background overwhelming, yet having enough is a fine line...
When I had it looking the way I waned, I cut the piece on the diagonal and then adhered it to the base. I added the floral cluster and then coloured the gems and added them. 

I hope you enjoyed my project. 

The next blog on this hop is Sheila Bennett's blog.

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

You can visit my Consultant website to shop here. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock
Stamps: Shower Flowers, Ink Blot, Lovely Leaves, Happy to be Friends

Inks: Black, Raspberry, Tangerine, Lemon, Emerald

Accessories: ShinHan Markers, Thin Foam Tape, Pink Enamel Gems, Magenta Sharpie Marker (not CTMH)

Enjoy,
Alyson

Colour Dare 248 - Foxy Hello

This week's Colour Dare is a kind of masculine combination of colours. For the most part, they are darker colours, with New England Ivy, Sapphire and Desert Sand in there. Glacier is a lighter colour and of course, White Daisy is a bright neutral. We encourage you to use Close To My Heart colours but if you don't have them, use whatever you have that is closest and come and play along! 

I decide to use this month's Stamp of the Month for the focus of my card. I love the floral clusters and the wreath within that stamp set, plus the little fox is just so cute. 

Come and join us at Colour Dare. Be sure to use ALL and ONLY the colours listed above in your project. 

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

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted: 

Paper: No Worries Paper Pack, Sugar Rush Paper Pack (ret.), Enchantment Fundamentals, White Daisy Cardstock, Desert Sand Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock
Stamps: Hello Foxy
Inks: Desert Sand, Sapphire
Accessories: ShinHan Markers, Sharpie Marker (not CTMH), Blue Dot Enamel and Glitter Duos

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Atlantic Hearts 216 - A Beary Special Day

Well, I am finally getting around to using the bear that has captured the hearts of so many people in the Close To My Heart world! This bear is so loved, so used and has been made into a bear that holds a mug, wears a heart on his sleeve, wears a hat and tie as shown here, walks away... you name it! It has even been made into a female bear so as to give the male bear a companion, which is just so adorable :) I LOVE all the possible combinations that can be made with this stamp and die set! 

I chose to keep my bear pretty minimal and give him just a hat and tie as he will be sent to a friend who is celebrating a birthday. The background piece came from the Jack paper pack and is one of the PML pieces. I loved the wood surround so I chose to make a 5x7 card so I could use that piece as it was 4x6 in size. 

Come and 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: Jack Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Back Cardstock, Whisper Cardstock
Stamps: Jack Cardmaking 
Inks: Black, Ruby
Accessories: Jack Cardmaking Thin Cuts, Jack Complements, Black and White Dots, White Twine, ShinHan Marker, Foam Tape

Enjoy, 
Alyson

Celebrate with Flowers

A friend of mine is getting married early in the fall but there is a bridal shower coming up for her in a couple of weeks. I have had this Simon Says Stamp set for a while now but haven't done anything with it until now. I saw a card similar to this on Pinterest but am not sure who the artist was (my apologies...) The flowers were stamped, coloured with Wink of Stella Glitter Pens (although the glitter doesn't show here) and then die cut. The ribbon across the bottom took me forever to gather and pleat using glue dots to hold it together. 

A combination of retired paper made a good background for the pink and green colours that I wanted. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Calypso Paper pack (ret.), Brushed Paper Pack (ret.), White Daisy Cardstock
Stamps: Balloon Wishes, Spring Flowers (SSS)
Inks: Raspberry, Willow, Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
Accessories: Spring Flowers Dies (SSS), Wink of Stella Glitter Pens, Sugar Rush Gems (ret.), Green Ribbon (not CTMH)

Enjoy, 
Alyson

H2H - Fiesta!

The theme at Heart 2 Heart this week is Fiesta! I'm not sure if this time of the year is a time of fiestas in the US or not but I can't think of any particular fiesta celebrations in Canada that are going on at the present time... other than the fact that Canada is celebrating its 150th year as a country this year and that celebration has been going on since January. The actual celebration is July 1st. 

So, I decided to do just a celebratory card - a fun card. I love this llama stamp and the "punny" saying that goes with it. Inside I stamped a birthday greeting for the recipient. 

Join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your Fiesta projects! You have until the end of June to link up with this project or any of our June challenges. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Prickly Pear Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock

Stamps: Prickly Pear Cardmaking

Inks: Emerald, Tuxedo Black Memento Ink

Accessories: Artiste Cartridge (ret.), Prickly Pear Cardmaking Die Cuts, Prickly Pear Sequins, ShinHan Markers, Ribbon (not CTMH), Foam Tape, Thin Foam Tape

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Colour Dare 246 - Birthday Roses

The colour combination this week at Colour Dare is one that I found a little difficult - but that may be just me. The darker neutrals are not normally my style so I chose to use them as my base colours and focus on the brighter colours for the rest of the card. I have never been a fan of Smoothie and decided to keep it to a bare minimum by simply adding small embellishments in that colour... it's there but not a focal colour, for sure. 

The roses are from a new Altenew stamp that I picked up and I love it! The roses are paired with a CTMH stamp for the sentiment. 

Join us at Colour Dare and show us your project using the colours shown above. You need to use ALL and ONLY the listed colours in your project. 

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

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: No Worries Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Cocoa Cardstock

Stamps: Finding the Words, Bamboo Roses (not CTMH)

Inks: Cocoa, Rich Cocoa Memento Ink (not CTMH)

Accessories: ShinHan Markers, Little Dreamer Glitter Gems, Scalloped Punch (ret.), Clear Shimmer Brush, Cocoa Ribbon (ret.)

Enjoy, 

Alyson

June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

 

Welcome to June's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month, we are featuring the stamp set 

"Hello Foxy" - a set of 11 stamps. This is such an adorable set of stamps - There are 3 foxes, 4 any occasion sentiments, a wreath and floral images that can work for just about anything. The bloggers along this blog hop will certainly show you many ways to use this stamp set, so sit back and enjoy the tour. 

You should have arrived here from Jennifer D's blog. 

If you get lost, a list of all blogs can be found on Melinda Everitt's blog. 

The stamp set looks like this.

I wanted to use the No Worries paper pack to create my card for this blog hop. The colours were perfect for what I had in mind. I based this card off a sketch that I have kept for about 7 years - it is one that I love and know I will use so it has been in my file all this time. 

The wreath was a perfect fit for the centre of the card, along with the large "Hi" in the centre. I wanted to use one of the fox stamps and the single fox sitting on some of the flowers seemed like a good idea. I also wanted it to appear like the fox was holding the single flower in its mouth. There is a close-up of that under the card. 

Just a note - if you decide to machine-stitch on a project, make absolutely sure that there is NO adhesive under the area that is being stitched. It will damage the inside of your machine very quickly and that is either a very expensive repair or it cannot be repaired at all! Stitching is beautiful on paper projects but care must be taken to ensure that adhesive is well out of the way of the needle! 

The next blog on the hop is Jean M's blog. 

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

You can get this stamp set for just $6 this month with a $50 purchase. 

Visit my shopping site here. 

Remember this stamp set is only available until June 30th! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: No Worries Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock

Stamps: Hello Foxy

Inks: Cashmere Pigment Ink, Whisper Pigment Ink

Accessories: Flower Market Cartridge, Cricut Insert Shapes (not CTMH), ShinHan Markers, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Thin Foam Tape, No Worries Sequins, Sewing Machine and Dark Blue Thread (not CTMH) 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

AH 214 - Double Z-Fold Card "It's Your Day"

It's such a beautiful time of year with the flowers blooming and a perfect time for the sketch this week at Atlantic Hearts... little flowers in a centre square. You don't have to use flowers but it's that time of year - in my area, anyway. People are just starting to plant for the summer months now that the last frost overnight (hopefully) is behind us. 

I chose to so something a little different for this sketch. The front of my card is where you see the actual sketch (minus the ribbon). I put the sentiment on the right side of my card as it is a double z-fold card and it fit better there. I wanted the front to be a floral focus. 

The black background is one of the papers from the Live Beautifully Paper Pack and the flowers are from the May Stamp of the Month (Love, Laugh, Love). Both of these products are only available during the month of May so if either of them appeal to you, be sure to place your order THIS MONTH as they will not be available after May 31st! 

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. 

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

Due to a number of requests as to how to create this card, I am posting the cutting and scoring details here...

Double Z-Fold Card Instructions

This card will fit in a standard card size envelope :)

Cardstock 1: Cut 4^1/4" x 11"    Score at 2^3/4" and 5^1/2"

Cardstock 2: Cut 3^1/2" x 8^1/2"   Score at 2^1/8" and 4^1/4"

Patterned Paper 1: Cut 4" x 5^1/4" and two of 2 ^1/2" x 4"

Patterned Paper 2: Cut 3^1/4" x 4" and two of 1^7/8" x 3^1/4"

To easily line up the top piece, do all the folding, then butt up the bottom folded edge of the top piece to the folded edge of the bottom piece.

(Personally, I found it much more helpful to look at the finished card to figure out how to assemble it!) Don't adhere anything until you figure out how it goes together...

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Live Beautifully Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sea Glass Glitter Paper

Stamps: Live, Laugh, Love, Sending Smiles, Ink Blot

Inks: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, Black

Accessories: ShinHan Markers, Clear Shimmer Brush

Enjoy, 

Alyson