Starburst Cards

I love the effect of starbursts and wanted to create a couple of cards using that technique. 

The first one is a masculine card - I used 5 patterned papers to create the starburst. The sentiment was stamped in 2 colours and die cut. A small border of ruby hearts was stamped at the bottom and then some coloured sparkles were added. 

The second card is MUCH more involved... There are 4 mini starbursts, each 1 3/4" square. I used the three embossed star papers from the Happiest Place paper pack to create those starbursts and when they were complete, they were mounted on Silver Foil paper. The background was embossed with the Stitched Circle embossing folder. I had to emboss in two steps as the folder is 5"x 7" in size and the paper is 5 1/2" square. It meant lining up the previously embossed section exactly to ensure there would not be any extra embossed parts. I splattered the background with the Black and Lemonade shimmer brushes. A few flowers were stamped, coloured and fussy cut. The sentiment and the flowers were mounted with foam tape and a few black dots were added as well as some silver embellishing thread. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart:

Paper: Timber Paper Pack, Mix-In Paper Pack, Happiest Place Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Silver Foil Paper, White Daisy Card and Envelopes 

Stamps: Timber Cardmaking Workshop, Floral Celebration

Inks: Fern, Sapphire, Intense Black, Black, Ruby

Accessories: Timber Cardmaking Thin Cuts, Tri-Blend Markers, Silver Shimmer Trim, Clear Sparkles, Stitched Circles Embossing Folder, Black and White Dots, Black Shimmer Brush, Lemonade Shimmer Brush, Silver Embellishing Thread, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

August Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the August SOTM Blog Hop! 

This month, the featured stamp set is called Floral Celebration and the images are great for colouring and for stamping plus there are two awesome sentiments. 

You should have arrived here from Michelle Loncar's blog. 

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

I do a lot of colouring and wanted to do something different with this stamp set. I used only the open floral images and I stamped them on white cardstock using Versamark. That ink can be hard to see so I worked from the largest flower to the smallest one, covering as much of the paper as possible trying not to overlap images. That was then heat embossed with white embossing powder. I used Carolina, Bluebird and Sapphire inks (from light at the edges to darker in the middle) to sponge over the card, bringing out the white flowers. A stitched frame cut in Sapphire was added around the outside. 

I cut out a section using the Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts and created a shaker with the frame. The sentiment was stamped on the inside piece along with a few tiny flowers and I added silver loose sequins and confetti stars. The card front was mounted on foam tape so the shaker is embedded within the card and a few loose sequins were added to the centre of the largest flowers.

I hope you enjoyed my card. 

The next stop is Brenda Lapp's blog.

I am sure she has amazing artwork to share with you!

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock 

Inks: Versamark, Carolina, Bluebird, Sapphire 

Stamps: Floral Celebration

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Acetate (not CTMH), Silver Loose Sequins, Confetti Stars, Foam Tape, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool 

Enjoy,

Alyson

CD 405 - Hello Friend Tic Tac Toe

Welcome to this week's Colour Dare challenge!

We have a tic tac toe board for you this week featuring the colours from the Summer Vibes paper pack. 

I chose to use the diagonal line of Smoothie, Lemonade and Fern. 

I also added Glacier, Nectarine and Candy Apple as those colours are in the patterned paper I selected. 

I began by die cutting some stitched rectangles and then fitting the paper inside them. The flowers were stamped with Intense Black and coloured with the Tri-Blend markers. I also used the Lemonade Shimmer Brush to highlight sections of the flowers. The sentiment was stamped in Fern and brushed with the same shimmer brush. Some gold embellishing thread was added behind the sentiment and I added a few gold glitter gems. 

Come and join us at Colour Dare and show us how you use the tic-tac-toe board shown above. 

You have two 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: Summer Vibes Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Smoothie Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Petal Palette (SU), Budding Peony 

Inks: Intense Black, Fern

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Dies (GMD), Petal Palette Dies (SU), Lemonade Shimmer Brush, Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Glitter Gems 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Colour Challenge with a Hummingbird

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

It's all about colour this week - specifically Peacock, Sage, Glacier and Saffron. If you don't have those specific colours, use the closest matches possible but be sure to include some Close To My Heart products in your project. 

Here are some projects using the colours listed above. 

I have been experimenting with the Borgello technique - sponging shades of colour beside each other and then turning the paper to cut it into strips. The strips are then adhered intentionally misaligned. The effect is so cool. I used Sage, Glacier and Peacock inks to create my background. I added a stitched rectangle cut from Peacock cardstock to the outside of the card. 

I stamped and die cut some flowers and a hummingbird. They were coloured - Saffron for the flowers and a combination of the other three colours for the hummingbird. I added some old gems to each of the flower centres and die cut the sentiment using Peacock cardstock. The last step was to brush the flowers wth the Clear Shimmer Brush. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you use the colour palette shown above. 

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: White Daisy Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock 

Stamps: Hummingbird Thanks (PPP), Wild Rose (PPP)

Inks: Peacock, Sage, Glacier, Intense Black 

Accessories: Wild Rose Dies (PPP), Hummingbird Thanks (PPP), Hello Sunshine (Creative Expressions), Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Tri-Blend Markers, ShinHan Markers (not CTMH), Blue Gems, Clear Shimmer Brush

Enjoy,

Alyson

Summer Vibes Cube Card

A while ago, I posted my first attempt at a cube card. I have completed two more 

since that time. 

The first one shown here was created using the Summer Vibes paper pack and a great floral stamp set called Simple Florals. I stamped all of the leaves and flowers in coordinating colours and used them to decorate the panels on the cube. A little bit of gold embellishing thread was used and I painted the insides of the flowers with Stickles. Bulky embellishments don't work on a card like this because it can’t be folded flat with dimensional embellishments. 

The second cube card was created using the Timber paper pack and the Mix-In paper pack. I chose to use Cricut cuts to embellish the panels of the card, making this one a masculine birthday card. 

It's amazing how the same design can look so different with the use of different papers! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: Summer Vibes Paper Pack, Timber Paper Pack, Mix-In Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Candy Apple Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Ruby Cardstock, Almond Cardstock, Mink Cardstock, Pewter Cardstock, Sage Cardstock, New England Ivy Cardstock, Espresso Cardstock 

Stamps: Simple Florals 

Inks: Fern, Glacier, Candy Apple, Nectarine, Lemonade, Smoothie

Accessories: Cricut Collections: Complete Creativity, Artbooking, You Are Here, Artiste, Artistry, Basic Shapes

Simple Florals Thin Cuts, Gold Embellishing Thread, Diamond Stickles

Enjoy,

Alyson

Flower Girl Special Gatefold Card

I am working with a few other Close To My Heart consultants to run a virtual crop online each month. We are each presenting ideas for cards, layouts and other items. This is a card that I presented earlier this weekend. It is called a Floating Gatefold Card - and the inside is awesome! 

I used the July Stamp of the Month as there are beautiful images in that set. The front of the card was stamped along the top and bottom edges. The focal image is the girl holding the bouquet. All the colouring was done using the Tri-Blend markers. The card is attached using a small hook and loop dot. 

Now let's take a look inside... 

The squares appear to be floating - it's such a neat look! The same border stamp was used to stamp a border all across the top and bottom and then it was coloured. There are black mats on every piece (including the front) but I purposely keep the border very small. The sentiments were stamped, coloured and attached to the centre panel. The flowers are from the top part of the bouquet from the largest stamp, starting just above the girl's arms. They were coloured and attached to a stitched black frame. They were then mounted to appear as though they are floating. I added Gold Stickles to the centres of the flowers as I didn't want to use anything bulky that would prevent the card from closing properly. 

The video I used to create this card is here. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart:

Paper: Mix-In Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock 

Stamps: For My Beautiful Friend

Inks: Intense Black 

Accessories: Stitched Square Thin Cuts, Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Tri-Blend Markers, Hook and Loop Dots, Goldenrod Stickles 

Enjoy,

Alyson

TSOT 467 - Mountain Scene

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

The optional theme in addition to the sketch is to create a scene.

I stayed true to the sketch - it worked well for the scene component. The scene was stamped in a few layers using Mink, Glacier and Peacock inks and then cut to fit the centre section of the card. I used a chevron punch to create the border and attached that to the patterned paper. I stamped a tiny sentiment and die cut it using a stitched oval die. A regular oval was cut to fit behind the sentiment and I added some twine between the two pieces. Easy!

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

You have two 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: Documented Paper Pack, Rustic Home Fundamentals, White Daisy Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Mountain Air (SU), Mini Messages (Hero Arts)

Inks: Peacock, Mink, Glacier 

Accessories: Stitched Oval Thin Cuts, Basic Oval Thin Cuts, Chevron Border Punch, Mink Twine, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH 378 - Sure Do Miss You

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge 378!

This sketch was perfect for some bold embossed cardstock - and I have a lot of leftovers from the Blue Skies campaign. 

I flipped the sketch 90 degrees and layered 5 colours of that gorgeous embossed cardstock next to each other. Each strip was cut at one inch. The girl with the flower bouquet was stamped in Intense Black and coloured using markers to match the cardstock colours. I added Silver Stickles to the centres of the flowers. That piece was mounted on black cardstock and I had to set it off centre to accommodate a sentiment in the lower corner. The sentiment was stamped and I added 2 hearts just above the words - those hearts were brushed with the Clear Shimmer Brush. 

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 Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Blue Skies Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: For My Beautiful Friend

Inks: Intense Black

Accessories: Tri-Blend Markers, Clear Shimmer Brush, Silver Stickles 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Double Trouble 62 and H2H - Christmas in July

Welcome to Double Trouble Challenge 62!

Christmas seems to come out of nowhere every year and I am certain I am not the only one who feels the rush to get everything done at the last minute. This week, Double Trouble offers you the opportunity to get at least one Christmas project completed early!

Here is the basic information for this challenge - the details can be found on the Double Trouble website. 

I did not have any elf or gnome images at all... I had to find an image online that I could colour for my card. When I found this image, I knew I recognized it but it took a bit to figure out exactly which cartoon it was from - and that is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. These are the working elves. The image was printed from this site. 

I coloured the image in the same colours as the cartoon - red and blue. I then cut it down to the size I wanted and added two mats behind it. Strips of patterned paper and glitter paper were added along with a sentiment. I brushed a bit of Ballerina ink on each of the elves' cheeks. The focus needed to be on the image so I didn't add any other embellishments. 

My favourite tool has to be the Clear Shimmer Brush - I use it on so many things. Since it is clear, it can be brushed on any colour and it can also be used with re-inkers, chalks, watercolour pencils, texture paste, etc. I brushed the red sections of the hats, the white edges of the uniforms and the berries and feather with that brush. 

Come and join us at Double Trouble and show us how you apply the elements shown above. 

You have two weeks to link up your project - and if you tell us your favourite tool, don't forget to link up at Heart 2 Heart as well! Since I am a design team member there, my card is in the design team section. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Product used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Jack Paper Pack, I Heart Us Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Ruby Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Silver Glitter Paper 

Stamps: Santa's List (Your Next Stamp)

Inks: Bluebird, Ballerina

Accessories: Colouring Image (not CTMH), Tri-Blend Markers, Clear Shimmer Brush

Enjoy,

Alyson

CD 403 - Little Buddies

Welcome to Colour Dare Challenge 403! 

This week it's all about browns although two other colours are to be used in addition to the browns. Black, white and gold are free to use. 

I really struggled with this as brown is probably the colour I use the least. Adding two other colours really helped me with this challenge. As you will see, my focus is not on the browns - they just happen to be a part of my card. 

I stamped and coloured several little animals - all were stamped in black and two are black and white by nature so they were not coloured. I really wanted to use the pig so that drove me toward pink. A good contrasting colour was Lagoon. I had to look hard to find pink and Lagoon patterns that weren't too large or combined with other colours as those papers were used to fill in the empty circles. 

I rotated some of the animals and added a sentiment in one of the middle circles. This multi-circle window die makes life so easy to create a card like this! 

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

You have two 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: Blue Skies Cardstock (Flamingo), So Much Happy Paper Pack, Mix-In Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Little Buddies 

Inks: Intense Black, Espresso

Accessories: Multi-Circle Window Thin Cut, Tri-Blend Markers 

Enjoy,

Alyson