AH 382 - Floral Starburst

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #382! 

This is a pretty specific sketch - it requires a starburst (also known as a sunburst) of some sort. 

I did some experimenting with this technique not long ago and decided to use shades of green for the starburst component. That colour choice was driven by the colours in the flower and leaves.  

I started by stamping the flower and the leaves. The flower is a 4 step stamp from Altenew. I chose purple as I wanted it to stand out against the green leaves. The flower has so much depth - I love it! The leaves are a 3 step stamp - so both parts were easily stamped using a stamp press. 

The starburst was created using 4 shades of green cardstock. I didn't want to detract from the flower so I didn't use any patterned paper in the starburst. A strip of Silver Shimmer Trim was added at the bottom of the starburst and a small sentiment was stamped in the corner. I added some silver embellishing thread behind the flower, which was mounted with thin foam tape.

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: White Daisy Cardstock, Julep Cardstock, Green Apple Cardstock, Clover Cardstock, Evergreen Cardstock, White Daisy Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Camellia Japonica (Altenew), Word Up (Reverse Confetti)

Inks: Green Apple, Clover, Evergreen, Lilac, Thistle, Pansy, Eggplant 

Accessories: Camellia Japonica Dies (Altenew), Silver Shimmer Trim, Silver Embellishing Thread, Thin Foam Tape 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Creativity in Motion - Various Animated Cards (Part 2)

Here is the second instalment of the Creativity in Motion interactive cards. My previous post explains more about how these work along with some other details. 

The first card today is a Folding Interlock Concertina card. This is a complex card to assemble... and I had to adjust the size to fit the stitched square thin cuts. The front is decorated with a beautiful stamp set called Always Loved. I also used part of that same stamp set to decorate the back of the card to create a place for a message. There is a lot happening inside so I didn't want to use that space to write anything. I used 2 animated sentiments inside the card - Hello and a heart.

The second card today is a Floating Gatefold Card - the inside has such a special treat! It appears that the images are actually floating in air. I created this with a child in mind - someone who loves animals. I used 3 animated animal stamps - a hippo, a lion and a crocodile - along with sentiments inside to complement those images. The leaves were stamped using Evergreen ink in first and second generation and inside, I added a few arrows that were coloured just for extra interest. 

The last card in this series is a just a folding card. It opens up to reveal a space to write on the last panel. I used an animated butterfly image for the front. Gold embellishments were used to decorate this card. 

I hope you have enjoyed the two days of interactive, animated cards. It was a lot of fun creating these treasures!

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: 6x6 Bright Stack, Summer Vibes Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Candy Apple Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Evergreen Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Raspberry Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock 

Stamps: Animated Safari Animals, Animated Sentiments, Animated Butterfly Kisses, Border Tab, Always Loved, Simple Floral, This Right Here, For My Beautiful Friend 

Inks: Black, Evergreen, Raspberry, Lagoon, Pixie, Fern, Nectarine, Candy Apple 

Accessories: Stitched Square Thin Cuts, Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Border Tab Thin Cuts, Simple Floral Thin Cuts, Raspberry Shimmer Brush, Lagoon Shimmer Brush, Silver Embellishing Thread, White and Gold Skinny Ribbon, Gold Glitter Gems, Thin Foam Tape, Tri-Blend Markers, Clear Sparkles, Hook and Loop Dots, Silver Embellishing Thread, Silver Glitter Gems, Animated Acetate, Gold Shimmer Brush

Enjoy,

Alyson

Baby Album - Little Girl

I just finished a complete baby album for the first year of a little girl. This was a real labour of love - 12 complete layouts plus a front and back page. 

The layouts were photographed outside in the shade but they still tend to be on the light side and often don't reflect the true colours or the vibrant appearance of the layouts... The order they are shown here is the same order they appear in the album. 

Many of the layouts have flip flaps added for additional photos. Some of the flip flaps may also have journaling options included that are not visible here. There is one layout where the journaling area is a slide-in piece.

I hope that the mother-to-be enjoys adding photos of her baby girl throughout the year! 

Products are not listed as the product list is far too extensive to include here. 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Creativity in Motion - Various Animated Cards (Part 1)

Close To my Heart has just released a super fun series of animated products for National Stamping Month in September. All the products are listed under Creativity in Motion. 

I was honoured to be asked by the corporate office to create and share artwork using these products for the benefit of all consultants. I created 7 interactive cards and shared them throughout the second week of August via live Facebook videos and posts. I am now posting all of those cards here in two separate posts. Unfortunately, without a video, you can’t see the actual motion in the cards - the images under the striped acetate actually appear to be moving when the tab is slid back and forth - it is SO cool! 

The stamps that go with this campaign are designed to work with the CTMH Stitched Square and Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts. 

The first card is a gift card holder. There are 2 movement components here - one on the top with the word Thanks and the other inside the holder (a heart). The center section is designed to hold a gift card and there is also a complete card on the back with a space to write a message. 

The second card today is a Double Z Joy Fold Card. This card has been made and remade in various formats. I used a stitched rectangle frame for the front of the card and used a Happy Birthday sentiment. I decorated the remainder of the card with a stamp and die combination of coordinating coloured flowers and leaves. 

The third card is a Box Fold card. It goes by other names but this is the name of the one I located. The card front will stand on its own but for support, I added a card base behind. The dragonfly moves a lot when the insert is slid back and forth. 

The last card today is a Double Diamond Fold card. The stitched rectangle was the perfect fit for the front of this card and I used a hippo for that slider. His arms, ears and tail move when the slider is pulled back and forth. A small sentiment was added on the inside of the card where it isn't visible when the card is opened. I also added a panel on the back on which to write a message.

Tune in again tomorrow for the second instalment of these Creativity in Motion interactive cards! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart:  

Paper: 6x6 Bright Stack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Lemonade Cardstock, Carolina Cardstock, Smoothie Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Clover Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Raspberry Cardstock, White Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Animated Safari Animals, Animated Butterfly Kisses, Animated Sentiments, Border Tabs, Simple Florals, Celebrating You

Inks: Black, Bluebird, Caroline, Raspberry, Sapphire, Smoothie, Peach, Lemonade, Lagoon, Mint

Accessories: Stitched Square Thin Cuts, Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Border Tab Thin Cuts, Simple Floral Thin Cuts, Animated Acetate, Thin Foam Tape, Gold Shimmer Brush, Goldenrod Stickles, Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Glitter Gems, Clear Sparkles, Tri-Blend Markers, Lemonade Shimmer Brush, Black Journaling Pen, White Twine

Enjoy,

Alyson

Double Trouble #64 and Colour Dare #407 - Daisy Thinking of You

Welcome to this week's Double Trouble Challenge and Colour Dare challenge!

Double Trouble is pairing up with Colour Dare so we are posting a few days earlier than scheduled. 

Thing 1: Trouble Maker says, "You make me happy when skies are grey, so let's make someone happy with a Friendship project (i.e. Get Well, Thinking of You, Thank You, etc.). NO Birthday, Holiday or Celebration projects.

You can stop here...

OR you can go to Twisted Sister's color twist to be eligible to enter Double Dare's partner challenge.

Thing 3: Twisted Sister says, "Let's start with using any shade of grey and then brighten the day with your choice of TWO additional colors... and NO cheating with more than two additional colors. You are free to use black, white and/or silver.

Thing 2: Double Dare says, "If you have taken on Twisted Sister's color palette above, it also matches the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #407. Click HERE to enter your project and qualify for an additional chance at the Double

Trouble Random Draw.

NOTICE: Our 5th Monday Challenge "Something, Anything, Everything will be starting early on Friday, August 28th and will run to Sunday, September 6th.

At first glance, this looks like a very bland colour challenge - until you realize that any two additional colours can be used in addition to greys. I chose to use purple and yellow. The daisy stamps are triple layered stamps so I used three shades of purple and three shades of yellow. 

The base of the card is Charcoal cardstock with Pebble Cardstock on top. I embossed the Pebble cardstock with the Rose Embossing Folder and then added a piece of striped Charcoal paper and a yellow patterned background paper across the top of the card. The daisies were stamped (6 stamps per daisy!) and die cut. The sentiment was stamped with Pansy pigment ink and embossed. The darkest purple sections on the daisies were brushed with the Clear Shimmer Brush. A few purple gems and some silver embellishing thread were added to complete the card. 

Come and join us at Double Trouble and Colour Dare and show us how you use the palette 

shown above. 

You have two weeks to link up your project - please note the end date for Double Trouble is the same as that for Colour Dare (Thursday, August 27).

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Boutique Paper Pack, Basics Fundamentals, White Daisy Cardstock, Pebble Cardstock, Charcoal Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Rooted in Nature (SU), Beloved Daisy (Altenew)

Inks: Pansy Pigment Ink, Lemonade, Canary, Saffron, Lilac, Thistle, Pansy

Accessories: Beloved Daisy Dies (Altenew), Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Purple Gems, Silver Embellishing Thread, Rose Embossing Folder, Clear Shimmer Brush

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Green Thumb

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

The theme this week is "green thumb". That could be about plants or using green on your project.

I can’t keep a plant alive for the life of me... I have a little cactus on my window ledge and it's a miracle it has lasted this long. Consequently, this theme is about the colour green for me! 

I chose to use the Green Apple patterned paper from the retired Blue Skies paper pack. It was paired with some woodgrain and Sapphire paper along with Lemonade ink. I embossed the sentiment using white embossing powder. The flowers were stamped with Lemonade and I used the Green Apple Shimmer Brush to add colour to the centers along with a coloured sparkle. A piece of Mink twine was wrapped around the card.

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the "green thumb" 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 unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Blue Skies Paper Pack, Blue Skies Coordinating Cardstock, Rustic Home Fundamentals, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Green Apple Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Simple Florals 

Inks: Lemonade, Green Apple, Versamark

Accessories: Simply Florals Thin Cuts, Petal and More Dies (SU), Mink Twine, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Green Apple Shimmer Brush, Clear Sparkles, Bitty Sparkles, ShinHan Marker (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

TSOT 469 - Thinking of You

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

The sketch this week appears to be a very simple one... and I have to say that I struggled with this and what to do. The optional theme is to create your own background. I decided to go with that and use that piece for the main element of my card. 

I used 3 floral stamps and 2 branch stamps to create my background. The flowers were all stamped in shades of purple and the branches were stamped in Peacock and Mint. Once my background was finished, in order to cut a partial circle as large as the sketch shows, I had to dig out my very old Coluzzle. Anyone remember that? I used it to cut partial circles on both the stamped background and the Peacock cardstock so I could layer the pieces. 

I stamped the sentiment with Versamark ink and embossed it in white. That piece was layered on Lilac cardstock and then a ribbon was tied around it. The whole card was placed on the same Lilac cardstock for the base. I added a few Mint coloured enamel gems and various shades of Stickles to the centres of the flowers. 

Come and join us at Try Stampin' on Tuesday 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: White Daisy Cardstock, Lilac Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Treasured Memories, Autumn Wreath Builder (Gina K Designs)

Inks: Peacock, Mint, Pansy, Thistle, Lilac, Versamark

Accessories: White Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Mint Stickles, Silver Stickles, Diamond Stickles, Thistle Ribbon, Mint Enamel Gems 

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH 380 - Fresh as the Morning Dew

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #380!

This week's sketch lends itself to several layers and with so many paper packs available with coordinating patterns, one of those sets is perfect for this challenge. 

I chose to use some coordinating papers from Kaisercraft from the Morning Dew collection. I love the colours and patterns in these papers. 

All the panels of patterned paper were matted using Peacock cardstock. I stamped a tiny sentiment and die cut it along with the same colour border. I added some silver embellishing thread and a few sparkles that I coloured to complement the papers. Easy! 

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: Linen Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock, Morning Dew Paper Collection (Kaisercraft), Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Mini Messages (Hero Arts)

Inks: Peacock

Accessories: Basic Circle Thin Cuts, Circle Dies (Nestabilities), Silver Embellishing Thread, Sparkles, ShinHan Marker (not CTMH), Thin Foam Tape 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Double Trouble 63 - What's Up Dog?

Welcome to Double Trouble Challenge #63!

This week, it's all about embossing (hot/wet or cold/dry) and critters. If you use a critter on your project, we encourage you to link up with the 2 Crafty Critter Crazies challenge as well. That link can also be found on the Double Trouble challenge post. 

I pulled out a stamp set that I love but haven't used often - called Lucky Dog by MFT. I based my card on a sketch from Make It From Your Heart Volume 2. The dog bone papers were combined with a panel of cardstock that was dry embossed using a paw embossing folder. I sanded the embossed panel to bring out the images in white. The dog image was stamped with Pewter embossing ink and heat embossed before being coloured. I added some grass and the sentiment at the bottom and then placed some silver embellishing thread behind the panel before adding it to a mat. A thin strip of silver ribbon was added to the cross piece of Pewter cardstock. Finally, a few blue glitter gems finished off my card.

Come and join us at Double Trouble and show us your embossed projects. Add a critter if desired. 

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

I am linking my card up to the 2 Crafty Critters Crazies challenge as well. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Friends Fur-ever Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Canary Cardstock, Carolina Cardstock 

Stamps: Lucky Dog (MFT)

Inks: Bluebird, Pewter Pigment Ink

Accessories: Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Paw Embossing Folder (Darice), Silver Ribbon (misc.), Sanding Block, Pewter Journaling Pen, Blue Enamel and Glitter Dots, Tri-Blend Markers, ShinHan Markers, Thin Foam Tape, Silver Embellishing Thread

Enjoy,

Alyson