New Product Blog Hop - Sept/Oct Catalog

Welcome to the New Product Blog Hop! This blog hop is featuring products primarily from the Sept/Oct catalog. 

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

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

I chose to focus on the Bloom with Grace paper pack and a stamp set that I adore called O, Hay There. The animals in that set are so sweet. 

As happy as I am with the finished card, this was a fussy cutting nightmare. There is no thin cut for the monkey and although there are thin cuts for the sunflowers and the leaves, they looked strange with the border left around them so I fussy cut those as well. They were all coloured using several shades of the Tri-Blend markers. I had to be very careful about blending as the images were stamped with regular dye ink as I didn't want to introduce black into this colour scheme. I chose three patterned papers from the paper pack and decided on Sangria cardstock to mat the papers. The tiny envelope was cut using a new thin cut and if you look carefully, it looks like the monkey is holding the envelope - I love that! A message was stamped on a piece of French Vanilla cardstock and placed inside the envelope. The flowers were brushed with the Gold Shimmer Brush (inside circle with the Clear Shimmer Brush) and I wrapped some gold embellishing thread around the card and placed a gold gem on top of the bow. 

I hope you enjoyed my card! 

The next blog on this hop is Katy Taylor's blog.

I know she has something awesome to share with you!

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Bloom with Grace Paper Pack, French Vanilla Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, Sangria Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: O, Hay There, Bloom with Grace Cardmaking

Inks: Espresso, Fern

Accessories: Mini Envelope Thin Cut, Tri-Blend Markers, Brown Sharpie Marker (not CTMH), Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Glitter Gems, Thin Foam Tape, Gold Shimmer Brush, Clear Shimmer Brush

Enjoy,

Alyson

DT 66 - Ski Snowfall Double Shaker

 Welcome to Double Trouble Challenge #66!

This week, it's all about creating a scene - any season, any location, etc. The second part of the challenge is to add some form of transportation to your scene and then link up with The Paper Girls challenge (#207). The condensed graphic is below - additional details can be found on the Double Trouble blog.

 This card took me quite some time to complete - it's all created using various Cricut cuts. I cut various trees, the moose and the skiis first and inked around the edges of all the pieces. The background was sponged using Distress Oxide inks and then a white chalk marker was used to create snow. The back layer of trees was adhered directly to the background and I added some snowy confetti along with some silver stars to turn that piece into a shaker. The remaining trees were adhered onto the acetate and then more snowy confetti was added. The top layer was created by welding some ovals together to look like a snowy hill. I adhered the moose and and skis just under that top piece of acetate and added a sentiment along with some silver embellishing thread. The final layer was placed on top of the previous layer to create two separate sections with snow. I inked the white area on the front with a very light Linen ink pad as snow is never really white :) 

I am linking up my project with the Paper Girls Challenge #207.

Come and join us at Double Trouble and show us how you interpret the challenge requirements.

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, Evergreen Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, New England Ivy Cardstock, Espresso Cardstock, Toffee Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Reindeer Crossing

Inks: Espresso, Bluebird, New England Ivy, Fern, Evergreen, Linen, Distress Oxide Tumbled Glass (not CTMH), Distress Oxide Broken China (not CTMH), Distress Oxide Salty Ocean (not CTMH)

Accessories: Complete Creativity Cricut Collection, You are Here Cricut Collection, Basic Shapes Cricut Collection, Silver Foil Tape, Silver Embellishing Thread, Acetate (not CTMH), Snow Confetti (not CTMH), Silver Star Confetti, Foam Tape, Silver Glitter Gems, White Chalk Marker 

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Sunflower Sunshine

 

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

The theme this week is "WOOD You Rather..." - the focus being on projects with a wood focus. 

I chose to use the new Woodgrain paper pack as the background paper for my project. I stamped a large background stamp with Versamark ink and then embossed the image in white. I had an unusually hard time with this - this card represents attempt #6! However, with all the damaged attempts, I did have one piece that I used to cut away the inside and I used that base to outline another piece to fussy cut to fit in the centre of the card. 

In that centre section, I stamped and then masked two flowers to stamp the final flower and the leaves. They were coloured using the Tri-Blend markers and then the flowers were brushed with the Gold Shimmer Brush. The sentiment was stamped with Espresso ink and the inside section was outlined using a thin brown marker. That piece was adhered on craft foam to raise it and the Sundance cardstock was also mounted on craft foam. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the "WOOD you Rather" challenge. 

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

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Product used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Woodgrain Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sundance Cardstock, Espresso Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Flourishing Details and Background, Bloom with Grace Cardmaking

Inks: Versamark, Espresso, Intense Black 

Accessories: White Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Tri-Blend Markers, Gold and White Skinny Ribbon, Gold Glitter Gems, Gold Shimmer Brush, Brown Sharpie Marker (not CTMH), Craft Foam (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

Layered Dies - Gold is Great!

I have been playing with the Layered Floral Backgound Thin Cuts from Close To My Heart. It is a set of three dies, each with progressively smaller images so they sit on top of each other, showing the layer underneath. 

The layered card shown last was actually an accident... I wanted to cut the top die from stencil paper to use it as a stencil but the plastic stencil paper was too thick to run through my die cutting machine. Consequently, I had to cut a piece of cardstock to use as my stencil and I chose white. As I was inking the "stencil", I realized that I was also going to have a front piece where I just needed to finish the edges as they were covered with washi tape to hold it in place. Bonus! 

I used three colours of Distress Oxide Ink (Candied Apple, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed) to ink the stencil. These inks are such a pleasure to use as they blend flawlessly. The stencilled piece came out perfectly and I used that for the base of my first card shown here. I stamped, coloured and fussy cut some flowers and leaves from the new Operation Smile stamp set and attached them beside the sentiment. The sentiment was masked so I could emboss the large word with gold embossing powder. I added some gold embellishing thread and brushed the lines of the flowers with the Gold Shimmer Brush. 

This card is the result of the top piece (my stencil piece), layered with Gold Glitter Paper, Black cardstock and Gold Foil Paper. I used the same masking technique for the sentiment. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Gold Foil Paper, Gold Glitter Paper

Stamps: Every Bit of Wonderful

Inks: Black, Versamark, Mustard Seed Distress Oxide Ink, Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide Ink, Candied Apple Distress Oxide Ink

Accessories: Layered Floral Background Thin Cuts, Gold Shimmer Brush, Gold Glitter Gems, Tri-Blend Markers, Golf Embellishing Thread, Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool 

Enjoy,

Alyson

TSOT 473 - Big Hug Heart Shaker

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

In addition to the sketch, the optional theme is to use regal colours. 

I decided to combine both the sketch and the use of regal colours. I selected Pansy (purple) and Emerald as the focal colours. A bit of Lilac and white were added as well. 

I started by creating a heart shaped shaker. Small hearts in Emerald and Pansy cardstock were die cut to use inside the shaker and I added a few Emerald sequins and also some green glitter hearts. After assembling the shaker, two of the glitter hearts had flipped over to the white side so I opened it up, carefully reached in using my fine tip tweezers and flipped them over before sealing up the shaker component a second time. 

The heart shape was cut from the card front so the shaker would sit flush with the top of the card. The sentiment was stamped and layered onto two pieces of cardstock. That was placed across the heart and an open glitter heart was added using thin foam tape. A few hearts were placed at the bottom and I added a few glitter gems as well. 

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: Make Waves Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Emerald Cardstock, Pansy Cardstock, Lilac Cardstock, Green Glitter Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Border Tab, Word Up (Reverse Confetti)

Inks: Emerald, Pansy

Accessories: Heart Shaker Window Thin Cuts, Heart Thin Cuts, Heart Shaker Acetate and Foam, Purple Glitter Gems, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH 384 - Gnome Love

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch #384!

I decided to take some liberties with this sketch - my card design is basically the same but some of the little nuances were altered (sentiment placement, dots, etc.) 

Although I have had the Gnome Matters stamp set for some time, a friend borrowed it and I just got it back! She obviously loves it as much as I do. I used some of the images and a sentiment from that stamp set. 

I started by creating my background (the stripes in the sketch) using Distress Inks. I wanted three colours in addition to the turquoise. I used two shades of purple and one pink shade. The centre was cut using the Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts and I used that space to create a shaker. The background inside the shaker is another image from that same stamp set. It was coloured and then sequins were added inside the shaker. I mounted the card front on craft foam to keep the shaker flush with the card front. A gnome was stamped, coloured and adhered with thin foam tape. I placed some old turquoise twine behind the sentiment and brushed two words with the Lagoon Shimmer Brush. A few gems were added around the gnome and this card was finished.

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 Cardtock, Purple Cardstock (unknown), Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Gnome Matters

Inks: Distress Inks (not CTMH), Intense Black 

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Gnome Matter Thin Cuts, Foam Tape, Craft Foam (not CTMH), Thin Foam Tape, Tri-Blend Markers, Lagoon Shimmer Brush, Turquoise Gems (not CTMH), Turquoise Twine (not CTMH), Acetate (not CTMH), Loose Sequins - turquoise, clear (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

 

CD 409 and DT 65 - Something, Anything and Everything

 Welcome to Double Trouble Challenge 65 and Colour Dare Challenge # 409!

Today is the normal posting day for Colour Dare but Double Trouble is posting a few days earlier than usual because our last partner challenge ended last night (Thursday). 

This week is the final week in August so it's the Something, Anything, Everything challenge for Double Trouble - check the images for further info or visit the Double Trouble blog. 

The palette for Colour Dare is shown below. 

I looked several places for a telephone that wasn't a cell phone (Thing 3 for Double Trouble) - and after a while with searches coming up empty, I decided to use a cell phone image on my card. I used a double layered background of Black and Peacock cardstock before adding 3 strips of paper on top. The cellphone image was cut from the Artistry Cricut Collection. I tried to cut speech bubbles but I wasn't able to get them to fit properly so I ended up cutting my own instead. The hearts are all brushed with the Raspberry Shimmer Brush. 

Come and join us at Double Trouble and Colour Dare and show us how you interpret the information above. 

You have until Sunday evening, Sept. 6, to link up your Double Trouble project and Sept. 10 for Colour Dare. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Documented Paper Pack, 6 x 6 Bright Stack, Raspberry Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Mink Cardstock, Black Glitter Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Tiny Typewriter Alphabet

Inks: Black, Raspberry

Accessories: Artistry Cricut Collection, Stitched Hearts Thin Cuts, Lagoon Shimmer Ribbon, Raspberry Shimmer Brush, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

Full Card Layering Dies

I spent some time experimenting with new layering dies from Close To My Heart. This is a set of three dies, each showing a little more of the flowers and leaves than the previous one. They make a very cool pattern when they are layered together.

I used three different colour schemes for each of these cards. The sentiments were stamped in coordinating ink colours and added to the card fronts. 

The first is a Christmas themed set of colours - standard red and green.

This one is also Christmas themed but I used blue and silver.

The last one is a combination of my favourite colours - turquoise/teal in varying shades. 

This set of layering dies will be available as of September 1.

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Clover Cardstock, Evergreen Cardstock, Candy Apple Cardstock, Carolina Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Silver Glitter Paper, Mint Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: A Dash of Joy, Say it in Style, Every Bit of Wonderful

Inks: Lagoon, Peacock, Evergreen, Versamark

Accessories: Layered Floral Background Thin Cuts, Binder Clip Label Thin Cut, Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Blue Ribbon (not CTMH), Silver Glitter Gems, Silver Shimmer Trim, Red Enamel Gems, Little Dreamer Glitter Gems, Clear Shimmer Brush

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Something to Smile About

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge!

The theme this week is "Something to Smile About". There are SO many possibilities with this theme! 

I decided to create a very bold and bright card with coloured flowers. If that isn't something that makes you smile, I'd be surprised! 

I started by creating my own glitter background using a glitter paste. Two coats had to be applied to cover the cardstock. That piece was then die cut using the Multi-Circle Window Thin Cut. I had already stamped and coloured my flowers and leaves and I selected patterned paper that coordinated with the colours I used on the flowers. Four patterns were placed behind the open circles in a random pattern. The flower cluster was placed to the left of the sentiment piece, overlapping the end of it. I brushed the floral cluster with the Clear, Lemonade and Mint Shimmer Brushes and also added some shimmer to the sentiment. 

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

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: White Daisy Cardstock, Mini Patterned Papers (coming in Sept.), Lemonade Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Floral Celebration

Inks: Intense Black, Black 

Accessories: Multi-Circle Window Thin Cut, Ice Blue Glitter Kiss (Creative Expressions), Texture Tools, Tri-Blend Markers, Clear Shimmer Brush, Lemonade Shimmer Brush, Mint Shimmer Brush, Thin Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

Try Stampin' on Tuesday 471 - Bold Hibiscus

Welcome to Try Stampin' on Tuesday Challenge 471!

This week, we have a choice - either use the theme on the left or use the sketch on the right. You can also do both! 

I chose to use both the theme and the sketch. 

One paper pack I have is called Summer Vibes and it was perfect for this challenge as the patterns and colours are all about the tropics. I used 3 of the patterned papers on my card along with some coordinating cardstock. 

The scalloped edge was cut using a border punch and the red side piece was cut using a die. The flower and leaves were stamped using Intense Black ink and I masked the images so the leaves appear behind the flower. Those were coloured and then the flower was brushed with the Gold Shimmer Brush. The centre was coloured using a Yellow Wink of Stella pen. The waves were enhanced by using Mint Stickles along the edges. I added some gold embellishing thread and gold gems to finish off the card after adhering the flower image with thin foam tape. 

Come and join us at at TSOT and show us how you use the image or sketch (or both) 

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, Lemonade Cardstock, Candy Apple Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, Nectarine Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Hawaiian Hibiscus, Word Up (Reverse Confetti) 

Inks: Intense Black, Versamark

Accessories: Tags and Tabs Thin Cuts, Scalloped Border Punch (misc.) White Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Tri-Blend Markers, Yellow Wink of Stella Pen (misc.), Gold Shimmer Brush, Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Gems, Mint Stickles, Thin Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson