TSOT 483 - Ladybug Dreams

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

The extra theme this week is to use OLD embellishments - brads, buttons or eyelets. 

I had to look deep to find brads to use on my project. I recently sorted through tons of buttons and only held onto a handful - luckily some coordinated with the idea I had in mind. Eyelets... haven't used them (or kept them) for years! 

I have had this ladybug die for some time - and this is the first occasion I have had to use it. The wings were die cut from vellum and the dots were coloured on the backside of the vellum. The wings are attached to the base using a silver brad. The base shape is a shaker so I added lots of silver confetti stars inside. I die cut a stitched rectangle boarder and an additional piece to go across the top of the card (I rotated the sketch 90 degrees). This sentiment was perfect to use with the ladybug image. The buttons are tiny little white ones with silver around the edges. I don't like "naked" buttons so I added a piece of silver and white twine on top of each. 

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: Ballerina Cardstock, Silver Foil Paper, Vellum

Stamps: Hello Ladybug, Fragrant Flowers (Penny Black)

Inks: Raspberry, Charcoal

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Ladybug Thin Cut, Circle Shaker Window Foam and Acetate, Silver Confetti Stars, Silver Brad, Clear Sparkles, Tiny Buttons, White and Grey Twine, Tri-Blend Markers, Sharpie Markers (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

Pumpkin Spice

 It is a little late here to be creating a hot drink card with a pumpkin spice theme because our Thanksgiving is over and we are now preparing for winter. However, I participated in Mary Gunn FUNN's Craft Roulette challenge and one of the requirements this week was to include a pumpkin!

The only pumpkin image I have (aside from going to the Cricut) is the one on this card. Incorporating a pumpkin with primary colours wasn't the easiest task (and there were two other requirements to meet as well). 

I used a retired stamp set - Perk Up - for the cup and sentiment and the lid is from the November Stamp of the Month. I embossed the Canary cardstock and placed the rectangles on an angle. I also die cut a few hearts (hearts was another requirement) and assembled the card. I brushed the hearts with the Clear Shimmer Brush to add some emphasis. The sentiment was masked so I could stamp it in two different colours. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: 'Tis the Season Paper Pack, Mix-In Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Carolina Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock, Candy Apple Cardstock

Stamps: Perk Up, You Warm My Heart, Giving Thanks 

Inks: Intense Black, Sapphire, Bluebird, Canary, Candy Apple 

Accessories: Perk Up Thin Cuts, Stitched Simple Brackets Thin Cuts, Heart Shaker Window Thin Cuts, Tri-Blend Markers, Sharpie Markers (not CTMH), Leaf Embossing Folder (SU), Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

Floral Background - Just for You

Every now and then I pull out the Distress Oxide inks and play for a while. Since they can be messy, I tend to do a lot of work with them at one time. 

This card was created using the Floral Background Thin Cut. It was cut in white and inked with three Distress Oxide colours (all shades of blue). It's hard to see the difference between the two colours at the top. I added some Oasis Holographic paper under the die cut and then stamped a sentiment and fussy cut it. A few gems were added to the flowers on the die. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Oasis Holographic Paper, White Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Wordfetti

Inks: Sapphire, Distress Oxide Inks: Chipped Sapphire, Peacock Feathers, Broken China (not CTMH)  

Accessories: Floral Background Thin Cut, Foam Tape, Gold Glitter Gems 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Holiday Cards Blog Hop

Welcome to the Holiday Cards blog hop! 

You should have arrived here from Pam Furlong's blog.

If you get lost, there is a list of all participants on Melinda Everitt's blog. 

I am a fan of non-traditional coloured Christmas cards. I really like blue holiday cards in particular although I did one card in blue and a second one in traditional red and green. I chose to use the Floral Details and Background stamp set for my background and then turned both of my cards into shakers. The background was embossed in Sapphire ink for the first card and Black ink for the second card. Since the centre wasn't the same size as our standard circle shakers, I had to cut the circles on my Cricut. I wanted them to be approximately the same size as the circle on the stamp. The hardest part was cutting craft foam with my Cricut, which is what I used to replace foam tape for my shakers. It has a tendency to stretch when being removed from the sticky mat. 

The flowers in the background were coloured using a variety of Tri-Blend markers. I matted the cards on either two or three pieces of cardstock to bring out the colours in the designs. The shaker centres were stamped in coordinating colours and I added both sequins and confetti stars to each. The sentiments were also brushed with the Clear Shimmer Brush. These cards took me longer than expected, only because of the shaker components as I prefer to embed my shakers in the card front rather than adhering them on top.

I hope you enjoyed my cards! 

The next blog on this hop is Darlys Recker's blog. I am sure she has something awesome to share with you!

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock, Pebble Cardstock, Candy Apple Cardstock, Evergreen Cardstock

Stamps: Floral Details and Background, Comfort and Joy Cardmaking, The Jubilee Crew

Inks: Sapphire Pigment Ink, Black Pigment Ink, Candy Apple, Evergreen, Sapphire, Bluebird

Accessories: Cricut Basic Shapes (not CMTH), Acetate (not CTMH), Silver Loose Sequins, Gold Loose Sequins, Silver Confetti Stars, Gold Confetti Stars, Tri-Blend Markers, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Clear Shimmer Brush, Craft Foam (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

CD 419 - Gnome Christmas

Welcome to Colour Dare Challenge #419!

We have a tic tac toe board this week - select a row, column or diagonal and use those colours in your project. You are welcome to add any other colours that are ON THE BOARD. Please note that black, white and grey are free to use. 

I have 4 different tac tac toes... left column (Glacier, Sapphire and Raspberry), bottom row (Raspberry, Evergreen, Clover) and both diagonals (Glacier, Gold, Clover and Flamingo, Gold and Raspberry. The only colours I didn't use were Blue Belle and Lilac.

I am still working on Christmas cards - and this was an opportunity to create another one!

I used the Gnome for Christmas stamp set for the gnome, the mushroom tree and the sentiment. I coloured the images using various colours on the board. The card design is from Make It From Your Heart - Vol. 4. I chose some patterned papers in Sapphire and Glacier and mounted them on a piece of Evergreen glitter paper. The images were adhered with foam tape and I added a few gold sequins and brushed some areas with the Gold Shimmer Brush. 

Come and join us at Colour Dare and show us how you use the 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: Mix-In Paper Packs, White Daisy Cardstock, Flamingo Cardstock, Evergreen Cardstock, Raspberry Cardstock, Evergreen Glitter Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Gnome for Christmas 

Inks: Intense Black, Raspberry, Glacier, Sapphire, Evergreen

Accessories: Gnome for Christmas Thin Cuts, Tri-Blend Markers, Gold Shimmer Brush, Loose Gold Sequins, Foam Tape, Thin Foam Tape, Goldenrod Stickles 

Enjoy,

Alyson

A Woodgrain Christmas

This Christmas card is created using woodgrain paper that has been inked along the edges to provide definition. In order to make the panels fit on a standard size card, they were cut at 1" and 1 1/8" (2 of each). Thank you to Brenda Rose for her awesome inspiration for this card! 

The poinsettia was stamped and then die cut. The pieces were layered and attached with foam tape. Some Gold Embellishing Thread was added along with a few Gold Glitter Gems. The center of the poinsettia was decorated with Goldenrod Stickles. The sentiment was stamped and embossed and placed under the poinsettia. I just love how this turned out! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: Woodgrain Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Espresso Cardstock

Stamps: Festive Trees, Comfort and Joy Scrapbooking 

Inks: Black, Candy Apple, Evergreen, Versamark

Accessories: Comfort and Joy Scrapbooking Thin Cuts, Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Glitter Gems, Goldenrod Stickles, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

Layered Floral Background Cards

I spent some time creating last weekend using the Layered Floral Background Thin Cuts. There are three metal dies, each with the openings becoming subsequently smaller so the pieces layer over each other. There are SO many ways to use this product! Chelsea Vorosmarty and Jayme Malme - thank you both for sharing your wonderful and creative ideas! 

Now, on to the artwork... some of these cards use a base of holographic paper or patterned paper and others have a cardstock base. The base paper will show through the layers. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated (this is an extensive list and I am sure I have missed some items...) 

Paper: Comfort and Joy Paper Pack, Jingle Joy Paper Pack, Vellum, Gold Foil Paper, Oasis Holographic Paper, Majestic Holographic Paper, White Pearl Paper, Glitter Paper - Silver, Gold, Red, Blue Belle, Cardstock - White, Black, Blue Belle, Charcoal, Ballerina, Candy Apple, Scarlet, Evergreen, Mint, Lagoon, Peacock, Sage, White Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Comfort and Joy Scrapbooking, Butterflies for You, Happiness Never Grows Old, Stitched Together Cardmaking, Christmas Blessings, You Brighten My Day, First Noel, Merry Christmas, Hand Lettered Christmas, Hummingbird Thanks (PPP)

Inks: Archival Black, Intense Black, Black, Versamark, Charcoal, Scarlet, Evergreen, Distress Oxide Inks - Tattered Rose, Abandoned Coral, Candied Apple

Accessories: Thin Cuts - Comfort and Joy Scrapbooking, Butterflies for You, Stitched Together Cardmaking, Shaker Circle Window, Stitched Circles, Layered Floral Background, Stitched Brackets, Stitched Scalloped Brackets, Hummingbird Thanks (PPP), Cricut - Basic Shapes, Jasmine (not CTMH), Art Philosophy, Artiste, Season of Joy, Comfort and Joy, Tri-Blend Markers, Clear Shimmer Brush, Clear Sparkles, White Pearls, Red Pearls, Gold Gems, Silver Glitter Gems, Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Silver Embellishing Thread, Spring Blossoms Embossing Folder, Foam Tape, Thin Foam Tape, Stylus, Liquid Glass

Enjoy,

Alyson

Double Trouble #70 - It's a Humorous Day!

Welcome to Double Trouble Challenge #70!

This is a super fun challenge - we are pairing with Atlantic Hearts for two sketches (one each week) and the focus of the projects is to add some form of stitching and if desired, humour. Who doesn't love a humorous card? The graphic is below and more information can be found on the Double Trouble challenge blog. 

I used stitched dies for the stitching element on both of my cards. The first card for Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #393 (runs from November 2-8) is a very sarcastic birthday card. The design is simple and understated, leaving the focus on the goat and the sentiment. I added some white acrylic hearts and silver embellishing thread to finish off the card. 

The second card for week 2 and Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #394 (runs from November 9-16) has a completely different approach - bold and bright and I rotated the sketch 90 degrees. I did that to fit the sentiment I wanted to use. The outer frame and the sentiment with the mat were all cut using stitched dies. The sentiment was stamped using the rock 'n roll technique to get a darker edge (using Lagoon and Sapphire inks). What adult doesn't want to nap during the day AND be told how great an achievement that is for us???

Come and join us at Double Trouble and Atlantic Hearts and show us how you interpret the information for these challenges. 

The Double Trouble challenge runs from November 2-15. 

Atlantic Hearts #393 runs from November 2-8 only.

Atlantic Hearts #394 runs from November 9-15 only. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Blue Skies Paper Pack, Gimme Some Sugar Paper Pack, Fresh Air Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, White Cards and Envelopes, Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Way to Goat (SU), Beautiful Day, Successful Adulting (Impression Obsession) 

Inks: Mink, Charcoal, Intense Black, Almond, Sapphire, Lagoon, Candy Apple, Green Apple, Flamingo 

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Stitched Simple Brackets Thin Cuts, Stitched Circle Dies (GMD), Beautiful Day Thin Cuts, Tri-Blend Markers, White Acrylic Hearts, Silver Embellishing Thread, 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

November Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the November Stamp of the Month blog hop!

This month, we are featuring the stamp set called "You Warm My Heart".

You should have arrived here from Lauren Moore's blog. 

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

I am part of a small group of CTMH Makers who run a virtual crop each month. We offer a pre-cut project for customers who purchase the SOTM at a discount. November is my month to create that project and I chose to make a set of five cards. 

The cards all follow the same basic design principle with angled papers. This kit was created using the Jingle Joy papers. There are minimal embellishments - just a handful of clear sparkles - as we have to cut and (if need be) ship this to qualifying customers. These cards are perfect for the upcoming holiday season - with colder temperatures around the corner, who doesn't love a hot drink? 

I hope you enjoyed my project. 

The next blog on this hop is Darlys Recker's blog. I am sure she will wow you with her project! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart:

Paper: Jingle Joy Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Clover Cardstock, Evergreen Cardstock, Raspberry Cardstock, Flamingo Cardstock, White Cards and Envelopes

Stamps: You Warm My Heart

Inks: Intense Black, Black, Clover, Evergreen, Raspberry, Flamingo, Pebble

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Stitched Bracket Thin Cuts, Tags and Tabs Thin Cuts, Clear Sparkles, Bitty Sparkles, Tri-Blend Markers, Foam Tape, Black Journaling Pen

Enjoy,

Alyson