Joyeuses Fetes and Snowflakes

Today I'm featuring a simple yet stunning card using White Daisy and Crystal Blue Cardstock, Crystal Blue ink and Embossing.  The base piece of White Daisy has the snowflakes embossed using Clear embossing powder.

The layer with the sentiment is embossed with silver embossing powder.  The sentiment is retired, but since I have my children in French Immersion, I like to send French cards in to the teachers.


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Watercolor and gold embossed Deer

I had a lot of fun creating new fun cards for my Christmas Card Buffet Class.  This first one is using a Birch Tree Die Cut as my inspiration.  I wanted to create a scene.  I decided I was going to use heat embossing and watercolor paints to help execute this idea.

I started with White Daisy cardstock, and used a combination of blues from the watercolor palette to create a sky.  Once this was dry, I stamped the deer using Versamark Ink and Gold Embossing powder.  I used the Birch Tree Die Cut that I had, and distressed the trees using Chocolate Ink.  After layering the trees over the deer, I decided too create snow drifts by tearing some White Daisy cardstock.  I used our Banner Thin Cuts for my sentiment and added some doodling to my sentiment.



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Wreath made for New Home

My mother called me up last Monday asking if I could make a Wreath for her BFF for their new home.  She wanted to give her a gift that she couldn't go and purchase herself.  So here is when it is great that you have a crafty daughter.

So Saturday my parents came into the city, and we finalized placement of all the pretty paper flowers, and then the glue gun came out.  I'm really happy with how it turned out.

About 20 minutes ago, I got a call from the new home owner, and she loves her wreath, and informed me she has already found a home for it, and has hung it up.

Colours used for greenery are, Topiary, Sweet Leaf and New Enlgand Ivy.  The flowers are Pixie, Bashful, and Colonial White cardstock.  Some of the Colonial White were inked with Pixie and Crystal Blue Ink.

The name is Heat Embossed using Gold Embossing Powder.  The wreath is wrapped in Burlap Ribbon.


Always craft with  <3

January Blog Hop: Valentine's Inspiration - Cross Canada

Welcome to our January Blog Hop featuring Valentine’s Inspiration.  To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order.

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop! 

If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Julie in Newfoundland and hop across Canada. It just so happens she is the stop before me too.

For this first card, I used a strip of pattern from the Brushed paper pack, pink shimmer trim and slate cardstock.  I used the Heart Embossing folder and then lightly sanded the hearts.  The sentiment and image is from Forever in my Heart (C1604).

This card was really fun to put together, I used Pear, Hollyhock, Cranberry and Canary cardstock, all colors found in the Brushed Paper pack. I used the Heart Embossing folder.  I did a little doodling with my journaling pen, and added some puffies.  The heart and banner are from January's SOTM.

For this card I used some patterned paper from Ariana. I really liked the wreath that is featured on page 17 of Seasonal Expressions (1st edition) and attempted to follow the directions.  I really liked how soft it looked once done. I matted it on Hollyhock cardstock, added some doodled borders and a little bling.  The stamp is called Happy to Be Friends (C1605).

I tried it again using the colors that they called for, and used Hollyhock and Glacier cardstock.  I ran the Glacier through my cuttlebug with the Heart Embossing folder and then distressed the edges and embossed hearts with Glacier ink.  I doodled along the edge of the circle, and also inked the edges of the banner in Glacier ink.

Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Rosalynd.

I've provided the full blog hop list, incase you get lost:

·  Julie ~ 12x12 Travels

·  Michelle ~My Creations With Michelle  YOU ARE HERE

·  Rosalynd ~ In My Scrappin' Room

·  Nicky ~ Timeless Cottage

·  Brae ~ The Brae-er

·  Carol ~ Crafty Carol's Place

·  Christine ~ Chris' Creative Life

·  Brandy ~Canadian Scrappers

·  Terry Ann~ Just a Tad Crafty

·  Janet ~ Jan's Works of Heart

·  Chantal ~ It's a Hoot PaperCrafts

·  Nancy ~ Nancy Klein

·  Kristine ~ Home With Studio K

Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring Card Creations using our How To Books.  So mark February 15th on your calendars and hop along with us.

Creating with AHSC #67

I've been really busy creating many projects for various reasons, submissions into magazines, blog hops, and of course my sketch challenge.  I was playing around with the new markers and decided to use them as a feature on this week's challenge along with one of our new colours, (we have 5 new colours) Thistle.

Here is this week's sketch:

Here is my creation:

I really had lots of fun playing with the stamp set Happy Birds(C1600). First I stamped with Versamark Ink on a piece of White Daisy Cardstock and added Clear Embossing powder so that the sentiment would remain white.  Then choosing Thistle Ink and Lagoon Ink to compliment each other I used my sponge daubers to create my own patterned paper.  For the flowers I stamped them in Archival Black Ink and heat set them so there would be no bleeding of ink.  I used Marigold(YR24), Turquoise Blue(B68), Peacock Green(BG61), Golden Yellow(Y222), Lavender(P83) and Peony Purple(P282) ShinHan Touch Twin Markers. 

I fussy cut out the flowers and adhered them using 3D Foam Tape, wrapped some twine around the coloured paper and adhered it to my cardbase.

I really hope you enjoyed my creation, and that you will continue over to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, where the Design Team will be sure to inspire you even more with their creations.

Love Who You Are w/AHSC #63

From the moment I sketched out this week's design, I knew what I wanted to create.  After 3 attempts to get it just right I had to get up and walk away from my craftroom.  Yesterday I spent the day reorganizing and trying to get my head wrapped around my own design.  I was in a funk.....

What do you do when you get in a creative funk, loose your mojo?

This morning, I woke up, and had a new idea in my head, so down to my craft room I went.  I dug out my embossing powders, my versamark ink, some pigment ink and my heat gun.

Here is this week's sketch:

Here is my creation:

I started with a piece of White Daisy Cardstock and used the versamark ink for the 2 sizes of swirls from the Stamp Swirls Around(D1551) and heat set it in a silver embossing powder.  The Sentiment is from a retired stamp Fashionista which is long retired. It is stamped in Outdoor Denim pigment Ink and heat set with Clear Detail Embossing powder.  I then took sponge daubers in Pacifica, Outdoor Denim and Indian Corn Blue and swiped across the whole card giving it this hazy look.  Taking some metal bling flowers to add to the swirl and tada!  Masterpiece!

Thanks for checking out my creation today, and I hope you head over to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and share some love with our Design Team. 

Emboss It Blog Hop

Did you know that Close To My Heart now has Embossing Folders available?  There are 5 of them, and on my post today you will see creations using 3 of those folders.  If you want to see more creations you'll want to hop along with us, as we have over 25 CTMH Consultants participating.

If you get lost along the way, you can find the complete list of those hopping here. Now if you are coming from the sizzling creations from Sheila's Stamping Stuff, then you are in the right place. Now onto my creations. 

If you would like to start at the beginning, you can start with Adeline.

I really love our new embossing folders, and there are just so many techniques that you can use that I had to show you a few.

 This first card is made with the Quatrefoil embossing folder.  I used Outdoor Denim CS and after I ran it through my cuttlebug I lightly sanded the CS to reveal the white core.  The stamp set used here is Pick a Posey(C1576).

 For my second card, I used the Damask Embossing folder and took Ruby Ink and a sponge dauber and lightly brushed over the raised image to produce this pretty card.

My final card uses the Chevron Embossing folder.  I started by lightly coloring my cardbase with Honey Ink and a sponge dauber. I used Buttercup CS, and then took my Honey Ink Pad and ran it over the Embossing Folder, yes, that is right I applied the ink directly to the folder.  Clean up is so easy with baby wipes.  It gives the cardstock a sort of tone on tone look. I cut the pattern into pieces and applied it directly to the cardbase.  The stamp used is Quick Cards- Island Greetings(A1157).

I'm so glad you are hopping along with us and you are half way done if you've started from the beginning.  Your next stop is Pam's Heart Art and she has some stunning pieces of work sure to inspire you.

If you are interested in any of the supplies used in our blog hop, contact your local consultant, or you can purchase them here.

Thank You with AHSC #45

It is in my personal opinion that you can never have too many Thank You cards.  Isn't it nice just to send someone a card if only to thank them for being your friend, or maybe you want to say thank you to someone who supported you through a tough time.  Whatever reason you have for saying thank you, being able to give them a card with a personal message is just that much better, especially when that card is homemade.

So here is this weeks sketch over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge:

I have a whole binder full of sketches, and I've sent them to Darla who digitizes them.  I think she does an amazing job too.  Some of my sketches have scribblings of colors I'd like to use, or other details I envision for my own creations. 

So here is my card for this weeks Sketch:

I used the new Dots Embossing folder that CTMH now carries( BTW we have 5 New embossing folders) on a 4x5 1/4" piece of Outdoor Denim CD, they sanded the cardstock to show the white core.  Then using the retired but fabulous stamp set Friendship Blessings(D1191), I stamped the base image in 2nd generation Outdoor Denim Ink, then stamped the detail in 1st generation.  I did the same effect with the leaves in NEw England Ivy Ink.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set and is stamped in Outdoor Denim Ink as well.

Then I added some retired Ribbon that I had in my stash.  I wrapped it around and adhered it to the back to give the edges a clean line then adhered to a White Daisy Card Base.

I really hope you will take a few moments and join us over at Atlantic Hearts and check out what our design team has created using this same sketch. While you are checking us out, maybe you will be inspired to create something too.

Embossing is Boss with CTMH

February is an exciting month at Close To My Heart.  Not only is the 2014 Spring/Summer Idea Book now available for you to order from, but we also have an amazing promotion for you too.  

During the month of February, you qualify to receive a free embossing folder for every 2 packs of bulk cardstock (single color or combo) you purchase! That is a savings of $8.95! Select from 5 new embossing folder designs—dot, chevron, quatrefoil, damask, or stripe—when you submit a qualifying order. To view the embossing folder designs click here!

Julie has a quick video explaining how to use our new embossing folders with our White Core paper to get the best results. 

Each month you can purchase a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5 — that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing. You can also purchase it at full retail price $17.95.

To purchase these promotions, or any other product you can shop with me here, or maybe you would like to host a party and earn some free product.  You can start earning rewards as soon as your party reaches $150.  Contact me to book your party!

Silver's and Blues make a pretty card

My sketch for this weeks Challenge was suppose to be followed exactly as sketched, and using the Love Doily, however, my idea changed as our first entrant this week had made my card as I had envisioned it.  LOL!

So, I'm back to square one, I still want to stick with the rectangle shape, and cut my card base so that it measures 3 1/2" by 8".  The base is cut from White Daisy CS.  Next I took the large snowflake from the Stamp set Snowflakes(D1480) and stamped it with Versamark Ink and heat embossed it with Silver Embossing powder.  Next using a mixture of different snowflakes I stamped around the embossed snowflakes in Crystal Blue Ink and Twilight Ink, both were stamped in first and second generation.

To finish the card off, I added a strip of Silver Shimmer Trim, and the Sentiment comes from Yuletide Greetings (D1553), which is stamped in Twilight Ink.


This size card is perfect for a cash card.....and who doesn't like receiving cash at Christmas!!!

Please remember to go check out the design team's creations now over on the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.