Heart 2 Heart Tool Time - A Paper Hug

My scrapbook friends know my secret - I'm a fool for a tool, whether it's for gardening or crafting. I love to learn how to use tools and have my own tools on hand, ready to use. I had asked hubby one year for my own cordless drill. It's not hard to get tools for Christmas since I'm married to the man who seems to own so many they take up a basement shop, a barn, a separate shop building, and the shop on his dad's farm.

I kept this card fairly simple. I was challenged by the Heart 2 Heart Challenge this month to use my tools for this creation. I used several CTMH tools to make this card today: Dreamin' Big Card-making Thin Cut die (dragonfly) and coordinating stamp, sponge daubers to add poppy ink to the edges of the saffron dragonfly, shimmer brush, Cricut Flower Market cartridge (and my Explore), and heat tool to emboss the sentiment with white embossing powder. That covers most of the tools I used to make this card. I also used scissors to cut down one of the chevron-type pml cards that came with the Dreamin' Big paper pack to make the basic design of the card.

I wanted the dragonfly to have more than one color so I inked the stamp with Saffron ink and put a drop of poppy reinker on my poppy sponge dauber. I dabbed it on the edges before stamping. This is my new technique. Instead of doing the rock and roll technique and contaminating my stamp pads with other colors, like I've done countless times, I used the inked dauber instead. I put shimmer on the dragonfly because that's the way they've always appeared to me outside. I used the shimmer brush, the perfect way to add that shimmer. I overdid it a little on this dragonfly and the colors aren't showing up well. I also discovered it can dilute dye ink colors and make them bleed if you put on too much. Another lesson learned!

Thank you for visiting. Hugs and blessings!

6.5" x 5" Card Recipe:
Paper - CTMH Dreamin' Big and Some Kinda' Wonderful (black pattern) paper packs, White Daisy, Canary, and Honey (retired) cs
Stamp - Dreamin' Big Cardmaking stamps; True Love Operation Smile stamps
Ink - Flaxen, Poppy, Versamark with white embossing powder
Embellishments - Poppy Thick Twine

Isaiah 41 Strength for a Friend

I have a friend I've known since high school that was told she had a large tumor, probably cancer when she became very ill and had to be hospitalized. Thanks to social media, a lot of us heard about her prayer request before her surgery, and amazingly, there was no tumor, only an enlarged "normal" organ with no cancer. After a hysterectomy, she was sent home to recover. What a relief for all of us with  comforting thoughts about the goodness of God and His answers to prayers. Here's a card I made for her with a stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs, Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

I've been making a lot of cards today with OLD paper I'm sorting, spring cleaning surprises!(Thanks Aloha Friday Challenge!) At the same time I'm having one of my auto-immune responses with lots of rash, aches and pains. I found this verse to be MY OWN comfort, as well.

Thank you for visiting. May these thoughts comfort you at the times you need strength and comfort!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Kitty Bee Designs Aloha Friday #91 - Spring Cleaning-used old papers and felt embellishment
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #284 - Anything goes with ODBD stamps
Simply Create Too #125 - Lots of Green
Word Art Wednesday #276-277 - anything family friendly

6.5" x 5" Card Recipe:
Paper - CTMH retired from 2004 Lovely Leaves, Ponderosa Pine and White Daisy cs
Stamp - ODBD Scripture Collection 1
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Tools - Spellbinders Floral Ovals Nestabilities, Martha Stewart punch
Embellishments - all CTMH - black and gold ribbon, Black (and White) Dots, black sequins,

Mojo 490 Mother's Day Time for Tea

The first time I had hot tea was with my mom when I was nine. We had a mother-daughter missionary banquet at church. All of the girls had hot tea with milk and sugar. After that, mom gave me hot tea that way on a few snow days when I'd played outside for a long time. I doubt if she knew then how hot tea with milk would become a lifelong, morning passion for me. Even my grandchildren know this about me. I suppose that's one of the reasons I love this month's "Tea-rrific" stamp of the month at CTMH.

This week's Mojo Monday sketch was great for a Mother's Day card for the Heart 2 Heart challenge, Time for Tea. I silver embossed the tea cup and set it on a doily to anchor the image.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless and keep you and yours!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Heart 2 Heart - Tea Time
Dragonfly Journeys #88 - doilies
Mojo Monday #490 - sketch
Stamps & Fun = Creativity #298 - From the kitchen
Tuesday Throwdown #336 - sparkles ( pink ones in my flowers)

5" x 6.5" Card Recipe (all from CTMH except the doily):
Paper - Hello Lovely, La Vie en Rose (retired), White Daisy and Smoothie cs
Stamps - Tea-rrific March Stamp of the month
Ink - Versamark, Ruby, Smoothie
Embellishments - Pink glitter gems, organdy ribbon (retired), Ranger Super fine detail silver embossing powder, Wilton doily
Tools - heat tool, water brush (to paint Smoothie ink on flower)

Random Stamped Botanicals

My first experiences stamping in 2003 were making scrapbook pages with random stamping. They were really pitiful! I felt challenged to try my hand at the Heart 2 Heart random stamped background challenge to see if I could do any better. I decided to make a card for my most artistic friend to let her know I'm still praying for her after the loss of her mom.

I wanted to combine this challenge with the botanicals challenge at Try It On Tuesday. Before I started stamping my images I decided to random "stamp" some color with my small pigment inks. I wanted them to match the colors in the retired Paper Garden papers, so I used retired Buttercup and Blush along with Sweet Leaf and Thistle. First I just pressed and released each color but I wanted the color to be darker and not always square, so I pressed harder and twisted a little. I moved the stamping of each color across the page as if I was following a chevron, diagonally up and down. I didn't mind if there was a little overlap. I did need to use my heat tool between colors since pigment inks take longer to dry.  I should have taken a photo of those two steps, but maybe you can see the result below. I chose to stamp black outline flowers, leaves, and a butterfly, keeping each one on its own color. If you're new to random stamping, you sort of turn the stamp different directions as you go across the page.

 If I did it again, I think I'd consider whether the black line images had thick or thin lines and I'd keep them the same. The biggest flower stood out more than I wanted. So I covered this panel slightly with doily halves and used a large black butterfly cut using Cricut Artistry cartridge.

I used leftover pieces cut from the top and bottom of each piece to decorate the inside:

I'm glad I tried random stamping again, but enjoyed even more stamping with the small pigment inks first. I'll definitely try that again!

Thank you for visiting! May God bless your crafting and the recipients of your creations!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

City Crafter Challenge #355 - In Bloom

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - Background Random Stamping

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Things with Wings

Try It On Tuesday - Botanical

6.5" x 5" Card Recipe:

Paper - CTMH White Daisy Cardstock, Black cardstock,  retired Paper Garden patterned papers

Inks - CTMH Pigment Inks - Buttercup, Blush, Sweet Leaf, Thistle; Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamps - CTMH: Happy to Be Friends (leaf), Lovely Birthday (large flower), retired Adore You SOTM (small flower), retired Your Beautiful Self (butterfly); Hero Arts Stamp and Cut-Prayers

Embellishments - CTMH gold glitter gems, 6" Wilton doily, gold and satin edged organdy ribbon

Tool - Cricut Artistry

Color Dare Friendship Cards

I have three friends who have a strong dislike for some specific color. I always liked all colors, but when CTMH introduced new colors last fall, I wasn't sure that I liked Emerald very much. This week's Color My Heart Color Dare changed my mind. I took the challenge purposely to see what I could do too help myself like this combination. Playing with color combinations is a great learning experience.

I wanted to use a couple of wreaths cut using the Cricut Flower Market cartridge. I embossed the white panel with words and had the wreath encircle the word HAPPY, LIFE was included, too. I stacked two black twig wreaths for more thickness. I cut flowers and berries for both wreaths using the same cartridge but different pages. I was going to share my cut file, but lost internet connection when I went to save and lost the file.

My second card ended up being my favorite:

Both cards have a strip of white shimmer trim and the second one has a die cut word cut from Black Glitter paper and stacked on two more black cardstock words for extra thickness. Now I can't wait to send them to a couple of friends I haven't seen in a while.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll be bold enough to try something new you've never tried so both you and the recipient will be blessed!

I'm sharing this last card with the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks #343 - punches or dies (used Cricut wreath and thin cut "hello")

Aud Sentiments Challenge #176 - any sentiment except birthday

Color My Heart Color Dare #236 - Pacifica, White, Black, Emerald

International Art and Soul #4 -  Embossing

Green Blessings Card

When I was a girl our church choir would sing the words of this blessing at the end of each service. I didn't realize the rich fullness of these words until I grew up. Now it's one of my favorite blessings from scripture, Numbers 6:24-26, "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."

The stamp and the background die cut are both from Our Daily Bread Designs. The long-retired CTMH felt flowers and "Miracle" and Christmas papers are more of my hoarded stash I'm determined to use up!

May your heart be blessed by the beautiful sentiment!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Crafty Friends Challenge #54 -  B is for ...Blessing
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining The Light Challenge #284 - anything with ODBD stamps
Simply Create Too - #125 - lots of green
Unicorn Challenge #19 - Go Green
Words 2 Craft By #39 - Proverbs and Blessings

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Easter Card

When I make cards snippets of hymns I used to sing usually play in my head. This set of cards inspired two hymns from the days when I used to teach in a Christian school in Harrisonville, Missouri. At Easter the music teacher taught my class "Lift Jesus Higher" which paraphrases John12:32: "And Jesus said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." The other I learned in church which I kept repeating, "Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim..." He gave us the perfect example of love with both His life and His death. The cross He died on wasn't attractive. I'm sure it was a rough hateful thing. But since it represents His sacrificial love, taking our punishment for our sins, artists down through the centuries have decorated crosses to symbolize this love.

This sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge inspired my design for these Easter cards combining the symbol of the Easter cross with Cricut cut spring flowers along with some old Paper Garden papers and new Paper Fundamentals.

I used Cricut Flower Market cartridge to cut the flowers. You may use my cut file if you have that cartridge. They are sized for my 6.5" x5" card.  My hubbies favorite is the purple one I made first which has the sentiment and cross embossed with silver. The cross comes from a retired CTMH stamp set A1184 Rejoice.

My favorite has a lot more white space and is embossed with gold to match the yellows in the striped Paper Garden papers.

The embossed sentiments show up better in this photo.

Thank you for visiting! May you be blessed with the joy of Christ's love!

I'm sharing this post with the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #144 - Easter
Atlantic Sketch Challenge #204
Cut It Up Challenge #118 - stitches (mine are faux from the MFT double stitched circle die)
Fab n Funky Challenge #343 - flowers
Moving Along with the Times #41 - handmade or die cut flowers
Mustard Seed Faith Challenge - any shade of yellow
My Time to Craft - woodland animals or Easter
Really Reasonable Ribbon #160 - Spring/Easter with ribbon
Southern Girls Challenge #156 - use a die  cut
Word Art Wednesday #274-275 - anything goes

Hello Lovely Easter Card 1

I need to make quite a few Easter cards, so I used the card bases I made with our recent CTMH Hello Lovely Workshop Your Way. This one uses pattern 4 with a few additions: a doily, a circle (from retired Caboodle paper, cut with MFT double stitched circle die), a sentiment panel (retired Nevermore paper). The Blush Shimmer Ribbon were the perfect addition. The cross, stamped with Whisper ink,  and sentiment are retired but are perfect for my card's message that Easter is a celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead.

I kept this simple so my friends at our scrapbook workshop could quickly make one if they wanted.  You can even download the cutting guide for all the layouts and cards here.


Thank you for visiting! May God bless your crafting and the recipients of your crafts!


I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks #343 - punches or dies
Addicted to Stamps #144 -  Easter
Aud Sentiments #176 - any sentiment but birthday
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Easter
Really Reasonable Ribbon #160 - Springtime/Easter with ribbon
Southern Girls #156 -  use a die
Word Art Wednesday #274-275 - anything family friendly

Mojo Monday Thinking of You

I've been MIA for a while thanks to computer issues. I've finally decided to use my old computer until I get those resolved. Today I combined the Mojo Monday sketch this week with the challenge at Crafting By Designs, Thinking of You.  I love to make cards that send the message of "thinking and praying for you," so I made several. Here I'm sharing one that is feminine and one that is masculine using this sketch. Both cards use long-retired papers from CTMH that I'm attempting to stop hoarding and use up! I'm also sharing this feminine card with Word Art Wednesday this week. If you've never visited them, you should check out their challenge with free inspiring word art each challenge.

I used an encouraging Verve Plain Jane sentiment on the MFT stitched circle die cut because it's an encouraging verse for someone you pray for. The inside ODBD verse (not pictured) says "You are in our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers." It was a perfect accompaniment for the outside sentiments.

The masculine card has some thin bamboo stars to embellish and a little more simple according to my hubby's tastes.

I'm also sharing this second card with The Crazy Challenge #244 and Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #111, both for "Masculine."



Thank you for visiting! May God bless you and the recipients of your crafts!

Spread Love Wherever You Go

Do you experience a calming effect when you hand-color images like I do? Last night we had tornado warnings. The television broadcast of severe weather goes on all evening when this happens, so I decided to stamp , color, and fussy cut to calm my nerves. I managed to keep that up for about an hour until our electricity went off and my phone was broadcasting the alarm for take cover for our area. We stayed in the dark basement (which is only used for storage) for 45 minutes while they kept extending the warning time. We were blessed by having nothing more than strong winds and no real damage, but nearby areas on three sides of us had damage, especially Oak Grove, which  had 483 homes damaged or destroyed.

Once we had electricity again, I decided to cut out some Cricut Artbooking frames with hearts because today neighbors are helping neighbors to clean up the damage. I love the sentiment that came with this stamp set: "Spread love everywhere you go." I wanted the frames to express this idea.

I used the Dreamin' Big paper pack and colors for the Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week. The first one I made is more CAS (Clean and Simple). The stamps came from last year's Lovely Garden. I colored them with a couple of ShinHan Touch Twin alcohol markers and several Copic markers.

This second one uses a 4" x 3" pml card from the paper pack.

I'm sharing this project with the following challenges:

Color Inspiration Monday - anything goes with image colored
Heart 2 Heart - Dreamin' Big
The Paper Players #334 - Theme: die cuts, punches, fussy cutting
Word Art Wednesday #272-273 - anything goes family friendly

Embossed Silhouette Thinking of You

Our weather today is too warm (again) for March 6th with an increased chance of severe weather and tornadoes by evening. Gusty winds are already up to 48 miles per hour. I was in a severe F4 tornado when I was seven years old so this weather always makes me nervous, not just for myself, but for all the people in the path of this severe weather. At lunch I found myself praying for everyone's safety. So the message I chose for this card could apply to a lot of us.

My inspiration was this sketch that I found at Freshly Made Sketches so I tried to keep my card CAS (Clean and Simple)..and the colors from the Daring Cardmakers inspiration photo...I decided to "play" with some of my "Old Stuff," 2009 CTMH Silhouette papers that are black, white, and bamboo. I combined the Bamboo floral pattern with a current black pattern from Some Kinda Wonderful collection.

 I saw some aqua books on the shelf so I added a few aqua sequins paired with the white.

I gold embossed the leafy shape from 2012 CTMH Flirty Workshop on the Go and white embossed the sentiment (current Happy to Be Friends) using Ranger Princess Gold and Recollections Snow Detail Embossing Powder and basic heat embossing after rubbing the surface with an anti-static Embossing Magic Powder Bag.

The inside verse says, "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save, He will take great delight in you,  He will quiet you with his love.  He will rejoice over you with singing.  Zephaniah 3:17" In tornado weather I need the part that says that He will quiet me with His love! (from Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Series #1)

Thank you for visiting! May God's love also quiet YOU during times of stress!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Cards 4 Galz #42 - Name your (embossing) powder

CCEE Stampers - Old Stuff - stamps or papers

Crafter's Café Challenge #168 - CAS

Crafty Hazelnut's March Patterned Paper Challenge - anything with patterned paper

Daring Cardmakers Challenge - Elemental Inspiration (mine were the colors)

Ooh La La Creations #223 - embossing

Stampavie and more #281 - embossing

Sweet Stampers Challenge #4 - add a sentiment

Word Art Wednesday #272-273 - anything uplifting/family friendly

Mojo Monday #486 Sketch

This card has a story. Wednesday evening I had decided I hadn't used my scripture stamps as much lately, so I got out my box of ODBD and Verve stamps and considered what to use. Thursday I was deciding what paper to use, I organized  a stash of my very old retired spring-colored papers from CTMH, selecting some Black and White "Silhouette" and pastel colored "Paper Garden."  Then I needed to meet someone in town in the early evening. Just before I left I thought I should quickly check email since I hadn't checked it all day. I had an amazing email from someone who wanted me to make more scripture cards for our local store that sells my cards. She gives them to her friends and family but had just received one of my get well cards in her door from a neighbor as she was leaving for the doctor's. She wanted me to know how much my cards meant to her.

She said something that stuck in my mind that I think those of you who are cardmakers can also take to heart:  "Thank you for taking the time to do what you do for so many others that you will never know all the stories." I thought about that all the way to town and back. My goal is to bless others, not to get recognition, but hearing her story brought the blessing back to me!  After I returned home, I responded to her kindness with an email sharing how God had prompted me to get my scripture stamps ready even before she made her request for more. I love to see the way He works in our lives!

The Mojo Monday sketch this week:

My first card had the rectangle shapes matted on Colonial White cardstock and two Colonial White butterflies that I sponged with Black, Buttercup and Baby Pink inks. For the sake of translation, the beautiful verse from ODBD Scripture Collection 1 says: "When I pray YOU ANSWER ME! You encourage me by giving me the STRENGTH I NEED. Psalm 138:3"--something I pray frequently!!

Then I decided that Kraft cardstock would help the patterns stand out along with a couple of Recollections Kraft butterflies:

I used a Petaloo flower for my circle element of both and embossed the background of the card with a CTMH floral embossing folder.

Thank you for visiting! The inside message (from ODBD "Hope") is "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. Romans 15:13a" May God bless you and the recipients of your cards!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

CCEE Stampers #1709- Old stuff - My paper was from 2009 and this is my oldest Scripture Collection stamp I  from Our Daily Bread Designs

Mojo Monday #486 - sketch

That's Crafty - Just Words - words as the main focus

Word Art Wednesday #272-273 - anything family friendly

March Tea-rrific Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop using Close To My Heart's Tea-rriffic stamp set. If you have come from Tamytha Jenkins' blog you're on the right path. To see the entire list of bloggers in the hop visit Melinda Everitt's blog.

I made four samples to show my scrapbook/card club this month, all using the Dreamin' Big paper pack and some coordinating cardstock. The first two sets of cups are backed with a mat made from one of the PML cards and two zip strips. The cup details were colored with ShinHan Touch Twin alcohol ink markers.

The next two use the flowered paper and the glacier and juniper cardstock for the cups embossed with Silver ep. The mat behind the first cup was cut using the Artistry Cricut cartridge.

The mat behind the cup on the next card was cut using Artbooking Cricut cartridge.

If you don't already have a consultant, you can purchase this stamp set for $5.00 with a $50.00 order here on my website OR you can purchase it at full price, $17.95.

Thank you for visiting! Now you are ready to move on to Tracey Pierce's blog to see artwork!