Heart 2 Heart Color Challenge

I used to think there was something wrong with me that made me wait till the last minute to do things I really wanted to do. But when I had a professor in college that taught us a lot about the brain, I learned that some people become a lot more motivated and do better if they wait until the pressure is on. So I try not to beat myself up for postponing opportunities to join certain challenges. Somehow I also think it's the right brain part of me that does the last minute thing.

I couldn't resist using the Blossom, Peacock, Bashful and White Daisy challenge at Heart 2 Heart to make a birthday card.

The floral design in the Blossom colored paper inspired the embossing with the Rose embossing folder. I used a little Bashful ink on a sponge dauber to highlight the embossing. Bashful Pearls and new soft white ribbon to embellish.

Thank you for visiting! May you be blessed as you bless others with your cards!

Mother's Day for the Cook

A few days ago I watched an interview of the author of a new cookbook. I was once a good cook from a family of foodies until I developed so many food allergies after e-coli that I only had one or two things I could eat for years. Yet now I've been able to add a few more foods in the past year and I especially loved the addition of veggies! I was intrigued by this book and thought I'd like to read it some day. Imagine my delight when I saw the challenge at The Library Challenge to make something highlighting the title, cover, content. My mother and her mother loved cooking so much they were copying new recipes all their lives. Now my daughter, part of a new generation of cooks, loves cooking, collecting recipes from internet using her smart phone in the kitchen and watching the food network on tv. This will be her Mother's Day card.

Each CTMH paper pack has a Workshop Kit that makes 3 layouts and a set of cards in two or three patterns. This card came from one of the card patterns but I made changes to make it the way I like to have cards. I attached the pieces to a 6.5" x 5" card base instead of the smaller size. I embossed the Peacock cardstock with diamonds and added the sentiment stamped on a party banner die cut. I like to stamp the pieces first, like the salt and pepper shakers and the oven mitt, then cut them with the dies, taping them with washii tape to hold in position over the stamped image.

Here is the 2nd card that is part of that workshop kit:

Thank you for visiting!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Brown Sugar Challenge #277 - pearls or Mother's Day
D.L.Art Thankful Thursday #227 - Mother's Day
Dream Valley #178 - add ribbon or lace
Heartful Stamping Challenge April 29-May 6 - anything goes with stamping
The Library Challenge #6 - Plenty More (a cookbook)

365 Promises - Promise #120: You can hold on to the hope that I will not change what I have promised.

Hebrews 6:17-18 this way... ¹⁷So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. (ESV)

Have a Happy Day Card

I love the Color Dare this week at Color My Heart because it includes all the colors from the lovely Gimme Some Sugar paper pack.  I used the middle row down on this color chart (Tangerine, White Daisy, Heather) and also Bashful, Blossom, Peacock, and Juniper.

I used the lovely April sketch at Viva la Verve's challenge.  They share lots of inspiration and Julee Tilman has been adding the sizes of the pieces to cut if that helps you do your best.

I had cut a number of daisy-like flowers on the Cricut days ago and this one happened to be in the blossom color. I punched two Tangerrine circles, punched one with 1/8" holes and mounted it with the light side up over the other one with the dark side showing.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you, too, have a happy day and share the happy!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges;

Color My Heart Color Dare #290 - Tic Tac Toe
The Paper Players #391 - Tic Tac Toe top row across: flower, die cut, twine
Viva la Verve April Challenge sketch

Atlantic Hearts Sketch With Deepest Sympathy

This morning I read the daily encouragement at 365 Promises.

That promise sounds like something I'd love to share with two of my friends who recently lost loved ones.Weeping comes for a time, but there will be joy again. I never have enough sympathy cards so when I also saw the challenge at A Gem of a Challenge to make Get Well or Sympathy, I knew what I needed to make. I want to always let those I know who've lost loved ones that they are in my prayers.

I used this sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch turned on it's side:

 

I wanted my card to be simple with a light colored background and decided to choose the subtle glacier-colored flower outlines to be cut using Cricut Artfully Sent. I sized my image for this 5" x 6.5" card and you are welcome to use my cut file here.  I put a charcoal mat under the cut layer and a rectangular vellum mat as the 2nd mat. A piece of gold glitter cardstock lined the cut flower and the gray ribbons includes the middle one with a stripe of gold. 

I kept the inside simple with three stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs. I cut off the top card base part of my Cricut cut and used part of that rectangle to decorate the sides inside.

Thank you for visiting! May you find the joy that drives away sorrow! I find my joy in Jesus Christ!

365 Promises- Promise #119: My everlasting joy and gladness will drive all sorrow and mourning away.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks #400 - anything goes with optional Less is More (CAS)

613 Avenue Create #208 - Anything goes with optional twist - add vellum

A Gem of a Challenge #218 - Get Well or Sympathy

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #261 - sketch above
Word Art Wednesday #332-333 - Anything uplifting

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #45 -  top row across and middle row down

5" x 6.5" Card Recipe:
CTMH Paper - Chelsea Gardens (stripe), retired Happy Times (floral outlines), Charcoal CS, Vellum, Gold Glitter Paper
Stamp - ODBD With Heartfelt Sympathy
Ink - Black
Embellishments - CTMH Light Gray Ribbon and Basics Ribbon Pack (gray with gold stripe)
Tools - Cricut Design Space and retired CTMH Artfully Sent cartridge

Watercolored Flowers Card

I was intrigued by the challenge at Modsquad challenge blog to make a floral watercolor. I'm always wishing I could get better in creating with watercolors. It's a medium I love that doesn't always love me or produce what I envision. But like everything else, I'm sure practice makes perfect, so I tried again. I wanted to make an encouragement card with the message: "God doesn't give us what we can handle...He helps us handle what we are given."

I chose flower colors from this inspiration photo at Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge:

I wanted to paint these in a free style that goes outside the outline of the flowers, which is harder for me than staying in the lines. I stamped flowers in Stazon ink. The middle pink flower and its stem and leaves were stamped first. I stamped the same again on a sticky note, cut it out, and covered(masked) the flower on the card before stamping the rest of the stems and leaves so they appear to be behind the middle flower. When I painted the flowers one at a time using a waterbrush and watercolor paint, then I went back over the slightly dry flower with more water hoping it would smear a little to help make a background. The green paint "smeared and spread" most easily. The butterflies were lightly painted the lightest yellow in the paint set. I was happy to see that painting them made the wings curl.  I mounted my colorful flowers with diagonal black and white stripes on each side, which seems to be a trend in crafting right now. I thought the black and white was good for such a colorful subject as bright spring flowers.

Inside the card I stamped two sentiments and added three flowers along the edges in light gray (Pebble).

This style card may not appeal to everyone, but I have a very artsy friend who needs encouragement, so I think this verse and watercolor style will be perfect for her.

Thank you for visiting! May you also be encouraged by this message and encourage others in turn.

365 Promises: Promise #116: Seek My kingdom first and everything you need will be given to you.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #116 - April showers bring May flowers
Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday Challenge - flowers and a sentiment
Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge #288 -  inspiration photo
Make My Monday Challenge #69 - In the garden
ModSquad Challenge Blog - Floral Watercolor
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - flower power
Try It On Tuesday Challenge - Nature's beauty
Word Art Wednesday #332-333 - anything uplifting

5.5" x 4.25" Card Recipe:

Paper - CTMH Watercolor Cardstock, Cats and Bats paper pack (black and white stripe, retired)unknown yellow cardstock from stash

Stamps - CTMH Many Congratulations, Falling for You-Scrapbooking (retired); Sweet and Sassy Stamps "The Future"

Ink - Stazon Jet Black, Memento Tuxedo Black

Embellishments - all CTMH - Black and White enamel dots, all retired: butterflies, Thistle Thick Twine, Make Waves Sequins

Tools - Thin Cuts die "Party Banners," Watercolor Paints, Medium Round Waterbrush  

Wedding Day Card

I thought  the colors at this week's Color Throwdown challenge were perfect for a wedding card I needed to make.

The sentiment design helped me determine where to put everything else on the card. One of the flowers included with that sentiment stamp set was a pansy. I know they usually have a yellow center, but I colored mine light gray and finished it with a clear glitter pen. Pearls and some very old lilac organdy ribbon were the finishing touches.

Thank you for visiting!
365 Promises, #115 - "If we are faithless, he remains faithful.
He can’t deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 (WEB)

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
2 Sisters on the Blog #14 - Wedding or anniversary
Allsorts Challenge Week #464 - use pearls
Color Throwdown #490 - light pink, light lavender, green, light gray
Die Cut Divas - anything goes with die cuts

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Flower power
Unicorn Challenge #31 -  use some ribbon
Word Art Wednesday #332-333 - anything uplifting

6.5" x 5" Card Recipe:
Paper - CTMH White Daisy cardstock, light gray floral paper from CTMH Basics Paper Fundamentals, unknown pink cardstock,
Stamps - CTMH Happily Ever After
Ink - CTMH Pewter
Markers - Copics: RV00, RV23, RV63, BV0000, BV00, BV04, N2, YG11
Embellishments - CTMH White pearls, retired spring ribbon rounds
Tools - PTI Mix and Mat Hearts die

Picture My Life Blog Hop

Welcome to our blog hop featuring ways to use the Picture My Life Cards that coordinate with the designer papers from Close To My Heart. If you just came from Krista Hershberger's blog, you're on the right path. To see the entire list of participants, visit Melinda Everitt's blog.

After I've made several scrapbook layouts, I like to use the remaining PML cards to make cards. Here are two I made using PML cards from the Gimme Some Sugar paper pack. 

Today I'm highlighting the sentiment and journaling cards in the set.

I used two of them to make this first birthday card. I thought the sentiment on the large 6" x 4" card was perfect for birthdays: LIFE IS SHORT, lick the bowl! I also trimmed a gray sentiment card to use as a tag. I liked its lines and flourish on top.

The scalloped circle was cut out using Cricut Design space. If you have the Flower Market Cartridge, you may use this cut file sized for a 6.5" x 5" card.

I used three of the smaller 3" x 4" for the second card. Again, the fun sentiment, JUST ROLL WITH IT, became my focus. I measured that sentiment and cut out the center of the lined recipe card to pop dot as a frame for that sentiment. I die cut a 2.5" circle out of the Juniper "cooking words" pml card for matting a rolling pin, oven mitt, and "cookies."

This set also coordinates with the Picture My Life Be-YOU-tiful cards that I used in February to make a set of cards. For those ideas, you can see my other cards here.

I couldn't resist sharing this card set with Cuttlebug Mania's Baking challenge!

Thank you for visiting! Now you're ready to see the creation of  Alyson Mayo!

Card ingredients:
Paper - Gimme Some Sugar paper pack
Stamps  and dies - Gimme Some Sugar Cardmaking stamp and Thin Cuts,
Ink - Charcoal
Tools - Watercolor pencils, Thin Cuts Basic Circles, Cricut Design Space and Flower Market Cart, paper cutter, 3D Foam Tape, Thin 3-D Foam Dots
Embellishments - Gimme Some Sugar Cork Shapes, Whisper Thick Twine,

Kraft Birthday Card

I have a lovely Christian friend who scrapbooks with us every month. She took some of my classes more than a dozen years ago and became totally addicted to papercrafting like me. For years she has been my prayer partner when life gave me challenges. I've always loved her sweet, cheerful spirit and wanted this card to be interesting to her.  Her birthday is tomorrow, so here's the card I made for her.

I used colors from the inspiration photo from Paper Craft Crew:

I used the right row down from this tic tac toe challenge:

 

I made this card extra lumpy with dimension because I was delivering it in person. In addition to the ink used to stamp the sentiment, I embossed the kraft front with hearts and inked them with white pigment ink. Additional dimension was added with the doily and the ribbon-tied gold edged vintage button from DL Art and the gold pearls. All of the patterned papers are new CTMH(Gimme Some Sugar checked) or retired (Live Beautifully, Whimsy Paper Fundamentals cricut flower). For Simon Says Stamp Wednesday sparkle and shine challenge, I added several touches of gold: the diagonal striped strip, heart clip, gold-edged button, gold-edged ribbon and gold pearls.

Thank you for visiting! May you be blessed as you bless others with your papercrafting!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #201 - Happy Birthday

Crafty Gals Corner #163 - use buttons

Creative Knockouts #242 - buttons

Paper Craft Crew Challenge #288 - Rustic floral

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - sparkle and shine

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #44 -  dimension, ink, patterned paper

Word Art Wednesday #330-331 - anything goes with uplifting message

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

I have loved music since I was a young child. I remember singing my first songs in church when I was about three. Usually, I sang songs in children's church, but if I was in grown-up church and I recognized a song, I remember standing on the pew next to my parents and singing all the parts I knew with joy. With those experiences is it any wonder that I've been in love with the old hymns for over 60 years?  The songs and their words are deeply ingrained in my being and rise to the surface often to encourage me, to remind me of truths I need to remember.

Here's an encouragement card I made with the first line of one of those old hymns that reminds us that we can trust Jesus to help us through life's trials:

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, And to take Him at His word. Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, "Thus saith the Lord." Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him o'er and o'er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches #331 and the colors from Color Throwdown #487:

 

Thank you for visiting! May you, too, be blessed by the Lord as you trust Him more and more!

I'm Sharing this card with the following challenges:

Color Throwdown #487 - pink, red, mint

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

Dies R Us #94  -  anything goes with brands of ies they carry

Freshly Made Sketch #331 - clean layout using sketch

Simply Papercraft #56 - anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - anything uplifting

5.5" x 4.25" Card Recipe:

Papers - retired CTMH Sugar Rush and Lollydoodle

Stamp - Sweet 'n' Sassy Stamps Timeless Hymns

Embellishment - CTMH Black and White enamel dots

Tools -  Tim Holtz Thinlits Alterations die, Spellbinders Foliage die

Be Your Own Kind of Rock Star

While I was playing with some Stargazer papers I thought about a friend's son who is a music major working on his master's degree in music education. His wife was working at a really difficult, overwhelming job. I'd been praying for her.

I love to see how God works out the details of the answers to prayer. An opportunity came up in a rural town for the husband to teach music now, in the middle of the school year,  and the wife to teach an elementary grade she was prepared for next year. In the meantime, she could be a classroom aid, giving her some much needed relief from stress. Her hubby was going to be able to finish his courses online! God opened unexpected new doors at just the right time! What a blessing for them both!

This is the card I made for them using new Stargazer papers, black glitter paper, silver sequins with red glitter glue, and some old stamps along with a few Cricut cuts from the Quarter Note cartridge:

The stamp sets on the front come from retired CTMH Rock Star and Dakota workshop. The inside scripture is from ODBD God Verses 2:  "I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with Thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30"

Thank you for visiting! May you be blessed by the Lord and be amazed as you see the way He answers your prayers!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Inspire Create Challenge #15 - masculine
Moo Mania and More - Masculine
Simply Create Too #137 - use Die Cuts
Word Art Wednesday #328-329 - anything uplifting

Flower Trio for Atlantic Hearts Sketch

One of the blessings I'm thankful for is to be a part of this worldwide cardmaking community. There is a never-ending source of ideas for colors, techniques, and sketches. It allows our bit of creativity to grow so we can bless others with the result of our efforts. The sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch  this week is perfect for a birthday card I need for a friend. I was intrigued by the scallop design and thought it would be great for a scallop window cut out of a frame.

I also wanted a fun background for these flower outlines, so I decided to try inking my largest acrylic block and spritzing it with water to see the result.  I made several in different colors and this is my favorite. This one is made from the colors of the Gimme Some Sugar papers, Blossom, Juniper, and Tangerine. The pale spring-like colors looked good on a silver glitter paper background.

The second one came out brighter with the addition of a fourth color, Sweet Leaf. The colors were brighter and looked like they needed a gold glitter paper background.

The sentiments were stamped on die cuts from the Party Banners Thin Cuts. I wasn't sure I'd like them until I tried these. Now I love the way they add variety to the design. Before stamping, I creased them on their fold lines, opened them flat again, and using washii tape to hold them down flat and to mark the beginning and end of the stampable part.  I curved the second one by setting the clear block over the stampable part of the banner and attaching the stamp, curving it to match.

Thanks for visiting! May your crardmaking bless both you and the recipients of your creativity!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge #216 - Female Birthday with a Sentiment

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #258 - sketch above

Craftaholics R Us #14 - Birthday Cards

Crafty Catz Challenge #411 - anything goes with colors of spring

DL.Art Thankful Thursday #225 - Flowers

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday

Simply Create Too Challenge #137 -  use die cuts

5.5" x 4.25" card recipe:

Stamp - Many Congratulations (flowers), Hunting for Words (birthday)

Papers - Watercolor Paper, Silver Glitter Paper, Gold Glitter Paper

Stamp pads and Reinkers - Blossom, Juniper, Tangerine, Sweet Leaf, Memento Tuxedo Black

Embellishments - White Pearls, Gold glitter gems, white and gold ribbon, White Twine

Tools - Thin Cuts Party Banners, MFT wonky stitch rectangle dies, Spellbinders large scallop rectangle dies, spray pens, acrylic block 4" x 5" and heat gun

Happy Birthday, Super Boy!

One of my grandsons is celebrating his 12th birthday today! Over the years he was enamored with superheroes and action figures. He's also an amazing artist and took a class at Nelson Atkins Gallery of Art in cartooning. His favorite subject was, of course, superheroes, with a humerous twist. So naturally, here's the card I made for him using the CTMH Super Boy stamp set and Thin Cuts.
I want him to know that we think he's amazing and so very loved!

The red striped paper from Stargazer was perfect for this theme. I stamped the lightning background behind the boy and the extra zap and pow words using the stamp set Comic Book Scenes. You can barely see it, but I used that set to stamp stars at the top of the inside to go with the birthday sentiment from PTI. The image and words were colored with Copics. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from a very old CTMH stamp set, Nursery Bash. I chose it because of the similar font style.

Thank you for visiting! 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Always Fun Challenge #52 - Happy Birthday

Cardz 4 Guyz #191 - Super Heroes

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - Birthday Bash

HeARTful Stamping Challenge - anything goes with stamping

Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge - anything goes or for boys

The Paper Girls Challenge #149 - Masculine Birthday

 

April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Color Your Life

Welcome to our CTMH April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. If you just came from Kathy Burrows' blog, you're on the right path.  If  you'd like to see the entire list of participants, you can see it here at Melinda Everitt's blog.

This month's stamp set has large sentiments that work really well with a scrapbook layout. The words also fit perfectly with photos I just took of my grandson's basketball tournament. His team played three games that day and won the tournament. I chose to use the words "COURAGE" and "celebrate" to go with these photos.  Pattern 13, page 30, in Make It From Your Heart Volume 3, was perfect for the photos I selected. I'm also adding the 6" Pocket Plus Memory protectors (Design 1 and Design 3) to include the extra photos I took.

 Here's a close-up of the title. It was stamped in black and colored with WG7 Warm Grey ShinHan Touch Twin alcohol ink marker. The fine tip worked perfectly coloring the tiniest spaces.

The subtitle on the 2nd page was heat embossed in white on the dark Sapphire Enchantment Fundamentals paper.  The extra embellishments were from the All Star Complements (sorry, they just sold out this month), Black Shimmer Trim, Black Glitter Paper,  and Black and White Enamel Dots. Pocket cards and stars were cut from light Pewter and Goldrush cardstocks.

If you really need sports embellishments like the ones I used and if you have You Are Here, you're welcome to use one of my Cricut cut files. Here's the way I cut extra stars by taping two Thin Cuts Basic Stars (not adjacent sizes):

Thank you for visiting!  Now you're ready to hop on to Jean McNulty's blog to see what she's created for you!