My Teenage Valentine

I used to be able to give my eight grandkids cute little valentines, but now most of them are in grades 7 to 12. When I saw the graph patterned paper in the new Heart Happy paper pack, I knew that would be perfect for one of my grandkids, especially if I die cut the right side with the torn notebook paper die instead of just a scallop.  The Color My Heart Color Dare was great for this one, too.

.I used Carolina, Peach, Smoothie, Mint, and Gold.  This weeks sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge was just right for adding a trio of hearts:

Here's a better photo of the Mint XO, hugs and kisses,  paper from the paper pack:

I die cut the edge with Thin Cuts-Decorative Borders, the hearts with the Stitched Hearts die, the arrow from Cricut Flower Market, and the sentiment from Cricut Artbooking.

Thanks for visiting! May you be blessed as you share your love with all the valentines in your life!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #302
Aud Sentiments Challenge #220 - Love or Valentines sentiment
Color My Heart Color Dare #329 - Love of Color
Craft Rocket Challenge #56 - Valentine
Cuttlebug Mania - Be My Valentine
Dream Valley Challenge #195 - Love and Kisses
Simply Create Too #146 - anything goes, option- use hearts

Verse of the Day:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:43-45 KJV

Boutique Encouragement Card

I must apologize for being MIA for two months. I kept getting sick with autoimmune problems and viruses in October. By the 30th I came down with shingles, but didn't know what the severe pain was until I broke out with the rash five days later. It was much easier and less painful giving birth to children! Four weeks of pain wasn't all. It left me with other neurological problems requiring medication that makes me lethargic and tired all day.

I had never thought anything would keep me from creating and blogging, but found out I was wrong. So now with a return of some of my mojo I hope to return, at least somewhat, to my norm. I must admit that two months ignoring my usual craft room activities made it difficult to find some things. I think organizing will be at the top of my list of New Year's resolutions.

I have a lot of unused papers from the last quarter. Here's a card using Word Art Wednesday's newest scripture art, Atlantic Hearts latest sketch, and the soft colors of the soon to retire CTMH Boutique papers, Puffy Stickers, and Mink twine.

It's nearly time for the Blog Hop featuring the January Stamp of the Month! I hope you'll join us late tomorrow evening or Wednesday. You'll also see new papers available in the new catalog! 

Thank you for visiting! Have a Happy New Year!

365 Promises of God - Promise #365:
Hold fast to the hope you confess, for I am faithful to keep My promises.Hebrews 10:23 (WEB)
let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering;
for he who promised is faithful

Rustic Christmas Joy

When I saw the sketch from Atlantic Hearts this week I envisioned a rustic, masculine Christmas card using the Fresh Air papers.

I cut a tag and vellum snowflake on the Cricut. I used the center cut-outs of several snowflakes as small ones in the corner. The gold glitter "JOY" was from CTMH letter dies.

I used woodgrain design papers and green and brown colors hoping to make this card masculine. I liked the birchwood panel which had an arrow already printed on it. It was one of the 4" x 6" pocket cards in the paper pack that I cut down to 4" x 5.25."  The tag was also one of the pocket cards with  a pattern of small evergreen trees. I leaned something important making this card: don't try to cut out vellum shapes on a new cricut mat!  I'm hoping this card will bring Christmas Joy to someone in December!

Thank you for visiting! May God fill your heart with  joy and blessings as you create cards for others!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #269 - sketch

Aud Sentiments Challenge #206 - anything goes with a sentiment

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' June Challenge - anything goes

Crimbo Crackers #161 - anything goes

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday June Challenge - Make it masculine

Happy Little Stampers June Christmas Challenge - anything goes with option: JOY

Moo-Mania & More Challenge #168 - arrows

Pile It On #143 - any holiday

The Merry Christmas Challenge #25 - anything Christmas goes

Matthew 5:9 (WEB)

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

365 Promises of God - Promise #173: I will bless the peacemakers and call them My children.

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #265 in Triadic Colors

I used to wonder why I had to have two autoimmune diseases that kept me home most of the time and why I had to retire from teaching early. I'm frequently convinced that being home gives me a chance to pray for others more than I could while working 10-14 hours a day, teaching, planning, grading. Today was one of those days to pray. My 93 year-old mother-in-law fell in the bathroom and was lying on the floor a long time before anyone found her. Then she passed out again later and needed a trip to the ER. This was the first reason for prayer this morning and several more came during the day. Thankfully, she was merely dehydrated with nothing broken. There were also answers to prayer. I had to make a run to a nearby town to get medical supplies for her and had to fill the empty gas tank on my car, locking myself out. Another quick prayer for help knowing my hubby couldn't rescue me because he had to stay with his mom. The man in the car behind me had been a local police officer and said the police in that town would unlock it for me for free. Within five minutes I was on my way. I love answered prayer! I thanked Him for the speedy answer. I loved yesterday's 365 Promises that said God knows what we need even before we ask.

I had planned on a different card today, but decided to stick to a sketch and color challenge when interruptions kept coming. This sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and favorite pink papers that follow the Triadic Color Combo Challenge at Heart 2 Heart this week. I used CTMH shades from the red-violet, yellow-orange, and blue-green triad. You can read more about that color theory at Make It From Your Heart post here. I also cut the fun birthday sentiment in two parts for variety.

 

Thank you for visiting! May you be encouraged to know that God is watching out for you, knowing what you need before you ask! (But don't forget to ask!)

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - D for Dots ( Bashful pink dotted paper from Central Park)

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #265

Country View Crafts - Be Humorous

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - Triadic Color Combination

Pile It On Challenge #142 - sports/hobbies or Make Us Laugh

365 Promises - Promise #141:   I know what you need before you even ask.

Butterfly Wreath

It's no secret to family and friends. I love crafting, especially scrapbooking and cardmaking. Yesterday was National Scrapbook Day and I gave myself to craft almost all day. But I began the day with something else I love to do - writing personal notes or letters of encouragement in cards that I send. I sent three yesterday which is as fulfilling for me as making them. It may be a lost art to communicate with pen and ink instead of social media, but I still think it's important. I have a lot of handwritten letters from a long lost grandmother that are still dear to me. Who can ever find a facebook post from years ago with the same kind of personal touch?

Here's the card I made inspired by four challenges:

I used this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch and Color Throwdown

I used the two Cricut cartridges for images, Flower Market for the wreath and Artistry for the butterflies. Feel free to check out my cut file.  I added neutrals, cream flowers and black. I stamped the kraft butterflies with a very old CTMH stamp set, Romantic Backgrounds. I stacked two of the butterflies attached with glue dots. I started to cut cream flowers but noticed some from my stash had tiny wooden beads that matched the kraft cardstock.

I love to dry emboss white backgrounds. This one uses a retired CTMH vine folder. The die cut sentiment is part of CTMH Thankful for You sitting on CTMH Coral Shimmer Trim.

Thanks for visiting! May God bless your crafting and your giving.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #262 - sketch
Color Throwdown #491 - coral, green, kraft, white
Crafty Calendar May Challenge - Things with Wings
Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #392 - wet or dry embossing

365 Promises - Promise #126: My face will shine upon you all the days of your life.

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

God Bless You in Shades of Gray

I tease my hubby a lot because whether he's picking out clothes or new paint for the house, he always wants gray!  I say it's because all that gray in his hair has affected his brain! Yet, this year Close To My Heart came out with six new shades of gray! I was thrilled because I've always known there were more than two. In fact, there's more than six, but this is a great combination of cool and warm grays. I combined several of them with this card for the Color Throwdown Challenge #474, combining gray, ivory, and black. I used this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch #245.

  

Here is my Cricut Explore cut file. It doesn't use a specific cartridge, just shapes, so anyone can use it.  I cut the gray hexagons just a little bigger than the holes. One hint: I traced each hexagon on the main panel, then glued the larger gray hexagons over each traced one. that way, when I pop dotted the top panel, the edges of the gray ones go beyond the holes. The white embossed sentiment is from the stamp set, God's Blessing.  I'm sharing this blessing card with Word Art Wednesday #316-317 this week. For the Simply Create Too Challenge #134, Embossing, the bottom third of the panel was dry embossed with the hexagon embossing folder setting it in the side of the folder so the hexagons would be oriented the same direction as the hexagon cuts.

Thank you for visiting! May God also bless you in this new year in your crafting and giving!

Holiday Expressions New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our blog hop featuring new products in the new Close To My Heart Holiday Expressions catalog. You're on the right path if you just came from Lucy Marino's blog.  To see the entire list of participants, visit Melinda Everitt's blog post.

There are so many fun stamps, papers, dies, embellishments, etc. from this book it was hard to narrow down what to share. Since I need about 200 Christmas cards this year, I picked one Christmas stamp set, Prince of Peace, to show you three examples. I thought the Joy to the World stamp in this set would work perfectly for this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #230.

I used three different papers from the Beary Christmas paper pack to show how versatile this stamp can be.  

I did make one mistake with this project by including gold sequins so that the cards would be flatter for mailing. I had overlooked that they retired last month.  These are no longer available, but the bronze sequins have a sheet of gold sequins. You can check out the products I used below or you can move on to Emily Sararas's blog so that you can start making your own projects right away! Thanks for visiting!

I'm also sharing this project with a couple of the Christmas challenges:

A Snowflake's Promise Challenge #44 - anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - anything goes

The Holly and the Ivy Christmas Challenge #15 - anything Christmas goes

Papers - Beary Christmas Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Red Glitter Paper, Gold Glitter Paper, Cranberry Cardstock 

Stamp - Prince of Peace 

Inks - Versamark, Black Memento, New England Ivy, Glacier

Tools - Rose Embossing Folder, Thin 3-D Foam Dots,  Ranger Princess Gold Embossing Powder

Embellishments - Basics Ribbon Pack (gold), Whimsy Ribbon Pack (glacier and gold stripe), and white and gold ribbon,     Bronze Sequins can be used instead of gold

Love You Always Card with Color Dare #252

This week's Color Dare is to use Emerald, Sea Glass, Raspberry, White Daisy, Black and the option of Silver. 

I used this week's sketch from Atlantic Hearts Challenge:

I used patterned papers from the Adventure Paper Fundamentals pack that is about to retire at the end of this month, Black papers from the Uptown Fundamentals and from Some Kinda' Wonderful, as well as White Daisy, Emerald, and Sea Glass cardstocks. I will miss Sea Glass when it retires this month! I added silver glitter paper, silver sequins, Emerald ribbon, White Shimmer Trim, and Black enamel dots on the Cricut cut wreath. The black and white baker's twine is long retired along with the sentiment from the Sending Smiles Cricut  Bundle. The Hearts embossing folder and Hearts Thin Cuts dies that I used are also retired.

Thank you for visiting! May you spread lots of love with your crafting!

Live Beautifully Card with Atlantic Hearts Sketch

May is National Scrapbooking Month and Close To My Heart has a special paper pack, Live Beautifully,  to help us celebrate. You can see all the papers, a coordinating stamp set, and a Cut Above Layout Kit that makes five double page layouts. The flowers remind me of old English roses, my favorites!

When I looked at the Atlantic Hearts sketch today I suddenly saw  this card in the making. I hadn't yet used the back side of the pink roses, the white roses on light green. When I saw the roses were lined up and could be cut in a strip, I thought it would be the perfect element for the horizontal strip across the middle. I also thought the gold dotted overlay would work well to dress up  the green ombre paper. Here's the result:

 I enhanced the card with gold four ways: gold dot overlay, gold glitter gems, gold embossed sentiment, and white and gold fiber. The sentiment is part of the Sending Smiles (Cricut Bundle) stamp set.  The back of the green ombre paper is a pink ombre which I used for the center panel mounted on the black dotted mat, all from the Live Beautifully paper pack.

I fussy cut and popped up the pink roses, then I decided to cut out matching rose clusters to pop up over the ones on the green background. For more card ideas for Live Beautifully, you can see the one I posted last week here or follow the link of the label at the bottom of the post.

Thank you for visiting!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge #193 - embossing (used heat embossed sentiment)
Always Fun Challenge #4 - Flowers
Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #210
Make My Monday Challenge #45 - May Flowers
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #301 - Back to Basics: ditch the dies and fussy cut something
The Crazy Challenge #247 - Leafy Green , include leaves

New Driver's Birthday Card

In May, my oldest grandson turns 15 and is able to get his learner's permit to drive in Missouri. Exciting and frightening! I made this card for him with the encouraging message that he may plan his way, but the Lord is there to direct what happens to him. When I think back to my own driving, I've been constantly reminded over the years of God's watch care when I've come close to having an accident. Those incidents always ended with a sigh of relief and a prayer of thanksgiving for His protection.

This card was inspired by the challenge at Mustard Seed Faith challenge - Traveling Mercies.  The Verve scripture verse I included from Scripture Medley 3 says,

"A man's heart plans his way but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

The sketch at Atlantic Hearts this week worked well with the paper I used, leftovers from a 2005 CTMH pack called Road Trip and a coordinating stamp set with the same name.

All of the materials except for the three top stars (unknown) and black and gold ribbon  are old retired CTMH products. I stamped the car with retired CTMH Star Spangled Blue ink to match the background paper and fussy cut that one and an orange matching car that I pop dotted for dimension. I chose the sticker from the same paper pack for Interstate 15 since my grandson is turning 15! The kraft corrugated star was highlighted with the gold shimmer brush.

Thank you for visiting! May God guide and protect you on your daily journey through life!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #209
HeARTful Stamping Challenge - anything goes plus stamping
Mustard Seed Challenge #3 - Traveling Mercies
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Numbers
That's Crafty Challenge - Outnumbered
The Paper Girls Challenge #126 - Numbers
Try It On Tuesday Challenge - Transport
Word Art Wednesday #278-279 - anything goes family friendly

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

Card for a Speedy Recovery

Perhaps because I'm an aging baby boomer I seem to know more people all the time who have surgeries, hospital stays, injuries, or physical therapy. Because they're not really ill a get well card doesn't often seem appropriate. So today I made one "for a speedy recovery." That sounds better.

I was inspired by the Tuesday Throwdown Theme of "under the weather," the Color Dare at Color My Heart and the sketch at Atlantic Hearts.

  

The budding stems and the jar were cut using p. 2 of Cricut Artistry and the Cricut Explore.  I unlocked the images in edit and made the heighth and width different proportionally to fit what I envisioned. I love that editing feature! I was thinking of pussy willows so I colored the buds on the branches white using a chalk marker. I embossed the Peacock mat then lightly rubbed the Peacock ink pad over the raised design. The background paper with the light Crystal Blue stripe is from the new Penelope paper pack. The diamond patterned paper used to make the vase is, too, but the pattern is harder to see in my photo. The stamp used is from the set called Kiss It Better. I love the get well sentiments in that set!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #143

Color My Heart Color Dare #177 - White Daisy, Whisper, Peacock, Crystal Blue 

Creative Knockouts #125 - Embossing

House of Cards January Challenge - Embossing

Moving Along with the Times #12 - Embossing

PDE Linky Party #107 - anything goes

Tuesday Throwdown #277 - Under the weather

Word Art Wednesday #218 - anything uplifting

6.5" x 5" Card Recipe (All CTMH):
Paper - Penelope, Whisper CS, Peacock CS
Ink - Peacock
Stamp - Kiss It Better B1508
Accessories - White Shimmer Trim, Whisper Thick Twine, Cricut Artistry, Quatrefoil Embossing folder, White Chalk Marker

Beloved Bouquet - January Stamp of the Month

Happy New Year!

I was halfway finished addressing and writing notes in Christmas cards this year when I suddenly developed migraines that lasted two weeks. My stomach was too upset to take medication, so I spent a lot of time resting. At times like that I always drastically prioritize: this doesn't have to be done this year, this I can do in a few days, etc. (In teaching reading I called that "Monitor and Adjust.") Thankfully, I had finished shopping. The bottom line was that I had some very good friends who didn't get a Christmas card from me, so I decided I can send them a different type of card after the new year.

Here's my new start for a new year. I used this lovely stamp of the month to make three cards to say I love you!  I matched it up with the La Vie En Rose paper pack. The first one uses this week's sketch from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #140:

It's embossed with gold, has black and gold ribbon, gold glitter paper, and a gold epoxy heart. This next photo shows how glittery it is in certain light.

 

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

4 Crafty Chicks #279 - anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner #52 - anything goes
Creative Corner - anything goes

Inspiration Destnation #66 - always anything goes

This next one was stamped with sorbet ink, then overstamped with the black details. I used an alcohol ink marker (ShinHan Light Orange and Pastel Green) to add shading and the colorless blender to remove ink to add highlights. I had always known that alcohol would clean remnants of my dye ink off of my work area but had never tried this on paper so I was pleased to find out that it works on paper, too.

 I stamped the third card with Hollyhock ink and shaded some parts with Cherry Pink ShinHan Touch Twin alcohol marker.

I loved the sentiment on this card: "Love is not a matter of counting the years, it's a matter of making the years count!"

If you have this stamp set, I hope I've given you some ideas. If you'd like to get it you can find it on my website here.

The last two cards each use a pattern from an upcoming workshop I'm doing in February using the Charlotte paper pack that just became available today in the new CTMH Seasonal Expressions catalogue.  Here's a sneak peak: