Stampaganza Blog Hop

Welcome to our blog hop featuring the Solos stamp sets. I hope you get some great ideas! If you just came from Brandi Robinson's blog, you're on the right path. To see the entire list of participants, visit Melinda Everitt's blog.

Stampaganza means that this month all Close To My Heart stamp sets are on sale, buy two and get one of equal or lesser value free!  They also brought back previous stamp sets of Solos letters and numbers. They can be purchased individually or in bundles at even a greater discount!  I used the Solos 3 and 9 to make this card.

I liked the way the numbers are flat on the card so that I could add gold glitter gems, which add dimension, without making it too bulky. I used a PML card with an arrow that came with the Central Park papers.  I also used a "YAY" banner that was in the Central Park complements and stamped "Happy" using the Central Park Cardmaking stamp set.

The letter stamps are filled with little designs, words, and shaped phrases that can be used for random stamping backgrounds or in little collections of embellishments. Here's another one that uses the solid and outline flowers from the Solo Z stamp set:

(I shared additional artwork using the solos stamps in my previous three posts if you'd like to go back later and check them out.)

You can check out all the stamp sets for sale with your CTMH consultant or here on my website and the limited release of the solo stamps here.

Thanks for visiting! Now you're ready to see the creation Lauren Moore has for you.

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.

SE2 New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to our blog hop featuring the new products in the new Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book. If you've come here from Alayne Fleming's blog, you're on the right path. To see the entire list of participants, visit Melinda Everitt's blog.

I chose to highlight ways you can use the newest Thin Cuts dies and papers from Central Park in this idea book. The first one I want to show is It's Your Day. It's perfect for the front of an A2 card.

I had planned to watercolor a background for this die cut, but the paper from Central Park won out as the easy, happy background for a birthday card. I cut the image twice and used liquid glue to match them up for a thicker overlay before attaching it to the card front. I used a little of the white ribbon that's also new in the book. It's thinner and lighter and ties really well with a lovely texture.

Next I wanted to show you a way you can stack the stitched hearts. They come in four sizes, but I used the three largest ones, cutting both the dark and the light sides of the cardstock that matches the Central Park patterns I used.  It reminded me of a quilt block, so I used a light Mink embossed background, cut 4.75" x 4.75." Each set of three hearts was attached using the mini-stapler. The sentiment came from the Festive Birthday Cardmaking Kit.

I made the last example to show you how you can use the stitched shapes as frames. I cut some of the stitched circles then cut them again with a heart shape die in the middle. Those circles with heart cut-outs are backed with a matching circle of Central Park paper and popped up with 3-D Foam dots.  Three of the circles aren't cut again with circles, they have patterned hearts popped on top of them and one has a Bashful bow from Beautiful Friendship Bows. I further embellished with a few Bashful enamel dots from Documented Dots.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this gave you ideas for things you'd like to use from this new Seasonal Expressions catalog! Now you're ready to move on to see what Brenda Lapp has prepared to delight you!

Close To My Heart Card Ingredients:

Papers - Central Park Paper Packet, Central Park Coordinating Cardstock: White Daisy, Bashful, Glacier, Pacifica, Poppy)

Thin Cuts dies -  It's Your Day, Stitched Circles, Stitched Hearts  

Embellishments, White Ribbon, Documented Dots, Beautiful Friendship Bows

Stamps - stamp from G1157  Festive Birthday Cardmaking Kit, A1192 Happy Heart

Inks - Pacifica, Poppy

Tools - Mini Stapler, Rose Embossing Folder, 3-D Foam dots, Thin 3-D Foam dots. Bonding Memories Glue Pen.