We Appreciate You

Today is the last day to buy Thoughtful Tidings, February's Stamp of the Month.  This stamp set is truly versatile because it has many sentiments for cards and to make it even better, the shapes coordinate with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge so you could cut them out at ease.

I made a simple Thank You card with this stamp set a while back and think that it is a perfect card for cloning in case I need a mass production:

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Kraft cardstock
2.  Typeset Level 2 Paper Packet
3.  Cocoa grosgrain ribbon (retired)
4.  Cocoa Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Don't you agree that it is a must-have set for all stampers?  Start shopping now before it is gone!

Happy Birthday with Lucy

The major colors in the Lucy paper pack are light, soft and pastel, so the paper pack reminds me of spring and easter.  I was about to prepare an Easter card, but I switched gears and made a birthday card instead:

Materials used:
1.  Colonial White cardstock
2.  Lucy Level 2 paper packet
3.  Gray Wool Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
4.  Card Chatter - Birthday stamp set

For you

I have missed the opportunity to participate in the challenge posted by Card Patterns on February 18, 2012.  However, the sketch is so cute that I still want to play along:

When I was preparing my card I cut only eight squares instead of ten.  Oops........

Because I only had eight squares, I had to improvise and I thought "For you" is not a bad idea.   What do you think?

Matierals used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Miracle paper pack (retired)
2.  Kraft Color-ready Borders (retired)
3.  Colonial White Grosgrain ribbon (retired)
4.  Buttons - Basic Assortment
5.  Vineyard Berry Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
6.  Brad Assortment - Basic Assortment

Mojo Monday 229

This week Mojo Monday is challenging us with this sketch:

I had a great time looking at other participants' awesome artwork, and almost forgot to participate in the challenge.  Finally I have decided to use the Pemberley paper pack to create my card:

I had fun using water color pencils to color the flower then soften the colors using the waterbrush.  This flower is an outline stamp with details in it so it provides a great opportunity for this technique.  Unfortunately the camera could not pick up the colors very well.  Instead of using ribbon, I have modified the sketch to use a stamp and two buttons. 

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Pemberley Workshop on the Go
2.  Smoothie cardstock
3.  Smoothie Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
4.  Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
5.  White Daisy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
6.  Buttons - Basic assortment

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - Sketch

This week Heart 2 Heart Challenge provided us with a sketch:

I have decided to rotate it clockwise and made a card like this:

The Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge is a great helper!  Can you imagine cutting the background without it?

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Cocoa cardstock
2.  Typeset Workshop on the Go
3.  Friendship Alphabet stamp set
4.  Cricut Art Philosphy Collection
5.  Cocoa Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

You're Top Notch

A couple of days ago I looked at my Thoughful Tidings stamp set and wanted to make sure I have used every single stamp.  This time I am going to use this one that says "You're Top Notch."  I have used the "Classic Closure" sketch from Wishes, our Card Confidence Program to create this card:

When I first saw this sketch I was wondering what I should put on the top left corner.  A strip with half inch wide is probably too small for most stamps, but too big for leaving it blank.  Then I realized that the zip strip from our B&T paper is the perfect solution - it has the matching colors and patterns! 

Materials used:

1.  Kraft cardstock

2.  Victory Level 2 Paper Packet

3.  Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

4.  Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

 

Pyramid Flap with Florentine

I was in a hurry to prepare today's post and so I've consulted my friendly helper - Originals, The Card Confidence Program.  The sample shown in the Pyramid Flap reminds me our new paper pack Florentine and so I tried to make a card using the paper.  It turns out pretty nice!  This is my first time using this card sketch and I find it really easy and the card looks elegant. 

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Florentine Level 2 paper pack
2.  Bohemian Assortment
3.  Hemp - natural

Cased Stella card

CASE is the acronym for Copy and Steal Everything.  You will find this card very familiar, and perhaps think that you have made one yourself but could not find where the card is.  Want to know where I CASE it from?

If you have the Stella Workshop on the Go and have made the scrapbooking page according to the guide, you will remember that this card is the little rectangle on the top left corner.   This little card measures 3" x 4".  Instead of stamping "Moments to share", I've flipped the stamp over to create a background, then I've used the other stamp found in the set "I Chairish You" as the focal point of the bookplate.  I didn't fan-fold the stamped image that lies beneath the bookplate as I was trying to keep the card flat.  Inside the card I stamped the chair to show that I truly "Chairish" the recipient!

Materials used:
1.  Stella Workshop on te Go
2.  Sunset Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
3.  Lagoon Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
4.  Cocoa Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

You Touch So Many Lives

I was trying to see if I can use every single stamp from the February's Stamp of the Month "Thoughtful Tidings" and I thought I have not used this one that says "You Touch So Many Lives."  This stamp coordinates with the shape from the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection, so no worries about cutting those curves unevenly!

This saying is so powerful that I have decided to make a simple card to let our eyes rest on the stamped image:

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products:
1.  Kraft cardstock
2.  Victory Workshop on the Go
3.  Thoughtful Tidings stamp set
4.  Cricut Art Philosophy Collection
5.  Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Makeover Monday Challenge & Footloose

An announcement was made that Makeover Monday Challenge will be discontinued.  This may be my very last Makeover Monday Challenge post.  You can find this week's challenge here.  Since the inspiring piece uses strips of patterned, paper, I naturally thought of the zip strip that comes with the Close to My Heart B&T paper and gave it a try:

Spring is around the corner, but I can't wait for summer to come!  That's why I choose the Footloose paper.
Materials used:
1.  White Daisy cardstock
2.  Footloose Workshop on the Go
3.  Lagoon Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Mojo Monday 228

This week's Mojo Monday challenge took me quite a long time to figure out how my card should look like. 

It appears that there is quite a lot of empty space in the card.  So I opted to use the back of the retired Close to My Heart Sophia paper, where it gives a muted pattern to the background, then used the Art Philosophy cardridge to cut out the bracket with Hollyhock cardstock.  To give it a little more interest, I added the Pear cardstock as a mat to the ricrac ribbon.

To make the sentiment pop a little bit more, I've stamped it in a different color, cut it out, and added foam tapes behind it.  

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - 1-2-3 Challenge

This week the Heart 2 Heart Challenge is 1-2-3: we are asked to use 1 stamp, 2 patterned papers and 3 embellishments.  It is in essence 3 challenges combined into 1.

How can I miss such a challenging challenge?  I made a musculine card using the current Stamp of the Month and the Victory paper pack:

Materials used:
1.  Kraft cardstock
2.  Bamboo cardstock
3.  Victory Level 2 paper pack
4. Thoughtful Tidings stamp set
5.  Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
6.  Durable Studs - Square

Celebrate July 4th in February

Yes we are still in February and yes I am too early to celebrate July 4th.  I found that my American Celebration stamp set perfect for this sketch and so I gave it a try:

This card is so easy to make and I have an idea what the invitation should look like this year.

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  White Daisy cardstock
2.  Outdoor Denim cardstock
3.  Tulip cardstock
4.  Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
5.  Tulip Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
6.  Spakles - Clear

Easter Greetings

Too early for Easter? I am with you.  In fact, I do want to make some St. Patrick's cards first.  It is just that I found a card sketch online which is perfect for my Easter Stamp set so I start my Easter cards early:

One of the reasons I wanted to try this sketch is that I wanted to use the Art Philosophy Cricut Collection to cut out the oval and the scalloped border.  The shapes match perfectly with the bunny:

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Colonial White cardstock
2.  Mayberry Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
3.  Smoothie cardstock
4.  Bulk Ribbon - Colonial White (retired)
5.  Buttons - Basic Assortment
6.  Choclate Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
7.  Watercolor Pencils
8.  Sensational Season stamp set (retired)

Wedding card

It is always a joy to create a wedding card because the card will be happily received by two people.  How sweet!

The soon-to-be bride and groom have received it and do not mind that the card be posted:

Simple card with Card Word Puzzle

When I first saw this stamp set Card Word Puzzle in the idea book, I knew that this will become my favorite stamp set.  It is a C-size stamp set with 63 pieces!  There are so many words that you can mix and match freely.  If you like, start a competition with your friends to see who can come up with more expressions!

The flowers are so pretty that I want to make a very simple card to pop its beauty.  I found an old card sketch online by chance :

Then I converted the sketch into this card.  My friend who will receive it will certainly appreciate its elegance.

Materials used:
1.  White Daisy cardstock
2.  Outdoor Denim cardstock
3.  Honey cardstock
4.  Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
5.  Card Word Puzzle Stamp Set
6.  Sparkles - Clear

Makeover Monday Challenge & Thoughtful Tidings

I meant to play along with February 6, 2012's Makeover Monday Challenge sooner but the quality of the printed photos is too bad but I don't have enough time to re-print them.  So, instead of of making a scrapbook page, I have made a card. 

I started with the same background like the inspiring scrapbook page, where the two patterned pieces of paper were tilted at an angle, then I made a collage of stars all over the background.  How do you like the "star in star"?  I had a blast making it last time for this card and decided to create the same again, except this time I have chosen the thinner Waxy Flax rather than the hemp. I've used the retired Fanfare paper pack, dimensional elements and the sentiment "You are a Star" from this month's Stamp of the Month. 

Mojo Monday 227

This week's Mojo Monday Challenge is a real challenge for me.  I have tried different things for the overlapping rectangles: stars, brackets, hearts, but nothing seemed to work.  I have a feeling that two poker cards will work perfectly well, but alas, nothing in my stash suggests a hint of poker cards. 
Thus, I dug further into my stash and made a 4"x4: birthday card using past Stamps of the Month.

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - For the One You Love

To create something for the one I love, I've made this 3-D card that provides lots of room to show my love.
The New Close to My Heart B&T Duos is perfect for this project, because the B&T is heavy and sturdy enough to stand, yet not too much to make it difficult to cut and score.
I've tried multiple times during different times of the day to take pictures of this card.  However, I must concede that I am a photographer-in-training (quite a compliment to myself) and please accept the quality of the pictures.

Material used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Roxie Level 2 Paper Pack
2.  Tulip Cardstock
3.  Cherish the Day (November 2011 Stamp of the Month)
4.  Mad About You (December 2011 Stamp of the Month)
5. Soul Mates stamp set (Retired)
6.  Natural Hemp
7.  Smooth Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
8.  Tulip Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
9.  Chocolate Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

It is a lot of fun to create somthing for the one you love.  What have you made for Valentine's Day?

Foundational How-to Programs

What do I do when I have a creative block?  I go to my bookshelf and pick up one of our how-to books.  We currently have six hardbound how-to books where four of them dedicate to Scrapbooking Programs and two of them dedicate to Cardmaking Programs.  The books include exclusive layouts and step-by-step instructions to help us create.  The books also showcase a lot of artwork using the layouts included in the book.  These books are very affordable and will be your lifelong companions.   If you would like to know more details about each of them, please go to my website here.

Sweetheart Valenine cards

When I have to make a large volume of cards, I turn to our Cricut Art Philosophy Collection.  In the two cards below, the flowers and the hearts of each card are of different sizes, which was achieved easily by turning the knob to adjust the size. 

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  White Daisy cardstock
2.  Sweetheart Level 2 paper pack (retired)
3.  Cricut Art Philosophy Collection
4.  Tulip Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
5.  Cocoa Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
6.  Designer Ribbon Rounds - Black collection (retired)
7.  A Blossom stamp set
8.  Sparkles - Clear

A Garden stamp set

Do you notice that there are a lot of A-size stamp sets in the new Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book?  A-size stamp sets have the smallest carrier sheet but greatest in value, only $6.95!  A Garden is one of the new A-size stamp sets in the Spring/Sumer 2012 Idea Book.  It is a stamp set of 10 pieces, what a great deal!

I've made a card using the stamp set.  Look, even without any patterened paper, it can turn into a beautiful card!

This card features Designer Tag, one of my favorite templates from the Wishes, our Card Confidence Program.  It is really convenient when you have the dimensions of each piece and a step-by-step assembly guide.

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products)
1.  Sweet Leaf cardstock
2.  Hollyhock cardstock
3.  Buttercup cardstock
4.  Baker's Twine - Paradise Assortment
5.  Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
6.  Hollyhock Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
7.  Olive Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
8.  Designer Brads - Rhinestone

Many Thanks - Card Patterns Sketch 151

I am falling in love with using the card patterns found online.  I came across Card Patterns, a Weekly Sketch Blog, and saw this sketch:

I was attracted to the clean and simple sketch and was about to make another Valentine card.  Yet I wanted to take a step further - can I make it a Musculine card?  Yes, I can!

It was fun to turn the sketch into this musculine card.  The star is my favorite piece.  Here are the materials used to make this project (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Kraft cardstock
2.  Bamboo cardstock
3.  Bulk ribbon - Cocoa
4.  Hemp - natural
5.  Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment
6.  Victory Workshop on the Go stamp set
7.  Thoughful Tidings stamp set (February 2012 Stamp of the Month)
8.  Bamboo Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
9.  Barn Red Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
10.  Twilight Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
11.  Desert Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Stella card using a sketch from Deconstructing Jen

I found this sketch when I was browsing the internet:

I decided to play along and made this card using the Stella Workshop on the Go:

I really like the sentiment "I Chairish You."  Two fonts used in the word "Chairish" made the word pop.  Instead of using an oval for the sentiment, I've used the Cricut Art Philosophy cardridge to cut out a bracket.  It looks more elegant than in an oval.

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Stella Workshop on the Go
2.  Cocoa Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
3.  Lagoon Exclusie Inks Stamp Pad
4.  Sunset Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
5.  Brad Assortment - Red Assortment
6.  Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

Mojo Monday 226

I really like the simplicity of this sketch and I must play along!

I chose to use the Square one and this is what I came up with:

I have used the retired Unforgettable paper pack and Aspiration stamp, along with Cocoa bulk ribbon, some Opaques Adhesive Gems (Mocha) and Mini-Medley Accents Collections (Pewter). 

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - 3-D Project

Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week challenges us to make a 3-D project.  I have long been wanting to make a business cardholder and this is the perfect time to make one to participate in the challenge.  Here's what I came up with:

Materials used (All Close to My Heart products):
1.  Sonoma Workshop on the Go
2.  Cricut Art Philosophy COllection
3.  Olive Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
4.  Smokey Plum Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
5.  Glitz Glitter Gel - Stardust

Makeover Monday Challenge

I am participating in Makeover Monday Challenge again.  I wanted to make a Valentine's card but thought it would be nice if I could do something different.  Thus I used the Fanfare paper from my stash and created this boy's card.  Do the three pennants look familiar to you?  The concept came from my card made last month for the Stamp of the Month, but this time I opted to have different lengths for the pennants, which adds some interests to the card.

February Stamp of the Month - Thoughtful Tidings

Two cute little cards are not enough.  I can't resist to make more!  This one is a little bigger - it is 4.5" x 4.5" and I consulted Wishes, another book from Close to My Heart's Card Confidence Programs for the layout. 

Materials used:
1.  Chocolate cardstock
2.  Bamboo cardstock
3.  Barn Red cardstock
4.  Cocoa cardstock
5.  Colonial White cardstock
6.  Bamboo Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
7.  Barn Red Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
8.  Bulk Ribbon - Cocoa

February Stamp of the Month - Thoughful Tidings

I really love this stamp set because the sentiments are so useful.  Better yet, many of them coordinate with the Cricut Art Philosophy Collections.  I have made two cute little cards with this stamp set. I'll make them part of a Valentine's gift for my friends. 

The layout of these 3" x 3" cards comes from Originals, Close to My Heart's Card Confidence Program.  The book is such a friendly helper when I need ideas for cards!

 

Materials used:
1.  White cardstock
2.  Cocoa cardstock
3.  Tulip cardstock
4.  Colonial White cardstock
5.  Dimensional Elements - Hearts
6.  Glitz Glitter Gel - Stardust
7.  Sparkles - Clear
8.  Tulip Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
9.  Lagoon Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad