Thinking of You

I am always low on masculine cards.  Another kind that always runs low is sympathy cards.  I find sympathy cards more difficult to make, especially when I'm making it to meet an immediate need.  It is much easier to prepare some ahead of time.

When I saw this sketch from CAS(e) this sketch, I was inspired to make a sympathy card:

I usually tend to stay away from bright colors but I'd like to try them this time:

I thought the simplicity of the card and the gray background could neutralize the bright colors so it is not inappropriate.  How did I get to this color combo?  From other challenges like Pals Paper Arts:

and Dynamic Duos:

I have used Blush and Buttercup from the Close to My Heart palette to replace the pink and yellow.  This card adds to my sympathy card stash and I'm hoping to make more.  Do you also find it difficult to make sympathy cards?  How do you overcome that challenge?

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas in Red and Pink

How does Christmas in Red and Pink look like?

An ornament in pink, some pink with white snowflakes and a sentiment!  The card is very simple but pretty cute.

This card is entering the challenge at Waltzing Mouse sketch challenge:

Dynamic Duos color challenge:

Addicted to CAS - ornament/bauble challenge:

 

and lastly, Heart 2 Heart challenge's Christmas challenge!

Please click the links above to the corresponding websites to see what other participants have prepared.  Thanks for stopping by!

A Flip Card

I love flip cards.  I like that they have the dimension and movement but they can be folded into a flat card for mail.  I like that the recipient amazes at it.  I like that kids play with it.  Too many reasons.

I've made a flip card to share today.  It is of course, a Christmas card (I just never get tired of it!).  It is quite simple but nice.  I'm afraid the credit goes to the Cricut cartridges:

The card base was cut with the Cricut Artiste cartridge.  Then the accent image and its border was cut with Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  For the left panel, I just traced it around the shape and cut it out so it swings with the flap.  Finally the Cranberry panel on the right was stamped tone-on-tone and the card was finished!

This card is entering the following challenges:
1.  Unscripted Sketches

2.  Dynamic Duos

and 3.  Less is More - Red and Green
Thanks for stopping by!

Back to Christmas card

I just can't stop my Christmas card obsession.  Is there a cure for it?

I've combined a color combo challenge and a sketch challenge for my card.  The Color Combo came from Dynamic Duos:

and the sketch came from Clean & Simple:

This card is also entering the challenge at Crazy for Challenge (C4C164), which asks us to put a bow on our project. 

Catered Crop asks that we use silver or gold.  My card is entering the challenge there!

Heart 2 Heart Challenges asks that we incorporate glitter to our project and my card is entering its challenge!

My card uses Pacifica cardstock and Silver embossing as the focus:

The Silver Shimmer Trim is really a nice little helper here - it makes adding the silver border easy!

If you see some "silver speckles" on the cardstock, yes, your computer screen needs to be dusted (just kidding) but that is actually a result of spraying pearl paint on the cardstock:

I actually started with a heavily sprayed cardstock but I figured that it would diminish the attention to the snowflakes so I made this one that is only gently sprayed.  In person the cardstock looks quite nice but I apologize for not being able to capture that for you in the picture.  Try it out, it is a cheap, quick and easy way to add interest to cardstock!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Merry Little Christmas

It's Christmas card again!

I've adopted the sketch by Mojo Monday:

And the color scheme by Dynamic Duos:

to create my Christmas card:

Most materials came from the Pear and Partridge cardmaking Workshop on the Go, except for the Bamboo cardstock and the retired Cranberry ribbon and the Cranberry brads.

A Workshop on the Go has everything we need to make a card, layout or a home decor item.  Love it!

Treat bag for Halloween

There are various challenges that are calling for Halloween and I made a treat bag with Cricut Artiste cartridge. 

I love that the Artiste cartridge makes everything so easy!  The treat bag, the word "Boo!" and the owl's eyes are cut with the same button that carries Halloween theme.  Isn't it convenient?  I've added the badge buttons from Haunted Assortment to his eyes to make them more visually interesting, and because of the reflection of the buttons, they do look like real eyes!

I'm entering the challenge at Bitten by the Bug 2, which asks us to make a 3-D Halloween Treat Bag and Heart 2 Heart Challenges, also asking us to make something Halloween or Pumpkin.

I'm also entering the color challenge at Dynamic Duos, asking us to make a project with Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black, which have been substituted with Sunset and Black in the Close to My Heart palette. 

While I was making the treat bag, I couldn't help munching on the kisses......  I need to finish making them fast to make sure I still have enough for each bag.........

Merry Christmas

Let's talk about procrastination.  I meant to finish this card last night but felt like doing some other things instead.  Thinking that I will have enough to to complete it this morning, I didn't even jot down how I wanted the card to be made.

This morning I woke up with fragmented pieces of memory of the card.  I lost the vision of it.

Lesson learned.

Like many times before, the card evolved as I was making it.  The sketch was adopted from Merry Monday and the color scheme from Dynamic Duos:

I've chosen green to complete my Christmas card:

It is made of cardstocks only.  It has a card base of Cashmere cardstock, which was stamped repeatedly with the sentiment "Merry Christmas", then it is a Cocoa cardstock square as a mat for the bauble, made with Colonial White base and Cranberry decorative layer.  Finally I made the bow out of New England Ivy cardstock, with the help of Cricut Artiste cartridge.  An pearl accent in the middle of the bow, done!

Purple and purple

Dynamic Duos challenge asks that we create something monochromatic with Wisteria Wonder and Concord Crush - two shades of purple. 

I don't have these colors but I've chosen Smokey Plum and the retired Amethyst from the Close to My Heart Palette.  Using one of the patterns from the "Make it from Your Heart" publication, this card came together quickly:

I'm sorry that my camera is not doing a good job.  After many attempts I've tried to take a picture of the card laying flat on my desk to capture the two hues of purple:

The pattern paper came from the retired Sonoma Workshop on the Go, so did the stamps.  How many times have I mentioned that Workshop on the Go makes crafting faster, simpler, easier?

A Vintage card

The color combo challenge presented by Dynamic Duos this week is Black and River Rock:

I've chosen Black and Bamboo in the Close to My Heart palette.  For some reason the idea of making a vintage card came to my mind.  Using the retired Rock the Block stamp set and the It's Your Day stamp set, Bamboo and Black cardstock, I've made this vintage card:

Even though It's Your Day set has a polka dot stamp set, I didn't use it because I thought the dots were too closely packed.  I'm glad that I still have the Rock the Block stamp set in my stash for this card.  The grosgrain is another retired Close to My Heart product, but look, Black is always the classic color and I can't complain that it is old when i am making a vintage card.

The front of this card says "life is good...." and you can tell that the interior says "Enjoy the ride."  It's Your Day stamp set is really cool!

Congratulations!

I'll be going to a baby shower soon and am in need of a card to go with my gift.  At this time I saw that Dynamic Duos has a color combo perfect for baby card:

My friend is having a baby boy so my focus is the light green rather than the pink.  I'm making a square card to participate in CAS-ual Friday's challenge that asks us to make a sqaure card:

My card uses random stamping again, but this time I've chosen to use tone-on-tone random stamping - all the images are stamped with the same color as the cardstock.  Thus, it creates a soft muted look of a one-of-a-kind patterned paper:

Now I gotta check my gift, could I get the wrapping paper in similar tones?

Happy Halloween

I know I have been making a lot of Christmas cards to let's switch gears to Fall cards.  I've combined the sketch given to us by iSpy Sketches

with the color combo provided by Dynamic Duos

to make my card:

The cat was cut by Close to My Heart Artiste cartridge, which makes things so easy.  This card takes perhaps 5 minutes to make, and is one of those cards that you want to mass produce for kids' parties!

Materials used:
1.  Goldrush cardstock
2.  Moonlight paper packet
3.  Cricut Artiste cartridge
4.  Say it in Style stamp set
5.  Black Exclusive Ink Stamp Pad

Clean & Simple birthday card

I am enjoying the fun with my Cricut Artiste cartridge!  This time I've made a couple of 3-D roses.  This 3-D rose is a bit different from the one offered by Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge in a sense that the edges are more curly.  Both are pretty but you know, we always want to try something new to create pretty stuff!

I've adopted the sketch from Clean & Simple stamping blog:

the color combo from Dynamic Duos challenge:

and finally the requirement from CAS-ual Friday that asks us to use a black card base:

My simple birthday card looks like this:

The flowers look really pretty in person and I'm sure the recipient will be happy when she sees it!

Welcome Little One

My friend just had a little girl!

This is her second child but the family is just as excited as they are having the first one.  Her family is super busy and I have yet seen the little one in person.  I've made a little card for the cute little girl:

The sketch came from iSpy Sketches:

and the color scheme came from Dynamic Duos:

I've used Baby Pink and Heavenly Blue cardstock in place of Pink Pirouette and Baja Breeze.  Unfortunately both colors will retire as of August 1, 2012.  If you need these colors for your little one's layouts, you'll need to order them soon before they are gone!

Dynamic Duos Challenge

I'm excited to participate in a color challenge!

Dynamic Duo Challenge asks that we use these two colors:

I believe that the closest corresponding colors in the Close to My Heart Palette are Smokey Plum and Olive so I naturally use the Sonoma paper packet to make this card:

Using masking technique, I stamped the flowers in Smokey Plum and Olive.  To do this, I first stamped the entire image on a piece of post-it, then I cut this post-it into half to separate the flowers and the stem.  I put the portion of post-it with flowers on the cardstock, then inked up the stamp in Olive and stamped on it.  Because of the post-it note, the flowers were not stamped on the cardstock.  This idea is basically the same as using masking tape when we paint the wall.  This is a cool technique as you could add multiple colors to a stamp.  Try it out!