Color My Heart #16 - autumn colors

This week's challenge at Color My Heart is to use the colors Honey, Goldrush, Autumn Terra Cotta, and Cranberry.  I chose to try a technique I haven't done before, to layer stamped images on multiple layers of paper stacked with solid color borders.  I was a little worried about how thick this card was going to get so I "cheated" and used my Gypsy, Cricut, and the Art Philosophy Cartridge to cut layers that would fit inside one another.  I also got bold and tried a slightly different shape than just a traditional square or rectange.  I thought about adding a bow or some ribbon but I had added enough color and layers I wasn't sure if that would be overkill, so here's my card:

 

The stamps used were Thanks (A1125) and Harvest Happiness (C1463).  Have I mentioned that I *love* Thanksgiving? 

Happy crafting!  Annette

Sweet Shop #181

I loved this week's challenge at Sweet Shop  for sketch #181 but it had a twist-to also make this card based on a book or movie, and I admit that had me stumped for a bit.  However, inspiration did finally strike and I'm particularly happy with the results.  Not only was this the first time I broke out this stamp set and paper kit but it brought back very fond memories of watching "Somewhere In Time," a 1980 movie starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour which was one of the last movies I remember enjoying with my mother before she died at the very young age of 35.  Now I just have to decide who to give this special card to...  maybe my own daughter who has an 18th birthday just around the corner.  (shhh, don't tell!)

All products used were from Close To My Heart.  I used last year's Sonoma paper kit with an Olive cardstock background, I inked the edges of all papers and the cameo's frame with Cocoa ink.  I stamped the center of the cameo in Petal and rolled the edges in Smokey Plum and stamped on Colonial White cardstock, and I used both Petal and Smokey Plum for the sentiments.  The cameo center and frame were from the Sweet Moments stamp set (C1467) as well as the "sweet moments" sentiment and the butterfly below it and I used the Card Word Puzzle (C1494) for the "wishing you" sentiment, all of which I stamped on Bamboo cardstock.  Enjoy!~~Annette

guest blog for H2H Halloween or pumpkin challenge

I have a special treat this week:  my friend Kenya made this adorable treat holder and she isn't a blogger yet so I suggested she be a guest blogger and enter her creation on this week's Heart2Heart: Halloween or pumpkin challenge.   I know you will enjoy her project and I hope you will leave her lots of comments so we can have her guest again or start a blog so she can join us more often!~~Annette

Kenya:  I saw a tutorial online for this treat holder some time ago but I can't remember exactly where.  The papers are from a collection I picked up at Archiver's but I used the CTMH Magic Potions (C1509) stamp set and Cocoa ribbon and ink.

Directions:
1)  I started with 2 empty cardboard ribbon spools and I tore one end or top off of each spool and then I decorated the end and what would have been the center of each spool.
2)  I used a sheet of overhead projection paper/acetate for the tube.  You choose whatever height you want or that works for you, but you need to cut the width so it's 1/4-1/2 inch wider than the circumference of the ribbon spools and glue together the overlapped (width) edges so that it forms a tube shape that will just fit inside the spools.
3)  I removed the top piece and punched 2 holes in the side of this spool (where the flowered paper is in this picture) so that the holes are opposite each other.  I put the top piece back over the tube and used a marker to indicate where I needed to make holes in the tube piece.
4)  I glued the bottom piece to the acetate tube (I used glue dots) and filled the the tube with treats.  Then I put the top piece on and threaded the ribbon through both the spool and acetate on one side, through the tube, and through the acetate and spool on the other side and tied the ribbon in a knot.  The ribbon has to be untied to open the tube but this way nothing accidentally gets spilled.
5)  I made a rosette 2 1/2" wide, stamped the image in Cocoa, cut it out by hand, and inked the edges in Cocoa, and attached both with glue dots and my finished project was 5" tall.

This was such a fun project to make, I hope you enjoy it!

Kenya

Heart2Heart meets CASual Friday

I have been wanting to try this card for some time but couldn't find the quilt pattern it was based off of so I decided to wing it and I think it came pretty close.  I am entering this card for the CASual Friday heart challenge as well as the Heart2Heart Christmas part 2 challenge.

 All products used were from Close To My Heart.  I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut this card using Colonial White cardstock.  All the patterned papers were from the Pear and Partridge kit cut at 1/2" widths.  I used the Card Chatter-Christmas (D1388) and last year's Holiday Wishes stamp sets in Cranberry ink.  I really kept this one clean and simple, I haven't even inked the edges although I may go back and add a small red bow to the heart on the front, what do you think?

Happy crafting!  Annette

CASual Friday card-in reverse

The challenge this week at CASusal Fridays was a clean and simple card using a heart.  Well, it so happens I've had a partially finished card sitting on my desk for several weeks because I wasn't sure how I wanted to finish the inside which featured a heart which I wanted to look like it was encased in melting ice...  so here is the INSIDE of my card for this week's CASual Friday's heart challenge.



 

Once again, all products are from Close To My Heart.  I used the I Adore stamp set (A1123) and Tiny Typewriter alphabet (D1222) in Blush ink on Daisy White cardstock.  This was my first try really "painting" with Liquid Glass so I actually cut a piece of acetate to the size and shape I wanted by placing the stamp on the acetate and cutting around it, adding a drop or two of the Liquid Glass on the back of the acetate to hold it in place on the card, and then generously applied a coating of Liquid Glass to the acetate.  So I'm not sure how long it's going to take for such a thick coating to dry but I think when it does it will have the look I was hoping for.

 

 

By the way, this is the front of the card and the stamp used here was the Pair a Phrase set, and now I can say I have finished this special card at long last!

Happy crafting!

Annette

feeling witchy

I thought of this card last year when this  "Wicked" stamp set was the CTMH stamp of the month, but I just couldn't get the look I wanted.  However, when I saw the new Moonlight paper this fall I to give it one more try and while I still want to work on one or two details I like the look of it with the Moonlight paper and I am going to go ahead and post so I can share it in some challenges I have been following for a few week, and this will be my first entry in both the Pause Dream and Enjoy challenge as well as the Paper Playtime.


I used the CTMH Moonlight paper kit for the borders on the top and bottom of the inside as well as for the mirror frame and the word "witch" on the front, and the rest of words were stamped in Autumn Terra Cotta and Pear ink using the Tiny Typewriter alphabet stamp set (D1222).  I also used a fingertip sponge dauber and Smokey Plum for the coloring around the edges of the front.
I cut the card base, mirror and mirror frame with the Art Philosophy cartridge and used the Happy Hauntings cartridge for the cauldron and the word "witch" on the front.  The mirrored paper was something I picked up at a craft store some time ago so I can't really say who makes it but I believe there are several varieties in craft stores, and the shiny brew in the cauldron was achieved by adding green Glitz glitter gel over Pear paper.  The  Pause Dream Enjoy challenge this week actually called for purple and orange but I added just a little green because when I got to playing with the Moonlight paper I thought it would be fun to use the gray/green patterned piece and then color in the "skin" parts of the witch the same green color to basically tie the word and the image together.  You probably can't tell from the photo but I made this a pop up card, although that didn't leave me as much space as I would have liked in the bottom half so I will probably have to sign it using a Daisy White marker so it will stand out against either the dark border on the bottom or on the cauldron, or I will have to nix the pop and adhere the mirror to the top half of the card so that there's enough room in the bottom half for the sentiment as well as the who/what/where & when.  Oh, and next time I will stamp my sentiment before I adhere the pop up mirror, that made stamping much trickier.  So while this isn't a "technically perfect" card, I was more focused on it being a fun card and I hope it "reflects" the humor I was going for.  (no more puns, I promise! lol)

Happy crafting!
Annette

 

 

Heart2Heart: Always Remember

Before I get to  the details of this card, I want to take a moment to honor and remember my mother, Diane, who passed away in 1984 from a rare form of breast cancer. She was only 35 years old and left behind a husband, 17 year old daughter (that was me), 15 and 5-year old sons, and a 17-day old baby girl as well as parents, siblings, and numerous other family members and friends. She was smart, funny, brave, a little off beat, loved scary movies and books but got genuinely scared by them, she was great with children and she is still missed every day. If you haven't had a mammogram yet this year, I urge you to do so and also to encourage your friends to do the same. Until we find a cure, early detection is our best weapon.

card details:  This week's challenge at Heart2Heart is a technique challenge of inking a stamp with one color and then rolling the edges in another color before applying the image to paper.  I chose a very basic, clean and simple card to try this approach and I'm hoping the color combination is not too subtle, but I used Blush for my base color on the retired Always Remember stamp set with Hollyhock as my edge color.  I cut the card shape at 5" height using the Art Philosophy cartridge, sponged Baby Pink on the edges, and I used Blush ink on the A Typeface alpha (A1117) and Hollyhock  on the "find the cure" sentiment which is also part of the Always Remember set.

 

Happy crafting!

 

Annette



Christmas JOY

I just got the Merry and Bright stamp set this weekend and have been trying a variety of techniques with it.  While I'm entering this card at the Heart2Heart Christmas part 1 challenge too late to be considered for the contest, I'm too pleased with how it finally came together not to share, LOL.

 

details:  All products used were from CTMH.  I started with adhering Cashmere cardstock onto a Colonial White die cut trifold card (Z1738) and I used the Pear and Partridge paper for the flap and "J" and "Y."  The sentiment and wreath are both from the Merry and Bright stamp set (C1510).  I stamped the sentiment in Cranberry and used New England Ivy ink on Olive cardstock for the wreath.  I stamped the little flowers (from the same set) on Colonia White using Cranberry ink but they were a little too bright so I gently sponged Bamboo to tone it down just the tiniest bit.  I made the bow using Cranberry grosgrain ribbon and used medium toned mocha Opaques (Z1333) on the letters and one of the Antiqued Copper brads (Z1410) on the flap.  FYI, I used my Gypsy to size and center two circles together at 2.25" and 1.25" so I could use my Cricut to cut the base for the wreath, and also used the decorative font on the Art Philosophy cartridge (also at 2.25") for the "J" and "Y."

 

Happy crafting!  Annette