Just Treats for AHSC #284

Hello again, crafty friends!  Fall has officially started here in the middle of the USA and it's by far my favorite season.  Not only do I love the weather, the changing scenery, and the end of my seasonal allergies for a few months, but I really love the holidays!  So as soon as I saw this week's sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog, I knew I would use it for my first project featuring the September 2018 Stamp of the Month but I'm sure this set will see lots of use this holiday season.  Before we get to my project though, I just want to remind everyone that we love to see all of your AHSC sketch based projects too, and you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 10/7/18, to link your artwork HERE.  Now let's get started!

details:  I really love the colors in this Grateful Hearts paper pack so I knew I wanted to pair it with the "thankful" sentiment from this set.  I started with a base of Pomegranate cardstock and this lovely multi-colored floral piece of patterned paper.  I flipped the sketch to suit my taste but otherwise stayed true to it, so that meant I needed three horizontal banners.  I chose to work with more Pomegranate as well as Goldrush and New England Ivy.  One of the things I love about this patterned paper is the watercolor look it incorporates, so to carry that look over to the banners I decided to use the traditional/darker color for each one as the base with a slightly smaller layer on top of each using the lighter shade.  When I had my banners cut out and was playing around with them, I was a little disappointed with how plain they looked so after some trial and error, I used Pomegranate, Goldrush, and New England Ivy inks with the retired Season of Thanks (D1604) background stamp set and I LOVED how that turned out!

For the centerpiece, I used the largest of the 4 Basic Circles Thin Cuts dies, which measured 3" in diameter, so the sentiment would completely fit inside it.  I stamped in Espresso pigment, covered the image in clear embossing powder and heat set it.  I then used the small round waterbrush and the "pick up" method to pick up Pomegranate, Goldrush, and New England Ivy inks from the inside of the lids of the stamp pads and transferred it to the lettering and "splash" or leaf effects on the stamped image.  I then used the retired Art Philosophy cartridge's image at 3 1/2" on both the dark and light shades of Espresso cardstock.  As I played around with placement before I adhered the pieces together, I thought the white circle/sentiment needed a little something more so I used a fingertip sponge dauber with traditional Espresso ink, and I'm really glad I tried that as I felt it really helped carry out the tone-on-tone kind of thing I had going with the banners.  

And that's all there is to this one, at least so far.  I haven't quite decided how I want to decorate the inside of the card but I do know I want to send or give it to my best friend of  *37 years* for Thanksgiving, just to let her and her family know how truly thankful I am to have them in my and my family's lives.  I really hope you can find time to play with this week's super versatile sketch and to also share it with us, we are thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful group of people sharing their talents and skills with us at AHSC.  

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Hello Pumpkin for AHSC #282

 Hello again, crafty friends!  I have a cheerful little card to show you today based on this week's sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog and some new Halloween themed products from the new CTMH Seasonal Expressions catalog.  I really miss having young children to dress up in costumes and having trick or treaters, so I'm not sure who I will give or send this card to, but I sure had fun putting it together!  Before we get started, though, I want to let everyone know how much we enjoy seeing your artwork too and that you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 9/23/18, to link your projects HERE.

details:  Both the black and white diamond patterned paper and the star patterned paper are from the new Hello Pumpkin paper pack, and the starred panel is set on another layer of Nectarine (one of eleven new colors just introduced).  Both the sentiment and the adorable pumpkin image are from the Hello Pumpkin cardmaking stamp set (which can be purchased with or without the coordinating die cut set).

To make the pumpkin image, I first stamped the striped pumpkin image and then the solid image in Nectarine ink, followed by the outline in Momenta black ink.  Then I practiced on scraps a bit so I could stamp the face and stem at the same time.  I stamped the stem image on a piece of scratch paper,cut it out, and used it as a mask so I could use a sponge dauber to apply Willow ink without worrying about the green bleeding over into the Nectarine.  I then ran the completed image through my Cuttlebug with the pumpkin die cut.  I didn't have the stem quite limed up so that the die matched up but I only had to trim that piece a bit and it looked fine.

I also used my Cuttlebug and the largest of the Basic Circles dies to cut a circle of the lighter shade of Lemon cardstock to make what I *hope* looks like a full moon.  To add to that effect, I used another sponge dauber and applied Lemon ink about 1/4" around the edges, and Nectarine ink on the very edges.  The banner behind the "moon" and pumpkin is just a 7/8" wide strip of Lagoon cardstock.  For the finishing touch, I added a few Lagoon colored puffy stars that were part of the Complements set from a retired Halloween themed set called Jeepers Creepers.

And, once again, that's all there is to this one!  I don't know about you, but I love this time of year:  I love the warm afternoons and chilly evenings, the start of a new school year, and that nice little lull between the end of summer and the busyness of the upcoming holiday season.  At least for me, it's also a time to pause and take stock of all I have to be grateful for, and I find myself inspired not just to create cards and scrapbook pages but to tidy up the house to get a jump start on preparing for holiday guests, and I actually enjoy cooking more!  I hope you that wherever you are, whatever the season, you find yourself inspired and grateful for the little things that make up the life you have built for yourself and your loved ones.  And should you find a little time to be creative and play with us at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge we would love to see what you come up with!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Birthday Wishes for AHSC #280

Hello again, crafty friends!  I've had such a busy week that I've had to start and stop several times with this project based on this week's sketch from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and I'm not sure it's exactly what I started out to create, but it was fun to pull out some older products and make something new with them so here we are!

details:  All the papers used for this cheerful birthday card are from the retired paper kit called Confetti Wishes.  I started with creating a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" card base of Thistle cardstock and a 4 x 5 1/4" panel of this super cute birthday candle-patterned paper.  In the center is a 2 x 3 1/8" panel of Canary cardstock, and then I cut a 1/7/8 x 3" piece of this patterned paper, being careful to cut out just the piece I wanted so that the "happy birthday" cloud was at the center.  For the banner on the left, I cut a piece of 4 x 1 1/16" rectangle of retired Pacifica cardstock and a 3 15/16 x 15/16" panel of this diagonally striped paper and dovedtailed them both.

The balloons are from a retired set called Balloons, stamped them with Memento black ink on white cardstock and colored in with the following ShinHan markers:  Leaf Green, Golden Yellow, Peony Purple, Marine Blue, and Turquoise Blue, fussy cut, tied together with separated strands of black hemp twine, and the dotted balloon was popped up with 3-D tape.

In place of the sentiment banner you see in the center of the sketch, I chose to create a sentiment banner instead.  I used the curved stem piece from the MFT Stamps stitched flowers die cut set with Thistle cardstock for the line to attach the mini banners to, which are just pieces fussy cut from the zip strip from this Confetti Wishes paper set.  I used Pacifica ink with the "to" from a miscellaneous Christmas gift tag stamp set and the long retired Tiny Typewriter alpha from CTMH.  I added a Thistle-colored, heart shaped enamel gem from the retired purple hearts enamel and glitter duos to one mini banner and some bitty sparkles between each of those banners.

And at long last, it's done!  I think this is a fabulous sketch and I hope you can find some crafty time in your busy weekends and can share your projects with us at AHSC.  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 9/9/2018, to submit your creation, which you can do HERE.  Don't forget to stop by and check out the rest of the design team's projects, too, they have some really fabulous artwork to share with you!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Central Park Neighbors for AHSC #278

Hello again, crafty friends!  I've been working on a card for a very special person and this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge was perfect for what I had in mind.  I will also be submitting it to the "Lovely Layers" theme at the Heart2Heart challenge and the "Blast From the Past" theme at the Three Amigos Blog Hop challenge (for #15 "machine die cutting" and #16 "embossing").

When my husband and I first began looking into buying our current home, the first people we told were our neighbors-to-be, Carl and Sandy.  They were a wonderful couple that we looked up to from the moment we moved into town and the thought of becoming neighbors as well was just the icing on the cake.  Fast forward a decade and a half, and sadly Carl has passed away and Sandy has an early form of dementia and is no longer living in her home.  I hadn't visited her yet because I honestly didn't think she would still recognize me but her daughter told me she brought Sandy back to her house for the afternoon and as they drove by my house, Sandy stated, "Oh, I'm so glad Annette got that house, I just loved having them for neighbors!"  Well, that completely made my day!  So I am planning to visit her soon but I wanted a special card to give to her, one that was pretty and cheerful and reflected what a special friendship we have been blessed to share.  I really hope she enjoys it, I have missed seeing her radiant smile and would love to bring one of those smiles on her face.  Anyway, here it is:

details:  I started with the Central Park paper pack and coordinating cardmaking stamp and die cut set.

Keeping in mind that Sandy's house is a cheerful yellow and mine is a pale gray, I wanted to incorporate those two colors as much as possible.  I used Pacifica cardstock, the Lemon and white striped/watercolor patterned paper from the Adventure Fundamental paper collection, more Pacifica, and this brick-patterned paper from the Central Park kit.  I used another lovely pattern from this kit that features various houses, trees, bicycles, and hot air balloons for the first vertical rectangle, inked the edges in Pacifica ink with a sponge dauber.  For the next vertical rectangle, I used Bashful ink with the cascading hearts pattern from the retired "Charming Cascades" stamp set, and inked the edges with Bashful ink again.

To create the houses, I used the Pacifica pigment ink pad to stamp the smallest house images from the Central Park cardmaking set twice on watercolor paper, cover with clear embossing powder, and heat setting it.  Once they had cooled, I pressed the centers of my Lemon and Mink ink pads so some of the ink was transferred to the inside of the lid.  Then I used a medium waterbrush to pick up the ink from the lid and paint it onto the houses.  For the die cut heart in the center, I used the pretty lace-patterned Blush paper from the Beautiful Friendship kit with the second-smallest of the stitched heart Thin Cuts dies.

For the sentiment rectangles, I used Mink and Lemon cardstocks, the retired "Tiny Typewriter" alphabet stamp, and Heather ink (I tried Mink but it wasn 't quite as dark as I thought it should be).  I used a small Momenta alphabet die cut set to cut "chance" from the same brick patterned paper, and "hearts" from the Bashful and white polka dotted paper (also from the Central Park kit).  Now all I need is a couple of daisies in a small vase, tied with a pink ribbon, and I'm all set to visit my sweet neighbor again!

Just a quick reminder:  You have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 8/26/18, to play along with this sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge (you can enter your project HERE), and 11:55 pm Eastern/10:55 pm Central on Friday, 8/31/18, to enter your project in the Lovely Layers theme at the Heart2Heart Challenge (which you can submit HERE).  I hope you find time in your busy week for some crafting (hey, it's back to school week if you have kiddos!) and can share your art with one or even all three of these challenges, or at least take a stroll through their websites to get inspired by all the fabulous artwork you will find there.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Feline Fun for AHSC #276

Hello and welcome back again, crafty friends!  I had so much fun with this project I just can't wait to share it with you.  Usually I start with a particular sketch I want to use but this week inspiration struck first and I was lucky enough to be able to combine my idea with the sketch for my design team duties (or should I say, privilege) for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  And, as I love to combine projects with other challenges so that I can help promote the efforts of my fellow crafters, I will submit this one to play along in the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #303 (Tic-tac-toe grid based on the colors in CTMH's Central Park kit); Challenge #6 over at the Double Trouble Papercrafting Challenge blog (Anything Goes/decorate the inside of your card/combine with a previous partnering challenge blog); and the Three Amigos Blog Hop Challenge #17 (Time Warp theme, use your choice of any past theme from 2018, my project qualifies for #16-embossing and #15-die cutting).  Trust me, it's way easier than it sounds, and a ton of fun so let's get started!

details:  I got my inspiration from wanting to combine this "spotted" patterned paper from the Central Park kit with the super cute Cat's Meow stamp set.  I used Lemon and Mink cardstocks to create a layered base.  I also used Heather CS with the largest of the basic ovals Thin Cuts and White Daisy CS with the largest of the stitched oval Thin Cuts to create a base for the central of the sketch.  I used black Memento ink to stamp the silhouette image of a cat on that oval base as well as the cat emoji faces and the outline of the word bubble (all from the Cat's Meow set mentioned earlier).

For the horizontal border piece, I used the side of a piece of Poppy cardstock with the solid-looking piece from the hearts border Thin Cuts dies, and the traditional shade of Poppy for the heart-frames border, which I then touched up with my clear shimmer brush to add a little shine and to also help differentiate the shades.  I used Poppy ink for the "hello" sentiment, which is from a retired set called Love My Cat, and popped up the word bubble with some 3-D foam tape.

 

For the cat paw borders, I used Mink ink with a part of the M-sized Paws stamp set (I "amputated" part of the stamp to make it easier to work with for this project, but cut it in such a way it will easily fit back together for future projects).  I used Poppy ink with the two smaller-print sentiments (from Cozy Cat and Love My Cat) and black Memento for the "purrrfect" sentiment and the cat silhouettes, all three of which are from Cat's Meow again.  The ball of yarn image is from Love My Cat and I stamped it on the card in Lemon, stamped it in black ink on Lemon cardstock, and fussy cut and adhered.

I should note, I chose the Lemon, Poppy, and Mink colors to work with the Color My Heart Dare, which is also a previous challenge partner over at the Double Trouble Papercrafting Challenge Blog, which allows me to enter it for play in both of those challenges, and the die cutting and embossing qualifies for two past themes at the Three Amigos Blog Hop Challenge.  And, of course, this sketch is for AHSC and for once I am *EARLY* with a project so this sketch will be open for play starting Monday morning, 8/6/18, and you will have until 9:55 pm Eastern/10:55 pm Central on Sunday, 8/12/18, to link your projects.

Thanks for stopping by happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Santa In July for AHSC #274

Hello again, crafty friends!  I broke out some oldies but goodies to play with this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  I didn't plan to start on Christmas cards just yet but the first two ideas I had for this sketch didn't quite pan out, so I was inspired to think outside the box... or calendar page.  In addition to creating this card for this week's AHSC design team submissions, it meets the themes for a couple of other current challenges so I will be entering it to the Heart2Heart Challenge Blog for their Christmas In July; the Double Trouble Paper Crafting Challenge Blog for their Christmas Only theme; and the Three Amigos Blog Hop Challenges for their embossing theme.

details:  All products used are from CTMH and almost all of them are retired.  I started with the red "plaid" from the Believe paper kit.  The stamped image is from a set called I Believe (C1427) and inked in Holiday Red.  The scalloped edge frame was cut in Topiary CS using the Art Philosophy cartridge, and I used Pear colored mini-brads to add a little extra interest.

The tag is from the Home for the Holidays (SOTM in 2014) and was cut using the Art Philosophy cartridge.  The sentiment from the Santa Claus set (C1567) and was initially cut from the Artbooking cartridge but I was a little pressed for space so I ended up trimming it up a bit by hand.  Both images were stamped using a Sweet Leaf mini pigment ink pad, covered in clear embossing powder, and heat embossed.

I used some Topiary mini chevron ribbon to for embellishment and to secure the tag.  I used the scallop border Thin Cuts with white glitter paper.  To get a scalloped edge on the base layer too I cut the white glitter paper first, glued it so that the very edges of the scallops met the edge of the patterned paper, then positioned the solid-piece scallop thin cut over the glitter paper, taped the straight edge in place, positioned the piece so that the scallops faced the opening of the Cuttlebug, and then I just rolled them into the device only until I could feel the increase in pressure that indicated a cut was being made.  I had to finish trimming the dips between one or two sets of scallops but otherwise it worked very well.

And that's all there is to this one!  Don't forget the weekly deadline at AHSC is 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 7/29/18, and you can enter your artwork by going HERE.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Patriotic Thank You for AHSC #272

Hello again, crafty friends!  We have another fun and fabulous sketch to work with this week at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  To make things twice as nice, we have partnered with the folks at the Double Trouble Paper Crafting Challenge Blog for their 3-2-1 recipe and sketch challenge.  How fun is that?!?!  We at AHSC always love to have you play along, but I sincerely hope you take time to also play along, or at least check out, the Double Trouble challenge as well as this is just their 4th challenge and they are already off to a fabulous start!

details:  I started with this awesome fireworks-themed designer paper I've had for ages (and cannot identify, sorry).  After going through all my color swatches, I decided that Sapphire and Cranberry were the best matches so those are the colors I went with.  I ran the Sapphire cardstock through the confetti stars embossing folder, the Cranberry cardstock through the stripes embossing folder, and then I sanded both to get the white core to show through.

I used Sapphire and Cranberry ink with the retired Vintage USA stamp set to get those distressed star images.  I used the basic stars Thin Cuts to cut the smallest star from white glitter paper.  I also used the glitter paper to frame the stars and to add those three stars in the lower left corner per the sketch.

For the banner, I used Sapphire with the Thank You (M1185) stamp, Cranberry ink with this banner image from the retired Hello Lovely stamp set, and finally ran that through the coordinating Thin Cut die.

This is one of those sketches that has endless possibilities, and we would love to see your take on it.  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 7/15/18, to enter your creations HERE.  And don't forget to stop by and check out, and hopefully play along, with the Double Trouble Paper Crafting Challenge Blog.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Magical Wishes for AHSC #270

Hello again, crafty friends!  Summer is officially here in the US and here in the midwest, this summer is on trend for above average temperatures, rain levels, and frequency of storms.  While this might be fun for some, for this gal it means more time in the air conditioning and at my craft table!  Over the last few days I have been a little extra busy as I had an opportunity to create and donate a small gift to go along with a unicorn and rainbow-themed quilt a friend was making to send to a young girl battling a serious cancer diagnosis.  Not only did I work up a sample of unicorn themed paper into a fun pendant, but I decided to make a card to coordinate with it, and I used this week's sketch from the Atlantic Heart Sketch Challenge blog.  Let's get started!

details:  Almost everything for this project came from the recently retired Little Dreamer papers and coordinating stamps and Thin Cuts cardmaking set.  For the front, I set this sweet tiny-heart patterned paper on base layers of Blossom and Crystal Blue, and this cloudy sky patterned paper on a base of Crystal Blue.  I used Heather ink for the unicorn's body and Thistle for the muzzle, mane and tale.  For the horn, I chose to trim down a sliver of the striped patterned paper from this kit, and I used Blossom and Lagoon inks for the sentiment/banner and then both images through the Thin Cut dies using my Cuttlebug.  I also used a length of Thistle diagonal-striped ribbon tied into a bow between the layers per the sketch and in keeping with the 3-color combo I had going.


For the inside, I made a panel of the unicorn patterned paper.  Then on a scrap of White Daisy cardstock, I used Crystal Blue ink to stamp this frame from the D1681 Perfect Picture stamp set that coordinates with the Artiste Cricut cartridge, although I chose to fussy cut it this time.  Within the frame, I used Thistle ink and this saying from the Little Dreamer cardmaking stamp set.  And what is a magical creature-based theme without a little bling, right?  So I added a pair of Bitty Sparkles.

There are endless possibilities for this sketch so I really hope you get a chance to play along and share your creation, which you can do HERE.  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central time on Sunday, 7/1/18, to link your project.  And don't forget to check out the rest of the design team's artwork.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Butterflies and Lilacs for AHSC #268

Good Saturday morning, crafty friends!  I hope you are having a wonderful weekend with some kind of special plans to celebrate Father's Day tomorrow.  I've had an absolutely crazy week so I nearly missed out on getting to play with this week's sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog.  However, I had put too much time into deciding what to do with this one to call it quits so after numerous revisions, this is what I came up with.  Just a quick reminder that submissions for each weekly sketch close at 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central.  You may use whatever products/brands you choose so long as your project is based on the current sketch, and you can enter your projects HERE.  Now on to my project!

details:  I finally got around to inking this beautiful lilac themed stamp set from the "A Mother's Love" set which is a retired hostess rewards set, as well as the sweet little butterflies from a more recent set that was cardmaking set featured with the Chelsea Gardens papers. 

I tried multiple color combos and stamping techniques before I was satisfied with how to line the lilac and leaf images and I found it easier to stamp the bolder image first and then line the lighter, base image up and stamp it second.  I finally settled on Amethyst and Gypsy for the flowers and Sweet Leaf and Topiary for the leaves.  I used Tangerine and black Memento ink for the butterflies.  For a little added visual interest, I stamped both the large and smaller butterflies on both tones of Tangerine cardstock and used the lighter sets for the top layers.  I'm not sure it shows in my photo, but I also used some tiny bits of 3-D foam tape under the wing of the top layer of the larger butterfly and under both wings of the smaller butterflies.

For the lovely little tag, I used Gypsy ink to stamp the sentiment from the same Chelsea Gardens set onto a bit of Sweet Leaf cardstock which I edged with Topiary ink using a sponge dauber (one of my favorite tools and effects).  I also popped the tag up with 3-D tape and added this little knotted bit of sheer purple ribbon.  I think I could keep playing with this card and sketch forever,  but I have to move on to finishing up some Father's Day cards as well as some sympathy and thinking-of-you cards.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look, and I really hope you get a chance to create something with this week's sketch or at least check out all the lovely artwork the design team and participants have to show you at AHSC.  Happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Fresh Air + Father's Day for AHSC #266

Hello again, crafty friends!  Time flies for us all and here in the US we have already celebrated the late spring/early summer holidays and events of Mother's Day and Memorial Day weekend with many high school and college graduations in between, so the next big event on many calendars is Father's Day.  When I saw the sketch Michelle Stewart whipped up for this week's challenge at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog I wanted to get a jump start on my holiday cards for once.  Let's get started!

Since CTMH released this year's Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog, I have been really focused on the fun and floral Friendship kit but I knew it was time to start playing with the other kits in this catalog as well, and so when I began looking the various patterns I had to choose from, this lovely palette wood-looking pattern from the Fresh Air collection immediately jumped out at me.  This one is a very CAS card using just two colors of ink and cardstock, Glacier and Nutmeg, and two retired stamp sets called The Best Dad Ever and Perfect Fit - Dad.  When I started actually piecing together the layers, I was not as happy with the contrast between the Glacier and wood grain and Nutmeg papers as I had expected so I chose to soften the transition by inking the Glacier papers with Nutmeg ink using a sponge dauber.  The effect ended up being even more subtle than I wanted so while I still wasn't 100% happy with it, I liked it better than the "naked" Glacier, lol.  Anyway, here is what I came up with:

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.  Don't forget to stop by the AHSC blog to check out the rest of the design team's creations and we would love for you to share your creations based on this sketch, too, which you can do HERE.  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 6/3/18, to link up your projects.  Thanks again and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Happy Mail for AHSC 264

Hello again, crafty friends!  Wow, I missed one of my bi-weekly challenge posts and it feels like I haven't posted in forever.  Even though I have been a busy little crafter, I just haven't taken time to share it all.  However, I had a ball with this week's sketch from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog and I can't wait to share it with you.  I admit, this is another sketch I found a bit intimidating at first but once my idea came together I pulled out all the stops.  Let's get started!

details:  I started by creating a custom background on White Daisy cardstock using a hostess-exclusive stamp set from the SE1 Idea Book, called "Sent and Delivered," and Heather ink and my WeRMemory Keepers stamping platform.  For a little added pop of color, I dug up my Studio G punch that features 4 tiny hearts and punched sets from scrap pieces of Raspberry and Pixie cardstocks and adhered them to the envelope images.

For the horizontal stripe, I used the retired chevron border punch to create a base out of Heather, Raspberry, Pixie, and White Daisy cardstocks.

I used the retired Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to create this postage stamp image by selecting the slider tag image and contouring the slots, and sized the image to 2 1/4".  I then used VersaMark ink and white embossing powder to heat emboss the main sentiment.

For the element on the right, I used Raspberry ink to stamp this image of 3 wavy lines onto white cardstock.  I then used Raspberry ink again for the "special delivery" sentiment that is set on an oval, and then I fussy cut that image and popped it up with 3-D foam tape.

For the final element, I used the smallest size in CTMH's new 4-piece set of stitched heart Thin Cut dies to create this charming little heart from a scrap of Raspberry cardstock.

I hope you enjoy looking at this card as much as I enjoyed making it.  I hope you will also take time to check out the rest of the design team's creations for you, and we would love to see your take on the sketch too!  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 5/20/18, to link up your creations, which you can do HERE.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Your Ticket for AHSC #260

Hello again, crafty friends!  Slowly but surely my family and I are getting back into the swing of things after numerous health issues among us and the passing of my beloved 104 year old grandfather.  So when it was time to sit down and craft this week;s sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, I wanted to create something with a fun and festive feel to it and this paper immediately came to mind.  Let's get started!

details:  I started with this fun paper from Carta Bella from their Circus Party collection.  I used Cricut Design Space to edit a basic ticket image from the Art Philosophy cartridge and cut it in black CS, and on the bottom of that image I used Versamark and white embossing powder to heat emboss the "you're invited" sentiment from a retired set called Simple Invites.

I used the It's A Date stamp set with black Memento ink to create the little calendar image on Tulip cardstock (retired) which I then ran through my Cuttlebug with the largest of the basic tag Thin Cuts and hand-trimmed that down a bit to make it fit the sketch the way I wanted.  I also ran some older black and white twine from Darice through the top of the tag.  For the "29" image, I used black ink with the retired small Chocolate alpha on Lagoon cardstock, and centered the stamped numbers in an older Darice punch of a 1 1/4" squre with tattered edges.  I then touched up the edges of both the tag and square with more black Memento ink and a sponge dauber.

I was thinking of using this piece as a template invitations to upcoming crops and I love the clean, graphic look of it but I am not entirely happy with the embossed sentiment.  I will have to play with it more to see if I simply pressed the stamp too hard, if I need to use a different sentiment, or if I will have to use a lighter color for the ticket so that the sentiment can be stamped in black ink.  Still, this was a fun sketch to work with and I think I will play with it some more on my own time.  We would love to see what you do with it too!  You have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 4/22/18, to play along and you can enter your projects HERE.  If you need a little inspiration, you can also check out the design team's creations using this week's sketch.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Your Country Theme for AHSC #259

Hello again, crafty friends!  This isn't my design team's week on the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog but our hostess Michelle Stewart came up with such a fun sketch idea for this week, to create a sketch for each of our country of origin, that almost all of us are playing along.   How awesome is that?  Let's get started!

If you have visited my blog before, this project might seem familiar because I have used the USA stamp and a different camper image from the same set as another project I did based on this same paper pack.  I had planned to use my Hello USA Cricut cartridge from CTMH but I couldn't find the paper I had in mind for that project so I dig out the last of this lovely Juniper-colored grain patterned paper and this whimsical forest patterned paper, both from the recently retired JACK kit.  I used black Memento ink to stamp the USA image from a retired set called Adventure USA, and the camper and sentiment from another retired set called Camper Crazy.  I also used the Warm Grey 4, Warm Grey 7, Turquoise Blue, and Carmine ShinHan alcohol markers as well as the metallic silver marker to add some touches of color to the camper image.  I plan for this to be a retirement card and while I don't have anyone in particular in mind for this card just yet, camping is very popular in our area so I should have no problem finding someone to give it to.

And that's all there is to my project for today.  I hope you will take time to check out the rest of the design team's creations and we would also love to see your take on this week's sketches too.  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central time to link your projects HERE.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Gimme Some Sugar Thank You

Hello again, crafty friends!  Last week an old friend mentioned she was getting her kitchen prepped to get all new stainless steel appliances and she offered to "sell" me her barely used glass top oven  for next to nothing, what basically amounted the gas to deliver it and the time it took to load and unload it.  Since I have been making do with an apartment sized oven for several years to prepare all my family's meals, I was thrilled with her generous offer.  So naturally, I wanted to express my appreciation and since she is a far better cook than I am, I figured I had better to stick to creating a card.  Luckily, I had the *perfect* paper and coordinating stamp kit for the occasion!

details:  Everything for this one is from CTMH's Gimme Some Sugar paper kit and the coordinating cardmaking stamp set and Thin Cuts die set.  I used Heather ink to stamp the oven mit (on Bashful cardstock), rolling pin (on Pebble CS), and measuring cup and Juniper to stamp the sentiment from the retired M-sized set called Timely Tidings.  The pattern for the front of the card is pattern #21 from Make It From Your Heart Vol. 1.

For the inside of the card, I cut a strip of Bashful CS and topped it with another strip of this super cute kitchen themed paper, and then I used one of the PML cards from the kit to hand-write my message on.  This particular friend has never received one of my cards but I'm hoping she will be pleasantly surprised when she gets in the mail.

Thanks for stopping by and looking!  ~~  Annette

Chelsea Gardens Thanks for AHS #258

Hello again, crafty friends.  Last night was the first time I have sat down to craft since the recent passing of my beloved 104 year old grandfather.  Even though we were blessed to have him with us so long, he was one of the kindest people I have ever known and he will be greatly missed by many.  My dearest friend was especially thoughtful in bringing me and my family purple roses (my favorite color) and a garden stone engraved with a lovely poem, and I thought this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge would make a great thank you card.  Before I go into the details, though, I want to remind everyone that we love seeing your interpretations of our weekly sketches, and you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:44 pm Central on Sunday, 4/8/18, to link your projects for this sketch which you can do HERE.

details:  I started with this striped patterned paper from the Chelsea Gardens paper pack to create a 6" square card base and topped it with a 5 1/2" square of Juniper cardstock (original or darker shade).  For the next layer, I used the retired Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the scalloped square frame at 5" from white cardstock and again from this delicate floral, also from the Chelsea Gardens kit.  I used a sponge dauber to add a little Heather ink around the edges of the white center panel before gluing it in place.

For the flowers, I chose to use both the original and lighter tones of Glacier and Bashful cardstocks with these fun stitched flower dies from MFTstamps.com and some of the white colored pieces from the gray enamel gems.  I used the stem pieces from the same die set with some scraps of a watercolor pattern in Sweet Leaf from last year's fundamentals collections.  For the banner, I used Bashful cardstock (the darker/original tone) with our new Party Banners Thin Cuts dies, Heather ink, and this lovely scripty "thanks" sentiment from a retired Hostess Rewards stamp set called Variety of Thanks.

Thank you all for stopping by.  Happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Watercolor and Embossing for AHSC #256

Hello again, crafty friends.  I am stretching my wings and trying something a little new to me for this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  Before I share my project, though, I want to say we love seeing all our participants' AMAZING artwork and remind you that the deadline for submissions for this week's sketch is 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 3/25/18, and you can link your projects HERE.  Now on to my project:

details:  While the purpose of most cards is to share joy or send cheer, I have found that once in a while it's meaningful to let someone know you understand what they're going through.  Sadly, there are a lot of people near and dear to my family who are experiencing big struggles right now so while I'm not sure who I will send this to (or even if I will send it it all), my heart and thoughts have been heavier than usual and this card, which is quite a bit darker and bolder in color than I usually create, is the result.  I started with a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" base of black cardstock topped with a 5 3/8 x 4 1/8" panel of Lagoon, and another black panel measuring 3 5/8 x 2 5/8" topped with a 3 1/2 x 2 1/2" panel of watercolor paper.  Before I put the pieces together though I used several ShinHan markers (Turquoise Blue, Peacock Green, Marine Blue, and Lavender) and the colorless blender marker to create a sort of twilight themed watercolor background.  Once that had piece had dried, I used VersaMark ink and white embossing powder to heat emboss this image from a retired stamp set called Paper Garden.  For the sentiment, I used Pansy ink with another retired stamp set called Beloved Bouquet.  I ran the stamped sentiment through my Cuttlebug using the banner die from the retired Sugar Rush cardmaking stamp and die set and then inked the edges with a sponge dauber and Peacock ink.

So while there were several steps to this one, it really was fairly simple to do.  While I'm still deciding if I like such dark, dramatic colors I do think I will continue to practice my alcohol marker blending with other color combos and stamp sets as I like the overall effect.  Also, don't forget to stop by HERE to see what the rest of the AHSC design team have created for you.  Trust me, you will be glad you did!  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette