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

Valentine's Card for AHSC #246

Happy 2018 to all my crafty friends!  I don't know about you but every year the only resolution I  truly try to stick to is to get more organized, especially my craft area, and I am proud to say I have already made progress this year.  Yay!  So I'm happy to report this Valentine's card came together much more quickly and easily than usual since I could more readily access the supplies I was looking for.

I started with this week's sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  I used a base of Lagoon cardstock layered with this lovely small hearts-patterned paper from the retired CTMH "Heartstrings" kit.  I knew I would have to change the proportions of the horizontal stripes element somewhat, but I really wanted to incorporate this "love" stitching pattern for this one.  To do this, I used the We R Memory Keepers stitching tool and some Cranberry colored embroidery floss I bought ages ago, as that shade of red is one of the featured colors in this kit.  For the arrow-patterned horizontal stripes, I used the Heartstrings zip strips set on Whisper cardstock with a very narrow border.  I used the retired Thin Cuts hearts die on the patterned red paper (also from Heartstrings) and again on Bashful glitter paper, adhered both pieces on white cardstock for better stability and then fussy cut around them.  The "truly, madly" banner is a sticker that was available with this kit.  I thought I was done but then I felt there was just a little too much empty white space at the bottom so I added a couple of the negative-space hearts cut from another piece of Bashful glitter paper using the Thin Cuts hearts border.

And that's all there is to this one!  I'm not sure who I will give it to but I do know I had a lot of fun creating it.  I hope you will find some time to create a project with this week's sketch, and we would love to see it if you do!  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 1/14/18, to link your project HERE.  And don't forget to check out what the rest of your design team has created with this week's sketch, they are sure to inspire you!  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting in the new year!  ~~  Annette

Ribbons of Courage for AHSC #232

Hello again, crafty friends!  Today's project is especially dear to me as every October I create a pink ribbon card in honor of my mother, who lost her battle to a rare form of breast cancer.  I have been planning this card for months and I was so pleased when this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge had the perfect sketch for what I had in mind.  **Please allow me a moment of your time for my annual public service announcement:  Early prevention is the best weapon in the fight against breast cancer so please schedule your annual mammogram and take a minute to remind your friends, the lives of our loved ones are worth fighting for!**
Before we get to the details of this card, I also want to remind you that you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 10/8/17, to submit your take on this sketch, which you can do HERE, and you can check out the rest of the design team's AMAZING creations here.

details:  Not only is this cause very dear to me, but this card incorporates several of my current favorite craft supplies.  As soon as I saw this Ribbons of Courage stamp and die set from Stampin' Up, I fell in love with it and knew it would be the centerpiece of this year's pink ribbon project.  I was so happy this week's sketch had those "ribbons" at the bottom so I could add these adorable Thin Cuts Hearts Border.  And I am totally in love with this Stronger Together stamp set; not only does this set contain 8 sweetly supportive sentiments that will forever be in style, but all proceeds of this set have been designated for Red Cross relief funds for our friends and neighbors affected by the recent wildfires and hurricanes.  Seriously, so much heart went into the elements of this card from so many sources, it truly touches my heart and I am so happy to share it with you!


COVER:  I started with a 6 x 4" card, which was actually cut at 6 x 12" as this is a tri-fold card.  I used this floral patterned paper from the Basics Fundamentals collection as the base layer , using the lighter "flip side" of Pewter cardstock (5 3/8 x 3 1/2"), and the lighter side of Bashful cardstock on top of that (5 1/16 x 3 1/4").  On the center panel (4 7/8 x 3 1/8"), I used Bashful ink for the "swipe" of color from the retired Brush Strokes stamp set.  The sentiment is from the Stronger Together, stamped with Pewter ink.

I used the Hearts Border Thin Cuts to create this two-layer border with the lighter shade of Pewter cardstock for the base and Bashful glitter paper for the delicate row of hearts for the top layer, using a glue pen for adhesive.  Then I used Pixie ink to stamp this floral ribbon from the SU Ribbons of Courage set on the lighter shade of Bashful cardstock, die cut the ribbon, and popped it up with bits of 3-D foam tape.

INNER FOLD:  The Pewter ink was a tad too dark for this sweet littler wreath from the retired White Pines cardmaking stamp set, so I went with Heather instead.  Likewise, the Bashful ink was a little too light to stand out when paired with the wreath image, so I used Pixie ink for this sentiment from the retired Here For You Workshop Your Way kit.  I used the glue pen and negative space hearts from the border cut on the cover to embellish the wreath with the tiny pink hearts.

INSIDE:  I purposely kept this inside of this card super simple, using Pewter ink with another sentiment from the Stronger Together stamp set, as I planned this card with plenty of room for lots of signatures so that a group (whether it's a group of coworkers, fellow church members, or a group of besties) to come together to show support for their newly diagnosed loved one.  After all, a great support team is invaluable in fighting any illness, particularly cancer.

 A lot of heart, and a lot of time and effort, went into this one but I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  And while I hope and pray it isn't needed for anyone I know anytime soon, it will be ready to round up support should that day come.  Until we find a cure, we have to fight cancer together.

In loving memory of my mother, Diane, who was and will always be my hero.  ~~  Annette