Birthday Roses for AHSC #224

Hello and welcome back, crafty friends!  I am so excited to finally share this post, as not only has Michelle Stewart given us another fun and fabulous sketch to play with but this is also the start of a new term with new Design Team members at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog, but this is also my first project featuring new product from CTMH's new Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  It's like Christmas in August!

details:  CTMH has introduced Bashful as their Color of the Year and I thought it would be the perfect starting point for this  card.  I started with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" card base in Bashful and a 4 x 5 1/4" layer of White Daisy.  I used the rose embossing folder on the two side panels and ran a thin strip of this retired dark pink glitter paper through the scallop border punch.  The rose was created with the Beautiful You layered stamp and coordinating Thin Cut die set using Bashful, Pixie, and Pomegranate inks for the flower and Fern and New England Ivy for the leaves.  When the flower was complete and I had it placed where I wanted it, I also went over it with the clear shimmer brush and added one of the smaller white pearls.  I used Pomegranate ink with the A Bunch of Love stamp set for the sentiment and the Hello Lovely stamp set and coordinating Thin Cut for the frame (both of which are retired now).

We would love to see your take on this week's sketch, too!  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central to share your creation, which you can link up HERE.  Also, I hope you take time to check out the rest of the Design Team's projects and maybe stop by their blogs and show them some love and welcome our new members.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  Annette

Dreamin' Big for CTMH Featured Products Blog Hop

Hello and welcome back for another installment of the Close To My Heart (CTMH) Featured Products Blog Hop, where this week we are bringing you projects featuring the Dreamin' Big paper kit, it's color palette, and/or the Dreamin' Big cardmaking stamp and coordinating die cut set (which is 25% off during March).  If you have come here from Corinna's blog you are in the right place but hops are circular so you are welcome to jump in anywhere along and follow the links until you've made

the rounds.  A complete list of this week's participants is included at the end of this post in case you get lost along the way.  Now on to my project!

details:  As stated, I started with the Dreamin' Big paper kit.  I chose the gray woodgrain patterned paper for my A2 card base and then used this pattern from Make It From Your Heart Vol. 2 book of scrapbook and card patterns.  I played around with various combinations before settling on this sentiment from the Dreamin' Big cardmaking stamp set  stamped in Poppy ink on a 2" square piece of White Daisy cardstock.  I backed that piece with another white square that measured 2 1/8" and adhered Poppy Thick Twine with a glue pen and then trimmed the corners so they didn't stick out.  I backed that finished square with another of the same dimensions using another patterned paper from this kit and Poppy cardstock.  To finish off the card, I cut a strip of Glacier cardstock and embellished with 2 small and 1 large gold Durable Triangle Studs (no longer listed in the Idea Books but on clearance while supplies last).

And that's all there is to this one.  Now you're off to visit Lauren and see what magic she has in store for you.  I hope you will join us again in two weeks, on 3/15/17, when our theme will be Glitter and Shimmer.  Until then, happy crafting!  ~~  Annette


Complete list of participants:

1.  Corinna Murphy

2.  Annette Clark (here)

3.  Lauren Moore

4.  Donna Digby

Thin Cuts for CTMH Featured Products Blog Hop

Hello and welcome back for another installment of the Close To My Heart (CTMH) Featured Products Blog Hop.  This week we are bringing you projects made with CTMH's exclusive Thin Cut sets that work with Cuttlebugs, Sizzix, etc.; some of these die cuts stand alone and others are made to coordinate with particular stamp sets so when you put them all together, the creative possibilities are endless!  If you arrived here from Corinna's blog you are in the right place, but hops are circular so you are welcome to jump in at any point and follow the links until you've made the rounds.  A complete list of this hop's participants is included at the end of the post in case you get lost along the way.  Now it's time to play!

I just got my Dreamin' Big cardmaking thin cuts bundle the other day and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  The card I've made today is one I've had planned since I first saw this set and it is made with a particular friend in mind:  she lost her mother at a very young age, while my friend was expecting her first child, and this has had a devastating impact on her.  Since the mother's totem was always the dragonfly, naturally my friend has come to love them too and her friends and family are always on the lookout for something special for those difficult "anniversary" dates my friend struggles with, so I'm hoping she will enjoy this one.

details:  As stated, I chose to work with the Dreamin' Big cardmaking card and die cut set and the Dreamin' Big paper kit.  I started with a standard 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" card base and used the retired Art Philosophy to cut this frame from the Goldrush patterned paper at 3 1/4". I layered the Whisper woodgrain patterned paper behind that and carefully used my trimmer to cut out a window to remove part of the gray paper and added a 1" strip of the flower patterned paper at the bottom.  Then I positioned the dragonfly Thin Cut die where I wanted it, used a spare bit of washi tape to hold it in place, and ran it through my Cuttlebug to make a cutout in the front of the card.  I used some scrap cardstock and made another cut and taped that to the front of my card so that the cutouts were aligned, closed my card and stamped so that the dragonfly base image is actually on the inside of the card.  Then I took the piece that had been cut out of the card base and stamped another dragonfly image on it using Slate, Glacier, and Juniper inks.  I made

some small slits from the top and bottom of the wings to close to the body, positioned the cut out over the closed card to make sure the stamped die cut was aligned with the die cut cut-out, and glued the dragonfly over the stamped base image (if that makes sense).  Once the adhesive was dry, I bent the wings and then went over them with a clear shimmer brush.  I used Poppy ink and one of the sentiments that came with this set for the inside of the card, and for the final touch I added a strip of white shimmer trim.  I haven't yet decided on a sentiment for the cover.

Here is another card I made last week with the hearts thin cuts, some retired patterned paper, the January 2017 Stamp of the Month "Adore," the lovely gold foil XOXO patterned ribbon from the Uptown ribbon pack, and a touch of white and gold ribbon to tie the hearts together.

And now it's time to hop on over to Donna's blog to see the lovely project she has in store for you.  We hope you will stop by again on Wednesday, 3/1/17, at 8 pm Central when we will be more projects made with the Dreamin' Big kits.  Happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Complete list of this week's participants:

1.  Corinna Murphy

2.  Annette Clark (here)

3.  Donna Digby

4.  Lauren Moore

Florence TY Card for AHS #178

Hello and welcome, crafty friends!  I have another quick thank you card to share with you based on this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, created by Michelle Stewart.

There really isn't much explanation to this one.  As soon as I saw the floral elements on the sketch, I knew I wanted to use some leftovers from the recently retired Florence kit.  Since I am still working on a series of thank you cards for a friend, I was pleased I could get the Hello - Thanks thin cut set to fit what I had planned, along with the "friend" sentiment from the Say It All stamp set (also retired) stamped in Peacock.  The only other thing I can add about this card is that the panel the "thanks" sits on is backed by another piece of white CS edged with a piece of zip strip from the same Florence kit.


Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are able to find some creative time this week and play along.  As always, you have until 10 p.m. Central time on Sunday evening, which is 9/25/16 for this sketch.

Happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

CTMH Featured Products Blog Hop - Thin Cuts

Hello and welcome back to another edition of the CTMH Featured Products Blog Hop, where this week we are bringing you projects created with our exclusive line of Thin Cuts.  As always, blog hops are circular things so you should have found your way here from Jennifer Bennett's blog but you are welcome to jump in at any point along the way and make the rounds.  A complete list of participants is included at the end of this post in case you get lost.

So not only do I have a clean and simple project of my own to show you, but I am pleased to share with you a guest post from a fellow CTMH consultant who has always inspired me, Allisa Steinlicht.  She has generously agreed to let me share this beautiful card featuring the snowflake Thin Cut, which you can find the details for HERE.

Isn't it lovely!  It has me wishing for snow... almost!  lol

So on to my project today.  It's a really clean and simple set using the Hello & Thanks set.

I love this set as it's sized to work especially well with cards.  Don't get me wrong, I dearly love my Cricut(s) but sometimes I prefer to do a more hands-on project, and other times I appreciate being able to quip up a quick accent without having to load up and log on to various machines.  Anyway, I have fallen in love with the Create Kindness card and stamps sets that are this month's special but not all of my scrapbook pals like to stamp so I have been working on a few cards using these Thin Cuts to show them they can still make adorable cards.  That's all I've finished so far but I promise there will be more, my desk is currently littered with a wild assortment of colored card bases, banners, and die cuts, I am having so much fun playing that I'm not sure I will be able to stop any time soon.

And that's all I have for you today.  The next stop along in our hop is Lauren Moore and I know you won't want to miss what she has in store for you.  Thanks for stopping by and please join us again in two weeks when we will be bringing you some fun and inspiring projects made with the Jeepers Creepers kit and its color scheme.  Until then, happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

And here is the complete list of this week's participants, as promised:

1.  Lauren Moore

2.  Corinna Murphy

3.  Donna Digby

4.  Jennifer Bennett

5.  Annette Clark (here)

Thin Cuts for CTMH Featured Products Blog Hop

I have a quick card to share today featuring CTMH's Thin Cuts for embossing and die cutting machines such as Cuttlebug and Sizzix; these cute little dies are a relatively new addition to our product line and each set of dies coordinates with a particular stamp set.  I used two sets for this project:  Tickled Pink and My Anchor (retired).  I wanted a really cheerful thank you card using teal or Lagoon accents, as this is part of a set of thank-you's I will be gifting to a local teacher recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, so she has a variety to keep on hand whether she is at home or the hospital
The front of this card is one of the 4 x 6" PML cards in the Calypso kit trimmed to 4 x 5 1/2" and backed by a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" piece of Lagoon patterned paper from the same kit.  The sentiment is stamped with Lagoon ink using the Tickled Pink stamp set.  I used the sun image from the My Anchor stamp set which I swiped across a Honey ink pad and then touched up the smaller "background" rays of sun with a Marigold ShinHan alcohol marker to add to the overall watercolor effect of the Calypso kit.

For the inside, I used Lagoon ink again with another stamp from the Tickled Pink set.  I created the flamingo images by first stamping the legs in white CS and then using the thin cut dies and my Cuttlebug to cut them out.  Then, rather than stamp the birds' bodies, I ran the watercolor looking pink Calypso paper through the Cuttlebug again and trimmed the leg portion off, leaving the bodies, and glued them to the original full-sized die cuts.  I chose to use the same Lagoon patterned paper from the front to die cut the wings, then stamped and fussy cut the beak images, colored over the black ink with the Marigold marker, and adhered.  I used the black marker to draw the eyes on.

And that's all there is to this one.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette