May deals from Close To My Heart

Hi folks,

Just thought that since it is a new month, I would share the details of the May promotions from Close To My Heart.

Did you know that May is National Scrapbooking Month? You betcha! In honour of the month that celebrates all things scrapbooking, Close To My Heart is releasing a specially priced paper pack and a coordinating stamp set  that is only available during the month of May.

If you can't picture yourself using these fruit inspired papers, take a quick look at the reverse sides. I quite like the non-fruity sides myself. Lots of fun vibrant colours for summer-time cards and scrapbook layouts. And there is no minimum purchase to order these - and no limit on how MANY you can order. Awesome! Want to see this limited time paper pack in action? Check out the video here.

And how about this cute stamp set?

I think this stamp set will actually get me to use the fruity sides of those papers.

And let's not forget the May Stamp of the Month - Just Sayin'

I'm hoping I'll find some time this month to share my own creations with these goodies. They are sitting in a pile in my craft room at the moment, just waiting to be used.

If you are interested in shopping or checking out more details on these deals, just stop by my online shop. In honour of National Scrapbooking Month, I'm hosting an online gathering and everyone who joins the gathering and places the order will be placed into a draw at the end of the month for the hostess rewards for that gathering IF the gathering total qualifies for hostess rewards. Have fun shopping!

Ivy Lane - Final Three

Happy Sunday Morning folks!

Just thought I would pop in and share the final three cards I made that were inspired by the (now retired) Ivy Lane Card Workshop from Close To My Heart.


On this one, I used the second generation stamping technique so that the flowers would have a slightly faded out look. I like how they came out.

And for these two I played around with which side of the paper to use and the layouts. It is always fun to experiment! Would you believe that both cards use the same core elements - with a few small variations using the leftovers from the kit? Two very different looks.

Card details:

• finished size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, CTMH Colonial White Card stock bases
• patterned papers and medallion stamps from the CTMH Ivy Lane Card Workshop
• additional stamp sets: CTMH Happy To Be Friends (C1605), Your Own Kind of Wonderful (D1627)
• CTMH Cricut Cartridge "Art Philosophy"

Challenges for these cards:

• Sister Act Card Challenge #104: Anything Goes

As always, thanks for stopping by!

A Blossoming Birthday Wish

Hi everybody!

Just thought I'd pop in and share a card I made for the eldest daughter of friend's of ours.

I pulled out another of my Super Secret Stamp Club stamps (#15) from The Greeting Farm and paired it with the pretty Blossom papers from Close To My Heart.

card details:

• finished size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, white card stock base
• patterned papers: CTMH Blossom
• stamped image: The Greeting Farm Super Secret Stamp Club #15 (coloured with Copic Markers E000, E11, E00, E93, E04, E01, E21, E23, E25, E27, BG10, BG11, R12, R22)
• sentiment: CTMH D1560 Holiday Tags
• embellishments: CTMH Coral Reef Sequins
• layout: Mojo Monday 383

challenges for this card:

• The Greeting Farm: Farm Fresh Friday: Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge #103: Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes Birthday (I didn't do the optional toppings)
• Craft your passion #259: Anything Goes

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Time for a little humour

Hi folks,

Just thought I would share a card that dearly beloved requested I make for one of his co-workers. It was kind of funny actually. The day before his team at work was set to go for lunch to bid farewell to another team member who was moving on to a new project, he said "Oh, I should have asked you to make a card, with that image that looks like Kevin (his step-brother)." No problem. I can do that. I knew exactly which image he meant. "Oh, and can it say "Andrew Sucks" on it?" Sure - I have lots of alphabet stamp sets. Not a problem. So THIS is the card I made:

Tee hee. It was met with approval.

card details:

• finished size: 6 x 6 inches, CTMH Cocoa card stock base
• patterned paper: CTMH Jackson
• image: Yumi & Fumi Handmade "Chuckles with gecko", coloured with copic markers (E000, E00, E01, E93, BG10, BG11, BG23, B97, B93, Y23, YR24, YR14, E97)
• sentiment was created using my Mason Row typewriter alphabet stamps
• embellishments: CTMH Cocoa brads
• layout: Sketch Saturday #356

challenges for this card:

• Sister Act Card Challenge #103: Anything Goes
• Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge #223: Anything Goes
• Love to Scrap #52: Anything Goes

As always, thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!

Ivy Lane Card Workshop - variations

Hi folks,

Well, I decided I should get around to posting the backlog of cards I have made recently since I have the day off.

Here are a few cards I made using the bits and pieces for one of the cards in the (now retired) Ivy Lane Card Workshop from Close To My Heart.

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know that whenever I play with a card kit, I like to deviate from the suggested pattern for the cards you can make from the kit. Just a little bit, so they are all a little different.

Here are four cards I made based on one of the cards in the workshop.

I quite like how they turned out with the additions of the butterflies and flowers to the Cricut cut focal medallions.

card details:

• finished size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, colonial white card stock bases
• all consumable supplies from the CTMH Ivy Lane Card Workshop (now retired). 
• stamps used: B1473 - Flowers for Mom, D1627 - Your own kind of wonderful. Flowers and Butterfly coloured with Copic R81, R83, R85
• embellishments: Gold Shimmer Trim, Sequins

Challenges for these cards

• Sister Act Card Challenge #102: Anything Goes
• Graph'It Markers Colouring Challenge #16: Flower Power
• Craft Your Passion #258: Anything Goes

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Happy Easter!

Hi folks,

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable Easter weekend. Ours was a quiet one on our own this year. No visiting with dearly beloved's family as many of them are at a destination wedding for one of the cousins.

It was a nice change from the usual hub-bub of the family gatherings but I must say I did miss watching the nieces and nephews run around for the annual Easter egg hunt.

Anyways, I figured I should stop in and share the Easter card I made for dearly beloved this year.

card details:

• finished size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, kraft card stock base
• patterned paper: Graphic 45 "Hope" (my favourite Easter themed paper as it isn't awash in the usual spring pastels)
• stamps: Verve Stamps "Egg-stra Special", "Some Bunny"
• dies: Verve Stamps "Flourished Trim", "Rounded Scallop Frame", "Rounded Rectangle"
• twine from my stash
• layout: Viva La Verve April 2015 Week 1

challenges for this card:

• Pile It On #63: die cuts/punches
• Verve Divas April Inspiration: Bunnies and Babies
• One Stitch at a Time #234: Anything Goes with Easter/Passover 
• Sister Act Card Challenge #100: Anything Goes

As always, thanks for stopping by!

For my birthday twins

Hi folks,

Just thought I would pop in and share a couple of birthday cards I made this week for my "birthday twins". There's a couple of ladies at my TOPS group who share my birthday and these are the cards I made for them using the now retired "Ivy Lane" card workshop from Close To My Heart.

Both cards use the same elements as two of the cards in the workshop but I used different stamps or switched up the layout to make them a little different from the workshop cards.

card details:

• finished size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, CTMH Colonial white card stock base
• patterned paper: CTMH Ivy Lane
• stamps: CTMH D1586 Ivy Lane Cardmaking WOTG Stamp Set, D1609 Seaside Greetings, D1560 Holiday Tags stamped in CTMH Hollyhock, Cocoa, Pear and Bamboo ink
• CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge for all three medallion pieces on the second card
• embellishments: gold sequins and gold shimmer trim from CTMH

challenges for these cards

• Sister Act Card Challenge #100: Anything Goes
• Simon Says: Happy Birthday

As always, thanks for stopping by!