Cricut® Artfully Sent: The Basics

Here is short video describing the basics of the exclusive CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge.  Enjoy it and then get creative....make a card for someone special today!

Cross Canada Blog Hop: Cards, Cards and more Cards

    Welcome to our February Blog Hop featuring Card Creations made from using CTMH How To Books.  To purchase any of the items seen in our blog hop today, contact your local consultant to place an order.   we are going to show you just how creative we can get in using the card confidence programs found in our How-To books.

We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on our posts, as we love to get feedback from our viewers....whether it was something that you really liked or some new technique that was used that you would like to learn how to do....by leaving us comments, we get to hear what you like, and what you want to see. Thank you… now on to our hop! 

If you have just hopped onto my blog, you can start here as this is a circular hop, but if you want to follow us across Canada then please start at the beginning and join Michelle at mycreationswithmichelle.blogspot.ca  If you came from Krista's blog   then you are in the right place! 

    I chose to make 3x6" cards.  I can get 4 card bases from one 12x12" piece of cardstock.  The patterns I have used come from the Wishes book.

      I have also chosen to use the Brushed paper pack.   I love this paper pack...it is so feminine and so springy.  Paired up with some glitter paper on some of the cards, this paper also becomes romantic.

     This first card uses the pattern called Fancy File, found on page 81 of the Wishes How-to Book.  I turned it a 1/4 turn to make it a vertical card rather than a horizontal one.   I also used the February Stamp of the Month and a Base and Bling Pendant with some slate diagonal Striped ribbon to make this mother's day card...a little early but now I have it ready.

The inside of the card.

The second card uses the All Stacked Up Card pattern found on Page 59 of the Wishes book.

I used this pattern as shown in the book.  I used the "Have a Happy Day" stamp set (D1616) for this card, as well as pink glitter paper and pink glitter gems.

Close Up of Card

      For the third card I used the same pattern, only gave it a 1/4 turn to make it a horizontal card.  I used the glitter paper on this card too.  The rose is from a retired stamp of the month set from last year.  I love it because you can do so much coloring and shading with the ShinHan markers that CTMH carries.  A couple of the small flourishes finishes the card off.  Nice card for Valentines Day?

      The fourth card I made using the Sunrise pattern found on page 59 of the Wishes book.  I used the February Stamp of the Month to make a flower popping up from behind the horizon of the 'land'.  I tried to make this card more whimsical by using doodling with a journaling pen.

      This next card uses the same pattern, but looks completely different.  It does not use patterned paper of any sort, just black and Colonial White cardstock and two strips of gold shimmer tape, in addition to the stamp set "World Traveller" C1592.   

Inside of card.

       While we are on the travel theme I will share one last card.  This one is loosely based on the All Stacked Up pattern in the Wishes book, and was so easy to put together.  The buses are from the "World Traveller" set also.  I chose to pop up the second and third buses with dimensional tape and make each one a level higher than the first one.

     Ready, set, GO!!! Here we go... are you ready to go?  Go get your how-to book and pick a few patterns and some paper and make some cards for yourself or for someone special in your life. 

     Next on Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Chris .  Go there to see the beautiful artwork that she has made for us.   Oh, also feel free to leave a comment.  We love to hear from you!

Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way. We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring Easter Fun creations.  So mark March 15th on your calendars and hop along with us. 

     

Watercolour Technique

I was perusing Pinterest the other day and found a pin there that really piqued my interest.   It involved using embossing folders, sponge daubers, dye-based ink and water spritzer.  I set out to trying this out and I loved the end result.   All the 'patterned paper' used in these cards and on the card holder are paper patterns that I created.  How did I do this you may ask?  I got four colours of ink pads that I really liked and 4 sponge daubers and my CTMH embossing folders.   I began sponging ink in small areas (randomly) of one side of the embossing folder.  Once it was covered to my satisfaction I used a spray pen filled with water and lightly misted the embossing folder.  I then laid a piece of white cardstock on top of the embossing folder and firmly pressed it with my hand. 

 I also tried another way of covering the embossing folder with just one colour of ink  on one side and another colour on the other side and then misting them and covering them with white cardstock to get the cotton candy and lagoon papers.  

The result was beautiful (in my humble opinion) and inspired these cards.

Cards with the card holder.

Watercolour technique using the CTMH Quatrefoil Embossing folder and 3 ink colours.  The flower is also done using this technique for the base.

Using the honeycomb folder and 4 colours.

Close up of the watercolor paper.

This card uses paper that has been embossed.  When I was finished with the print in the card above this one, I noticed that there were still a lot of coloured drops of ink in the impressions of the embossing folder.  It looked really neat to me so I grabbed another piece of cardstock and ran it through my embossing machine.  This was the result and I must say I rather like the effect.

Using the damask embossing folder and 1 ink colour.

Using the opposite side of the damask folder and 1 ink colour.  Notice how much airier this side of the folder looks.  It creates a totally different feel.

I used the Artiste Cricut cartridge to cut the pieces for this box and it came together beautifully...spacious enough to hold the 6 cards and envelopes.

This will make a beautiful gift for someone special... and I am thinking that it may make a rather fun workshop where you can make your fingers rather inky and in the end have a beautiful gift for yourself or for someone else.  Let me know what you think.

Have a great day!!

Album Allure

Close to My Heart has come out with new albums!!  You won't find them in the idea book, but they are now available to be bought.  

 I love these albums....they come in 2 styles...post bound or D-ring style.  They are built to last.  

And THIS MONTH there is a special treat in store for you...when you buy one, you can get the second one at 50% off.   How is that for a deal? 

Watch this video to see and learn all about the benefits and the improvements in these albums.  Close to my Heart has worked hard and long with the manufacturers to make sure that these albums are top quality.

These albums will last you a long time, but these prices will not last long.  Hurry and get your albums...you can place your order here or let me know...I would be happy to help you.

Have a wonderful day and keep preserving those memories!

Back to Blogging

Wow!  I did not realize that it has been so long since my last post...but I am back  now again.  I am going to try to be more consistent with my blogging this year.

For this post I want to share with you a layout that I did about 3 weeks ago.   I did this for a challenge that Jeanette Lynton post on her close to my heart blog.  It was about new resolutions for 2015.  I don't really do resolutions, but I do challenge myself to new things each year.
This year I just want to BE...to be more content with who I am, to be more content with what I have, to be more diligent with my time and most importantly to BE in the presence of God through prayer and Bible study.

I am just now getting to post the picture of this layout, so without further ado here it is.

 

I still have to put a picture on the layout...a job for later.

 

Materials used are all CTMH products...

Materials Used:

SnowHaven paper pack -  X7188B

Classy Doily Stamp Set - B1424

Slate Ink - Z2173

Black Ink - Z2105

ShinHan Touch Twin Markers - R5 Cherry Pink  Z2450

                                                        - B68 Turquoise Blue Z2465

Black Journaling Pen

Dot Embossing Folder - Z1924

Sparkles Flourishes - Z 1812

Clear Sparkles (colored with ShinHan marker R11 Carmine - Z2448)

Slate pigment ink Z2503

Clear embossing powder - Z2088

Craft Heater - Z555

Retired Product - Keyboard Letters

 

If you would like any of these products you can order them from me or from your local CTMH consultant.

 

Thanks for coming by today...hope you will come back again soon.

Have a wonderful day!