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!

 

                                                                                                                        

 

Cross Canada Blog Hop featuring Picture My Life

Welcome to the cross Canada blog hop for August.  This is a circular hop that starts in the eastern part of Canada and goes across Canada to the western province of B.C.  This month we are featuring projects that use Picture My Life cards...not in the usual way of scrapbooking with them, but thinking outside the box and using them for different projects.  If you came from Krista's blog  then you are in the right place.  If you are starting here then just follow the link at the end of my post and go on to the next talented designer in this circular blog.
We hope that you will enjoy what we have to show you and please leave a comment...we love to hear what you think.
Now onto my project.

I chose to use the Skylark Picture My Life cards to make an explosion box.  I had a lot of fun putting this together, using washi tape to hold it all together.   I used a large 4x6" card as the base, cutting it to 4x4" so that the horizontal 4x3" cards would fit around the base.  I attached them to the base using our new blue heart washi tape.  (I love that tape).  I then used vertical 3x4" cards and attached them to the base using the woodgrain washi tape.  One more layer of 4x3" horizontal cards attached in the same manner and the box is almost done.  Just had to attach the corner pieces...3x4 cards cut to 3x3 and folded diagonally.  I attached them with washi tape and my box was ready to go.    
                                   

                                   

  For the lid, I scored a 4x6" card at the 1" mark and the 5" mark and folded them down.  I took a 3x4 card and cut it into 1x4" strips.  I attached them to the larger card with blue heart washi tape and then used the woodgrain at the corners to make it a lid.

 I also used bitty sparkles colored with our new alcohol markers and some rolled roses (edged with my new ShinHan alcohol markers) along with some shimmer trim to dress up the top of the lid.

I hope this all makes sense to you and that you can follow what I did.  I am pleased with the result.
Now hop along to Brae's blog  and see what she has created with the PML cards.  Enjoy the rest of the hop.

Have a great day!

Lucy :)

Out With the Old- the Brae-er's Blog Hop

Welcome to the Brae-er's team blog hop where we are going "OUT WITH THE OLD"....  
This month is the last one for the Spring Summer Idea Book 2014.  There are so many things in this Idea Book that I love...it is going to be hard to see them go.  This hop is circular in nature so if you are here, this is a good place to start.  If you have come from Carol's blog then you are in the right place.
   Ariana has become one of my all time favourite collections and that is what I am going to focus on in this post.  I love the feminine feel of it and have tried to focus on that in some of the cards and layouts that I have made.

These little cards are stairstep cards and measure only 3 x 2.5".  They are great for tucking in a gift for a special friend or family member.

The cards above are our regular size: 4.25x 5.5"  and would be so fun to send to a special someone.


To finish off I would like to show you a layout that I made with my daughter in mind.

I do not have the pictures for it yet...but someday soon I will have a photo shoot with her and hopefully get some great photos for this layout.  I can just picture what I would like...I just hope that they turn out like I envision them to be.
         Beginning August 1st we will be going into an Annual Idea Book with completely new collections.  I have had a sneak peak at them and they are all just beautiful....but for this month we will still enjoy the collections from the S/S Idea Book.

 If you are not sure that you want to let any of these retiring items slip away from your fingers, you can visit here and purchase that product.  If you would like to get your own copy of the new Idea Book, please leave a comment and I will see to it that you get it.
Now go on to see what the crafty Julie has created for us...she next in line.  Go and see what she is still enjoying in this last month of the S/S Idea book. If you get lost then you can find your way with this list of crafty Brae-ers who are participating in this hop.

Oh by the way, please leave a comment.  We love your feedback!!



1. Brae Montgomery- http://wp.me/p4htXJ-wC

2. Chris Robertson -http://chriscreativelife.blogspot.com/2014/07/out-with-old-july-brae-er-team-blog-hop.html

3. Michelle Stewart ~ http://mycreationswithmichelle.blogspot.com/2014/07/team-brae-ers-out-with-old-blog-hop.html

4. Kiera Van Schyndel - http://inspirepapercrafts.blogspot.com/2014/07/out-with-old-brae-er-team-blog-hop-july.html

5. Carol-Anne Grenier http://cagrenier.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-blog-hop-out-with-old.html

6. Alyson Mayo - http://createwithalyson.blogspot.com/2014/07/brae-ers-unit-blog-hop-retiring-products.html

7. Tamara Lisowski -http://geermara.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-ctmh-blog-hop-out-with-old.html

8. Carol Taggiohttp://craftycarol55.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-out-with-old-blog-hop.html

9. Lucy Imrie -http://lucyscreativeexpressions.blogspot.com/2014/07/out-with-old-brae-ers-blog-hop.html  

10. Julie Sinnott - http://12x12travels.blogspot.com/2014/07/team-brae-er-july-blog-hop-out-with-old.html

11. Nicky Scott - http://www.timelesscottage.ca/team-brae-er-out-with-the-old/

Enjoy the hop and we will see you next time.



Lucy :)

My Favourite Things - The Brae-ers Monthly Blog Hop

Welcome to the Brae-er's monthly blog hop.  We are featuring some of our favourite things in this blog hop.   It is circular in nature so if you just came from Michelle Stewart's blog then you are in the right place.

Some of my favourite things in the scrapbooking world and otherwise are floral prints.  And with no exception this spring there was a floral print in the line up of paper that Close To My Heart introduced.  That paper was sprinkled with my favourite flower - the rose...old fashioned roses.  The name of that paper - Ariana.  (Such a pretty name)  
I chose to make a card box and an assortment of cards with this line of paper and to accent it with some of my favourite accessories; flowers- a girl's favourite gift(at least they are mine), sparkles flourishes (they look like little diamonds), glitter and liquid glass.   I love how these accessories make the project so much more sparkly and feminine...oh and did I say more sparkly?  My eyes are immediately drawn  to any project that has them.  So without further ado here are some pictures of my project.

The top of the box

Card box at an angle so you can see the dimension.

Closeup of the flower.  I put Liquid Glass all over the rose and the leaves.  Glitter adds a little more sparkle to the rose too.  I added the glitter first and then covered it all with Liquid Glass.

Card #1...love, laugh, live!

                                                               Card #2 - Live Exactly...

                                                              Card #3 - You Are My Happy Place

Card # 4 - Love is Patient and Kind

Card #5 - Best Wishes

 The last little favourite thing for me is butterflies...I love how they can flutter through the air ever so gracefully and land on the flowers for the nectar.  Their flight has no particular destination, at least so it seems.  They are so free and go wherever they desire.   Roses, flowers, butterflies...all are representative of warm days  and hopefully days where we can as the quote on the box says,  "Laugh until your heart overflows".  I hope that you enjoy your Easter weekend and the coming of spring and summer when roses will bring forth their fragrances and beauty.
Now it is time to hop on to Tamara's blog and see the beautiful work that she has made from some of her favourite things.  Thanks for hopping along with us- we hope that we were able to inspire you to get creative using a few of our favourite things.  We hope that you will join us again next month when we will be featuring more CTMH projects.  See you then...until then enjoy spring and all the beautiful flowers and leaves that will soon be popping out!!