Thank You - Sketch #9

Today I have a card using this weeks sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for you (links to this weeks sketch and Design Teams creations for you at the end of this post, definitely check them both out as there are some fantastic creations. We'd love to see you play along with us too!).

I created this Thank You card using the fantastic $2.95 promotional stamp "A True Thank You" with proceeds going to relief for Oklahoma.

I cut all the rectangles out of the black cardstock creating my frame overlay. I then just coloured the card base that showed through with gypsy, smokey plum, autumn terracotta and honey inks. Stamped the Thank You in black and voila!

To see the Design Team creations for this week go HERE.

To see this weeks sketch and the entries so far (and to enter your own) go HERE

Just Because you brighten my day! - Sketch #8

Today I am sharing this card over on the Card A Day Blog as well. :)

I used this weeks sketch from over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog.

That's it for my shout outs. LOL I'd love for you to go back and check out the links to these two great blogs after you check out my card. ;)

The past few months I have had a very rough time personally on many fronts which I won't go into here as this is my happy place! :) My dear sweet neighbour and Great-Aunt in-law and Great Uncle in-law who are in their late 80's have been an absolute God send in helping me cope with it all. They are always out in the yard as soon as they see the kids and I out with smiles on their faces and a listening ear. I absolutely adore them! Last week was particularly troublesome and on Sunday I was greeted with a fresh loaf of brown bread that she made me "Just Because". They are truly a blessing to have in my life.

I decided to make a card for them "Just Because" since well, I don't bake but I DO make cards. LOL

Here's the card I made for them.

The card base is Goldrush cardstock and the patterned paper is Surf's Up. I used a wooden badge button inked with honey ink (it more closely matches the goldrush on the wooden badge button due to the colouring of the wood). I stamped the sentiment from D1511 Kick Back. with chocolate pigment ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder which is a great solution for embossing in all different colours without owning a million different embossing powders. 

Hope you enjoyed my card and make sure you check out the rest of the Design Teams creations using this sketch when they are all posted on the Atlantic Hearts Sketch |Challenge blog tomorrow morning.  If you wander over to Card A Day Blog tomorrow as well you'll find another great "Just Because" card from my good friend Lucy.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there today!

Remember the Father's Day card I posted HERE? Remember I promised I'd show you the inside once we gave it to my amazing hubby and father of our two wonderful children? Well, it's Father's Day so we have given it to him of course. :)

First a reminder what the outside was..

Now here's the awesome inside...

All the cuts are done with my new Silhouette Cameo and purchased in 2 different files from the Silhouette Online Store. They were designed as cuts to be layered but I simply layered them on my screen and filled them with the colours I wanted then I just set my cut settings to cut the outline only. I used simple boxes behind the pieces to make them pop up (I forgot to take a side view photo for you of that but I promise to sneak the card back later today to grab one for you and will add it to the post). 

The table is just a pop-up cube with the front part cut away to form the table legs. The little beer glass is a piece of white card that I scored every 1/8" to make it look like a beer glass and then coloured the bottom part with my honey alcohol marker for the beer. I cut a "C" and attached it for the handle. 

The floor and wall is a piece of cardstock that is coloured with distress stains (Walnut and Victorian Velvet). These colours are very similar to the actual colours of our living room. 

I also just have to share a picture of hubby in his shirt that Michael made him at preschool. He's such a good daddy that he actually washed it last night so he could wear it again today. 

Big kudos to our sons amazing preschool as well! They always do the most amazing things with the kids for the parents. I received an awesome tote bag filled with handmade keepsakes for Mother's Day (yes I know I haven't shared that but I was very ill the day they had the get together at preschool and so I did not receive mine until the following week when Michael went back which I figured was too late to share with you then) and they had a great day for the Father's on Friday with an indoor picnic (it was raining), fun games like giving Daddy a shave with shaving cream and a Popsicle stick razor, potato sack race (which they ventured out in the rain for) and more.

Life is a Journey - Sketch # 7

Today I have a card for you using Sketch #7 from my Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog.

I kept this one very CAS. I used "A Journey A1127" stamp set with is just $6.95 a fabulous value. I stamped the trees randomly in black and then turned it upside down and stamped in 2nd generation as a reflection. I stamped the footprints and the sentiment from this same stamp set in black as well.

Hope you enjoy. 

P.S. Anyone have any photography tips for taking pictures of white cards?? I normally just put it on white foam board but as you can see I had to crop the background away since you couldn't tell the card from the background. 

Please go check out the rest of the Design Teams creations HERE and I'd love to see you link up your own creation using this weeks sketch which you can find HERE.

Products Used:

A Flowering Bunch

I usually participate in this great blog hop every month with my fellow Close To My Heart consultants to show you some great projects using the Stamp Of The Month. This month however I had lent my SOTM set to a friend without really paying any attention to dates of her vacation, oops. Anyways, I didn't want you to miss out on the great inspiration using this set so figured I would at least give you the lineup for this months blog hop so you could see what my fellow consultants made with it. It really is a great stamp set.


This month's stamp from Close to My Heart is "A Flowering Bunch" and is available exclusively through your Close to My Heart consultant from June 1 - 30, 2013. You can purchase this stamp set for only $5 with any qualifying purchase of $50 or more. Also, don't forget about all the other fabulous specials this month. :)

Here is the lineup for this months blog hop:

1. Lucy ~ Love 2 Create
2. Amber ~ Scrapper's Therapy 
3. Theo ~ Celebrate Crafts 
4. Jennifer ~ 4 Hearts Scrapbooking 
5. Stephanie ~ QuiltedScrapper
6. Cat ~ catscrapbooking
7. Traci ~ Paper Crafting 101

Celebrate the Magic with Sketch #6

My card for Sketch #6 from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge is a fun one. Great for a kids birthday OR to celebrate going to Close To My Heart convention 2013 in Disney World!! Yay!!

Only 20 more days until Michelle and I board a flight to Florida with fellow consultant Rosalynd. Once there we will meet up with MANY other consultants (I think someone said there were over 2000 at last years convention) and get crafty with the products being released with the Autumn/Winter Idea Book that will come out August 1. Definitely something to celebrate!

I used a retired stamp set for this card called Magic Adventures D1509. I used my journaling pen to extend the roller coaster track a little bit in front and a bit in back as well (bet you can't even tell where the actual stamped image ends and my hand drawn line begins... and now you're trying to find it just because I said that  haha). I used my watercolour pencils to colour the image and then I hand cut along the sentiment side of the track and car so I could slide my sentiment piece underneath. The picture makes it look black but the mats are actually Outdoor Denim.

I honestly envisioned the sentiment going lower like the sketch but I glued down the whole coaster side before really placing everything to realize it wouldn't fit lower and have a chance to trim some off on the right to allow for it. Oh well. :)

Speaking of celebrations, this months specials are definitely something to celebrate! There are four.. yes four specials this month and technically one of the specials could be broken down into three more.

Check them out and then please head over to the post at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge Blog to see the rest of the Design Teams creations as well as the Top 3 from last weeks sketch ....

1st is a great campaign where for just $2.95 you can grab M1029 - "A True Thank You", a teaser stamp set from the Autumn/Winter idea book and better yet, all the proceeds are being donated to relief efforts for Oklahoma. Check out this great stamp...

2nd is technically three great promotions and also is something that hits very close to home with me. Most of you know that my husband is in the Canadian Navy and has been for the last 16 years, my late father-in-law was in the Canadian Air Force and many other family members serve in both US and Canadian military.
What does this promotion have to do with any of that... well it's 3 great limited edition stamp sets of which Close To My Heart will donate $3 from each B-size My Acrylix® Courage stamp set and $5 from each D-size My Acrylix® Home of the Brave stamp set to the USO, the leading, most recognized military-support and services organization in the United States, or $3 from each B-size My Acrylix® Courage stamp set and $5 from each D-size My Acrylix® Strong and Free stamp set to the Canadian Hero Fund, which supports spouses and children of fallen Canadian military troops by providing post-secondary education in Canada.

B1437 - Courage $9.95

D1576 - Home of the Brave $17.95

D1575 - Strong and Free $17.95

3rd is if you place a $25 order that includes a stamp set, you’ll receive a My Creations® mini banner for free! The mini banner includes 10 chipboard pennants in 4 different shapes with 9 jump rings for hanging.

Last but not least of course is this months Stamp Of The Month set which is just $5 with every $50 order.

A Flowering Bunch - June 2013 SOTM

Now head over to the post at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge Blog to see the rest of the Design Teams creations as well as the Top 3 from last weeks sketch.