Your friendship is like coffee

My card for you today uses Sketch # 14 from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.

 In case you were wondering what happened to me last week I was away on vacation and although I had a card made and had taken pictures of it to post for you while I was away the files went corrupt on me and I couldn't get them off of my camera to share with you and of course I didn't bring my card with me to re-photograph it. The card has vanished into the abyss which is my craft room and when it appears again I will get it photographed and posted for you. :)

 This is actually not the original card I had made for this weeks sketch as my original card is lost with last weeks card somewhere (yes, I seriously need to re-organize... or actually right now the problem is that I re-organized but can't remember where I re-organized everything to). The card I have for you today is one I made for a new but dear friend to me who listens to my complaining and is my shoulder to lean on on a daily basis. She picks up my slack for me when life throws lemons at me and I just haven't gotten around to making lemonade with them yet. Although I have a feeling it will be quite some time before we have a childless coffee date with hubby being away I made this card for her. Thanks Michelle!

I used the new stamp coming in the Autumn/Winter book which goes live tomorrow called Geometric Backgrounds to make my background. Sooooo simple and I just love the effect. I was going for old fashioned tablecloth here and I think it works. Although Michelle's favourite colour is blue I just couldn't bring myself to do this in anything other than red as that's what stands out as the old fashioned checkered cloth to me. I stamped the pot and cup from Cup of Cheer, coloured them with alcohol markers and fussy cut them out minus the steam. The sentiment was stamped from the same stamp set on the white layer as was the steam. the card base and the strip across is Ruby Cardstock.

I hope you enjoyed my card today and will go over HERE to see the rest of the Design Teams creations this week for Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge # 14 as well as the Top 3 from Sketch 13. 

If you'd like to see this weeks sketch and enter yourself please check that out HERE.

Products Used:

Hello Sketch # 12

I'm going to keep my post very short and sweet this week as I'm trying to spend all my time with my husband and children this week before hubby leaves for deployment for 8 months this weekend. :)

Without further ado... here is my take on Sketch # 12 from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge blog.

I flipped the sketch sideways and used a card design from a kit by fellow consultant Dawn Montagano from quite a while ago that she had done using the victory paper and barn red. I used our current Tommy paper paired with outdoor denim and honey. I coloured the dog in from the A Bowwow stamp set (love this set at just $6.95 it's fabulous) with alcohol markers. The sentiment is also from the same stamp set as well as the little bones that were fussy cut out and stuck on top of the honey like a bow. The outdoor denim layer behind the dog was scored every 1/4" 6 times and tyhen lightly sanded to expose the white core of the card stock on the score lines. The panel with the dog on it was scored 1/4" in all the way around and sponged with some cashmere ink.

Make sure you check out ALL the design teams creations using this sketch today HERE.

Go HERE to see all the entries so far and to enter your own creation! :)

Sweet Life Blog Hop

Welcome to our July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! This month's stamp from Close to My Heart is "Sweet Life" and is available exclusively through your Close to My Heart consultant from July 1 - 31, 2013. You can purchase this stamp set for only $5 with a qualifying purchase. 

 If you have just hopped onto myblog, please start at the beginning at Lucy's blog – Love 2 Create. If you came from Lucy's blog – Love 2 Create then you are in the right place!

My card today uses the peaches and one of the sentiments from this set. I used colonial white as my card base and for my layers and coloured my images using buttercup, sorbet and sweet leaf alcohol markers as well as a chocolate brown marker from the old style since that's what I had. I used Buzz & Bumble B&T and I inked the edges of everything except the card base with Goldrush ink.

I am very happy with how this card turned out. What do you think?

You can see another card I made using this stamp set that I posted the other day HERE.

Your next stop on our "Sweet Life" hop is Theo of Celebrate Crafts.

Products Used:

Here is the entire line up in case you get lost along the way. :)

1. Lucy ~ Love 2 Create  
2. Darla ~ Caution: Crafting is Contagious 
3. Theo ~ Celebrate Crafts 
4. Jennifer ~ 4 Hearts Scrapbooking 
5. Mary Ellen ~ Cr8ive ME 
6. Cat ~ Catscrapbooking 
7. Rebecca - Show Me Scrapping   
8. Heather - Paper Crafter Anonymous 

 Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you.

My take on Sketch # 11

I have 2 cards for your today.

The first is my own take on this weeks sketch. I just can't help myself, no matter what when I see horizontal stripes I think sky line.

This card uses the watercolour pencils to colour a white daisy cardstock panel with the July Stamp Of The Month (available for just $5 with any purchase of $50 or more). I LOVE this stamp set! I then mounted this piece on a kraft cardstock base.


This second card I want to share with you today is NOT my design but that of CTMH corporate team. This card was made at convention this year (soooooo much fun by the way) and as soon as I saw it I started to chuckle to myself because unbeknownst to the card designer they had followed this weeks sketch. I guess the designer and Michelle has similar thoughts without knowing it considering we have had the sketches up and available for our design team to work with for more than a month ahead of time (might have even been two months but can't remember when I uploaded this one).

Design by Close To My Heart corporate staff

This card uses a new paper pack coming out August 1st with the release of the Autumn/Winter 2013 idea book.

Now make sure you head on over to the Atlantic Hearts Challenge blog HERE to see the rest of the design team creations for this week and the top 3 from last week.

You can see this weeks sketch and the entries so far HERE.


Products Used:

Exciting news!

Okay, I don't want to distract you too much and have you miss out on any retiring products.. so before I begin here's you reminder:

Don't forget with a new idea book coming out August 1st there will be lots of products retiring! If you had your eye on something and haven't ordered it yet do it before it's gone! If you want to know if the items you're looking at are retiring or not contact me with your list and I will let you know. :)

You can order by contacting me or through my website HERE. Make sure you join my open gathering and I will send you a little goody as well.

okay.. warning over.. now onto my exciting news!

Have you heard the news? No?

Close To My Heart has introduced a new cricut cartridge bundle that will be available for customers August 1st!

Bundled with 3 sheets of colour ready dimensional elements and 3 D size stamp sets!

There are page lace overlays (would make a great card front as well), scrapbook layouts already thought out for you just set your dial size to 11" cut assemble and add photos (of course you could also switch them up from the predesigned layout and use them for MANY more different ones as well), mini albums, titles, card fronts, envelopes, file folders, a complete font and much much more!

I am of course offering a special for you! 

Order the all new Artbooking cartridge through me and receive 2 FREE cricut blades (your choice of regular or deep cut), a copy of the new idea book and a small stamp set as a token of my appreciation. You will also qualify for the stamp of the month and any current promotion that may be going on as well.

Also, if you are local and order before July 20 I will have it waiting here for you to pick up on August 1st.

Of course you can always get it before August 1st by joining my team for just $49 and receive over $155 worth of stuff (see the kit HERE), get a minimum of 22% discount on all of your CTMH purchases, enjoy consultant perks (like convention, album retreats, bulk items, great training videos, product videos and more)  and preorder new products before the book goes live. As a member of my team you will also get my personal email, home phone and cell phone number to reach me any time you need to and the benefit of my team facebook page where you can ask any question you like, share ideas, get ideas and more. I do team member only videos if I think it will help to see something visual instead of just a verbal answer and more. Pretty good value for just $49 right?! 

I know some of you are now thinking... 

The last 2 cartridges were fabulous but how could they possibly have come out with a third that I "need:?

The answer... take a look for yourself! Check out the photos below and/or the PDF file of the complete handbook HERE and the pictures of the stamp sets below as well:

Oh, did I mention that Close To My Heart will be offering a 32 week video class using this cartridge absolutely FREE??? That's right, 32 episodes packed with information, instruction and ideas using this cartridge! It will start in September and run right through until April!Of course they'll be available to watch any time you wish after that as well.