Cozy Color Popped Kitty

I am loving Close to My Heart's Color Pop paper!  I planned on using it along with my new "Cozy Cat" stamp to make a card for the Heart 2 Heart Creature Feature challenge.  Then I was invited to be this week's guest designer for the Color My Heart color dare to use Dream Pop paper.  Could the timing be any better?  This required a lot of fussy cutting.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love fussy cutting?  Not.  But sometimes it is worth the effort.  After finishing my cat and casing Allisa Childress' idea to pop up her (is there any doubt she is a little girl kitty?) nose with some foam tape, I tried a white card base which gave my card a nice, warm, cozy feel.  Then I reminded myself that the name of the paper is Dream POP!  So I made it pop by using black.  Here is the inside:





I would not normally use stitching on the inside of a card, but when I poked the holes for the piece on the front, I miscounted and put an odd number of holes which left a hole hanging on the end.   Not wanting to waste my effort, I trimmed off the extra hole and put the piece it inside.  The layout is this one from Freshly Made Sketches:

Thank you for stopping by! Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all from Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  Dream Pop, White daisy cardstock

Ink:  Black

Stamp:  Joyful Birthday

Embellishments:  Grey Sparkle, Pink Glitter Gems, Black upholstery thread from Coats and Clark





Stitch My Heart With Juniper and Creme Brulee

 

The final challenge for May over at Heart 2 Heart is to use stitching, either real or faux.  That got me to thinking about making a quilt card using this week's Color My Heart colors, Juniper and Creme Brulee.  My thought was to stitch on the quilt and then I saw this card on the PartiCraft blog on Pinterest  (Yes, I have succumbed to the lure of Pinterest.):

 

 

Of course stitching on an embossed surface would be overkill, so I stitched around the edges.  To make the center, I used the retired Bohemian Assortment, trimming the leaves of the doily.  I used an alcohol marker to color the waxy flax in Creme Brulee.  I am loving the flexibility Close to My Heart's new alcohol markers give me!  Here is the inside:

 

 

 

The one thing I will do differently technique wise next time (and there will be a next time!), is to turn the embossing folder over because when you quilt, the design you sew is pressed into the quilt and the negative space is raised.  That is just me being picky...  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

 

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  Perfect Day, Bliss, and Veranda (all retired), Juniper and Colonial White cardstock

Ink:  Creme Brulee alcohol marker

Embellishments:  Bohemian Assortment (retired), Colonial White Waxy Flax, Brown Opaques, upholstery thread from Coats and Clark

Other:  Paper Lace II embossing folder from Cuddlebug





Heart 2 Heart Meets Papercraft Star

 



When the folks at Heart 2 Heart challenged us to show them our May flowers, I knew I wanted to make these gorgeous daisies I saw on Amie Kiger's blog, Mimi, Myself, and I where she posted a link to Cathy Derouche's blog, Cathyplus5 where you can find more detailed instructions.  You cut two flowers (Artiste cartridge, page 54, accent 3) in each of two or three graduated sizes.  I cut two at 1.5 inches and two at 1.25inches for the larger flower and two at 1.25 inches and two at 1 inch for the smaller one.  You cup the petals and then stack them, rotating each.  For the center you use a flower made using the Art Philosophy cartridge (page 69, font).  I added some definition by swiping the edges of the petals of half of the flowers with Sunset and the other half with Cotton Candy.



This week the folks at Papercraft Star want to see what we find beautiful.  Although I think flowers are pretty, to me the most beautiful thing is our relationships.  I belong to a group of ladies that I refer to as scrappin' friends (even though some prefer other crafts) who, in addition to crafting together, support and care for each other.  I made this card using the layout below from Freshly Made Sketches for one of my friends who had surgery recently to treat thyroid cancer.  It was supposed to go with the meal I made, but I did not finish the card in time, so the family got their dinner last Thursday and she will get her card tomorrow.   Here is the inside:



Thank you for stopping by! Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all from Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Paper:  Dream Pop, White Daisy cardstock
Ink:  Sunset, Cotton Candy, and Black
Stamp:  Flair from the Avonlea Cardmaking Workshop
Embellishments:  Wooden Mini Medley Accents Collection
Other:  Cricut Artiste and Art Philosophy cartridges



Birthday Cake for Daddy

 

 

 

When I made this card for the Heart 2 Heart Cake Challenge I found myself thinking about my Daddy who was getting ready to celebrate his 81st birthday and how much he loves chocolate and then kicked myself for making the card so girly.  I was planning to make a more suitable cake card when, lo and behold, the folks in the Rose Blossom Garden challenged us to use the Birthday Girl key on the Artiste Cricut cartridge.  Perfect timing!  To give it more dimension, I embossed the icing and edged the cupcake holder with a bit of Whisper ink.  There is one thing I would have done differently if I had looked at my embellishments before arranging the color rays. The Lagoon embellishment in the For Always Assortment would have been perfect if I had not placed the Mint ray in the middle! Live and learn...  

 

Yesterday I headed home with a chocolate truffle cake and this card.  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

 

Materials used, all from Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted.

Paper:  Dream Pop, White Daisy and Chocolate cardstock

Ink:  Chocolate, Whisper

Stamp: Joyful Birthday (inside)

Embellishments:  Clear Sparkles, Bouquet Assortment (retired)

Other:  Musical Flourishes embossing folder by Cuddlebug

Belated Birthday

A friend whose children are the four footed pointy eared variety recently had a birthday.  Had being the operative word...  This is Dream Pop, the Close to My Heart special paper pack offered to celebrate National Scrapbooking month.  The tone on tone designs are embossed.  I used my computer to make the sentiment:

The layout is from Unscripted Sketches:

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Paper:  Dream Pop, White daisy cardstock
Ink:  Cotton Candy, Slate
Stamps:  Cat Livre by Stampendous, Cat Print by All Night Media
Embellishments:  Slate Epoxy Bubbles (retired), Wooden Badge Button







A Ray of Sunshine for a Teacher



The first Heart 2 Heart challenge of the month is to show appreciation to a teacher.  My daughter no longer goes to school, but she does go to a day program two mornings a week where they teach life skills.  To me showing appreciation is a heartfelt thank you note with specific examples of what makes them so wonderful, but what image should I use on a card?  Oh wait!  Papercraft Star is challenging us to let the sun shine in.  I got to thinking about how a good teacher is a ray of sunshine into the lives of children.  And the Rose Blossom Garden challenge is to use the "P" key on the Artiste cartridge which includes several medallions including one that has rays like the sun.  Got it!



I cut the medallion out of Colonial White cardstock and sponged on Buttercup, Sunset and Tulip.  When I began to scrunch it up, I realized that you can see the back side of the ends, so I unscrunched and sponged Sunset on the back.  The button is from the Colonial White Mini Medley which I colored with a Creme Brulee alcohol marker.  To make the bow I put a piece of Natural Hemp between a piece of plastic and my Sunset ink pad and pulled it through a few times.  The inside is blank with lots of room for my note.



Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all from Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:
Paper:  Colonial White and Buttercup cardstock
Ink:  Buttercup, Sunset, and Tulip plus a Creme Brulee alcohol marker
Stamp:  Thank You
Embellishments:  Colonial White Mini Medley (retired), Natural Hemp

Mojo Monday Anniversary

A friend is getting ready to celebrate her first wedding anniversary and thought it would be nice to give her husband, in her words, a "Hansi original."  The colors used in her wedding were black, white, pink and silver, so I immediately thought of Close to My Heart's For Always paper with Blush and a pop of the new silver glitter paper.  I started with this week's Mojo Monday sketch:

I was concerned that two different background panels would make my card too busy, so I used the dark floral and doily pages separated by a plain black strip to keep it subtle.  This card is 5 X 6 1/2 to accommodate the "Love" stamp which I heat embossed with clear detail powder over black pigment ink.  I love the new glitter papers and have found that liquid glass works well when you want to layer over it.  The layers of the flower are separated by pop up foam to preserve the curls in the petals which are edged with Blush ink to give them definition.  The only "Happy Anniversary" stamp I have is in a font that is too modern for this card.  I think this sentiment works better, even if the Happy Anniversary part is implied:

 

 

My friend was pleased with this card.  I hope her husband will be, too.  Thank you for stopping by.  Until next time, Hansi

 

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper|:  For Always, Blush and White Daisy cardstock, Gray Glitter

Ink:  Black pigment, Blush

Stamps:  Love (not in the current catalog but still available), Love Doily

Embellishments:  Black Mini Medley (retired), Sparkles Black Flourishes, Pink Sparkles

Other:  Clear Detail embossing powder







Tucked in With Heart 2 Heart

The final Heart 2 Heart challenge for April is to "tuck it in,"  that is, use an envelope or pocket of some sort.  I made this card using the Freshly Made Sketch at the bottom of this post.  Here is my card "untucked:"

 

 

Thank you for stopping by! Until next time, Hansi

 

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  Stella (retired), Colonial White cardstock

Ink:  Buttercup, Sunset, Tulip (retired), Cocoa

Stamps:  My Sunshine (March Stamp of the Month)

Embellishment:  Lagoon Mini Medley (retired), hemp

 

 









Bake a Cake in an Envelope for Heart 2 Heart

 

 

 

Since my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in March, I have been learning to bake all over again.  This gluten free "cake" for the Heart 2 Heart challenge. :)  My goal was to make a yellow cake with chocolate icing, so I used the Cricut Artist cartridge to cut two five inch cards using the "Happy Birthday" key on page 70.  The first was from Buttercup cardstock and the second from a sheet in the Chantilly paper pack.  I cut the cupcake holder from the Chantilly card to stick on the Buttercup base and saved the rest for another time.  I then traced the top and *gasp* hand cut the "icing" from Chocolate cardstock (Yes, I still know how to use scissors!), embossed it to get the feel of icing swirls and added "sprinkles."  The challenge also required the use of baker's twine, which I did not have, so I had to make a trip to A.C. Moore. Alas, there was no time for the convenience of having Close to My Heart products delivered to my door.  I also sponged around the edges to give the cake some dimension.  Here is the inside:

 

 

 

 

This was not only my first experience with a shaped card, but it was my first using the Cricut to make an envelope and, boy, was it an experience! 

 

 



 

Much to my frustration, the Cricut would not cut a five inch envelope to go with my five inch card.  Using the "fit to page" feature, I found that the largest envelope it would cut was 4 3/4 inches.  Fortunately, the shape of the card allows for sliding it in at an angle, so the card does fit.  Moral of the story:  If you are planning to make an envelope, make it first to determine the size limit before you expend all that effort to make a card that may not fit.  I stamped the front using chocolate pigment ink which I then clear embossed, so I could color it without smearing.  I used pink Stickles to cover the brown chips to echo what is on the card. A little bit of sponging with Gypsy along the flap adds to the girly girl look.  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

 

Materials used, all from Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  Chantilly, Buttercup, White Daisy, and Chocolate cardstock

Ink:  Chocolate, Smokey Plum, Buttercup, Honey, Ruby plus White Daisy and Chocolate pigment inks, Gypsy marker

Stamps:  Joyful Birthday, Cricut Artist Birthday

Embellishments:  Pink and Purple Sparkles, Heirloom Assortment (retired), baker's twine by Darice, button from my stash, Stickles

Other:  Musical Flourishes embossing folder by Cuddlebug