Clean and Simple with Heart and February's SOTM

The last Heart 2 Heart challenge of the month is to create something that is clean and simple, so I got out February's Stamp of the Month and started to play.  It does not really show in the photos that I embossed some of the images in gold.  I had to take the photos with my phone because my "real" camera with the bounce flash is acting up.

This first card may not meet a purist's definition of CAS because it has some embellishments, but the ladies at Heart 2 Heart are allowing for some leeway.  I used a black ShinHan marker to fill in the petals of the flower before adding the sparkle to the center.

For this second version I had so much trouble centering the solid black stamp that I ended up stamping it on a scrap and cutting it out with a one inch circle punch:

The sentiments come from the Variety of Thanks set which is available only as a hostess reward through March 31st.  I love all the curly cues!  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

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

Paper:  Colonial White and Black cardstock

Ink:  Black with Black ShinHan marker

Stamps:  A Happy Hello (Stamp of the Month available during February only), Variety of Thanks (available as a hostess reward though March 31)

Embellishments:  Black Sparkles, Ranger Gold embossing powder

Making the Old New with Heart

In honor of the new year, the ladies over at Heart 2 Heart want to see something old used in a new way, so I rotated the Snowflake mini from the Christmas before last to create a row of Art Deco(ish) tiles following this Atlantic Hearts sketch:

First up was with a pop of Lagoon with sparkles colored with my ShinHan marker in Peacock Teal:

Next I tried a few more pops, this time in Pixie, and upped the contrast with some black layers:

Lastly I did one in black and white:

One thing I learned is that I am much better at coloring small circles than I am tiny triangles, so I embossed the images with clear detail powder to help me stay within the lines.  This reminds me of the original bathroom in my 1930"s house.

I am also going to enter the pink card in the Seize the Birthday Anything Goes Challenge which is a new challenge blog for me.  Thank you for stopping by!  Now please head on over to Seize the Birthday, Heart 2 Heart and Atlantic Hearts for some more inspiration.  Until next time, Hansi

Merry Penguins

This week's Merry Monday challenge is to create a Christmas card featuring critters with this inspiration photo:

Cute little critter plus snow meant only one thing:  the ice skating penguin from a retired Close to My Heart set, Winter Wishes.  I embossed him with clear detail powder to help him pop, colored him with a ShinHan marker, and while I was coloring, colored a bitty sparkle to give him a sparkle butt.  Amy Kiger would be so proud!  I wanted to use this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and pop up the center panel like several of the designers did.  They call them inspiration projects for a reason...

There was one problem.  I wanted to make a border using use a strip cut from Snowhaven which had black on each side.  I was concerned that with the center popped up, you would be able to see the edge of the border if I used a white card base.  The solution was to use a black card base.  To keep the white core from showing I ran the edges of the borders across a black ink pad.  This is what the card looked like without the center panel:

To make the center panel I used the Cricut Design Space to cut the opening and then embossed it using a folder by Darice.  Anytime I am going to emboss a shape or something with an opening I always do all the cutting first so that I can position the paper in the embossing folder so that the embossed design compliments the shape. That is how I got the snowflakes to dance around the opening. I cut a red and white strip for the horizontal element but decided it was too much red and and that a strip with black and white and a touch of red would work better.  Rather than waste the first piece, I used it on the inside:

I used ShinHan markers to put black dots at the center of the flowers and color the ornament and a chalk marker in the ornament's center.  This helped integrate the colors.

This card was also an opportunity to relive my childhood and play Tic-Tac-Toe with the ladies over at Heart 2 Heart Challenges:

Sketch plus Cricut plus embossing gives me three in a row horizontally.  This might even be a two way if you consider that this card could be suitable for a guy.

Now I have two Christmas cards ready for next year.  Thank you for stopping by!  Now why don't you visit Merry Monday, Freshly Made Sketches and Heart 2 Heart for some inspiration and maybe enter them yourself?  I would love to see your work!  Until next time, Hansi

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

Paper:  Snowhaven, Black, White Daisy, and Cranberry cardstock

Ink:  Black pigment and dye inks, Black and Carmine ShinHan markers

Stamp:  Winter Wishes (retired)

Embellishments:  Bitty Sparkle, red baker's twine from Michael's, black button (retired)

Other:  Snowflake embossing folder by Darice, Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge

A Card Inspired by a Goody Bag

This has been a rough year for my family and I had to let a lot of Christmas traditions go for now, but I made sure to hold on to the ones that connect us, including the little Christmas bag of treats that I make for neighbors.  As I was putting the bags together I found myself thinking the design would make a nice card. 

When I saw that this week the Color My Heart Color Dare is to use Glacier, White Daisy, and Kraft with the addition of black if desired it was a clear signal to adapt the design to a card using this Atlantic Hearts Sketch:

In a bit of serendipity, The Curtain Call challenge is to make a project inspired by this "Winter Wonder" themed picture:

In addition the Frosted Designs challenge theme is "White as a Snowflake."  Wow!  I could meet four challenges with one card.

Now all I had to do was make the card. First I cut and embossed the snowflake using a Spellbinders Shapeabilities die cut set, Create-a-Flake Five, with my Cuddlebug.  The sandwich to cut is A plate, C plate, die cut with cutting ridges up, cardstock, B plate.  To emboss, leave the cut shape in the die cut and make a sandwich with A plate, die cut with cutting ridges up, tan embossing mat, two pieces of cardstock, two B plates.  Next I used a Spellbinders Netabilities set to cut the hexagon and sponged around the edges with White Daisy pigment ink.  I stamped the background with the White Daisy ink and a stamp from Winter Wonderland (retired) and embellished it with sparkles that I had colored using a Cerulean Blue Light ShinHan marker.  The hexagon is popped up with foam tape.

So there you have it:  one card, four challenges, and a head start on next year's Christmas cards.  Thank you for stopping by!  Now why don't you go check out some of the other enteries in these challenges to be inspired or maybe even enter one yourself.  I would love to see your work!  Until next time, Hansi

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

Paper:  White Daisy, Glacier and Kraft cardstock

Ink:  White Daisy pigment ink, Cerulean Blue Light ShinHan marker

Stamps:  Winter Wonderland (retired)

Embellishments:  Bitty Sparkles, Hemp from Michael's

Other:  Create-a-Flake Five Shapeabilities and Nestabilities Hexagon die cuts by Spellbinders

Seaside Goes Steampunk

I was really hoping I could get this card in the mail before I had to post this to make the deadline to enter this Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge:

Alas, it has been an insane week, and I am lucky I even got it finished on time, so the recipient is going to see it before she gets it.  Oh well.  This sketch screamed for Close to My Heart's "A Thing Well Done" stamp set which is available as a hostess reward in the new Seasonal Expressions catalog.  As I looked through my paper I was amused that the paper that spoke to me has a beach theme.  I used the new ShinHan markers to color the butterfly and some Bitty Sparkles to coordinate.  I have found that if you stamp your image and let it set 15 minutes or so, and if you color along the lines rather than across the lines, the image does not smear.  The panel is popped up with foam tape.

Wouldn't you know it?  After I linked my card I saw that Arlene Bonsma used the same stamp set to create a lovely card.  Go check out her take on the sketch with this stamp.   Can we say great minds think alike?  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

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

Paper:  Seaside, Desert Sand, Lagoon and Colonial White cardstock

Ink:  Desert Sand and Cocoa with Light Orange, Turquoise Blue and Pastel Peach ShinHan markers

Stamp:  A Thing Well Done

Embellishments:  Bitty Sparkles