In Stitches...Old and New!

When I saw that our Heart 2 Heart challenge was In Stitches,  I  could not get the Stitched Together stamp set out of my mind. Because it is long retired, I combined it with current product to demonstrate how the old and new work together..  This pattern is from the Workshops Your Way Anniversary Cardmaking Kit (G1131). The sentiment is, strangely enough, from the Race Car Birthday Set (B1531). I used patterned paper from the Adventure Fundamentals set along with White Daisy and Sea Glass cardstock.  The stamping was done with Memento Black and Raspberry inks. The bling additions are Silver Shimmer Trim and Silver Sequins.

This is the card as created from the kit.  I love the Sorbet and Sea Glass together!

And this is the same card done with papers from the No Worries collection.  I love them all!

Be sure to visit Heart 2 Heart to see what the Design Team has created for you.

Heart 2 Heart Challenges--In Stitches

This card was also submitted to the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge.  You will also love the inspiration found there!

Color Dare #252 - Emerald, Sea Glass, Raspberry, White Daisy and Black w/Opt Silver

Hugs and Kisses!

Our Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week finds us using Emojis as our theme.  How fun is that?  While Close to My Heart offers a darling Emoji stamp set, I chose to use a purchased cutting file to create my little guy.  My patterned papers are retired CTMH, the colors being Lagoon, Honey and Cranberry.  The cardstock used is White Daisy, Black and Cranberry...all current. The embellishments are from the Black and White Dots assortment. Enjoy!

Here is the Close to My Heart Emoji stamp set...

Emojis (C1669)

For More Fun Emoji ideas, please visit:
Heart 2 Heart Emoji

Bamberg!

Here I am...one layout closer to getting my riverboat cruise album done!  I had these pictures printed and the layout selected when I saw the palette designated for this weeks Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge.  I love the combination of Slate, Whisper, Pomegranate, Fern, White Daisy and Black. These colors are just perfect for these pictures!

Design credit goes to Donna Cosgrove

In addition to White Daisy, Black and Slate cardstock, I used the following patterned papers:

• The weathered wood is from the No Worries packet--Seasonal Expressions 2
• The Pomegranate dot is from the Enchantment Fundamental pack--2016-2017 Annual Expressions
• The Fern patterned paper is from the Hello Lovely packet--retired.

The challenge also used silver as an option. The Silver Sequins from CTMH have a matte finish that were perfect for this more rustic look.

The gals on the Design Team really outdid themselves this time...each of their projects are beautiful!  I really encourage you to click on the link and check out their artwork!

Color Dare #247

Just Dandy!

This week's Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge features the Close to My Heart exclusive colors Cocoa, Smoothie, Lemon, Sea Glass, Cashmere and White Daisy.  It seems like such a long time since I have seen Cocoa featured anywhere so I decided to give it some attention as the background. (the Cocoa looks black in the picture, but it is a dark brown...really!) The stamping was done with Sea Glass and the Dandy and Little Leaves stamps.  Each of these are M size stamps and are only a "dandy" $2.95!  They are perfect for background stamping and also can be trimmed out as I did for the leaves behind the hearts.  The hearts were cut from Smoothie with the smallest of the Hearts Thin Cuts. Matting was done with Cashmere.  That left me with Lemon...look closely...I used a yellow sequin from the Prickly Pear Sequin Set and topped it off with a Bitty Sparkle.

All the products used on this card are from the 2016-2017 Annual Expressions catalog, except for the sequins which are in the Seasonal Expressions 2.

For more colorful inspiration, please visit:

Color Dare #246

Happy Wedding!

The first of our great nephews and nieces will be married this weekend and we are honored to be invited!  So, needing a card for the bride and groom, I decided to use the colors in the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge to make my creation.

The background is two different patterned papers from the Whimsey Fundamental paper packet.  The sentiment box is White Daisy, matted with Glacier. The stamping is done with Glacier, Juniper, Thistle and Canary inks. The stamp is Happy to be Friends.  Silver Foil Tape and silver Sugar Rush Dots add the bling.

.  

Be sure to visit the Color Dare Challenge for more inspiration

Color Dare #244

Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge (literally)!

OK, I was really stumped with this challenge.  I could not figure out how to take these colors and create a project that was balanced and pleasing to the eye.  After several trips through my CTMH catalogs and more than a little Pinterest browsing, I finally decided on a design. I used the pattern for one of the cards in the Jack Cardmaking Workshops Your Way from the CTMH Seasonal Expressions 2 catalog.

Here are the colors assigned in the challenge:

While most colors are apparent, you may have to search for the Tangerine.  It, along with Blossom, is one of the colors in the lightest banner.  The White and Gold Twine fills the gold requirement.

The papers shown are from various paper packs, some new and some old.  Feel free to contact me for more information.  To see more inspiring projects using these colors, please visit:

Color My Heart Color Dare #242

Eggplant, Canary and Slate

I love when I find inspiration in two different challenges.  I was again able to create a card that meets the requirments for Mojo Monday and the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenges.  I love the fun sketch and colors. I really think this card has a masculine feel and would work well for the men in your lives.

The products used are all from Close to My Heart.  The Canary patterned paper is from the Whimsy packet.  Cardstock used was Canary, Eggplant, Slate and White Daisy.  The sentiment was stamped with a stamp from the Birthday Sparkles Set (B1537) and Slate Ink. The stars were cut with the Stars Thin Cuts (Z3261). The sequins are from the retired Magical Sequin Set.

For more inspiration visit: 

Color My Heart Color Dare #239

Mojo Monday #493

Wonderful!

For this week's Color Dare challenge, I chose to highlight the Some Kinda Wonderful--Scrapbooking stamp set D1716.  The Peacock background paper is from the Enchantment Fundamental set and the Willow paper is from the Some Kinda Wonderful paper packet.

 The White Daisy circles were cut 1.5 inch on the Cricut and stamped with the dotted circle from the Some Kinda Wonderful--Scrapbooking set with willow ink.  I cut two banners on the Cricut and stamped them with Peacock and Willow inks.  I trimmed the Willow piece within the wavy lines and bumped it up with thin foam adhesive onto the Peacock piece. The embellishments are from the Black and White Dots set.

I will be sending this card to a young man to congratulate him on his theater performance.

Enchantment Fundamentals Z3254

Some Kinda Wonderful Paper Packet X7217B   Available through April 30th.

Some Kinda Wonderful--Scrapbooking D1716   Available through April 30th.


For for ideas using the very pretty colors, Peacock, Willow and White Daisy, please visit
'
Color My heart Color Dare #238

Whimsy-cal!

Whimsy is the name given to one of the four color palettes at Close to My Heart.  It is so pretty...the cardstock features soft pastel colors and the coordinating Fundamentals collection is full of matching watercolor designs.  This week Team Ruby is presenting projects using these papers or otherwise showing whimsical designs.  I chose to use the colors Crystal Blue, Juniper and Glacier from the palette to create my card.

The butterflies were cut and stamped with the Dream Big Cardmaking Thin Cuts Bundle and the sentiment was stamped with the Big Hug D1584 stamp set. Both of these items are retired, but the Dreamin Big--Cardmaking C1674 stamp set will be available until April 30th (the thin cuts are out of stock).  I finished the card with Bitty Sparkles Z1263.

For more "Whimsy-cal" designs please visit

Heart 2 Heart Challenges Whimsy-Cal

While you are there, why not link a project of your own...we love to be inspired!

Colors of the Sea

I thought of the sea when I saw this week's Color Dare Challenge and what says "the sea" like seashells?  It was fun using the Mojo Monday sketch and the stamps from Swirly Seashells C1664.  While there are Thin Cuts that coordinate with this stamp set, I chose to just fussy cut around them. (Truth is I was too lazy to get up and go to the other side of the room to use my die cutter!)  For these two shapes, cutting was easy...for more detailed shapes, the Thin Cuts are the way to go.

  

All products used are Close to My Heart. The circle and scalloped circle were cut on the Cricut. I planned on using black Shimmer Trim to satisfy the black requirement, but it just didn't look right and I used the white instead.  Much better!  I found some black Bitty Sparkles in my stash and they added just the right amount of black.  The clear Shimmer Pen was used to accent the shells.

This is a great sketch and color combination!  For more inspiration, please visit:

Color Dare #236--Pacifica, White Daisy, Black and Emerald

Mojo Monday 489

Tool Time!

This week Heart 2 Heart is featuring projects created with the Thin Cuts and/or the Embossing Folders available from Close to My Heart.  I chose to use the cupcake from the Sweet Birthday Thin Cuts assortment (CC1156).  It coordinated with the Sweet Birthday stamp set (B1532).  So here is my card:

Design credit goes to Mojo Monday.
I used a mix and match combination to create this card:

Sugar Rush Paper Packet X7215B

Some Kinda Wonderful Paper Packet X7217B

Cardstock:  White Daisy, Raspberry and Canary

Sugar Rush--Cardmaking Stamp Set C1671

Sweet Birthday Stamp Set B1532

I used my die to cut cupcakes from the White Daisy cardstock and the Sprinkles pattern from Sugar Rush.  I stamped the image on both cuts. They were shaded with a very pale marker from my equipment stash.  I used the Cherry Pink Shinhan marker to color the "wrapper"  I trimmed the top of the patterned paper cupcake and layered it with Thin 3-D Foam Tape.

Please take a look at the two paper packets used on this card.  They are both from the 2017 Seasonal Expressions book and will be available until April 31st.

Thanks for looking at my blog this week!  For more inspiration, be sure to visit the Heart 2 Heart blog. Heart to Heart

This was a tough one!

It is a new day for the Color my Heart Color Dare challenge, and I found working with Sapphire, Fern, Lemon and White Daisy a little difficult.  Finally, I thought about the colors themselves...blue and yellow are both primary colors so I gave them the most importance.  Green, being a secondary color was sort of given the back seat!  I wish I could give design credit...I know I found the cutting directions and also the stamping design on Pinterest, but I surely can't find them again!  My apologies to the designers.

This is really a simple card that looks a lot more difficult than it is.  I used White Dasiy cardstock and patterned paper from the Enchantment Fundamental pack.  For bling, I used Bitty Sparkles and sequins from the Magical pack.

For more Color inspiration please visit

Color Dare--Sapphire, Fern, Lemon and White Daisy

Vacation pages!

So many pictures...not enough hours in the day!  In between scrapping pages of the grandkids, I have been getting a few done of our river boat cruise last summer.  The first picture shown here will be submitted to Heart 2 Heart for the Crazy for Complements challenge.  Complements from Close to My Heart are an assortment of stickers/embellishments that are available for each of the Paper Packs as well as the Fundamentals.  Mainly for scrapbooking, they are also perfect for card making.

The background paper is from the Rustic Home Fundamental pack and the Honey strip and mat are from the 2015-16 Fundamentals. The Juniper paper as well as all the Complements are from the Dreamin' Big Workshop your Way.  Design credit goes to Paige Stirling Fox.

Here are a few more vacation layouts.  Feel free to contact me for more information on any of them.

Design credit to Stacy's Scrap Corner

Design credit to Close to My Heart

Design credit to Susan Stringfellow

Be sure to visit Heart 2 Heart for more Complements ideas.

Heart 2 Heart Crazy for Complements

Cold Hands, Warm Heart!

Ah, yes...we are in the middle of winter.  Yesterday morning we left our Illinois home where the temperature was a frigid 3 degrees.  We traveled to Phoenix where we briefly enjoyed some warmth and sunshine before heading north to Flagstaff.  Here there is definitely snow left on the ground but at least the temps are much nicer.  You won't be reading this until next week, so I hope we are all seeing nicer weather by then.

In any case, when I created this Cold Hands, Warn Heart layout for the Heart 2 Heart blog, I thought of my granddaughter's joy playing in the snow.  As for inspiration, I give credit to Jana Eubank and the Scrapbook and Cards Today Winter 2016 magazine.  I loved her layout shown on the magazine cover.  I especially loved how she used the bright colors for the snowflakes and imitated her idea using cuts from the Art Philosophy cartridge. I chose to use B&T papers from the Adventure collection as well as Sunset, Raspberry, Cranberry and Emerald cardstock.

For more Cold Hands, Warm Hearts inspiration, please visit the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog.

http://heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com/2017/01/cold-hands-warm-heart.html

While you are there, how about linking up to your blog or picture of your project?  If you have questions, I am here to help.

Silver and Gold!

I am honored to be chosen to be on the 2017 Heart 2 Heart Challenges Design Team!  About two times a month I will be contributing to the blog post announcing the current challenge.  I am looking forward to coming up with designs using Close to My Heart Products.

The first challenge for 2017 is Silver and Gold.  I have chosen to create a card appropriate for a wedding or anniversary.  If you have a friend that loves bling, it can even used for a birthday.

The wreath on this card was cut with the Thin Cuts Wreath die (CC1157) and stamped with the Wreath stamp (A1193).  The wreath was embossed with Silver Embossing Powder (Z2067) and

 the sentiment (retired) was embossed with Princess Gold embossing powder (Z2066).  While I used retired paper for the background, there is a similar pattern included in the Uptown Fundamentals paper pack.

Wreath A1193 

Please visit the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog to see what the other design team members have created.  While you are there, be sure to submit your email to follow the blog.

http://heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com/2017/01/silver-and-gold.html

New Layout

I actually finished a layout this week! These pages were created with current cardstock, retired CTMH paper and paper from my stash (the Eagle Scout paper). The title on the top of the right hand page was created in Photoshop Elements and printed directly on the 12 x 12 paper. The stamping was all done with retired stamps. This layout created by Shelly Nemtiz was really fun...it is the second time I used it and am sure I will be using it again!
Of particular interest is the Memory Protectors Pocket Plus that is new this year in the Annual Inspirations book. Add extra photos or artwork to your layouts with these protectors. When placed between the two pages , they become a cohesive part of your layout. With their full gutter they will work with both the D-ring and post bound albums. They come in four layout designs and can be found on page 12.

This is the basic layout

Design Four of the Memory Protectors Plus...4 x 12" holds four to eight 4 x 3" pictures

The protector will be sandwiched between the 12 x 12 protectors in the album.

Talk to you soon!

Graduation Time!

Our oldest grandchild graduated from high school this year and here are a couple layouts to commemorate this event.

The paper with our school name on it came from a local scrapbook shop that closed a couple years ago.  I actually bought all they had as I knew I would be needing it for the kids' books.  The Honey card stock is retired CTMH...again I bought an extra pack!  The star paper is retired also...sorry about that!  However, the die cut stars are new from the 2016-17 Annual Expressions book.  They are cut with the Stars Thin Cuts dies (Z3261).  I love the fun asymmetric look of them!  As for design, I actually put this one together myself!

This layout was created with White Daisy and Black card stock and two "Lemon" papers from the Adventure Fundamentals packet (Z3253).  For accents, I used Black Shimmer Trim (Z1809) and a few blue embellishments from my stash. The title was cut on the Cricut. The design is from Close to My Heart's Charlotte Workshop on the Go.  Yes, I have used this before (see the most recent post)...I love it and it looks different with each paper selection!

Thanks for stopping by again today. Later this week, I will be joining some ladies for stamping, scrapping and card making and will be sharing some of my projects with you.  

Until then,

Sue

Playing with Fundamentals

I took some time this week to play with some of the Fundamentals papers from the 2016-17 Annual Expressions catalog. I also used the Good Life Complements.  They made it so easy to provide embellishment to an otherwise plain layout. Design credit goes to Cheryl Even of Even More Scrapping. While the design is very linear, it does give you the option to scrap a lot of pictures.

This layout is about my granddaughter's graduation from junior high. Our school colors are black and gold and I wanted to highlight those colors.  A little hard to see, the light paper is printed with Saffron letters in a Find a Word style.  I added  the Eggplant patterned paper on the sides to bring out the color of her dress.  The gold shimmer trim and the gold sequins added extra bling.

Close to My Heart Products used:

Enchantment Fundamentals Z3254

Good Life Complements Z3264

Black cardstock 1386

Gold Shimmer Trim Z1985

Gold Assortment Sequins Z2012

Have you checked out the new catalog yet?  It can be viewed on my website http://suebruch.closetomyheart.com

Till next time--

Sue

I have posted this layout on the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog.  This challenge is For the Girls.

http://heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com/2016/08/for-girls.html