Fun Colors!

Even though I have purchased the inks and cardstock of the purples in Close to My Heart's line, I rarely go to them when I am doing a card or layout.  Call me "purple challenged"!  So I was happy today when I saw that we are to create with Thistle, Lagoon, Tangerine and White Daisy for this week's Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge.  I love how challenges push my comfort zone!

This week a friend invited me to participate in a summer flower "twinchie" (2 inch square) swap.  I chose to use my twinchie on this card.  This was a fun project using a really fun color combination!

For more ideas, please click on this link:

Color Dare #237--Thistle, Lagoon, White Daisy and Tangerine

Tea Time!

It is Tea Time at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  It is the perfect opportunity to feature projects created with Tea-riffic, the March Stamp of the Month at Close to My Heart.  Judging by the number of cards and layouts I have seen on our CTMH boards and on Pinterest, this set has been very popular.  However, this sort of put me in a dilemma...it seemed like all the good ideas were taken!  So I sat down with absolutely no idea where I was headed and just let it happen.  Here is what I came up with..

The background paper is from the Hello Lovely pack and I stamped it with the floral design from the stamp set.  The background on the White Daisy cardstock was stamped with second generation Desert Sand after the tea cup was stamped.  The cup was colored with the Light Orange Shinhan marker.  

The Tea-riffic Stamp of the Month is available through March 31st for $17.95 or just $5.00 with a $50.00 purchase.  Visit my website www.suebruch.ctmh.com to order and to see other monthly specials.

For more Tea-riffic ideas, be sure to visit
Heart 2 Heart Challenges Tea Time

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

Dreamin' Big

I love color and it rather fascinates me how different colors look together.  When the 2017 Seasonal Expressions 1 was introduced, I immediately fell in love with the colors featured in the Dreamin' Big paper pack.  So when the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge announced this week's challenge was using some or all of the 10 colors, I was just in hog heaven!

Design Credit to Kelly Holifield, Paper Sketches

I accomplished my goal of using all 10 colors by using a couple of the patterned papers as well as stamping tone on tone on the Sorbet cardstock.  I trimmed a zip strip in half and used it as a bottom border.  The most fun was creating the circles.  I stamped the actual circle with a stamp from Wheel of Life (D1545-retired) and then stamped and trimmed the quilt like pieces from the Chantilly WOTG stamp set (C1553-retired).  Each one is a different color. To break up the white, I masked the circles and used slightly thinned black acrylic paint to speckle the background. The title was done on the Cricut and the embellishments are from the Black and White Dots.  I argued with myself about adding more dots, but decided to leave well enough alone.

I need to be honest...I fussed over this one and it took more time than I really should be spending on a single layout. However, I am pleased with the results and am glad I challenged myself to expand my creativity.

For more great Dreamin' Big color combinations, please visit

Color Dare #235--Dreamin' Big Colors

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

All Things Green!

This week, Color My Heart Color Dare is challenging us with "Pick your Greens" You can use 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of these CTMH greens  (Sweet Leaf, New England Ivy, Fern, Emerald or Willow) with White Daisy. Using Gold is optional.  I have chosen to use Sweet Leaf, Fern and New England Ivy to create my card.  These colors were selected because they blend so well together. I lifted the design from the 2017 Seasonal Expressions 1, page 30.

The background paper is from the Whimsey Fundamental assortment.  Cardstock used is White Daisy and New England Ivy.  Other patterned papers are both CTMH and are from my ever growing scrap stash.  Stamp sets used are Dreamin' Big-Cardmaking and the WYW Here for You Cardmaking Kit.  Although not really evident in the picture, the butterfly and the scroll are both heat embossed with gold. I used Gold Glitter Paper as a mat and embellished with dots from the Black and White Dots.

For more "Green"inspiration please visit:

Color My Heart Color Dare

Some Random Stamping

This week's Color my Heart Color Dare challenge called for the use of White Daisy, Black, Pomegranate, Peacock and Sea Glass. I decided to do some random stamping with the stamp set from the Workshop Your Way Here for You Cardmaking Kit.  I really didn't intend to have the pomegranate flowers all end up on the corners, but after trimming and then adding the panel, there they are!  I guess that's why they call it random!

In any case, I enjoyed creating with these colors and hope you are inspired to create something with them also.

Click on this link for more "color" challenge

Color my Heart Color Dare #233