Vacation Scrapping

 It has been over a year since our Eastern European trip and I am still trying to get it scrapped.  I tend to scrap for awhile and then make cards for awhile. Scrapping can be stressful for me at times as I struggle to find the pictures that best tell my story.  And then it is deciding on a design and papers.  Finally, there is the journaling, title and embellishments.  Whew!  So why do I do it?  Because I love to tell my story...be it about travel, the grandkids or just everyday life.

So while I tend to overthink what I do and set my creativity bar a little high, I want to emphasize to you that there is no right or wrong way to scrapbook.  If you just want to mount your pictures and add some journaling, that is perfectly OK.  Another option is to do pocket scrapbooking or select a small album and select your most memorable pictures. The important thing is to tell your story!

This layout tells the story of our visit to the Dohany Street Great Synagogue in Budapest. I found it to be a very moving experience.

Design credit goes to Close to My Heart.  I did some stash diving for my papers and I love how they blend. The title and embellishments were cut on the Cricut.

I will be submitting this layout to the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge.  Please visit there to see more ways to use color in your paper crafting.

I have a few more layouts going...I will try to share them soon.

Until then...

  

Fun Challenges!

Hello!

Welcome to my blog.  I am happy you are stopping by!  Today I am sharing a card that was inspired by Mary Gunn Funn Craft Roulette.  This is a fun online live "class" I discovered a few weeks ago.  Mary uses a roulette wheel to determine what parameters can be used for a project.  This week, the choices were a shaped card, using a bright green and two other colors, utilizing a cup in the design and applying some embossing.  I chose my colors from the current Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge and this is what I created.

All the supplies are Close to My Heart.  The colors I chose are Avocado, Desert Rose and Espresso. I think the card has a Fall feel and I like that.

Talk with you soon...Sue

Out of My Comfort Zone

 When I decided to create for the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge  this week, I intentionally chose the top row of colors knowing that I might have problem with them.

I used Eggplant and Saffron cardstock as well as white for the sentiment.  My Pixie came in the form of markers.  I also added tones of Sweet Leaf as an optional color. I used a new die from CTMH called Stitched Lattice Background.  I can see it getting a lot of use.

So when all was done, I was really pleased with the card I made using this unusual combination.

I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and see what you can create.  You may be pleasantly surprised!

Til later,

Sue

Shades of Gray!

 I decided to create for the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge this week. The assignment was to use shades of gray and two other colors.  I chose Close to My Heart inks in Charcoal, Sapphire and Candy Apple Red. The cardstock is Charcoal, Candy Apple Red and White Daisy.  The background was done with a layering stencil from Taylored Expressions and car and sentiment are from a retired CTMH set called Cruisin' to Adventure. Here is my card:  

This was a fun card to make...I really like creating plaids with this stencil set.  For more inspiration, please visit Color my Heart Color Dare and Double Trouble Challenge

Hope you are enjoying your summer and are staying safe!

Sue

Soft and Pastel!

Just a quick post showing the project I am submitting to the Color Dare Soft and Pastel Challenge and the Double Trouble Challenge. I used foiling supplies from Gina K.  The cardstock, Glitter Paper and Shimmer Trim are all from Close to My Heart.  Becuase the foil likes to reflect whatever is around it, it was difficult to show the pinks that I used.  Trust me...it is pastel and very pretty.

I hope you are enjoying the holidays...Happy New Year!

Sue

Color Dare #302

It has been awhile since I submitted a project to Color Dare.  I recently purchased some new dies and being anxious to try them, decided to give it another go. The colors for this challenge are Mink, Bashful and Glacier.

I used both sides of the Mink and Bashful to create some contrast.  The dies I used are from Papertrey Ink and My Favorite Things.  I considered adding a banner for a sentiment, but decided I liked the card just like this.  I did add a Happy Birthday sentiment in the middle. There are also a few Bitty Sparkles scattered around the flower.

Just for fun, here is another card showing a few of the other die cuts in the kit.  I also added a Sorbet flower.

Hope you are inspired by these color combinations.  For more inspiration, be sure to visit Color Dare #302.

Pretty Color Dare Challenge

Such pretty colors for the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge!  I was inspired by a card by Create with Connie and Mary on Pinterest.  I chose to switch out the flower for a snowflake and otherwise made it a Christmas greeting.  I created Cricut files, but this could also be done with punches.  I dry embossed the Bashful paper, but it would also look fine left alone. All products are from Close to My Heart.

Be sure to visit Color Dare 269  for more inspiration for using these pretty colors.

Falling for You!

Just a short post showing my entry for the Close to My Heart Color Dare Challenge.  I was inspired by a card in the 2017-18 Annual Expressions and used the Falling for You paper packet.  I used the three main colors of the challenge as well as the secondary choices of White Daisy and Charcoal (the circle mat is the light side of Charcoal cardstock).  The scalloped border is cut with a Thin Cut.  I cut the circles on the Cricut, but there are also circle Thin Cuts available.

Falling for You paper packet

This is a quick and easy layout, yet makes for a very attractive card! 

For more inspiration using this color combination, please visit Color Dare Challenge #267.

Cats and Bats

Hi!  Halloween is quickly approaching, so I thought I would share a layout I did highlighting my grandson's Trick or Treating experiences.  He is all grown up now and I am attempting to finish up the scrapbook that I prematurely gave him for high school graduation.  Instead of individual Halloween pages, I chose to make just one layout with special pictures from across the years.  Doing this can simplify your scrapbooking and the ever present problem of trying to "catch up"!

I love the Cats and Bats paper packet (X7224B) created this year by Close to My Heart!  The whimsical little critters are perfect for layouts and cards.

I am sharing this layout with the Color My heart Color Dare Challenge.  Please click on this link to see what the design team has created for your inpsiration!

Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #262

Rose for an Anniversary!

Time again for the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge!  This week we are challenged to use Poppy, Tangerine, Willow, Glacier, Slate and White Daisy with gold being an option.  The rose on this card is kind of a sneak peek of a new set that will be available in the 2017-18 Annual Expressions.  This catalog will go live on August 1st and you will be able to see it on my website www.suebruch.ctmh.com.
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The rose from the Beautiful You set is stamped in three layers.  In order to stay with the assigned colors, I stamped the first layer with second generation Tangerine, the second with first generation Tangerine and the final layer with Poppy.  The leaves were stamped with Willow and the veins with Slate.  The sentiment from the Workshops Your Way Anniversary Cardmaking Kit is stamped with Slate. I used Gold Glitter Gems for the bling.  The Glacier patterned paper from the Prickly Pear set was die cut with a die from Lawn Fawn.

This card turned out clean and classy...and that makes me happy!

Be sure to visit the Color Dare site for more beautiful cards created with this color combination!

Color My Heart Color Dare #253

Later,

Sue

Color Dare #248

This week Color Dare is inspiring us with some of the colors from the No Worries packet.  I chose to use a couple patterned papers from that set as well as Desert Sand, Sapphire, Glacier and White Daisy cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment with New England Ivy and added more green by using some bling from the retired Blue and Green Epoxy Gems.

This is the sketch that inspired me:

X7220B

For more inspiration, please visit:

Color My Heart Color Dare #248

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

Life is Good!

The challenge from Color My Heart Color Dare this week is to create art using the colors from the Little Dreamer  packet.  Such happy colors!  So I chose to create a layout using photos of our favorite people from the riverboat trip we took last summer. These people also make me happy!

In addition to the Little Dreamer paper, I used White Daisy and Glacier cardstock.  The embellishments other than the "friends" stamped image are from the Good Life Complements. Bling is provided with Little Dreamer Glitter Gems. Design credit goes to Donna Cosgrove. 

X7219B

Z3264


For more inspiration, please visit:

Color Dare #245

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.

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Be sure to visit the Color Dare Challenge for more inspiration

Color Dare #244

Double the Fun!

I created this card to submit to both the Color My Heart Color Dare and the Atlantic Sketch Challenges. I really like the color combination of Raspberry, Blossom, Lagoon, White Daisy, Black and Silver.  The paneled layout was easy to execute using the three main colors.  The flower and leaf were stamped with the Live Beautifully stamp set and Raspberry and Lagoon inks. Silver Shimmer Trim and a little bit of Silver Stickles provide the bling.

For more inspiration, please visit:

Atlantic Sketches 212

Color Dare #243 - Blossom, Lagoon, Raspberry, White Daisy and Black w/Optional Silver

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
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Color My heart Color Dare #238

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