My Blue Period...

I was drawn to the Color my Heart Color Dare Challenge using three shades of CTMH blues...Pacifica, Sapphire and Crystal Blue along with White Daisy and Black.  I am still plugging along finishing the album from last year's river boat cruise, so I decided to document our time on the Rhine.

Design credit to Sketchy Thursdays

All products are Close to My Heart.  The papers are from Fundamental collections; the Pacifica dotted paper is from the 2016-17 collection and the remaining papers are all current.  The little swans are unfortunately retired.  

For more "blue" inspiration, be sure to visit Color Dare Challenge 264

Stash Buster Card Class!

My stash (oh come on, you know you have one also!) is just getting out of control!  So I have decided my upcoming card class will be a Stash Buster.  Class will be held at my home on Tuesday, October 24 starting at 1:00 p.m. with the last start time around 6:00 p.m. Come and go as you please. This is how it will work:

• You will be able to make 10 cards for just $15.00.  Included will be all occasion cards and a few holiday cards. For this price, I will not include envelopes.
• The cards will be simple and will require minimal instruction. We will be working buffet style, so you can work at your own pace.  Beginners, don't feel left out...I will be there to help you get started and answer any questions along the way.
• I will be using still lovely retired papers (AKA the stash) along with current and retired stamps.  
• Prepayment is appreciated, but payment will also be accepted at class time.
• Yes, I will be offering a door prize again.  Extra chances for prepayment, bringing a friend and any order from the Close to My Heart catalogs.

So this is a win-win situation.  I will be thinning my stash a little and you will be taking home cards with simple basic designs that you will be able to duplicate at home with your own papers and stamps.  What is not to love?

So that I have time to prepare the kits, please RSVP by October 17.  I am looking forward to seeing you!

Sue

BeYOUtiful!

BeYOUtiful! What a great theme for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge.  I chose to highlight my beautiful granddaughter...she was so lovely the evening she attended a dance with her friend.

Design credit to Cheryl Even

All products used are Close to My Heart.  I selected a pretty print from the Falling for You paper packet and five (yes, count them) different shades of cardstock from the new Basics palette.  It always amazes me how well the CTMH colors coordinate and blend together.  The photo mats are Toffee, the long strip of gray is the light side of Pewter and the shorter strips the dark side.  The background wider strip is Nutmeg (actually a shade of purple and I love it) and the the light gray in the flower is Pebble.  The flower is from the Kansas set on the Hello USA Cricut set and is cut from Goldrush and the shiny side of retired Fundamental papers.  The title is from the Beautiful You stamp set and is heat embossed with gold.

X7223B

Basics Combo Pack

Z3384

My friends on the Heart 2 Heart Design Team have created some awesome projects using this week's theme.  I hope you will click on this link Heart 2 Heart Challenges BeYOUtiful to take a look!  While you are there, why not share a project of your own?  This can be done by linking to your blog, Facebook or Pinterest anytime before the end of the month.  You may be recognized as one of our Darlings or maybe the Sweetheart for the month!

Mad for Plaid!

Heart 2 Heart Challenges is celebrating plaid this week!  The paper I used for my card is from the retired Jack paper packet, but really, any plaid would work for this design.

I used a die from My Favorite Things to create the space for the sentiment. No die? No problem!  Just cut a nice curved line, separate the pieces and trim the top to fit your card. The sentiment was stamped with a stamp from The First Noel (CTMH)  The pine needles and snowflake were cut on the Cricut with Close to My Heart cartridges. I know the pine needles are from the Flower Market cartridge...not sure about the snowflake.

A simple enough card...selecting the Cricut cuts probably took longer than anything.  I hope you enjoy it!

For more plaid inspiration, be sure to visit Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  While there, why not link your plaid project?  A blog is not necessary...you can also link from Facebook or Pinterest! You have the entire month of October to do this...just remember to use at least one Close to My Heart product.

Click on this link:

Heart 2 Heart Challenges Mad about Plaid

Marker Madness!

It is all about markers at Heart 2 Heart Challenges this week.  Now let me tell you, I have nothing but admiration for those that are talented and artistic with markers.  Unfortunately, that is just not me! I do occasionally enjoy some simple coloring and that is what I have to show you here.

CTMH products used:
Christmas Tunes S1710 (the October Stamp of the Month)
Gingerbread Friends D1743
Beary Christmas Paper Packet X7225B
White Daisy and Cranberry cardstocks.
Various Shinhan markers.
Thin Foam Tape
The twine is from my stash.

For more marker inspiration, please visit

Heart 2 Heart Challenges--Mad about Markers

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

It's all about the negative!

Ordinarily I do not not like to give importance to the negative, but when it comes to the negative space left by die cutting, I am all for it!  For my card created as a Design Team member at Heart 2 Heart Challenges, I used my Cricut to cut the maple leaf from the Art Philosophy cartridge.  I combined the yummy new color Espresso from the new Basics palette with Gold Rush and patterned paper from the Falling forYou paper pack. Some shiny accents are added with gold heat embossing and Gold Glitter Gems.

This is a new month for Heart 2 Heart.  You have until September 30 to create and link your "Negative Space" project.  Be sure to check in each Monday for more challenges!

Heart 2 Heart Challenges Negative Space