Happy Halloween!

First of all, Happy Halloween!  Wishing you many Trick or Treaters, many spooky costumers, and awesome candy.

I missed my deadline with the Heart 2 Heart Challenges last week.  I hate missing deadlines!  But sometimes you just have to let it go and I did.

I was also in a Halloween Tag swap and I missed that deadline too.  On a roll here......

The challenge at Heart 2 Heart was to use lace as an inspiration.  Cobwebs are a spooky kind of lace.  Here is my scary tag.

Can you see that my tag is tombstone shaped?  Now how cool is that?  The tombstone is cut with the Cricut Artiste, pg 76, (EEK) Accent 1  at 6".  I used Slate cardstock and then sanded the entire piece to give the look of granite.

Then I stamped the cobwebs using Creepy Cobwebs (D1319). I stamped them with Black Pigment Ink and then immediately stamped them a second time, a little offset.  I think that gives them a spookier look!

The spiders are cut from our Tan and Glitter paper using the Cricut Artist, pg 77 (Halloween) Accent 4 (shift) at 3/4".

The pumpkin is cut with our new Cricut Artbooking cartridge.  I changed the proportion using Cricut Craft Room and made him a bit skinnier so that he would fit on my tag.  He is on pg 55 (i) Icon (Shift).  The Trick or Treat is on the same page. (i) Title.

Everything is inked with black except the tombstone.

I finished up the tag with black tulle ribbon and our Red Shimmer Trim.

Water, Water, Water at H2H Challenges

Welcome to this week's challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges.  Team Sunset is up!  Our challenge this week is Water, Water, Everywhere. Use water - the ocean, a lake, or even a glass of water, as your inspiration for your artwork. 

I have lived in Memphis, TN for almost 10 years, but I grew up in Southern California and lived there until I was in my 30's and the US Air Force had other ideas for my family. I have only been back for an occasional trip, but my heart still belongs to the coast of California.

We grew up by the beach and surfboards and palm trees were plentiful. I was super-excited by this challenge, especially after I saw that Close to My Heart's new Artbooking cartridge has a surfboard with a matching overlay! I had gone through a week of mild depression and crafting has always been my "medicine" so I picked myself up and started working on my surfboard tag.

Here is my tag:

There is no stamping on this tag, but there is a whole lot of ink on it.  LOL  All of the edges are inked with Chocolate Ink.  Did you know that you can only purchase an Cricut Artbooking Cartridge from your Close to My Heart Independent Consultant?  The Artbooking Cartridge is  available to order on August 1st.   I am offering an Cricut Artbooking  Preorder Special here.   

Here is another view of my fun little surfboard hanging outside.  I love this picture because you can see the "coconuts" on the Palm Tree.  Making this tag took me into my happy zone.  I really had fun adding all of the little touches.  I am participating in a Summer Tag Swap and so turning this surfboard into a tag really delighted me.

So, how did I make it?  All of the cuts were made with the Artbooking Cartridge.  

Artbooking Cartridge, pg 53

Surfboard - Cut twice and glued together to give strength, Kraft Paper Colonial White Cardstock, pg 53, < Icon >, 10"

Surfboard Overlay - Surf's Up Patterned Paper, pg 53, < Icon> < Shift >, 10"

Fun & Sun - Surf's Up Teal Cardstock, pg 53, < Title >, 2"

Sunburst - Surf's Up Patterned Paper, pg 53, < Border > < Shift >, 5"

Artbooking Cartridge, pg 52

Waves - cut twice and glued together to give strength - Surf's Up Patterned Paper and Crystal Blue Cardstock, pg 52, < Border > , 4"

Artbooking Cartridge, pg 67

Palm Tree Base - Chocolate Cardstock, pg 67, < Icon>, 9"

Palm Tree Fronds - Surf's Up Patterned Paper, pg 67, < Icon > < Shift >, 9"

Oops, I misspoke.  I wanted the sun to stand out more so I cut the Sun base with our Artiste Cartridge - Sorbet Cardstock, pg 70, < Accent 2> < Shift >, 4" and I "hid" the middle circle out so it wouldn't cut.

Artiste Cartridge, pg 70

So now it is your turn!  What do you think of when you think of water?  Could it be the color or a lake or an ocean or maybe just a wonderfu vacation?  After you finish your artwork please go to  www.heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com and post a link to your project.  I cannot wait to see what you make!

Here are a few rules:  

*Our challenges are open to everyone!
*To enter, follow the challenge of the week and post your results to your personal blog or other online gallery.
*Be sure to go here and direct link to your challenge post so we can see your artwork!

*In order to enter a challenge, you must use Close To My Heart products but your project does not have to be 100% CTMH.
*If you use something from another company, please consider including details in your project's description.
* You MUST mention H2H challenges in your blog post (and a link back to us would be appreciated).
*Spread the word about our challenge blog by including our badge on your blog.

* I love to leave comments on our participants' blog posts, but word verification slows me down, so please turn yours off so that I can leave you some love on your blog!
*Most importantly, have fun creating - the Close To My Heart way!
Note: Any entries not following the above rules are subject to having their link removed.

Like what you see?  Head on over to my website and you can shop to your heart's content!  We have a bunch of specials this month as well!

Love all of the challenges!  This tag is entered into the Anything Goes Challenge at Challenges 4 Everybody,  Anything But Square (I definitely think I have that covered - LOL) at A Gem of a Challenge, and the Summer Challenge at Pumpkin Spice.

July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - The Sweet Life!

Welcome to the July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.  This month I am following Maureen O'Sullivan's Blog.   We have over 50 Close to My Heart Consultants participating in this month’s Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.   
                                                                                                                
The July Stamp of the Month is entitled Sweet Life (Set of 9). Here is a picture of this stamp set:

Loving this very elegant stamp set!  I have been super  busy for the past few weeks.  In fact I just returned from our annual Close to My Heart Convention this morning.  I had run behind with so much to do so I took a quick nap and then set about making a tag.  I want to use this tag for a present I have for a dear friend.

Here is my tag.

This tag is super cute in person.  Ran out of natural light for the picture and may retake ti tomorrow if I have time.  I colored the stamped image mostly with our alcohol markers.  I also snuck in a little bit of our new bronze glitter trim that will be coming out in our new catalog.  Sorry, couldn't resist.  I am LOVIN' IT!

The tag is cut out of Kraft cardstock with our Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, pg 60, at 6".  The tag is cut out of Sorbet cardstock, pg 47, at 4".

Everything is sponged with Cocoa Ink and I second generation stamped "Life the Sweet Life" on the background of the tag, but between it soaking in and the poor light, it is hard to see.

The stamped image was embossed with Cocoa pigment ink and clear embossing powder and then cut out with our super-duper fantastic non stick Micro-tip scissors (Z1836).  This is my favorite new tool.  I am hard on scissors and these are able to cut through adhesive and then even cut ribbon.  Truly remarkable!   I used the flower and emblem from our retiring Buzz and Bumble Collection (Z1831).

I am  very proud of my coloring so here is a closer view of the stamped images on the tag.

Doesn't that apple just look scrumptious?  Ready to pick and eat.  Yum!

Supplies Used

Sweet Set (S1307)

Cocoa Pigment Ink 

Retired Canvas Ribbon

Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge 

Markers Used 

Apple

Creme Brulee Dark Alcohol Marker

Cranberry Light Alcohol Marker

Ruby Alcohol Marker

Barn Red Light Alcohol Marker

Leaves

Olive Light Alcohol Marker

New England Ivy Alcohol Marker

Flowers are colored with Copics, Y000, Y21 and Y23

Stem is colored with our Blending Pen and Desert Sand Ink

The next stop on the blog hop is the Fabulous Sheila Bennett's Blog.

The Sweet Life Stamp Set can be purchased for $17.95 or you can even get it for only $5 between July 1 – July 31, 2013. You can purchase this stamp set as well as any of the above supplies here:  on my website.  

Shabby Chic Tag

A group of local gals invited me to participate in a swap.  We were each to make 12 Shabby Chic tags.  My first impulse was to say no.  I am pretty busy and I have never made a tag, much less a Shabby Chic tag.  But I was excited to be included that I decided to go ahead and say yes and to do some S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G.

I got onto Yahoo and did an image search and you know what I found out?  That apparently almost anything goes.  Or at least others were as clueless as me on what Shabby Chic means in the papercrafting industry.  Not overly reassured, but at least I had company.

First I decided that my excursion into the Shabby Chic field would include a retired Close to My Heart paper pack called La Belle Vie.  I guess I wanted to go French Shabby Chic.  Then I pulled out 3 CTMH stamp sets, Jardin (D1528), Bonjour (C1519), and the retired stamp set from the La Belle Vie Workshop on the Go (C1519).

Here is my Shabby Chic Tag.

I am actually love, love, loving how this came out.  I don't know if it is really Shabby Chic but I think it is pretty.  I cut the tag out pf Desert Sand Cardstock with the CTMH Cricut Artiste cartridge, pg 32, Accent 1, 5.5" (height).  I then sanded the edges and then did some random stamping with Desert Sand Ink so that it would not be so plain.  

The next layer was cut out of a special color only available in the La Belle Vie paper pack, La Belle Vie Mauve at 4" x 3.25".  I rounded the corners and inked the edges with Black Ink.  The patterned paper was cut at 3.75" x 3".  The corners were rounded and I took the edge of my scissors and roughed up the edges.

I then took Blush Cardstock and cut an oval out at 3.25" x 2.25".  I have a Gypsy and that is easy to do.  I am guessing that you can probably do the same with the Cricut Craft Room.  I stamped the adorable bicycle from the La Belle Vie Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go with our black archival ink and then using my waterbrush, colored the bicycle in.  My basket came out a bit blah (I used Desert Sand to color it) so I went over it with my Creme Brulee light marker and it brightened it up.

I have a love/hate relationship with embellishing.  Embellishing takes me longer than the making of the artwork.  I knew that I wanted to use our Colonial White rosette ribbon and I was almost positive I wanted to use the Burlap ribbon and the Colonial White Crochet ribbon (retired), but the rest just happened.  The Magnifique is a stamp from the  La Belle Vie Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go.  It was cut with Colonial White Cardstock with the CTMH Cricut Artiste at .75".  I stamped it in black and then did a waterwash with Desert Sand reinker and my waterbrush.  I wanted it antiquey looking.  The cute little bow above it was a bear to tie.  It is the edging from the Burlap Ribbon that I used under the rosettes,

Everything is popped up because I have to have dimension and all of the ribbons are attached with my favorite liquid adhesive, Liquid Glass.  I put little grey opaques inside the rosettes to add interest and applied some Liquid Glass to the flowers in the basket so that they would have a little Oomph!

So there you go, my Shabby Chic Tag.  Hope you like it.

See anything you would like to buy?  Then travel on over to my website and do a little shopping.  You can even see our catalog there.