Challenge Yourself!

Challenges are fun.  It is fun to see what others are doing with a challenge - what they can do with the same design. I thought I would challenge myself to see how different I could make cards with the same beginning pieces.   

One of the card groups makes 3 of each kind.   When I make up what is left over, it leaves me with duplicates.  I decided may they would like a variety as well.  If you want - do a challenge with these pieces for a shaker card or share your "pieces" and the different ways that you have used them.  

Here are my basic pieces:

You will need Z4310 Shaker Window Foam and Acetate and Z4304 or what color of loose sequins you desire from Close To my Heart.  Check out barbarapagekell.ctmh.com.

Here are the different cards I made from these beginnings.

They are all Happy Birthday shaker cards.  See what you can do with them.  

I am also doing another shaker card giving them a chance to have different occasions for the card to be stamped on it.

The last card we are making in triplicate has the ability to stamp whatever saying you need in the circle.  The Gold and green shimmer pens on the flowers doesn't show up well in the photo but does in person.

I hope you have fun challenging yourself from time to time.  It helps spark creativity in other areas.  

April Stamp of the Month

April Stamp of the Moth - Love So Sweet

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!  We will be featuring April's SOTM, which is Love So Sweet S1904, a set of 26 stamps.  If you have come here from Haley Dyer's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog:  

This month we have 18 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

This is a wonderful and versatile stamp set.  I chose to make a Shaker Window card using the SOTM.

I love our Value Pack of 50 White cards and Envelopes X254. They are a quality product and the card is 5 1/2" x 4 1/4".  

CTMH has a wonderful Shake windows kit:

Z4309 Thin Cut - Shaker Window and confetti

Z4310 Shaker Window Foam and Acetate

Z4304 loose Sequins - Silver (or Gold Z4235)

I random stamped the SOTM leaf in Willow Z2807 on the card.  I cut a strip from the Willow paper X6026 and a banner from Lemon X6008 and stamped the saying in Intense Black Z4189.  

I stamped the large butterfly in Candy Apple X5992, the medium butterfly in Sapphire Z2848 and the little butterfly in Lemon Z2808 and cut them out.  

I used the 1 inch basic circle from the Basic Circles Thin Cuts Z3318 and stamped the "So Sweet" in Sapphire.

I cut the outside ring of the shaker card from So Much Happy X7293.  I cut the inside circle from Lemon .  On this inner circle I stamped the large flower in Sapphire ink and used Candy Apple for the 2 smaller flowers.  I used our Clear Shimmer Brush Z3293 on all the flowers and the bitty Sparkles Z1263  as the center for the smallest flower.  

After I random stamped the card, adhered the 2 bottom pieces on, I  then started building the Shaker Window.  When putting the shaker card together, you start with the bottom circle adhered to the card. You put the double sided foam circle on the paper 3 inch circle.  You can use the Anti-static pouch Z4220 to keep the "sticky" from holding the sequins to the side of the foam.  You add your loose sequins and the confetti you can make from the thin cut circle inside the ring.  The Acetate circle has a protective film you need to take off.  Take off the protective layer of the foam and put the acetate over the top to seal everything.  I used the Bonding Memories Dual Action Glue Pen Z553 to adhere the paper circle over the acetate to hide the foam.

After you have taken the outside foam ring off the circle, the inside area is cut into squares which you can use the foam squares for other projects.   I used these to adhere the butterflies and the 1 inch circle to the card.  

I thought I would use some of the same elements and try another card.  The paper is the Willow and Lemon. and Willow and Candy Apple inks.    

I used the Gold Shimmer Brush Z3316 on the butterflies which didn't show well on the photo., Red Glitter paper Z3241 with the Decorative borders thin cuts Z4241, Stitched Circle thin cut Z4181 and Stitched Square frames Z4259 and used the Bitty embellishments on the center of the flowers Z1263.  

I hope you have fun with this stamp set or get ideas of your own.  Please leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by!  Barb

 Now "Hop" on over to Terry Metzger's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the April SOTM is only available until April 30, 2019 !  Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!

Creating cards which say different things

One of the hard part of doing cards can be the creation of the card design itself.  Close To My Heart has some great books which I would call "recopies" in that give you what to cut and then show you how you can change it.  I decided that the next month at my card groups, I would bring the different sayings that are about the same size and give people a chance to make the same card but have it say different things.  I share some of the sentiment stamps which can be interchangeable on the banner stamp.  One could make a bunch of cards and then stamp the saying that you need or make a variety of cards saying different things.  Have fun trying to make a card and then have it say different things.

These are the stamp sentiments that I chose from:

The banner is on the top set of stamps and the sayings below.  Here are the different cards that I made from the combinations above.

I am not sure if I will use this exact card in next month's groups but it didn't turn out so bad.  You can't tell it but I used the silver shimmer brush on the flowers and a green shimmer brush on the leaves and banner.  Have fun trying to see how one card type can say so many different things. 

I am going to try using sentiments that are about 2x2.  I haven't come up with a design yet but I am in the process of creating. 

Love Blossoms

There are always promotions.  Love Blossoms allows you to cut and create 12 cards.  This packet is still available.  I cut following the workshop directions but made some changes as I was stamping.  Usually a kit gives you 6 or so of the same card.  This time each one is different.  Check out my website to find the kit to order. 

New stamps

It is fun to take some time just to play - with new stamps and scraps from the last project.  You can have a birthday card or celebrate anything with this stamp set. 

It is hard to see but I have used the gold shimmer brush.  I used the thin 3-D foam but didn't use other embellishments so they can go more easily through the mail.  This stamp set uses Cricut images from the Artbooking cartridge of the Close To My Heart set.  There are still more great cards that can come from this stamp set.  Get one for yourself and see what you can do.  You can post your creations.  

March Cards

March cards this year are Easter Cards.  These cards are modeled after what is in the catalog.  Some call it "Scraplifting".  I chose to make some changes from the catalog.  When I make the cards for the groups, I try not to have things "bump" up to high and require the extra postage.  Bows and bling look wonderful but it can cost you. 

These are the two sets of stamps that I used.  The bottom one is used on 2 cards and the top one on the egg card.  I used a border stamp on the He is Risen card rather than a patterned paper and used a block stamp and different color paper for the egg one. 

I have made all the thin cuts and will bring some other spring stamps with me for those who would like to be creative and try doing something different. 

In design it is an unwritten rule to use odd numbers like 1 or 3 of things whether on quilts or cards.  I used watercolor pencils for the color but did a cross card in lighter gray and didn't use the water brush and I did like how it turned out. 

The lettering on the egg card uses the White daisy pigment ink so you have to use clear embossing powder.  My ink pad is older so I chose to use the White embossing powder so that it was the look I was looking for.  I am going to offer people bling on all the cards as they choose. 

I have some opening in Baraboo for the 1st Thursday and at Portage on the 2nd Wednesday.  Let me know if you would like to join us for 1 time or become a regular.

BOGO Party is on for March!

February brings this great sale - Who doesn't love a paper party—especially when the paper is on sale? During March's BOGO Paper Party, when you purchase a paper packet or coordinating cardstock, you can purchase another of equal or lesser value for 50% off the retail price. Stock up this March on your favorite paper packets from Seasonal Expressions 1.  Remember May brings a new catalog so this is a great time to take advantage of the paper sale.

With all this new paper, I am sure you want to find projects with cards and scrapbooks of all sizes. 

March 23 or 30 I would be open for an all day Crop at my house (pending weather).  If you let me know what kind of projects you want to do, I will design your own projects.  Come and make them - bring your things and leave the mess and go home with some great things.  If you can't come, just let me know what paper you have and what projects you want to do and I will email you your own directions. 

We could also do a Facebook live class where we can all work together.  There are also other projects we could do together - the Stories by Stacy are great as are some of the 6x8 albums.  Dream of what you want to get done and then contact me!