Sooo... some of you who know me, know of my annoying habit of being a little (or sometimes a lot) late. Well, I'll tell ya that no matter what I do I can't seem to be on time! I had these 2 cards (plus a couple of more) done, pictures taken & edited, they where ready to go on my blog & what happens so I can't be on time to join the site challenges I made them for??? Our internet goes wacko! I t 's g o i n g v e r y s l o w . (Get the picture!) So slow I couldn't get it to upload the photos here. So I thought it was just a glitch & it will be fine in a couple of days (cuz our internet is very temperamental) Well...It just got worse so finally I called it in & after a few days of phone calls & trying to walk me through fixing things over the phone they said we needed to update our equipment. We'll be there Thursday...yah, that day came & went, then we'll be there Friday...yup that day came & went too! (Well by now I missed most of the deadlines for the challenges) So on Monday I was reduced to begging. It's now been about 10 days without internet. Yesh you forget how much you depend on it! But all is well (I think) in the end because we are updated & back on line. It still seems to have a few fits & sometimes a little slow but at least we (yes, I had a lot of frustrated kids who couldn't check there facebook! Oh No!!) can get on line again! So if you've missed me that's what's been causing the lack of posts! But I'm back & have a lot of artwork to share!
Pretty, Pretty, Pretty! What more can I say! I love flowers & flourishes! This is a new flower for me, I have seen it a lot on other sites but haven't tried it until now. The ribbon is rolled & twisted & sewn together. The bottom layer is lace, then Blush Cardstock punched with our scallop punch, sanded, bent & inked then cut apart to make larger & glue dotted back together. (Sounds like Humpty Dumpty!) The design is from
Mojo Monday & the paper is from the
"Bliss WOTG Kit." I did a lot of edging with blush ink & chocolate ink. My sewing machine happened to be out so I added some stitching. I like that & think I should add stitching to my projects more often. The brown paper is our new
"Kraft" CS & the boarder is from the coordinating
"Kraft Color Ready Borders."
The design below is from Sweet & Simple Challenge blog. Again I used the "Bliss" paper pack & Kraft CS. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. It's so pretty when you double or triple it. Not only does it add dimension but it appears to be in flight & gives movement to your project! You may not be able to tell (click on the photo & it will enlarge it) but I added glitter to the flower centers & butterflies. The stamp set is from our special this month
"You & Me." It's a lovely kit including: irresistible chipboard, stamp set, ribbon & paper. Very versatile heavy weight paper (new for us) patterned on both sides & the stamp set is awesome...of course it has a great flourish in it! Close to My Heart is donating a portion of the profits from this kit to add in the flood & tornado relief operations. Read Below!
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| You & Me Kit |
Severe flooding, tornadoes, and storms have affected the lives of thousands across the United States, but together we can make a difference.
Purchase the You & Me scrapbooking kit for only $15.00 US/ $16.50 CAN (a retail value of $34.95/$38.95), and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Spring 2011 Floods and Tornadoes relief operations. With the You & Me kit, you’ll create two fully embellished two-page layouts using the included instructions, papers, D-size stamp set, and accessories. At only $15/$16.50, this kit is more than 50% off the retail price. You’ll win by getting the kit at a phenomenal price, and those in the weather-devastated regions will benefit from your charitable contribution. Together we can make a difference; together we are stronger!
Offer valid June 1–30, 2011, or while supplies last. No qualifying purchase required. Tax and shipping/handling charges apply.
Our Corporate Artists are so talented! I'd like to share some of their creations with you. I guess I can't get enough of the "Miracle Paper Kit." I especially love how they incorporated our new Canvas Buttons, Kraft Borders & Miracle Chipboard into these amazing layouts & cards. 
Here's the promised artwork with the "Miracle" Paper Kit! Such pretty blues & greens. I've paired the paper with one of our newer stamps sets "Dreams Come True." Of course I like it because it has a Great(!!) Flourish! (Used behind the chipboard flower)I'm also very pleased with the sentiment & font chosen. I added Crystal Blue ink onto the chipboard "Irresistible" then edged it with a sponge & Desert Sand ink. It's finished off with a sparkle. Gotta love the bling! The white flower & stitching on the chipboard are part of the resist technique that make these "Irresistible" Dimensional Elements so much fun to work with, you just rub color on with a sponge & ink & wipe of the resist area clean & Ta Da it adds instant visual "Pop" to your piece. 
These 3"x 3" cards are the perfect size to accompany a small gift or fit into a gift bag. Quick & easy to make to show your appreciation to that someone special in your in your life.
I wish I had a better picture of this card. It is so much prettier than it looks. The design is from "Mojo Monday."(turned sideways) I second generation stamped in the circle very lightly with the large damask stamp from the Feb. SOTM set & then stamped my sentiment (from the Card Chatter-Sympathy set) over top. It's matted with Sweat leaf & Heavenly blue CS & then I ruffled paper under it & added pop dots.
Look at what we found! While we were packing our camper to go away for the weekend a bird kept flying out of the tree at us every time we walked by with another load for the camper. After a while I thought she must have a nest in there & look what we found. How sweet is that! Two newborn chicks & two eggs unhatched. 
When our new catalog came out & I saw the "Wings WOTG" kit I new just the pictures to use with this paper. The "My Stickease" were a perfect match for my photos. Some of you know that I usually have a hard time with stickers, but...these were perfect. I did add some ink to them, I know what you are going to say..."She's got to cover the white space!" Yup that's me! I always seem to alter them in some way & just have to use my stencil brushes or sponges! The bird is a stamp rolled in several colors of ink & cut out. I only adhered the body to the sticker tag to leave movement in his wings. When stamp rolling aways start with your lightest color (sweat leaf) & then roll other colors (blush, & vineyardberry) onto the edges of the stamp. Very pretty effect when using leaves & flowers.
The flowers are from our "Just Blooms Spring Blossom" pack & "White Daisy" Variety Pack. Just sponge a little ink in the middle & around the edges & wala you have a beautiful flower to match your layout or card. The White Daisy flowers are on sale right now on my website. Be sure to check the "While Supplies Last" clearance center as there are even more goodies (lots of great ribbon & flower packs) marked down to 75% off!! Whoo Hoo! 
The gorgeous centers of the flowers are our "Filigree Charms." Aren't they amazing. They come in a package of eight and are pewter charms with brads. I rubbed them across brown StazOn ink & set them aside to dry. It creates a vibrant coppery color. You have to use a permanent ink (like StazOn) as it will work on all nonporous materials such as; metal, plastic, glass, coated paper and more.
Look at the flourishes in these letters! I love it! (Imagine that!) Yes, this stamp set, "Bohemian Alphabet" is something I had to have. With clear blocks & clear stamps our alpha sets are so easy to use. Just stick all the letters you need to make your word on the block & you can easily stamp them right where you want them every time! No more lopsided letters or place a stamp tool. Once again our My Acrylix stamps are "Faster, Simpler & Easier!"
The card below is one of my favorites. When I get started making tag backgrounds I generally make a bunch of them. You never know how the colors are going to blend until they dry. Once I get started & see how pretty they are, I think "What will these three colors look like together" & before you know it I have 50 tags in different colors! I'm actually at a point were I need to make more. I've used almost all of them up! This one had just the perfect colors for the Wings paper. If you would like to have a workshop on how to make these tags let me know & I will put something together.
Look at how great the Mayberry papers go with the Beatrix Potter inspired March Stamp of the Month. The adorable bunnies in the stamp set with the fresh colors of the paper make me long for spring. Warm weather? Yes, please!
it? This effect is created with a great technique called paper piecing. To recreate this idea start by stamping your image on a piece of cardstock( this is your base). Stamp the same image again on patterned paper, and cut out the parts you want your image to have with that particular pattern. Repeat with other patterned papers until you have all the pieces you want. Then simply glue your pieces to the base image to create a singular, striking focal point.
