Sympathy card - H2H and CAS(E) sketch challenges

  I barely jump back into the challenges that are out there in creative land and I am a winner already! I won over at Color Dare for the card that I created in my last post. These challenges really help me to think outside the box, to grow, and stretch.
  So here I am back again today with another card. I have several birthdays in the next couple of weeks that need cards to be made and some sympathy cards too. So what an opportunity to also join these challenges. Today I am entering this card in heart 2 heart challenge this week using "ombre" on a project. What's the you say? I will  just copy their explanation and then be sure to go over and check out some of the fabulous examples that they have there.

  I am combining that with  CAS(E) sketch # 38. I have just discovered this blog. A wonderful place to get ideas for a (C)lean (A)nd (S)imple card. So be sure to check them out HERE.

  Not much explanation needed here I don't think. I used Close To My Heart cardstocks in Hollyhock, Smoothie, and Blush. The shape was cut using the new (going "live" this week!) Artbooking Cricut cartridge. It's found on page 51. A border. I cut it at 2 1/2", 3 1/2", 4 1/2". The label for the Sentiment was cut using the Artiste Cricut cartridge. It's the 3-D Object key on page 36 and cut at 1 1/2". I used the following stamp sets. D1476 Card Chatter-Sympathy and D1088 Comforting Thoughts. The last set was the sentiment I stamped inside and it is a retired stamp set. I did emboss the card base using Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy embossing folder.

  Have a blessed day, Polly

Artiste card

  For July's card class I decided to cut my card base and the inside pop-up using Close To My Heart's "Artiste" Cricut cartridge. I hadn't cut one of those yet. I used the card on page 51. It turned out really cute and is very quick. I set the measurement dial at 5.5" and let the machine do the work. I used Pear cardstock for the base and I stamped with the new cat's eye background stamp ( D1559 Geometric Backgrounds) with Pear ink to create the band across the front. My label was cut with Close To My Heart's "Art Philosophy" Cricut cartridge and we also have a stamp set that coordinates with that cut. ( D1524 Frame It Up.) Very handy I say. I used Smoothie ink. The flower I created using another cut from the "Artiste" cartridge. On page 44, Accent 1, shift. I started with a 2.5" cut and then kept going down in quarter inch segments. I cut 4-5 layers of one paper and then cut 2 smaller in a yellow paper for the center. Both papers are from the Dotty For You paper pack. I ink distressed the edges of all the flower pieces and then laid them out on my Versa Mat and misted them a little and crumpled them up into a ball. Then uncrumpled them some and left them to dry. Once they were dry I took the largest one and put a dab of Liquid Glass in the center and laid the next smaller one on top making sure the petals were staggered. I continued that process until all petals were glued together. You can then ruffle up the petals and get the look you want. Next I threaded some Bakers Twine in Smoothie through the button. I was shown by a friend a really cool trick to threading twine or other threads, especially if they are thicker and the holes are small.
   The blue thing is for cleaning teeth (found in the toothpaste, floss isle.)

   Thread twine through the blue cleaner thingy. Then thread blue thingy through one of the holes of the button.

Pull twine through the hole making sure you don't pull it all the way through or you start over. Pull only one end of the twine all the way through. Loop that end through the blue loop again and thread the blue thingy down through the next hole.

   Is that not the coolest?!
 

  Here is what the front of the card looks like. Oh, and I added some Glitter Glitz Stardust to the flower after I had it glued  on the card front and when I had the inside complete. You could also add the Glitz to the flower and set it aside to dry and then attach it to the card when it is dry. 

  The inside pop-up part was cut with the fantabulous embossed cardstock from the Dream Pop papers. I love that paper pack! I would hoard this paper, but I got more than one so that I can cut up parts and pieces of one pack and the other I can save to use for bigger cuts and whole page layouts. I am trying to get past saving paper cause I like it so well and don't want it to be gone. I tell myself that there is always paper coming  out that I like as well or better! No need to worry that I will run out of paper that I like and have to quit scrapbooking and card making. LOL

I added a strip of the patterned paper  to the top of the pop-up to add some dimension/texture. I used my corner rounder to create a scalloped border. This is a pretty quick simple card, but cute.
I am entering this in the Anything Goes Challenge.
                                 Have a blessed day,   Polly

Big Picture Classes hosting a free Pajama Party and featuring our new Close To My Heart "Artbooking" cricut cartridge!

Last post I was telling some about our newest Cricut cartridge and now you can get a sneak peek. Big Picture Classes is going to be hosting another Pajama Party featuring Close To My Heart and most exciting of all our newest Cricut cartridge, "Artbooking", on Wednesday, July 31 at 6pm Pacific Time! There will be a live chat, contests, and prizes! I'm sure we'll be learning tips and tricks, inspirational ideas, and there will be a project all for free! All you need to do is head over to Big Picture Classes and sign up HERE. There you can find a project list and other info. You will not be able to order this cartridge until Aug. 1, but this class will show you what you can do with this cartridge and it will be archived in your classes so that you can go back and access it at a later date when you have that fantabulous cartridge in your cricut machine just waiting to cut!
  Here is the featured project.





So go get signed up for the class and  then go HERE and order your cartridge. Also, at the Big Picture site you can see the list of all the supplies you need to complete this project, so check it out and get your order in for everything you need now!
      Blessings,   Polly

Experimenting with Pop-up cards

    Drats! I've gone and done it again! I am so ashamed and apologize to those who may be following me. You sure haven't had much to follow lately. I have been busy and haven't even had the time to craft like I would like to. And then what I have made I haven't posted. I am going to start my resolutions early and resolve to make posting a higher priority.
With that said, my card ladies have been wanting to do a pop-up card and here's what we did this last month for class. I will have to say that I was definitely winging this one. But I am pleased with the results. Making a decision as to  how many pop-outs you want and the depth and height of them is the first decision. I recommend you Google pop up cards and get some ideas from out in Google land, because there are so many ways you can do them.
On this card I made 3 pop-outs. The two outside ones stand out 3/4" and the inside only 1/2".
I used a lot of cuts from the Art Philosophy and Artiste Cricut cartridges. We did alot of piecing. The turkey was cut 3 times with different papers each time. One was a shadow layer and then the actual body and head part I just cut off the wings. The middle layer I used Close To My Heart Clementine paper. I really like the dimensional effect. The pumpkin I cut 5 ovals and then layered them. It didn't look so much like a pumpkin until I put the leaves and vines on. All the leaves were cut on plain cardstock and them stamped and ink distressed get the texture. I used a Close To My Heart stamp for this technique. Stamp set B1355 Timeless, which I believe is retired now.
On the outside, the background paper is from the retired pack Passages. I used the over stamping technique with the leaves and acorn and used the same stamp set as listed above. I will post a video showing how to do this technique next.
Thanksgiving was cut from the Artiste cartridge and "celebrate" is from the Say It In Style stamp set D1283.

And here is a look at the inside.

The sentiment on the inside is from A Little Thanks D1444.

I am also going to use this for a challenge over on Word Art Wednesday a blog I just found.
Hope you enjoy. If you are interested in purchasing some of these products or don't know what Close To My Heart is all about, look to the right for the "shop with me" button.
                           Blessings,   Polly

More paper flowers and a color challenge

This card sketch comes from Mojo Monday #256 and a color challenge from Heart 2 Heart challenges that I admit I had some trouble with. Just wasn't sure how to use Pear and Lagoon together. I used two of the wonderful papers from the Dotty For You paper pack and then the Lagoon flower is from the Stella paper pack. The sunset flowers are cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge white cardstock and my waterbrush. The Lagoon flower was cut from the newest Close To My Heart Artiste Cricut cartridge. I used the flower on pg 54 using Accent 3 and shift key. I cut several at different sizes and then added the stamens. The green chevron banner is stamped using our National Stamping Month special stamp set. "It's Your Day" This is a double stamp set and a super deal. Order $35 in product and get this set for $5 more!

 If you would like to take advantage of this awesome deal just hit the "shop with me" button on the right. You won't be sorry!
Our color-ready seam binding that I spritzed with water and scrunched up and let dry like that and a stick pin from our Bling Assortment completed the flower cluster.
So here is my card

and a close up of the flowers

and I even decorated the  inside

This card was made for a special friend who has a birthday tomorrow!
Blessings,    Polly

Sympathy card using Avonlea paper and other new product

I love the colors in this paper pack, they are my comfort colors. I like that some of the papers look like they are textured.
Close To My Heart is always striving to stay on trend and they have added a feature in this new Idea Book that they haven't done before. They are offering some trendy colors to certain paper packs. The paper packs that offer these trendy colors are:
Avonlea with Avonlea Off-White, Avonlea Teal, and Avonlea Green
La Belle Vie with: La Belle Vie Mauve, and La Belle Vie Pink
Flirty with: Fliry Raspberry, and Flirty Yellow
  Now what exactly does that mean? It means in each of the above paper packs there is cardstock included with those particular colors and you can only get those colors when you order one of those paper packs. The cardstock or inks won't be available any other way.
  Why? That allows them to change some colors in each catalog to stay a little more trendy and yet, we won't have to be buying more cardstock and inks every little bit.
  How's that going to work? These paper packs have enough of our regular colors that there will still be plenty of cardstock and ink choices in the color palette to choose from and then we will have some extra color choices in cardstock in the paper pack to play with. And if your not quite as versed in the color wheel and pulling in colors that could be added, Tresa Black has done that fabulously for us. Go here to see the PDF's that shes created to share. Thank you Tresa, your fabulous! This is exactly what I needed. I plan to do the Avonlea card kit as a class in September and some of the ladies expressed a concern about the cards not being very colorful. Now I have this reference sht to pull in some color. I love it. We will probably do at least one card of each of the three designs and then we'll probably do some of our own designing from there. Or they will expect me to do that :)
This card was designed for a friend who recently lost an Aunt, but it also goes with the H2H challenge Sympathy card for Aug, the first wk.
Besides the Avonlea paper pack here are the other new products I used:
the fancy swirly frame- cut from the Artiste Cricut cartridge!  it's a must have and I will certainly be using and showing many more designs from this awesome cartridge.

Silver Shimmer Trim-its self adhesive!

Black and Grey Sparkles

 This flower isn't Close To My Heart and it wasn't created from one of the flowers on the Cricut cartridge. It was a preformed purchased one, but I colored it with my water brush and Juniper ink and then added some Glitz Glitter Gel in Stardust.

A simple card, but very elegant and appropriate for a sympathy card.
                                      Blessings,      Polly