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

My first cut on our new "Artbooking" Cricut cartridge!

  This might be my first cut, but I have so many ideas and things I want to do with this that it definitely won't be my last. I just need to hibernate in my craft room for at least a month! I could maybe get somewhat caught up! I created this card for two Close To My Heart challenges. Heart2Heart challenges this week is to use water as our inspiration. And Color My Heart color dare is to use Olive, Twilight, and Ruby. So I thought I would combine the two. Red and Blue always go well with a water theme, but I would not have put Twilight and Olive together! That's one thing I like about these color dares, especially since it is using Close To My Heart's colors. I am not an expert in color and  I can learn a lot by participating in these dares. I had to play with this some to get something that I liked and then I still wasn't sure. It helps to walk away from a project and when I come back I see it in a different light. I think the struggle to get something to come together sometimes causes you to not like it so much until you give it some time. I was dying to use the new cartridge and I have a bunch of cards that I need to make so I wanted to kill several birds with one stone. Here's what I came up with:

  I don't always get the insides decorated, but this one I did and I really liked how it turned out. This one will probably go to a son or grandson. So here is the inside:

Supplies I used:
  Card inspiration:  Make It From Your Heart Vol 1, card #24 page 44
  White Daisy cardstock
  Twilight cardstock
  Artbooking Cricut cartridge  overlay>shift  page 78 set dial at 4.25"
  Stamp sets:
               Tommy WOTG  C1546
               Just a Number D1514
 Inks:
       Twilight
       Olive
       Ruby
       Black
Harvest Bakers Twine: Olive
Foam tape

And BTW, when I came back to it, I did like it! Especially after I did the inside.

            Have a blessed day,  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

This week its Dotty and Stripes over at H2H

How about trying some dots and stripes together? Close To My Heart has a super fun paper pack for National Scrapbook Month. 24 sheets of fun summer colors with lots of hot designs- chevrons, stripes, butterflies, large circles, labels, plus on the other side of each of these designs are dots! In coordinating colors! There's two shts of 12 designs. Lots of paper for lots of projects. Know what else is cool? Order $35 in product from CTMH and you get all this paper for just $5 more! This is cardstock weight paper. But you better hurry, cause we are very near the end of the month already and its available until supplies are gone. So, go on over to the shop button on the right and order some of this delicious paper.
This week Heart 2 Heart challenges us with dots and stripes, imagine that! So here is something I made using these papers.

The dots are on the backside of one of the sheets and the stripe is another design. I cut the tags from one of the sheets of paper and it looks like this.

What a lot of fun just on that sheet.
Hope you enjoy!     Polly

Lucky to have you in my life Challenge

Not sure what happened with my last post. I said I entered it into 2 challenges, one being the weekly Heart2Heart challenge, but on checking back later in the week, I discovered that I hadn't added it to either of the places that I should have. I thought I remembered doing that, but I guess not. Maybe being busy getting ready to go out of town and age have something to do with that! Haha. It's quite a process to do everything that needs done to get a post ready. Make the project, take pictures of the project, upload pictures to computer, take them into photo program and do whatever you gotta do to them (which I don't know a whole lot about), save them, then go create your post and get everything in it, then go link it to whatever your wanting to link it to. That leaves quite a lot of areas where you could leave something out, especially when your in a hurry. So I completed all the challenges at Heart 2 Heart in February, but you won't see that over there.
Heart 2 Heart's challenge this week is to make a card for someone you are lucky to have in your life and also to use the color green. March is a month full of birthdays of friends and family so I chose to make a card for one of them. Green is good for a masculine card, so that's what I chose to do. I am combining that with the Mojo Monday 232 card sketch challenge. Here is the sketch.

 

And here is my card. I used patterned paper from Close To My Heart's Stella and a small piece from an old paper pack called Rustic Trail. I used CTMH's ink colors: Bamboo, Desert Sand, Olive, and Stazon Black. I used a stipple brush for the background and used 3 of the ink colors mentioned. Most of the stamp sets were retired stamp sets. I used our twill for the ribbon.

 

And the inside:

 

Now off to create more birthday cards.

                                                                    Blessings,       Polly

 

H2H challenge and a birthday card

This coming week my baby boy will celebrate his 19th birthday. Where have all those days and years gone? It's amazing, I remember clearly thinking when I had him, what am I doing? How can I do this? He was number 4 and I had a 3yr. old, a 1 yr. old, and now a newborn. We were blessed to have the oldest a daughter who was 11, but I was quite overwhelmed at the time. But, I survived and it's flown by. Since then I've done several things that I didn't think I'd be able to do. I've homeschooled the last 3, something I didn't plan to do and didn't really have a desire to do until it came the right time to do that. And I've even survived 4 teenagers! They've really all been good teenagers and we have been blessed. That's not to say we haven't gone through some trying times and some embarrassing moments, but overall, I am thankful. I am proud of them and love them each one.
So this week for the H2H challenge we have a photo inspiration and it had the colors and elements for a perfect boy card! Here is the photo.

And then Mojo Monday's 230 sketch was a circle or square card. And here is the sketch for that.

And here is my creation from this inspiration.

I find that sometimes its harder to come up with a boy/man card, there's just not as many things that you can use for them. No frilly stuff, flowers and whatnot, but I am happy with what I figured out for this one.
So go on over to both of these sites and check out a lot of other creativityness.
Hope you enjoy.                                                       Blessings,    Polly

Paper Doll card and H2H challenge

This week at  Heart2Heart we have a sketch.

And over at Paper Craft Planet-group: All Things Vintage for February we were to make a card using a paper doll image. I chose to use a Betsy McCall paper doll. What a fun project. I haven't played with paper dolls for many years. I thought this paper from CTMH's Mayberry paper pack had a very vintage look and went well with Betsy's dress.

and a close up.

After inking the tips and some of the surface area of the roses, I dipped a brush in some glue that I diluted with water and then dipped my wet brush in Pearl Ex Aztec Gold and brushed in on the flowers. You can't see it very well in the photo, but I love the shimmery look. I also, stamped Celebrate using Encore gold ink and then restamped almost on top with Staz-0n Jet Black.
This card meets two other challenges for this week.
The Shabby Tea Room has a photo to use for inspiration.

I took the colors, roses and gold trim from the photo. I used Gold leafing around the edges of all the papers. That is the first time I've ever used gold leafing, I like it a lot. And one of the trendy things right now is doilies, which we were to include in our creation. And last, but not least, at Frosted Designs for Fab Friday we are to take a geometric shape and use it 3 times. I have 3 squares.
Go check out all these places and get inspired to make some gorgeous cards yourself!
                                                         Blessings to you,     Polly

H2H Challenge and Mojo Monday

This weeks H2H Challenge is a 1 2 3 Challenge. Use 1 stamp, 2 patterned papers, and 3 embellishments. Doesn't sound to hard, but it was more of a challenge than I thought. I have a hard time using only 1 stamp!
I did enjoy using one of our new paper packs, Pemberly. It reminds me of vintage wallpapers. I love it and really liked the look of the card when it was done.
I cut some of the hexagons for one of the papers. Used some of our new color ready seam binding (I was so excited to see this in our new catalog). I put about 3 drops of Indian Corn Blue reinker in a small baggie and spritzed in some water and added the ribbon, which is a cream color. Smooshed that around, took it out and laid it on some paper and dried it with the craft heater. You can see I have some varigation, but i liked the look so I left if that way. Of course I had to use the Art Philosophy cart, that's the label. Therein lay the one stamp problem, I wanted to use the stamp that goes with the label, it's so pretty, but then I wouldn't be able to stamp a sentiment. So I cut the label from Desert Sand cs and stamped the sentiment. I think I actually like this way better.
I used Mojo Monday 228 sketch.

And this is my creation.

Go on over to H2H and Mojo Monday to see everyone else's creations.
Like this paper or other products that I used? Go click on the "shop with me" button to the right.
Thanks for stopping by and blessings to you.

You and Me Love card

Here's some love from me. I created this card for a class that I held. I cut the card shape,  all the hearts, and the tags from the Art Philosophy Cricut cart. Textured the front of the card using my new Sizzex Texture Boutique. That little thing is so cute! Added some seam binding and bakers twine and some bling.

 

Sorry the lighting wasn't real great, we've had several cloudy days.

This card also meets the H2H Challenge this week.

Family pictures

My parents 50th Anniversary was this past summer, so one of the things we planned was to have family pictures taken.  I have 2 brothers and one sister. And all but, my sister have families and most of us live apart from each other. So we started planning this celebration and the family picture about a year ago and even then on the weekend that we were to be together it didn't look like we'd all be there, but everyone did make it for the picture. One of our gifts to them was a scrapbook. I did several pages of their parents, grandparents and siblings. Then we sent out info to their friends and family and ask them to create pages for this special scrapbook. It turned out to be a very special scrapbook and they love it.
All that to say- I am just now getting the page done for my family to put in their book. I was so busy preparing for anniversary celebration and getting several of the other pages done and I didn't want to put the page together until after the family pictures.
So here it is.

 This also meets the following challenges:
H2H Challenge  for the third week of January. It is a photo inspiration challenge. I used the browns, tags, and leaves from the photo.

Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday . This week it's a recipe: 3 patterned papers, 2 buttons, one word title
and then at Let's Scrap we have a sketch.

Hope you enjoy and go check out the above places and see all the wonderful artwork.
Have a blessed day,     Polly

Feminine, vintagey card

I am finding that participating in challenges and using sketches has really challenged me to get more done in a shorter amount of time. Mainly I'm not getting a project all planned out in my head before I actually start putting together something. I'm learning to start and build as I go, most things can be changed or adapted. This is really a fun process.
So I started this card with a sketch challenge from Let's Scrap and then the H2H challenge for last week was to use color (Close To My Heart color of course) and glitter.  It was easy to work these two challenges together.
I misted the textured piece of cardstock on the left with clear glitter mist, which you can't really see in the photo. And then added just a touch of Glitz Glitter gel on the tips of some of the rose petals. I am also loving the seam binding and all the ways you can color it. You'll definitely be seeing more of that here. 

 

Here is a close-up of the rolled flowers with Glitz Glitter gel added to some of the tips. The ribbon is the popular seam binding. It comes in many colors, but if you purchase white or cream, you can then color it to match whatever project you need it for. Saves on buying so many colors, and then maybe still not having the right color, plus then you have the money to purchase other NEEDS :) It comes flat, but you can get this cool scrunched look by misting it with some water and wadding it up. Let it wadded in a ball until dry. Love this stuff! 

 

Close To My Heart products used:

 Roxie paper pack

Art Philosophy cricut cartridge ( the bracket shape on the left edge and rolled flowers)

stamps

waxy flax

the pearl buttons are vintage and this seam binding is also, but Close To My Heart now carries the seam binding in off white

                              Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by. I love to see your comments too!     Polly               

H2H Dec challenge

Hello, I know I am almost to late to put in a entry for December, but here it is. I known what I wanted to do since I saw the picture that we were to use for our inspiration for this challenge. It was just getting the pictures and time to get the project done. And I finally accomplished that this week. Here is the picture that we were to use for our inspiration. We could take what we wanted from the picture, whether it be the colors, layout, ribbons, etc.

I wanted to use the circle element and also the monogram mainly, but I also incorporated the ribbons. Here is my creativity.

I used paper from Roxie for the big circle, painted a chipboard letter for my monogram. The base page is CTMH's Tulip cardstock, I misted with my own spray mist and then splattered some black acrylic paint randomly. Edge ink distressed in black also.
Close To My Heart products used:
      cardstock- tulip, desert sand, colonial white
      patterned paper - Roxie Level 2 paper pack
      Stamp sets - D1495 You & Me    journaling block
                          S1111 Cherish the Day   Month tag
                          C1422  Unity    phrase on tape
                          E1019 Bohemian Alphabet
     Just Blooms  Spring Blossoms
     Black button brads
I will be posting the other half of this LO later. Go to Heart 2 Heart challenges and check out what others were inspired to create.
                                                                             Blessing you with a wonderful creative new year,       Polly

Holiday card

  I recently saw a card on Pinterest (yes, I'm addicted :( ) that I liked. I believe the card idea came from www. vervestamps.com. So here is my version. I completely changed up the the colors so that I could put this on http://dianasstampingchallenges.blogspot.com/ Color Dare #9. We were to use Pacifica, Sorbet, and/ or Cranberry. We could use all 3 or just 2 and we could add in neutrals. I really like blues for winter so Pacifica was my main color. I chose you use a little Cranberry and some Desert Sand for neutral. 
  Over at http://frosteddesigns.blogspot.com/ its all about Glitter on their Fabulous Friday Challenge. That's an easy thing to do when your doin a winter card. I sprayed my own white glimmer mist on the card base and then glittered up those cute little snowflakes. The ribbon has a metallic thread through it also.
  This weeks H2H Challenge is a virtual Holiday Card Exchange. And last, but not least, http://lisascreativecorner.blogspot.com/ has an Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge blog hop going on! I just can't resist using my AP cartridge for every project I do! I love this thing. On this card I cut the trees (both layers), the bracket, that teeny tiny tag, and those tiny little snowflakes. Is that not sweet?! I could have used it to cut every shape on this card!! Check out my other posts for lots more examples using the Art Philosophy cart. I am a fairly new blogger here so it won't take long to look at the rest. I think the card using the CTMH Sonoma paper is my favorite so far.

 If you haven't gotten your cards done yet and are still looking for ideas, here are some great places to find some.

Here is a close up, maybe you can see the glimmer mist and glitter on the snowflakes better.

                                                                                     



  Close To My Heart items- which can be ordered at my website:  pollylewis.myctmh.com

Cardstock: Pacifica, Desert Sand

Inks:  Pacifica, Desert Sand, Cranberry

Paperpacks: Dreamin, Elemental

Color Ready Borders

Stamp sets: Art Philosophy D1498,  Say It In Style D1283

Cricut cartridge: Art Philosophy

other:

Embossing folder: Swiss Dots

Glitter

my own glimmer mist

old sheet music

ribbon

                         May your day be blessed,     Polly

Sketch time Winter card

This weeks H2H Challenge is a sketch

 

And here's my take on it.

 

I can't hardly do a project without stamping and using my Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart . This project used both and in fact all products are from CTMH. I love that company too!

Products used:

    Clear card  Z1323   (thus the glare on the card front)

    Wonderland Workshop on the Go  G1031   which comes with this gorgeous stamp set

    textured cardstock- retired

    Inks:  Twilight, Chocolate, Heavenly Blue, Cocoa

    Top Coats Icing Overlay   Z1468    the big snowflake-top layer of it

    Art Philosophy cricut cart.   Z1686    The large snowflake under the overlay

   My own glimmer mist on the white cardstock  using  Chocolate reinker, alcohol, shimmer acrylic paint

A whole new dimension is added when you use an acrylic card. Layers have to be thought out and adhesive or method of attachment. I added a couple extra photos so you could get a better idea of how this was put together. The textured cardstock was sanded and attached on the inside back. I put adhesive across the middle and then on the back I cut a strip of patterned paper to cover the adhesive. (I didn't take a picture of that.) CTMH's patterned papers are double sided and now they're cardstock weight! I added that piece to the inside front. I put adhesive so that the white cardstock pieces on front would cover it. White cardstock pieces where sprayed with my glimmer mist. The large snowflake design is given dimension with a pop dot.

You can order these products by clicking on the shopping button on the right.

Let me know what you think,      Polly

H2H challenge Time

I am a little late in getting this posted as this was last weeks challenge, but I am still going to post it. The theme was "time", it was left up to our imaginations how to interpret that. I have been working on this paper bag album for a few weeks and already knew that on the front cover I wanted to have a clock on it. So, when this challenge came up I knew what I'd be showing, but I first had to get it completed. I have had it done for several days now, but we had the Thanksgiving meal at our house and then we've had company for a couple days and nights and yesterday I had a class and so here I am just getting this posted. I have been wanting to do a paper bag album for some time and then I got the idea to create it for our 25th Anniversary which was a few years ago already. I will be showing the inside of this album at some point, but it isn't quite done, so you will have to keep checking back for further pictures.

Color Challenge from H2H Challenges

Here it is the first week of November already! Where has the year gone? I still have so many projects I want to accomplish yet this year. Scrapbooking, cards, home decor, and home improvement, plus. Oh well, I will just continue to take one day at a time and see what I can get done that way.
  This week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge is a color challenge using Close To My Hearts Autumn Terracotta, Juniper, and Bamboo colors. Here is 6"x6" card. I was also able to use Mojo Mondays 213 sketch challenge for this week.

All products are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted. I began with a 6x6 card shape of Bamboo cardstock. I textured it with a Cuddlebug embossing folder- Swiss Dots. I then swiped Bamboo ink over the embossed card using direct ink to paper method and also swiped it all around the edges. I made my own glimmer mist using Autumn Terracotta reinker, our own Pearl Paint and alcohol, made another mist using Juniper reinker which I put in our spray pens. I really like playing with these. Unfortunately you can't tell in the photo how shiny this really is. I used Typeset papers and Autumn Terracotta textured cardstock and sanded the edges of it. The flower is from our Pizzazz Irresistaibles chipboard pieces and inked with Autumn Terracotta. Stamp sets were Key Moments B1392 and the sentiments are one of the stamp sets that come with our Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge bundle. I cut the oval using that same cartridge.  I am really into using lots of layers and textures. This one has several.
                                                                      Hope you had a blessed day,     Polly

H2H Halloween/ Autumn Challenge

This weeks challenge at Heart 2 Heart Challenges is your choice of something Halloween or Autumn. It just so happened I had the perfect Autumn card made up for my card class this evening. It was created almost entirely using our new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. I sooo love that cartridge and don't feel like I've hardly begun to use it. And I only have about 3 other Cricut cartridges, not a real huge cartridge buyer, but I do love this one for sure.

I used all Close To My Heart products on this card.

The card base is 5.5 x 5.5 in the Kraft cardstock

The B&T papers are from Lucky

All the cutouts were cut from our very own Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and the stamping was done with coordinating stamps.

I ink distressed in Chocolate, used Sunset for the label, and New England Ivy for the cap of the acorn that's near the label. (That acorn is the cut-out from the card base. I used the Hooray Bouquet to stamp texture on that acorn)

I crumpled the leaf that is cut from B&T paper and ink distressed it.

Twill tape

Garden Green brad

Want to see what others have created? Go check them out at heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by and blessings to you all.         Polly

H2H Challenge

This weeks challenge over at heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com is a sketch. Here is my take on it.

 

All products were Close To My Heart.

I used:

          Typeset Level 2 papers

          Cardstock: Colonial White & Desert Sand

          Inks: Desert Sand & Vineyard Berry

          Stamp sets: Enjoy Life  C1439

                            Card Chatter-Sympathy   D1476

          Color Ready Borders Z1377

          Twill   Z1099

          Juniper Ribbon  Z1616

          Art Philosophy Cricut Cart. for the tag shape

I love love this Cricut cartridge and can't hardly create without it! 

Go over to H2H and check out what others came up with. Or join the fun!