You're Special

I saw sketch over at Frosted Designs, and I had to stop everything and create a card for the challenge.  I so love circle cards!

This card was made almost entirely with the Close To My Heart's exclusive Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. (Don't forget - this is the month you can get the collection free when you join Close To My Heart!  Read about it HERE.)  The circle card base, circle layer, banner, flowers, and flourishes are all die-cuts.  I added some cocoa embellishments and twine, and this card was done in under 30 minutes.  I love that about the AP cartridge!  It makes crafting quick and easy.  With 700 more images, I'd better head back and see what else I can create!!

Items used that can be found on my website:
Z1686 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection
X7153B Florentine Paper Packet
A1111 A Tulip Stamp Set
Z1702 Creme Brulee Baker's Twine
Z1358 Basic Buttons
Z1333 Mocha Opaque Gems

Thinking of You

I saw this very clean and simple sketch over at Frosted Designs, and I just loved it!  Every once in awhile I like to take a sketch at it's face value and just create. (Click on the link so that you can see the sketch.)

I used Pemberley paper, which has quickly become one of my favorite go-to papers.  I used the A Blossom stamp set for the sentiment.

Thanks for visiting!!

Sending Warm Wishes

I combined a couple of challenges to make this Mother's Day for Jerry's grandmother.  Frosted Designs wants stripes and polka dots this week, and Heart 2 Heart would like to see a Mother's Day card.

I love these retired Perfect Day papers from CTMH.  The colors are just gorgeous - tulip, sorbet, and juniper.  I cut the large flower from one of the sheets of paper and used foam tape to adhere it.  As you can see, I used my edge distresser quite a bit on this card.  Other additions are the Dimensional Elements On Target, Clear Sparkles, and  Colonial White Grosgrain.

A Little Basket for You

I saw the instuctions for making this basket on Stamp TV, and I thought it was the cutest little thing! 

I think this would be a really fun way to hand deliver an Easter gift!  I make my own paper shreds from scraps that aren't really useful for anything else.  Perfect way to recycle paper and that way they always match the project.  All supllies for this project are from CTMH.  I cut the ovals using nestabilities, and I cut the dimensional butterfly using my Spring Slice design card.

I can actually enter this into quite a few challenges (yippee! - that's pretty good for me!):

• Totally Papercrafts - spring time
• Tellen's Place - Easter
• Frosted Designs - handmade embllishment
• Our Creative Corner - 3D Easter project
• Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - Easter

Life's Little Moments

I have come to understand that I really like clean and simple pages.  They fit well in my books, and the pictures take center stage.  I struggled with a few years as to my style - trying each and every style - but I always come back to clean and simple.  That's one reason I like the Mayberry paper from CTMH.  It's just so fresh and vibrant!  This layout of Shane on Easter 1994 is for the Lasting Memories spring layout challenge and Frosted Designs (bling).

Along with the Mayberry paper, I've used matching stickers, "easter" from the Spring Slice card, i-rock gems, and some May Arts wrinkled ribbon.

Stop over at Practical Scrappers this week, too,  Today and tomorrow we are highlighting Easter cards, projects, and layouts.  So if you need some inpiration, you will find it there!

All You Need is Love

I am just squeaking by to get into the All Things Unity challenge which is to make an easel or tri-fold card.  I decided I wanted to do a triangle tri-fold because I think it's such a fun little card for people to open!  Frosted Designs wants to see red, pink, and white and Let's Ink it Up is looking for romance/Valentine's cards.  It was easy to hook these three up together!

I used two Unity kits of the month - April and August. Don't you love the hearts and saying?  My paper is Bazzill and my ink is CTMH.  I randomly popped up those hearts for a bit more interest.  Here's the inside and you can see a little bit how it opens.

Hope you are having a happy crafting day!

Creative Imaginations IOD

I pulled out some Iron Orchid Designs paper from Creative Imagination today.  I so love the softness of the paper!  I thought as long as I was playing and making some more Valentine's that I would also enter a few challenges.  The first card is for Frosted Designs where they are asking for transparency, vellum, or acrylic.

I made an acrylic card for this challenge.  I cut a hole in the front with a circle nestabilities, and then used the scalloped circle to make a border around the cut.  (If you click on the picture, it will show larger for you and you'll be able to see the detail.)  The background paper is on the inside of the card as well as the "xoxo" and one butterfly.  "Beloved" and another butterfly are on the front.  I am so glad that FD had this challenge because it was really fun to challenge myself to make an acrylic card again!  I'll also enter this card into the Wee Memories challenge which is to "free your creativity."

I have used the sketch from Card Patterns for the next card.

Again, I used IOD paper and a matching journaling tag.  The ribbon, stamp, and sparkles are CTMH.  I am going back to playing now.  I've got some finsihed projects sitting on my desk that I'll have to wait to show you.  But I still want ot continue on in the Valentine's mode so back to crafting!!

Santa & Winter Wishes

I so wanted to use the image that Laurel provided for her blog candy challenge.  It's such a sweet vintage Santa, and I found it to work perfectly with kraft paper:

I used the sketch from CPS for the week, and this also fits the challenge for Frosted Designs - ribbon.  This is a much simpler card than I am used to making, and it was fun! The paper is Canvas Home Basics, the ribbon is May Arts, and the pewter brad is from CTMH's Mistletoe collection.

I used the sketch at Our Creative Corner for the next card. 

I made this card using two stamps - New Fallen Snow from CTMH and the Unity freebie from Paper Crafts magazine.  How generous were they to put a free stamp in the last issue?!  The paper is Midnight Frost from Bo Bunny, and the ribbon and gems are from my stash. This cards fits the Sentimental Sunday challenge - Let it Snow with a sentiment and Frosted Designs - ribbon.

Thank You

This is such a good week for giving thanks!  That's why I was so glad to see so many challenge blogs having "thank you" as their challenge.  I so enjoyed making this card!!  Here is my entry using all CTMH product:

The challenges I'd like to enter this card into are:
Heart 2 Heart Challenges - thank you
CARDS - thank you
Sentimental Sundays - thankful with a sentiment
Frosted Designs - distressing

Delight

When I saw this photo of my nephew and his little boy, I couldn't wait to scrap it!  You will have to click on the layout to see their perfect faces looking over Lake Superior.  Truly a delight!  Over at Let's Scrap, challenge #59 is to scrap a photo where the face tells a story.  I think this picture does just that perfectly!

I've used Lily Bee paper and rub-ons for this layout.  Isn't it wonderful paper for the summer months?  Because I used my Fiskars border punch this LO fits into the Frosted Designs challenge.  I used my Slice Fall/Back to School card to cut the sun and clouds.  The letter stickers are CTMH.

I must confess that I truly enjoyed working on this clean and simple page!

Toddler Fun

I have been working on a layout today, and I still don't know if I am happy with it.  I love the pictures, but I am just not crazy about something in the layout.  If I knew what it was, I would fix it!! ;)  These are pictures from nearly 20 years ago, and I didn't have the luxury of digital prints back then.  I am just so happy to have these pictures and to have put them to another set of legacy pages!  What you have in this post are simple pages - and that's okay, too!

I based my layout on the Let's Scrap sketch for the week.  Such great sketches at this site! I think this is a fabulous place to find inspiration and sketches - amazing work at Let's Scrap!  I also noticed while I was working on it that it will work for the color challenge for Frosted Designs.

I have used Tinkerin' paper from CTMH.  I purchased this paper knowing that I didn't like it so much, but that it would be great for little boy pages. I buy paper that is suitable for my pictures.  I love that paper I don't necessarily like challenges me and helps me grow.  After nearly two decades of paper crafting, that is important!  I've used the Level 1 kit, so all the stickers are included.  I added some Making Memories Giggle Kids dots, CTMH buttons, and I put glossy accents over the word "fun" to make it pop.

I have got some news that I am busting at the seams to tell you, but I can't just yet!  Look for that annoucement on Sunday!! 

A Layout & A WINNER!!

You can scroll down if you'd like to see the winner of my blog candy, but I thought I would share some artwork first.  Gotta keep you in suspense, you know! 

I was able to combine two challenges with this two page layout.  The first is Frosted Designs, and the challenge is buttons.  On of the designers at Let's Scrap has a challenge this week to tear paper on your layout.  I used to do this more often, but I stopped distressing on my pages.  I tried it out today again, and I'm happy with the results.  I've used one of CTMH's new paper packets - Zippidee Level 1.  I love working with the Level 1s - they are so affordable!

Okay, I've probably kept you in supsense long enough.  The winner of all that wonderful blog candy is

RUFUS!!! 

Congratulations, Ruthanne!!  E-mail me to give me your information, and I will ship your package to you right away Monday morning.  I can't wait to see what you design with all these goodies!! 

I wanted each and every one of you to win tonight.  I have so enjoyed reading you comments this week, and I hope you will continue to visit me.  I have a couple of days off now, so I will be catching up on blogs.  I can't wait to see what you've all been up to!!