Feet

Jerry and I recently went away for a few days, and I came back with two picture that I absolutely love.  While Shane was handing out Halloween candy tonight, I decided to put them to paper.

These photos immediately reminded me of a portion of a Scripture from Luke 1:79 that says, "..to guide our feet into the way of peace."  That is a constant prayer for me...that no matter what path I choose to walk in life that I will find peace.  I am always so grateful that the Father is my certain guide!

But if we are talking feet, Jerry would prefer his wet.  He loves to fish, swim, and roam about the water - just as he was doing on this fall day.  Yes, he said, the water was cold, but he loved it.  I so love this picture and how I was able to capture the dried leaves on water and his rather contemplative expression.  Now me, I love to be barefoot.  It's a sad day for me when it's time to put flip flops away and socks and shoes take over my feet.  But as I said, it was a warm fall day, and I was able to enjoy the crunch of the leaves bare-footed and in my jammies.  I LOVE vacation days!

This paper is Dreamin', and it's been discontinued for awhile.  I have just enough scraps to put together a matching page.  What I really want to draw your attention to is the stamp that I have used for my words.  It is part of the Trinity Alphabet.  This is an e-sized set (value $29.95) with three different sized fonts.  In my next post, I am going to tell you how you can get this set half-price (or any other set for that matter!).  Thanks for visiting and stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving

I have much to do in my office today, but sometimes you just have to stop and play.  That is what I did this morning!  I took out my pigment towers and decided to use alcohol markers with them.  This gorgeous set is called Abundance and without a doubt, the most gorgeous Thanksgiving set I've ever seen.

I stamped the image with Cocoa pigment ink, and I stamped the sentiment with Barn Red pigment ink.  I also sponged the edges with Barn Red and used my stubble texture tool to add a little depth.  The marker colors I used are Autumn Terracotta, Smokey Plum, Eggplant, Ruby, Olive, and Honey.  Because our Basic colors are not available yet (Good thing come to those who wait!!  And aren't we glad that Close To My Heart takes the time necessary to bring us the perfect product?), I mixed Autumn Terracotta and Olive to get brown.  I so love Thanksgiving, and the end result was that this card soothes me...the color, the technique, the thoughts of a turkey in the oven with my apple pecan stuffing.  Sometimes we just need to step back and play with our supplies even if there is work to do!

I am going to enter this card into three challenges:

• 2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Halloween/Fall Colors
• The Ribbon Girl - Autumn Photo Inspiration
• There She Goes - Pumpkin Spice Coffee Inspiration

One of a Kind

Sometime ago, I was a design team member for Sassy Lil Sketches.  I so loved working with Cherie's sketches.  For some reason, they just spoke to me and the way I like to create.  It was very sad for me when Sassy Lil Sketches closed down, and I've been spending a lot of time looking for new sketches that speak to me in the same way.  Don't get me wrong - there are so many amazing sketches out there.  But I think each of us has a style that really works for us individually.  And then I found Iwona's Sketchbook Saturday sketches.  I try to play as often as I can, and I love that they are just for fun.  If I am busy, I can go back to work on a sketch and just leave Iwona a comment.  Please go and visit her!  Not only will you love the Sketchbook Saturday sketches, but her artwork is amazing!

I worked with Sketch #81 today:

Interestingly enough, the banner were a real eye-catcher for me on this sketch (I won't get tired of banners any time soon), but I ended up not using that amongst the snowflakes.  

I used the Snowflakes stamp set for this card.  It has the prettiest border stamp and that is what I used to create the small scalloped edge.  The lines on the bottom and side of the card are actually score marks, and I brought them out a little by lightly inking them.  Sparkles and Glitz Gel finished this card off nicely.  

Thanks for visiting today! 

Christmas Cheer

You have just a couple more days to purchase the October Stamp of the Month!  It is such a wonderful set filled with so many good sentiments and shapes for your Christmas paper crafting.  I created a gift bag using Pear & Partridge paper and the Cricut Artiste cartridge.  What a pretty way to hand someone a special gift!  Five of the stamps on the set having matching Cricut cuts, so it also makes your crafting easy!

Avonlea Clear Cards

If you scroll down to my previous post, you'll see the box that I created for the cards I am showing you today.  Because the box is on the elegant side, I wanted very special cards for the inside so I chose to use clear cards.  I love clear cards, and they are on the "While Supplies Last" list right now.  They come in a set of 8 cards for $3.00.  Yes, I said $3.00!  WOW - that's just 38 cents per card & envelope for a really unique card.  There will be two of each of these cards inside the card box.

If you look closely at this card, you will see that the rounded piece and "thinking of you" layers are on the inside.  The ribbon wrap, circle element, and gems are on the outside.  I've placed the band strategically so that you can write on the mat on the inside.  This is one of the rounded corner cards and there are four of these in the package.  The other four cards have a bracket edge, and that is what I used for the next card.  Again, the ribbon band, square elements and buttons are on the outside of the card. 

These are an extremely durable card, and I love them!  They come with a protective coating over them so that they remain free of scratches.  You may wonder about the adhesives I use for this.  Liquid Glass is perfect!  It dries clear and has a strong hold.

Watch my class calendar.  I will be having a special winter clear card kit available for purchase in November!

My Creations Card Box

I started a project today, and I thought I would share what I have done so far.  This is the My Creations Card Box, and I've decorated it with Avonlea paper.  Everything about this paper feels very vintage to me, and it makes a lovely gift!  I started out by sponging the box edges with Slate ink, and then I covered it with Slate cardstock.  From there, I covered the box with Avonlea paper. (I cut the Avonlea paper 1/8" smaller than the Slate.)

I wanted to show you a close up of the top of the box, so that you could get a proper look a the embellishments.  I cut five rolled flowers from the Artiste cartridge (have you asked me for information about this cartridge yet?), and I put large pearl opaque gems in the centers.  I don't always do that, but I wanted them to be a little fancier for this box.  I added three cardstock and one ribbon banner to the top of the box, and I stamped the lower banner using a sentiment from Family Tree.  That gave me a good base with lots of interest for the flowers, and I mixed in some Slate flourishes (which are super nice because they bend), a Bling trinket pin, and some pearl opaque gems.  I had a little piece of  rosette ribbon cut, so I finished off the whole cluster with that.

I'll be showing you what I will be putting in the box tomorrow.  I do want to tell you that this is one of the items that I will have for sale at the Cross of Hope craft boutique.  Here is the information, and if you are local, I would love to see you there!  (Check back tomorrow because I will have a coupon for you to use at the boutique.)

Cross of Hope Lutheran Church Craft Boutique

5730-179th Lane NW

Ramsey, MN

Saturday, November 10th

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Trick or Treat

With only one week left until Halloween,  I thought I'd better pull out my Halloween goodies and create some more with them.  I was on a little vacation the past few days, and it was really relaxing to get away.  However, by the time we were driving home, I couldn't wait to get my hands on some paper, ink, and stamps!

For this card, I pulled out a few scraps of Moonlight (the stripe and dotted banners) and my Spellbound Workshop on the Go stamp set.  I created the argyle background by stamping with goldrush ink.  I added a little piece of black tulle, a label and a couple cute little bats from Spellbound, and the black cat from the Moonlight Dimensional Elements.  (Big thanks to Jamie for the cat - I have one, but I was hoarding it!!)  I used a pattern from the Make It From Your Heart book.  Such a handy how-to book and such a great price at $7.95!

I will be entering this card into the following challenges:

• Heart 2 Heart - Halloween or Pumpkin
• Color Throwdown - Color Challenge
• Ribbon Carousel - Halloween Spirit 

Discover the Possibilities of the Cricut Craft Room

Today I want to share some wonderful ideas and artwork with you from Close To My Heart and the Cricut Craft Room!

If you love your Cricut^® machine, then you are going to adore all of the fabulous things you can do with Close To My Heart Cricut^®cartridges in the Cricut^® Craft Room. Create layers, cut negative space in the shape of your choice, make borders, and link elements together for a connected look. It’s easy! We’ll show you how.

Here is how to get started with Cricut^® Craft Room:

1. Create a FREE account in a few easy steps.
2. Download and run the application for PC or MAC, depending on the type of computer you use.
3. Connect your Cricut^® machine to your computer using a Type B USB cable. (Note: For more info on this type of cable, see your Cricut^® user’s guide or your local electronics store.) Once you have connected your computer to your Cricut^® machine, the “Load Mat” button is the only button you will ever need to push on your machine in the entire process. Cricut^® Craft Room will do everything else for you.
4. Once inside the application, choose the type of Cricut^® machine you own.
5. Insert your Close To My Heart Art Philosophy or Artiste cartridge into your Cricut^® machine.
6. In the lower left portion of the application there is a tab that is labeled “Images/Cartridges.” Select “All Cartridges” from the dropdown menu. (Note: You must choose a cartridge that you own. You can also purchase individual images from the Cricut^®store.)
7. Scroll to find the Close To My Heart Art Philosophy or Close To My Heart Artiste cartridges you own.
8. The virtual mat in Cricut^® Craft Room is just like the mat you’ll load into your machine. And, it is oriented the same way that you will load your mat into the machine, with the arrow at the top.
9. To drag an image to the mat, simply click on the image in the image selection tool box and move it to the mat.
10. Once the image is on the virtual mat, you can adjust the placement by clicking on the image and moving it to any location on the mat.
11. Now that you know the basics, you can start creating and exploring the possibilities!

Follow these steps to create the negative space on a card base, like you see on this Cheer Up card, featuring images from the Art Philosophy cartridge:

1. Select the “Card” tab in the Art Philosophy images. Find the card base you prefer and drag it onto the mat. (We used Square 1 for the Cheer Up card.) The image will be cut in the exact direction and location that you place it on the virtual mat. At the top of the screen, or at the left under the “Shape Properties” tab, you’ll see size boxes. Enter the width and height for your shape. This is the size it will be cut on the machine, regardless of what size your machine indicates on the flip screen.

2. Choose an image to cut out of your card front. We have chosen a butterfly by going to the Basics tab, clicking the “Show Shift/Lock Images” at the bottom, and then selecting the butterfly. Drag the image to the right side of the card base, position it, and alter the size, as desired. Once the image is in place, you will see a cut-out image in its place. This Weld feature is automatically on unless you disable it, and allows you to see how the card base will look with your images cut out.

3. Select another image, drag it to the card base, and position it how you’d like it. Continue adding images to the card base, if desired.

4. To cut your finished artwork, load the mat into your Cricut^®machine and insert the corresponding cartridge. Next, press the green Cut button at the top of the computer screen and follow the prompts. The machine will cut the shapes as you have prepared them in Craft Room. If more than one cartridge shape has been added to the project, the machine and screen will prompt you with instructions.

Here are so more artwork examples that have been made using Cricut^® Craft Room software. Follow the instructions below to learn some more fun tricks we used in creating this artwork.

Birthday Greetings card

Here’s how to create the bracket frame as shown in this Birthday Greetings card:

1. Drag a card base from Art Philosophy cartridge and size it to be 9" wide and 4½" high.
2. Add a 1½" bracket frame (from the Basic tab) to the center of the right side of the card. So far, all of the shapes have been placed in Layer 1. You can add additional layers using the Layer feature located toward the top of the screen, directly above the mat. Each Layer will be cut from a separate sheet of paper and is indicated by a different color on the screen. Using the Layer feature allows you to fully design your Cricut^® shapes before cutting any pieces.
3. Add a second Layer by clicking the plus sign. Click and hold the Layer 2 tab and drag the tab to the left so it is first in the row. This allows you to see the second Layer on top of the first so you can visualize your finished project. Drag a 3" bracket frame to the card base and position it over the 1½" frame. Then, still using Layer 2, add a 1½" bracket frame in the center of the 3" frame.
4. Maneuver the Layer 2 frames so that they perfectly line up with the Layer 1 frame. Use your keyboard arrows for exactness.
5. Cut the pieces following the prompts on the computer screen and Cricut^® machine. Layer 2 will be cut first, so be sure to load that paper first. Then load a new sheet of paper for the Layer 1 pieces.
6. Embellish the card as desired.

Want to create a border that spans the entire length of your 12" page? It’s easy!

1. In Craft Room, change the mat size to 12" x 24" under Machine & Mat tab on the left of the screen.
2. Drag your selected border to the mat and rotate it so it is vertical.
3. Change the height of the border to 12". It will automatically change the width proportionally unless you click the aspect ratio button between the width and height measurements.
4. Whether you have a 12" × 24" mat or a 12" × 12" mat, you can use this function with a 12" × 12" piece of paper. Simply place the border as close to the top of the Craft Room mat as possible, but not exactly flush with the top.

5. Cut the piece following the prompts on the computer screen and Cricut^® machine.

To create the title with the letters joined together to form one piece instead of individually cut letters…

1. Drag your letters to the mat
2. Overlap portions of each letter to connect them
3. Use the Weld feature to join the letters together seamlessly.
4. Cut the piece following the prompts on the computer screen and Cricut^® machine.

There are so many possibilities to explore in the Cricut^® Craft Room using the versatile Art Philosophy and Artiste cartridges from Close To My Heart! If you have any questions about using Cricut^® Craft Room, visit www.cricut.com where a Cricut^® employee will be glad to help you. Be sure to get your Art Philosophy and Artiste Cricut^®cartridges today in order to create with them in this new and exciting environment!

Clearly the Best: Workshops on the Go Card Making Kits

What a fast and easy way to make cards!!  Three of the card in my Christmas Card Class are right from the Pear & Partridge Card Making WOTG.  I've altered them a little, but can you see which three are from the kit?

I still have two openings for my Christmas Card class - here are the details:

Christmas Card Class
Sunday, November 4th at 4:00 pm - $20

In this class, you will make 20 cards - 5 of each design.  All supplies are included - you just need to bring yourself!  If you would like to order the pre-stamped, pre-cut kit, it is just $5 extra to mail it directly to you!

Clearly the Best: Coordinate with Cricut Cuts

Well, I would have a load of ways to show you how I have coordinated and created with Cricut cuts!  You all know how I love my Art Philosophy and Artiste! (Here's a tidbit for you...the only other cartridge I own is Love You Latte because - well it's coffee!  I guess there is no other because!)  I've decided to show you two past creations to go with this video.

This card was the first project I created with my Art Philosophy and matching stamps.  Isn't it lovely how the stamps fit right in the die cut image?

I also LOVE using Cricut cut with our My Creations products.  Banner cuts to fit and lots of rolled flowers - whatever could be better?!

Clearly the Best: Alcohol Marker Madness

Over the next few days, I want to share some videos with you.  I don't know if you are aware of this, but Close To My Heart is doing a weekly segment on My Craft Channel.  They are so informative that I know you are going to love watching them!  I will follow each video with a piece of related artwork, so I hope you enjoy the next few days!



This is a card I created for the Alcohol Marker class I had last month.

By and far, it was the favorite of the class, and I think that's because it shows good use of base and shade with our sets of alcohol markers.  The intricacy in the design of the stamps helps this card look as though the flowers are jumping off the page.  You will see more of this stamp set, Happy Valentine's Day, as it the January Stamp of the Month.  These markers are SO MUCH FUN to play with, and I look at stamps in a whole new light now!  I love how easily the blend and create a beautiful project.

Thanks so much for visiting, and I'll see you tomorrow with another video!