Christmas Cards Using PML Cards

So, things have been super crazy with me lately. I started a new job, which has cut way down on my crafting time. Since, the first Heart 2 Heart Challenge this month was to use a product from the soon retiring Seasonal Expression, and I needed to make cards for my monthly swap, but I have had limited time, I decided to use some White Pines Picture My Life cards to create four super easy, super fast Christmas cards.

I used the same design for each card, but used a different PML card for each. The doily in the background actually is a paper doily that I trimmed, but you could use one of our Cricut cartridges to create your own background.

For the card below, I had to do some adjustments. The PML card actually has a date on it, but I didn't want that to show, so I used some of the border stickers from the Complements set to cover it.

Ingredients:

• White Pines Picture My Life Cards
• Cranberry Cardstock
• White Pines Complements
• Gold Shimmer Trim
• Red Shimmer Trim

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Mommy and Me Single Page Layout

Every year for Mother's Day, my son and I take a picture. It's amazing to watch him grow that one special day a year. We've had three Mother's Days together so far, and there is absolutely nothing I am more grateful for them him. He is my whole world. For Mother's Day 2015, I created this single page layout using the Zoe paper pack to showcase our picture.

To embellish the page, I cut a shape from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge to create a layers. Then, I added a sticker from the Complements pack. I love how well the Complements can bring a page to life with ease.

I also cut this fun heart overlay using the newest CTMH Cricut cartridge Artistry. I really love this cartridge, because it has an adorable font, fun overlays, and some seriously on trend designs.

The final page element was a retired Picture My Life card that I fussy cut, and a & symbol from a Teresa Collins punch.

I had thought about adding journaling on the PML card, but I thought this was so much cuter. Overall, the page is simple, a tad girly (which is I try to get away with when I can), and full of love. I am entering this layout in Heart 2 Heart Give Thanks Challenge and Between the Folds Anything Goes Challenge.

Ingredients:

• Zoe Paper Pack
• Zoe Complements
• Holiday Tags
• Canary Ink Pad
• Slate Ink Pad
• Grey Enamel Gems

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Kaleidoscope Original Layout

Watercolors are all the rage right now, but I haven't quite embraced the trend. This week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge is Wonderful Watercolors, so I decided to make an orginal layout using the Kaleidoscope paper pack, which features designs that look watercolored.

I really wanted this layout to have a lot of elements without a lot of work, so I skipped the stamping and focused on using the Kaleidoscope Complements and Assortment. 

For the left page, I used lots of layers to create a bright, fun look. I even used some scraps from the shaker card I posted yesterday.

For the right page, I tried to keep a similar layered look by adding Gypsy B&T behind one of the photos.

I really love how using the Complements and Assortment can spice up the layout with so little effort.

I am also entering this layout in this week's Between the Fold's Anything Goes challenge.

Ingredients:

• Kaleidoscope Paper Pack
• Kaleidoscope Assortment
• Kaleidoscope Complements
• Gypsy Ink Pad

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Super Girly, Shaker Card

So, I love a good shaker card, but I have never thought to actually make it clear all the way through. Then, I saw one on Pinterest that was adorable. I decided to create my own original design using this idea.

I used the Kaleidoscope paper pack to create this card. Here's what the inside looks like.

The stamp set I used is the Safari Ballet set, which is absolutely adorable in my opinion.

I am entering this card in Heart 2 Heart's Trending Now challenge. 

Ingredients:

• Kaleidoscope Paper Pack
• Safari Ballet

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Six Pages in One

In case you haven't noticed, I am OBSESSED with flip-flaps! I love that I can use them to add more pictures to a layout, so that I don't have several pages for one event. I especially love that the large assortment can be used to create additional pages attached to an original layout. Essentially, you can create six pages in a single layout! Plus, the layouts become interactive, which my two-year old son LOVES!

In the past, when I have created these full spreads using flip flaps, I have used a pattern from one of CTMH's how-to books. But, this time, all of the pages were original designs, which was super time consuming, but I am really happy about the end result. 

For the left page, I created my own B&T using stamping and accented with a Picture My Life card and stickers. Although the cardstock is CTMH, the paper pack I used for this spread was from Bella Carta.

This is the inside of the left page. I used random stamping and PML cards here again. The paper gears on the right side were cut using Artiste. 

For the right page, I used some stenciling for the background on one side. I also colored some stamped images of a robot family.

For the inside of the right page, I used more random stamping, and created a banner using stamping and the Art Philosophy cartridge. In the middle, I highlighted the number 2, because these pages are for my son's 2nd birthday trip to the Science Museum. 

And there you have it! Six pages in one layout! I am entering this layout in Heart 2 Heart's Through the Window challenge.

Ingredients:

• Later Sk8r Picture My Life Cards
• Great Job
• Positive Chemistry
• Bodacious Banners
• Colonial White Cardstock
• Cranberry Cardstock
• Saffron Ink

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Halloween Costumes Using CTMH Cricut Cartridges

Happy Halloween everyone! I don't know about y'all, but my October has come and gone faster than I was able to keep up. Today, I am going to show you something different. I made my son's and my Halloween costumes this year using CTMH products!

My son was a Rocket Ship, which I made using white cardstock, a cardboard box, plastic cups, streamers, and Modge Podge. I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the USA letters on black cardstock. The black on the nose of the rocket is black duct tape.

For my costume, I decided to be the moon. I made a tutu from a bunch of tule, and then made my headband by cutting white cardstock into a moon shape using the CTMH Artistry cartridge. I actually had to do some edits in craftroom, to delete the stars from the moon shape. Then, I covered the whole thing in foil to make it shine.

I am entering these projects in two different Heart 2 Heart Challenges: Cricut and Boo. I am seriously behind, because we have had family visiting all month, but I actually finished our costumes the first week on the month!

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Coast Guard Life

So, Heart 2 Heart Challenges' theme for this week is "Home Is". The point was to create something that represented your hometown, even if you no longer live there. As many of you know, I am a Coast Guard Wife. When people ask me where I'm from my response is either, "Everywhere and Nowhere", or "Wherever the Coast Guard sends us". We are currently stationed in Cleveland, and today, I was invited to a tea at the District 9 Admiral's house, hosted by her husband. I decided that I would make a Thank You card that represented what I consider my ultimate "home", the Coast Guard Family.

I used this week's sketch from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge as my inspiration for the design.

I kept the color scheme totally USCG colors, and added a fun anchor cut from a Spellbinders die using my Cuttlebug. The anchor is a great representation for the USCG, and I really love the texture the die creates.

Ingredients:

• Sunset Cardstock
• Whisper Cardstock
• Sunset Chevron Washi Tape
• Sequins Silver Assortment
• White Daisy Card Bases

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Happy Halloween Witching Card

Welcome back, readers! Today, I am going to show you a Halloween card I made based on this sketch from Heart 2 Heart Challenges.

I decided to create a Halloween card, because I've actually never made one. I used my Cricut Artbooking cartridge, and here is what I came up with.

For the inside, of the card, I layered white cardstock, because the base was black. Then I added a witch's cauldron from the Cricut Mini Monsters cartridge and some more shimmer trim. I left the rest blank, but a sentiment could be added.

I also entered this card for Color My Heart's Color Dare #164.

 Ingredients:

• Nevermore Paper Pack
• Nevermore Complements
• Little Monsters
• Green Shimmer Trim
• Silver Shimmer Trim
• Black Shimmer Trim

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Loads of Fun Card

My favorite paper pack from the current catalog is Urban. I love the grungy, dirty feel. It is perfect for boys, like my son. This month, my card swap is featuring this paper pack. Here is what I came up with.

So, I have these retired hinges, but haven't had a chance to use them. I thought this would be a great opportunity, because the hard metal look coordinates with the metal feel of the paper. This also makes this card interactive.

I hid a truck and splatter under the flap and topped everything off with some silver foil tape. This card has a really simplistic look, but it actually took a lot of time to complete, because there were so many small steps.

Ingredients:

• Urban Paper Pack
• Loads of Fun
• Ink Blot
• Silver Foil Tape
• Cocoa Ink Pad
• Saffron Ink Pad

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Welcome Autumn

Autumn is my absolute favorite season. I love the crisp weather, the beautiful colors, and the family memories we make. Today, my family and I went to Mapleside Farm in Brunswick, OH to pick apples with the local Early Childhood PTA. It was a blast!

I used the retired Pathfinding paper pack to create this completely original layout. I love this paper pack, because the colors are perfect for the season! 

I embellished the page with several different retired items from my stash. Including a stamped sentiment from the Pathfinding WOTG. I colored the wood pieces using markers to make them look like apples. I'm pretty sure they're actually pumpkins.

For the right page, I mirrored the layers from the left page, but added a lot more photos.

Again, I used embellishments from my stash for this page, opting for the Pathfinding chipboard shapes.

I am entering this in the final September challenge for Heart 2 Heart and my team's Fall Into Challenge.

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Doodling Congratulations

So, this week's challenge from Heart 2 Heart is Doodling. I am not going to lie. I am terrible at doodling! I don't even like my handwriting enough to like journaling on my layouts. I mean, I do journal, because it is important, but I still hate my handwriting! I was stumped with this theme, so I went through my stamps and decided to use the Great Job stamp, which looks like a doodle design, to make a Congratulations card for a friend who was recently accepted to audition for a prestigious talent agency in LA. Since my friend is a guy, I didn't want to do something too girly. Here's what I came up with.

I actually used Whisper, Flaxen, and Lagoon pigment inks for the stamp, and then I heat embossed them with clear powder. I added some star stickers from the new Fundamental Assortment to add some texture. It's a simple card, but I think it was appropriate to the situation.

Ingredients:

• Great Job
• Basics Pigment Ink
• Whimsy Pigment Ink
• Adventure Pigment Ink
• Fundamental Assortment Gold

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Rock and Roll Layout

Hello readers! Sorry I haven't written in awhile. I have been really sick with a nasty upper respiratory infection that has really been kicking my butt. I am not 100% yet, but I was well enough today to hop in the craftroom and make some artwork.

I created this page for my trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with my best friend, Heather. I wanted this page to have a grungy, yet cute vibe. I used a piece of Zoe for the base, and layered it with Thistle cardstock and some of the retired Chalk It Up. 

To grunge up the page, I did some distressing on the cardstock, and spritz the papers with retired Outdoor Denim ink. Then, I added some splats in Sapphire ink.

To add a hard Rock & Roll edge, I took some basic Aluminum foil and ran it through my Cuttlebug to create a chevron pattern. I did not add a title to this page, because I plan to add it into the rest of my Hall of Fame layouts when I create them. However, I did add in some journaling space that I outlined using the silver foil tape.

I am entering this layout in Heart 2 Heart's Splat challenge.

Ingredients

• Zoe Paper Pack 
• Thistle Cardstock
• White Daisy Cardstock
• Sapphire Ink Pad
• Black Ink Pad
• Documenting Moments
• Silver Foil Tape
• Durables Triangle Studs

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Artistry Thank You Card

Morning, Scrappers! Here's a quick post to show you a thank you card I made for one of my hostesses. I used the new Artistry Cricut cartridge and the new Zoe paper pack. The tag was cut from Cricut Art Philosophy.

Ingredients:

• Zoe paper pack
• Canary Cardstock
• Topiary Cardstock
• Slate Ink
• Green Shimmer Trim
• Silver Shimmer Trim
• Sparkles Clear Assortment

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Christmas Cards Preview

Hey there, scrappers! For my monthly card swap this month, we were to create something using the new White Pines paper pack. I'm obsessed with this paper! It is my favorite Christmas/ Winter paper CTMH has ever had! We also have some really adorable stamp sets that match the feel of the paper perfectly.

I used three different stamp sets on the front of the card. The tree is from the White Pines Workshop on the Go. The sentiment is from Season's Greetings, which is actually a really cute penguin stamp set. And, the fox is from Miracle of Christmas, which features several woodland creatures. 

To create the fox, I first stamped the image using Black pigment ink, and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Embossing the image first helps keep the marker coloring from leaking too much, and it adds texture to the card.

For the inside of the card, I used the rest of the sentiment from the Season's Greetings stamp set. Both sentiments are included on a single stamp, but I broke the text up, but bending the text around a stamping block. 

I am entering this card in this week's Heart 2 Heart coloring challenge, and Between the Folds embossing challenge.

Ingredients:

• White Pines Workshop on the Go
• Season's Greetings
• Miracle of Christmas
• Fern Ink
• Chocolate Ink
• Basics Pigment Ink Set
• Gold Sequins

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!

Smiles Friendship Card

The bokeh card is so on trend right now, so I am a bit late to the party. But, today I created a friendship card using the colors for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Topiary, Lagoon, Glacier, Sunset, and Cranberry.

So, if you don't know how to do the bokeh technique, I highly suggest watching one of the many YouTube videos available. For this card, I created the effect on Colonial White cardstock with Glacier, Lagoon, and Topiary Inks. The focal circles are created using White Daisy. I created a template using Cricut Craftroom, so that I can create more of these. 

I heat embossed the smile sentiment using a shiny silver, and set that on top of a cluster of Sunset washi tape and cardboard that I painted with White Daisy. Finally, I added some bling with Epoxy bubbles.

For the inside, I created a Lagoon patch, and stamped a sentiment from the now retired Happy Everything stamp set.

I am also entering this card in this week's Between the Folds Bling Spark and Shine Challenge.

Ingredients:

• Colonial White cardstock
• Cranberry Cardstock
• Lagoon Ink Pad
• Topiary Ink Pad
• Glacier Ink Pad
• Black Ink Pad
• White Daisy Ink Pad
• Sunset Chevron Washi Tape
• Black & Grey Epoxy Bubbles

Happy Scrapping, My Artsy Friends!