Shaped Card - Piano

I saw some great shaped cards on Pinterest,  http://www.ncscrapaddict.blogspot.com/2012/05/just-note-for-mom.html and even though I didn't have the cartridge to cut this card in the shape of this card. Flowers were cut with the CTMH Artiste Cartridge p. 54>Accent 1 @ 1 3/4 and 2 1/4 inches. The leaves were cut with the CTMH Art Philosphy circut cartridge page 35>shift>@ 1 3/4 inch. Standard size white card 4/25x5/5 card with textured black overlay trimmed at top to resemble a grand piano. White keys are 5/8x2 7/8 and black keys are 1/2 by 1 3/4. I computer generated the Just a note and kissed the cardstock with a musical note stamp in whisper.

Taste of Summer ....Lemonade and More Strawberries

A combination of old and new. Vellum glass, hand cut from a 3.5x3.5 piece of vellum,(retired) that I angled down at the sides and then folded a 1/4 inch flap on each side to be able to adhere it. I used a mask on the top 1/2 inch and sponged on sunny yellow ink. The 3 lemons halves (Taste of Summer)were stamped in sunny yellow and then honey was sponges on the edge for some contrast. 2 of the lemons were popped dotted on the back for dimension and affixed to the card front . A straw was added and then the glass was adhered to the sunkiss yellow Close To My Heart cardstock, that was embossed with a honeycomb embossing template. A third lemon was fixed to the edge of the glass.  3 little bees were stamped in black and colored. A sentiment (retired) and some stickles were added.

Taste of Summer stamp set, random stamped on white cardstock. Click on the picture to see more detail. I stamped some extra strawberries and covered them in liquid glass, some little flowers cut from the Artiste cardtridge at 1/4 of an inch and a sprig of topiary leaves and a vine.

This stamp set is only available for a few more days, till the 31st. Get it now for yourself

Taste of summer

Here in Virginia it is Strawberry season and I just love this new limited Taste of Summer Paper and Stamp set. I hope to make some layouts for strawberry picking pictures. As always click on the picture to enlarge for details.  Available until May 31 on my website.

 Started this cute card by embossing a white daisy cardstock panel, then layering a sheet of hollyhock cs on a standard 4.25x5.5 white card. Added the strawberries by inking with hollyhock ink, then stamping off once and rolling in cranberry to add some contrast. Colored the stems and centers of the embossed flowers with topiary and honey markers. I love that the stamp set tells you on it's carrier sheet exactly which CTMH cricut cartridge to use, what page and what size for the cut to match the stamp set, so for the sentiment frame I used Artiste page 33 @ 1 1/4 in Hollyhock, then stamped You're Berry special in black and embossed with  swiss dots embossing template and lightly sanded to mimic the strawberries, then distressed with cranberry. The fancy trim around sentiment was stamped in Cranberry.
Now I just need to talk myself into cutting in the papers. I sometimes think, especially with limited time only papers that I'm going to use it all up and then really really want to do a layout that these papers would be just perfect for, so I tend to hoard them, how about you? Do you have papers you are saving for that someday layout you might want to do?

CTMH Cricut Artfully Sent

Artfully Sent, Close To My Heart cricut cartridge is a card makers dream cartridge. There are so many super cool cuts, frames, pop up and interactive windows. The coordinating stamp sets are perfect to use over and over again. Check out all the images below and then order your cartridge here.

Hostess club May

We had a really fun time this morning. I never seem to have enough manly cards in my stash, so I wanted to spend this month adding some that I will use in the next couple of months. The new Jackson Paper pack  X7195B is perfect.

Happy Father's Day or any other perfect Masculine card.  3 D shirt and tie is just the right card for the man in your life, be it Father's Day, Birthday, Congratulation, Thinking of you or any other time you need that special card for that special man. Thank you Brenda Keenan for posting this great tutorial great tutorial https://www.pinterest.com/pin/203928689353540640/ on making this card. I used the Jackson bulk paper and made two versions, one for my hubby for Father's Day and one for my oldest Grandson's Graduation. I love how our paper has two sides and took full advantage of that to provide both versions.My hostess ladies will be able to choose which they prefer and I didn't have to prep anything different to give them this choice.
 Base Card: 4.1/4 x 5 12 colonial white,
Shirt: Jackson paper 4 x 5 7/8 score at 5/8 and 1 1/4 inches on short side of paper.
Tie: Jackson paper 4x4

Men's Get Well Card.
  Base Card: 4.1/4 x 5 1/2 White Daisy
1st layer: Believe paper cut 4 x 3/1/2 embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folder.
2nd layer:  Jackson paper cut 4 x 2 inches
Ribbon 4 inches
Sentiment cut Artfully Sent pg 18>;Real size dial ON>; Icon @ 1 1/4 "Under the Weather?" from Jackson Paper.
Frame: 1 1/2 x 3 1/8 colonial white with corners rounded.
Pop Up:
Jackson paper, cut 3 x 5 1/4, score long side @ 1/4, 1 3/4, 2 3/4, and 4 1/4. Fold on score line. Before you glue box together:  1)Cut oval in the top panel and  2) run adhesive around edge of oval on inside of box 3) take 1/4 of a tissue and arrange it on underside of oval with excess sticking out  4) glue box and reach inside to make sure no glue residue can be felt, if need be dust inside of box so it won't stick to itself when folded down. 5) apply adhesive to back and bottom of box and adhere at the fold line in the center of the card.
Stamp set used was retired C1318 Best Wishes using the Get Well Soon Stamp.

Whitewashed Color technique inspired by Marie Farson at Scrips and Scraps Blog. I changed things up a little bit to make it easier to do in the time frame of hostess club. Stamped the images from S1205 retired Stamp of the Month, Friendship Bouquet with Versamark and embossed with White Daisy embossing powder on a 5x6 1/2 Kraft cardstock. Then I took a dauber and sponged on White Daisy pigment ink over all the open areas. I took a que tips and applied color to selected areas leaving white showing using honey, sunflower,cocoa, chocolate and topiary inks. A simple sentiment embossed in Cocoa embossing powder on a strip of retired paper completes the card. I also embossed a flower the the front of the envelope.

 I hope that you like my selected cards, as always if you have any questions please ask. I would love to have comments on these cards. If you live in the Tidewater Virginia area and would like to join my Hostess club and make fun cards like these, then please contact me. We have a couple of openings at this time. Don't live in the area, but would like to make these or any of my cards in the past. Contact me @ ja5oaks@aol.com and but hostess club in the title and we can discuss how you can receive all the materials needed to complete your cards, with stamping and embossing done so that all that would be required is assembly.

First day of Spring

Even with winter still hanging on, this month for Hostess club we worked on some spring cards. All of these can be used for more than one occasion, so they are great cards to have in your "box" when you might need to pull something together at the last moment. All are also great at using scraps and white paper that you probably have in your scrap pile.

 Lattice card using CTMH Artbooking Cartridge pg 51 overlay cut @ 8". trim edge of overlay and then cut in half for 2 cards affix overlay to white cardstock cut to 4x5 1/4, then layer on Outdoor Denim cardstock cut 5x 3  3/8 Stamped flower on while cardstock and fussy cut around petals, curled slightly to give flower some movement. Cut branches in greens Art philosophy pg. 35 Branch 2 @ 2.5 and flourish pg 60 Font layer @ 1 1/2 inches. added some retired sunflower grosgrain ribbon and orange stickles. I think this would be great for Birthday, Mother's Day, Thinking of You, Get Well Soon etc.

Butterflies are some of my favorite things and they bring some of the best people in my life to mind when I see them and use them in my artwork.

 On this card, I used the CTMH embossing template, Quadrifoil and scraps of white cardstock. First I cut 3 white butterflies using the CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge pg 55 shift butterfly 2 at 1 3/4 inch. Stamped 3 butterflies from retired stamp B1034 Butterflies with black ink, then using water brush and ink smeared in top of stamp pad cover, colored butterflies. then taking one of the cricut cut butterflies, swiped it across top of stamp pad to color. Layered embossed and distressed cardstock on card base, then color swiped butterfly with stamped butterfly pop dotted on top. Add sentiment or just wait to use for Birthdays, Sympathy, Thanks, Thinking of you, Get Well etc. I always have an example done for my ladies to look at to get inspiration, and sometimes they copy exactly and others times they use their own creativity to change things up a bit.

This card led to a variety of color choices and using nothing but white cardstock makes it easy to do this card in your own favorite colors. Super good choice to make several while you are making one to add to your card box. After card class I just had to copy Donna's choice of colors and make the purple/yellow one to add to my pink/ purple one. Hope you like it.

We also celebrate Easter in the springtime and this simple card speaks volumes to me. I used a Cuttlebug frame embossing folder and layer it on a white base. Cut the cross from a scrap of wood grained paper * 1/2 inch by 3 3/4 and 2 3/4 which I further enhanced by running it thru a wood grained embossing folder and using a dauber with chocolate ink brushed over the embossing to make it pop. Draped over the pop dotted cross is a piece of retired vineyard berry ribbon held in place with glue dots. a couple of sprigs of greenery punched out and a single flower with a small pearl, complete the card. You could stamp Happy Easter on the front or just add your sentiment to the inside.
As always I love reading what you think of the cards. I get inspiration from a number of sources and change things up to fit my supplies and my preferred card size. I you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Ever want to join my Hostess Club, let me know, we can do it virtually as well. You would receive all supplies, including stamped images and directions for putting things together.

A New Year 2015

With Christmas over, it's time to turn our thoughts to upcoming holidays with the Hostess Club. First meeting of the new year and we did some fun projects. A big welcome to Donna and Vickie, we sure enjoyed meeting you, and hope you had fun. This is cotton candy cardstock, dry embossed with Darice folder and then sanded to make the dry embossing pop! I love CTMH's white core paper for this technique. "C" stamp set  C1617 You're the Bomb was used for the words. What a fun stamp set and $3.00 from the sale of each set goes to help Operation Smile!

Such a fun card to use up those scraps. Reverse inked dry embossing technique was used on the border on this car. Darice folder was inked with New England Ivy CTMH ink by swiping the open ink pad over the raise side of the embossing folder. Insert paper to be dry embossed ( try not to move it around once it touches the inked folder). Dry emboss using your machine. When you remove it, the ink will be in the recessed areas. The natural distressing occurs when you get some ink on the flat folder. Each one will be slightly different. I than just cut flowers out with Art Philosophy Cartridge page 39 at 1/2" and 3/4". Simple Thank you from Hostess Rewards Stamp Set B1471 A Variety of Thanks complete the card. This could be used as as a thinking of you, happy birthday, congratulations, sympathy, or just because card.

Look at this cute little butterfly Hershey Kiss treat holder. We followed the wonderful tutorial as posted here on Brenda Quintana's blog. I'll try and get some pictures of ours soon, my camera batteries are charging, Meanwhile here is one Brenda posted.


It is a terrific way to use up scraps and they just make you smile. Close To My Heart's double sided papers are great in this little treat.