Silver Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary yesterday (not sure where the time went!) so here are the projects that I made.

Of course I saw the original idea on Pinterest.  I found the frame at our local Walmart and used actually spoons from our set that we've been using since our wedding (with extra pieces added thanks to eBay since Oneida no longer makes our pattern).  The background is the mountain pattern from the recently retired Aurora collection, and I cut the letters with my CTMH/Cricut Art Philosophy collection at 1" on silver foil paper (and the numbers at 1.25").

(I think he liked it!)

Here is the card I included:

I used the same Cricut collection with the silver foil paper cut at 2.5", the recently retired Mix In collection, silver shimmer trim, the Say It In Style stamp set, and pewter ink, along with some silver glitter gems.

We had a lovely day and hope to get away in the fall since our cruise earlier this summer was cancelled.  Is anyone else ready for this pandemic to get under control?!?  Thanks for letting me share my recent anniversary and projects with you.  Thanks for being a part of our story!

July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: For My Beautiful Friend

Not only does CTMH have a new stamp of the month, For My Beautiful Friend, but we also have a new Idea Book!  You're going to be seeing new products along with with this pretty stamp of the month blog hop.  (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Lauren's blog.  From here, you'll visit Gina next.)

I have a confession.  I don't really like to color (GASP!), and of course this set lends itself so well to coloring!

Since I know you will see some gorgeous coloring along the hop, I wanted to show you ways to incorporate this pretty stamp set without having to color.  For all of my cards, I used the new Summer Vibes collection and black ink.

After stamping the sentiment in black, I used Smoothie and Glacier inks to accent it.  Don't you love the pretty banners?  They were all made with scraps leftover from cutting the pieces for 3 layouts and 6 cards (to be featured soon).

I added black card stock to the collection for this tiled card.  Each square measures 1.25".  On the Smoothie squares, I stamped the center of the big bouquet held by the girl.  Do you like that pink acrylic heart?  Check out the Summer Vibes acrylic shapes!

My third card is entirely made of scraps and embellished with white enamel dots.  You probably can't tell in the photo, but after stamping the butterfly in black on the card base, I stamped it again on a scrap, colored with Light Pink and Orange markers, then fussy cut and adhered the center.  The wings pop off of the card.

Thanks for letting me share how you can use this stamp set without having to color in each image.  I'd love a comment before you hop on to Gina's blog.

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

Aurora Scrapbooking, Part 2

If you saw my Aurora post yesterday, then  you already know that I decided to use the Aurora collection to scrapbook our visit to Mont St.-Michel in France.  Here are the rest of my layouts.  (Whew!)

Did you notice the gold shimmer trim cross?

The right page is a pocket page and both the left and ride page use some of the Aurora Picture My Life cards...

 as does the left page (back of the pocket protector).

Please let me know if you have any questions!  Thanks for letting me share.  Also, TODAY is the last day to purchase items from the May/June CTMH Idea Book!

Aurora Scrapbooking, Part 1/H2H Family Time

The Aurora collection would have been perfect to use for photos of our cruise to Alaska, but the cruise was cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.  I decided to put a twist on this collection and use it with photos of our visit to Mont Saint-Michel in France last summer.  (It worked out even better than I expected!)

My first layout used sketch 196, a sketch for 8 photos, from the 4x6 Photo Sketch Blog.  (I really like this blog and its sketches because she doesn't trim down photos.)

For my layout, I used the mountain patterned paper for the large middle section and I splattered Sapphire shimmer brush onto it.  I used strips of the aurora borealis pattern on the top and bottom.  Gold shimmer trim really made the layout look great.

I embellished the entire series of our visit (more to come) with gray acrylic hearts and Thin Cut arrows from the Here & There stamp set and Thin Cuts.

Be sure to check out how the Heart 2 Heart Design Team's projects for this week's challenge, Family Time.  It is actually our first July challenge, so join us!

Craft With Heart Card Subscription

During one of the recent CTMH Facebook Live crops, I didn't have the materials for the actual project so I worked on my Craft with Heart Card subscription.  I made 24 cards (2 each of 12 designs) in just a few hours (and I've already used some of them)!  Here are the 12 designs:

If you've seen the recent Make It From Your Heart blog post about this card subscription, you might notice that I didn't always follow the directions exactly (SHOCKER, I know!), especially with the sentiments.

For the gorgeous butterfly card, I used my black shimmer brush to splatter the background of the pink panel behind the butterfly, and I also changed the placement slightly so that you can really see that beautiful butterfly.

Just about anyone can put these cards together because you get all of the pieces, including beautiful die cuts, a stamp set, black ink, and a block!  All you really need is your favorite adhesive (and I keep my scissors handy just in case).

You will learn to make these adorable shaker cards, and all of your materials are included!

This kit is only available through the end of August.  You can purchase a quarterly or yearly subscription.  You can learn more HERE if you're interested!

Bring Back My Pack: Brushed Blog Hop

Close To My Heart has brought back the beautiful "Brushed" collection, and we're featuring some then and now along this blog hop.  (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Stefani's blog.  From here, you'll visit Miss Carrie's Creations next.)

Here are a few things I made with the "Some Kind of Wonderful" stamp set and (mostly) the Brushed paper pack when they were originally available:

Learn more about this card and others using the "torn frame" background technique HERE.

Learn more about this card and the "emerging color" technique HERE.

Complete details are HERE if you'd like to know more.

Learn more HERE.

Be sure to leave a comment before continue to see the Brushed collection, then and now.  Your next stop is Miss Carrie's Creations!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

Sweet Hummingbird/Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #373

When I saw the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #373, I was inspired to grab my Sweet Hummingbird stamps and Thin Cuts and get to work.  I used the current Mix-In paper pack featuring Sweet Leaf and Charcoal plus my watercolor pencils, and shimmer brushes.

Here is the sketch for reference:

What may not be as obvious is that for my take on the sketch, I cut the circle out of the front of the card and stamped the flowers on the inside.

Here's a close up of the beautiful shimmer on the card.  After coloring the hummer, I used clear shimmer to blend my pencils and to add iridescence to the wings.  I added a little red shimmer to his throat and a little Evergreen shimmer to the darker areas of the body for more dimension.  I used a little gold shimmer on the flower centers but otherwise did not blend the watercolor pencils.  (I love that you can use them dry or wet to achieve different looks.)

Definitely remember to enjoy the little things!

Happy 22nd Birthday!

Our older daughter turned 22 on Sunday!  My, does time fly!  We celebrated with a small family gathering, and here is the card that I made for her.

I was on a shaker card kick!  Our shaker kits make it so much easier to make a fun, interactive card.  I knew that she would love the colors and this patterned paper from the Stitched Together collection.  I followed a Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 4 sketch for the design.

After adhering the floral B&T to the peach B&T, I used my largest circle Thin Cut die to cut out the window.  I stamped the birthday sentiment from my Just Saying stamp set in Sapphire and then added the little hearts from the (retired) May stamp of the month, Time to Celebrate.

The next step was to carefully add the clear window and shaker kit 3D foam ring to the back of the front panel. I added a sprinkle of retired sequins that matched well and mini silver star confetti (available now) to the card front, and lots of foam tape squares from the shaker window kit to raise the entire panel off of the card front.

I carefully placed the panel on the card front.  Finally, I fussy cut a ladybug from a scrap of that beautiful floral paper and then created a bow with pieces of the Sweet Leaf zip strip.

I stamped the "Full of Beauty" stamp on the inside.

Thanks for letting me share her birthday card with you!

I'm linking this card up to the Color My Heart Color Dare #398- Tic Tac Toe, and I used all of the colors!  (Aren't they pretty?!?)

Color Dare #398

June Technique Blog Hop: Let It Shimmer

Shimmer brushes are one of my favorite tools for adding subtle sparkle to any project!  This month's technique hop is focusing on what you can do with shimmer brushes.  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Cat's blog.  It's easy to continue by clicking to go on to Alyson's blog.)

Even though you can't see the shimmer yet, the Sweet Hummingbird stamp set and Thin Cuts is the perfect set for the technique I'm sharing!

First, I stamped and then die cut this hummer.  I colored him with watercolor pencils, using two shades of red to get his ruby throat.

Next, I used my clear shimmer brush to blend my watercolor pencils and to color his wings.  Added a little extra red on his throat with my red shimmer brush.

In the next picture, hopefully you can see how I added gold shimmer brush to the flower centers.

For my hummingbird card, I used the current Mix-In papers, plus a zip strip from the Stitched Together collection.

Here are a few other fun shimmer brush projects I've made recently:

Garden Tags Stamp of the Month

Highlighting a Title

Thank you for letting me share a shimmer brush technique with you.  Please leave a comment, and then click on her name to hop on over to Alyson's blog to continue the "Let It Shimmer" technique blog hop!

June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Garden Tags

Welcome to the June stamp of the month blog hop featuring Garden Tags!  This set is perfect for summer and beyond!  I am excited about the beautiful tag stamps in this set.  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Michelle's blog.  From here, visit Lauren's blog next.)

For this hop, I decided to create a card for each of the four tags using the Stitched Together collection.

I used the following shimmer brushes and watercolor pencils, plus mink twine or white ribbon and white enamel dots.

For the first card, I stamped the tag on the Thin Cuts cut out with Sweet Leaf ink, then used a few of the colored pencils to spot-color some of the flowers.

For the second card, I again inked up the second stamp in Sweet Leaf, but then rolled the edges and the top of the tag in Sapphire prior to stamping.  It didn't photograph well, but after coloring the 3 flowers, I used my clear shimmer brush to blend and add a little sparkle.

Before I show you the last two cards, I am hoping you can see some of the sparkle from the shimmer brushes!  (Shimmer brushes do not photograph well for me at all.)  For both of these cards, I stamped the tags with archival black ink so that the lines wouldn't run when they got wet.

I think I used every single shimmer brush (except black) and all of the colored pencils on this third card.

The dragonfly is my favorite!  After coloring the wings, I used clear shimmer and then a little bit of Sapphire shimmer brush, plus highlighted parts of the body with black shimmer.  Again, it didn't photograph well but is really pretty in my opinion.

Thank you for visiting!  Please leave a comment on your favorite card or coloring technique, then hop on over to Lauren's blog to see more Garden Tags!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}