Sunday's Gathering & Last Day for September Specials

Sunday I had the privilege of hosting some lovely ladies from the next town north at my home for a Close To My Heart gathering. They were very excited to come to my house instead of me going to theirs, and I loved that I could show them more things since I didn't have to travel!

We began our class with the card at right which uses the Everyday Celebration card kit. Today is the last day you can purchase this kit or earn it for free!!! We used the Grace paper pack, with Honey, Cocoa, Twilight, and Barn Red inks. A little Colonial White crocheted ribbon and gold brads finished it off. This card is based on the Wishes "All Squared Up" sketch.

Our second card showcases the September stamp of the month, Treasures. Today is also the last day to purchase this stamp set or earn it at a discount or even free.

We used the Emporium paper pack and practiced the Rock 'N Roll technique with Buttercup and Vineyard Berry inks. This card is loosely based on the "Medallion" sketch from Wishes. Laurie Flannery also greatly inspired this card. Go check out her lovely work when you have a chance.

Our final card was many of the ladies' favorite due to its elegant simplicity. It also features Treasures, the September stamp of the month, but this time we paired it with the Sweet Home paper pack in White Daisy, Garnety, Heavenly Blue, and Indian Corn Blue. Can you see the Heavenly Blue sponged on the edges of the White Daisy cardstock? We tried two new techniques to glam this card up, both using Liquid Glass and Prisma Glitter (You'll see more of that tomorrow so stop back by!). First, we dotted Liquid Glass on the dandelion seed the sprinkled the Prisma Glitter on it. Hopefully ou can see it in the close up picture below.

Now, check out that Bigger Brad on the B&T patterned paper strip. Does it sparkle or what? I held the brad with tweezers, poured some Liquid Glass onto its head, then dipped it into the jar of Prisma Glitter. It is oh-so-pretty in person! (To let the brads dry, I turned a styrofoam egg carton upside and pierced the brads into the cups. Note to self if you try this one at home: pierce the egg carton before you "bling" the brads because it is hard to push the wet, tacky brad into the carton unless you've prepunched the hole! And by tacky I mean wet glue, not gaudy! These little babies are purty!!!) You may have to click on that full-card picture above to see the brad better. Once again, I have to thank another incredibly talented CTMH consultant, Jody Gustafson, for the inspiration for this card.

So, here's a big thank you to my crafting muses and to the ladies who made the trek down for a little stamping time.