March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Choose Happy

The name of the March stamp of the month says it all: Choose Happy!  That is what I tried to do when I made my card.  (Are you ready to see tons of great ideas with this stamp set?  Then hop along the March stamp of the month blog hop!  If you're already hopping then you've probably found me from Sheila's blog.  After you visit here, you'll click to go to Nikka's next.)

My swap group chose Confetti Wishes as the paper pack for this set, and truthfully I struggled with that choice at first.  I decided that a CTMH/Cricut Art Philosophy bluebird would help me Choose Happy, so that is what inspired my card.  (Can you see how I lined the bird's cutout wing with blue shimmer trim?)  We don't have a Cricut cut for that pretty frame, but it was easy to cut out by hand.  I had to play around with my paper strips, the purple shimmer trim, and the pennant zip strip to get a design with balance that I liked, but this card is a great use of scraps!  I like the subtle addition of the two border stamps (in Pacifica on Pacifica).  I maybe went a little crazy with the purple glitter gems, but I love the contrast of the green epoxy bubble to pull it all together.

Click HERE for the complete hop list

Now, before you leave to visit Nikka's blog, I challenge you to CHOOSE HAPPY!  A fellow teacher has this message posted in her classroom: Sometimes the only choice we have is our attitude.  Choose happy!

A Happy Hello + In{k}spire Me #187

Surfing some of my favorite crafty challenge sites, I found another timely challenge that I thought would work perfectly for the CTMH February stamp of the month, A Happy Hello: the In{k}spire Me Challenge #187.

Here's my version:

If you're a frequent visitor to my blog, first thank you (!!) and second, you'll notice the palette from yesterday's cards: the Heartstrings paper pack plus Lagoon, Cranberry, and Hollyhock ink.  For this card, I added a Heartstrings Assortment badge to the Aqua Dots embellishments.  Thanks for taking a peek at my version of this sketch!

{All of my supplies are from Close To My Heart.  You can find them HERE if you're interested.  The Feb. stamp of the month is only available for one more day!!!  Thanks!}

A Happy Hello + TSoT Challenge 207

When I saw the Try Stamping on Tuesday sketch for their Challenge #207, I knew that it would be perfect for the CTMH February stamp of the month, A Happy Hello.

My first take on the sketch is a CAS (clean and simple) card.  I used the Heartstrings paper pack with Lagoon, Cranberry, and Hollyhock inks plus Aqua Dots for embellishments.  What do you think?

 For my second card, I used a large panel of Heartstrings B&T on my card front and cut out each individual flower/medallion.  Instead of the message on the outside, I used Lagoon washi tape and a strip of white shimmer trim, plus some of the lighter Aqua Dots.

Which card do you like better?  Let me know in the comments section, please.  My favorite isn't the one I thought it would be as I sat down to create these two versions of the Try Stamping on Tuesday sketch!  I can say that it's been a productive snow day.

{All of my supplies are from Close To My Heart.  You can find them HERE if you're interested.  Thanks!}

Snow Day = Studio J

We are "socked in" again with a beautiful wintry wonderland!  

Yes, I will be scrapping these photos- and whatever else we take today- in Studio J this evening!

Here is one of the layouts that I made during last week's snow days.  After Christmas, we hiked to the top of Blood Mountain with Logan's brother and our dear friends, the Maggios.  (Our girls have been besties since 2nd grade!)  We hiked over 8 miles that day!

This Studio J layout uses the Victory collection, one that I hadn't used before.  We were certainly feeling victorious that day.  I love that I was able to order three copies of this one layout!

Let me know if you need help getting started in Studio J!  Don't forget about the awesome Album Allure special this month.  The clock is ticking!

H2H Challenges: Think Pink!

Depending on where you live, you're probably getting sick of all the gray and white around you, so we thought we'd liven things up a little at Heart 2 Heart Challenges with a "think pink" color challenge for you!  Use any or all of the Close To My Heart pinks in your project.

My cards use the Heartstrings paper pack and Hollyhock card stock and ink (plus a little Cranberry and Slate ink too).  I began with the CTMH/Cricut Artbooking cartridge to cut out the "hello!" sentiment and then combined them with the February stamp of the month, A Happy Hello.  Each card is a little different, so here they are up close and personal.

So, are you a girly girl and in love with all things pink, or is this going to be a challenge for you?  Be sure to check out all of our H2H DT's pink projects and add your own link (to any of our February challenges) by the end of the month.  Think pink!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my awesome Dad's birthday.  He's off celebrating in much warmer weather than you can find around here, so we'll celebrate this big one when he gets back home later this spring.  I did send him this card in the mail.  (Sorry that it got sent late, Dad.  Enjoy birthday SEASON!)

Since he loves to travel, I started with a piece of B&T from the Wanderful collection as my card base and cut out this great card with my CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent cartridge.  It does all the work! To decorate the front cutouts, I started by measuring the height and width of the candle section, then cut a piece of the blue polka dot B&T to fit.  (I also cut a liner of Colonial White card stock for each inside panel of the card.)  Here's a tip for those glittery candle flames: lay the liner with the candle strip in place on the inside of the card.  Use a pencil to trace the bottom outline of the flames.  Then, cut pieces of gold shimmer trim into pieces that are a little taller than the flames.  (Just eyeball them.)  Finally, place each piece of shimmer trim so that they cover the pencil lines.  {Honestly, this was way easier than the glitter candles I made on Traci's card!}

The inside cuts were made with the same Artfully Sent key.  (It was easy to flip the 70 with my Cricut function to use the same sheet of 12"x12" paper for all of the cuts and so that I could have the backside of the B&T show.)  The "Happy" and "th" were stamped with stamps that come with the Artfully Sent cartridge, and the little airplane from the Lifting Spirits stamp set is a tribute to him as a pilot.  A little washi tape made the inside a little more fun!

Here we are at Christmas: Dad, me, my sister, my brother, and Mom

I shamelessly stole this terrific picture from my Mom's Facebook page today!

A Happy Hello Hopscotch Swing Card

We made this fun all-occasion card at my recent 15th CTMH anniversary celebration.  It is a swing card made with the CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent cartridge, the Hopscotch paper pack (available through the end of March), and the February stamp of the month.

Cutie Valentine

For our younger daughter, I made a super quick Valentine card.  I started with the "Cutie" card from the Heartstrings Picture My Life collection that I adhered to a Hollyhock card stock card base.

I ended up rounding the corners to match the PML card and used scraps from other projects to embellish (including the Cricut heart).  A little teal shimmer trim and aqua dots finished off the front.

For the inside, I stamped two sentiments from a retired Valentine special with Cranberry and Hollyhock ink.

I think this card suits her well!  Unfortunately she has bronchitis but is finally getting better.  Thanks for letting me share my cuties with you!

CTMH Technique Blog Hop: Music to the Eyes

We have a fun, easy technique to share with you this month, so grab your journaling pens or markers!  (If you've already joined the hop, then you should have arrived from Di's blog.  You'll visit Catherine next!)

Here is the first of three different cards to share with you.  Can you tell how I used my black journaling pen to trace the letters in "hello?"  (Hello was cut with my CTMH/Cricut Artbooking cartridge with Hollyhock card stock.)  Both this card and the next use the Brushed paper pack and the February stamp of the month, A Happy Hello.

 Since I wasn't happy with how the sentiment covered up that large, pretty flower, I stamped my card base again.  This time, I used the black journaling pen to add doodles to the stamped images themselves, and...

I placed the outlined sentiment on the inside.

My final card used the negative cutout and the Heartstrings paper pack.  (Do you love that half circle medallion as much as I do?!?)  This time I used my silver marker to outline the inside of the cutout to make the sentiment pop just a bit.

Are you ready to grab your pens and add a little bit more to your artwork?  Please go see Catherine's adorable project and the rest of the technique hop for more inspiration!  Thanks for hopping by.

Happy Birthday, Traci!

My BFF turned FIFTY on Tuesday, so I had to make an extra-special card for her to help her celebrate!

 All of the cuts were made with my CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent cartridge and the Snowhaven paper pack.

 I saw somewhere that "50 is the new 'F' word" so I had to put that inside!  I also made a little speech box using the Artfully Sent frames stamp set.

 These candles are extra special with their black shimmer trim bases!  I lined the cutouts with a piece of the Cranberry B&T and used a black marker to mark the top and bottom of each candle.  I then cut shimmer trim to fit: first the height and then in half to make the candle slivers.

Since you only turn 50 once, I blew up 50 balloons Sunday night to leave in her classroom for Tuesday morning.  (Thank goodness for Hubby's air compressor!  I've finally mastered the art of balloon knot tying.)  I think she was a little bit surprised!  

HaPpY 50tH bIrThDaY, tRaCi!

H2H Challenges: Love, CTMH Style

This week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge is a timely one.  We want you to show your love, but the twist is that is has to be CTMH style!  Way back over 15 years ago, I fell in love with Close To My Heart because of their amazing stamps, so my card today is a tribute to that stamping foundation.

Since it's almost Valentine's Day, I made this card for my Hubby (another true love) using one of my favorite new stamps sets, Amour (only available until the end of March!).  I used the Artfully Sent alphabet stamp set to add "mon" to "amour" to make this card for mon mari.  (Did you know that my undergraduate degree was French?) The LOVEly paper pack is Heartstrings, which I embellished with Lagoon heart washi tape, teal shimmer trim, and silver sequins.  I didn't want to get too carried away with the bling for my guy!

I can't wait for him to see the inside!  I may be able to add a new phrase to his French repertoire.  He knows je t'aime pretty well!

Be sure to check out all of our H2H DT's LOVEly creations.  You have until the end of the month to play along!

Happy Birthday, Amy!

Today is my sister's birthday!  We celebrated this weekend with a (big) girls-only spa day followed by a dinner/Super Bowl party at my house.

Today when she came to my school to pick up the kids, I was able to give her this birthday card.

All the pretty cuts come from one key from the CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent cartridge.  I used the beautiful Heartstrings paper pack, red shimmer trim, silver washi tape, and silver sequins.

Happy birthday, Amy!