February Stamp of the Month Baby Card

The February stamp of the month, Balloon Animals, paired with the Georgie paper pack makes for a cute baby card!

On the bottom of my White Daisy card base, I stamped a parade of balloon animals (the dog in Canary and the elephant in Juniper).  I used Glacier to stamp the polka dots at the top, and then added the bands of Georgie paper.  The hexagon and its mat were cut with my CTMH/Cricut Artristry cartridge, then stamped with Slate and Juniper.  I added a Glacier twine bow with a glue dot.

This was a quick and easy card to welcome a new baby!

H2H Challenges: Party Animals

The final February Heart 2 Heart Challenge is "party animals!"  Isn't that a fun theme?  Since we haven't had any wild and crazy parties lately, I decided to create a card with the Close To My Heart February stamp of the month, Balloon Animals.

Isn't this a fun card?  I used the new Penelope paper pack with its bright, springy colors of Crystal Blue, Honey, Pear, Pixie, and Thistle.  (Well, I didn't actually use Pixie on my project.)  I started with an 8"x3.5" Crystal Blue card base and a sketch from Originals.  Each square measures 1.75", so each balloon animal is partly off the square.  I alternated them left-facing and right-facing with my B&T panels in rainbow/ROY G BIV order.  I think the purple shimmer trim, blue epoxy gems, and green triangle embellishments add a little sparkle without too much bulk.

Be sure to check out all of the H2H Designers' projects this week.  You have until the end of the month (Leap Year!) to link up to ANY of the H2H February challenges, so please join us, and happy crafting, you party animals!

Have a Ball Birthday

My beach-loving friend celebrated her birthday this month, so I made this card and gift bag for her.

 To create the card, I used the Regatta paper pack and a cool new paper pleating technique I found over at Split Coast Stampers.  I stamped the happy birthday from the CTMH/Cricut Artfully Sent collection and cut the circles from the CTMH/Cricut Artistry cartridge.  Embellishments include the Regatta assortment, blue shimmer trim, and aqua dots.

For the paper bag, I used the Beach Days stamp set and Sapphire, Ruby, and Flaxen inks.

I hope that she had a ball for her birthday!

CTMH Technique Blog Hop: Kissing Is for Stamping

Valentine's may have been yesterday, but the Technique Blog Hop is bringing you some awesome KISSING techniques today!  You may think you already know all there is to know about kissing, but I bet you'll learn something along this blog hop!  (If you're already hopping and reading up on your kissing technique, then you should have arrived from Tammy's blog.  You'll go to Tonya's blog next.)  What is kissing in the stamping world, you might ask?  It is basically pressing (or "kissing") two stamps together.  You can add or remove color with this technique.  For my projects, I chose to add color.  Here's what I mean:

I decided to make 3"x3" cards featuring the kissing technique with the February stamp of the month, Balloon Animals.  I "kissed" these cuties with stamps from the Charming Cascades stamp set to get the "polka dots" that you see on each stamped image.

For my first card, I chose a sketch from Originals called "Top It Off."  Because the giraffe was too big to fit on the 2.5"x1.25" panel, I knew that I would cut it with an "off the edge" technique so I started with a much larger piece of White Daisy card stock.  I inked up the giraffe balloon animal in Honey and the polka dot stamp from the Charming Cascades in Chocolate.  I carefully pressed the giraffe onto the polka dot stamp.  (I had the large polka dot stamp inked up face up on my work space.)  Be careful because when both stamps are inked up they are slippery!  Then, using my paper trimmer I began to trim down my panel to the requisite size and then fussy cut the head off the edge.  I mounted that piece onto a piece of Chocolate card stock.  On the Honey card stock 3"x3" card front, I repeatedly stamped the "It's Your Day" stamp in Chocolate.  A scrap of Honey Fundamentals card stock, some bronze shimmer trim, a random (non-CTMH) flower, and a retired Rosewood brass gem finished off this cute card.

For my second card, I wanted to use that cute puppy dog, so I inked him up in Glacier and then pressed him carefully onto the stars from the Charming Cascades set that was inked up in Sapphire.  This card uses the Middle Ground sketch from Wishes and the Regatta paper pack.  The blue epoxy gems match much better in real life!  Doesn't this card remind you of how boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails?  I like the patriotic stars with  Regatta anchors, and I hope you do, too.

Last up is my girly bunny card.  I inked up the bunny in Pixie and then kissed it onto the Charming Cascade hearts that were inked in Pomegranate.  This card sketch is Layered Look sketch from Wishes and uses the La Vie en Rose paper pack.  I embellished it with the last of my pink epoxy gems.

Thanks for hopping by!  I hope you've enjoyed my kissing technique.  I'd love to have a comment before you leave, but then you can go see what TONYA has created.  I promise not to kiss and tell! ;)

H2H Challenges: Share the Love with Shades of Red, Black, and White

Heart 2 Heart Challenges has the unique opportunity to join with the Color Dare challenge blog to "Share the Love" this week using shades of red, Black, and White Daisy.  The simple Valentine that I made for my husband seemed to fit the bill.

Confession time: I have to give credit to combining the Charming Cascades stamp set with Share the Love stamp set to my talented Design Team member, Lauren Moore.  To begin, I stamped the typewriter in Black on a White Daisy 4.75"x3.5" panel and then made a mask to cover the stamped image.  Then, after applying the mask, I stamped the Charming Cascades hearts in Hollyhock.  (My first attempt was Cranberry, but then the Love You sentiment didn't pop.)  I pulled off the mask and stamped Love You in Cranberry.  Then I used my little handheld heart punch to punch a heart out of red shimmer trim which I then stuck on top of the stamped heart.

The background panel is from the La Vie en Rose paper pack.  I added a strip of red shimmer trim across this piece.  Then, I swiped the edges the panel with Cranberry ink before adhering it to the center of the card.

Be sure to check out all of the fabulousness this week as we at H2H join the Color Dare!  Please link your project up to both challenges!

You're My Type Card

Happy Valentine's Day!  Neither Hubby nor I put a lot of stock in Valentine's Day, so I thought I would share this friend card that I made with the Share the Love stamp set paired with the Charlotte collection.  (This one is going to my daughter.)

This card was for my watercolor class.  You can see that I painted the background of my focal image with watercolor paint.  I also stamped the typewriter a second time on a scrap of White Daisy (in Slate) then stamped the message in black.  I cut out the typewriter paper and adhered it to the stamped watercolor background.  This card is design is a sketch from Make It From Your Heart.  I had fun stamping the arrows on the background.

Have a very happy Valentine's Day, friend!

Quinceanera!

Our niece turned 15 last month, and she finally got to celebrate with a quinceanera party last Saturday.  (Her original date got snowed out!)  I quickly made her this card to go along with her party.  (You may remember her family party HERE.)

This card went together sooo quickly because I already had these supplies out while make my sister's birthday card.  It is a 3.5" square with La Vie en Rose B&T papers layered on top.  The stamp set is the Kaleidoscope Workshop on the Go stamped in Ruby, Hollyhock, and Pixie.  Can you tell that the Celebrate banner is actually raised up in the center?

Here is the beautiful birthday queen with one of her lovely attendants.  Happy birthday (again), Lil Haley!

Celebrating Lots of Birthdays This Month!

This month my family and friends have several birthdays to celebrate!  First up is the card that I made for my cousin's 50th birthday.  (Happy birthday again, Debby!)

Because she was turning 50, I knew that I wanted to use black on her card, so I grabbed the new Charlotte paper pack.  I paired it with the pretty Kaleidoscope Workshop on the Go stamp set.  The cake is stamped in Sorbet and Champagne on a Slate cake stand.  The balloons are Black and Slate. (For the 3rd balloon, I stamped the balloon on the back of the B&T and then cut it out.)  The candles are stamped in Whisper and Canary.  Embellishments include black shimmer trim, silver washi tape, and black & grey gems.

Share the Love Blog Hop

Close To My Heart is offering a great campaign this month to add extra support to Operation Smile through the Share the Love stamp set.  (Did you know that $7 of every purchase of this stamp set will go to Operation Smile?  What a great way to help a child!)  If you're already hopping, then you've arrived from Brenda's blog.  You'll go to Michelle Rowley's blog next.)  I decided to have fun with my watercolors in conjunction with this fab stamp set.  I made two similar cards to share with you.  The first measures 3"x6".

The second card measures 3.5"x8.5".

Both cards started with a green watercolor wash to the card base background.

Then I splattered a darker shade of green and then black watercolor paint.

The letters were cut with the CTMH/Cricut Artbooking cartridge at 2.25".  I outlined the letters with my journaling pen.  The "o" is a stamp from the Share the Love stamp set.  Both cards have a gold puffy heart from the Charlotte Workshop Your Way.  Both cards feature our new gold ribbon (the white & gold is in the Regatta collection and the black & gold is in the Charlotte collection).

Share the love by leaving a comment and then click on to MICHELLE'S BLOG next.  Thanks for stopping by!

Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.

February Stamp of the Month: Balloon Animals

Welcome to the February stamp of the month blog hop with Balloon Animals!  (If you're already hopping, you've arrived from Terrie's blog.  From here, you'll go to Michelle's blog next.)

My first card is a stair-step card for a special little one's upcoming birthday.  I actually used scraps from my Regatta Workshop Your Way scrapbooking kit.  I did add a white enamel gem for the bunny tail, some white shimmer trim, and blue gems.

My second card uses an easy pattern from the Make It From Your Heart sketch guide.

For both cards, it was pretty quick and easy to fussy cut around the stamped balloon critters.
Now see what cuteness Michelle has in store!  (Click on her name to go to the next stop on the hop.)  Thanks for hopping by!

Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.