Postcard Perfect Birthday

My older daughter's BFF will be celebrating her birthday soon, so we got together recently for a birthday party.

The sentiment was cut with ThinCuts.  I stamped the flowers after inking in Canary and Tangerine then fussy cut them.  (The leaf is 2nd generation Peacock to match the Postcard Perfect floral.)  Some Glacier ribbon and gold glitter gems finished off this 8"x3.5" card.  Cash made the PERFECT gift.

Tonight is your last chance to get any of the amazing Postcard Perfect collection, so get on over to my website (click HERE) to order!

Seasonal Expression 2 New Product Blog Hop

Have you browsed the 2018 Close To My Heart Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book?  This supplement has four wonderful paper collections and many new stamp sets for your papercrafting needs!  This blog hop will feature our consultants' favorites from this Idea Book. (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Alyson's blog.  From here, you'll visit Michelle's blog next.)

This layout uses the Beautiful Friendship collection to celebrate my younger daughter's 17th birthday last month!  Don't you love this banner paper?

 Macey said that the banners were "too flat," so I added Pearls and Gray Gems to spice them up.  I also used a pretty Beautiful Friendship bow to accent the "Make a Wish" journaling card.

For the right page, I used another journaling card to document "birthday season."

Next up is a layout to commemorate my daughter's sweet graduation tea.  (Thank you, Aunt Joy!!)

In addition to the Beautiful Friendship paper pack collection, my layout also includes the Beautiful Friendship Cardmaking & Thin Cuts set.

The Seasonal Expressions 2 has so many great collections, you are going to want to get one each month while they are available!  Thanks for letting my share my Beautiful Friendship projects with you!  Happy National Scrapbooking Month!  I would love for you to leave a comment before you head on to Michelle's blog next to continue the hop!

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

Lovely Layers (CTMH Technique Blog Hop)

Layers make every crafting project lovely!  Whether you're layering tons of pretty paper or layering your images, you're bound to love your projects more with more layers.  To add some ideas to your tool box, be sure to continue along this Lovely Layers technique blog hop.  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Rebecca's blog.  From here you'll visit Annemarie next.)

My Mother's Day card for my mom combines two stamp sets, the current May stamp of the month Classic Summer Bash and the recently retired Chelsea Gardens Scrapbooking stamp set.  (Almost any floral could be used.)  I stamped the jar with Sapphire ink and then filled it by stamping the leaves from Chelsea Gardens in Juniper and Willow.

To continue my layering, I stamped the flower in Bashful with the edges rolled in Smoothie.  The center section is Canary.  I fussy cut out the flower and then added it over all the foliage with 3-D foam tape.  Notice that I also layered some Juniper leaves under my flower for more dimension.  Finally, I sponged Crystal Blue "water" in my jar and extended some of the stems with my Sap Green Shin-Han Twin Touch marker.

Thank you for visiting and checking out my Lovely Layers!  Be sure to check out how all of our creative consultants have interpreted the Lovely Layers Technique Blog Hop challenge.  Visit ANNEMARIE'S BLOG next!

National Scrapbooking Month Postcard Perfect Blog Hop

Welcome to the National Scrapbooking Month Postcard Perfect Blog Hop!  (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Gina's blog.  From here, you'll visit Kirsten's blog next.)  Close To My Heart has the most amazing collection available this month only!  You can get a gorgeous paper pack, coordinating cardstock, stamp set, Cut Above Layouts collection, and even an album separately or all bundled together.  (You can read more about it HERE.)  Of course I had to have it all!

This paper was a great match for my photos from Day 12 from our 2016 trip to Europe.  It was our final day aboard the MSC Opera. 

My layout is based loosely on a sketch from Cherish (now retired).  It can be hard to fit 8 photos on one layout, especially when you don't want to trim them down very much.  For my title, I stamped The North Sea with Peacock ink using the Bistro Alphabet stamp set.  The floral circle is from a sheet of cutout artwork that comes with the Postcard Perfect paper pack.

To embellish my layout, I used gold shimmer trim, gold gems, and Beautiful Friendship bows.

My final project (for now) is this quick & easy card based on a sketch from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 4.  I inked my sentiment in Sea Glass (retired) and then inked the Adventure portion with Peacock before stamping.  Smoothie & Willow are my flower and leaf ink choices.  I used a few Bashful pearls too.

Be sure to come back often, because I will have many more projects with this collection, especially an upcoming cruise in honor of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary this summer.  Thank you for hopping by!  I'd love a comment before you head off to see what Kreative Kirsten has to share with you!  Be sure to click on each person's name to go to the next blog along the hop.  You don't want to miss any of the great ideas shared with this amazing collection!

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

May Stamp of the Month: Classic Summer Bash

Welcome to the May stamp of the month blog hop featuring Classic Summer Bash!  I don't know about you, but I am soooo ready for summer!  You're going to see so many great ideas for this stamp set that will have you earning to kick off summer too.  (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Jen's blog.  From here, you'll visit Katy's blog next.)

This delicious card uses the new Beautiful Friendship collection and a sketch from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 4.  The stamped panel is all one piece and actually started out much larger.  I stamped the jar with Sapphire ink, then stamped the lemon slice with Canary on the "edge" of the jar, and finally the straw in Smoothie "leaning" against the edge of the jar mouth.  Next, I used my paper trimmer to PARTIALLY cut this panel to size.  I made sure not to slice off the top of the lemon nor the straw from the piece of card stock.  I then fussy cut around the straw and the lemon.

To create the "lemonade," I first cut out a mask of the center of the jar.  I used my paper trimmer to cut where I wanted the top of the lemonade to be.  I placed my mask over the stamped jar and then sponged Canary ink in the opening.  The last step was to stamp a few ice cubes (also in Canary) floating on top.  A Beautiful Friendship bow completed the card.

Are you ready for more Classic Summer Bash ideas?  Please leave a comment before hopping on off to visit Katy's blog!

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