H2H Challenges: Florals AKA April Stamp of the Month Lever Fun-Fold Birthday Card

Okay, that title is kind of a mouthful for this pretty card!  I made it for my mother-in-law's birthday earlier this month using the April stamp of the month, Love So Sweet.  It certainly qualifies for Heart2Heart Challenges Florals challenge to kick off May.

The way this card opens is pretty spectacular (if I do say so myself).

It's called a lever fun fold, and I used the instructions found HERE.  (No sense in making my own tutorial because hers is very clear.)

I did cut my center square about a sixteenth of an inch smaller than the Fern card base square so that the center panel and butterfly would pass through easily.

Because my MIL's favorite color is yellow, I used Canary and Saffron inks for the flowers.  I colored the butterfly with Sugarplum and Gold shimmer brushes, and of course added some shimmer to the flowers also.  The patterned paper on the inside is from the Feels Like Home collection.

If you don't have any shimmer brushes, at least get the clear one so that your projects can sparkle too!  Be sure to see what the H2H Design Team has created for the Florals challenge!

Dandelion Wishes Birthday Card

This sweet card is an almost exact replica of the Dandelion Wishes card on p. 82 of the current CTMH Seasonal Expressions Idea Book, except that I used Sage.

I also decided to use the gray twine instead of a bow.  The perfect circle was cut with my Cuttlebug and our Thin Cuts.  I actually cut it from the center of the Sage piece because I knew that the White Daisy stamped panel and the card base would cover the hole. 

Next time, I will flip the base Sage cardstock over to the lighter side so that the circle sentiment will pop a little more.  Also, on a color that light, Sage stamped on Sage didn't pop enough for the sentiment.  I used Pewter because Mink ink was also too light.

Don't be afraid to copy ideas for our Idea Books.  That's exactly what they're for!

MSC Orchestra and So Much Happy

On our epic European adventure, we took a second cruise of the Mediterranean Sea and had fun aboard the MSC Orchestra.

I used my Reflections how-to guide for my layout design.

 I had fun with scraps to make the flags on the side bar.  Do they look a bit nautical to you too?

While we don't have another cruise planned (yet!), we are working on another epic adventure for 2019.  Come back for more of 2016!

Europe 2016: Day 15

On the 15th day of our epic European adventure, we visited the port town of Bari, Italy, home of the St. Nicholas Basilica.

This layout uses the Mix-In Paper Pack and the peach papers from the So Much Happy collection.

For the first page, I made my own layout based on my pictures.  I love stamping titles!

The next page uses one of our pocket Memory Protectors (Design 1).  I love that our papers have two different designs on each side!  I was able to use that to my advantage on a few of the pockets; others have two mats to get the look that I needed.

The gold cross is just two pieces of gold shimmer trim.  I thought that was a nice way to accent the photos of the relics of St. Nicholas.

The final page is also of my own design to make the most of my photos. 

Bari was beautiful!

Highlight the Details {CTMH Technique Blog Hop}

It's time to highlight the details!  You're going to learn a lot of creative techniques along this month's CTMH Technique Blog Hop, Highlight the Details!  Be sure to hop all the way through so that you don't miss a thing.  (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Michelle Loncar's blog and from here you'll visit Amy Ulen's blog next.)

My card uses the So Much Happy Cardmaking stamp set and coordinating collection.  You might be wondering how this card fits the Highlight the Details so look a little closer...

 Still don't see it?  Here's the before...

...and after!  I used our watercolor pencils (without water) to add shading and highlights to my pots and even the succulents!  (I wish you could see it in person.)

For this second card, I highlighted the details with my Sugarplum shimmer brush to add dimension to the pot and to highlight the heart above the sentiment.  (This card uses the Feels Like Home paper collection).

Finally, I used a totally different technique on this layout to highlight key words to help make all of the text more interesting.  (I had a lot to say on this layout!)  I made it using the retired Central Park collection.  If you'd like to know more, you can read and see more HERE.

Otherwise, be sure to continue along the hop!  I'd love a comment before you hop on over to Amy's blog.  Thank you!

H2H Challenges: "Weather" or Not (AKA California Dreamin')

The most recent Heart2Heart Challenge is "Weather" or Not, and I couldn't help but think of our daughters' recent trip to California for Spring Break.  Yes, this trip was the first time that they flew anywhere without us, their devoted, loving, (over?) protective parents (whether I liked it or not!).  Fortunately, they had a great trip!

Here is the layout I created for our older daughter of her favorite photos.  I ended up using a sketch from Reflections for the left page and kind of designed my own for the right page.  I used the I Heart Us collection for this fun layout.

I used my CTMH/Cricut You Are Here to cut out the palm tree and "spring break" sunglasses.  Perfect fit, right?  I think the brown card stock is retired Desert Sand, but I'm not entirely sure.  It worked well with both the palm tree cut and the Pacific Ocean photo mat.  Don't you love how well neutrals can fit with this vibrant collection?

You'll notice that journaling is lacking.  My daughter will have to write her own story for this layout.

Thanks for letting me share my "weather or not" twist with you!  Be sure to visit the H2H blog, all of our talented designers, and most importantly our amazing participants!

Europe 2016: Day 14 (Father's Day)

On our epic adventure, we were leaving Venice to cruise in the Mediterranean sea on Father's Day.  Boy, did we get the surprise of a lifetime!!!  The So Much Happy collection was perfect!

First, I created this two-page layout, but then I added typed journaling and lots of photos of leaving Venice on our cruise using a pocket page.

When I first made my layout, I didn't add in any of the Tangerine pieces, but then I went back and included them to better match my photos.

Here are close ups of each page:

Having my parents along for the rest of our adventure made it even more special!

Europe 2016: Day 13

Yes, Day 13 lived up to its superstitious status, and it's a good thing that I didn't realize it was the 13th day at the time, or it probably would have been worse!  (Hey, a bad day on vacation is still a great day, right?)

Since I had so much to journal about, I ended up typing up our adventure.  After I picked the photos to go with the day (7 of them!), I formatted my journaling doc so that it was 6" wide.  Simple side bars contained my photos.

 To make my journaling more interesting (and to highlight all the transportation of the day), I used my Golden Yellow Shin Han Twin Touch marker to highlight words related to transportation.  I wouldn't use this technique all the time, but I think it made all the text more visually appealing (and will hopefully draw viewers into the actual text).

All of my supplies are retired except for the chipboard bus (from So Much Happy complements) and of course the White Daisy card stock and Shin Han Twin Touch marker.  (Everything else is from the retired Central Park collection.)

Thanks for once again letting me share our adventure!

So Much Happy Cardmaking

Recently I have needed several "get well" cards, so I turned to my So Much Happy Cardmaking stamp set.

My first card pairs the stamp set with its coordinating paper collection, So Much Happy.  I stamped the foliage in Emerald, the pot in Peach, the sentiment in Sapphire, and the arrows in Candy Apple.  I added a little So Much Happy washi tape and a puffy sticker from the collection.

The second card is very similar, but I used the Feels Like Home collection instead.  (Both cards also use a  Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 2 sketch.)  This color palette uses Fern, Sugarplum, and Charcoal.

I had lots of fun spattering my card with my Sugarplum shimmer brush and also highlight the pot with the shimmer brush.

I used a similar spatter technique on this third card.  I added a little shading on the pot rim with the shimmer brush and stamped a heart from the set directly onto the pot and above the sentiment. 

(This final card is being mailed to our daughter in college, just because.)

This month is your last chance to get the featured products from the current Seasonal Expressions 1 Idea Book.  I'll be using this stamp set, among others, at my card class on Sunday, April 14, so if you're local, join  us!  (If you're not local, contact me about a card kit in the mail.) 

April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Love So Sweet

The Close To My Heart April stamp of the month, Love So Sweet, is a gorgeous stamp set that you have to have!  Continue along this blog hop to get lots of great ideas highlighting the versatility and beauty of this set, only available this month. {If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from my sweet friend Becca's blog.  From here, you'll visit Barbara's blog next.}

My card began with embossing the Swiss Dots embossing folder on my Cuttlebug.  I then started stamping the flowers in Sapphire and Sugarplum.  They needed something so I started adding Fern leaves, but they weren't enough so some more Sugarplum and Sapphire small flowers were needed (in first and second generation stamping).  I added the Charcoal sentiment and butterfly to finish the stamping.  (I had planned to add some white ribbon above the embossed band, but it covered up too much of my pretty stamping!)  Instead, I added some gold glitter gems to the sentiment.

To finish my card, I painted my flower centers with my gold shimmer brush and added a gold glitter gem.

I had planned to used that beautiful butterfly on my card, but the flowers ended up taking center stage.  I hope you like what I've created!  Thank you for letting me share my card with you!  I'd love a comment before you hop on over to Barbara's blog to continue the stamp of the month hop.

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