SFYTT and Color Dare #6 Challenge

I created this card for the Sketch for You To Try Blog Challenge, as well as the Color My Heart Color Dare #6 Challenge.

Recipe:
Paper: Pemberley, Cranberry CS, White Daisy CS, Heavenly Blue CS (CTMH); Stamps: TLC, Unity, Under The Sea, Card Word Puzzle (CTMH); Inks: Cranberry, Outdoor Denim (CTMH); Tools: Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, Watercolor Pencils, Paper-Piercer, Glue Pen (CTMH); Other: White Embroidery Floss, Prisma Glitter (CTMH), Foam Tape


For the color dare challenge, we were asked to add a different color to an existing paper pack. I love red, white and blue together, and this is the perfect time of the year to showcase this color trio.


Have a great Sunday!


Casandra

VLVJun2012 Lucy Bowwow Card

Today, I would like to share my little Bowwow card with you. I created this for the Viva La Verve! Sketch Challenge, as well as the Stamp It! Cards Hello Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Recipe:

Paper: Lucy, Florentine, White CS (CTMH); Stamp: A Bowwow (CTMH); Ink: Chocolate, Hollyhock (CTMH); Tools: Picket Fence Punch (Martha Stewart), Paper Piercer Kit (CTMH); Other: Blush Ribbon, Mocha Pearls, White Embroidery Floss (CTMH), Foam Tape

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

Casandra

Freshly Made Sketches #41 Superhero Card

This is my second post for the day. I am participating in my second Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.

Recipe: 
Paper: Superhero, Black CS (CTMH), Whisper White (SU!); Stamp: American Celebration (CTMH); Ink: Moonstruck, Cranberry, Honey (CTMH); Tools: Micro-Tip Scissors, Paper-Piercer (CTMH; Other: Bitty Sparkles (CTMH)


Thanks again for stopping by. I wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July! And I pray that our soldiers are safe and will be able to come home soon.


Casandra

SSSC161 Cruisin' Card

Yesterday, I found more time to play, and I made a bunch of cards up for different challenges. This one was created for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

Recipe:

Paper: Cruisin', White CS, Black CS (CTMH), Whisper White CS (SU!); Stamps: Cruisin' WOTG (CTMH); Ink: Black, Cranberry, Juniper, Twilight (CTMH);Tools: Micro-Tip Scissors, Paper Piercer (CTMH); Other: Bitty Sparkles (CTMH), Foam Tape

As you can see, I turned the sketch sideways to allow placement of the stamped images. Happy Stamping!


Casandra

MFT Sketch Florentine Sympathy Card

Good morning! It's a beautiful, sunny day in Northern Michigan. Pretty humid, but there is a nice breeze gently blowing through the windows. 


I found this cute sketch from My Favorite Things blog, the other day. Unfortunately, I missed the cut-off for entry, but I like this sketch so much, I think I will use it for my next card workshop sometime in September.


Anyways, here is the beauty of a card I made using this fabulous sketch.

Here is the sketch that I created the above card from:

So as I explained last night, my husband was busy knocking down some weeds with a weed whip. I wanted to show you the "after" picture. Use your imagination for the "before". LOL

I hardly recognize the place. After letting it get away from me a few years ago while I was busy raising babies, I could no longer keep up with it. Amazing that Jeremiah uncovered a few plants I forgot we even had. LOL Yeah, it was that bad. Did I mention that I have a strong aversion to pulling weeds? I'd much rather be creating cards for y'all. :)

Have a wonderful day!

Casandra

Mojo Monday 247 Sketch

Good evening! In case you haven't noticed, I've been going card crazy lately. There are so many fun challenges out there to participate in, but the tried and true (if you will) challenge is Mojo Monday. They never disappoint in their fantastic sketches!

I have been wanting to try out the scallop card base with my Cricut AP cartridge forever, and this challenge provided the perfect opportunity. All Close To My Heart products includes our fabulous Footloose paper pack, Life Is Tweet stamp set, bitty sparkles and chocolate embroidery floss. I was able to cut 5 of the shapes with the Art Philosophy cartridge. 

Of course, I couldn't make just one card...so I made 2 with this sketch. The first one is a little note card that I intend to send to a dear friend that has recently moved. The second one is an anniversary card with the words "A little birdie told me...it's your anniversary."


Please Note: This adorable stamp set is only available for 3 more days, so don't postpone any longer if you have been wanting it. :)


If you would like to participate in this week's Mojo Monday challenge, here is the link for more information.


It is so blissful here tonight. I can hear my husband using the weed whip to clean out those pesky weeds so I have more time to create. Love that man! :) Thanks for stopping by today!


Casandra

Deconstructed #57 Anniversary Card

Good evening! And thanks again for stopping by.

Tonight's card is based on this week's sketch from "Deconstructed Sketch" blog, and it seemed perfect for playing along with another blog challenge, as well, called "Inspired By". Here is the sketch:

I liked the color palette from Inspired By's photo.

This seemed like the perfect match between the two.

Since I know of a few couples having anniversaries soon, I decided this sketch would be perfect for an anniversary card.

If you would like to participate in the Deconstructed Sketch challenge, please click here. And if you would like to participate in the Inspired By challenge, please click here.

Have a wonderful evening!

Casandra

40th Birthday Card

Good morning! I found a new blog that does card sketch challenges. It is called Freshly Made Sketches.

Here is this week's sketch:

This sketch made me think of my Spellbinder oval dies that are still in their package. I decided it was time to crack them open and find out what all the Spellbinder fun was about. It's pretty cool, actually.

Here is the card I made based on the above sketch:

I just love the simple elegance of Florentine. 

If you would like to participate in this week's sketch challenge, please click here for more details.

Casandra

Sonoma Graduation Congratulations Card

Hi. Just a quick post today!

Here is a card that I made for my niece's graduation. I had leftovers of this card precut from my last card workshop, and decided to pair it with the stamp from the Cricut AP set.

Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!

Casandra

Mojo Monday 246 Teacher Card

Hello! This is my second post for the day.

When I saw this week's Mojo Monday sketch, the 3 vertical squares made me think of A, B, C blocks. After that, the card came together really quickly.

Here is Mojo Monday's sketch #246:

And  here is my take on this cute sketch!

As you can see, I used the sketch horizontally. I love how the vineyard berry color pops against the colonial white and juniper.

If you would like to participate in this week's sketch, you have until Sunday night. Click here for more details.

Casandra

Cruisin' Father's Day Card

Last weekend, I decided upon Cruisin' WOTG kit to create my Father's Day cards. But I was still a little mystified as to how I wanted to use it.

That's where Pinterest comes in handy. I found the cutest card on my pinterest board created by fellow CTMH Consultant, Sherri Tozzi. You can see her version by clicking here.

This card uses the Bullseye pattern from Wishes. I can't recall if I've ever used it before considering it is a 5x7 size pattern. I added our fun durable studs to this card, and added stitching. The tires were a bit tricky to  cut out and paper piece but I think it came out just right. This is one of my new favorites, and I sure appreciate the inspiration, Ms. Tozzi! 

We are headed downstate for the weekend to celebrate my niece's high school graduation. Still can't believe she is all grown up now. :) Have a wonderful weekend!

Casandra

This is the last set of cards that we will be creating at the next Card Workshop on July 1st. I finally decided to try watercoloring. It is a really fun technique.

I decided to leave off the hemp and the wooden shapes to keep my customers' costs down. But after putting the rectangular sentiment piece on, it felt like it was missing something. So I pulled out my Kick Back stamp set and decided to add a few other stamped images in place of the missing embellishments (inspired by page 41 of current Spring/Summer 2012 IB). I stamped "Thinking of You" on the inside, but you could use this card for anything, really.

If you would like to join us for this card workshop (creating 12 cards, 2 of each design) on July 1st. Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 27th so I can be sure to have enough snacks on hand.

Thanks for stopping by.

Casandra

Best Fishes Workshop Cards

I spent a little time tweaking this next card to get it just right. It could be used for Best Wishes, Get Well Soon, Congrats, or simply Thinking of You themes.

I kept looking at the inspiration card on page 41 of our current Spring/Summer 2012 IB. I liked the spray pen part, but the bamboo paper just needed something more. That's when I remembered I had purchased a new Cuttlebug embossing folder called "Spots and Dots" just for these cards. So after I used chocolate spray ink on the cardstock, I embossed it. It really does work best embossing after spraying so that the white core of our cardstock is more visible.


Then, I pulled out this cute $1 ribbon I found at Jo-Ann's and played around with it until I found the best spot for it. Still being unsure as to whether the ribbon would take it too far, I asked my husband what he thought. If you remember from my last post, he considers artwork advice to be too much pressure. LOL So I asked my 6yo son what he thought. His response was "Mama, I like whatever you make." Okay, stop overthinking it, Casandra. LOL


So, I hope you like my dolled up version of the card shown on page 41 in the current IB. I am very happy with it, and I adore our spray pens! So much fun!


This card is also being entered into the Spatter Technique Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. I am busy thinking up new ways to incorporate spray pen techniques into some future card designs.


Casandra

Relax Summer Workshop Cards

I am excited to share this next card with you. It was actually inspired by page 81 of our current Spring/Summer 2012 idea book. I kept looking at the cute clustering of stamped images on the featured scrapbook layout and the idea for this card was born.

This could be used for a retirement, a vacation, or just simply thinking of you. I reached into my Dotty For You stash (last month's promotion kit) to create this card. I came really close to embossing the bamboo cardstock, but hubby thought it looked better this way. He told me that it was too much pressure to ask him for advice. LOL

I used a template from Originals and some yellow Offray ribbon that I've had for a while. I love how it all looks together.

Casandra

Congrats Workshop Cards

Well, so far you've seen the thank you cards and the birthday cards we will be creating at our July 1st workshop. Today, I would like to share with you the Congrats cards we will be making.

This card is so universal. It could be used for graduation, wedding, new job, new baby, new house, etc.

I love embossing on my cards. It adds so much texture and really jazzes up a simple card.

Casandra

Birthday Workshop Cards

Today, I would like to share with you the birthday cards we will be creating at our upcoming July 1st workshop.

I found inspiration for this card on the same page as the thank you cards you saw yesterday...page 13 of the current idea book. I changed it up a little to use Emporium paper again. And the title would've taken forever to adhere so I changed it to a quick label instead. That little label stamp has seen a lot of use, lately!

Our cricut cartridge saves so much time. Love it!

Casandra

Thank You Workshop Cards

I am having another card workshop on July 1st. I still have one set available to purchase if anyone would like to join, or you can even purchase the set of 12 cards for $18.00 plus shipping and have it mailed to you.

So here is a peek a the first set of cards we will be creating, and it seemed fitting to start off with a "thank you".

Something that I like to share with my customers is that our Idea Books are just that...full of ideas for crafting your own projects. I found inspiration for this card on page 13 of our current Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book. I decided to use up some of my Emporium scraps. It is one of my all time favorite paper packs. It combines three of my favorite colors, after all. Now, don't freak out over those score lines (your consultant did the "hard" part for you).

Casandra

Thank You

Happy Friday to you! 

I work as a bookkeeper for my father's excavating business for my "day job". One of our vendors sent us a "No Charge" invoice recently, so I thought it deserved a special note of thanks. After all, very little is free these days.

So here is a card I created for this very special vendor:

I have been having a wonderful time reacquainting myself with my Wishes Book. I wanted to make a quick suggestion that I have found to be a great time saver. When you are creating one card, it's just as easy to create two. So here is my second version of this thank you card:

It only took a few minutes to add the stitching to this card. Hope you like! 

Thank you to my wonderful followers for leaving such lovely comments to me over the past year. It is like happy mail to me. :)

Casandra