Australasian Cosy Up Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our Cosy Up Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop. 

If you have arrived here from Scrappy Chicks then you are in the right place. 

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. 

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s August Featured collection, Cosy Up. (Or Cozy Up if you're not in Australasia!)

I haven't had as much time as I would like to scrapbook, but I have been churning out some cards using my scraps and I have also been getting into using my Cricut again.

I started with my favourite Cosy Up Paper as the base of the card, and overlaid this with the Multi Square Windows Thin Cuts. I used the Cosy Up Coordinating Cardstock colours of Shortbread, Paprika, Toffee, Honey Butter and Rosemary to make this card, as well as some Gold Glitter Paper. 

The sentiment was stamped with Mocha Ink, and comes from the Cosy Up Cardmaking Workshop Kit.I also stamped one of the leaves using this kit, and stamped the leaf detail with Sage Ink on the Rosemary Cardstock. 

Here's a close up of the mushrooms, leaves and acorn I cut using the Cosy Up Digital Art Collection. I cut the top of the acorn from one of the Cosy Up papers, and sponged the dotted section of the mushrooms with Mocha Ink for more definition as they weren't dark enough for my liking when I cut them with Toffee cardstock. I then used the Gold Glitter Paper for the base of each mushroom because I can't have a card with no bling!  

I also added some extra bling using Gold Loose Sequins for the finishing touch, which I attached to the card with Micro Glue Dots.

If you do not have a consultant please contact me or place an order here.

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Creative Inspirations.

In This Together Blog Hop

Welcome to our In This Together Blog Hop!  

If you have come here from Krista's Blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around.  If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog. 

This month we have 15 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this special collection and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

I wanted to create a simple friendship themed card instead of going with the obvious Covid-19 theme, and once again my eight year old joined me in my craft room to create with me so this is a combined effort between the two of us!

 

We started off by getting an idea from the cute mug zip strip, and then found a coffee mug sticker on the sticker sheet. My son chose the sentiment and then we set to work creating this card. My son wanted to use the Clover paper "because it's nearly St Patrick's Day" and then we sponged the sentiment banner with Abandoned Coral distress oxide ink to make it stick out a bit more and popped it up on some foam tape with some silver embellishing thread underneath. We also lightly stamped some circles on the card to look like coffee rings. The sentiment is from the March SOTM and stamped in Clover ink. 

Now "Hop" on over to Haley's Blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! 

Eat Cake

Being stuck at home this week has given me some time to finally play along with some of the craft challenges floating around the internet.

One of old favourites, Fusion, had this as their challenge this week.



I used both the sketch and the image to create this quick and easy card.



I used some Seaglass cardstock and framed it with gold foil tape, then simply added a slice of cake and the sentiment. It is hard to capture the gold foil in a photo but it is very shiny in person!

I am hoping to get a lot more crafting done in the coming month, as I will have a lot of weekends and nights free at home due to the lockdown situation here in New Zealand, so please come back soon to see what else I have been creating!

Documented CTMH Australasian Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Kara Davies then you are in the right place.

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s August featured Paper Collection, Documented.

I paired the Paper Packet with the matching Documented Cardmaking stamp set and thin cuts to create two friendship themed cards.

For the first one, I used the flowers in a wreath shape to frame the sentiment, then added a strip of ribbon and some of the Documented paper to anchor the card.




The next card used more of the green flowers, which I put in a cluster alongside the sentiment. I used the thin cut floral border to create the shaped strips of paper along the top and bottom- this set has lots of uses!




I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Nell Ward.

Fresh Air CTMH Australasian Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our June Australasian Close to My Heart Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Creating with Kara Davies then you are in the right place.

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s June Featured Collection, Fresh Air.

I love the dark green of the patterned paper paired with the woodgrain paper, which is from the coordinating PML cards included in the Paper Packet. It was begging to be used with one of my favourite retired stamp sets.

The first card was made by sponging a rectangle with new England Ivy ink, then stamping the tree and sentiment. I added some burlap ribbon for visual interest and to make the rectangle anchored to the card.



This second card uses the same colours, but a different tree and sentiment. I also used the green burlap ribbon this time to draw attention to the tree.



These two cards will be very versatile to have in my stash, and I can see myself using this paper for a variety of masculine cards.

This Workshop Your Way collection can be yours for just $51.  Individual components can be ordered from your CTMH consultant.

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Doreen Watkins.

Making Waves Birthday Card

My niece turns two today, and so of course I had to make her a birthday card!

I used some scraps left over from my Making Waves kit, which is mermaid and beach themed- although you can't really tell by this card. The patterned paper has a starfish and floral pattern on it, and so I added some extra star stamps to mirror this theme.



I stamped the circle in Bashful ink with a subtle polka dot pattern to mimic the ribbon patter and the purple polka dot paper strip.

Ribbon is a great way to add interest and texture to a card, and I also added a couple of glitter gems.

I'm linking this card up with the Seize The Birthday challenge- Beachy Birthday and the Craft Rocket Birthday challenge.

A Bushel and a Peck SOTM Blog Hop

Hello and welcome aboard our June Australasian Stamp of The Month Blog Hop.

If you have arrived here from Georgia Creates you are in the right place.

Today I would like to share a card that features the June SOTM, A Bushel and a Peck.

My oldest son has been working hard with his teacher so far this term, and I was really impressed with the way she handled things in regard to meetings, goal setting and making sure he was happy. I wanted to make his teacher a card to say thank you.



I stamped the apple onto Cranberry cardstock and then attached it to the tag. The Thanks sentiment is also from this month's Stamp of The Month.

This stamp set works well as a Teacher Appreciation set and I will definitely be making more of these cards at the end of the year!

This exclusive stamp set is only available until the 30th June.

I'd love for you to leave a comment before heading off to the next blog, Vandra's Virtual CTMH Classroom.

Eclipse Technique for my Mum

Mother's Day was a couple of weeks ago, but I have only just got around to sharing a card I made for my mother.

I have been having lots of fun with the Eclipse technique, and I decied to try out this for the word 'mum' on the front of my card.



I first did some random stamping on a piece of white cardstock to create the floral pattern, then I cut out the letters. I framed the floral stamped cardstock on Pixie cardstock, then popped the letters up using 3D Foam Tape. You want to use the thick foam to get a raised effect,



You can see how the letters stand out and yet blend into the floral pattern at the same time. This is such a beautiful technique and I can't wait to try it out again.

I'm sharing this card with one of my favourite challenge blogs- Heart 2 Heart Challenges, for their Mother's Day theme.

Color Throwdown Tomatoes

I'm always on the lookout for a good pun, so when I found a stamp set consisting of jokes and playing on words associated with food, I had to have it.

For some inspiration to get me back into my cardmaking, I looked at the Color Throwdown challenge for some ideas.

I had to use the tomatoes from my stamp set for the something red, and I paired it with the cute Gimme Some Sugar paper and some extra bling in the specified colours.

Thanks for looking!

Pretty Pocket Card

The Pocket Cards in the CTMH Paper Packets are one of my favourite things to work with. Not only are they wonderful for adding interest and journal boxes to layouts, but they also make great card bases.

I used the woodgrain PML card as the base for this card, and added some stamped flowers from the June Stamp of the Month. The sentiment was stamped on a piece of Chipboard from the No Worries Complements.




This card took me only a few minutes to piece together and I love the serene background thanks to the PML card.

If you love using PML cards, why don't you share a project with us this month at Heart 2 Heart Challenges? We would love to see your creations!

Get into Gear

This week's challenge at BTF is to use Picture My Life cards on a project.

I have a stash of retired PML cards that work great for masculine themed cards.

I placed a 3x4 card on a dry embossed background. I then stamped a bike and heat embossed it to stand out.

The sentiment and gear were also from a retired stamp set, and I added some White Dots to complete the card.



My husband and brothers in law are all bike mad, so this will be a perfect card to have in my stash!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #182

This week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts was great to play along with at a recent scrapbooking retreat, where I had lots of retired scraps to use up!

I pulled out my Magical Paper Packet and set to work.I also used a retired stamp set from the Hello Life set and used a new flower from the With You stamp set. I originally stamped the sentiment with white ink but it didn't show up as well as I would have hoped, so I re-stamped it using Cranberry ink.



I added some Red Shimmer Trim to the card to tie in the red, yellow and white theme, and now I have a great generic card on hand.

Wodgrain Wishes

I love the look of Woodgrain, and the new Thinking of You Cardmaking Kit from Close To My Heart has a beautiful woodgrain patterned paper.

For this week's Woodgrain theme at Heart 2 Heart Challenges, I created the original card from this kit and also did one with a Christmas twist using the Perfect Presents stamp set.



These cards are easily customised for any occasion, and I love the bold sentiment and woodgrain paired with the bright Raspberry cardstock and some sparkles.

There are so many products that work with the Woodgrain prompt this week- which one will you choose?

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #178

Another beautiful sketch this week over At Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge!

I was totally inspired to use a lack, white and grey colour scheme for a floral card after seeing a beautiful card on Instagram by Martha (stampartpapel).

A black and white sympathy or get well card is always an understated option, and I left the sentiment vague so that it could be used for either occasion.



I cut the flowers using the new Flower Market cartridge, and then layered them on top of the sentiment strip. The sentiment is from one of the Flower Market exclusive stamp sets and was stamped in Black ink. The finishing touch was some Grey Enamel Gems down the side of the Whisper background.

I hope this card has inspired you to create your own black and white card, and we would love to you have you join in the sketch this week!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #170

This week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts worked perfectly for an idea I had in mind.

I rotated the sketch to the left and used the Thin Cuts Masking Technique to watercolour paint around the flamingo. I then added some pink paint splatters and peeled off the mask to reveal the intact flamingo underneath. I added a wing, a strip of Calypso paper, Flamingo Dots and a sentiment and I was done!



How will you interpret this week's sketch? Join in with us here!

Throwback to Circus Alphabet

It's Throwback week at Heart 2 Heart Challenges!

I decided to go back to the Stamp of the Month from July 2014, which was Circus Alphabet. I have also paired this card with an older stamp set, B is for Baby.

I stamped the letter B all over the Pixie cardstock, and added a Cricut cut and stamped image to the middle of the card. Then I added some Silver Shimmer Trim and I had a completed baby card!



I love all of the Close To My Heart Alphabet stamps, as they are easy to use for personalizing projects and also make a great background feature.

What will your Throwback feature be? Link up with us!

S1607 From the Notebook Australasian Blog Hop

Welcome to the Australasian Stamp of the Month Blog Hop.

This is the start of the hop, or you may have arrived here from Vandra's blog.

If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

Today I would like to share with you a creation which features Close To My Heart’s July Stamp of the Month, From The Notebook.

This card uses one of the smaller icons, which I stamped repeatedly in Pomegranate ink. I didn't fuss too much about lining each one up perfectly as that would have taken far too long! I left a gap in the middle of the card and added a sentiment in Eggplant ink, then matted the entire piece of stamped cardstock on Eggplant cardstock. Finally, I added some matte sequins to complete the card.



This exclusive From The Notebook stamp is only available during July.  It can be yours for just $10 with a qualifying order of $75 or for $33 if ordered separately from your CTMH consultant.

I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop, Georgia Creates.

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #166

This week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge immediately made me think of a flap card.

These cards are easy to make, and perfect to add a gift voucher or other mall, flat present on the inside.

The frot of the card was decorated as per the sketch, with the Kaleidoscope Paper Packet and a flower that I embossed then watercoloured. I had to put the flower in the opposite corner from the sketch as it overwhelmed the flap opening if I placed it at the bottom of the framed sentiment.



When you open the card, there is enough room to add your gift and a message. I added another strip of the Kaleidoscope Paper and covered each panel in the paper as well.



The card will flip open and you can add a small amount of the clear temporary adhesive to the flap. For full instructions on hoe to make this card, I used this tutorial without the circle punched top.



Even the back panel looks pretty when covered in this paper. You could easily add more decoration and a note to whoever is receiving this card.



We would love to have you join us with your interpretation of this week's sketch!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #164

I am lucky to have so many awesome people in my life, and I love to send them cards to let them know I am thinking about them.

This week, the sketch at Atlantic Hearts inspired me to create a card for one such friend.

I used up some older Jubilee papers as my friend lives out in the country, and added a medallion from the Jubilee Complements that worked perfectly for this sketch.



Of course I needed to add some bling, so I used Red Shimmer Trim behind a punched border and added some gems and sequins.

(Just as a side note, this border punch is only available until the end of July so if you haven't got one please contact your CTMH consultant!)

We would love for you to play along this week at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge- I really enjoy seeing everyone's take on the same sketch. Pop over to see the other Design team's amazing creations and maybe you will be inspired to create too.

A blue thank you

As you are probably aware by now, I love challenges to push me outside my comfort zone and help me create cards and layouts.

This card was inspired by this week's sketch at Just Add Ink. 

I had some leftover Jackson paper on my desk from a project I will be featuring tomorrow, and so I paired this with the Happy Times Paper Packet.

The triangle pattern was stamped from the Crazy Good stamp set in Glacier Ink. Lots of bling was added with some branches cut from glitter paper and Bronze Shimmer Trim.

I added a circular stamped sentiment on Glacier Cardstock with Cocoa ink as the finishing touch. I originally only had shimmer trim at the top of the triangle piece but felt it needed to go on the bottom as well to balance it out.

Come back tomorrow where I will be sharing a scrapbook layout using the Jackson Paper Packet.