Another side step card.

  I hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful weather here this week. Such a change from the extremely warm weather we had a week ago. I know I have been out  gardening a lot this week and crafting out on my deck. Oh I almost forgot that we had a new addition to our family last night! Our cousin had her baby girl finally and I'm so excited to give her the gift. I will post the pictures of the gift after her shower next weekend.

  Now with the  cooler summer weather put me in the mood for fall and Halloween, so today I'm going to show you another side step card but with a fall theme and a sneak peak of my diorama card. 

   The stamps and paper are from CTMH. I always make fall and Halloween cards but never really know who to give them too. LOL. 

    Here is a sneak peak at my version of a diorama card. I don't have a lot of die cuts so I have to make changes as a go. Can you guess the theme? 

 

     I will post more pictures as I go. Well that's all for today. See everyone tomorrow!

CTMH Artbooking Cricut Cartridge Review

  Today I though I share a look at the new Cricut cartridge from Close to My Heart. Thanks to Mandy! I just love all the things that can be done with this. I can hardly wait to order this!! This can be ordered or anything else from the new book from Dianne starting Aug.1 by clicking on the shopping cart on this page. Which will take you straight to her Close to My Heart page.
   I'll be back later today with another card project that I just finished for fall and a sneak peak of a Halloween card.

Triangular Diorama Card Tutorial by Bibiana

Getting more uses out of a seasonal stamp!

   Hi there, today I'm going to show how a wintry stamp can be used for more than just Christmas and wintry cards. I'm always trying to find ways to get the most out of my stamps and this idea works perfectly. My son wanted Valentine's for his class, but being a boy didn't want to girly. So I decided that the snowman stamp from  CTMH would work with a few changes

   For the base of the card I used my Artiste cartridge from CTMH. I can't remember what size I cut the base out at unfortunately I made a template for the heart so I could have it a different colour. I embossed the heart and the band that goes around the card  in the big shot with the poka-dot  folder from Stampin-up. I inked the edges of the heart and the card base with a ink. 

   This is an up close look at the band that goes around the card. I decided it needed a little sparkle, so I put a piece of scotch tape on the inside ( sticky side facing out) and applied glitter to the tape. You are still able to see through the opening but the glitter just gave it that little something.

   For the inside I decided use the snowman stamp. Now this is not what I would normally use for Valentine's Day but with a few changes it works great. I coloured the snowman with my CTMH watercolour markers, which are no longer available.
    So to make these work for the Valentine's theme I punched out small hearts that I covered in glitter and used them in place of snowballs. I also embossed the white paper with the the same folder that I used on the heart. The words are also from the snowman stamp set. I decided to replace the O in Love with a glitter heart to make it feel like a Valentine's. I think that this card really works well for a boy's Valentine's card. Once  you close this card up we decided that is needed some candy, so we put a sucker inside each one. You could put a small bag of candy inside instead.
  Well that's all for today. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday!

A wintry card and snow globes.

  Well today I thought I would share with you my first wintry/Christmas card of the year. I tell myself every year that this will be the year that I start my Christmas cards and projects early but never do. I'm sure most of you have done the same. LOL. I hope that this year that I can make all my cards before December.    

  For this card I used a side step  card. I started of with a card base cut at 6" by 9". I then drew a light pencil line at 4 , 1/2" a across from top to bottom. The using your score pal or ruler and scoring tool. Score at 7", 5", 3 1/2" and 2" up to the 4 1/2" pencil line. I have posted a you tube video with the directions that I used, but this card can be cut in different sizes.

   First thing I did was tare scrap pieces of white card stock to make the snow hills. I used white mica glitter from Stamp-in Up on the edge of the torn card stock. Once dry glue to the card. I than used a snowman stamp from Close to My Heart. The saying is also from the snowman set. I stamped the snowman with black memento ink and coloured them with Spectrum Noir Markers.  I used the Create Critter cartridge for the cricut to cut out the trees. After I glued everything on I added some more mica glitter to the bottom of the snowman with white glue. 

   

  Last year I seen lots of different ways to make snow globes out of small glass jars. For these ones I used Epicure jars and there aren't round and I think they turned out pretty good. For this technique I cut a circle on the big shot from acetate and glued my stamped and coloured image of the snowman on the acetate. I used a glue dot to glue the image to the acetate, which I find is the best. Before you put the snowman in the jar, you can put in fake snow, glitter, mica flake glitter or even mini poms poms would work.  Once you have that done go and put the snowman in the jar. I decorated the jar lid with snowflakes and flowers. These are a cute little gift that a child could make for a teacher or daycare provider. 

Well that's all for today. I will show you tomorrow another use for the snowman stamp that isn't Christmas related. I'm always looking for ways to get more use from my seasonal stamps.  

How to make an A6 Side Step Card

  Well today I'm going to show you a couple birthday cards. The first one  that I made is for a girl who loves horses. I used retired paper from Close to my Heart and Country Born stamp for the spring/summer book. I also used the cricut Art Philosophy to cut out the front of the card and the inside of the card. I made a pocket for the inside of the card to hold money or even a gift card. I water coloured the horse stamp and inked the edges for a distressed look. I decided to add some stitching around the circle in a burgundy colour to match the ribbon on the front.

   Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the inside so you could see the pocket. I also stamp the horses with versa mark ink and covered it black embossing powder on the inside. 

    Here another birthday card that I made for a friend of my son's. I used the Later Skater Sk8r Paper from Close to My Heart and a retired stamp from Stampin-Up. 

   I decided to glue 2 different paper together and ripped a hole in them. I than inked the edges of the ripped area. I embossed a sheet a gray paper and than glued the other papers to the gray paper. I stamped and heat embossed the dirt bike with blue embossing powered. I want the dirt bike to look like it was breaking through the card. I was really happy with how this turned out. 

    I followed with the same techniques on the inside of the card and made a matching envelope. Tomorrow I will something wintery.

   Well that's all for today. I hope everyone is enjoying the much cooler weather we are having this week!!

Cricut® Craft Room

Another baby banner

   Hi everyone! I hope you're all keeping cool during this very hot and humid week.

  Today I thought I would share with you another banner that I made for a friend. This is for a girls room and is jungle themed. 

   I used the cricut Artiste and Art Philosophy cartridge from Close to my Heart and the Create a Critter cartridge for this one.  I used foam core board  on each panel and embossed white card stock for the front and back if each panel. I covered the edges of each panel with white satin ribbon for a finished look.

    I cut out different sizes of rosettes and the animals on the cricut. Cutting the rosettes on the cricut is so easy and time saving and there are lots to choose from. The larger butterflies where cut on the cricut from glitter paper. I used a punch for the tiny butterflies and flowers.

   You can see the detail in this picture of the embossing and the smaller butterflies. I have many other styles of banners that I will be posting over the next several months. As you my have noticed I love making these banners. I might be a little obsessed LOL,.

   Well that's all for today. I hope everyone enjoys their day and is able to keep cool. I'll be back tomorrow.

Project Inspirations: Mini Album

Wedding Cards

   Well it's Monday and a start to a very warm week here. I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and was able to craft or get out enjoy the weather.
   Today I'm going to show the wedding cards that I made to match the shower cards. I used the same cartridge for these cards as I did the shower cards. I also used paper from Close to my Heart and ink.

   I loved making these cards and the friends I made them for just love them!  Here is another card that I made for my cousin's wedding. 

  This card I stamped the wedding card in purple and the bride and groom I heat embossed it with silver embossing powder. I added some silver and purple glitter to the cake. I used my cricut Artiste cartridge from Close to My Heart to make the flowers.

   Well that's all for today. See you all tomorrow!

Wedding shower cards

Good morning everyone! Today I thought I would share some wedding shower cards that I made for some friends of mine. These cards are fairly easy to make but take a bit of time to make.

  To make these cards I used my Bags, Tags and More 2 cartridge for the cricut to make the dress. There is a dress gift box on the cartridge, so I just cut out 2 of them and cut off all the pieces that I didn't need. I than cut out 2 of just the dress bottom and embossed them with the big shot to add some detail and glued them to the bottom of the dress.  I made the skirts from white tulle which I placed on both sides of the card. I than put some white satin ribbon on the edge where the skirt and the paper meet. I also added some small glass beads on the edge of the ribbon.  I cut the flowers with the Artiste cartridge from Close to My Heart. The flowers where made to match the wedding colours. If you are not sure on the colours of the wedding, use a neutral colour. I used white flowers with green centers and small green flowers which would go for any wedding. These cards can be made to match any theme or colour, as you will see in the next picture. 

 As you can see I decided to go in a different direction this time. The person who is getting married really loves pink and the wedding has lots of pink. When I started I wasn't sure if I would like it in pink, but I do! I figured if you have and over the top pink wedding you need an over the top pink wedding shower card. 

   Well that all for today. I'll be back on Sunday with the matching wedding cards. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Jungle Banner

   Hi everyone! I'm posting late today as I had some problems with my internet but I'm all fixed now. YEAH! Today I'm going to share the banner I made that goes with the jungle frame that I posted yesterday. I really like making these banners as they can be made to order for any occasion or holiday. I will be posting different styles of banners over the coming months.

 The first step in making the banner was cutting out the banner panels. I used the  cricut Artiste cartridge from Close to My Heart. I cut enough pieces to cover the front and back of each panel. I than cut out different clouds shapes and glued them on each panel. Once that was dry I embossed each panel using my Big Shot. You can emboss the back panels if you wish. Since I wanted this banner to last a long time, I used foam core board in between each panel. You can buy foam core board from the dollar store and at Micheal's.  I cut each panel out by using a hot knife that comes with my wood burning kit. By using the knife you get a much nicer edge than with a small knife. By using the hot knife you will only have a little sanding of the edges to do. 

   

   Once you have sanded the edges, you can glue the front and back of the panels on. I edged the edges of each panel with matching paper for a finished look. You could also use ribbon. I inked all the edges with a matching ink. I than put the holes in each corner so the ribbon can be attached later. You should punch your holes in each corner before you start to decorated each panel. This is something I learned the hard way. 

  I used the Create a Critter cartridge to cut out all the trees, grass and leaves. I used a punch for the little flowers which I rolled with a stylus to give them some shape and added some glitter to the center. I also used a small punch to make some butterflies. . The stamps that I used are  from Close to my Heart  (retired) and than watercoloured with Stampin-up pencils. Once I figured out where I wanted everything, which for me can be a while, glued it in place. Once everything is dry add your ribbon or whatever you would like to use in the corners. This banner does take some time to make but I think it is well worth it. 

 This is the card and envelope that I made to go with the gift. The card doesn't match but I really liked this one. This card was my first attempt at quilling and I think it turned out pretty good. 

  Well that's it for today. Good night everyone!

How to sew a petal pillow

   

Click on link below to see the website where instructions are for flower
http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2008/09/petal-pillow-tutorial.html

Very easy to do.
Cluck cluck sew is a very good website for DIY  I think I will try it in plum shades to match my drapes

Canvas Picture frames

   Hi everyone! It's Jackie here again and I have posted a new technique about printing photos on tissue paper and mounting it onto canvas boards. I love this idea and its easier than it looks.

   I made this as part of a baby shower gift for my cousins new addition. I purchased a 8 x 10 canvas board from the dollar store, but you can use any size you wish. I than sprayed a piece of white 81/2 x 11 card stock with Easy-Tack by Krylon. Make sure that you spray lightly,as too much spray makes the paper too sticky. Next place a piece of white tissue paper on the card stock, put it in your printer and print your selected photo. You can print your picture on light coloured tissue paper for a different look if you choose.

Next carefully remove the tissue paper from the paper. Apply a layer of Modge Pod to the canvas and carefully lay your photo on the canvas. Make sure to remove winkles as you go, but you could leave them in for a distressed look if you like. Even some small rough tares  on the edges would look OK. Once you have the look you want, cover the picture in Modge Pod and let it dry. I went and cut out jungle trees and grass from my Cricut cartridge Create a Critter, as the theme to the baby's room is jungle animals. I also stamped and coloured the monkey and zebra stamps which are from Your Next Stamp. It's hard to tell from this picture but I also punched some small butterflies and flowers and added to the grass. My cousin just loved this gift and I was so happy with how it turned out. 

   I posted the video from Close to My Heart on here so you would be able to watch each step. I'm going to be trying this technique again but on a round canvas and will let you know how it turns out. Tomorrow I will post the rest of the gift that I made. 

Creating with Canvas

Mother's Day Cards

  Hi everyone. I'm Jackie, Dianne's partner in crafting. We're sorry we haven't posted anything here in a very long time. I hope to post on here way more often. So I have decided to start with some Mother's Day cards that made. I know Mother's Day is long gone but I figured it would be a good place to start, that and I just love to the 2 cards I going to show you.
   For these cards I used my favourite paper pack from the Close to My Heart Spring/ Summer book called Chantilly Lace. I'm soo glad that this paper will still be available in the Fall/Winter book! I also used CTMH ink and some retired ribbon. I also used a new stamp I purchased from Local King Rubber Stamp Company at Scrapfest in Kitchener. I just love Poppies and had too have this stamp set.

  I stamped the poppies and coloured them with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. I used my watercolour pencils to colour the vines on the frame. I stamped 2 butterflies and glued them together for a 3D look. I also covered the butterfly with clear glitter so it would have a simmer. 

  For the inside of the card I embossed the white paper that's in behind with the Vintage Wallpaper and I used Flower garden folders from Stampin-up. I inked the edges of the card stock for a aged/distressed look. 

I loved how this card turned out so I decided to make another one, but I changed it up a little. 

  I used the scalloped oval die from Spellbinders to make the frame for the front. I added some stitching to the outside edge for a different look. I decided to make a 3D flower using 3 different sizes of the  Daisy Patch Flowers stamps from Heartfelt Creations. I added 3 butterflies stamped in different shades of pink. The butterfly stamps come in the Poppy set. I also added the Happy Mother's Day to the front.

  For the inside of this card I decided to add 3 butterflies. The only problem with putting the butterflies inside was the card was very bulky. All the sentiment stamps that I used are from Stampin-up. I also inked the edges for an aged/distressed look. 

 Well I think this is all for today. I hope everyone enjoying your summer so far and I'll be back tomorrow with a very cool project and I new technique.