In Honor of Stampaganza... Even More Artwork!

Do you know what is good for the winter blues? Crafting. Crafting is super helpful with the winter blues!  I have been doing a lot of crafting lately.

Here is even more artwork to share in honor of Stampaganza!  This time around it is with the new stamp set Friendly Wishes.  In the Seasonal Expressions, it is shown with the Base & Bling Necklace cards.  I love how the cards spruce up the necklaces for gift giving.  The stamp set is awesome for sentiments with cards too.

 
Additional products used: Penelope Paper Packet, Your Beautiful Self, and Green Triangles.
 
 
Additional products used: Zoe Paper Packet, Keep Your Chin Up, Brushstrokes, and Red Hearts.
 
 
Additional products used: Artfully Sent, Watercolor Paints, and Woodgrain Embossing Folder.

   
Additional products used: Patch of Sky, Great Job, and Framework Alphabet.
 
 
Additional products used: La Vie En Rose and Heart Embossing Folder.

And, just announced, an exclusive stamp set only for the remainder of March: Hello Paradise.  Yet one more way to celebrate National Craft Month.  This stamp set is only available for a couple weeks, so make sure to order it while you can if you like it.  Definitely makes you think of some nicer weather, right?



Enjoy! Dani
   
 

In Honor of Stampaganza... More Artwork to Share!

In honor of this month's Stampaganza, I have some more artwork to share.  This time around it is with the new stamp set Your Beautiful Self, from the current Seasonal Expressions Jan - Apr 2016. Both can be checked out at the links above.


I made three cards again with this set.  For this first one, I used a print from the new Penelope paper packet with a strip of Pixie cardstock.  I stamped all the butterflies with the Thistle ink color, coloring in the main butterfly with just a bit of pink.



This time around, I used our new Watercolor Paints to create a soft background. I even used watercolors to color in the butterflies for the main color, then added some highlights with markers.  The colors on the butterflies came out stronger than I expected, next time I'll try to have a more washed out effect.  I stamped the butterflies and sentiment in the Cocoa ink.



And finally, this time around I went with a more clean and simple design.  I stamped everything in Black ink.  I random stamped the butterflies around the card, keeping an open area towards the bottom right where I stamped the sentiment.  I stamped the largest butterfly right by the sentiment, and then it was the only butterfly that I colored.  I purposely colored it with bright and vivid colors, to make sure it popped off the card.



I just love this set.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that I love butterflies!!!  Remember, Stampaganza ends this month!  This is a great time to build up your stamp set inventory.  Make sure to take advantage of the special while you can.

Dani

 

In Honor of Stampaganza... Artwork to Share!

In honor of Stampaganza, I have some artwork to share with a few new stamp sets I got recently.  Remember, Stampaganza only comes around once a year -- make sure to take advantage while you can.  For every two stamp sets purchased, get one free (of equal or lesser value). 

The first new set is C1641 Springtime Wishes.  It is found in the Seasonal Expressions Jan - Apr 2016.  You can check it out online at the previous link, or if you don't have a copy yet -- ask me for one.


I made three cards for each set; each card is designed to show a different way to showcase each set.   For this first one, I used a print from the La Vie En Rose paper packet for the background.  For the flowers and leaves, I stamped them on cardstock with a slightly darker ink.  I wanted the design to pop more than a tone on tone effect.  The leaves are Fern ink on Sweet Leaf cardstock.  The flowers are Hollyhock ink on Pixie cardstock, Crystal Blue ink on Sky cardstock, and Goldrush ink on Canary cardstock.  To finish it off, I adhered some Clear Sparkles to the flower centers.   



This time around, I used Kraft cardstock for the background.   Stamping with Chocolate ink, I random stamped a variety of the images on the card leaving a blank area on the top left portion of the card.  Then I colored in everything with markers.  When you color on the Kraft cardstock, it makes the colors more muted than on white.  I stamped the sentiment in the open area on the card and attached two strips of Chocolate cardstock on the bottom of the card as an accent.



For this last card, I random stamped the entire background with a variety of the images in Black ink.  I selectively colored in portions with a gold color.  Then I attached three pieces of the new Black & Gold ribbon.  Finishing off the card with the sentiment stamped on a Cricut shape.


The next new set is C1643 Stuck on You.  It is also found in the new Seasonal Expressions Jan - Apr 2016.  Super cute!  



For this first one, I stamped everything in Black ink.  I used the Topiary cardstock for the cacti, Desert Sand cardstock for the ground, and Honey cardstock for the flower.
 


Using the Kraft cardstock again as the base, I pulled the zig zag print from the Sangria paper packet.  I carefully cut out a strip of the patterned zig zags.  I attached it on the left side, with some Ruby cardstock underneath.  This time, I stamped each design with a tone on tone effect.  I stamped the flower with Ruby ink on Ruby cardstock, the cactus with New England Ivy ink on New England Ivy cardstock, the pot with Sunset ink on Sunset cardstock, and the heart with Hollyhock ink on Hollyhock cardstock.  The sentiment was stamped with Ruby ink.



With this last one, I used the Fern ink on Pear cardstock for the cacti, Sunset on Goldrush cardstock for the pots, and Ruby ink on Hollyhock cardstock for the heart.  Then I stamped the sentiment underneath and placed the heart where they would be "kissing."  I just love this set!



And for the last new set, I used C1626 Hexagonal Patterns.  This one is in the current Idea Book, so it has been out a while -- but it is new to me! 



With this first card, I stamped out several hexagons in a variety of color inks: Whisper, Slate, Smoothie, Sweet Leaf,  and Thistle.  Then I arranged them around the card, leaving a blank area in the top right except for filling out the top corner.  I carefully trimmed off any overhanging edges.  I stamped the sentiment in the blank area and attached a few flowers from the Sangria assortment to finish off the card. 



It seems like I always pulled out the Kraft cardstock for one of the cards.  With this one, I used Saffron cardstock for the background.  Then I stamped the large Hexagons on Kraft cardstock in Sapphire, Pomegranate, and Saffron ink.  I arranged them on piece of Kraft cardstock and trimmed it down to a nice patterned strip, and attached it with a few thin Kraft cardstock strips on the left side.  Then I stamped the cute kitty from B1481 Friendly Pets on Kraft cardstock in Chocolate ink.  I colored the kitty in, trimmed it out and attached it to the right bottom corner.  I stamped the Heart on Pomegranate with Chocolate ink, trimmed it out and attached it to the kitty.  And finally, stamped the sentiment in Sapphire ink.



And for the last card, I stamped all the little hexagons in Black ink in a few neutral colors: Champagne, Cashmere, and Chocolate.  Then I covered the entire background with them, trimming off any overlapping edges. Since I wanted the sentiment to be able to stand out on such a busy background, I used the banner from B1438 Banner Wishes. I stamped it on Champagne cardstock in Black ink then trimmed it out.  Then I stamped the sentiment Congratulations in Cranberry ink on the banner.  I notched two strips of Cranberry cardstock to be mock ribbons and attached them underneath the banner on the top left of the card.  I used a little colored pencils to add shading on the banner and the "ribbons."



I had so much fun messing around with these sets.  With any luck, I'll have some time to share more artwork before Stampaganza is over!

Enjoy!

Dani
 

March's Stamp of the Month, Sunshine Birdies, and Stampaganza is back!!!

It's back, it's back -- Stampaganza is here once again: Buy Two Stamp Sets, Get One Free.  This is a great time to check off a lot of stamp sets off of your wish list.  For every two sets you purchase, you can select a third stamp of equal or lesser value FREE.  This special only happens once a year, so make sure to get your order in this month.  



And bonus, with a $50 subtotal you can also get the March Stamp of the Month set, Sunshine Birdies, for only $5!  This is such a delightful set; you won't want to miss it!  Here are a few cards I have made to share.



This set is using the black floral print from the Charlotte paper pack as the background.  The colors are Black, White Daisy, Canary and Pixie.  All the stamping was done with Black, then colored with markers.  The butterflies turned out so cute!



Since I thought the butterflies were so cute, I decided to use them in the background.  I random stamped them over a piece of Cranberry cardstock with Cranberry ink; the remainder of the stamping was done in Black.  I stamped and cut out the cut little birdie and his perch, then colored with markers.  Using the Framework Alphabet set, I stamped and cut out the sentiment 'MISS YOU' and again, colored in with markers.  To finish off the card, I stamped the sentiment 'You are Loved' from the Your Own Kind of Wonderful set across a strip and attached it to the bottom.  I love how all the colors pop together.



I have been experimenting around with the new Watercolor Paints.  The colors are nice and vibrant and go on very easily.  I gave my little birdies a place to stand and some sky for the background.  Then using Poppy, Black and Sunset, I added color to the top and bottom of the card and a banner with the sentiment.  Then I colored part of the banner in and the birdies with markers.  So cute!



With this card, I used the adorable images from March's set and combined them with sentiments from the new Springtime Wishes set.  Keeping them clean and simple, I added a different colored strip of cardstock to the bottom of each card.  The colors I used were: Sorbet, Lagoon, Honey, Pear, Pixie and Thistle.   Then each image used was stamped in the same color as the cardstock strip.  Finally, the sentiment was stamped in Black.  I also another new stamp set Stuck On You, to add the cute little flourishes in Black as well.  You can whip out this little set in no time - cute, quick and simple!

What a great way to celebrate National Craft Month with Stampaganza!  Make sure to get your order in today!  :-)

Craft away this month!
Dani

 

February's Special: Share the Love

There are only a few days left to take advantage of February's special: Share the Love. Since it is a leap year, there is one extra day however.  :-)  



Share the Love D-size stamp set is an exclusive set available this month only.  Filled with adorable icons and loveable sentiments, you will always find a use for this stamp set.  And bonus, $7 of the proceeds from this stamp set's purchase will be donated to Operation Smile, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world.  Here are a few cards I made with the set to share:



This card is utilizing a couple of prints from the La Vie En Rose paper pack, keeping the colors neutral with White Daisy, Black, and Kraft cardstock.  All the stamping was done in Black.  I simply adore the little camera icon -- too cute!



With this card, I kept it even simpler only using cardstock -- White Daisy, Black, Kraft and Ruby.  I stamped the typewriter and heart in Ruby and the sentiments in Black.  I love how you can easily add little messages to the "paper" in the typewriter icon.  



Since I was really liking the clean and simple designs created with this stamp set, I kept a winning combination going.   Utilizing a heart border strip from the Charlotte paper pack, I kept the color scheme simple again: Whisper, White Daisy and Ruby.  I stamped the Phone and Heart sentiment in Whisper, then paper pieced a stamped dial and heart in Ruby.  The Share the Love sentiment is also stamped in Ruby.



And, last but not least, I added a striped border on the bottom of the Kraft cardstock with Whisper, Ruby and Black.  Then I simply stamped the Hello sentiment in Whisper, Ruby and Black and cut out each sentiment.  I overlapped and arranged them on the card, trimming off any excess edges.

Is this stamp set adorable or what?  Close To My Heart provided the hashtag #ctmhsharethelove to help provide attention to this worthy cause and make it easy for us to see more artwork created by the set.

Make sure to get your order in before February is over to get your own set and help out Operation Smile too.  Have a great weekend!

Dani

 

February's Stamp of the Month: Balloon Animals

I love three day weekends!  Woo-hoo!  I have been having some crafty time, and I started out with February's stamp of the month set: Balloon Animals.  I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about this stamp set initially, but I ended up having a lot of fun with it.  The cards turned out so cute, and bonus... I have more birthday cards.  I am always running out of birthday cards!  :-)

This first one I used the prints from the Urban paper packet, stamping the border design out and cutting them out for the background.  I like how it gives the card a nice masculine feel.



This one I used almost every sentiment with the set!  The striped paper is a border design from the La Vie En Rose paper packet.  Clean and simple, but still cute!



For this one I tried to make my balloon animal different colors.  I had to stamp it a few times and cut out different pieces of each color.  It actually took a little longer than I thought it would.  Turned out cute, but probably won't try it again.  HA!



Then I used one of the new paper packets from the Close To My Heart Seasonal Expressions, Charlotte.  I love all the colors in this packet.  



And at this point, I was moving on to some of the other fun, new stamp sets from the new Seasonal Expressions.  Then I saw a few cards shared by fellow consultants where they were using the Balloon Animals as actual balloons.  So... of course, I had to try to make my own.  :-)  I cut the balloons out with the new CTMH Artistry Cartridge and the La Vie En Rose paper packet again. 



And, I think I'm going to go back to messing around with some more new products!  Share more soon, hopefully!!!

Dani
 

January's Stamp of the Month: Beloved Bouquet

I'm baaaaack!  My children's schedules are consuming all my time.  Seriously.  I am trying to find the time to do some crafting, but usually by the time the opportunity comes around... I am just ready for bed.  But, here I am finally, quickly sharing a few cards for January's stamp of the month set: Beloved Bouquet.  


The floral images are so lovely and artistic, and the coordinating solid images are a quick way to color your flowers.  And excluding the holiday-oriented Valentine sentiments, most of the sentiments are very versatile for year-round use.


 

 


If you like this stamp set, there are only a few days left in January.  So be sure to get your order in right away!  :-)

Dani
 

November Stamp of the Month: Cheers, 2016!

What a crazy weekend!  Can you believe our first snow?  Yikes!  I definitely wasn't expecting this much.



At least these aren't as late as last month's cards, right?  :-)  I wanted to share a few cards from the November Stamp of the Month: Cheers, 2016!  On this first card, I used some prints from the La Vie En Rose paper pack.  And I added the sentiment "This is your special day" from the Your Own Kind of Wonderful set.



This card is using some prints from the Sangria paper pack.  I added the cute little martini glass from the Mini Messages hostess set.



This last card is using prints from the holiday paper pack White Pines.  I cut out the balloon and cloud images with the newest Cricut cartridge Artistry.



Enjoy!  Make sure to order your November stamp of the month set before November ends.  :-)

Dani
 

October Stamp of the Month: Twinkle

I seriously can't believe that October is almost over.  How in the world did that happen?  There is simply not enough time or energy to get to everything you need to do, right?  I know these are super late, but I wanted to at least give you a last-minute reminder if you wanted the October Stamp of the Month: Twinkle. Plus, you'll hopefully have plenty of time to make your holiday cards and crafts this way too!  I used the holiday-themed White Pines paper packet on all the cards too.


 

 


Enjoy!  Make sure to order your set before October ends if you want it!  :-)

Dani
 

Open House Winner!!!

I found some time today to get everyone's entries in for the Open House Grand Prize.  The winner is:



Congratulations to Anne S.!  [Sorry it didn't quite focus on the name correctly, but you can still read it, blurriness and all.]  You won the grand prize package at the Open House (valued over $70).  A beautiful 12"x12" Ruby Floral album with two coordinating stamp sets.  


Enjoy your prize!
Dani
 

Open House tomorrow - Saturday, September 19th from 10am to 2pm!

 



Come join us in celebrating the brand new Annual Inspirations 2015 Idea Book along with the supplement Holiday Guide!  It went live on September 1, 2015.  You can view it online right now and pick up your very own copy at the Open House.  It is filled with fabulous products, breathtaking art, and entire new lines! 

There will be two make-n-take cards available for you to make for free, one of which will be using the new La Vie En Rose papers:




- A brand new Cricut collection: Artistry
- New paper kits: Zoe, Sangria, La Vie En Rose, Kaleidoscope, Georgie, and Urban
- New colors: Eggplant, Sapphire, Peacock, Fern, Saffron, Poppy, and Pomegranate
- A Holiday Expressions supplement filled with seasonal products
- New glitter paper pack colors: Gold and Red
- Brand new card kits beautifully designed with coordinating single stamp sentiments

I hope to see you soon at the Open House!  Make sure to stop by and get your free Idea Book.  :)

Dani
 

September Stamp of the Month: Paper Garden

Our new Idea Book is out along with the seasonal Holiday Expressions! 



Make sure to check them out online or at my Open House on September 12th!  In the meantime, I have a few cards to share made with September's stamp of the month set, Paper Garden.  This is such a gorgeous set. I love all the floral images, with the distressed text and patterns.  

I had fun with some of our new colors and papers!  In this first card, I used the new paper packet Sangria with the color scheme of Sunset, Thistle and two new colors Fern and Eggplant.  The sentiment is from the set Happy to Be Friends.
 


This next card was only stamping, no patterned paper, and I used the colors Flaxen, Glacier, Sweet Leaf, Juniper and the new Saffron.  The sentiment is from the set Happy to Be Friends again.




And this last card is stamping too with the colors Slate, Thistle and the new Eggplant again while the sentiment is from the Always Grateful stamp set.  I really like how the colors turned out together, so pretty!




I've been having a blast making samples with my fun, new products for the Open House!  Can't wait to share everything else!

Dani