Dainty Thoughts - 1 design, 3 cards

For the past few months, I just haven't been 'in the mood' to stamp very often. So it was really nice to spend the day on Saturday at a crop with a good friend and fellow CTMH consultant. We both we able to accomplish quite a bit, so I finally have some stamping projects to share with you this week.

The first cards that I made on Saturday are very simple, but the simplicity of them is what I really like. And don't know why, but the brackets around the sentiment are just delightful and make me smile. These three cards are identical except for the colors used. It's fun to make the same card in different colors, and I always find that I pick out a favorite color for the card. My favorite for this card is the Tulip color.

Also really like the Dutch Blue - which is a color that I do not seem to use very often.

Finally, the same design using Creme Brulee.

The stamp sets used are Dainty Thoughts and Thank You, both from Close To My Heart. Also, Garden Green ink was used for the flower stems and sentiment on all three cards.

A big portion of my day was spent creating three cards for a contest to be held at the Close to My Heart Leadership conference next month. It was quite a challenge to follow the rules of the contest, and I am really pleased with what I came up with. Can't share them with you yet, but I promise to share after the conference.

Meet Moxie!

We have a new resident at our house - Moxie. She is approximately eight weeks old.

We were having trouble coming up with a name, so did a Google search for kitten names. According to the cat-names website, Moxie means "Ability to face difficulty with courage." The name really fits her, and she needs courage to come into a house with two mature cats. So far, Toklata is just indifferent towards her, and Mac is scared of her. When she got close to him, he ran all the way down to the basement to hide.

She loves playing with the little 'puff balls.' These little pom-poms have always been a favorite toy for our cats. And look at those claws!

You can see how small she is when Samantha is holding her. She really loves to explore, play, and then climb on someone to take a nap. And she is always purring. :)

Tomato plant update

A quick update on our hanging tomato plant. It has gotten so BIG, and it was just a scrawny little thing when we planted it. It's amazing how much it has grown in just four weeks.

The most exciting news is that there are now some blossoms! It was difficult to get a close-up picture, but there really are two blossoms right in the center of the photo.

Looking forward to some great tomatoes this summer!

Gracious Greetings card

Haven't shared anything for a few days, so thought I'd dig something out that I created last year. This is a really simple card to create.

Black ink was sponged around the edges of the card, then a piece of designer background & texture paper from the Silhouette paper packet was used along with a piece of cardstock embossed using the Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls embossing folder. The sentiment was stamped using the Gracious Greetings stamp set from Close To My Heart (CTMH). Actually, this stamp set is now also available in French and Spanish versions.

Just love the elegant look of this card. :)

Springtime Card Workshop (June)

Finally made it down to my stamp room and created some cards for this month's workshop. The first card was copied from one shared by Susan Sprowls Smith. The With Love stamp set was used with Citrus Leaf and Black inks, and the cute little sentiment is from the new Thank You stamp set. I just love the fun, vibrant look of this card - and it is really easy to make. The centers of the flowers are highlighted using some Liquid Glass and Prisma Glitter.






To create the unique watercoloring effect of the rosebuds for this card, the 'Puddle Pad' technique was used with the Thoughts of You stamp set. This technique is one of many 'Tips & Techniques' detailed in the new Wishes card-making book available from Close To My Heart. The template for this card is titled 'Simple Expressions' and is also available in the Wishes book. The patterned paper is from the Unforgettable paper packet. And a special thanks to Michelle Loncar for the inspiration for this card.

The third card uses the adorable Treetops stamp set which has an assortment of whimsical trees that can be used in many different ways. The striped paper is available in the Tinkerin' paper packet.


Let me know if you would like to attend the workshop - it is scheduled for Friday, June 19 at 7:00 and Saturday, June 20 at both 9:00 in the morning and 1:00 in the afternoon. For more information, visit MyCTMH website.