Happy Place (March SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop for March.  Happy Place is a set of seven stamp images that includes some nice sentiments for scrapbook pages, along with adorable Matryoshka Russian nesting dolls.   

If you have come here from the Create with Alyson blog, you are on the right path!  Blog Hopping is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one!  

Color inspiration for this card came from the Harvest Assortment Baker's Twine which includes the colors Autumn Terracotta, Cranberry, Olive and Outdoor Denim.  Using those four colors, the heart image from Happy Place was stamped eight times on the card and then all four colors of Baker's Twine are wrapped around the card front and knotted.  To add a bit of 'shine' to the card, coordinating Epoxy Bubbles, Sparkles and Opaques were added to each flower.  

Place a $50 minimum order this month (March 2014) and you are eligible to purchase the Happy Place stamp set for only $5.  

Now "Hop" on over to 'Judy Faye's Place' to see her work.  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas.  

If you get lost along the way, the complete list of participants is available on Melinda's 'If You Bling It' blog.  

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Wrapped Leather Bracelet

Made my first Wrapped Leather Bracelet, and I love the way it looks!  Thanks so much to the Fabulously Artsy Tresa Black for sharing this project at Creative University this year. 

Even though it may look complicated, this was actually very easy to make.  Rings & Things has a fabulous tutorial on their website for 'How to make wrapped leather bracelets' including a list of all the supplies that you need.  You can complete the bracelet in just a couple of hours. 

The African turquoise beads are so nice, and blend well with the smaller crystal beads. 

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Camper Crazy!

Enjoyed a fun day of stamping yesterday with my friend Michelle and used one of the adorable trailers in the Camper Crazy stamp set for DS139 on the Deconstructed Sketch blog.  Papers are from the Lollydoodle kit and the scalloped circles were cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.   

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

An Ariana Patchwork

Found a new challenge blog, Sunday Stamps, and used their sketch (SSC70) as inspiration for a floral card.

Since the sketch includes several pieces as a sort of patchwork, I decided to use some pretty patterned paper from the Ariana pack.  The cross-stitch sentiment is in the new Stitch Wonder stamp set.  A bit of Neutral Metallic Baker's Twine and a few Grey Epoxy Bubbles complete the simple card. 

Sunday Stamps blog alternates between sketches and color challenges, and I look forward to seeing what their next challenge will be. 

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

Create & Share - Final Week

For the final week in the Create & Share Cardmaking workshop offered at Big Picture Classes, the focus was to create Friendship, Hello, and Encouragement cards inspired by a specific sketch.  

By rotating the elements of the card sketch 45º, the horizontal lines become diagonal.  An image from the Flight of the Arrows set was inked in Slate and stamped on the upper left of the card.  A row of Ruby chevron Washi Tape was added, and then a row of Slate polka-dot Washi Tape.  Finally, the "happy day" sentiment from the Robot Family stamp set was used along with an atomic symbol from the same set.   

For this card, the elements of the card sketch are maintained in their original horizontal position.  Several gear shapes were cut using the Artiste Cricut cartridge and adhered to the center area of the card.  This "birthday" sentiment is also included with the Robot Family set, along with the "gear" image which is stamped on the inside of the card to give it a finished look.   A couple of pieces of patterned paper from the ProPlayer kit are used on a Ruby card base. 

Overall, the Create & Share Cardmaking class offered through Big Picture Classes was very well organized and really encouraged me to complete some projects based on each week's lessons.  I was very pleased with the information shared and techniques learned during the class.  This was my first time taking an online class, and was not sure what to expect.  Our instructor, Kim Kesti, was wonderful and I will certainly consider registering for any other classes that she may teach.  She is currently working on a new card class through Big Picture Classes for the Fall of this year.         

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355

You're One in a Million!

It is a "Flourishes Challenge" this week on the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog, and they are asking everyone to share projects which incorporate flourishes.  

Found this lonely, leftover Opaques Pearl Flourish in my stack of embellishments and thought it was perfect to create a card.  The stamped image is from the For A Friend stamp set.  Colors used for this simple card are Saddle and Sky.  

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).

	Sheila Bennett Close To My Heart Independent Consultant (913) 485-4355