Life Is Tweet (June SOTM Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop which features the Life Is Tweet stamp set from Close To My Heart.  This SOTM includes some adorable birds with flowers, a party hat, and balloons, along with some 'pun' sentiments.  

If you have come here from 'Jen's Jewel Box' blog, you are on the right path!  With over 50 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations, there will be a nice variety of different colors, papers, and creative ideas.  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!

A bracket edged Clear Card was used to create a card using the Life Is Tweet stamp set.  The large bird was stamped on some patterned paper from the Footloose kit and then cut out for the front of the card.  This paper piecing technique is a great way to add details to a stamped image without coloring with inks, chalks, or pencils.  

For the full impact of a Clear Card, it really needs to be seen in person.  A photo just does not do it justice.  The unique layers created with the clear front are a nice change from an ordinary card. 

Now "Hop" on over to Allisa's 'Rocky Mountain Paper Crafts' blog to see her work!  Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their blogs to get some great crafting inspiration and other fun ideas!  Remember, the Life Is Tweet stamp set is only available during the month of June 2012.  The regular price is $17.95, or you can purchase it for only $5 with a minimum order of $50 in other CTMH products.

If you get lost on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.

A "Springy" Surprise

One of my favorite card bases to work with is the Kraft Die-Cut Cards & Envelopes from Close To My Heart.  These 6"x6" cards have a scallop flap that folds over the front of the card, and the Kraft color is a nice contrast to some of our background & texture papers. 

For this card, fun paper from the Footloose kit was used to decorate the front.  The sentiment is from the popular Card Chatter-Birthday stamp set, and is embellished with Durables Studs on the tag. 

The funnest part of this card is the surprise inside, which "springs" out as you open the card.  Attached to an Adhesive Spring is the second part of the sentiment.  These self-adhesive little springs are very easy to use and also easy to over-look when flipping through the Idea Book.  They are shown on page 123 and the cost is only $2.95 for 6 springs.   

All stamp images and papers used are from Close To My Heart (CTMH). 

Card Café from Creative University

For the fifth straight year, I have enjoyed a snowy February weekend at Creative University in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  It is a fun-filled four days of creating and enjoying time with fellow crafters.  


This year, Tresa Black asked me to design and teach the Card Café.  At the Card Café, there were stations set up for each card where CU students could work at their own pace to learn some new ideas while creating four birthday cards using a variety of papers, stamps, and card designs.  All four cards use the new CTMH Just A Number stamp set, along with other stamps and embellishments.  Coordinating envelopes complete each card.

Based on comments from fellow CU students, the favorite card was definitely this fun one using papers from Footloose and the cute Under the Sea stamps.  There are actually two flaps on the front of the card - the piece with the whale opens and then the Creme Brûlée piece also opens from the opposite direction.  There is a birthday greeting under the Creme Brûlée flap.  A Bitty Sparkle is added for the eye of the whale and some Glitz Glitter Gel to add sparkle to the water bubbles. 

For more of an elegant look, papers from the retired Bliss kit were used along with Taffy card stock for a bit of color.  The hearts were cut on the Cricut using the Art Philosophy cartridge and then run through the Cuttlebug with the D'vine Swirls embossing folder for some texture. Using a sponge dauber, Grey Flannel ink was added to the edges of all of the papers and to the embossed swirls to make them more prominent.  As a finishing touch, Bitty Opaques were added to the tips of the swirls on the hearts. 

Patterned paper with stripes and with stars from the Superhero paper packet are just right to create this fun card.  The pinwheel is made using 1"x1" squares that have been cut in half diagonally and then a corner rounder used on one corner.  Simply adhere the triangles to a piece of card stock, and add a button in the center.  

The beautiful striped paper from the Florentine kit is accented with a flower cut on the Cricut using the Art Philosophy cartridge and stamped using the Just For You stamp set.  Even if your stamped images do not line up perfectly, adding a Designer Brad to the center of the flower does a good job of disguising it.  




   

Under the Sea (Spring/Summer New Product Blog Hop)

Welcome to our Blog Hop featuring new products being introduced in the Close To My Heart Spring/Summer Idea Book as of February 1.  If you would like a copy of the new Idea Book, use the "Email Me" link on the right side of the screen. 


If you have come here from Elizabeth's 'Broken Treasures' blog, you are on the right path! Enjoy your adventure through the Blog Hop, and you will see a lot of fabulous new stamp sets, patterned papers, and embellishments.  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!

One of the cutest new stamp sets is Under the Sea.  It includes several sea creatures, along with a 'pun' sentiment for each of them.  On this card, colored pencils are used for the blow fish along with new papers from the Footloose kit and some pieces of cardstock embossed using the Tiny Bubbles folder for the Cuttlebug.  There is also some Glitz Glitter Gel added to the bubbles for some sparkle and shine
 

Now "Hop" on over to Kristine's '@ home with Studio K' blog 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 on the Blog Hop or find links that aren't working, there is a complete list of all participating blogs on Helen's 'Hooked on Stamping' blog.