Wedding Wishes

Congratulations to my daughter and her fiancé who were married this weekend!  For a wedding card, I decided to "alter" their invitation.  This is a way to use your CTMH supplies along with other products to create something personal and unique. 

In order to turn their invitation into a congratulations card for them, I used the Artiste Cricut cartridge to cut the "Mr & Mrs" from Colonial White cardstock.  This was added to a piece of Vellum using 3-D Foam Tape which was placed over the top of the invitation.  This creates a subdued look, while preserving the original.  

Using images from the Wedding Wishes stamp set, I created panels to cover both the Reply and the Details card which had been included in the side pocket.  Some ShinHan Touch Twin markers were used to add additional color, and some Foil Tape and Glitter Gems add a bit of sparkle and sheen.  Initially, I thought that I would just create some new inserts for the pocket, but the decided that it would be nice to be able to see the foliage that was originally printed so just added a stamped panel to the top of each of the insert cards.  

This is a photo of the "unaltered" invitation.  We purchased the bi-fold pocket folders and some custom printables from an Etsy shop to print everything at home.  To complete and finish each invitation, some CTMH colored cardstock was used along with vellum and Glitter Paper to add some pizzazz.  The pocket contained the Reply card, a Details card, and a stamped addressed envelope for the Reply to be returned.  For members of the wedding party who were invited to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, there was an additional card in the pocket.  

  

The challenge this week on the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog is "Anything Goes" so this was perfect timing to share our wedding invitation project.    

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).
#ctmh #wedding #heart2heartchallenges 

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

A Thoughtful Bird Study

One afternoon, I decided to do a "bird study" with the adorable Thoughtful Bird stamp set.  Since it includes a coordinating die cut, it was really fun to play with and to come up with different color combinations for the bird.  It is actually a 3-step stamp with three separate layers of images to create great detail on the bird.  

This first card uses a linen look paper from the Basics Fundamentals paper packet, along with a sentiment and the bird from Thoughtful Bird.  Ink colors used for the bird were Almond, Sweet Leaf, and Toffee.  

Next I wanted to create more of a peach colored bird, so used ink colors Sorbet, Toffee, and Espresso.  Also used the same linen paper and a sentiment from the Birthday Sparkles stamp set.  

Everyone loves a blue bird, so this one uses Crystal Blue, Almond and Toffee inks for the bird.  To create a bit of background, an image from the versatile Splash of Color stamp set was used.  The striped paper is also from the Basics Fundamentals paper packet. 

One of my favorites is the red bird.  It is not truly a cardinal since there is not a crown on his head, but the colors worked out wonderfully.  For this bird, I actually only used the first and third layers of stamp images, so only the colors Cranberry and Black.  And I felt that the bird still looks great without that extra layer of detail.  To complete the card, a dotted paper from the Basics Fundamentals packet with used along with some black Glitter Paper which really adds a nice background for the bird.  

Finally, I decided to use only the "negative space" left by using the die cut.  Layered behind the bird is a piece of our new Silver Foil Paper which has been embossed using the new Rose Embossing Folder and a Cuttlebug.  The Foil Paper is available in both Silver and Gold, and embosses beautifully with no tears or blemishes.  This sentiment is also included in the Thoughtful Bird stamp set.  The ribbon is part of the new Basics Ribbon pack.  

  

Hope you have enjoyed this little bird "study" and I thought it was perfect to share for the current Anything Goes--CTMH Style challenge on the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog.  

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).
#ctmh #cardmaking #Heart2HeartChallenges 

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

Stylish and Classy

When I saw the theme of "Stylish and Classy" for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenges, my first thought was the new Foil Paper from CTMH.  This is available in either Silver or Gold, and looks fabulous when embossed because it does not crack like a regular foil.  Of course, the Rose embossing folder also means classic style to me, as does the wonderful sentiment from the Inspire stamp set.  The card base and Glitter Paper are both Bashful, which is the color-of-the-year and is a beautiful pink.   

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH). 
#ctmh #cardmaking #Heart2Heartchallenges 

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

Oh the Places You'll Go!

"Oh the Places You'll Go" is the theme this week on the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog.  And I can envision lots of adventures and "places" in the future for any newly married couple.  

Make Dr. Seuss proud and stretch your imagination to visualize the stark contrast between black + white + gold + sparkle on this card, as it is difficult to capture with a photograph. This card is one that is definitely more impressive "in real life."  Black cardstock is used for the card base, with some White Daisy and then a piece of gorgeous Black Glitter Paper which is covered with the beautiful gold dots from Fundamentals-All About the Gold.  Embossing the sentiment and rings from the Wedding Wishes stamp set and layering them on a piece of Gold Glitter Paper along with a piece of black & gold ribbon adds to the dimension of the card.   

Be sure to visit the Heart 2 Heart Challenges blog each week as a new challenge is posted.  We would love to see your creativity!  

  

All papers and stamps are from Close To My Heart (CTMH).
#ctmh #cardmaking #H2Hchallenge #Heart2Heart #weddingcard #happilyeverafter 

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

SaveSave

Live Beautifully (National Scrapbooking Month)

Welcome to our Live Beautifully Blog Hop, brought to you by the same ladies who participate in the monthly Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop.  Since May is National Scrapbooking Month, CTMH is offering a special Live Beautifully set of papers and coordinating stamp set.  And our group of creative bloggers have created an assortment of projects to inspire you.       

If you arrived here from Evergreen Memories, you are hopping through our circle of Close To My Heart consultants sharing their projects using the Live Beautifully collection. 

The National Scrapbooking Month Live Beautifully collection includes a great assortment of papers, including colorful flowers, basic stripes, and even gold-embossed patterns.  For this card, I was inspired by the simple black, white, and gold to create a pretty "thank you" card for someone special. You can actually see the sheen of the gold-embossed flower paper on the lower portion of the card.  The sentiment is from All the Thanks stamp set.  A black & gold ribbon from the Uptown Ribbon Pack was a perfect complement to the papers.  And just a bit of shimmer was added with a rectangle of White Glitter Paper behind the sentiment.   

Please visit the Heartfelt Sentiments blog to continue along our Live Beautifully Blog Hop. 

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).
#ctmh #cardmaking #ctmhLiveBeautifully  

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