Zip Strip Fun ~ "Use Your Stash" Blog Hop

Decided to participate in the "Use Your Stash" Blog Hop group, and this month we are using Zip Strips.  These are the ½"x12" border pieces that Close To My Heart includes on the edge of every piece of patterned paper in their My Reflections scrapbooking kits.            

If you have come here from 'Tmorrows Treasures', you are right on track for the "Use Your Stash" Blog Hop.  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, or visit each blog from the list at the end of this post.  

No stamping is used on this card.  In order to give some pizzazz to the card, a Zip Strip from the Skylark kit was placed on some White Daisy cardstock and the word 'thanks' cut using the Artiste Cricut cartridge.  Another Zip Strip is behind the sentiment and the pattern is actually lined up so that if the rectangle mat was not behind the word, the pattern would blend together.  Inspiration for the card design is Center Charms from the Originals Card Confidence Program 'how-to' book.  

Skylark paper packet

Now "Hop" on over to 'Mom 'n Me Scrap' for more ideas of using up your Zip Strip stash.   

"Use Your Stash" Blog Hop participants:

• Welcome to My Creative Space!
• Jan's Works of Heart
• My Scrapbooking Blog
• An Inside to my Heart
• Tmorrows Treasures
• Sheila's Stamping Stuff - (here)
• Mom 'n Me Scrap 

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

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

An Owl and Two Challenges

This week, I chose to combine Freshly Made Sketches (FMS132) with the Heart 2 Heart Color Challenge using Sweet Leaf and Lagoon.  There is no stamping on the card, just papers from the Skylark kit along with an adorable owl cut using the Artbooking Cricut cartridge.  To add a bit of texture, the Sweet Leaf cardstock was embossed using the Quatrefoil embossing folder. 

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

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

Life is Good ... in Mexico!

If you were not able to join us for Crop Tuesday this week, this is the 2-page layout that you missed.  We are meeting on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 am.  Please join us!  If that day and time is not convenient and you would like to create this layout, contact me and we can schedule a time for you.  

For Thanksgiving last year, we spent the week in Mexico at the Azul Fives resort for the wedding of some friends.  It was a beautiful week, and a very nice get-away.   Of course I took quite a few pictures while in Mexico, so it was nice to be able to put some of them on a 2-page layout that the Fabulously Artsy Tresa Black taught at Creative University this year.  And it was perfect to share for Crop Tuesday.  

The "nature" colors of the Skylark kit are a great combo to our pictures at the beach.  Images from both the Believe in Yourself and True to Life stamp sets, as well as the Keyboard Uppercase alphabet, were used to accent the pages.  Other embellishments include Aqua Dots, Topiary Mini Chevron Ribbon, and the 'shipping tag' and striped banner which were cut from the first piece of patterned paper shown with the Skylark kit in the Spring/Summer Idea Book.       

The letters "good" and the label with the 'cherish this' stamp were both cut using the Artbooking Cricut cartridge.   The view from the poolside lounge chair is my favorite photo from the week.  This was the same view out from one of the balconies of our spacious 3 bedroom suite.  

If you would like to join us for Crop Tuesday, or if you would like to schedule a time to create this layout, please contact me via email or phone.  All of the pieces will be pre-cut and ready for you to stamp, assemble and embellish.  The cost is $10 per kit, or the fee is waived if you order $30 or more in CTMH products. 

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

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

A Simple Congratulations

Quick and easy card combining CAS(E) this Sketch (CTS#66) and Color My Heart Color Dare #83.  With a sentiment from Banner Wishes, some Baker's Twine threaded on the card, and a strategically cut piece of paper with a bird from the Skylark kit, this is a sweet and simple card.  

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

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

A Sweet Owl

This week's challenge (Color Dare #83) on the Color My Heart blog is to use colors in the Skylark paper kit from Close To My Heart.  

No stamping on this card, just a sweet owl image which is one of the cards in the Chantilly Picture My Life Scrapbooking Program.  I simply trimmed the card down a bit, rounded the corners, and matted it with a piece of Juniper cardstock. Using some patterned papers from the Skylark kit along with a piece of Lagoon Zipper Lace completes this card which uses Pattern #21 in Make It From Your Heart Volume 1.  

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

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

A Feather Sketch

Made another card with my favorite new stamp set, Feathers.  

Used Sketch #138 (DS138) from the Deconstructing Jen blog as inspiration.  The Feathers image was inked with Lagoon and then 'rolled' in Saddle to add some dimension.  Once again, a sentiment from the Holiday Tags stamp set is used.  This is my most used sentiment set.  Holiday Tags has a great selection of sentiments, and is a "must have" stamp set for any card maker.  To add just a bit of texture behind the stamped image, a piece of patterned paper from the Skylark kit is used.  Finishing touches include some strips of Shimmer Trim in both Silver and Teal, along with some Enamel Shape chevrons.  The large teal sparkle is found in the Base & Bling Teal Jewels set, and it matches the Teal Shimmer Trim perfectly. 

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

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