H2H Challenge - Color Challenge

Welcome to the new year and a new challenge from the H2H Challenge website! My term as a Design Team member has sadly come to an end...however, it still doesn't mean I can't play along! So here is my contribution to the challenge this week!

This week's challenge is a color challenge...here were the colors we were to play with this week...

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!

New year inspiration...

SNEAK A PEEK AT GREAT SPRING/SUMMER 2011 IDEA BOOK products! Including amazing deals on new stamp sets and the January stamp of the month when you buy the new Wings Workshops on the Go kit!

All of our Workshops on the Go kits come with paper, accessories and an exclusive stamp set designed especially for the workshop projects. Workshop kits are available in all the new paper packs which premier in the 2011 idea book.

Get your hands on your very own Inspiration brochure to find out about all the details about these spectacular savings by contacting me today!!

You can also view the brochure online here.

During the month of January (1st-31st), when you purchase the Wings Workshop On the Go kit you can also get:

• All the NEW stamp sets featured in the brochure at a significant discount - as much as 30-35% off!!
• Get an even greater deal on the January Stamp of the Month. If you purchase the Wings Workshop on the Go kit and 4 additional items from the brochure you will get the January Stamp of the Month for FREE! (You could qualify for the FREE stamp set with a purchase as little as $52.75!! And that includes the $29.95 Wings Workshop Kit!!)

You can order these or any of the other 100's of other great Close to my Heart products on my website 24/7!

If I haven't already 'inspired' you enough that you just gotta have these new goodies...take a look at what I was able to do with the spectacular new Wings Paper Pack, coordinating stamps (including the January Stamp of the month) and embellishments I was able to create this gorgeous 9x9 wall hanging that will be my January workshop:

I was 'inspired' by some of the elements on a layout created by a fellow consultant Tammy Jenkins at paperheartist.com. You should check out her blog and her fantastic artwork!

Would you like to see other fantastic artwork from some uber talented conslutants? Click here to visit the host of a "Linky Party" on her blog - the rediculously talented Tresa Black! The number of contributors is growing every day and you will be totally inspired!!

So I hope this post will 'inspire' you to go check out the new Inspirations Brochure or contact me today and I would be delighted to send one to you!

H2H Challenge - Sketch Challenge!

This week over at H2H we have a sketch challenge. Refer to sketch below:

I was delighted to see that is was very similar to a card I had already been working on as my Christmas card for this year. You see, I recently a GORGEOUS card from my uber talented friend Karen Pederson. (You have to take a moment to visit her blog to see her fantastic work! Just visit her link on the sidebar of my blog.) I had already decided I was going to shamelessly 'CASE' her beautiful card as my Christmas card for this year...and here is what I have working so far...

What is hard to make out on this picture is I have used one of Close to my Heart's Dimensional Element - Flurry snowflake and covered it with Liquid Applique, heat set it and then lightly distressed it with bamboo ink. The smaller snowflake is inked with Barn Red ink and then lightly painted with our really cool Pearl Paint to give it it's shimmery look. I think I am going to make some tweeks and adjustments to this card...before I reproduce it about 100 times! (No kidding my Christmas card list is CRAZY!!) So I will post the final outcome when I finally finish it!

Thanks for stopping by!

H2H Challenge - Going Girly!!

Okay - so this weeks challenge...is really a challenge for me! I typically am not a very girly-girl when it comes to crafting. I tend to like more clean, masculine look and feel to my art. I certainly don't gravitate to 'bling' and 'glitter'. But a few weeks ago my daughter also challenged me with a request for very glittery- girly birthday invites for her seventeeth birthday. So...challenge accepted!

I am a little disapointed this picture doesn't represent how pretty and glittery this card is. But trust me...it's stunning in person!!

I was able to achieve the airbrushed look by creating my own type of glimmer mist using Close to my Heart products! An empty spray bottle, rubbing alcohol, Pearl Paint and reinkers...was all I needed!! I will be back later this week with a step by step tutorial on how to make your own!

But for now, find your frillly, girls side and create a fabulous card or layout and then hop on over to the H2H Challenge blog and share your creation by Sunday night at 10pm for your chance to be chosen as the Fab Friday Five!! You can also check out the other design team member’s incredible artwork for inspiration! The links to each of their sites can be found on the sidebar of my blog.

H2H Challenge - Color Challenge

Welcome to this week's H2H Challenge...a color challenge!

At first, I was quite perplexed...as I didn't have even one sheet of Brown Bag to work with! But not to worry, I was off with my reinkers and paper flowers and before long...this was the creation I was able to come up with! I love the fresh crisp look of my two-color card!

So now it’s your turn! Pull out your Sunset, Indian Corm Blue and Brown Bag cardstock and b&t and create a fabulous card or layout and then hop on over to the H2H Challenge blog and share your creation by Sunday night at 10pm for your chance to be chosen as the Fab Friday Five!! You can also check out the other design team member’s incredible artwork for inspiration! The links to each of their sites can be found on the sidebar of my blog.

H2H Challenge - The BOO Crew!!

It's that time again....it's the H2H Challenge for this week! This week's challenge - should you choose to accept it - is to do something with a Halloween or pumpkin theme. Well, some time back I created this Halloween and this was just the perfect time to show it off again!


I love to be a girl who thinks ‘outside of the box’! My goal in creating artwork is to try and come up with a creative way to use products in a new and unique way. So I have a few tips for using Close to my Heart Products in unexpected ways. First, for this layout, I have used a page from Close to my Heart’s new Mix and Mingle Album as a unique embellishment rather than just using it in creating the standard mini album. Next, at the time I created this layout I did not have any of Close to my Heart’s new Hooligans paper pack (which is our new darling Halloween themed paper pack in the 2010 Autumn/Winter Idea Book.) However, I was not worried! There are several paper packs in our collection which are perfect for this event! Here I have used the very versatile "You Rock" Level 2 Paper Pack with its 'perfect for Halloween' colors of Sunflower, Pansy Purple and Garden Green. Which is my second tip for you – don’t ‘box’ yourself in to the implied theme in each of our paper packs! Many of our paper packs are perfect for all sorts of different events and celebrations! For incorporating the use of the Mix & Mingle album on my layout - Here I have used one of the bracket shaped acrylic pages to create a unique 'dimensional' embellishment for my layout. First, I distressed the acrylic page with black Stazon Ink - in order to really make the shape of my acrylic piece 'pop'. Then I mounted it to the layout by using brads, attached directly to the layout, as spacers and covering the pre-drilled holes with our new Licorice Opaques (new black pearls!!). By placing some of my stamped and cut-out elements on top and behind the acrylic enabled me to make my witch appear as though she was flying over the moon.

I am also pleased to announce that I am the 4 for 40 sponsor this week! So get your 'spooky' creative juices flowin' and share your artwork with us at the H2H Challenge Blog! If we get 40 players again this week - you could be the lucky winner of a fabulous pack of 4 of my cards - created especially just for you!!

All supplies used are Close to my Heart:
*NEW* My Creations Mix & Mingle Mini Album
STAMPS: Fright Night (set of 10) B1359, Beware (Set of 8) D1381
PAPER: You Rock Level 2 Paper Pack, Autumn Harvest Textured Cardstock (retired)
INKS: Sunflower Exclusive Ink, Archival Black Exclusive Ink, Black Stazon, Black Marker
DOODLES: Designer Ribbon Rounds Black Collection, Licorice Opaques, Basic Brad Assortment, Fresh Shapes Dimensional Elements, Monograms Dimensional Elements, Color Ready Alphabets - Bold
TOOLS: Corner Rounder, Cutting Knife, Piercing Tool Kit and Sanding Kit

H2H Challenge - Embossing Time!

This week at the H2H Challenge blog...EMBOSSING! You can choose to do dry embossing or heat embossing. Well, I really stepped up to the challenge and did both!

I decided to create my festive monocromatic card with the beautiful Juniper snowflake B&T from the Jingle Level 2 paper pack and needed a second B&T texture for the card. So I decided to create my own B&T by dry embossing the Juniper cardstock with a pinstripe. I simply accomplished this by placing my paper in my trimmer (with the blade removed) and used the measuring guide to move along at 1/2 in intervals and use my Embossing Stylus to impress the lines into the paper. Then I lightly sanded to make the dry embossed lines 'pop' more.

For my sweet little ornament...I used the Holiday Trinkets stamp set. I stamped the ornament with Juniper ink on Juniper paper and cut it out. I love this set because it has the perfect little stamps to embellish your ornaments. I used the snowflakes and heat embossed the them in white and then sponged a bit of Juniper ink around the heat-set embossing in order to help those snowflakes 'pop' too.





So now it’s your turn! Grab your stylus or your heat tool (or both) and create a fabulous card and then hop on over to the H2H Challenge blog and share your creation by Sunday night at 10pm for your chance to be chosen as the Fab Friday Five!! You can also check out the other design team member’s incredible artwork for inspiration! The links to each of their sites can be found on the sidebar of my blog.