Inspiration
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Life is a Grand Adventure Tri-Fold Shutter Card
I am excited to share this fun Fancy Fold card project with you. These Tri-Fold shutter cards have been around for a while but they still amaze me and I love to create them. I envisioned this card for my son’s upcoming 8th-grade graduation. Yes, it’s not until June but do you know how good it feels to be ahead of the game and not sliding in sideways disheveled in a desperate attempt to get things done? Pretty darn good 😂
I combined the Dreams Take Flight stamp set with the beautiful Yesterday and Today paper collection. These products play so well together! I thought this set would make an excellent graduation card because of all the inspiring sentiments. I can see this as a retirement card, new job congrats or you can switch up the sentiments for a birthday card.
Below is a detailed diagram on how to cut your cardstock to create this project. Begin with a piece trimmed to 12″ x 5.5″ then score and cut on the lines shown below. Only cut on the red lines. You can use an X-Acto knife or a paper trimmer like I did . I recommend watching the youtube tutorial for step by step instructions. Your finished card will measure 5.5 x 4″, slightly smaller than a traditional A2 card.
Each area Is decorated with patterned paper. I decided to carry the clouds across the design popping them up with foam tape to help them float as a cloud should. I included every sentiment from the stamp set because they were all to perfect to be left out. A few gold foil stars add a pop of fun to the finished design.
I used the Stitched Bracket Thin-Cut to add layers and help the airplane take center stage. I’ve inked up my clouds with Pewter ink while the plane and sentiments are stamped in Black.
This card design stands nicely for display and makes a temporary decor piece. I chose to write my personal sentiment on the back of the card for this reason.
If you haven’t attempted a tri-fold shutter card before then give it a go. You won’t be disappointed! Thanks for stopping by and I will see you next time. Happy crafting!
Supply List:
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Beach Treasures Spotlight Stamptacular Sale!!!
I love ❤️ the ocean and make sure to schedule a few trips to the coast every spring. It’s so beautiful! It is peaceful yet powerful. I love the salty smell, the sounds of waves crashing and the shorebirds going about their day. I just feel good when I am there. We always have a challenge to see who can spot the first sea star amongst the tide pools and there is usually someone that does an Indiana Jones impression with a long bull kelp whip! CTMH is having an amazing sale on both stamps and coordinating thin-cuts during the month of February! I have captured my love of the ocean and created several cards to share with you featuring some of these fabulous sets.
To see how I created these cards I recommend you watch the YouTube tutorial below. I will show you how I used the Strokes of an Artist stamp set to create simple yet stunning backgrounds.
Ocean inspired cards never go out of style and I will probably never part with this set!
The cards above and below showcase the Beach Treasures stamp & coordinating Thin-cuts. The embellishments you can create with this set are scaled for both scrapbooking and card projects. The pop of Paprika ink against the Lagoon makes for a striking color combo.
I love that you can customize your projects by changing up the color of cardstock and inks. I used the clear shimmer brush to add a gorgeous layer of shiny fabulousness to the seashells and it did not disappoint! You can really see the detail in the card below.
Thank you for stopping by. Be sure to check out the Stamptacular sale before the end of February. Leave me a comment to say hello 😊 and happy crafting!
Supplies For Beach Treasures Cards:
- White Cards and Envelopes Value Pack
- Cardstock Colors: Kraft, Sapphire, Vanilla
- Ink Colors: Lagoon, Paprika, Toffee, Black
- Beach Treasures Stamp & Thin-Cuts
- Strokes of an Artist Stamp Set
- Stitched Rectangle Frames
- Stitched Bracket Thin-Cuts
- Clear Shimmer Brush
- White Burlap Ribbon
- Rose Gold Sequins
- Adhesive Tape Runner
- Micro Glue Dots
- 3-D Foam Tape
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You Captured My Heart
Hello and welcome! Today I am sharing a layout featuring the Mix In paper collection from CTMH. These mix-ins are designed to complement the existing paper suites but can be used as a stand-alone pack.
This kitty layout caught my eye on Pinterest. I knew I wanted to create this project and that the Mix-Ins would be perfect! Sometimes it is fun to scraplift a layout. It is a great way to try new techniques and develop your crafting skills. If you’d like to check this pin out for yourself, here is the link https://pin.it/c5gb3chx4ln7hw
Since I loved the original layout I followed it pretty closely. Although I might vote that my son, with the two baby goats, is cuter. But hey, I am biased. I did include some Nectarine cardstock for a bright pop of color and silver brads to add interest. You will notice I doodled lines around the edges of all the layered papers for a fun carefree vibe. I sanded my thin-cut hearts and love the look it gives with the white cardstock core revealed.
I didn’t have the measurements from the original project so I just eyeballed it. If you’d like to know any of the measurements from my layout, leave me a comment and I’ll be happy to get that for you. Below is a closer look at the bright colors and fun patterns included in this paper pack. Available through February, however always check the online-only section after the date passes. You can often goodies there past the catalog date! Yay!
Thank you for stopping by! See you soon.
Supplies:
- Mix In Paper pack
- Teeny-Tiny Type Stamp set
- I Chews You Stamp Set (Heart Thin-Cuts)
- Cricut Explore Air 2
- For Embossing: Heat Gun, White Embossing Powder, Versamark ink
- Julep Shimmer Brush
- Silver Brads
- Orange Twine (from my crafty stash)
- Tombo Mono Liquid Adhesive
- Tombow Tape runner
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Birthday Cards with Celebrate Today
I have some more birthday cards for you today! I was completely inspired by the “Celebrate Today” paper collection. It is so fun and vibrant it just makes you think confetti and cake sprinkles, and who doesn’t love that?
I always find it easier to watch a project in action rather than read the directions. So if your like me I recommend watching the YouTube tutorial to see this project come together. You can check it out below.
Recipe for card #1:
- Begin with a blank white card and envelope from the value pack
- Adhere Ballerina cardstock piece (5.25″ x 4″)
- Trim the sprinkled patterned paper to 5 x 3.75″ and layer onto Ballerina as shown
- Trim your banner piece to 3.5 x 1.5″ and dovetail one end.
- Run a piece of White Daisy cardstock through your die-cutting machine with the medium-sized Stitched Rectangle Frame thin cut.
- Stamp the Happy Birthday sentiment as shown in Black ink
- Wrap twine around the bottom of your sentiment 3 times and tie a bow
- Using the Balloons from the coordinating sticker sheet, attach to card face with foam adhesive.
- Send to a friend to make their birthday special!
Recipe for Card #2
- Begin with a blank white card and envelope from the value pack
- Adhere Mint cardstock piece (5.25″ x 4″)
- Using the Pixie patterned paper from the collection, cut a piece with the largest Stitched Rectangle Die and layer over Mint
- Cut 3 circles from your scraps of patterned paper. Since its a collection, they are all likely to look great! I used the 2 middle-sized Stitched circle thin cuts.
- Cut Mint cardstock with the large Stitched Bracket Thin Cut
- Stamp your sentiment onto White Daisy cardstock. Here I used retired stamps from my stash. I’m willing to bet you have some birthday stamps lurking around somewhere.
- The candle strip is cut from the info strip at the end of the 12×12 paper.
- Adhere all pieces as shown
- Add sequence with micro glue dots
- Enjoy!!!
Recipe For Card #3:
- This card is my favorite because let’s face it, who doesn’t love shaker cards?
- Trim your background paper to 5.25 x 4″
- Cut a 2 x 5″ strip from the floral patterned paper, dovetail one end and attach centered on your card front.
- Using the shaker window die cut a circle from White Daisy cardstock.
- Attach circle to the card, apply foam dimensional ring and fill with sequence.
- Layer your acetate circle and then finish off with the Happy Birthday Thin cut in Ballerina.
- I fussy cut the yellow flower from the patterned paper however there is a coordinating stamp set with dies available.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Leave me a comment to say hello and let me know what you think of the cards. Happy crafting my friends!
Supply List:
- Celebrate Today paper pack
- Celebrate Today coordinating cardstock
- Cards & Envelopes value pack
- Sentiments by Melissa Esplin
- Happy Birthday Shaker Window
- Stitched Circles Thin Cuts
- Stitched Rectangle Frames Thin Cuts
- Stitched Bracket Thin Cuts
- Shaker Window Foam & Acetate
- White Daisy Cardstock
- Crafty Loose Sequins
- Twine (from my crafty stash)
- Tombow Mono Liquid Adhesive
- Tombow Tape Runner
- Dimensional Foam
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Valentine Cards
Hello there! Valentine’s Day is right around the corner so I thought I would get a head start on these fun and loveable cards. I’ve had so much fun creating with the Stitched Heart Dies, I’ve used them on all of today’s projects!
If you would like to watch the card tutorial you can check out the youtube video below.
I love utilizing my dies. This heart border packs a lot of interest yet has a clean and simple vibe. You could do this with so many different die-cut shapes.
To create this clean and simple card I used the two smallest hearts to die-cut the border. I backed the heart windows with patterned paper and die-cut a large heart ❤️ with coordinating cardstock. Here I’ve used heart paper from the Heart Happy workshop (a Valentine-themed kit from 2019) and Ruby cardstock. The stamped sentiment, Love You, I chose from the My Cup of Tea stamp set. For this project you will need:
- White Daisy cardstock 4 x 5 1/4″
- Patterned Paper strip 1 3/4 x 5″
- Ruby Heart is cut with the largest heart die
- Pop up with dimensional foam adhesive to accentuate the heart windows
The cards above and below follow the same pattern. I switched up my color palette and sentiment to get a new look. I absolutely love all the stitched detail and layering in these cards. For the card above I used:
- Black for cardstock base
- Stitched layer in Ballerina
- Pattern papers from a retired Mix-in paper pack
- The Sentiment is from the Bunches of Joy stamp set
For this card I used:
- Black cardstock for the base
- Ruby cardstock for the Stitched layer
- Black and white patterned papers are from a retired Mix-in kit
- Black Shimmer Trim
- The sentiment is from The February SOTM
I thought it would be easiest to share the measurements for this card in this sketch I created.
This next card is my favorite. Inspired by a pin on Pinterest from Stampin Pretty, I made this card and added my own flair. I love the more masculine color palette, wood grain, and distressed heart. I incorporated papers from the new Spruced Up collection. This is an awesome paper pack! If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here.
To create this card I used:
- Spruced Up patterned paper and Die-cuts
- Espresso Cardstock
- Mink Twine
- Stitched Bracket Die cut in Vanilla
- Hearts cut from Espresso and Mink cardstock.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have been inspired to create some Valentine cards yourself! Leave me a comment to say hello and let me know which card you like best. See you soon.
Product List:
- Thin Cuts: Stitched Heart Thin Cuts, Stitched Rectangles, Stitched Circles, Stitched Brackets
- Stamps: Bunches of Joy, My cup of Tea (sorry, I thought this one was still available but appears to be gone) Cherishing Her February SOTM.
- Cardstock: Black, Ruby, Ballerina, Vanilla, Espresso, Mink, White Daisy
- Black Exclusive Inks
- Spruced Up Paper pack
- Spruced Up Die-cuts
- White Cards and Envelopes Value Pack
- Mink Twine
- Black Shimmer Trim
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Christmas Blessings
I am so happy I was able to escape into my craft room for a little creative time. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season have kept me on the move! When I saw the Cedar and Pine paper collection, I knew I wanted to scrapbook this photo of my husband and I! The classic feel of this collection, with its traditional color palette, is perfect!
This photo was taken of us at my husband’s holiday work party. Every year we get all dressed up, have a delicious dinner then dance until our feet hurt. The chipboard tag “Christmas Blessings”, made a perfect title. For the two of us to be able to slip away is truly a Christmas blessing! I wanted to add more red to the layout so I opted to create an embellishment cluster centered around the poinsettia. I used the Complete Creativity collection to cut the poinsettia, greenery sprigs and vellum leaves. You will notice I placed three embellishments clusters around my photo in a triangle shape to achieve a sense of balance. This is reinforced with pops of red in each cluster.
To dress the layout up a bit, I added shimmer to the poinsettia with my red shimmer pen. It’s difficult to see in the photo but trust me there is a ton of sparkle. I also used black shimmer trim to anchor my photo and compliment the sparkle in my dress.
I felt the vanilla cardstock needed a little something to finish it off. By tapping my Black Shimmer Pen, I added splatter to the background giving it a bit more detail. These gold glitter gems add to the poinsettia nicely. I love the glittery finish and detail they add to the design.
Above is a closer look at all the gorgeous patterned papers and sticker sheet included in this collection. Pictured below is the coordinating chipboard compliments. These are perfect for titles and creating embellishment clusters.
To see this layout come together, you can check out the process video below.
Supply List:
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Best Friends Furever!
Now, this is something to WOOF about! I am so excited to have this awesome “Best Friends Furever” special available through December. My fur babies are a big part of my life and they need a spot in the family album as well. These cute vibrant patterns and colors are perfect for these photos of my dog Flynn. I had fun whipping up some cute cards as well. To see those, check out the youtube video below.
There are several versatile options for this kit so be sure to check them all out below. I’ve included photos of all the fun projects you can create. As usual, I opted to come up with my own layout design. I wanted to add some paw prints so I created a stencil with my Cricut. The Black Pigment ink works really well with stencils and gives nice crisp lines.
The coordinating sticker sheet is full of fun dog and cat-themed elements to embellish your projects. I added a few stamped images as well from the coordinating stamp set. Using my markers, I added black patches to the dog, pictured below, to better resemble my own dog. You can really stretch your stamps by changing up the colors and patterns on the image.
To add visual interest, I clustered my embellishments in a few areas around the page. I mixed stickers and the acrylic hearts, adding dimensional foam adhesive to a few of the elements to give them some lift and create layers.
Below is a peek at the Best Friends Furever workshop. The instructions will walk you through creating seven 12 x 12 layouts (3 double pages and one single) plus several cards. I love how one side of the papers is for cats while the opposite features the dog-themed patterns. To watch my layout come together and see the cards I created, you can check out the process video below.
Just a reminder that this special is available through the month of December while supplies last. You can check the pet lover off your Christmas list with this kit or create an album to gift to a special someone this holiday season.
If you want your furry friends to have their very own album the Cut Above option might be for you. It provides all the contents to create a 6 x 8 album (album not included). Check out all the beautiful artwork below!
Thanks for stopping by. Now I can’t wait to get back into my happy place and create a layout for my kitty boy!
Supply List:
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The 12 Days of Christmas Cards Day 12!!!
Day 12 already! It has flown by. The Christmas season is in full swing and my kiddos are busy writing out their list of coveted items. Of course, I say oh that’s nice, where is your list of ideas for others? I’m usually met with silent stares laced with guilt. Back to the card, today’s card features a fun fold design just to switch things up a bit.
Look at those gorgeous poinsettias! I love how they turned out. The Tricolor Spectrum Noir markers are perfect for adding depth and shading to these stamped images. I am liking these markers more and more. The poinsettia is from the Traditional Holiday, and for the sentiments, the Whimsical Holiday stamp set. I stamped them in black pigment ink and then finished them with clear embossing powder. They are lovely to the touch with all that texture!
You open the card to reveal another sentiment hidden behind the first! This is a very simple fold. To see how I folded the card I suggest watching the YouTube tutorial below. To add color, I trimmed some rectangles from the Holly Jolly paper collection and I wanted to give the poinsettias a little more presence so I tucked in some greenery sprigs. These I borrowed from the Complete Creativity Collection.
Below I added some splatters with my Red Shimmer Pen to the card on the left. I like them both so you can add those splatters or not 😊.
In the video, along with the card tutorial, I take a quick walk down memory lane showing each of the cards I created for this series. I have my favorite and I’d love to know which one is yours! Leave me a comment here or on my video to share your vote! Thank you for visiting and as always happy crafting!
Supply List:
- Cardstock colors: Fern, White Daisy, New England Ivy
- Holly Jolly Paper pack
- Traditional Holiday stamp set
- Whimsical Holiday Stamp Set
- Complete Creativity Collection (greenery springs & leaves)
- Spectrum Noir Tricolor markers: Dark Red, Dull Green
- Red Shimmer Brush
- Gold Glitter Gems
- For Embossing: Anti-static pouch, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat tool, Black Pigment ink
- Liquid adhesive, Tape Runner,
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The 12 Days of Christmas Cards Day 11
Hello and welcome to day eleven of the 12 Days of Christmas Cards! Today’s card combines stamping with die cuts to create a beautiful card with a vintage vibe.
For the gorgeous Christmas tree, I’ve used the “Merry Christmas Tree” stamp set. If you’ve been following this series day 7’s card featured this same stamp. For today’s project, I combined Evergreen and Sage ink. Stamping the layers in different colors really highlights the detail in this image. It gives an added depth layered stamps capture so well.
I wanted a traditional color palette so the green plaid patterned background paper, from the Cedar and Pine collection, was perfect! From there I stamped my Christmas tree on Vanilla cardstock and then added a stitched rectangle frame cut from gold glitter paper. For the ornaments, I chose the Stickles Christmas Red Glitter gel. To finish it all off I added a red ribbon, a bow and a sentiment from the Traditional Holidays Stamp set. To see this project come to life, check out the YouTube tutorial below.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Happy crafting my friends!
Supply List:
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Snow Fun
Hello there! I took a break from all the Christmas card projects to share this fun winter layout I’ve titled Snow Fun! This layout is part of a collaboration I did with Jayma Malme. The challenge was to create a new project by combining two or more existing projects from the Complete Creativity collection. I got a little carried away and combined elements from five different projects and here is the 12 x 12 layout I came up with.
I really enjoyed working in the Design Space. It was fun to pull an element from here or there, move things around to my liking and then cut it all out on my Cricut Explore Air 2. From there this layout came together quickly as it was a matter of piecing the parts together.
To add more color I incorporated a few pieces from the Holly Jolly paper collection. I used some of the patterned paper and a pink pine tree sticker from the coordinating sticker sheet. I used the pink elements on this layout to create a visual triangle that carries your eye around the page and add a pop of color. For a finishing touch, I used the Clear Shimmer Brush to give sparkle and shine to my snowflakes.
To see this layout come together and the projects in the Complete Creativity I utilized, check out the youtube tutorial below. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this project and are inspired to give it a try. Happy crafting!
Supply List: