Proplayer, December Paper Trail blog hop

Welcome to the Paper Trail blog hop. First I must apologize if you have tried to do the hop & were interrupted by my absence.  You should be arriving from Karen's Inky Fingers blog if you are not starting here.  We are a small circular hop so you should be able to link right through us and back to your starting point.

For December we decided not to do Christmas paper.  As a paper crafter you are probably already getting tired of green, red & gold or blue, gray & silver.  We are going in another direction!  Pro-Player offers up some lovely dark papers including reds & blues and a touch of neutral. Dark stormy wintry colors.

Trying to think outside the box and yet stay with the Holidays, I saw the dark and dotted paper as an out of focus lighted background, almost like a very distant and dark lit up tree.  I decided to use it as a background on a 6x6 card with an ornament overlay from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge cut from silver glitter paper.

I paper pieced the lighter blue, red and neutral papers behind some of the ornaments to help give them definition and then filled in those areas with liquid glass.  A stamped and popped sentiment from the Sparkle & Shine Workshop on the Go completes the card. 

In the stamp club I attend monthly we were playing with the sun ray cards.  I'm sure these have another name but I'm not clever enough to think of it.  I wanted to do one of them as well, so I created this card and attached "Congrats!" stamped with our Framework Alphabet and colored in with our alcohol markers.  My daughter graduates from college in less than two weeks, so I think this one is for her.

I hope you've enjoyed what I've done with the Proplayer papers.  Next in our order on the trail is Tracey, the Paper Crafting Princess.  Please continue on and check out what she has done!

Here's a view of the six designs.  The products I used are listed below and you can purchase them on my website by clicking on the item number. 

Products used:
X7172B - Proplayer Paper Packet
E1027 - Framework Alphabet
Z1829 - Black & Gray Glitter Paper
Z679 - Liquid Glass
Z1906 - Artbooking Cricut Collection
G1071 - Sparkle & Shine Workshop on the Go (Celebrate the Season stamp)

A Little Frost on the Paper Trail

Welcome to the Paper Trail blog hop.  This is a circular blog hop so no matter where you start you'll come around to that point if you just keep following the links.  If you are not starting here you must have come from Connie's blog, Scraps & Stories.

We are featuring the cool tones of the Close to my Heart "Frosted" paper pack this month, with icy blues and greys and a bit of snowflakes.  I made up a sweet card for winter with this pack.

My cute little chilly Willy is from a hostess only stamp set which features three adorable little penguins in different activities.  I've added silver Shimmer Trim and Bitty Clear Sparkles for an icy look.  And one of my favorite things about our papers is the zip strip, a half inch coordinating strip on each 12x12 patterned card stock.  I added one here to break up the background and *ground* my focal image. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Mary is up next on the trail. Just follow the link to her Road to Peace of Mind or Escape? to see more!

1-2-3 Craft! October

Welcome to our little blog hop.  You may have come from Mary's blog or you may just be getting started.  There are only four of us so we'll be quick!

Our 1-2-3 Craft design this month is from the CTMH publication, Make it From Your Heart Volume 1. We are using pattern #19 on page 42.  If you don't have this handy little book you can order yours for just $7.95 on my website.  As far as I am concerned it's a *must have* for scrappers and card makers.

The pattern in the book is a top fold card but I decided to reorient to a side fold.  One of the many many things I love about these patterns is their versatility.  There is no right or wrong, just be inspired!

For my color inspiration I went to Design Seeds on Facebook.  It's a wonderful page all about color combinations.  You can check them out here.  I translated their colors to Close To My Heart color pallet:  Sweet Leaf, Ponderosa Pine, Outdoor Denim, and Cranberry.  It may not be exact but it's the inspiration, remember?

Scandinavian Wishes Stamp of the Month

 I've continued on using the Scandinavian Wishes stamp of the month.  I'm having so much fun with it and finding lots of happy results.

To see what the other 1-2-3 Craft! Ladies have been up to with this pattern, check out Tracey's blog, Paper Crafting Princess and work your way back around.

Scandinavian Wishes Outside the Box

Another card for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  A fun way to exercise your creative muscles.

For this card I used the Close to my Heart Babycakes paper pack and Scandinavian Wishes Stamp of the Month. Although the theme of the stamp of the month is Christmas, I decided to try to think outside the box and came up with this house warming card.  Another way to make this set even more versatile!

This is the sketch that inspired my card.

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #24

Click on it to go see what others have made with this sketch to inspire them.  There are some really beautiful ideas there!

Products used for my card:
S1310 - Scandinavian Wishes
X7173B - Babycakes Paper Pack
Z1744 - Opaques Pearl Flourishes
D1525 - Casual Expressions (Congratulations)

Atlantic Hearts Meets Scandinavian Wishes

Playing along again with this weeks Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge I decided to use the Close to my Heart stamp of the month, Scandinavian Wishes.  I'm also sticking to the Juniper & Ruby that are featured colors in our soon to be released Holidays from the Heart mini catalog.  Here's my response to the challenge.

It doesn't show as well as I had hoped, but the heart is rimmed with glitter.  I love glitter, but glitter doesn't like to be photographed.  Ever notice that?

I went around and around on what color to use where for this card.  I cut pieces in one, two or three colors and kept mixing and matching them until I finally ended up with what you see here.  Then I decided that I would use some of the left over stamped scraps for the inside of the card.  I'd like to say "nothing goes to waste" but it's really only a very small part of what I didn't use.

Here is the sketch from Atlantic Hearts.  Why don't you give it a try?  It's really fun!

This is the full set of stamps included in the Scandinavian Wishes Stamp of the Month from Close to my Heart.  You can click on the photo to go to my website to order it if you wish.  It's just $17.95 or you can get it for just $5 when you place a $50 order!

Scandinavian Wishes

Patty Cake Babycakes Paper Trail

Thank you for stopping by on the Paper Trail.  You should have arrived here from Tracey's blog, The Paper Crafting Princess.  If you are just getting started, just follow the links and they'll circle you right back here by the end.

This month the Paper Trail Crafters are featuring Babycakes.  It's an adorable baby themed paper done in soft grey, yellow, brown & orange.  Such a nice alternative to the traditional pink & blue.

This month I did a card for you:

I rarely buy just the paper pack any more.  The Workshop on the Go has so much more to offer - and the stamps included with it are exclusive to each workshop.  I adore this "dream big" banner and the little flags that I stamped out and attached.

I also stamped the little stars to separate the flags and added a small sparkle. I gave the flags a little pop with a couple of layers of paper.  Just a little pop - not a big pop-dot pop.

My original plan was to put the buggy on the front of the card.  But the beautiful cards I see in my head seldom work out in reality.  So, the buggy was moved to the inside.  Since I colored with alcohol markers, which bleed through, the buggy was stamped separately and attached.


Below are the products I used for my card and by clicking on the item number you can go right to my website to order your own.  Next up on the Paper Trail is Linda at The Paper Taylor.  Enjoy!

Babycakes

Papers:
X7173B - Babycakes Paper Pack
X1410 - Colonial White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

My Acrylix Stamps:
G1068 - Babycakes WOTG (included in the Workshop on the Go only)
M1027 - Baby Carriage
D1525 - Casual Expressions (Congratulations)

Inks:
Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads:
Z2111 - Chocolate
Z2114 - Cocoa
Z2191 - Sunset
Exclusive Inks Markers:
Z2405 - Buttercup (regular & dark)
Z2419 - Cranberry (regular)

Embellishments:
Z1263 - Bitty Sparkles

Cricut Collection:
Z1686 - Art Philosophy

Sunshine Wherever You Go

I had so much fun playing along with the sketch challenge from Atlantic Hearts last week I thought I'd play again.  You don't have to be invited to play, so if you think having a sketch to inspire you is fun, check them out.  You can post your creation for everyone to see or just keep it to yourself.  If you know me at all you know I'm an attention hog so I always like to share.

I wanted to use the You Are My Happy special one more time before it becomes unavailable to you, my friends.  So I did this whimsical card suggesting you can just pick a sun off the line and take it with you.

I'm still playing with my retired papers and created a monochromatic theme for this card.  Stamps & inks are both currently available from my website.

This is the Atlantic Hearts sketch that inspired my card:

I stayed pretty true to the sketch but there is no right or wrong.  It's just a fun way to get the creative juices flowing!

My card will be available for you to make at my card buffet workshop this Friday.  Don't lie - I know you aren't busy so I hope you'll come.  All the cards you can make for just $15.  I have six new designs including Halloween, birthday, Christmas, this one (above) and 2 more.  Contact me to register!

Find the products I used for my card:
CC1025 - You Are My Happy - My Acrylix Stamps - Constant Campaign, Available until September 30, 2013
Z280 - Natural Hemp
X1410 - Colonial White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack
My Exclusive Inks:
Z2110 - Buttercup
Z2162 - Honey
Z2123 - Goldrush

Your Laughter

For the first time ever I decided to participate in a challenge.  This challenge was created by Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.

My submission uses the Close To My Heart Laughing Lola paper pack and this month's special for National Stamping Month, "You Are My Happy." 

Let me tell you what makes me happy about You Are My Happy.  This is a special that will make your heart smile!  For just $10 you will receive three full size stamp sets worth $47.90.  Just place a $50 order on my website and it's yours for only $10.  How fun is it going to be when you receive that box of goodies?!?! 

Here are the three sets you will receive:

Complete Alpha-Numeric set

Sentiments

Icons

This offer ends September 30th so be sure to grab yours today! 

Products used for my card:
X7170B - Laughing Lola Paper Pack
Z1854 - Laughing Lola Assortment
CC1025 - You are My Happy My Acrylix stamp set
Z2195 - Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad
Z2172 - Whisper Exclusive Inks stamp pad
Z1686 - Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

1 - 2 - 3 Craft September!

This month the 1-2-3 Craft ladies are sharing a card from Originals, page 34, "To The Point." This is an 8"x3.5" card - I love this size which fits nicely inside a business envelope. I started with one card but was having so much fun I couldn't stop.  Therefore, I bring you four cards - all a variation on a theme.  All papers are from the Close to my Heart Huntington paper pack which was also featured in the Paper Trail blog hop earlier this month.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  If you haven't already seen the other participants' cards, be sure to visit Mary at Road to Peace of Mind or Escape? and Darlys at Crafty Happy. 

Find the products used in these cards at my Close to my Heart website:

9036 - Originals Card Confidence Program
X7174B - Huntington Paper Pack
D1560 - Holiday Tags My Acrylix stamp set
B1424 - Classy Doily My Acrylix stamp set
C1504 - Fall Harvest My Acrylix stamp set
D1550 - Happy Autumn My Acrylix stamp set
Z1333 - Opaques Mocha Adhesive Gems
Z1753 - Sparkles Brown & Tan Assortment
Z1816 - Durable Artisan Studs
Z1817 - Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape

Exclusive Inks Stamps Pads:
Z2162 - Honey
Z2123 - Gold Rush
Z2191 - Sunset
Z2116 - Cranberry
Z2104 - Barn Red
Z2171 - Saddle
Z2173 - Slate
Z2137 - Olive

Chantilly Framed Layout

My most favorite thing to do with my crafting is making things for the people we love.  If you've received a handmade gift from me, trust me, you are high on my list of friends and family.  We've recently (six days ago, to be exact) welcomed a new little girl into our extended family, my niece's third child. We've been fortunate to live fairly close to them for the past few years, but being an Air Force family, they will be moving soon.

For Amelia, I created a frameable layout that hopefully will feature some of her first photos.  As time goes on and she grows, her mom can remove the layout and add it to her scrapbook.  

Sometimes I don't feel as creative as other times so I looked around for inspiration for this and found it here on my own blog.  Of course I could have gone to many resources through Close to my Heart, but I came across this one first.  My inspiration was from here.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you've enjoyed your visit and continue to have a great day!

Close to my Heart products used in this project can be found and purchased from my website.  Just click on the item number: 

X7163B - Chantilly Paper Packet 
Z1814 - Chantilly Assortment
Z1826 - Hollyhock Zipper Lace
Z1811 - For Always Assortment
Z1686 - Art Philosophy Cricut Collection

Poster Tidings - September Stamp of the Month

I fell in love with this stamp set the moment I saw it.  It's a seasonal set that applies to Autumn/Thanksgiving and Winter/Holidays.  The versatility is awesome, crossing the lines between card making and scrapbooking.  I'm going to show you the cards I did today, but I hope to be back in the future using these stamps as accent titles on layouts.

Here are the stamps, a set of two.  Notice the autumn one will ink on the letters while the winter one will ink the background and leave the letters 'blank.'

Poster Tidings - S1309

I inked up the autumn stamp with Close to my Heart Exclusive Inks colors Honey, Gold Rush, Autumn Terracotta and just a touch of Saddle at the very bottom.  The image is layered on papers from our Huntington paper pack and embellished with leaves from our Cricut Artbooking and bronze Glitz.

Featuring Huntington paper pack

The first of my winter cards is done with Close to my Heart Exclusive Inks Juniper and Ruby.  These are two of the colors that are featured in our Holidays from the Heart Gift Guide coming out soon.  I'm so excited to share it! 

Background stamp: One-Way Borders - C1561

The second of my winter cards I did in wintry blues, Close to my Heart Exclusive Inks colors Sky and Indian Corn Blue.  I inked from the top down with Sky directly from the pad, then from the bottom up halfway with Indian Corn Blue.  I love how it turned out! 

Background stamp: Single Snowflake - M1031

Poster Tidings Stamp of the Month is only available through September 30th.  You can buy it straight out for $17.95 or, with a $50 order for just $5.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope you like my cards.  I'm available to answer your questions at StampScrapFever@gmail.com.  Have a wonderful weekend!



Products I used for these cards are available through my website.  Just click on the product number:

Stamps:
S1309 - September Stamp of the Month - Poster Tidings
M1031 -  Single Snowflake
C1561 - One-Way Borders

Papers:
X7174B - Huntington Paper Pack
X5752 - Juniper - 24 12x12" pack
X5927 - Ruby - 24 12x12" pack
X5761 - Sky - 24 12x12" pack
X1410 - Colonial White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack
X254 - White Cards & Envelopes Value Pack

Embellishments:
Z1483 - Bronze Glitz Glitter Gel
Z1906 - Cricut Artbooking Collection

Paper Trail Blog Hop Featuring Huntington

Thank you for coming to the September Paper Trail blog hop featuring Close to my Heart's Huntington paper pack.  If you arrived here from Tracey's Paper Crafting Princess blog you are on the right path.  If you are just getting started, just follow the links at the end of each blog and you'll wind your way right back here after visiting us all.    

I decided to use the new Artbooking Cricut cartridge from Close to my Heart to create an 8"x3.5" mini album.  I used a bit of mix & match magic to do it and this is what I ended up with:

The pretty focal papers of Huntington as a focal point on the cover 

All cuts & words are part of the Artbooking cartridge

The zip strip from the Huntington paper cut apart creates the poem

Strands of burlap from our burlap ribbon are used for the hinges

 

I love the overlays in the Artbooking cartridge and had to use one on the back.

I scoured through my photos to add to this mini album but alas, I couldn't find the autumn pics I was looking for. Please feel free to imagine your own autumn photos on the pages.  

Now hop on over to Karen's blog, Inky Fingers, for some more fall inspiration.

1-2-3 Craft! A Very Mini Blog Hop

Thanks for stopping by at the 1-2-3 Craft blog hop.  Our featured Close To My Heart pattern this month is from Originals Card Confidence Program page 126.  I decided to make my version of this pattern into a Thank You card, of which I currently need a few.  It all goes together so quickly and easily when I turn to Close To My Heart for a sketch.

My papers are from the For Always paper pack, one of my favorite packs that has carried over from the Spring/Summer Idea Book.  This was also my first time using washi tape.  I hope I did it right.

Now check out what Mary and Tracey did for their 1-2-3 Craft! blogs.  You'll see something similar, and yet completely different.

The products I used for this card - Click on the item number to shop my website:
9036 - Originals Card Confidence Program (soft cover)
X7165B - For Always paper pack
Z1817 - Slate Polka-Dot Washi Tape
M1029 - A True Thank You

Laughing Lola a Paper Trail Blog Hop

It's here, it's here, my project for Laughing Lola!

I'm a bit late jumping onto the Paper Trail blog hop and I hope you've found me anyway. If you came along the trail leading to my blog you should have arrived from Mary's Road to Peace of Mind.  If you have been waiting for me and are just getting started, just follow the link at the end of the blog and you'll have a fun, creative journey full of Laughing Lola and end up right back here.

I did a two page layout and I don't mind telling you, I love it!

Full two page layout using Laughing Lola

Left page - flower border stamped with set included in Laughing Lola WOTG

Left side, showing hidden journaling/photo spot open

Right page. "Amazing" is popped and "held into place" with black hemp.

The beautiful colors and patterns of the Laughing Lola paper packet.

The next stop is Amy's Pineapple Paper Artist where there are some beautiful cards waiting for you!


Products used in my layout (click the item number to shop for these online):
G1065 Laughing Lola Workshop On The Go Scrapbooking Kit. Includes stamp set only available with kit.
X7170B Laughing Lola Paper Pack (included in Laughing Lola WOTG)
Z1854 Laughing Lola Assortment (included in Laughing Lola WOTG)
Z282 Black Hemp (included in Laughing Lola WOTG)
X7170C Laughing Lola Complements Dimensional Elements
Z2105 Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad 
Z2195 Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad
Z6186 Cricut Art Philosophy Collection

Surf's Up in Kentucky with the Paper Trail Bloggers

I think Willie said it best:

 On the road again -
Just can't wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is (crafting) with my friends

And I can't wait to get on the road again.

I've been MIA from my blog hops recently and I am happy to announce that I am back on track.  Some family issues are still on-going, but my time is freeing up to do what I love best- craft!  It feels wonderful to be back in the saddle...  or on the surfboard this month. 

Welcome to the July episode of the Paper Trail blog hop.  This is a circular hop so you may have arrived from Amy's Pineapple Paper Artist blog or you may be just getting started. I hope you enjoy what each of us has to share.

We are using the Surf's Up paper pack from Close to my Heart. It's 60's style graphics with contemporary colors make it a fun pack to work with.

This is the layout my Monthly club will be doing for the month of June.  

Close up of the left page. The swirls and beach girl are hand cut from one of the papers. 

 Close up of the right page.  Stamps used are from the Surf's Up Workshop on the Go kit.

Some embellishment detail.  The pinwheels, buttons & medallions are from the Surf's Up Assortment. 

Friendship Card 4.25x5.5

Funshine Card 5.5x4.25

Clear Pillow Box

Burlap and flower detail

Surf's Up Paper Pack (X7168B - $9.95)

Surf's Up Assortment (Z1841 - $5.95)

Thanks for stopping by today.  Now swim on over to Lynne's blog, Field's Finery for the next stop on the hop.  I'm sure she has some wonderful items to share!

 

Other Close To My Heart supplies used in my projects:

Burlap Ribbon - Z1760 - $7.95

Sparkles Blue & Green Assortment - Z1327 - $2.95

Sparkles Brown & Tan Assortment - Z1753 - $2.95

Just Blooms Paradise Paper Flowers - Z1710 - $5.95

Bakers Twine - Z1702 - $4.95