April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. If you arrive here from Tanya Armitage's Happy Papercrafting you are in the right place, if you arrived by chance no worries, just continue the hop by click the link at the end of this post. 

April's stamp of the Month is Life in Pictures S1604, what a fun stamp this is.

My first layout uses the Penelope Workshop Your Way Pack , I love the bright colours of this pack. They were great with my photos of our visit to the Perth Royal Show. I added some of the stamped cameras using Crystal Blue, Pear, Thistle and Pixie ink and the Happy Smiles title. I used the Artbooking Cricut cartridge to cut the title "Capture the Details" 

I wanted my second layout to have a vintage look, so I printed the photo in sepia. I used some of the papers from the Urban Paper Pack X7204B, I really like how the vintage camera compliments this layout. I stamped the cameras using Saddle and Cashmere ink, then fussy cut them using out great Non stick Micro tip Scissors Z1836.   I used Colonial White cardstock for this layout.  

My final project is a very simple card, I used the frame stamp and stamped it on Honey cardstock using Honey ink. I then fussy cut it. I love the current Operation Smile stamp set D1679 "Animal Greeting" and used the very cute whale stamp and coloured it with the Shin Han markers. I cut the background frame using the Artiste Cricut cartridge( Accent 4 key 3 the second image using shift key)  to finhish off the card I added 2 Aqua Dots Z1853.

I hope you are enjoying the hop, to continue click here to go to Vandra's Virtual CTMH Craftroom to see her wonderful creation. Please leave a comment, it's the only way we know anyone has actually seen our projects.

Easter Cards

Happy Easter, I hope everyone is having a relaxing break. It started raining last evening and has continued for most of today, my garden will really appreciate the rain. I love that autumn is here and winter will be following soon, I am glad to see the end of summer.

At my Card Buffet last week, I made a few Easter cards as requested by my ladies. I don't usually give Easter cards but was happy to make and share them.

The Happy Easter and the grass was cut using the artfully Sent and Artiste Cricut cartridges, the cute little bunny is a die. A little bling and ribbon finishes off the card.

Butterflies represent new birth, and what a fitting image to use on an Easter card as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ.

 This was an easy card to make, using the Wood Grain Embossing Folder and the Wreath stamp.

This was a fun card with the Easter eggs, a little bling and some ribbon.
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I hope you have an opportunity to do some crafting on this rainy long weekend.

March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop "Sunshine Birdies

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. If you arrive here from Wendy Hopper's  Expressions of the Heart you are in the right place, if you arrived by chance no worries, just continue the hop by click the link at the end of this post.

This month's stamp S1603 is so cute, the set has 11 gorgeous images. They make me think of Spring but they could also be used for Easter or so many other themes. You can buy this set for $27.00 or for just $7.50 with a $75.00 order.

 I used all of the stamps plus a few others to make the title page for my 2016 Family Photo Album. This stamp set is so much fun to work with. I loved colouring in the images with the Shin Han markers, they are a breeze to colour with.

I hope you are enjoying the hop to continue click here to go to Vandra's Virtual CTMH Craftroom.

Share the Love Blog Hop

Welcome to our "Share the Love" Blog Hop. If you arrive here from Tanya's blog  you are in the right place, if you arrived by chance no worries, just continue the hop by click the link at the end of this post.

The Share the Love stamp set is wonderful,  it is filled with adorable icons and loveable sentiments, this stamp set will be a beautiful addition to your collection. The stamp set is $27.00  but Close To My Heart will  donate $7 USD*  to Operation Smile™, an amazing organization that provides surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children all over the world! 

This card was a joy to make, I took inspiration from a card I found on Pinterest. I combined the Share the Love stamp set with a previous Operation Smile promotion stamp set, "Precious Smiles" W191 which you can buy for just $10.00 from my CTMH online shop, just clink on the link at the side of this post. I stamped the children with Black ink then added just a little colour with the Shin Han markers. To finish off the card I added the "Share the Love" and "Love You" sentiments and a fussy cut camera. 

To help with the placement of the stamps, I first stamped some of the images on copy paper to make a mask. This allowed me to stamp a second image close to the first without stamping on top of the first image.

My second project is a layout of my niece's daughter Xanthe's visit. It's a must that I take lots of photos of the great nieces and nephews whenever I see them. My sister loves baking with her grandchildren and it just so happened that Xanthe's visit coincided with my sister's granddaughters visit with her.  

                                         

                                              My last project is a rather simple hello card. 

To continue this hop and see what Wendy has created click here. I am sure you will love her project. Please leave a comment, we enjoy reading them all.

February Stamp of the Month

Welcome to the CTMH Australasian Stamp of the Month  Blog Hop, if you have arrived from Denise's blog "Scrap Stamp Share"  you are in the right place, if you arrived here by chance I hope you enjoy this hop. You can continue the hop by clicking on the link at the end of this post.

February's Stamp of the Month is Balloon Animals S1602 and what a beauty it is. The pack contains 13 wonderful stamps both animals and sentiments.

This card was so much fun to make, it's called a "Pop Up Card" you can find a video here  which shows you how to make it. It may look difficult but it is really quite easy. I used Glacier cardstock and scraps of paper that I have had for a while. To match the papers I used Glacier, Sorbet, Champagne and Desert Sand ink. My niece's daughter is starting Kindy next week and I thought I would send a card to mark the day. I love how the card stands so well so it can be displayed.

                                      

You adhere white cardstock to the back to write your message. 

This card will fit in a C6 envelope when folded. 

I really like how we can manipulate the CTMH Acrylix Stamps. I decided to use the elephant image for this card and thought the "I didn't forget your birthday" stamp would be perfect as we know elephants never forget anything. Unfortunately this stamp didn't fit within the frame. By slightly stretching the frame stamp when you place it on the acrylic block, the sentiment will now fit within the frame. I stamped the elephant twice in Sorbet ink Z2164 then cut out the head and two of the legs and adhered them with the foam tape to give it a 3D look. Two Bitty Sparkles Z1263 were used for the eyes of the elephant. Sadly the "I didn't forget your birthday" stamp is now retired.

To go along with the above card I decorated one of the Designer Creations Paper Bags Z2037

 

To continue to hop please go to Wendy's Expressions of the Heart  to see what lovely project she has created. Thank you for joining in the hop and please leave a comment as we read them all and really appreciate you taking the time to comment.

January Card Buffet

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year's Day, our family celebrated together with much frivolity and catching up with each other. I held my first card buffet for the year last Saturday and here are a few of the cards that were made. I always have a selection of different cards for the ladies to choose from.

This first card uses Black, Cranberry, Canary and Lagoon ink, and some black ribbon to finish it off. I love having a few generic cards that I can send to friends for no particular reason.

This card can be used for a girl or boy's birthday, the Shin Han markers make colouring the images so easy. The tip to colouring with the markers is don't go over the black image line, always colour within the lines and you wont get any bleeding.

The Daisy White ink looks great stamped on dark cardstock, I coloured the clear bling gems with the yellow Shin Han marker so it matches the yellow paper.

I really like how this card turned out, the colours are fun and bright. I stamped the Mason Jar on white cardstock with Slate ink and used my bonefolder to curve the side edges of the jar to give it a more 3D look.

This is a really fun card for a child's birthday, the animals look great standing on top of each other.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope you have some time free for crafting,

"La Vie En Rose" Blog Hop

Welcome to the CTMH Australasian "La Vie En Rose" Blog Hop, if you have arrived from Wendy's Expressions from the Heart  you are in the right place, if you arrived here by chance I hope you like what you see. You can continue the hop by clicking on the link at the end of this post.

We are showcasing the "La Vie En Rose" collection, the papers are just beautiful and the compliments pack will add lovely embellishments to any project.

X7201B

X7021C

My niece had a baby girl in August 2014 and I am embarrassed to say I have only just scrapped these photos. Isn't she a beautiful baby, she is my mum's 16th great grandchild. Her big sister was very happy to show her off. It was a labour of love to do this layout. I used layout 10 from Volume 2 of  the "Make it from Your Heart" book  as my inspiration. The Cricut cut outs are from the Artbooking cartridge and the stamped images are from the Stamp of the Month December 2013 "Special Care"

This second project is a Joy Fold Card and you can find instructions here to make the card. This card will fit into a standard 4 1/4" x  5 1/2" envelope. I used the January Stamp of the Month Beloved Bouquet S1601 as it perfect with the La Vie En Rose papers. I stamped the rose 3 times using Pixie Ink Z2644 on Pixie Cardstock, then layered them after cutting two of the roses slightly smaller. This gives the rose the 3D effect. Topiary Ink Z2155 was used for the leaves.  3D Foam Tape Z2060 was used to adhere each layer of the rose and then adhere the rose and leaves to the front of the card. The stamp set Holiday Tag Occasions D1560 was used for the sentiment.

All products used in these projects can be purchased from my CTMH online shop here.

Thanks for joining our Blog Hop, to continue go to Lauren Moore's blog and see what lovely project she has created. If you like what you see please leave a comment, we do appreciate your comments.

January Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our January Australasian Stamp of the Month blog hop.  If you have arrived here from Jenny Gilbert's The Creative Heart you are in the right place if you arrived here by chance I hope you enjoy the hop. When you want to continue the hop just click on the link at the end of this post. January's SOTM is Beloved Bouquet S1601 and it is a lovely stamp set. I am sure you will see some great projects as proceed with this hop. As you can see it has a Valentine's Day theme but as with all of Close To My Heart stamp sets this one is also very versatile and can be used for lots of different themes.

My first project is a layout with photos of flowers from my garden, I had a lot of fun creating this layout. I used the Kaleidoscope Paper, Pixie, Pear and Thistle ink and the Handwritten Print Alphabet stamp set.. 

This card is my second project, it's a very simple card. I stamped the image three times and added the flowers made from a punch which I have had  for a number of years. I used the Flamingo Dots for the centres of the flowers and the Pixie Extra Thick Twine for the bow.

To continue the hop go to Vandra's blog  to see what she has created. Thank you for joining our blog hop please leave a comment as it encourages us to be more creative.

Kaleidoscope Blog Hop

Welcome to our blog hop, today we are sharing projects made with the Kaleidoscope Paper Pack X7202B and accessories X7202C. If you have arrived here from Vandra's blog  you are in the right place if you arrived here by chance I hope you enjoy the hop. These papers and accessories are so pretty and colourful and can be used for all sorts of projects. 

 I have made some cards which really showcases the papers, I decided to use more than one of the papers in all three cards. I used the December stamp of the month S1215 and the Shin Han markers for this card. 

I used  the Quatrefoil Embossing folder Z1926 and Green Shimmer Trim to embellish this card. The Flower in the centre of the card is one of the clear stickers from the Accessory pack which I adhered to white Daisy cardstock and then cut out. I used the foam tape to lift the flower off the card.

For this last card I used one of the Botanical Background stamps D1645 and then coloured it with the Shin Han markers. A little bit of bling and a sentiment finishes off this card.

Click here to go to Wendy's blog, and see what great project she has created. We all enjoy your comments so please leave a comment before you continue on.