Thanks a Bunch

I confess - I'm old fashioned.  I like a handwritten thank you card, not an email or facebook message.  When the boys were little, before they could play/wear/use a gift, our rule was a handwritten thank you note was completed.  In my stash, you can never have enough Thank You cards.  

I have a great group of ladies that wanted to have a workshop class on embossing techniques.  A demonstration wasn't going to cut it with these gals - they wanted to get their hands inky too.  So I set to work creating.

This is one of the cards the ladies will be completing at the class.    I wanted to teach the emboss resist technique and the June SOTM, A Flowering Bunch, was a perfect stamp set to "highlight".



Stamp your image with Versamark and apply clear detail embossing powder. When heat seat, apply ink to your cardstock (either with a sponge or dauber) to "highlight" the emobossed image.    I used buttercup and cotton candy ink the colours featured in the beautiful Chantilly paper package.  If you click on the picture to get a bigger image, you'll also see I used the bitty opaque pearls to add some bling to the flower centres.





Join CTMH in Aapril and you will receive April, May, June, and July SOTM for free with your consultant kit, all for only $49.00!!!

Enjoy!!

Jennifer
  

Mr. & Mrs. wedding card

I love when I get the opportunity to create wedding cards.  They are just so fun and bling and shiny is mandatory.  My eldest nephew was married on March 15th and this is the card I created for him and his new bride.

Silver embossing added pop to the wedding cake and Mr. and Mrs. sentiment and silver glitz glitter gel highlighted the bell that topped the cake.

The paper is from Love Always, with Smokey Plum and Slade Cardstock.  The cake was embossed on Whisper cardstock.

The cake image and bell is from The Happy Couple stamp set.  Mr. and Mrs. is from a retired set.


Congratulations John & Virginia - wishing you many many years of happiness and love.

I hope you enjoy my Mr. and Mrs. wedding card.

Jennifer
 

Merry Christmas?

I know the calendar says it's Spring, but with crazy snowstorms and colder than normal temperatures, it seems more like Christmas.  Which got me to creating...

.... the elf Merry Christmas card.  I love this card, it just makes me smile. 
I came across this card on Pinterest from Stamping Idaho.  She very generously shared a tutorial to create.  I didn't have all the items she mentioned and had to improvise witn what I had.  I did have the top note die cut to make the shoes, but the rest is from CTMH.


The glitter 3/4 " circles were cut with new glitter paper with Art Philosphy Cricut cartridge.  The paper is from Pear & Partridge paper package (say that 3 times fast), ribbon from the Olive mini-medley collection, and the stamped "Merry Christmas" is from Christmas Cheer My Acrylix set.  

I hope you enjoy my little Elf card.  Here's hoping Spring flowers are the next project.

Enjoy.

Jennifer

Sympathy Card

I had occasion this week to send a sympathy card to one of my co-workers.  Sympathy cards aren't the easiest to create because I always want them to be perfect, to express what I'm thinking.

I kept my card really simply, cutting my image out and popping up with foam tape.  Square 7 Art Philosophy was used for the mat,  and "thinking of you" stamped on the corner.  I edge distressed the mat with saddle ink and used some organdy ribbon and tan bling to finish it off.

The paper package is from the new Buzz & Bumble collection.






Enjoy,

Jennifer

More Birthday Cards

I had run out (gasp) of birthday cards so got busy to replenish my stock.  I had already coloured in my images so just had to finish off the cards.

 This is a Bella stamp image - the paper is from the new Chantilly paper package with glitter ribbon tape.  The blingy buttons and bow ribbon are from my stash. 
The front says "It's your birthday" and the inside says "Celebrate"

 I just love this little baby image.  The caption that came with it said "**it happens" 
I paired my little guy with the paper package from Claire - I added amythyst cardstock to give it some more colour. 
The sentiment says "Inside every older person is a younger person" - the inside reads "wondering what happened" 

 Oh I love my darling lady dancing - "Never stop dancing"
The inside says "old age isn't so bad - considering the alternative"
Just a cute fun card.








Hope you've enjoyed some birthday cards and maybe are inspired to get colouring.

Enjoy,

Jennifer

Country Born

Well not really, I wasn't country born, but the stamp set "Country Born"  sure caught my attention.  It was on my "must have" list when I first saw it.

For my card base, I sponged the background with garden green, crystal blue and creme brule inks, and mounted on cocoa cardstock.  The horse and foal in the bottom right were embossed with cocoa and then coloured with my Copics.  The tree in the upper left corner is stamped with cocoa ink and coloured in. 



I think this is one of my favourite cards in a long time.  I can picture the rolling pastures and the horses grazing with the sun shining in the background.

Country born? - -  maybe in my dreams.

Enjoy,

Jennifer

Engagement Card

While we were in Jamaica we were surprised with an engagement.  My husband's niece came down to dinner one night and flipped her hand at everyone.  Her boyfriend had proposed to her while watching the sun go down.  Kudos for the romance!!

I have been wanting to play with the new glitter paper from CTMH and an engagement card was the perfect opportunity.

I cut the hearts using the Art Philosphy cartridge in silver & 1/4" larger in black to mat, popping the smaller heart off the page with foam tape.  To add more bling I used a rhinestone brad from my stash, and tied tulle and slate polka dot ribbon.  The sentiment is embossed with silver. 

The slate and white cardstock are layered to give more depth to a simple card. 




Congratulations Amy & Brent - can't wait for another family wedding.

Enjoy,

Jennifer
   

This Won't Hurt A Bit

This won't hurt a bit.  How many times have we heard that?  

I took my mom on a shopping excursion and we visited a great store - One Crazy Stamper.  Mom is not a scrapbooker, she is a quilter, and she reluctantly entered the store with me.  (sort of like I enter a fabric store with her)  She was charmed by the owner, Lora and we had a fabulous time going through the store.  Mom pointed out how many items used in quilting are used in scrapbooking.   She loved watching Lora colour an image with her Copics.   

I had a mission to find a couple of stamp sets, and needless to say I left with a few more than a couple!!!  Mom found this great stamp and said it reminded her of my sister so of course I had to have it!!

Introducing my nurse "Judy"

I love the twinkle in her eye as she blurts out "this won't hurt a bit" - ha ha ha - she's a great nurse but.... reminds her cranky patients the hospital is no charge and not a 5 star!!  Patients love her - go figure.

I plan to mail it to her with the little story of Mom picking it out.  

Paper package is Chantilly, cardstock is Sky and the ribbon and embellishment are from my retired stash. 

Enjoy,

Jennifer

I Am Smiling

"I am smiling - it's my birthday"  is my latest fun card.

I love this image - he is such a funny character that I can imagine him sitting in my backyard on a summer day.  Masculine cards can be tricky and believe it or not, I used the very "girly" paper from Claire and paired with paper from Tommy.  It's easy with CTMH paper to mix and match from various packages.  The red is cranberry and the ribbon and brads are retired embellishments from CTMH.  Gus is coloured with Copics.




Gus is headed to my brother-in-law to celebrate his birthday, and I'm headed back to my craft room for some more creating.

Jennifer
 



 

5 Years!!

Wow - where has time gone?  I received an email this morning.

Congratulations, Jennifer!
You have been a Close To My Heart Consultant for 5 year(s) now! We love having you as part of the Close To My Heart team. Congratulations and happy anniversary! We look forward to the years to come.

Sincerely,

Close To My Heart

 

Thank you to all the wonderful friends and customers I've met through CTMH - especially my convention sisters!

 

Jennifer