Artfully Sent Love Bug

This is my last share for the night I promise. My cousin has always driven a VW Bug, so when I saw this card design on the cartridge I knew just who I wanted to use it for.

With the pop up cards I will confess I have struggled a little with designing the front of the card as it is usually plain since the focus is on the inside. Another type of card on the cartridge is the pocket card. It works with the pocket scrapbooking programs and is usually 4x6 or 3x4. This type of card can also make great card fronts as you'll see here.

This was my first Artfully Sent project that I tweaked in the Design Space program. The card and elements usually cuts for a 5 x 7 card, but I sized everything in Design Space to be used for a standard 4.25 x 5.5 card. I'm sure this could also be done by tweaking your settings directly on your Cricut, but it was much easier in Design space.

This may be my favorite design yet!

Spooky Artfully Sent

I put this together at a crop I went to on Saturday. As one does (at least I do), I brought way too much with me, but forgot several vital things that I really needed or ended up wanting. The one vital thing I left at home was a Cricut Mat. Our generous hostess lent me one so that I didn't have to make a trip home or to a craft store to pick one up. There were also several embellishment type things I might have added, but I decided to have a "make it work" moment and am pretty happy with the result. I gave the card to the very kind Corinne as a thank you, but made sure to get pictures first. This is one of the many pop up cards on the cartridge.

 Front

(I also used some cuts from Artbooking on the front,)

Inside

Close up

(Love the detailed cuts on this cartridge!)

My First Cricut Artfully Sent Card

I know I should probably spread these posts out, but I'm so excited with how my first Artfully Sent projects have come out that I'll go ahead and warn you that you are going to get several posts in a row from me, because I just can't wait to share! This first card I made is for a dear friend that is fighting cancer. I wanted to cheer her up while she is going through chemo. It came together pretty quickly - it would have been even quicker, but I tend to over think everything (yes, I am that person LOL). There are many different interactive card types on the cartridge. This one is a swing card.

Closed

Open

Front

Inside
(for some reason even though I copy the link for the edited version of this photo from photobucket, I keep getting the unedited version, so sorry this photo isn't as good as the others)

With matching lined envelope

Did I mention that the cartridge has lots of envelopes with liners? I think I have just found a great use for my stockpile of retired light weight Close to My Heart Background and Texture Paper ;-).

Hope you have enjoyed! More to come!

Melissa

Spinner Card with Camper Crazy and Lollydoodle

Spinner cards are a lot of fun. I have seen several variations of these on Pinterest and just had to give it a try. I didn't have any pennies handy, so I used some flat buttons. Not sure if they worked quite as well since this is my first try with this technique. Any opinions from the voice of experience out there in the internet land of crafting?

Anyway I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I can't seem to get enough of the Camper Crazy stamp set and Lollydoodle paper. The base is a sheet from our Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortment. One side has tone on tone glossy embossed images and the opposite side is matte with a contrasting pattern. Very versatile.

I covered the chipboard banner (from one of our Cricut Collections) with a scrap piece of Lollydoodle, then trimmed close (but not too close) to the edge of the shape then filed with my paper file. This give a much more finished look than cutting the shape the exact size before you glue your patterned paper to your chipboard.

This series of three photos should give you some sense of the motion of the campers as they chase each other in a circle.

Hope you are having a grand summer!
Melissa

Skylark Mini Photo Album Card

I turned this birthday card for a friend into a mini-photo album with our Skylark dimensional elements and paper. Just love the colors in this kit. It also features one of my favorite items in the current catalog the teal shimmer trim (it's kind of like glitter ribbon with adhesive backing - too cool!).

Hope you are inspired!

Melissa

Card In A Box featuring Lollydoodle, Camper Crazy and Balloon Talk

I tried to make an infographic style collage for this card in LightRoom, but I didn't quite figure out how to add text correctly, so just to sum up it is a card in a box - - such a fun technique that I am sure to be featuring in a future workshop - I think I might be addicted. ;-) Lollydoodle is another new paper set that I'm wild about. I'm sure you haven't seen the last of the Camper Crazy stamp set either. Isn't it so cute? Believe it or not this is a standard size 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 card, when open the elements just pop out. So much fun. I love creating it so much I had to share right away. I'll add more details later.

Happy Crafting!
Melissa

Close to My Heart Balloon Ride Cards - Technique Paper Piecing

I love all the new paper packs in the new catalog, but this one I think is unique and one of my favorites - although I can't say that next week I won't have a new favorite and so on until all the paper packs have been covered for this book.

Paper piecing is a technique I saw around the internet last fall and have been wanting to try. I decided the stamp set that coordinates with the Balloon Ride paper (D1581 Give a Lift) would work perfectly for this technique.

To start you stamp your image on cardstock and then multiple times on several different patterned papers (you chose depending on your image). You could either pick a portion of the image to highlight or pick patterns to cover the entire image.

You will then trim out the pieces of your image that you want to use from the patterned paper. You may also want to trim out your image from the cardstock depending on your project. Since my paper was two sided I stamped each image twice on the patterned paper and then mixed and matched until I was happy with my combinations. One tip for "fussy cutting" as some people call cutting images by hand, move the paper as you cut around the image not your scissors. You will have more precise cuts this way.

Then just grab a little glue and start attaching your pieces. I found that a liquid glue like our Bonding Memories adhesive was nice because it gave me a little wiggle room as far as moving a piece before it dries if I don't get the placement just right.

I tried taking a wide shot of all the cards, but my "assistant" was determined to stay in the shot. He seems to have a sixth sense on when his assistance will be needed. ;-)

I did the coloring on the basket and flowers with watercolor pencils and a blending pen.

I forgot to take a picture of the inside of this card, but it uses the phrase "Friend you lift me up" from the stamp set. 

For the base of this card I used one of our white daisy die cut cards. There is a card on one of our Cricut cartridges (Artiste I think) that mimics this pretty closely, but rather than figure the cut out in Cricut Craft room, I just traced around the edge and cut it out by hand. As much as I love my Cricut, I will have to say that cutting something by hand can sometimes be easier if it is something small and you are only doing one or two.

One thing with this technique you need to watch is the placement of your stamping on the patterned paper. On one of the balloons I ended up re-stamping one of the center medallions on the opposite less "busy" part of the paper as I could not differentiate between the pattern of the paper and the pattern of the stamped design on the "busier" side of the paper. Just something to keep in mind.

Hope you enjoyed the cards as well as the new technique. If you give it a try, email me a picture and I'll post it on the blog.

Happy "krafting"!

Melissa

March Stamp of the Month - Happy Place

I had my reservations about this stamp set, but now that I have played around with it I'm loving it. Made this to send to my mom. You'll note that a few hexagons from a previous post made it into the inside of the card. I almost feel as if someone needed to step in and give me the "less is more" high sign as I kept adding elements to this card, but I think I managed to step away just in time LOL! The houndstooth washi tape was the final touch. If you are interested in this adoreable stamp set you have until the end of the month to snap it up, just click here for more details.

Sparkle and Shine Paper with Honeycomb

Do you ever feel as if your creative mo-jo has up and left you to never return again? I've been in a slump since Christmas. Can't really put my finger on why, but I am happy to say I was able to do a little creating this weekend - finally! Here are some fun things I've made. Hope you enjoy. :-)

I had the base of this swing card sitting around since Christmas (minus the hexagons and flower embellishment). I just couldn't decide what to do with it, but I loved these patterns from the Sparkle and Shine collection.

I ended up gluing a portion of the "swing" down in the front and making the card a half card on the front. I love the pop of the Ruby on the Juniper. I am really drawn to shades of teal, mint and aqua right now, but it seems I still need a pop of my favorite red.



 

I still had some hexagons left, so I came up with this. I utilized one of our new embossing folders - Quatrefoil on the black. Keep your eye out for those hexagons, I still had a few left after these two cards, so they might just make another appearance.

 

Happy crafting! Melissa



Let's Play Cards

I haven't had my semi regular card workshop in quite a while, so I have scheduled one for Tuesday, October 15th at 7:00. Cost is $5 for 5 cards. The theme for the cards this month is gratitude. If you can RSVP to me by tonight so I can make sure I have enough pieces cut that would be awesome! Bring your basic tool kit and adhesive. Here's a little sneak peek of 2 of our cards. Hope to see you! Melissa

Close to My Heart Monogram Stationary Set

I created this set for a dear friend's birthday. It features our monogram stamp sets, Perfect Fit Frames 1, Perfect Fit Frames 2 and Honeycomb as well as the Claire paper pack. All shapes were cut with our Cricut Art Philosophy and Cricut Artiste cartridges. I'm really pleased with how this came out. The monogram stamps are great for creating special gifts or including as a gift for your crafty friends and family.

Close to My Heart Card with Tommy

I created this on a recent scrapping/stamping retreat I went on for a card swap we all did. I like that this card has multiple uses -- anniversary, encouragement. The red Glitter Glitz doesn't show up as well in this picture as it does in person. but it really is a nice touch. I used our trifold-diecut cards for a base. The stamp and papers are from the Tommy Workshop on the Go Kit.

Card with May Stamp of the Month & Dream Pop

I used a recently learned technique (for me) to put this card together for a friend's birthday. Love the sunburst effect and the bright colors of the Dream Pop papers. Hope you are enjoying the start to summer and some warmer weather.

Close to My Heart Card with March Stamp of the Month

I've been wanting to make something with the March Stamp of the Month, Floral Happiness. I decided on a quick card to let my parents know that I miss them. This is what I came up with:

I used a Cuttlebug Folder for a quick embossed background and then did some base and shade stamping with the roses from this set. I inked the edges of everything with the black stamp pad from our  Basic Pigment Mini Ink Pads Set and then added a little bling with some of the new Pink Glitter Gems. A few foam dots to add a little dimension and I was nearly finished except for the inside sentiment.

 I used this frame shape that I had cut with one of our Cricut Cartridges, but not used for the sentiment (honestly I can't remember if it was Art Philosophy or Artiste, but it was lying on my work table so I seized the moment). It started it's life out white, but there's nothing I can't color with a sponge and a little ink Ü. A little more bling and I was done. I'll be honest at first I kept thinking it was lacking something, but then I slept on it and was pretty pleased with the outcome at second glance. This is a beautiful and versatile set. I look forward to sitting down and playing with it some more. The base and the shade component of this stamp set intimidated me at first, but they really were very easy to line up.

If you plan on joining me for the Hexagon & Back Again Workshop you can try this set out and see if you just might want one of your own.

Happy Krafting!
Melissa

Let's Play Cards Workshop Featuring Clemintine

Join me September 25th at 6:45. We will make 6 cards (2 each of 3 designs) featuring the paper pack Clementine and designs from Make It From Your Heart. As a bonus I will give a brief introduction on using our Cricut Artiste Cartridge. All cards include envelopes. Class is $10. Please RSVP to mahisslp@yahoo.com by September 22nd.

This is just one of 3 designs we will be making. Hope to see you there! Let's play cards :).
Melissa

Let's Play Cards Part 2

The second Let's Play Cards workshop arrived before I  realized it! It is this Tuesday night at 6:45pm at my house (July24th), cost is $10 for 6 cards including envelopes. Sorry to be a little behind in getting this out, but I have been a little preoccupied playing with this!

In case you haven't been on any other blogs or seen any other Close to My Heart news we have a new Cricut® Cartridge called The Cricut®Artiste collection! I didn't think they could really improve on the Art Philosopy Cartridge, but as usual Close to My Heart surpasses my expectations with each Idea Book Launch.


The new Cricut® Artiste collection takes your creativity over the top! With 700 images, the cartridge features themed projects, interactive cards, awards, and more. From robots and spooks to weddings and Valentines, your cupcake liners, invitations, and party favors will coordinate and quickly come together for any celebration! Cutting and assembling the numerous 3-D items is a snap using the project reference chart and separate, step-by-step assembly booklet. When you purchase the Cricut® Artiste collection, you’ll get three coordinating exclusive stamp sets and three Dimensional Elements 12"x 9" sheets that will help your artwork come to life, transforming the ordinary into amazing!

It could be that once of our cards will be made from this cartridge to give you a little sneak preview (hint!hint!). Again class starts at 6:45 on Tuesday, July 24th. Cost is $10 for 6 cards. It generally takes us until 9:00 pm to finish up. Please bring your own adhesive and a pair of fine tip scissors. Kits will be available in case you are unable to attend, just let me know. Please RSVP by Noon on 07.24.12. I might be encouraged to preview a few other projects  and products with the right encouragement. Big Wink ;)
You don't want to miss it!
Melissa

Exciting Close to My Heart Announcements & a Card

This is one of the cards from my Tuesday night workshop. I think it ended up being one of my favorites. It came together rather last minute, but I am happy with how it turned out. It is inspired by: http://octoberafternoon.typepad.com/october_afternoon/2011/06/thursday-sketch-with-stacey.html that a friend of mine pinned on Pinterest a while back. I was just waiting for the right inspiration to do it Close to My Heart style. :) If we hadn't been doing 5 other fairly complex cards I would have added real stitching to the process, but I think using the stamp set was just as effective and fun.

In other news: The annual Close to My Heart Convention started today in Dallas, Texas. Today was the reveal of the Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book to Consultants. You are going to be so excited! There is a new Cricut Cartridge collection called the Artiste Collection. The cartridge includes lots of 3-d items, home decor items, interactive cards and so much more -- 700 cuts in all. I already placed my order so I could have it to play with some for my Idea Book Launch party in August. Stay tuned for more details. Other news that sticks out include: A new consultant kit for $49 -- even more easy and economical to become a consultant if you have an interest, alcohol based markers, mini-pigment ink pad sets in all our colors and Workshop On The Go kits for cards and home decor items.

Look forward to sharing this with you over the coming days. Stay tuned for updates, workshops and new artwork. I should have the July 24th card class information posted by the end of the weekend.
Happy Krafting!
Melissa

Close to My Heart Card Night Workshop Preview

Here are 4 of the 6 cards we will be making at the July 10th workshop. I still have room if you could RSVP by sometime tonight so I can have your kit cut. I will have 2 extra set aside, so if you don't see this until the 10th or want a kit to do on your own (DOYO) email me and let me know (mahisslp@yahoo.com). See the Workshops & Crops tab for full details. I think you'll enjoy making these :).
Melissa

Let's Play Cards!

Starting next Tuesday, July 10th I will be holding a bi-monthly card class at my house from 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm. You will make 6 cards (including envelopes) for $10. You will be responsible for bringing your own adhesive, but other supplies will be provided. If you are unable to attend, but would like the kit I will be glad to provide that to you for $10 with optional priority shipping for an additional $5.15 if you are unable to pick the kit up from me. The DOYO (Do On Your Own) kits will include pre-stamped images, instructions and picture reference. Although these workshops are designed to be casual I would appreciate an RSVP by the Monday afternoon before class if possible so that I know how many cards to prepare. I will only cut 3-4 extra of each project. Pictured below is a teaser for one of the cards we are going to make July 10th. It features a faux stitching technique that looks amazingly real and one of our new A sized stamp sets that is really cute, versatile & economical. You can RSVP here at the blog or to my email. Hope to see you next week! Let's play cards!
Melissa

July Pick a Pair Special

July Pick a Pair Special

In July, when you place an order of $75 or more on my website, then you’ll be prompted at checkout to add a FREE paper pack and coordinating embellishment/sticker pack.

CTMH is doing something special…there will be different freebies depending on WHEN you place your order this month.
*When ordering July 1-5 you will receive the Mischief Paper Packet (X7144B) and Midnight Felt Shapes (Z1462) - - original retail value $15.90.

*When ordering July 6-10 you will receive the Dreamin’ Paper Packet (X7142B) and Harvest Charms (Z1633) -- Original Retail Value $14.90.


*When ordering July 11-15 you will receive the  Fanfare Paper Packet (X71338B) and Fanfare Level 2 Assortment (Z1400) - - Original Retail Value $17.90.


*When ordering July 16-20 you will receive the Lucky Paper Packet (X7137B) and Lucky My Stickease®Assortment (X7137C) - - Original Retail Value $17.90.


*When ordering July 21-25 you will receive the Mayberry Paper Packet (X7136B) and Mayberry My Stickease® Assortment (X7136C) - - Original Retail Value $17.90.


*When ordering July 26-29 you will receive the Sophia Paper Packet (X7131B) and Mayberry My Stickease® Assortment (X7131C) - - Original Retail Value $17.90.


*When Ordering July 30-31 you will receive the Believe Paper Packet (X7145B) and Holiday Pockets (Z1486) OR Wonderland Paper Packet (X7146B) and Wonderland My Stickease® Assortment (X7146C) - - Original Retail Value $14.90.
                       
The title of this post (directly above the picture) is a link that will take you to my website for your shopping convenience. ;) I would suggest if there is a particular pair that you really want that you order as soon as it becomes available as these paper packs are a while supplies last item.  If I hear of any duo becoming unavailable I will update here.

Melissa