Vintage Easter!

I love the colors over at Color My Heart this week!  I really do love the paper pack Ivy Lane; however, I don't have it yet!  It really is on my next order.  Every few months or so, I get with my sweet CTMH consultant, Miss Katie, and place my order.  That way I always have something new to inspire me!  We have a group who goes together and orders at the same time.  We take turns being "hostess" and get all the wonderful gifts and deals CTMH has to offer!  It's also fun to see what everyone is getting and how they plan to use it!

So, about this card!  Since I don't currently have Ivy Lane, I went with the Blush, Hollyhock, Sweet Leaf, and Smokey Plum colors.

My card base is CTMH Sweet Leaf.  I did some distress sanding on the Smokey Plum.  The flower and egg are both from the Art Philosophy cartridge.  The flower was embossed with the CTMH polka dot folder;  I then distress sanded it.  The narrow Sweet Leaf strip on the right side of the card was stamped with a flower stamp from the Sky Lark Scrapbooking Workshop Set.

The Easter scene is from the Some Bunny Hostess Stamp Set.  (See!  There's one of those perks I was talking about in the beginning of this post!)  Those sweet little ones and the eggs (opaque gems) were colored with CTMH Markers:  Hollyhock, Smokey Plum, Sweet Leaf and Bush.  I left some of the gems white.

The bow is CTMH Seam Binding.  The sentiment is from the Some Bunny set and was stamped in Daisy White Pigment Ink and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Ok, off to prepare some music for a Lent service tonight.  Enjoy what is left of the weekend!

    

Art Philosophy Gift Box

I love gift boxes and bags -- probably because it makes gift wrapping so quick!  I'm sort of a procrastinator when it comes to wrapping.  I usually have the gift ready in plenty of time, but then I realize I have no gift wrap or it's not the right size bag!  We live out in the country, so I hate to run into town just to pick up a bag or paper.  Believe it or not, it's quicker to make something than to clean up from having been in the barn and make the trip to town.  (Possibly that's more information than you might want in my post!  Now, you're probably imagining me crafting away in muck boots, a stinky sweatshirt, and breeches covered in horse hair.  No, that all stays in the laundry room -- once in the house, all horse clothes come off and sweats replace them until it's time to go back outside.)

Ok, enough farm hygiene talk!  Gee whiz, talk about digression very early in the post!

The challenge over at Bitten by the Bug 2 is Spring Flowers; that gives me a super opportunity to show off the new CTMH Ariana paper!  It is so pretty and romantic.  I started with Daisy White cardstock and made a 5 1/2" tall x 7" wide x 1/2" deep box.  I then went into CCR and cut the package image out of the Ariana 2X from the Art Philosophy cartridge.  I sized the bow to match the package and cut it twice from Crystal Blue cardstock.   The dimensions on the package are height 8.75 and width 7.39.  Since I used a patterned paper and a pieces of cardstock, this is also perfect for the Exploring Cricut and More Challenge!  It is Crafter's Choice!!

When I cut the package image, I kept the pieces from the handle (gift bow) to use later on the gift tag.

I finished the edges of the bow with Crystal Blue ink and stamped with Adorable Backgrounds (retired) on the ribbon/bow for both sides of the box.  I then glued them onto the package image; and there's the bag!

The gift tag is white cardstock with Sky Blue background that was embossed with a flower Cuttlebug folder.  Remember the flower from the inside of the handle?  I glued three pieces of it on the blue and placed a little rhinestone bling in the middle!

BTW, this is the perfect size bag for 2 size D CTMH Stamp Sets!  I'm not saying that is what is in there, (just in case the recipient catches wind of this post before she gets this), but the size works!

If you need some stamp sets to fit perfectly into a bag you make, go check out KatiesCorner for beautiful stamps, paper, and all the other goodies you might be wanting!

It's a Country Sort of Thing!

Country Flair is the theme over at Heart 2 Heart!  How much better does it get for me?

This is definitely vintage meets current!  Lovely Buckles is one of my all time favorite stamp sets from CTMH.  I have had it for some time and have used it on scrapbook layouts, cards, decor,,,, you name it!

I stamped the buckle and belt and then hand cut it.  I wish Cricut would do a 'scan and cut' feature on the new Explore.  That feature would make me run out and buy it immediately!  I HATE hand cutting with stamps, but sometimes ya' just gotta' cowboy up and get 'er dun!  So, I hand cut!  I wonder if this might be one of the new features that might be incorporated in the software update?  Anybody know anything about that?  Or maybe the new explore does this and I just don't know about it!!!

Ok, on with the card.  It's a simple one with lots of stamp sets!  The paisley print is from a Cuttlebug folder.  This is sort of a City Billboard look with a Country Flair!

List of supplies

Cardstock:  Champagne, Saddle, Sweet Leaf, Sky, Chocolate

Inks:  Autumn Terra Cotta, Barn Red, Sweet Leaf, Slate, Topiary, Dutch Blue (retired), Twilight, and Sunset

CTMH Stamp Sets:   Home of the Brave (2013 campaign set), Genuine Country (retired), Country Born, Lovely Buckles (retired), Love Life

Embellishments:  Sparkles Brown and Tan assortment, eyelet from stash

Embossing Folder:  Paisley Cuttlebug

Visit Katiescorner for all you country crafting needs!  There are lots of great country items:  Baker's Twine in all colors, Stamps, Chicken Wire Decor Frame, Jubilee assorted papers and bling, burlap ribbon,,,,,, the list goes on and on!

Now if you have questions about country life and showing goats (hahaha)...... visit Katie at Katies Corner Blog and ask her about showing goats in 4-H!  I need to scrap some of those pics and get those in a book for posterity, because I KNOW she didn't...... off to the crafting desk!!  Stay tuned for Country Flair part II at a blog site near you!  Who knew scrapbooking could become a leverage tool with our kids?  ; )

Life IS Good in the Country!

 Wow, those crafty color wizards over at Color My Heart gave us a challenge this week!  Ponderosa Pine, Goldrush, and New England Ivy.  These are all colors from the CTMH Enchantment colors.  I find the Enchantment colors difficult to work with since they are dark/rich colors.  I'm much more comfortable with the Whimsy and Adventure colors.  I guess thats's why they call it a CHALLENGE, yes?

I do love living in the country with my guys and horses!  There's nothing like waking up on a summer morning and drinking a hot cup of coffee watching the horses in the pasture, or working hard all day with horses and having burgers off the grill outside for dinner!  These truly are simple pleasures at their best.  I decided to make a card in celebration of the great weather today and all the work I got done out in the barn this morning!

I started with Colonial White CS and stamped using Chocolate and New England Ivy (3rd generation) from these CTMH stamp sets:  Genuine Country (retired) and Country Born.  The barn and sentiment are also from Country Born.

I went into CCR and used the Art Philosophy cartridge to create the star with border.  It is there with a border, but it is a square shape.  In order to keep the star true, I had to make a rectangle border and weld in the star.   It is cut from Ponderosa Pine.

The colors are all represented in the rectangles under the barn and sentiment.  Remember how I said the colors are just too rich for me?  Well, I took care of that.  I got the sanding kit out and went to distressing!  CTMH makes a great little kit with a soft block that has different grits on each side.  I used the large grit on the Ponderosa Pine and it created a streaked appearance.  I used finer grits on the other two for a different texture.  I chunked out the corner on the Goldrush for a really weathered look!

I know I've shared before how I buy the Workshops on the Go for the value and seldom ever make what is intended!  Well, here are some of the Durable Triangle Studs from Cloud Nine!  Oh, and I might add, I did make some cards from that kit---------but I used Later Sk8er paper.  I just can't stay within the confines of the kits!

Ok, time to go back outside.  It's supposed to turn cold again tomorrow and snow next week.  UGH!  So, my goal is to get as much done out there today as I can!

Be sure to stop by Katiescorner for all your colorful country crafting needs!  There really are some fun Country decor items.  For example the chicken wire decor frame is really cool!  I made a fun picture collage for our bathroom.  If you missed it you can see it here:  Frame.

Have a great weekend!

Birthday or Anniversary? Hmmmm...........

Heart 2 Heart has an interesting challenge this week.  (I say this week, but you can play along with any of the challenges the entire month.  So, check it out!)  We are to use the Pantone Spring colors for 2014.  In my interpretation of this challenge, I have used almost all of them!  I didn't use Champagne or Sunset, although the lighter Smoothie marker almost comes off looking a little orange in the picture!  This card is also going over to CurtainCall; they have a Farm Fresh theme going on this week.  This card reminds me of Spring on a farm.  Also going to Fantabulous Cricut Challenge where the color is green!  I had to wait to add this one because Katie follows this challenge, but we celebrated last night!

 This week was my daughter's birthday!  Katie turned 25 on the 19th.  The actual day of her birth was on Palm Sunday.  Since it was so close to Easter we called her our little Snuggle Bunny.  Kelly and I were at DQ reminiscing her birth when we realized we have been parents half our lives now!  So, this was not only our 25th anniversary of being parents, but of being parents for half our lives!

You moms out there now need to think of your oldest child's birthday as your anniversary of being a mom!  This gets you ice cream!  : )

Anyway, back to the card!  I started by stamping the flowers from A Flowering Bunch stamp set.  This was a SOM.  This was one I almost didn't get because I didn't think I would use it, but I use it ALL THE TIME!  I've learned to always get the SOM sets; I always regret it if I don't!
I colored the flowers with CTMH Markers.

I cut the little floral sentiment card from White Daisy CS.  This shape is in Art Philosophy.  I stamped it in Honey Pigment Ink using the Some Bunny stamp set.  The bunny is also from this set!   That little guy is colored with the Whisper marker and his ear is colored with a pencil.   Let me back up to the heart on the Some Bunny Loves You; it was colored with the light Smoothie marker.

The base is Daisy White CS with Juniper polka dot from the Lollydoodle Paper Pack creating the next layer.  The ribbon is very old and if I remember right it might actually be vintage CTMH.  It is a Smoothie color.  The gems were all Pearl Opaque gems colored with Honey, Gypsy, Smoothie and Sky markers.  I think I'm going to use this technique for Easter cards!  They are so pretty!

The inside has a Juniper border stamped with the CTMH Art Philosophy Bundle stamp set.   The Happy Birthday stamp is also from that set.  The flowers are from the A Flowering Bunch set.

Happy Birthday, Katie!

Katie on her First Easter
with Mom and Daddy

Katie June 2013
with her new husband!

Visit Katiescorner if you need any CTMH goodies!

Green Music Take 2

In case you missed yesterday's card, here is a link and the back story to today's card!  If you are interested in catching up, go to Green Music with Retro Form!  It's ok, I'll run downstairs and get some coffee while you see the card for the pianist, read about the recital and blah, blah, blah.............

Ok, caught up now?  Great!  Today's post is about the card I made for the bassoonist!

I started this card with a Daisy White CS base.  I matted with Black and then another white that was stamped with the CTMH Universal Backgrounds music stamp.

In CCR I welded a rectangle from Art Philosophy to the fancy edged piece from Artbooking.  I cut them in Sweet Leaf.  The eighth notes are from ......wait for it......Art Philosophy!  Now, I know many of you are saying, "No they are not!"  Ah, but yes, they are.  I welded a couple of ovals to lines and joined them with another to make the notes!  I have notes in other cartridges, but I was too lazy to look for them!  I attached the eighth notes to the CTMH Topiary Ribbon with a couple of jewelry rings. The kitty is cut from A Child's Year.  The sentiment font is from Artbooking.

All embossing was done with the M-Bossabilities Music folder.  It is a double folder, so there are two different musical motifs here.

 The kitty on the card yesterday was hiding inside, but not today's kitty.  That is because the bassoonist's kitty greets us at the door when we arrive for rehearsal!

The inside Sweet Leaf strip is stamped with the same stamp as the outside piece.  The inside sentiment is from the Artiste CTMH Cricut Bundle.

This card is going off to Atlantic Hearts Sketch, Bitten by the Bug 2, and Fantabulous Cricut Challenge!  I noticed after I submitted yesterday's card to Bitten by the Bug 2 it doesn't have a clef or note cut on it!  Yes, there are notes and clefs, but they are all in the embossing!  The cuts are the keyboard banner,  kitty, and scalloped piece!  Oops!  Well, today's card follows the rules!

Need some beautiful paper, new ideas, or fun embellishments?  Visit Katiescorner!

Green Music with Retro Form

Michelle over at Bitten by the Bug 2 is hosting the challenge this week, and it's Music Speaks!  She was writing about solo/ensemble contests and must say I'm happy to have that done for the year!  I had several students participating.  However, I am preparing my own recital with a couple of colleagues in April and needed a couple of thank you notes for them!  They are helping me out and we're playing trios for oboe, bassoon and piano.  We call our ensemble Reeds and Ivory!

This particular card is for the pianist.

The card is also going over to Retrosketches since I used that sketch for the "form" and to Fantabulous Cricut Challenge since the color is green!

My base is Daisy White CS.  I cut a piece of black and embossed it with a M-bossabilities music folder.  I went into CCR and welded the scalloped piece to a banner and cut it from White CS as well as another white banner shape to go under the "keyboard" banner.  Next I cut a square in Sweet Leaf.  All cuts are from the CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Now for the keyboard banner.  This was put together by taking a banner from Art Philosophy and welding in lines for the white keys.  Then I welded thicker lines over the lines to make the black keys.

Once everything was cut, I started stamping.  I stamped the scalloped piece with the lace doily stamp from CTMH Sweet and Lovely; this gave the white some texture.  The Sweet Leaf piece was stamped using the musical stamp from CTMH Universal Backgrounds.  The flourish is from CTMH Love Life.  

The inside is a white sheet paper with a strip of Sweet Leaf that has been stamped with the Universal Backgrounds stamp.  The sentiment is from CTMH Artiste collection.  The kitty hiding inside is from A Child's Year.  There's a story as to why the kitty is inside the card!  When we practice at the pianist's house the kitty is always hiding behind the piano bench.  After we start playing, she will come out to see us.  But when the music stops, she moves on!

Check back in tomorrow for the variation on this one!  I'm sure you'll find it quite "note"-able!  hahaha

Be sure to stop by Katiescorner for beautiful papers, stamps, and embellishments from Close To My Heart!

Inlaid Boots

Have you ever wanted something, but knew you could NEVER justify buying it?  I guess we all have.  That's the predicament I was in over a pair of inlaid cowboy boots.  About 4 years ago I was looking for a new pair of boots when I saw this beautiful pair.  Oh, man, were they fun!  I loved them.  Then I saw the price!!  Yikes, they were 'salty'!  There was no way I was going to pay over $400 for a pair of boots that would end up stepping in,,,,,well, you can imagine with horses at shows!

Anyway, I was practical and found a nice pair of boots at a fraction of that price and I still wear them today.  They are just about worn out and it will be time to get a new pair soon, but I still won't pay what those inlaid boots cost.  Obviously, I still think about them!  ; )

Ok, what does this have to do with paper crafting?  Well when I saw the color challenge over at Color My Heart, those colors brought back vivid memories of those boots.  So, I decided to recreate them in a card!  I have lots of horse buddies and I'm sure one of them will love this!

I went into CCR and retrieved the boot in Old West.  The hardest part was taking out all those little lines!  I then copied that boot two more times and welded two of them together in Champagne (to reflect the price of the boots I wanted) to create the base for my card.  The third boot was cut from Autumn Terra Cotta after I welded the flower and stem from Art Philosophy into it.

The toe and pull strap were cut from Barn Red.  I ran them through the Cuttlebug with a paisley folder.  I distressed with Barn Red.

I sponged over the boot to cover the white cut marks from the flower and also to give it a leather look.  I colored the heel and soul with the Autumn Terracotta Dark Marker.

The flower and stem are pieces of Hollyhock and Olive CS adhered to the back.  I glued it all together and then adhered the finished boot to my card base.   Since all cowgirls like a little (or a lot of) bling, I finished it off with some Sparkle Gems from the CTMH Tan/Brown Collection.

Alright, I'm off to the barn now.  No cowboy boots today; too muddy!  Muck boots are in order.  Don't worry, I won't be making in muddy, muck boot cards!  hahaha

Be sure to check out all the fun bling at Katiescorner for all your sparkly needs!

Spring Sketch

I'm really getting into the Sketch challenges lately and there is one over at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog this week!  It's a fun sketch to crank up the Cricuts and play along; you still have a couple of days!

All of my paper is from the CTMH Ariana collection.  I am really loving the Ariana Coral color.  I added to it some Ruby, Buttercup, and Crystal Blue.  The satin ribbon is left over from Katie's wedding.  You'll be seeing blue crystals and blue ribbon for a long time!  We did a ribbon backdrop for the cake table and I'm reusing the ribbons we had on that!

The stamp set is CTMH Cross Stitch Wishes.  I embossed the coral and blue card stocks with Cuttlebug folders.  The little gem is from CTMH Opaque Licorice Gems.  I distressed with Blush, Crystal Blue, and Ruby inks.  The sentiment was stamped in Ruby.

Now for the cuts!  All of them are from Art Philosophy!  That really is my go to cartridge!  If I'm in a hurry to turn out a card, I know I can find something fun in there and I don't have to search through a bunch of images.  On the note of searching images, I do LOVE MyCutSearch.com.  That really does make life so much easier!  If you have not been there, go now!  "Do not pass go; do not collect $200;" go directly to that site!  You won't regret it!

Anyway, this is a quick post.  I'm waiting on a huge hay delivery so I'm keeping an eye out for the trucks to come rolling in.

Have a great day -- Spring is on its way!

Check out Katiescorner for some inspiration and really pretty papers this spring!

Charming Luck or Lucky Charm?

All of the challenges this week seem to be in celebration of the green! I don't really have many cartridges that cater to this holiday.  So, I went from the Irish good luck charm angle!  

I started by welding clovers from Art Philosophy, Paper Doll Dress Up, and St. Patrick's Day Rainbow (a free one right now) and welded them into my Sweet Leaf CS.  I embossed it with a sort of Celtic Cross design folder from Couture Creations.  The sentiment is in CTMH Artbooking Font and was done with the Cricut.

The ribbon is CTMH Topiary.  The charm (tags) were cut from White and Topiary using the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge and stamped in Topiary using CTMH Horseshoes (retired).  The background of the tag was stamped with the icing from the cupcake in the Art Philosophy bundle stamp.

I attached the luck charm with a jewelry ring and a piece of scrap ribbon.  I embellished with the white gems from from the Licorice Opaque gems and colored one of them Topiary with my CTMH Topiary Dark marker.  This really does work!  It does not rub off!

This simple and quick card is making its way over to Exploring Cricut, Bitten by the Bug 2, and Heart 2 Heart, and Cut It Up.

May you all find Irish Blessings this St. Patrick's Day!

Visit Katiescorner for great videos, products, and ideas!

Rain, rain....& today a little snow!

I'm not sure which is worse - the inch of rain we got today within a couple of hours time, or the snow that fell a few hours later!  My goodness, we sure have had some crazy weather this year.


This sketch from retrosketches and the rain inspired this card!  I've not don a challenge over at retrosketches before, but they look like a lot of fun!  I encourage all my friends to check it out!

I started this project in the Cricut Craft Room and welded a triangle to a rectangle from CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge.  The umbrella and boots are from Nate's ABCs and the raindrops are from A Child's Year.  The cloud on the inside of the card is from CTMH Artist Cartridge.

All patterned paper is from the CTMH Lollydoodle pack.  The card base and the sentiment strip are Buttercup CS.  The raindrops are drawn with the cricut.  There are a few I cut from Sky CS and then dipped in Liquid Glass to give them a shiny appearance.  I also brushed some LG on the boots to give them some shine!

The sentiment is from the CTMH Follow Your Dreams stamp set (retired).

All CTMH is from KatiesCorner!  Check it out for inspiring videos, great promotions, and creative ideas!

Motherly Advice from Dr. Seuss

Three birds involved in a discussion about individuality!  Mom is teaching her young ones an important lesson about being yourself!  This advice (sentiment) from Dr. Seuss is included in the CTMH Stamp set You Are My Happy.  It was a special promotion in 2013.

I was inspired by Color My Heart (Sky, Topiary and Sweet Leaf) and Triple Play over at Heart 2 Heart!  I have a triple-triple play:  3 birds, use of the word 'you' 3 times in the quote, and 3 colors beside black and white.

I started with my Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the card base and the tags.  For the card base I hid the holes on one end of the card.  When I folded it, you could then see the green through the holes.  I cut a second card base in Daisy White and cut off the bottom third without the holes to use inside the card.  This way the white shows through and I have a place to write.  I'm not sure if I'll use this as a Mother's Day, Birthday, or a note card.

The birds are found in the Home Decor Cartridge.  I found them last week when I was scouting for a bird image to use in Through the Window of a Dressmaker's Shop layout.  I didn't use this image there, but I thought it was so cute!

I embossed the front of the card base with an M-Bossabilities Floral Folder.  Then I embossed the white background and the Sky tag with the CTMH Dot folder.  I sanded the Topiary card base and this made the pattern show through.  I followed that with sponging over the pattern with Sky ink.  The ribbon and bow are Topiary from CTMH.  The birds were cut from Sky and Sweet Leaf.  The little gem holding the tags is a Sweet Leaf color from the CTMH Aqua Dots.  I used Licorice opaque gems for the eyes.  The little blue gems are left over from Katie's wedding!  Sky and silver were her wedding colors.

Speaking of Katie, if you are interested in checking out any of the CTMH products, you can see them at Katiescorner!

our shepherd

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge challenged us to pick a holiday.  Now, one would think this would be an easy, easy challenge.  I saw it on Monday and here it is Sunday and I'm typing quickly to beat the deadline.  I just couldn't pick one!  So, with 2 hours and 20 minutes left I finally have my card ready!

I was sitting in church when the idea of a cross made from shepherd's crooks came to me.  Of course, this conjured up the lambs and I began to wonder how sheep would envision Holy Week and Good Friday.  At this point you are probably wondering what in the world the sermon topic was........uh, it had nothing to do with this!  My brain just went in this direction somewhere during the hour!  I did pay attention; really, I did!

Anyway, I have to say I do love Lent, Holy Week and Easter.  As an oboist, I do my bulk of liturgical playing in these weeks.  This year I have several services to play and a recital!  Yikes, I guess I better get on that music!

Ok, enough about all of that....on to the card.  I digressed early on this post, so I'll try to stay on task to the end.

Looking at this card you might be wondering where the cricut cut is.  Well, there isn't one.  I went into CCR and had the machine draw the sheep and cross.  Then I cut the grass so I would have stencils to put it in around the sheep and cross.  I couldn't get the grass to weld the way I wanted.  I'm not sure if it's not possible or if I just don't know how to make it happen.

The sheep and crooks are from Paper Dolls Dress Up and the grass is from Paper Dolls for Everyday. I colored the cross with colored pencils.  I used colored pencils, CTMH markers, and sponged ink on the rest of the card.  The paper behind the picture is from CTMH Ariana.  The card base is Gypsy CS.

That's it.  I made the deadline with a little time to spare!  Yay!  Oops, I almost forgot; the sentiment is CTMH Happy Alphabet.

Visit Katiescorner for inspiration, videos, and lots of great paper!

Through the Window of the Dressmaker's Shop!

 I have had a vision of doing a layout like this for some time, but never seemed to have the right inspiration, papers, stamps, motivation, etc.  When I saw the March Scrapbook Challenge over at Heart 2 Heart and I looked at the new papers and stamps, I knew the time was right!  I sat down at the computer in CCR, where I do my initial layout design, and thought about the images I wanted.  Believe it or not, I found most of them in the CTMH Art Philosophy and Artiste!  I guess that led me to decide CTMH Art Philosophy is my "go to" cartridge with Artiste being a close second.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love Old West and Kate's ABCs; but when it comes to everyday crafting, I'd not want to give up AP!  That's why this layout is going over to BBTB2 for the Favorite Cartridge Challenge!

I think I hear some of you saying,  "Wait, I know that cartridge inside and out!  Those images are NOT in there!"  Ah, but they are if you do some creative welding in the craft room!  For example, the curtains were made with the AP Tab 2 + Rectangle 1 + Gift.  I created the sign post and bunny's step in the same fashion.  (* I'll give the pieces and cartridges below for the welding.)  The little bird was made to fly by simply cutting 2 wings and inverting the back wing.

The sign holder and post are from CTMH Artiste.

The little bunny tailor was cut from Kate's ABCs; that is such a cute cartridge -- especially for Springtime!

I'll hit a few of the highlights and give a list of supplies below.

The bunny was cut from Whisper CS and his collar was colored in with a gel pen.  His ear and nose were colored with a CTMH Smoothie marker.  He was shaded with a colored pencil and a Whisper Marker; his eye is a Licorice gem.  His scissors are coated in Liquid Glass to give them a shiny appearance.

The step is also cut from Whisper and the top is embossed with the CTMH Dot folder.  I then rubbed over it with Juniper.  The bow and ribbon are Color Ready Seam Binding.  The Flamingo Dots embellish it.

The dress is cut from Sky and the tulle, ribbon, pearls, and accent blue gems are all left over from Katie's wedding!

The tailor's assistant working on the pearls is cut from sky and distressed with Crystal ink.  His beak was colored with a gel marker.  I coated his wings with some liquid glass using a brush to give them some texture.  She is stitching with some embroidery floss on a spool cut from Artiste!

I have a great idea for that spool cut in a later project, but I won't get off track with that here!  This post has way too much for me to ramble on about another project!

Ok, here are my formulas for the shapes:

Sign Post = Artiste Accent 1 pge 36 + Accent 1 pge 40
Dress, form, spool, and scissors = Artiste Accent 1, 2 and 4 pge 41

Curtains = AP Rctngle1 pge 44 + Tab2 pge 58 + Gift Dec Layer pge 60  (hide circles in CCR)
Step = AP Star4 Dec Layer pge 49 + Rctngle 1 pge 44  (hide circles in CCR)
Frame = AP Rctngle 1 3X
Sign = AP Square2 pge 33
Bird = AP Bird peg 51

Bunny and chair = Kate's ABCs page 61

Supply List:

CTMH Cardstock and Papers from the background up:  Ariana, Jubilee, Babycakes, Whisper, Slate, Smoothie,  and Cashmere

CTMH inks:  Sky, Honey, Blush, Smoothie, Sorbet, Juniper, Crystal Blue, and Slate

CTMH Markers:  Smoothie and Whisper

CTMH Stamps: Universal Backgrounds, Cross Stitch Wishes

CTMH Embellishments:  Color Ready Seam Binding, Licorice Gem, Flamingo Dots, Chantilly Assortment, Dot Embossing Folder, and Liquid Glass

Miscellaneous Embellishments and Stuff:  Blue gems, Embroidery Floss, Blue Satin Ribbon, Stash Pearls from an old flourish, Tulle, Pencils, Gel Pens, Silver Pigment Ink, and Black Marker

Whew, that may have been TMI for a Friday afternoon.  I need to get up and move after typing all that!  It's such a nice day I think I'll go out and work some horses!  Hope the weather is as nice for all of you.  Have a great weekend!

Stop by KatiesCorner for inspiration, videos, a look at the new CTMH Spring Idea Book, and great papers and stamps!

The Unicorn: Unlock the Mystery

What's not to LOVE about unicorns.  One of my favorite songs is "The Last Unicorn."  (click title to hear it!)  Kenny Loggins sings a version of it on his Return to Pooh Corner Album....I mean CD.....uh..download!  (Showing my age again!)  I actually wore out my CD in the barn; I would do ring work while listening to it.  My horse Thunder loved that CD and would be so calm when I played it!  Wow, after this long winter and no riding I better get a new copy of that.

Ok, enough unicorn, horse and Kenny Loggins talk.

This card was inspired by the color combo for the challenge at Color My Heart:  Juniper, Lagoon, Sweet Leaf, and Skylark Yellow.  I don't have the Skylark paper pack yet, so I am using Buttercup yellow.  I really do think that paper is beautiful, and it is on my list for my next order!  I'm seriously considering the Skylark Scrapbooking Workshop On The Go because I like the stamp set, as well as the other accessories, that come in it.  I know I've mentioned this before, but I seldom make what comes in the kits.  I just love the bargain of getting all the goodies in one pack and use them all for different projects.  One day I will order one of the packs and actually make what is there .........probably not!  Geesh, I can't stay on topic today, but that's par for the course!

I started with Daisy White CS and stamped my rows of stars on the diagonal.  I started with Juniper and followed down with Lagoon, Buttercup, Sweet Leaf, repeat.  The stars, sentiment, and unicorn are all from *Unicorn Dreams. The sentiment is stamped in Slate and the unicorn in Archival Black.

The piece of CS behind the sentiment is Slate and the card base is Whisper.  I embellished the outside with Color Ready Seam Binding (retired), Black gems (retired), and the magical key from Brocade Assortment (retired).

The inside is stamped with the Love Life stamp set except the sentiment which is from *Unicorn Dreams.

Ok, off to fix some chili for dinner tonight!  Hopefully, now that it's March, the cold snowy weather will start to subside and spring will make its way through the "snice" which is a term our weather team in Indy has been using.  "Snice" = snow + ice!

*Unicorn Dreams is a hostess set.  Remember, you can host on-line parties and qualify for those fun sets in the front of the Idea Book!  Visit KatiesCorner for more info on that!