Lolli & Pop

Well, friends, it's been about a year since CTMH announced they would be closing. It took time for me to get my footing under me after that, but the fog is beginning to clear. I did transfer over to Stampin' Up! along with many other CTMH Makers, but I have no intention of selling. At least not while we're still in Germany. 

I didn't expect to be back on my blog. However, there are some challenges that I'd still like to participate in, and I need a blog for that. Today's card is a prime example. Color My Heart's current challenge is pink and red with optional neutrals. When a dear friend announced that her first grandbaby (a darling little girl) had arrived and that she and her husband would be Lolli and Pop, this card idea came to me in a flash.

I used my Cricut to create most of this card. Only the background die cuts are Stampin' Up! (Everyday Arches and Brilliant Backgrounds). Don't even ask how long it took to make the Print Then Cut feature on my Cricut work for that banner. My printer was giving me fits!!

To create the lollipops, I used the shapes feature. I inserted three circles and a baby rattle that had a similar band across the center. Using the rattle as my guide, I elongated one circle into an oval then used it to slice one circle into the band shape. I duplicated it, then grouped the two lollipops together to size them. I also inserted the equal sign and elongated it until they became my sticks. I also added an ampersand and sized it to fit between my printed sentiment. 

I sponged edges and then added Glossy Accents over both the lollipops and the ampersand, then dotted some pearls around as the final accent. Now for the hard part. I have to let the Glossy Accents dry before I open the card back up to stamp and write my inside sentiment and greeting. Fortunately, it's Sunday and the hubs is preaching. If I can just exercise enough patience to get to church, this will be dry by the time I get home.

Gotta say...it's good to be back!

Until next time,

Becca

Clearing the Final Clearance at CTMH

 Hi again. I wasn't planning to post anything here again, but I'm on a mission. CTMH's final clearance sale is going on now. If I have anything in my stash that's still available, I'm working with it until it sells out. Right now that means "Flower Friends" stamp and thin cuts set plus the "Square Patterns" thin cuts. Here are the cards I've made so far...

I'm entering the second one in the Color My Heart Color Dare. I chose these colors based on their current challenge of Royal, Wisteria, and Lagoon. Black is neutral, so I made liberal use of it.

Here are a couple more cards using "Flower Friends" with some patterned paper. I used the same basic background for both because I'm also using up scraps.

I hope I've inspired you to check out the final clearance sale. There are awesome deals there!

Until next time,

Becca

Just Chicken In

 Dear Blogging Friends,

If you haven't already heard the new, Close To My Heart (aka, CTMH) is closing. They've been in business for forty years, and they've been a part of mine in some way or another for about thirty-five. I can't even begin to count the ways my life is better because of the creativity and friendships this company has inspired over those years.

I'm not closing this blog because I pay nothing for it, but I will post current crafting projects in my Facebook Group "Crafty Friends" only. I hope you'll join me there, but be sure to agree to the terms (basically encouragement only, no selling, and I retain the right to delete you or offensive posts.) 

Before I go, here's an adorable Stamp of the Month called Just Chicken In (see sidebar for full image).

The chicken beaks and feet were colored with pencils. The bodies and background were sponged with Mustard Seed Distress Oxide and Journey inks respectively. Such a soft look with minimal effort.

Since the inception of this blog, I've always closed with "Until next time." I'm sincerely torn between maintaining the tradition or signing off with something heartfelt and different. I guess I'll let you decide...

Becca

Mixing Eras

Have any of you seen the movie "Return to Me" starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver? It's one of our favorites. Not only is the main story great, the side characters--particularly the quartet of old men--are hilarious. The men play poker and argue about the greatest singers and baseball players of all time. They argue about not only the people but mixing eras.

For today's card, I have mixed eras. Well...maybe not eras exactly, but certainly products that span decades. There are many hassles about having to move every few years, but one upside is that I'm forced to look at everything I own. That's usually when cards like these happen. So without further ado...

Everything here is a CTMH product. The oldest is the gold metalic paper. I think that goes back at least twenty years. I'm down to scraps, but I didn't need much. Everything stamped and gold embossed comes from the Cape Code-Scrapbooking set which came out in July 2023. The thin cuts are a hodgepodge, including some from a Christmas set introduced last year. So not only am I mixing eras here but seasons. 

The point is this: if you haven't gone through all your craft supplies in a while, do so. You never know what they will inspire you to create.

Until next time,
Becca

2023 Favorites

 I haven't blogged in forever, but I wanted to end the year by celebrating my top ten favorite projects of the year. Many of them I haven't posted here as I share more freely in my Crafty Friends Facebook Group. 

There you have it, my top ten projects of the year. 

Now that we've moved to Germany and the craft cabinet is set up and loaded, I hope to be posting more in 2024. Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and crafty new year.

Until next time,
Becca

Cozy Up with Flower Shoppe

 Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love pumpkin spice everything, hot tea, cozy blankets, and a good book...which makes the new Cozy Up collection of products introduced in the brand new CTMH July-August catalog a must have. But even I need a little more summer before immersing myself in "all Fall, all the time." I decided to use the Flower Shoppe paper suite that was introduced last year in the Core Catalog. It was hands down my favorite in that book. It's still available, and another package is in my cart because...I mean, just look at how cheerful it is.

Isn't that fun? The snail comes from Cozy Up - Cardmaking and the envelope comes from In Autumn Time. 

While Flower Shoppe was out, I thought I'd pair it with the July Stamp of the Month: The Bee's Knees. This set is available for $19.95 or, with a $50 purchase, is either $5 or free. See sidebar for link.

I used colored pencils on both cards, making them quick and easy. 

For information on the other products used, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

Until next time,
Becca

A "Quick and Pretty" Card with Two Current Specials

Oh people, it's been forever since I posted. Life is just...life. And mine is in a constant state of flux right now. I needed to do something crafty, though, so I jumped into my craft room to make a "quick and pretty card" using two CTMH specials that retire at the end of June (2023).

The focal image and sentiment come from Botanical Shadows, which is a stamp of the month. It's $5 with a $50 purchase or FREE with a $50 purchase for VIP's (see sidebar for links to both the stamp set and VIP program). The background text and pink swoosh are from the Dream Maker special which is gorgeous!

There's a third special, Melon Mania, which is also going on. I don't have the Melon ink pad, so I used Ballerina ink and sequins, but you could totally substitute Melon and get a good deal on both the ink pad, cardstock, and sequins.

If you want to know the specifics of the other products used, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

I absolutely love how this turned out. I think I might go make a ton more but use a sympathy sentiment as my stash is low in that category.

Until next time,
Becca