Beautiful Friendship

I created this card for a special friend whose birthday is being celebrated tomorrow. I hope she likes it!

The band slides off, and the card is unfolded to reveal the message inside. I love the patterns of the Florentine paper--they lend themselves perfectly for creating the belly band of this card. I picked one of the beautiful stripes that had a scallop beneath which I hand trimmed. The colors are rich and elegant, perfect for so many occasions.

Materials:
Paper: Florentine, Colonial White, Creme Brulee and Cocoa cardstock
Stamps: B1400 Beautiful Friendship
Inks: Chocolate Exclusive Inks
Embellishments: Shimmer Brads

That's Remarkable!

Hello All! :) I hope that you like this little card! It is a variation of one I made for a swap back in February. I added that Desert Sand scalloped circle behind the wreath because it is just so easy with the Cricut AP cartridge.  I know that I have featured the Remarkable Wreath stamp set before-- but I just love it and find that it is so versatile!  I used the beautiful Pemberly papers for this one, and I apparently am loving the Fiskars scallop border punch, too (see previous photos! lol!).  Back to the wreath-- I have always had an affinity for things that have interchangeable parts-- earring sets where you can change out different colored dangle-y stones, those wrist-watches with lots of different colored switchable bands, you get the picture....  This wreath just fits the bill for me! I love how you can choose whether you want leaves, berries or flowers-- or all of them-- and you can also choose the perfect sentiment banner. Love, love, LOVE it!! Perfect in so many ways!

Anywho! I hope you love this wreath as much as I do! :) Sending hugs your way...



Materials:
Paper: CTMH Pemberly, Colonial White and Desert Sand cardstock
Stamps: Remarkable Wreath
Inks: CTMH Exclusive Desert Sand, Outdoor Denim and Chocolate
Embellishments: Antique Gold Durables, Fiskars border punch

Pinch of Love

I am so in love with this little "Pinch of Love" stamp from the Under the Sea stamp set! I mean, who doesn't need a little extra love every now and then?  I have been struggling through some things lately and it has meant so much to me to have those special people in my life who give me that extra pinch o' love when I need it most. :) I think the tiny little heart stamp from the Love Clusters set adds the perfect touch.  I used my blender pen and ink pad to paint that crab cutie.

I hope you get that extra little bit of love when you need it most too...

Materials

Stamps: C1500 Under the Sea, C1484 Love Clusters

Paper: Stella, Dotty for You. Outdoor Denim cardstock

Ink: Archival Black, Holiday Red Exclusive Inks

Embellishments: Z1104 Clear Sparkles, White Daisy Grosgrain Ribbon, foam tape

Friday, at last!

Well, folks, it's been a long week, but it is finally Friday! I have been super busy with grad school and all that goes into teaching 23 seven year olds! I have class all day tomorrow, so the fun continues (lol!). I have pulled out another layout from the archives-- I really need to catch up on my scrapbooking! Thank goodness for studio J. I know that I can just hop on the computer, select my background, layout and colors and just drop in those photos. Embellishing is easy and fun too, it's like one stop shopping, with so many great options! I love how everything coordinates so beautifully. Now I just need to work on coordinating Mike's choice of outfits with mine. lol. Oh,  admit it, you know you do it too!

Well, it's past time to tumble into bed-- I need to be up at 4:30 am to meet my group for the 2 hour drive to our classes in Tennessee. It's not a bad drive, but it's my turn for the carpool and I don't think my friends would appreciate me dozing at the wheel!  I see some Starbucks in the very near future!

Blog Hop Winner!

Thank you to everyone who came to visit during the Blog Hop! After putting all of the tickets that were earned in a hat... we have an official winner of the beautiful scrapbook and card making supplies!

The winner is Tamytha!  Congratulations!!

Please contact Brenda at girlygirlrose43@msn.com to claim your prize.

Spring Blog Hop

Happy Spring! The Rose Blossoms team of Close to My Heart consultants welcomes you to the Rose Blossoms Blog Hop!

 

Nothing says spring like flowers, right? These ribbon flowers were inspired by the talented Penny Kentosh. If you are interested in creating your own, I'd be glad to teach you! I love the sparkle added to the center of the middle of each bloom. The bright, springy paper comes from the "Dotty for You" paper pack-- you'll be seeing more of that from me-- I LOVE the fresh colors and patterns. It's available to customers on the 17th! The cute little gifty bag was created using the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge...  unbelievably simple and easy to make!  I hope you enjoyed my creations!  Your next stop on the hop is http://www.angelbaycraftinghearts.com/, but first read on for for instructions on how to earn chances to win our fabulous prizes!

The rules are really simple for this blog hop. You have the opportunity to earn 8 tickets for a drawing to win the scrapbook/craft supplies pictured below.

To earn tickets:

· Visit each of the seven blogs on the hop and leave a comment for one ticket in the drawing. You must comment on all of them to get this ticket!

· Receive an extra ticket for each blog that you decide to follow!

This Spring Blog Hop goes through Monday, April 16^th at 11:59 pm central time. One winner will be announced on Tuesday evening, April 17^th. Here is the $40 prize package that the winner will receive, perfect for your end-of-the-school-year or Graduation cards and pages:

Keep hopping to http://www.angelbaycraftinghearts.com/

Happy Hopping and thanks for visiting!

Should you get lost you can always come back here to find out who you need to visit:

1. Brenda at Rose Blossom Legacies (http://roseblossomlegacies.blogspot.com)
2. Marg at I Didn’t Have Potatoes (http://ididnthavepotatoes.blogspot.com)
3. Tammie at I Love to Craft! (http://tchelberg.blogspot.com)
4. Crystal at All Things Crafty (http://craftinginlove.blogspot.com)
5. Lynn at From My Bungalow (http://frommybungalow.blogspot.com)
6. Kristine at Merry Heart Creations (http://merryheartcreations.blogspot.com) **you are here!**
7. Jenny May at Angel Bay Crafting hearts http://www.angelbaycraftinghearts.com/

Supplies for card and treat bag (all CTMH):

Paper:  Colnial White cardstock, Dotty for You patterned paper

Stamps: B1400 Beautiful Friendship

Inks: Black Exclusive Ink

Embellishments: Colonial White Brads (while supplies last), Z1104 Sparkles, Z1393 Sweet Leaf Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

Happy Easter!

Good Morning and Happy Easter!  Later today Mike and I will be heading up to my sister's to share an Easter lunch with her family and then over to Mike's folks for dinner! It seems we drive all over North Georgia on many holidays for the opportunity to spend time with our loved ones. It is so worth it, though! Can't wait to see their sweet smiling faces.

Here's a note card created using Close to My Heart's new Colonial White die cut cards. Notice how the card closes by tucking the flower on the right behind a petal of the middle flower. Love that, if I do say so myself! :) The center of each flower is popped up on a bit of foam tape, and I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the label on which the sentiment is stamped. That is one cartridge jam packed with great things!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter holiday.

Matthew 28:6 "He has risen, just as he said!"

Materials Used (all CTMH unless noted):

Paper:  Z1738 Colonial White Die Cut Cards, X714B Stella Paper Packet, Cocoa cardstock
Stamps: B1398 Just For You
Inks: Cocoa, Sweet Leaf, Olive, Lagoon, Sunset, Tulip
Other: Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, foam tape, Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Sweet and Simple

Here's a little card I put together some time after Christmas to use for thank you notes. One thing I like to do is that when I am making a card, I usually like to make multiples... I like to be able to have a card or two on hand in case an occasion comes up, and as long as I have the supplies out, it only takes a little more time to cut and stamp a few rather than one.

I love the Remarkable Wreath stamp set (you'll be seeing it again)! It is so versatile! I love being able to choose from the leaves, flowers, berries and many messages that come with the set, and I think that it can be used for any season or occasion.

Materials used:
Paper:  CTMH Colonial White Cardstock, CTMH Cherry-O Creative Basics (retired)
Stamps: CTMH Remarkable Wreath
Inks: CTMH Chocolate, Tulip, Blush
Embellishments: Velveteen ribbon from Cherry-O Creative Basics pack,  foam tape

Another Easter Studio J Layout

Ok, I'm sharing this layout for a few reasons. One, though the pictures are from many years ago, I want you to know that it is never too late to get out those old pictures; two, it is almost Easter, and voila (wah-lah!)-- here are a couple of Easter themed pages for ya'; and three, I am working hard to avoid writing a paper that is due very soon! 

These photos are of Mike and myself with my twin sister Elizabeth, her husband Max and our nieces Meredith and Macey and nephew Maddox. My sweet mother (we call her Mammy) and wonderful brother Bill also make an appearance in these pages. We look forward to holidays when we all have the chance to just enjoy being together. We love our nieces and nephews dearly and just looking at these pictures makes me happy. We celebrated Easter at my Mom's house, where she has lived since 1971. I believe that she has the most beautiful street in the world in Spring. It is lush with azaleas, daffodils, blooming dogwood and cherry trees and so many other Spring-y things. God's glory is surely evident there.

Alrighty... back to work on that paper now...

Hey Stella! Stell-ahhhh!!

Hehe... that name always makes me think of Marlon Brando's angst in "Streetcar Named Desire." Well, Stella now has a new meaning for me!  I love, love, LOVE the new paper pack from Close to My Heart called Stella. The colors are vibrant-- Lagoon, Sunset, Tulip, Cocoa... and I love the patterns! Here's my take on a card pattern called "Keyhole" that is also a favorite of mine. :)  This is my first attempt at photographing one of my cards-- and I know my technique needs some work-- so please forgive me for that! This photo looks a little fuzzy-- I took a bazillion pics and this one was one of the best. I'll keep practicing.

I really enjoyed putting this one together. Using the Cricut to cut the circles has made my life so much easier! Don't know what I did before welcoming that spiffy piece of machinery into my home! This card came together rather quickly, I hope you can see the detail on the antiqued copper brad (love them-- I'd put them on every card if I could!), the cocoa opaque gems and the chocolate grosgrain peeking out from the bloom! Oh! And check out that brightly patterned piece of "zip strip" running horizontally across the back. Those zip strips on the top of the CTMH paper are genius, giving you just a little more bang for your buck. I curled the message banner and popped it and the bloom using foam tape to give it dimension. Hope you like it!

Materials used:
Paper: All CTMH-- Stella patterned paper, Colonial White and Kraft cardstock
Inks: CTMH Chocolate
Stamps: CTMH Say it in Style, CTMH You and Me
Embellishments: Just Blooms, Antiqued Bronze Designer Brads, Cocoa Opaque Gems, Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon, foam tape

Scrapbooking Made Easy!

Good Morning! I'm on Spring Break this week, so I have a little time to get my feet wet here! I have been taking a break lately from scrapbooking-- but I sure do love it and love to sit down with a good scrapbook and remember so many wonderful times. Last year, when I discovered Close to My Heart's Studio J digital scrapbooking, I was so excited! It is such a fun and easy way to create beautiful layouts! And for a girl like me who spends much of her life on the computer anyway... it was a natural fit!  This is one of the first layouts I created. These are two of my beautiful nieces, Hailey and Jenna, at Easter several years ago. I love the blooming azaleas and, of course, my sweet nieces. :)

Welcome!

Welcome to my little corner of the World Wide Web. I hope you will find something here to enjoy!