Happy Birthday Butterfly Card

Hello! I've got another card in my butterfly series for you today! For this card I used the retired Butterfly Wings stamp set from Close to My Heart. They have some beautiful sets in the current catalog though, and you can check them out right HERE!

For this card I added my butterflies to the background of my card by stamping all over my patterned paper. To do this and look "natural" make sure you stamp off the edge of the paper. Then I embossed my "Happy Birthday" which is also a retired Close to My Heart set, with clear embossing powder and blinged up the edges a bit. I mounted my sentiment with Foam Adhesive to really make it pop! I also inked all of my edges with Tim Holtz Distress inks!

Make sure you check out my other beautiful butterfly cards. Watch for my post on Sunday, February 16th on the Spellbinders Blog!

Supplies Used:

Close to My Heart Stamps
Recollections Card Bases
Recollections White and Kraft Cardstock
Recollections Adhesive Cork Sheet
Recollections Bling on a Roll
Lawn Fawn Patterned Paper
Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Broken China, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo
Recollections Foam Adhesive
Scotch ATG tape

Butterfly Wings Card

Good Morning! Today I've got another Spring-y Butterfly Card for you. I love the detailsof this butterfly. It is from the Butterfly Wings set from Close to My Heart. It's now retired but you can find some other really cool sets in the current Close to My Heart catalog, just click HERE to shop!

For this card, I stamped and my image onto my white background and then again on my green patterned paper. Then I used my detail scissors to cut out the wings from the green paper and adhered them in place on the white background. I love this trick to quickly "color" images! I used ink and a makeup sponge to distress all of my edges. I used a strip of cork across the middle of the card and then decided to add a little bling to make it pop! For a list of supplies, see below:

• Close to My Heart Butterfly Wishes Stamp Set
• Recollections Bling on A Roll
• Recollections White and Kraft Cardstock
• Recollections Adhesive Cork Sheet
• Lawn Fawn Patterned Paper
• Recollections Card Bases
• Tim Holtz Broken China and Vintage Photo Distress Inks
• Sakura Quickie Glue Pen
• Scotch ATG Adhesive

For You Butterfly Card

Hello and welcome to my blog! This is the 2nd card in my recent Butterfly Card series! If you missed the first one, just hop back to the last post and check it out. I was inspired to make this card by one I saw on Pinterest so I decided to make it pretty and spring-y!

This butterfly image is from the same Close to My Heart set as the big butterfly on my last card. It is now retired but CTMH has many awesome stamps to choose from! Bugs & Hugs is a fun set that would be a great substitute and if you're interested in purchasing that or any other Close to My Heart items, click on the link that says "Mandie From Mandie's Scrappin Sent Me" when you order to let Lori know I sent you.

The "For You" sentiment is also from Close to my Heart. I punched the border with a Fiskars Threading Water Border punch. I also added a bit of May Arts Bakers Twine for texture.  The blue and green patterned papers are from Lawn Fawn. To "color" my butterfly, I simply stamped it once on the White paper and again on a scrap of my Green patterned paper. Then I "fussy cut" the wings and body from the green paper and adhered it over my image on the white paper. I distressed everything with some Tim Holtz Distress Ink to finish it off.

I hope you enjoyed today's card and I hope I'll see you again soon!

Bold Butterfly Card

Hello and welcome to my happy, scrappy blog! I've got a fun-tastic card to share with you today. With all of the cold weather here in IL I've been longing for Spring and happy things, like butterflies! So I've created a series of beautiful butterfly cards to share here on my blog! I'll be featuring all of them over the next week or so.

Today's card uses a big butterfly stamp from Close to My Heart. I stamped it using Tim Holtz Broken China Distress ink. Then I used Clear Embossing powder to emboss it and make it shine! Then I distressed all of my edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The green patterned paper is from a Lawn Fawn 6 x 6 paper pad. You know, they have adorable stamps but did you know they also have fabulous paper too?

Oh, and speaking of Close to My Heart, if you're interested in any of their awesome products, click right HERE to go shopping and find some beautiful new stamps!

I hope you enjoyed the 1st of my 5 card series! See you again real soon! 

Butterfly Waterfall Card

Hello again! I've got another beautiful card to share with you today! This type of card is called a Waterfall Card and it's really fun to make and looks WAY more complicated than it is! First I took 4 white squares that are 1 7/8" x 1 7/8" and stamped 4 different butterfly images on to them. Then I mounted them on 2" x 2" Pink Squares.

Next I took a strip of 2" x 9" and scored it at 2", 2 3/4", 3 1/2" and 4 1/4" and bent each score back and forth. I glued the 1st mounted image into the 2 x 2 area at the bottom of the strip, and then adding adhesive to only the top of the back of my other squares, I butted them up to each score line. Then I cut the striped paper to 3/4" x 4" and glued the bottom of my long strip to it. Then fold the strip over so the rest of the strip is behind your striped paper. Next you adhere just the very edges of the striped paper to the floral paper that is 5 1/4" x 4". You can use a brad or eyelet to attach this if you like.

Now you adhere the floral paper to your 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card base. I punched two small holes in the bottom of the 9" x 2" strip and added a ribbon so that it makes it easier to pull. Now you can add a sentiment on the inside of the card and you have a very impressive card!

Hope you enjoyed today's card! See you again real soon!

Close to My Heart Father's Day Card

Hello again! I'm glad you've stopped by today. I've got a really quick little card to share that would be great for giving a gift card to your favorite Dad on Father's Day! It never hurts to make cards early...

I used some scraps from the Huntington Paper Packet to create this card. The over all size is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" which is about the same size as your average gift card. I used a retired stamp set for this sentiment but a fun one to substitute would be the Perfect Fit - Dad set. I cut the tie shape free hand from a scrap of paper and inked the edges and across where the tie would be knotted. I also inked my card, background paper, and the scrap of fabric I used. If you look back to last week's card, you will see I used a similar layout for both of my cards. I got the idea from the Originals Card Confidence Program® Book which contains 100 different card sketches and ideas to create beautiful cards!

If you head over to my good friend Lori's Close To My Heart page to shop, when you check out I'd appreciate if you'd click on the link that says Mandie from Mandie's Scrappin' Sent Me! Happy Scrappin' and I'll see you again real soon!

Celebrate Close To My Heart Card

Hello again! Looks like I'm off to a good start for my weekly posting goal. Here's a quick and easy card that I created using some scraps from the Workshops on the Go® Laughing Lola Scrapbooking Kit.

The overall size is 3 1/2" x 5" and I used a retired Close to My Heart sentiment set for "Celebrate" but there are LOTS of current choices you could use for a similar effect, like the Card Chatter - Birthday set! I inked the edges of my card and the patterned paper with Black Ink for a little extra definition.

This adorable little flower comes from the Cricut® Art Philosophy Cartridge. I cut it from my cardstock at 3" and then simply started from the outer edge and coiled it into a spiral. I used a glue gun to secure the center of it and then gently bent the petals into the shape I liked. Now I've got a quick and beautiful card that is good for almost any occasion!

If you head over to my good friend Lori's Close To My Heart page to shop, when you check out I'd appreciate if you'd click on the link that says Mandie from Mandie's Scrappin' Sent Me! Happy Scrappin' and I'll see you again real soon!

The Queen's Parade CTMH Layout

Hello again! One of my resolutions for the New Year is to blog at least once per week. Today I have a layout that I created using the Workshops On The Go® Laughing Lola Scrapbooking Kit. These kits are really fantastic because they not only come with a paper assortment and cardstock, but they also include a stamp set and embellishments. There are instructions to create layouts in the kit, but I chose to go in another direction with my kit and so I set those directions aside to use with something else.

I love to use sketches to create my layouts. I have made my own sketches, however I LOVE the Close to My Heart Idea Books and the sketch for this Layout came straight from the Imagine book. I made a few minor modifications to the sketch so it's not exact, but that's the good part about sketches, they give you somewhere to start and then you make it your own!

I wanted to add a few flowers to embellish my layout so I decided to stamp them in Black Ink out onto some scraps from the patterned paper and cardstock.You get a nice crisp image if you put that foam sheet that comes with your stamp set under your paper before you stamp. This stamp set is the one that comes with the Workshops On The Go® Laughing Lola Scrapbooking Kit. You will also want to make sure you have Acrylic Blocks to use your clear stamps on. I used the 3" x 3" My Acrylix® Block here.

Next I grabbed my Close To My Heart Micro-Tip Scissors and cut out the flowers I wanted. The smaller flowers are just the inner shape of the larger design.

For my title I used the Cricut® Art Philosophy Cartridge. This cartridge is only available through Close to My Heart and it has a huge variety of shapes and a really awesome font on it. I used my black marker to go around the edges of my letters to bring them out a bit without cutting a whole extra layer. 

Finally here's one last look at the flowers on the layout, as well as my favorite photo from the parade! This colorful dress just made me smile so much. If you head over to my good friend Lori's Close To My Heart page to shop, when you check out I'd appreciate if you'd click on the link that says Mandie from Mandie's Scrappin' Sent Me! Happy Scrappin' and I'll see you again real soon!

Friend Card

Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I just wanted to share a quick card I created using the gorgeous Close to My Heart Huntington paper collection.

I stamped the "Friend" onto a piece of canvas scrap from my stash with Chocolate Ink and then frayed the edges. Then I cut my Huntington papers to the sizes I wanted. I inked all of the edges in Chocolate Ink. Then I fussy cut a flower from the paper pattern with my CTMH Micro Tip Scissors and inked that as well. I adhered it with a little Foam Adhesive and then added a few gold nrads for some extra dimension.

The "Friend" stamp I used is a Hostess Exclusive Stamp. If you are interested in earning this stamp or learning about other Hostess opportunities, click right HERE for details on how Lori can help you set up an awesome party, either in person or online!

Here's another look at the card on top of the really cool gratitude plate I created at a MOPS meeting last week! The center is a chalk board where we can write what we are thankful for. Isn't it cool? Thanks for stopping by!

never TOO MUCH HAPPY Card

Good Morning, everyone! A couple of weeks ago I was SO happy to find out that I WON a FABULOUS prize from the Simple Stories/Unity Stamp Company Blog Week! I received 5 GORGEOUS stamp sets from Unity Stamp Company!!! So of course, I had to get crafty with them right away! The first thing I made was this card:


I was inspired by the sketch at the Deconstructed Sketch Blog for this weeks challenge so I decided to play along! I used the Happy Pinwheels set and the set and stamped my images in Cocoa Close to My Heart Ink. I used some FABULOUS patterned papers from the Echo Park Paper This & That Graceful paper collection to paper piece into my stamped image. To do this, you simply stamp your image onto patterned paper and then cut out the pieces you want to use. The background paper I used is from Studio Calico and I like the Notebook Paper look it has. I'm so pleased with how this card turned out! Thanks for reading!

Cricut Circle Weekly Challenge #16: Cute As a Button Sketch Challenge!

This week on the Circle Blog they said "Babies are definitely “cute as a button” with their sweet little faces and tiny features. In honor of our Baby Theme, this week we challenge you to create a SCRAPBOOK PAGE or CARD using the sketch below. Your project doesn’t need to follow the sketch exactly, but it should be apparent that you used it as inspiration. Feel free to turn it on it’s side or move elements to fit what you are doing. In addition to using the sketch, (and at least two Cricut Cuts) we also want you to incorporate STAMPING and BUTTONS (of course!)."


So since I have ALL of Evie's newborn pictures that I need to scrap.... I decided to scrap some pictures from the Pumpkin Farm, LOL! I know, I should have done baby pictures BUT I won these My Mind's Eye Blackbird papers a couple of months ago and I really wanted to use them! Since I'm a 2 page scrapper I decided to S T R E T C H the sketch a bit and I am just THRILLED with how it came out!


Yes, that IS a Pumpkin Man mooning you in the middle of the layout! You just went back to look at it bigger didn't you? Bengston's Pumpkin Farm has some of the BEST decorations! Now to scrap some of the rest of the photos from that day! I cut my title from the Hello Kitty Greetings and Birthday Bash Cricut Cartridges...


Are you wondering where I incorporated stamping in this layout? Check out my ribbon. I actually hand cut the scallop in the ribbon and then stamped the pumpkin row from the matching My Mind's Eye Stamp set (yep, won that too!) and then added little dots along the scallops with my marker. I was really happy with how this came out! If you're wondering where the cute flowers came from... some we in my stash box which is a mix of Primas and Close to My Heart flowers mostly and MOST of them (including the puffy orange heart) are Chick'n Feed from Two Chicks Designs!


Here's a close up of my "Pumpkin" flower... the stem and leaves are a Pine Tree button turned upside down! It's fun to occasionally feel clever when you come up with something like this, LOL!

I hope you enjoyed looking at my layout! I really had fun making this one and I'm inspired to finish scrapping all of these pics from this outing... now to find the TIME!

Some New Cards

Ok, I'm FINALLY posting some of those cards I made! I made a few more today with my new 3 Birds on Parade cartridge and I need to get pics of those up too! I am in LOVE with this cartridge. It has so many great titles and the silly birds are so much fun! Enough about that cartridge though, on with the cards I actually have photographed!


This card was made with one of my favorite Cricut cartridges, Happy Hauntings! When I saw the witches shoe I got so excited! I have plans to make a huge "If the Shoe Fits" wall hanging for my entry way! I'm also planning on using several of the cuts for Home Decor this Halloween. I'm ready to bring up those boxes... maybe this weekend... Back to the card. I cut the boot at 3" and I used a scrap of mummy wrapping looking paper for the background. It's hard to see in the photo but I used my i-rock to add some black rhinestones to the button holes. It looks soooo cool in person! You can never have too much bling! I also used my new Inkadinkado Black Embossing Powder to emboss my sentiment. It is so smooth and shiny! Love it!


This baby card was made with scraps of paper from a Close to My Heart kit and this adorable elephant stamp that I found in Michael's $.99 bin! I embossed the card stock with three of my Cuttlebug Folders. I like the way I can add texture with out making the card seem too busy. Then I had to add a touch of bling with some yellow rhinestones and my lovely i-rock tool!


This last card was also created with a Close to My Heart paper kit. I wanted to make a Birthday card that could be given to either a man or a woman. I *think* I achieved that here! I used one of my Martha Stewart punches on the border strip, a Cuttlebug folder on the brown squares and my i-rock once again for the bling!

If you need any of the detail on any of the products I used, please feel free to send me an e-mail. I will happily check my stash and give you specific names of Cuttlebug folders or paper lines if I have that info still!

Just a side note, I think I'm going to hold my 100 follower blog candy until October 1st. If I make it to 150 by then I will have 2 packages to give away so encourage your friends to become followers! I've also joined the "Networked Blogs" on Facebook so look waaaaaay down the left side and you can have my blog sent right to your newsfeed every time I update!

Ty's Baby Album Part 1

Page 1: I used the Close to My Heart set sets Adore Caps and Lowercase to stamp the word "Introducing" with CTMH Heavenly Blue ink. I used my Hero Arts "Tiny Alphabet" to stamp out "Tylen Grant" and the adorable baby is cut with the Cricut Cartridge "New Arrival"


Page 2: The white metal tag is from Making Memories and says "Baby Boy" the ribbon is also from SEI.


Page 3: I used Pop Dots to raise up this adorable onesie on a hanger that I cut using "New Arrival"


Page 4: This is my favorite page! I cut the tub and the words "Bath Time" using the "New Arrival" cartridge. Then I used a product called Skittles (they are little glass flat backed marbles) to make bubbles around the tub.


Page 5: The stamp is used is from a CTMH set called "Today's Date" in Garden Green ink and I circled Ty's birthday with a great pen from Sakura called a Gelly Roll pen.

Ty's Baby Album Part 2

Page 6: I used a stamp that said "Little Miracle" with the Heavenly Blue ink then I traced it with a Stardust pen (super fine silver glitter) for a little extra sparkle. The eyelets are also clear rhinestones with silver around them.


Page 7: I used the "New Arrival" cartridge to cut out the words "Sweet Pea" as well as the baby in the pea pod.


Page 8: The baby blocks letters are also from the New Arrival cartridge. I had to alter them a little so the dark blue would outline the blocks. The ribbon is a sheer white with polka-dots that I just love.


Page 9: The airplane, cloud and banner are both cut with New Arrival and I also elevated them with the pop dots. The quote says "Where there is great love, there are always miracles" and is from a CTMH set called "Love Quotes"


Page 10: Last but not least is a darling moon cut from New Arrival

I hope Christy enjoys her album!