Heart 2 Heart Challenge, Sentimentally Yours

So this week at the Heart 2 Heart Challenge, we have to use a Close To My Heart sentiment stamp to create our project.  Be sure to check out the challenge blog here for all the beautiful artwork. 
Shortly after we started school, I met a woman who's husband works for the Royal Australian Air Force.  He is on the same project that my husband is on, but they don't work together.  Each of our middle children are in the same kindergarten class and she knows what it is like to live overseas.  She lived in Seattle for three years while her hubby was on this project. 
Anyway, this kind lady has taken me under her wing and showed me the ropes of living in Australia.  I'd be lost without her.  I decided to make her a card and here it is.

I used the Stay Left pattern out of Wishes and made my own background paper.  I took a piece of bamboo textured cardstock and sprayed it lightly with water.  Once damp, I crumbled it all up and then flattened it back out.  I let it dry and then stamped the KINDNESS stamp from the set State of Mind in Cocoa ink across it.  I then cut it to size.  I used Vineyard Berry and Cocoa cardstock for the rest and hand-stitched the edges of the Vineyard Berry.  I used a scrap of Vineyard Berry ribbon and stamped the Thanks in Vineyard Berry.  The Thanks is from the stamp set For Every Occasion.  It was also stamped on a bit of bamboo textured cardstock. 

I think that my friend will like the card and I'm happy with how it turned out. 
Thanks for looking!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge, week 18

Love Family, Cherish Tradition.
This week's challenge was Tag! You're It!  You can make any type of tag or have a tag as a project. 
I decided to make a two page layout with some pictures from Memorial Day weekend.  The pictures are of my parents, my kids, my brother and his wife.  I am really happy with how it turned out.

The paper is Magic Moments and the layout is from the Cherish book.  It is called Simple Contrast.  I switched the pages left to right and also rotated the larger picture 90 degrees. 

Here are some closer views of the details:

The stitching on the left hand page

All the letters are chipboard letters, coverd in Indian Corn Blue cardstock and cut out.  The edges were inked with Cocoa ink.  All the letters were then popped up with 3D foam dots.  On the "F", I added two small Cocoa buttons and a small medal tag.  The tag is an old Connection Club item, that I got before I was ever a consultant. 

I mixed and matched all different chipboard letters.  Some are Close To My Heart, but some are not. 

 Here is the right hand page.  Notice the three journaling tags, tucked behind the 5x7 photo.

Here's a view with the tags pulled out.  I didn't have any sort of template for the tags.  I just free-handed them. 

The letters for Tradition were made the same as the letters for Family.  This time, the little tag says Cherish. 

Here's the hand stitching on the right hand page. 

A closer view of my family's sillest faces. 

Heart 2 Heart Challenge, week 3

This week, we had to follow a sketch for the challenge. To see the sketch, look here:
http://heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com/2010/04/lets-get-sketchy.html

Here is my project:


I am making a small 3 three binder for our neighbor's birthday. His 4th birthday is a little ways away, but I thought I would start early. I am using a Close To My Heart My Creations 3- ring binder, the Stardust paper pack, and Dimensional Elements Stars. The ribbon on the front is our White Daisy Grosgrain that I hand stitched with dark blue embroidery floss.



The large star was sponged with Topiary ink and then stamped with a background stamp and embossed with silver pearl embossing powder. The medium star was sponged with moonstruck ink and then I made the stitches with our new Stardust Glitz Glitter Glue. The small star was sponged with honey ink and then painted with Create-a-Shade pearl paint.



I liquid glassed the "Carl" which was stamped with our Cocktail alphabet.
Thanks for looking!

Heart 2 Heart Challenge, week 2

Here are the requirements for this weeks challenge:

This is a 1/2/3 challenge.
*Use 1 stamped image (not 1 set, but 1 image)
*Use 2 different patterned papers
*Use 3 embellishments - these can be 3 of the same thing or 3 different things

I had a little bit of a hard time using only 1 stamped image. I really wanted to use an alphabet set and spell something out, but that would be more than one image, im my opinion. So, I used the "Happy" stamp from March's A Little Everything.
Everything on my page is Close To My Heart, even the giant snow flakes.
I made this 12 x 12 page to go in a frame on the wall. I am making one of each of the favorite pictures I have of my kids. This one is of my youngest son Sam.



The patterned paper used is a preview of one of the new Summer packs. It is called Zippidee. The edges of one paper are torn to reveal the other paper. The edges of the cranberry cardstock is distressed using our edge distressor. The snow flakes are the CTMH Flurry Dimensional Elements. I sponged Indian Corn Blue ink on the the flakes and then painted them with our Create-A-Shade Pearl Paint. I love that it dries to a shiny finish.
I used foam dots to layer the snowflakes.