"Florals" - Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Happy Monday! Here's wishing you a positive start to the work week.

"Florals" is the theme for this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge, which is actually the first one for May. You can participate by creating artwork of your own, linking up to the respective Challenge on the Blog, ensuring that you incorporate something from Close To My Heart in your creation. That's all that's required. Considering joining us! 

I totally enjoyed creating this card using the Make It From Your Heart, Volume 4, How-to Book. I couldn't resist incorporating the April Stamp of the Month one more time. (It's only available until the end of this month and can be yours, with a qualifying order, for $5!) 

Sugarplum, our Color of the Year, was incorporated throughout, even in the way of the Glitter Paper. Isn't it pretty? Other colors added were: Fern, New England Ivy and Sapphire. 

The dimensional elements of the card really added to its design. The opaque Sequins are from the I Heart Us Sequins. 

Let me know if you have any questions about you can participate in Heart to Heart's Challenges. 

Make it a great week...or not...the choice is yours!

Lovely Layers - CTMH Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to this month's Technique Blog Hop, "Lovely Layers", where we are using Close To My Heart products to align with the theme! 

Participants can incorporate layers in their artwork whether it's through the use of various papers, clusters of embellishments, stamp images that allow for layering, or however else they may interpret the title. You'll definitely want to be sure you make your way around the Hop to see what they designed!

If you are coming from Tamara's Blog, you are on the right track. Should you get lost along the way, simply return here. You'll find a list of participants at the bottom of this post.

I decided to use this stamp set, "Know That I Care", for this hop. Sadly, I need a sympathy card for the family of one of my team members who passed away suddenly last week. These images are perfect for that, as they are for other occasions. 

The layers comes in the way of the stamp images used, and the coloring of them, as well as the papers used. This card design is from Volume 1 of our Make It From Your Heart How-to Book. 

The striped pattern paper is from the "Feels Like Home" paper packet. Cardstock colors used are Sugarplum, our Color of the Year, and Thistle. 

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Sweet Leaf ink was used to color in the leaves, with the help of the Clear Shimmer Brush (which is sometimes challenging to reflect in photographs). For the flowers, I did use the base stamps, including in the set, and stamped them in Thistle ink. They are designed to not accurately fill in those images so I decided to then pull some Thistle ink, from the lid of the ink pad (squeezing it together with the base so some ink ended up on the lid) and colored the blank areas in, also using the Shimmer Brush. I do love how the shaded flowers were created with no need for artistic talent. LOL

This card came together so quickly and I'm pleased with it. I hope you like it too! 

Now head on over to Cat's Blog to see what she is sharing with you today. Happy hoppin'!

List of Participants:
1. Melissa Robinson *YOU ARE HERE*
2. Catherine Nowak
3. Carrie Simonds
4. Michelle Loncar
5. Marciava Warrell
6. Michelle Johns
7. Haley Dyer
8. Debi McBain
9. Darlys Recker
10. Lauren Moore
11. Maz Wood
12. Valerie Kapsha
13. Danielle Wagner
14. Katy Taylor
15. Terry Metzger
16. Tamara Sandwsich