"These are My People" Blog Hop

Welcome to our Blog Hop featuring an exclusive special, "These Are My People", designed to help you celebrate all the special people in your life, whether through the preserving of memories or creating greeting cards. There is something for everyone! 

If you are coming from Melinda's Blog, you are on the right track. You can find a complete list of participants by clicking here.

This special has a variety of options. While you can make anything you want with the products, there are kits available to make 12" x 12" and 6" x 8" pages and layouts, as well as cards.

Plus, you can get this awesome and exclusive stamp set! Who knew it would be perfect for these unfortunate times we are currently experiencing? 

For all the details regarding this special, click here for "These Are My People".

Now, let's check out what I have to share with you.

While I created the artwork, as designed, from the kits I purchased, I was able to put a twist on this card (shown below) by incorporating one of my FAVORITE stamp sets, "You Make Me Happy". It has adorable animal images and sentiments you will love.

For this card, I simply changed out the focal point by stamping the image and sentiment shown. I used Watercolor Pencils to color them in and used the Watercolor Brush for blending. Of course, I couldn't help but to add a little doodling. (Now I'm thinking I need to add some to the main patterned paper. What do you think?)

This card was kept cute and simple, using some of the patterned paper from the kit. I loved the simplicity of this design from a fellow Consultant, Trina. And the Scalloped Thin Cut is perfect for the background. I did use alcohol markers to color the Clear Sparkles. I love the ability to do that!

Following another design of Trina's, I enjoyed using two of the stamp images, from the "These Are My People" stamp set to create this card. Our Alcohol Markers were used to color them in. 

Here are the various versions I made. I enjoyed changing out the colors. 

"Sentiment Stitches" has these awesome sentiments; perfect for various occasions.

I appreciate you for stopping by and invite you to head on over to Cat's Blog to see what awesome artwork she has to share with you.

The "These Are My People" Special only lasts through this month, while supplies last. Be sure to get yours today!

Happy hoppin'!

"Jazz It Up!" with Blog with Friends

Welcome to "Blog with Friends" where I join five other bloggers as we focus our content on the theme of "Mardi Gras". You'll find images, and their links, at the bottom of this post so be sure to go check out what they have to share with you! 

Unsure how I wanted to tie in Mardi Gras with my love of papercrafting, I decided to incorporate the color scheme is this celebratory card. By using the balloon stamp image and coordinating Thin Cut from the Celebrate Today Cardmaking Workshop Kit I kept it pretty simple but sparkly. 

The gold accents were incorporated through the use of a few products. Balloons were cut out of Gold Glitter Paper, accents on the balloons were created through the use of Golden Rod Stickles Glitter Gel, and I had to include a bow on the strings. They were tired using Gold & White Ribbon. And last, but not least, the beautiful "celebrate" sentiment is from the "Sentiments by Melissa Esplin" stamp set. (If you aren't aware, we are celebrate Stamptacular this month where you can get stamp sets for up to 50% off. HUGE SAVINGS! Click on this link to find out more.)

While you're here, be sure to make your way around to my friends' blogs. They will appreciate it and you'll find some great content. 

Make it a great week!

Karen of Baking in a Tornado

Lydia from Cluttered Genius

Jules of the Bergham Chronicles

P.J. at A ‘lil HooHaa

Kia from The Ground Beneath My Feet

Value Relationships in 2020!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope these first 13 days of the new year, and new decade, have been GREAT for you! Thanks for joining me and my "Blog with Friends". Below you will find visuals and links to their posts around the title of "New Year" so be sure to go see what they have to share with you!

One thing I work to be mindful of is valuing relationships and do so by sending handmade greeting cards. However, I want to be more intentional of this in 2020. 

I've always valued quality relationships, which are few and far between. I always assumed that relationships would be better as you aged and have found that to be the opposite. I think, with this time of social media, that it's easy to be a bit more passive in fostering relationships and the days of mailing a greeting card is few. 

I have created these handmade greeting cards and will be mailing them out soon. When is the last time you sent some happy mail to someone you care about? Wouldn't it be more fun to receive something like this than a bill or advertisements in the mail? 

I challenge you to make it a priority to do so and I'm offering to do the same for you. If you are interested in receiving a handmade card from me in the mail, email me at mlisrobinson@gmail.com. Please provide your name and your email address. (At this time, I'm going to start with U.S. residents. If you live out of the country, please still contact me with your information.)

If you are interested in making cards of your own, here are the contents that come in the Celebrate Today Cardmaking Kit. Please contact me with questions or for additional information

I appreciate you stopping by today and invite you to make your way around the blogs provided below. There is some fun content I know you will enjoy. Make it a great day and week!

Karen of Baking in a Tornado

Lydia of Cluttered Genius

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade

 Tamara of Part-Time Working Hockey Mom

Jules of the Bergham Chronicles

"Gratitude" - Blog with Friends

Join me and my bloggin' friends as we post topics surrounding the theme of "Gratitude". I've posted images and links to their blogs below. We always appreciate blog traffic so be sure to check them out after you read what I have to share with you.

Do you send greeting cards for the holidays or special occasions? I do and they are always handmade. I don't know the last time I have given (or sent) a store-bought card. I need to do a better job on sending them to various people throughout the year. These cards were especially made for this time of the year, a season of gratitude (although it, too, should happen throughout the year). 

I enjoy making handmade greeting cards, and other treats, for family and friends. There were some basic stamping techniques incorporated into each of these and I've given a brief description of each of them below the close-up of the card. 

This one incorporates "2nd Generation Stamping". The middle color used on the acorns is the same as the one on the left. To achieve the lighter hue, I first stamped the darker image on a separate sheet of cardstock and then stamped the image again, without re-inking it, on the card base. That gave the result you see which allows you to achieve different hues of the same color. 

Where the sentiment is located, that technique is called "Tone-on-Tone". That means that the same color of ink was used, as the cardstock (on the lighter side). It's a subtle, but appealing, look. 

For this one, I used the "Rock 'n Roll" technique. I stamped the entire image up in the lighter yellow color (Saffron) and then rolled it in the darker shade, only getting that color along the edges of the image. This technique allows for "blended" colors. For the pine cones in the middle, they were stamped on a separate sheet of paper and then glued on top. 

This one does not incorporate a technique per say, but I did use Watercolor Pencils to color in the image. By easily using various colors, it's easy to show the various colors on the leaves, as shown. By using a Watercolor Brush, you can give the "watercolor" look (without the mess). 

One of the reasons I have enjoyed stamping for so many years is because of the various techniques you can learn and incorporate with supplies you may already possess. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing these handmade cards. Contact me if you would like to make some of your own or if you would like for me to make some for you. I would be honored to do so. 

I truly appreciate you stopping by my blog today. Don't forget to click on my friends' links provided below. They are highlighting some fun topics this month!

Karen of Baking in a Tornado

 Lydia of Cluttered Genius

Tamara of Part-Time Working Hockey Mom

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade

In Any CASE...with Melinda & Melissa

Happy 2019 and welcome back to...

Join us twice a month as we CASE, “Copy And Selectively Edit”, artwork created by the Art Department of Close To My Heart as showcased in the current Idea Books and our Make It From Your Heart How-To Books.

On the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of each month, at 7 pm CST, we will direct you towards a piece of art and recreate it using the exact products or others that compliment its initial design. Tips, techniques and assembly directions will be shared in detail to help you recreate them on your own.

As you reproduce the items we have shared, post them on social media using the hashtag #ctmhinanycase. We will randomly search that hashtag and reward those who CASE our items. Winners will be announced on our blogs so be sure to follow us!

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I loved this card the moment I sat my eyes on it and am excited to share it with you today.

Here are the dimensions for the card pieces:

For the striped paper, you can either do two, 5 1/2" x 1/2" strips, OR cover the base of the card, 5 1/2" x 4 1/4". (I used 1/2" strips so I could keep more of the patterned paper.)

The white embossed sentiments totally pops on this card, making it so charming, don't you think?

This is the stamp set, Dandelion Wishes, that I used. 

And...the Silver Glitter Gems and White Ribbon are great accents! 

This is the beautiful card Melinda is sharing with you on her blog post. It incorporates some fabulous new Thin Cuts. Head to Melinda's Blog so she can show you all that fabulousness! 

Consider CASEing with us and when you do, tag your artwork on social media with #ctmhinanycase. We hope to see more participation this year!

Have a great evening!