For Always is Still a Hit!

Who said you cannot take pictures of someone else's secret sister gifts?!  :)  My Mom's secret sister, Nancy Van Nice, is totally creative and gave my mom these fabulous creations.  I just could not resist taking a picture and sharing them with you.  The For Always retired paper packet is a popular one but now retired.

There is nothing complex about this card but isn't it absolutely perfect?  The little touches make a huge impact on the overall card. 

She took a wooden frame and altered it as you see here.  (You can sometimes get these frames for as little as $1 but doesn't it look like it's worth millions?!)  Totally perfect!

And lastly, this cute sticky note holder is just one of the other coordinating items contained with my mom's final gift.  

Nancy did a great job with these gifts and I totally appreciate the ability to create something that nobody else will have but that did not cost a fortune.  It is the thought that counts, right?!  This is what brought me to Close To My Heart approximately 18 years ago and what keeps me inspired and loving the creativity to this day!

Hoping you've been inspired,

Heartfelt Wishes

One of the teachers at my school is getting married in early November and we are having a bridal shower for her today.  Somehow I was left responsible for the packaging of the gift - forgot to take a photo of it - and her card.

Using the For Always paper packet (retired), I incorporated a little of our retired Hydrangea CS since purple is her favorite color (as it is mine).  The card design came from our Wishes How-To Book.  The pattern is called "Medallion" and is found on page 52.  At just $14.95, this book is a steal!

Because I choose to stamp the sentiment on Black cardstock, I used our White Daisy ink pad.  I let it sit overnight to dry and it was perfect.  If you use our pigment inks, like White Daisy, and do not have time to wait, you can always heat set it.  

I will admit, I had some off-brand flourishes that had been given to me some time back and I thought I would use them but...they were horrible to work with!  As I tried to lift one of them off the carrier sheet, some of the jewels came off.  As I attempted to work with the other, before I knew it, it had shriveled into a little ball that I could not separate.  But when I picked up Close To My Heart's Sparkles Clear Flourishes - Small, I had no issues!  Pulled it off, placed it where I wanted it, and applied a little pressure.  Gotta love when the value of our products are revealed to me!

Enjoying having my mojo back!  GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS?!  HUH?!  HUH?!  HAPPY HUMP DAY!

My Creations Star

So I realize it is already April but I am sticking to the saying, "Better late than never", as it applies to this project.

I've had this star since October, wanting to make it for a Christmas decoration.  Well, Christmas has come and gone but the star was still sitting in my scrap room so I decided to use the For Always paper packet to cover it.  I figured that would make the star usable throughout the year.

I do have access to a pattern that can be used to cut the pieces for the star.  (Email me if you want it sent to you.)  I cut the pattern out on a transparency and traced and cut it out to cover the star.  Creating a few rosettes and leaves from our Art Philosophy cartridge, and a small piece of ribbon, I prettied it up a bit.

This is what the star looked like out of the package and one can be yours for just $9.95.  Click here to see it on my website.  It makes a beautiful decorate piece for your home or office and can decorated to suit any color scheme.

It is a BEAUTIFUL day here in Truth or Consequences, NM.  I am kicking off Spring Break and intend on getting in some much needed creative time.  

Enjoy your weekend!

For Always meets Gypsy

As promised in my post from February 14, I am sharing a layout I made with our new For Always paper packet.  These were our wedding colors when we got married almost 15 years ago (June 20, 1998) and I am thrilled about being able to redo my scrapbook with this beautiful paper!  (Click on the photos for a larger view.)

I dropped off my wedding photos, still on negatives, at a photo shop in my hometown with them to transfer them to a CD.  My Mom will pick them up on Tuesday.  I am looking forward to receiving them, placing photos on the layouts I have already created and making some more.  With the original prints, they are all still 4x6 because I was afraid to crop them.  Now I won't have to worry about that and I can redo my wedding layouts as many times as I want!  LOL

Here are some close-ups of the pages and the clusters:

 

I am still going to keep my original wedding album - it is a sign of  the times but it is not so purty according to current standards.  LOL  I realize that in 15 more years I will probably think the same thing of these layouts. Oh well.  Just an excuse to keep scrappin'!

Enjoying the weekend with my parents,

2013 Spring/Summer New Product Blog Hop

First of all...

I pray you are having a great day!

It has been awhile since I have participated in a blog hop but I am thrilled to be back!  I am lovin' these new Close To My Heart products and after you view our artwork, I am sure you will love them too!

This blog hop is one big circle.  If you are coming from Traci's Blog you are on the right track.  You can elect to start at Helen's Blog where you can find a list of all participants or you can continue to make your way through my blog post.

I have bee wishing for a black and white paper packet for some time (ever since Silhouette) and was thrilled when I saw "For Always".  I have been wanting to redo my wedding album as I initially created it on 8 1/2 x 11" pages in 1998!  While my first wedding album is definitely a design of the times, I wanted something a little more elegant so this is what I came up with.  (Please click on images for enlarged view.)

One of the things I love most about this paper packet is its versatility.  I used our "For Always" coordinating "Stickease" with a Ruby (red) twist.  The possibilities are endless with this paper packet!  Stop by to see Sunday's post and view how I used it with Gypsy (purple) - which was my wedding color.

I have not put photos on my layout yet because I am in the process of getting my wedding photo negatives transferred to a CD for digital prints.  I kept all of my wedding photos in the 4x6 size, not wanting to mess them up.  I am thankful that I will be able to print the photos as many times as I want.  However, I recently moved to a little town where the Wal-Mart does not develop photos!  Can you believe that?  When I do put photos on the layout, I will be sure to post an update.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please let me know what you think of my artwork and feel free to move onto Priscilla's Blog or continue reading below for a supply list.  Enjoy the rest of the hop!  Check out another piece of artwork I created with a twist on this paper packet by clicking here.

Supply list (all Close To My Heart products):

• Silver Shimmer Trim
• Opaque Pearl Adhesive Gems
• For Always paper packet (pictured below)
• For Always My Stickease Assortment (pictured below)

Happy hoppin',

Love = For Always

I have been enjoying several days/evenings of creativity.  It sure feels good to be back in the swing of things and with beautiful new products from Close To My Heart, the opportunity is that much more enjoyable.  Plus, it helps that it is chilly and extremely windy outside.  Isn't that a great excuse to stay inside and papercraft?

I sat down yesterday evening to create a card with our new For Always paper packet.  I had some leftovers after designing three layouts from the Level 2 packet and this is what I came up with.  (I will be sharing those too but not today.)

I had a little help from Freshly Made Sketches.  While I have seen people use sketches as a starting point for their artwork, I had never checked them out until now.  I used this Sketch, #72 - by Cindy, to get my creative juices flowing and love my final result.

It was fun "blinging" up the focal point a bit.  "Hi, I'm Melissa and I'm addicted to our Silver Shimmer Trim." LOL I think I used it on all of my projects made yesterday.  And I had fun using our Glitz Glitter Gel to blink up the heart on love.  The polka dot strip is one of the Zip Strips included on our B&T paper.  Cool, right?

Thanks for stopping by to check out my artwork.  Feel fee to leave a comment and let me know what you think.  I would also love for you to subscribe to my blog so you can get an email each day I make a post.  You can see the sign-up area on the right.  I have provided a supply list below.

Praying you are safe and warm where you are,

Supplies used - all Close to My Heart:

• Love Always paper packet
• Girls Rock stamp set
• Black CS
• Silver Shimmer Trim
• Silver Glitz Glitter Gel
• Whisper Ink Pad
• Cotton Candy Marker Set