Colour Dare #316 Monochromatic Green

This week's challenge Color Dare #316 was to use any colour of Green - Monochromatic. 

Guidelines on Neutrals:  White, Cream, Black, Gray, Kraft and Brown(s) are free to use.  Unless they're listed in the challenge then you need to use them.

So the first thing I did was pull out my scrap cardstock in Greens and then I pulled out my old whimsy fundamentals paper and found the green spotty paper. 

I wanted a quick easy replicable Christmas card to start making for the HUNDREDS of Christmas Cards my kids want to write for their school friends this year. 

The Cardstock I used to cut the "Merry Christmas" Thin Cut Tree was in a darker green (No idea what its called). Used Thin Cuts—Merry Christmas and then used Bonding Memories™ Dual Action Glue Pen to adhere it together. This adhesive is great for tricky little bits like this. 

I didn't have a lot of time but I'm thinking of encouraging my daughter to use bling on the star or coating the whole thing with Shimmer Brush—Clear or Shimmer Brush—Gold. 

This card is super quick, super easy with the thin cut. Any paper for the Merry Christmas in Green for the tree and any paper in the background to make it look pretty and add some dimension. Then you can jazz it up easily with a coloured star or bling or shimmer brush. 

Hundreds of Christmas cards here we come!

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my latest project. Hope you can join in the Colour My Heart Color Dare Challenge #316 too. I'm really interested to hear what you think about it, so I'd love you to leave a comment. See you again soon. If you don't have a Close to My Heart Consultant (and you're in Australia) feel free to contact me either on this blog or via my website HERE. 

Vandra Stenton, Close to My Heart Consultant, Perth Western Australia

www.vandra.closetomyheart.com.au

Grateful Heart CTMH Australasian Blog Hop

Welcome to our Australasian Blog Hop. We have all been creating with the most lovely paper suite Workshops Your Way® Grateful Heart Scrapbooking Kit matching complements, kits, stamp sets and ribbon, which is featured this month. If you have arrived here from Wendy Hopper -Expressions of the Heart  then you are in the right place. If you landed here another way, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. Follow the links, check out all the amazing ideas and eventually you'll come right back here to where you started.

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Product Description

Kit contents:
1 – Grateful Heart Paper Packet (X7237B)
1 – Grateful Heart Complements (X7237C)
4 – cardstock sheets (1 Mink, 3 White Daisy)
1 – Grateful Heart Cork Shapes(Z4229)
1 – Fern-stitched Ribbon (Z4215)
photo placeholders
printed instructions

Use the materials in this kit to create three coordinating scrapbook layouts. (Instructions also found On my website HERE.)

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I am totally in love with the new SHAKER card system that Close to My Heart released this catalogue so I had to make one with the Grateful Heart papers. 

Caroline at my Cardmaking class put it all together for me. The base is 4 x 5.25 and a 1 x 4 inch strip of the blue pattern and a zip strip 0.5 x 4. 

Then I cut the shapes with the Thin Cuts—Shaker Window & Confetti. 

White daisy for the large circle, then I stamped Happy Birthday in Sapphire ink with Mini Birthday Party Hat stamp set. Saffron cardstock for the ring and stars. Plus Loose Sequins—Silver. 

The best thing Close to My Heart released is the Shaker Window Foam & Acetate. 

These fit the circles perfectly and make it so easy to make gorgeous shaker cards. I put my stars and a few sequins into the circle before closing it up. I think I could have put quite a few more in before its considered too full :) Although with words inside you need to leave room for the words to show through. 

Caroline & I will be doing an instructional video in the coming weeks to explain how to make these cute cards. Check us out on YouTube "Cardmaking with Caroline & Vandra". 

Remember this great set  Workshops Your Way® Grateful Heart Scrapbooking Kit and associated things will be only available while stocks last with this seasonal catalogue which finishes in December (if not sold out beforehand) so go to my website or to your Close to My Heart Consultant. If you don't have a Close to My Heart Consultant feel free to contact me either on this blog or via my website HERE. 

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my latest project ideas. I'm really interested to hear what you think about them, so I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop on our Australasian Blog Hop which is Lauren Moore- CTMH Craftings. I hope you leave a lovely comment on all the blog posts and come back around to mine. See you again soon.

Vandra Stenton, Close to My Heart Consultant, Perth Western Australia

www.vandra.closetomyheart.com.au

Paste-fully Creative - CTMH Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to our Paste-fully Creative - CTMH Technique Blog Hop. This month we are incorporating our new pastes and coordinating products to texturize our artwork. This is an International blog hop group and I am in Australia, with lots of my sister consultants in this blog hop in the US and Canada.  If you have arrived here from Tamara Sandwisch then you are in the right place. If you landed here another way, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. Follow the links, check out all the amazing ideas for using texture in your artworks and eventually you'll come right back here to where you started.

The first thing I did was grabbed out my Opaque Matte Texture Paste, Palette Knives and All-Purpose Mat. Then I grabbed out the cut out from the Thin Cuts—Shaker Window & Confetti with the heart cut outs that I'd made confetti with before. I used it as a template for my Texture paste. I used the Opaque Matte Texture Paste (White) on top of the Sugarplum Cardstock. I used the paper cut out circle a few times with the texture paste. It wasn't cut with the stencil so it will be thrown out afterwards, paper can be used as templates but it isn't reusable. I left my hearts pretty thick with texture paste before I removed the template, so it is more textured. 

I hadn't gotten out my circut to cut some templates in the stencil so I just cut some holes with a standard single punch hole punch. I used the Opaque Matte Texture Paste onto the Boutique picture my life card (see below).  

This month there is a limited time special on the Ribbon Warrior Stamp + Thin Cuts. 

For Cancer Awareness Month. So I used them to finish my cards. 

To finish off my sugar plum card, I put a the Boutique Peacock paper to the left hand side of the card and the Sugarplum with texture paste on 3D foam tape and the survivor circle in 3D. I stamped in Sugarplum and black Ink. The Mink Twine was wrapped around the card with the  Base & Bling Ribbon Charm—Faux Gold (these are in the Clearance section of our websites and match the Ribbon Warrior stamp set perfectly). The charm could be taken off and put on a necklace or bracelet after the card has been given. 

 I finished the PML card off with the the sticker from the Boutique Complements that I stamped Hope, Courage, Hero and Friends on in Black in. Then I wrapped the card in the Mink Twine with the  Base & Bling Ribbon Charm—Faux Gold tied to it. Put it up on 3D foam tape and put the spotty paper from the Boutique Paper Packet. 

Got some shadow on the photo.

 Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my latest project ideas. I'm really interested to hear what you think about my Cancer Awareness/Support Texture Paste cards so I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop on our Technique Blog Hop which is Jayma Malme. I hope you leave a lovely comment on all the blog posts and come back around to mine. See you again soon.

If you don't have a Close to My Heart Consultant (and you're in Australia) feel free to contact me either on this blog or via my website HERE. 

Vandra Stenton, Close to My Heart Consultant, Perth Western Australia

www.vandra.closetomyheart.com.au

Nectarine, Lagoon & Clover Colour Dare Challenge #314

This week's challenge Color Dare #314 was to use Nectarine, Lagoon & Clover with Optional Kraft. 

Guidelines on Neutrals:  White, Cream, Black, Gray, Kraft and Brown(s) are free to use.  Unless they're listed in the challenge then you need to use them.

I decided to use Hello Pumpkin Paper Packet (for the Nectarine), with a bit of Lagoon Cardstock, then Stamped with Clover Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad on with flowers and the flowers above, then Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad for the house and the Home Sweet Home. These stamped images are from this Months Stamp of the Month Thanks & Giving—October Stamp of the Month.

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my latest project. Hope you can join in the Colour Dare Colour Challenge #314 too. I'm really interested to hear what you think about it, so I'd love you to leave a comment. See you again soon. If you don't have a Close to My Heart Consultant (and you're in Australia) feel free to contact me either on this blog or via my website HERE. 

Vandra Stenton, Close to My Heart Consultant, Perth Western Australia

www.vandra.closetomyheart.com.au

Hello Pumpkin CTMH Australasian Blog Hop

Welcome to our Australasian Blog Hop. We have all been creating with the most lovely paper suite Workshops Your Way® Hello Pumpkin Scrapbooking Kit matching complements, kits, stamp sets and ribbon, which is featured this month. If you have arrived here from Shaunna Richards - Passionate About Pages then you are in the right place. If you landed here another way, please join in by following the link at the end of this post. Follow the links, check out all the amazing ideas and eventually you'll come right back here to where you started.

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Workshops Your Way® Hello Pumpkin Scrapbooking Kit

Product Description

Kit contents:
1 – Hello Pumpkin Paper Packet (X7236B)
1 – Hello Pumpkin Complements (X7236C)
4 – cardstock sheets (1 Mint, 1 Lagoon, 1 White Daisy, 1 Willow)
1 – Hello Pumpkin Shapes (Z4222)
1 – Hello Pumpkin Washi Tape (Z4214)
photo placeholders
printed instructions

Use the materials in this kit to create three coordinating scrapbook layouts. (Instructions found on my website.)

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I love the paper in this set, lots of it is black and white in it, so it makes such a classic easy card. There aren't many papers that are Halloween themed so its easy to change up the papers to use for various other things. I stuck with simple and elegant in this couple of cards. I don't think the photos do justice to how classy they look in person (if I do say so myself). 

The card below has a the black and white stripes and some Lagoon Ink for the Thankful Title from the Thanks & Giving—October Stamp of the Month.The little black heart is from this set too. A simple easy card that was quick and effective for all the many thank you cards I tend to make and use. 

October Stamp of the Month - Thanks & Giving

I really love the below card because the mix of the dots and diamond shapes looks like a mans shirt, so I'm glad to have made a more masculine card. The "pocket" shape (rounded triangle shape) was a cricut cut from our Close to My Heart Cricut Cartridges, I had in my scrap white daisy cardstock pre-cut from previously. I went around it with journalling pen and stamped the "You're the best" from the My Type of Note stamp set in black ink and put up with 3D foam tape. 

Please note: I made a couple more cards out of this paper suite but will be showcasing them over the next few blog posts. 

Remember this great set  Workshops Your Way® Hello Pumpkin Scrapbooking Kit and associated things will be only available while stocks last with this seasonal catalogue which finishes in December (if not sold out beforehand) so go to my website or to your Close to My Heart Consultant. If you don't have a Close to My Heart Consultant feel free to contact me either on this blog or via my website HERE. 

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my latest project ideas. I'm really interested to hear what you think about them, so I'd love you to leave a comment before heading off to the next stop on our Australasian Blog Hop which is Maz Wood: aMAZing Crafters I hope you leave a lovely comment on all the blog posts and come back around to mine. See you again soon.

Vandra Stenton, Close to My Heart Consultant, Perth Western Australia

www.vandra.closetomyheart.com.au

Sugarplum, Eggplant & Fern Colour Dare Challenge #313

This week's challenge Color Dare #313 was to use Sugarplum, Eggplant & Fern. 

Guidelines on Neutrals:  White, Cream, Black, Gray, Kraft and Brown(s) are free to use.  Unless they're listed in the challenge then you need to use them.

For some reason I thought Eggplant was more red so thought red, green and purple-pink... so I pulled out my Fair Dinkum Christmas C1728. This is one of our International Stamp sets that is available in all Close to My Heart Markets but can only be ordered online (ask your consultant). I had stamped the koala, with his  Sugarplum Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad hat and the Fern sentiment before pulling out Eggplant and realising it was more purple than red. Whoops, but I made it work anyway. I stamped the presents with Eggplant Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad and the ribbons with Fern Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad. I fussy cut out my Koala and put it up on 3-D Foam Tape. I matted with Sugarplum Cardstock and Eggplant Cardstock. 

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my latest project. Hope you can join in the Colour Dare Colour Challenge #313 too. I'm really interested to hear what you think about it, so I'd love you to leave a comment. See you again soon. If you don't have a Close to My Heart Consultant (and you're in Australia) feel free to contact me either on this blog or via my website HERE. 

Vandra Stenton, Close to My Heart Consultant, Perth Western Australia

www.vandra.closetomyheart.com.au