It's about CLOSE TO MY HEART this week

The Card Positioning Systems sketch blog team had the joy of working with some great Close To My Heart products this week. Susan Tomaino, Independent Close To My Heart (CTMH) Consultant was our sponsor for this week. There is a special reason that I was very happy with using these papers, stamp pads and stamps this week. That is because about 20 years ago, my very first introduction to the world of rubber stamping was through a DOTS party. Somewhere along the way, the name was changed to CTMH and these days they offer so many more products then they did back then. I remember how amazed I was and wanting basically the entire catalog.

I will post my card using the CPS sketch later this week since it isn't scheduled to go up on the CPS blog yet. BUT, we received so many really fun products, I wanted to create several things so I am showing you two cards today. These mostly use the papers that I selected.

I just feel in love with these cute animals that are a part of one of the pieces of patterned paper from the Animal Cookies collection. The card represents four different prints, I love when prints go together so well.

I also cut this number "3" from one of the papers and then coated it with the Aleene's Paper Glaze. I love giving an accent like this an added boost with an epoxy look.

This is a mini card. It is 4" square. The red heart paper is one of the prints and I cut the little monkey out of the patterned paper with the animal in it. I just love this little guy. Aleene's Paper Glaze coats the little heart in his hand.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

HAPPY - MONKEY card
Materials: Paper – Animal Cookies/Close to My Heart
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Stamp pad – Clearsnap/Fluid Chalk
Scallop circle punch – Papershapers
Tulle
THREE – ANIMAL PARTY card
Materials: Paper – Animal Cookies/Close to My Heart (Animals cut from one of the prints)
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Ribbon

Sketch Addiction

This weekend I was on the search for some sketches to use so I could use some of the neat supplies that were sitting on my scrapping table and here are a couple that I found. First, I turned to Card Patterns and used their sketch #27 to go along with these adorable new October Afternoon papers. I think the first thought for these papers would be a project that is "baby" related but when I went on a search for what October Afternoon stamps I had that would work, I came up with this cute label and the word "together". That just seems to go with that cute little row of ducks.

Want a close-up look at the punches I used? I had some extra Michael's coupons this week, so I am now the proud owner of some new border punches!!! Here I used two border punches. That large scallop one embosses and punches.

For the above card, I round a brand-new-to-me sketch and it was just right for these Daisy Bucket Designs papers and my brand new loopy border punch. I was blog hopping and came across the i heart 2 stamp blog and thought this sketch would be fun to use.

Is this punch just plain YUM! It also has a matching corner punch that I am sure I am going to go get.
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And the below photo just shows that it pays to be the "little" guy in the crowd. Our two older grandsons were over over the weekend and this is one of the games that got invented. Let me tell you that the smallest guy was pretty happy for the ride. He would willingly lay down on the large frizby for free rides.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

TOGETHER – DUCKS IN A ROW card

Materials: Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations

Stamps and Patterned papers – Ducks in a Row/October Afternoon

Oval punch – McGill

Border punches – EK Success and Fiskars

Glitter Brads – Doodlebug

Machine SewingRhinestone – Mark Richards, Inc.

Black Versafine stamp pad

Colorbox stamp pad – ClearsnapSandpaper

LOVE YOU… card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations

Patterned paper and Stamps – Daisy Bucket Designs

Stamp pads – Versafine and Ancient Page

Heart brad – Bazzill

Border punch – Martha Stewart

Scallop circle punch – PaperShapers

Is a PEAR a work of art?

This one was to me! My husband brought home a few pears the other day from a friends tree and this one still had some leaves on it. I just knew I had to photograph it. Then, of course, I had to do some altering to make it more "ART" like!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Slam Dunk

This is one of those layouts where the supply list is very short! I accented the cardstock that is Black Magic by Core'dinations with score lines. I wanted my design to mimic the basketball hoop.

I used a Scor-Pal tool and created scored lines in the top and bottom portion of the piece of cardstock with a criss cross pattern and then sanded those scored lines. Because this is the Black Magic cardstock, the scored lines that are sanded reveal the CORE color. I picked a core color that was orange to match my photos.

The photos are arranged with the collage program in Picasa. I love using that because I can pick out my favorite photos, Picassa arranges them and then I can add a border and pick the color of the border and once I print this out and cut it, it is ready to be added to my layout.

This close up gives you a good idea of what my score lines look like.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SLAM DUNK

Materials:
Cardstock – Black Magic/Core’dinations
Thickers sticker letters
Mini letters – Making Memories
Scor-Pal tool
Sandpaper

Cherry goodness!

I just had to use this adorable cherry print paper by Cosmo Cricket and so the 2 Sketches 4 You sketch for this week was the perfect way to get some of it used up. This is Kazan's sketch #32.The two prints are actually both sides of this piece.

The journaling spot is from a package by Jenni Bowlin. It had a white center and I wanted it to match better so I just brushed it with a couple colors of chalk stamp pads.

The cherries are cut out of the patterned paper. I coated the cherries with Aleene's Paper Glaze for a nice, epoxy look. I also added a little dot of White 3-D Fashion paint by Tulip.

This piece was added to the card front with foam tape. I use a roll of foam tape by 3M, I actually need to take out stock in the company for how much of this stuff I use!

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Now to a photo I just had to share!

While at Disneyland, we came across a parade that we hadn't know was going to happen. My daughter put our grandson on her shoulder so he could get a good view and you can see in his face how much excitement this brought him. He was pointing at everything!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

CUTIE PIE card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations

Patterned paper – Early Bird/Cherry Pie/Cosmo Cricket (both sides)

Journaling spot – Jenni Bowlin

Rub-on words – LUXE

Rhinestones – Mark Richards, Inc.

Machine sewing

Ribbon – Michaels

Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®

White 3-D Fashion Paint – Tulip

Primary Colors for Birthday cards

For the Card Positioning Systems blog this week, the team played with some DRS Designs stamps. For both cards that I posted today, I paired some great, primary colored papers. I picked out this totally great verse for a belated birthday card, the flower stamp and the leaf stamp. HELLO! How many of us are late with a birthday card and isn't this just the cutest?

I just love this flower and the leaf. I did emboss both of them with clear embossing powder since that makes the color more intense. I added a punched out tiny flower to the middle of the stamped flower and added a self adhesive pearl to that.

These papers were already out on my scrapping table, so I paired them again for a quick and easy card for a child, probably a boy. I lightly drew the number on the red striped paper and then hand cut it out.

I always think this border punch is a great look for a "boy" project, notice the embossed part to it that is made more pronounced by sanding the Core'dinations cardstock.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 127 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY card
Materials:
Stamps courtesy of DRS Designs – Greeting, Flower and Leaf
Cardstock – Vintage/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Dreamy 2/Red Pin Stripe/My Minds Eye and Girl Friday/Cosmo Cricket
Border punch – Apron Lace/Fiskars
Stamp pads – Ancient Page/Clearsnap
Clear embossing powder
Sandpaper

“5” BIRTHDAY card
Materials:
Cardstock – Vintage and Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Dreamy 2/My Mind’s Eye
(hand cut number 5)Border punches – Martha StewartStar brads – Making MemoriesSandpaper

Chocolate Box goodness

I sure don't know who thought of the name for this collection of Core'dinations cardstock, but they have my attention just with the name "The Chocolate Box". (Here is a link to get a peek at the amazing colors these come in) BUT, now that I have played with it, I have found that the papers all by themselves are just plain fun. Basically it is a shade of brown on the front side of the cardstock with a yummy, ice cream colored core and this is also the color on the reverse side of the cardstock. My two cards for today use the same color of cardstock, both have a pinkish core and reverse side.

The style of this card is an old favorite. It is just a gathering of punched squares of scraps. I love to create cards with squares like this, I just tend to use slightly larger squares. I liked the little ones because it gave me space inbetween the squares for my grid design to show off well and it also let me use more squares.

I pulled out my Scor-Pal tool and simple created a grid and then sanded the scored lines, letting the core show through. I also sanded the edges of the card. The chipboard flowers are from a long border of flowers by Magistical Memories.

My Little Shoebox and Core'dinations teamed up by sharing papers with each other and this is one of the cards I created with their adorable supplies. LOVE the tiny sticker letters. I think it is so fun to make up my own greeting with them.

I again, used the Scor-Pal tool to make my lines along the bottom edge of this card. When those scored lines are sanded, it makes the entire card coordinated.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

BEST FRIENDS card
Materials:
Cardstock – Chocolate/Core’dinations
Various scraps of patterned papers
Chipboard flowers – Magistical Memories
Rub-on greeting – Making Memories
Scor-Pal tool
Sandpaper
Brads – Creative Impressions
Square punch

YOU ARE AMAZING card
Materials:
Cardstock – The Chocolate Box Collection/Core’dinations
Patterned papers, journaling spot, tiny sticker letters – Tanisha and Danielle/Wonderful Collection/My Little Shoebox
Border punch – Fiskars
Scor-Pal tool
Glitter brads – Doodlebug