It's not a card... it's not a layout...it's a cake?!?

Today I have something a little different for you lol... Sometimes I make cakes... and sometimes it is really fun to combine cake making with paper crafting.  I've really had fun playing with this adorable Woodland Critter stamp set from CTMH. So, when I offered to make a cake for a baby shower, it didn't take long to think of what to do:)

Until we scrap (or eat cake?) again:)|
Emily

Some special cards

I recently had some special birthdays to celebrate, and I had a lot of fun creating some very different cards.  

I wanted this card to have a touch of elegance and sophistication... so I pulled out one of the oldest stamp sets in my collection from the CTMH Just Because Card Kit  Layers of gold dot vellum from Stampin' Up!, gold and white twine, and gold embossing, with a little shimmer from the CTMH Shimmer Brush polished it off.  The lovely ladies were coloured with my Shinhan  Touch Twin markers. 

Until we scrap again:)
Emily

December Team Brae-er Blog Hop

Welcome to December's Team Brae-er Blog Hop!  If you have come from Sheena Brooks, you are on the right track.

I am so excited about this hop, because it features my very favourite paper pack in the whole Holiday Expressions catalogue - Oh Deer!!  I love the colours and patterns in this paper pack, and can't wait to use it for winter layouts, Christmas cards, and even my recent vacation in Jasper National Park.  I grew up among birch and pine trees, so these patterns feel like home to me:)

Here is what is featured in the Oh Deer paper and complements.  If you love it - don't hesitate to head to my website to order it, because it is only available while supplies last until December 31st. 

Oh Deer! Paper Pack

Oh Deer! Complements

Workshop Your Way Kit

Now for two projects that we made in this month's club meeting:

I absolutely love the cute Snow Shadows and Jingle all the Way stamp sets, and wanted to make some special projects to feature them.  Here is a card using Oh Deer! paper and Snow Shadows and Jingle All the Way stamp sets. I added a bit of burlap ribbon from the Rustic Home Ribbon set. Of course, I had to add a strip of Sea Glass Glitter paper too:) The bell and sentiment are embossed in silver.

And then a simple layout, using a pattern from the Make it From Your Heart Volume 1 Pattern Book.

The lovely deer and tree scene is made from the Woodland Wishes Thin Cuts Bundle. My favorite part of making this layout was using all the patterns that I especially loved from the paper packet, including those lovely little stars on the zip strip - then stamping lots of pretty white stars in White Daisy Pigment ink and swiping lots of the ink around to create a snowy effect.  I think the white stamping on the Kraft cardstock is just so lovely. 

Alright:) I hope you got some fun new ideas from my blog.  Hop on over to Michelle Hughes for even more inspiration!

Until we scrap again,

Emily

I always like a happy little bird

This Christmas card was made by pulling out a favourite old stamp set - Paper Bird from CTMH. 

I really liked the natural feel of the Wood Slat Embossing folder paired with the Perfectly Pine stamp set... and every branch is better with a bird on it... so here we go... Merry Christmas!!

Until we scrap again :)

Emily

November Team Brae-er Blog Hop

Hello and thank you for joining me on our team blog hop!  This is my first blog hop and so it is pretty exciting to be involved.  This month we are focusing on the City Sidewalks collection. It is a circular hop, and if you have come from Brandi's blog crzy4scrapbooking.blogspot.com then you are in the right place!

I have to say that the vibrant colours of this fun paper pack really made their way into a lot of my projects this fall. 

Here are the fun papers and embellishments available.  I just LOVE all the pretty red glitter:

This was my most recent City Sidewalks project.  I wanted to show off the fantastic red magnetic chalkboard frame that is on SALE for just $20.55 this month as part of the Happy Happy Christmas campaign.  I had saved a full sheet of the cute paper with all the little Christmas houses and was excited to use it as the base for this simple layout. My favourite pattern was the trees on the Peacock background, and so I was happy to have saved a big piece to highlight my photo. I added a mat for my photo, and a snowfall PML card for journaling, and a couple of sticker complements and red enamel gems.   I intended to cut out the Christmas thin cut for the title, but then loved using the negative space to maximize the red glitter on the page.  I filled in the title with the silver metallic marker.

My second feature City Sidewalks project is a shaker card. I am new to making shaker cards, but once I discovered how easy it is using Flip Flaps, I can't wait to make more!!  This fun card uses City Sidewalks Willow green patterned paper in the tree window, and the Cozy Christmas Thin Cuts bundle to stamp the trees and snowflakes, and even that adorable little bird.  Then, I had to finish the card with some sparkle from the super popular Shimmer Brush.

I hope you are feeling inspired!! Now hop on over to Michelle Hughes' blog  and see her lovely artwork with this paper pack.

 If you would like any of the products used please message your consultant, or visit my website here

Crazy Birds Birthday Wishes

I just love these crazy birds... and playing with different materials and mediums.  This fun card was made by stamping the crazy birds with black Memento ink, and then covering them with masking fluid. From there, I used watercolours to create the rainbow background, dried the paint, and then rubbed off the masks.  I'm still playing with techniques with my Shinhan Touch Twin markers, so I used them to colour in the birds.  I couldn't believe how well the watercolours and markers worked together.  Lately, nothing has seemed complete without a little sparkle, so I gave my Shimmer Brush a good squeeze and then flicked it to create sparkly splatter all over.  I finished the card off by brushing shimmer across the banner.

These 4 x 8 1/2 cards are the perfect size to use for inserting gift certificates. They are easily made from 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock and fit in standard letter envelopes.

Products used in this project:

CTMH White Daisy and Fern Cardstock

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Grafix Incredible White Mask Liquid Frisket

CTMH Watercolour paints

CTMH Shinhan Touch Twin Markers

CTMH Shimmer Brush

D1529 Cricut Artiste Collection Birthday stamp

Until we craft again!
Emily

Silver and Gold Snowflake Christmas Card

I was inspired by Jennifer McGuire's blog today to try something new!!  This fun technique gives your dies all new possibilities, by using them to emboss with.  I started by using my Big Kick to emboss the dies onto my Kraft cardstock, using the silicone mat to get an impression, rather than cutting.  It was a bit of a learning curve to get the right depth.  I don't have a magnetic plate, so getting the ink on without smudging it was a bit of a problem. I think I will have to bump up that plate on my wishlist.... a letter to Santa perhaps?  Then I went ahead and cut out snowflakes in vellum and glitter paper... added some direct to paper white pigment ink... and some sequins and voila! 

Supplies used to make this card: 

X254 CTMH Card Base

Z1375 CTMH Kraft Cardstock

Z2163 CTMH White Daisy Pigment Ink

Z4003 CTMH Snowflakes Thin Cuts

Z2067 CTMH Silver Embossing Powder by Ranger

Z891 Versamark Ink

Z2912 Gold Sequins

Stampin Up Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum  

Visit my website for even more inspiration!

Emily

Crazy Birds Christmas

So - this is a fun project that I have been meaning to do for SO LONG!  I fell in love with Tim Holtz's Crazy birds the first time I saw them sometime last year... then I found this cute set with stamps, dies, and an embossing folder for 50% off at Michael's a few weeks ago.  FINALLY! Time to practice my colouring with these whimsical little birds.  I love birds, and these are just so quirky. 

I am also loving all the beautiful pine images from Close to My Heart this season - and well, who doesn't like playing with glitter?!?!  I am totally covered in blue glitter right now and couldn't be happier.

Supplies I used to make this card:

Sizzix/Tim Holtz Crazy Birds and Die Cuts

CTMH White Vellum (discontinued)

CTMH Snowflakes Embossing Folder Z4000

CTMH New England Ivy Exclusive Ink Z2135

CTMH Desert Sand Exclusive Ink Z2118

CTMH White Daisy Pigment Ink Z2163

CTMH Cocoa Exclusive Ink Z2114

CTMH Perfectly Pine Stamp Set A1191

C|TMH Christmas Thin Cut Z4004

CTMH Woodland Wishes Stamp Set Z4015

Stampin Up Fine Glitter

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Crazy birds!!

Emily

Blending Swan Lake and Fundamentals to make fabulous school layouts

So, I have been having a lot of fun today blending Paper Fundamentals and Complements from the CTMH Annual Catalogue with Swan Lake Paper and Complements from the Holiday Expressions catalogue. 

Today, I used the Memo Fundamentals for base pages, and then layered on scraps of Swan Lake, using the Swan Lake PML cards for titles and journaling spots.  I also used the School K to 6 complements, and Ink Blot stamp set for embellishment.  The Complements are just great because you can sponge ink colours over their basic shades, just as I sponged Poppy ink onto the 'Today' chipboard. 

I just love these beautiful colours and designs!! Don't you?

Emily

Welcome to my New Blog!

I'm Emily...and I love retreating into my Scrap Room to create!!  I've been an avid scrapbooker for many years.  Recently, I have begun playing more with cards and other forms of mixed media arts.  I sometimes share my work on my Facebook page and I am now expanding out into blog world!  I create alone most of the time, but creativity has a wonderful way of growing and flourishing in communities, so here I am!  I love hopping around other blogs, watching YouTube videos, and scouring Pinterest for ideas.

I am an Independent Consultant for Close to My Heart, but I have a way of finding creative outlets in many materials.

Yesterday, I discovered a funny meme on Facebook, and it reminded me of a cute card that I made recently using Close to My Heart's Swan Lake collection, which is featured this month. 

This card was made using the following CTMH products:

C1567 Woodland Critters Stamp Set

X7212B Swan Lake Paper Packet

Z4012 Black Shimmer Ribbon

S1609 Blessed Beyond Measure - September Stamp of the Month

Z3169 Cricut Artbooking Cartridge

Z3248 Wood Slats Embossing Folder

X5929 Whisper Cardstock

Z2873 Slate Exclusive Ink

Z2814 Cocoa Exclusive Ink

Z2851 Saffron Exclusive Ink

Z2852 Poppy Exclusive Ink

Z3293 Shimmer Brush

Hop on over to my website to see even more beautiful inspiration from Swan Lake!

emilys.closetomyheart.ca