May 2013 Stamp of the Month and Dream Pop

It's actually May long weekend with no snow. You have no idea how miraculous that is in my hometown - people are known to put off plant buying until after because for the last many years it snows and kills all the plants!!

May's Stamp of the Month is Pinwheel - lots of things you could do with this set.

As you can see once again a few images are highlighted with a red outline - this means by using the Artiste Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart you can cut out coordinating shapes. 

Last but not least is this month's Constant Campaign: Dream Pop. It is an exclusive set of papers that have raised images on them. How cool is that? It'll add new pizzaz to your cards and scrapbook layouts. 

I have another card to post from Mother's Day so keep your eyes open - it's a new style that I tried out and loved the results. Now if the adhesive wouldn't fail because of the embossing...

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there...

... whether you are a mom of kids or pets you're still a mommy!

This year with the added responsibilities at work, it has been a struggle to get my cards done on time. But done they are - and this year I got two completed for both my Mom and my Mother-in-Law. I really hit the jackpot with my inlaws as we get along very well.

Today's inspiration: Case Study #139 : Buttons & Bling - Maureen Plut

I was determined to use a button and add some sparkle. Originally I had tied the ribbon in a bow but it overpowered the flower that I had painstakingly colored with Copic markers. So instead I trimmed the ribbon for something smaller and cuter. You may not be able to see in the photo, but the colored flower and the three red words "Hope, Love, Joy" are embossed.

This is when I realized I didn't have any decent sentiments for Mother's Day so I left it blank, but you can see the same flower from the front peeking around the corners of the card. I love bringing images towards the inside of the card. I had better fix that with my next CTMH order!

Other: 
* Solid cardstock
* Embossing Ink
* Embossing Gun
* Button
* White Ribbon
* Copic Markers R22, R24, R29

CTMH:
* Friendship Bouquet (retired, May 2012 SOTM)
* Artiste Cricut Package Stamp Set
* Black Embossing Powder
* Red Embossing Powder
* Sponges (for distressing)

Hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day with your moms!

Blue and Feminine...

My best friend's birthday was back in April and her favorite color is blue, plus she enjoys travelling and the sea. So I finally cracked out the sea wood shapes that I'd bought some time ago from CTMH but had no idea what to do with them.

My inspiration was Mojo Monday and it popped up from viewing several designers: MOJO290

I went with clean lines and beachy, relaxed feel. I kept to a specific palette and wanted the sea shapes to pop right out as orange against blue.

I didn't go too fancy on the inside but I stamped the entire card with one color which I'd never done before. Usually I like to use a combination of colors and occasionally stamp sets. It worked out well contrasted with the other pieces and cardstock colors.

Other:
* White cardstock

CTMH: 
* Lucky Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
* Jardin
* Card Chatter - Birthday
* Seaside Wood Shapes
* Blue Adhesive rhinestones
* Blue Designer Ribbon (retired)

Looks like we'll get a hint of summer at 25 tomorrow before it hits 11... if nothing else, the weather around here is never boring.

Happy Crafting!!