Artfully Sent: Pop Up Cards!

Welcome Back!  I'm here with my third and final (for now) card created with the Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge.  This one is my favourite.  I've loved seeing the pop up cards that talented crafters have created.  I'm all about the simple, hence the name Simply Creating, and so pop ups seemed like too much work for me.  This Cricut Collection has changed all that and I'm excited!!!

Here's the front.  

Isn't that fun?  But wait till you see the inside!

Super cute and super fun and fairly easy to put together.  There are score lines where you fold the balloon in the  middle to help.  It took some figuring out that I had to cut the top and bottom so the balloon would pop.  Then I used my fingers to pull the sides forward where the balloon is still attached.  You'll want to be careful where you put your adhesive so that the sentiment on the front doesn't show any.  

The entire card is cut from two pieces of cardstock, Glacier and Thistle.  The banner cuts are also linked to it, which make it easy to cut the cards.  Perfect!  And so fun to put together.  Here's another shot of the balloon from the top so you see how it pops.

Here's a tip.  Don't put adhesive on the middle of the banner, just on the ends.  I figured that out the hard way.

I hope to have some more photos of artwork created by our corporate art department to post soon.

I can't wait to get my hands on this cartridge and create some more of these!  Order yours today on my website or you can email me directly.  I've got an order going in later this week so I can add your collection to it.  Don't forget that when you do, you'll be entered into a draw for a Workshop on the Go of your choice. 

Happy Creating!

Artfully Sent: Sentiment Cards

I'm back with another card created with the newly released Artfully Sent Cricut Cartridge.

There are lots of different types of cards available on the cartridge, with one being these neat sentiment cards.  The card base is cut with a sentiment in the front.  You can leave them as is or cover the back like this card I created at convention.

We backed the hello with Glacier cardstock and the sunshine with Colonial White, then added a Canary insert that covered the whole inside of the card.  Here's a close up of what's all cut out of the front:

There's some Gold Shimmer Trim and Gold Sequins added along with some stamped flowers.  Love this one!  But my favourite card is still to come.  Stay tuned to tomorrow's post.

Hop on over to my website to purchase your own Artfully Sent Cricut Collection.  Remember, anyone who orders a collection from me by Sept. 30, will be entered into a draw for a FREE WOTG kit, of your choice.

Happy Creating!

Artfully Sent is Here!

As I'm sure you're already aware, our newest, much anticipated Cricut collection is now available to order!  And we're all VERY happy!  I'm hoping mine will be on the way later today.

 
Maybe I should explain why we had a delay of over a month (Consultants have been waiting since convention in June!).  Our Cricut cartridges are made by Provocraft, like all Cricut cartridges.  With their release of the Explore machine they have had some things to deal with and just didn't get our cartridges done in time.  They just arrived in the CTMH warehouse yesterday, and were made available to order immediately.

I've had some people ask me about projects made with this cartridge.  I don't have too many, just the three I created at convention, but I'll share them here today, and the next two days.  Here's the first one:

This is one of the swing cards.  Everything cuts out for you.  And there are really tiny ticks where you need to score your card, even smaller than our previous cartridges.  Here's another view:

Want to see more?  Just pop over to my website here.  Scroll down where you'll see links to sample cards and the shape index.  Then place an order and it will be on the way super quick.  Everyone who orders a collection, either on my website or through me directly will be entered in a draw for your choice of Workshop-on-the-Go kit*.  Just my way of saying thank you for being so patient.  

Come back tomorrow for another Artfully Sent card.  Happy Creating!

*This WOTG offer is only available through me, Krista Ritskes.

CTMH Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop: Family is Forever

Hello and welcome to another Close To My Heart Stamp-of-the-Month (SOTM) blog hop!  If you arrived from {Carla's blog}, you're on the right track.  If you're starting here, just keep hopping until you get back to my blog.  You'll have feasted your eyes on ALL the yummy projects.

This month we are creating with a lovely stamp set called Family is Forever.

I don't know about you, but this stamp set makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  I am so grateful for the relationship I have with my family (my husband and kids) but also the extended family we enjoy. 

Thanksgiving is in October for those of us in Canada and so I decided to create a card for my mother-in-law.  She's the type of person who always mails a card to everyone for every occasion and I often neglect to return the favour.  Not this year!  She also makes THE MOST DELICIOUS apple pies and since I had a few chipboard pieces left from creating some layouts for kits, I made this 5x7 card:

Here's a close up of the tree.

I love the tree image in this set!  It was just begging for some fun treatments.  I inked the entire image with Chocolate ink, but then pulled the ink pad along the trunk section to give it (what I hope is) some bark-like texture.  Then I took a bunch of colours and, using sponge daubers, sponged them on the leaves in different areas.  I used Olive, Barn Red, Autumn Terracotta and even some Goldrush.  All this took some time, so I had to breathe on the entire image to moisten up the ink again.  (I love that you can do that with our dye inks!)

The papers are all from the Pathfinding paper pack and sponged with Chocolate ink.  Chipboard pieces are from the Pathfinding Complements and parts are popped with our new Thin 3-D Foam Tape. Then I just added a few Gold Bling Gems and I was done.

Make sure to contact your consultant to get your hands on this stamp set, because it's only available until September 30.

Now, hop on over to {Dana's blog} and check out the beautiful card she has created.  (Her stuff is always jaw-dropping gorgeous!  I love it.)

Happy Creating!

Moxie Fab and Atlantic Hearts, A Just For Fun Card

Browsing through Bloglovin' a photo on the Moxie Fab blog caught my eye.  The inspiration photo for the Fabulous Friday Challenge: Trendy Triangles was one I had seen before.

It was from the Close To My Heart corporate Instagram Feed!  Those are colours I know well and I had the exact tool they used to create those sweet triangles.  I knew I had to play along.

I also loved the sketch at Atlantic Hearts this week.

So I used it as a starting point.  

Here is my card:

I punched the bottom edge with the new Triangle Border Punch.  I also punched some triangles from the six colours in the inspiration photo: Pear, Thistle, Lagoon, Flaxen, Pixie, and Smoothie.  I sort of dropped them on the card base and then arranged them a bit until I was happy.  Each triangle is glued down with a Bonding Memories Glue Pen.  The sentiment, stamped in Black, is from Have a Happy Day.  And then because I thought it needed some bling, I added some Stardust Glitz Gel (retired) on each little triangle.  Here's a close up of that sparkle.  :)

Thank you, Moxie Fab and Atlantic Hearts for the inspiration to create something just for the fun of it.

Happy Creating!

More fun with PML (Picture My Life)

I promised in my last post that I would share some cards made with PML today.  They are also from the Chantilly kit.  Here they are:

I added a piece of paper from the Chantilly paper pack, retired now, as well as a zip strip on the first card.  I did some sponging with Slate ink on the second card.  I chose one PML card to highlight and then added some pieces I cut out of other ones.  Popped a few elements and add some Flamingo Dots to finish off the cards.  So quick and easy.  It probably took me longer to pick the cards I would use than it did to put them together.

Remember, now is the time to get your Picture My Life kits.  Take a look at all of them here.

Brae-er's Blog Hop: Some of My Favourite Things

I am joining another Brae-er Team Blog Hop!  You should have arrived here from Carol's blog.  If you're starting here, just keep hopping until you get back.

This month's hop is all about our new favourite products.  I've been really enjoying the five new colours Close To My Heart introduced with the Annual Inpsirations catalogue.  They're beautifully soft, but not just pastel soft.  They're modern and a lot of fun to work with.  I also love the new Designer Creation collection of party favour items and such.  These paper bags are so cute!  I stamped some images with Have a Happy Day stamp set, trimmed them out and popped them with our two different heights.  Then I added some Gold Bling Gems.

Here's a close up.  You can see the two different heights here. (Full recipe below.)

I also made a card, one that came out of my own head (no, that doesn't happen often!) and I absolutely love it!

The background is from the Basic Paper Fundamentals (we now have them in ALL our colours).  I added new Thistle and Slate ribbon and sponged with Whisper ink.  Those stars are also new, but they only come in white, so I used our new ShinHan markers to colour them!

Now, hop on over to Heather's blog to see what her favourite new products are.

Items used:

Designer Creations Slate Paper Bags

Have a Happy Day

Thistle ink pad

Glacier ink pad

Canary ink pad

Flaxen ink pad

Pixie ink pad

Bling Gems Gold Assortment

Paper Fundamentals Basic Assortment

Slate Diagonal Striped Ribbon

Thistle Diagonal Striped Ribbon

Whiper ink pad

White Enamel Stars

Tender Pink ShinHan Marker

Pastel Green ShinHan Marker

3-D Foam Tape, 2mm

3-D Foam Tape, 1mm

CTMH: Catch the Creative Card Club Fever

Did you know?  Have you heard?  I have a monthly card club.  And it's tons of fun, right ladies?  There are four lovely ladies in my club right now but I'd love for more of you to join us!

Want to see some of the cards we've made in the last few months?  Of course you do.

Each month we focus on a paper pack, a stamp set, and matching embellishments.  You order the products I've selected with your input, totaling (with shipping and tax) about $40.  I design 5 cards for you to create and give you special printed full-colour instructions that only my club members get.  You can either come to the class or create them on your own.  Super fun! On top of all that fun stuff, one club member gets $25 in free product each month.  And what's not to love about free?

This program is available even if you don't live near me or can't come to class.

Want in or need more info?  Email me at simplycreating@hotmail.com.

CTMH's Stamp-of-the-Month is a Circus!

I love the stamp-of-the-month for July and time is almost up to get your hands on it.  This set, called Circus Alphabet, will no longer be available after Thursday!  Pop on over to my website to place your order (and snatch up those last retiring products you've been planning to get).

This stamp set is so perfect for lots of projects.  Not just layouts, but cards, as well.  I made this cute card with some Jubilee and Kraft paper I still had on my desk.

I didn't have any green sparkles so I used one of my new ShinHan Touch Twin marker to colour some clear ones.  I used Topiary Chevron ribbon on the sentiment piece, attaching it with Glue Dots.  I also sponged all the edges and stamped with Cocoa ink.

So, head over to my website and get your own stamp set.  Don't forget, if you order $50, which will give you this stamp set for $5, you'll also get your choice of M-size stamp set for free!  Don't wait, both these offers are gone Thursday at midnight.

Enjoying More Oldies

Here are some more cards I've had in my Photos to Post file.  I created these a while ago, with a very old paper packet, called Miracle.  In fact, I've also used some leftover pieces from a scrapbooking promotion by the same name.  All the main images are Stickese, with some sentiments stamped in Desert Sand.  I also used a lot of Kraft and you'll notice Kraft borders as well.  (Come on, admit it, you have some of those stashed away.)

For this last one, I just added a Cricut-cut shape I hadn't used in previous projects.  Perfect.

You'll notice I kept these very simple.  I only added some Glitz Gel, touches of Pearl Pen and other simple embellishments to some of the cards.  They also don't have a lot of dimension.  I did that so they could mailed easily.

I hope you find some inspiration for quick and easy cards in these photos.  Now, off to finish packing for convention!!!

Cross Canada Blog Hop: It's Time to Get Fancy!

It's time to hop across Canada again!  This time we are focusing on fancy-fold cards and other projects.  If you arrived from Michelle's blog, you're on the right track.  She's also the geographical start of our hop, so if you're starting here, but want to literally hop across Canada, pop on over there first.  She also has a full list of all the hoppers.

Here is the project I created:

This is one of the cards the members of my card club will create on Tuesday.  Here's the popped up view:

Fun, right?  I realize that I just did a box card for the Stamp-of-the-Month hop a couple posts ago, but my club requested a fun new design and I thought this would be perfect.  I have a limited amount of supplies that I can use, so this isn't as full as other box cards you may have seen.  I still love it!  Here's another view:

I also added a spot to write on the back:

Now it's time to hop on over to Sheri's blog and check out her fancy-fold project.

Supplies used:

Balloon Ride paper

Balloon Ride accessories

Lifting Spirits stamp set

Saddle, Sky and Crystal Blue ink

(Coincidentally, almost all these items are retiring, except the Crystal Blue ink.)

CTMH: Kaboom! It's a Blog Hop!

Sorry, I know that's a terrible title.  I just couldn't help myself.  :)  Welcome to another Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop!  If you've arrived here from Lori's blog, you're on the right track.

We are creating with a super fun set called, you guessed it, Kaboom!  Here is what the entire set looks like:

The images are so fun and will be great for so many events along with Canada Day celebrations, and yes, Fourth of July, for our friends in the south.  ;)  

When I started thinking about what I would create for this hop, I knew it would be perfect for a box card.  I had been wanting to try one for a while and after messing up once with the wrong measurements, I love how it turned out.  Here is what it looks like flat:

And here is what it looks like opened up:

We are celebrating my daughter's ninth birthday this weekend, so I made this card with her in mind.  I love all the fun parts that pop right up!  She thought I was trying to trick her with the Admit One ticket.  :)  It was actually kind of funny to watch her try to figure it out.  I used a piece of cardstock to write a message on the back of the card.  I can't believe she's NINE years old!  

Now, you can hop on over to Michelle's blog and check out what she's created for your inspiration.  Don't forget, this stamp set is only available for the month of June.  Contact your CTMH consultant to order yours.

Happy Creating!  (I'm still celebrating.)

Supplies Used:

Free to Be Me paper pack

Art Philosophy Cricut collection

Honey ink

Ruby ink

Lagoon ink

Black ink

Lagoon cardstock

White Daisy cardstock

Lollydoodle Card Workshop Kits For Sale

I'm starting a new endeavor!  I've had a lot of interest in my past workshops, lots of people are interested in purchasing the kits to be completed at home and I'm happy to say that I'm making things even easier for you, especially if you don't live close to me.  And we're starting with my recent Lollydoodle Card Workshop.

What will you receive with this workshop kit?

• Pre-cut and pre-stamped papers from the Lollydoodle paper pack
• 1 full set of Lollydoodle Complements
• 40 Bulk Flamingo Dots
• 10 White Daisy card bases and envelopes
• 1 5 x 7 White Daisy card base
• 1 3 1/2 x 8 White Daisy card base
• Full colour instructions with photos

There are only a very limited number of kits available, so don't wait too long to purchase.  This is the first time I've used a Paypal button, so please bear with me as I get used to it.  :)  Sorry, kits are only available for purchase in Canada at this time.

SOLD OUT

I apologize if this is the third time you're seeing this post in your email inbox.  Like I said, I'm still learning how to use the Paypal button!!

CTMH: Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop: Hey Foxy

Welcome to another SOTM Blog Hop!  If you arrived from Jen's blog, you're on the right track.  If you're starting here, just keep clicking through the links until you get back here.

It's a very exciting time for all of us who are CTMH consultants.  The new product we've been drooling over and playing with for a month is now available to all of you, our customers! I love this month's stamp set.  It's completely adorable and so on trend.

Isn't it so fun?  Here's the card I made: 

Simple and sweet, just the way I like it.  This card is perfect for someone who just needs a smile.  I used a strip of new Smoothie washi tape and some Flamingo Dots. (SOOO excited about both these products!)  The wood grain washi was introduced in October.  The fox is stamped with Smoothie and rolled in Chocolate ink and then I cut her out and popped her up.  The sentiment is also stamped in Chocolate.  Here's another angle of the dimension:

Now it's time to hop on over to Pamela's blog and see what she has created with this fun set.  Don't forget that this set is only available for the month of February, so talk to your CTMH consultant about ordering and make sure you snatch up some new goodies, too!