White Pines Cards for the December 2015 Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome to the Joyful Stars Blog Hop for December!  If you have arrived here from Crystal's blog, you are on the right track.  If you get lost along the way, please go back to visit Joyce at Joyful Creations for the complete lineup.

Before I share my project with you, I wanted to share about my weekend.  I took a trip to King of Prussia, PA, to attend a Close To My Heart event.  Not only were the new products that we played with amazing, but I got to see so many friends, and I was able to get together with many of the girls from this blog hop.  We took a picture together that I would like to share.  Here we are!

I really, really enjoyed the event and meeting many of my long distance friends, both old and new.

 

So, onto the projects!  This month I created two cards with the CTMH White Pines Cardmaking Workshop on the Go.  I modified the cards a little to suit my style.  Each WOTG provides enough materials to make 15 cards, and even includes a stamp set.  Here are the cards that I made:

 I made only slight changes from the WOTG instructions, to create this card pictured above.

This card, however, got quite the makeover from the one in the instructions.  I used our CTMH Confetti Embossing Folder to create the snowy background on the cranberry cardstock.  I added a square of black cardstock to make the sentiment really stand out, and used the Scallop Border Punch to add detail to my fern cardstock.

 

I hope that you enjoyed my cards.  Please hop along to Lori's blog, Crafty Meadows, to see the wonderful project that she has created for you.  Until next month...

 



Believe Christmas is a Time for Sharing Layout

Today I am sharing a layout made with a retired CTMH paper pack called Pear & Partridge.  I have PAIRED (pun intended!) it with some beautiful poinsettia flowers created with our CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge and the word Believe, cut out of CTMH Red Glitter paper.  I used my Explore on the Glitter Cardstock custom setting and it cuts through the glitter paper flawlessly!  Here is the entire layout...

 

Didn't it turn out beautifully?  I still have a few of my $15 precut kits left.  Leave a comment here if you would like to find out more about purchasing one.  And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

White Pines Santa for the Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome to the Joyful Stars blog hop for the month of November.  If you have arrived here from Helen's blog, you are on the right track.

 

Today I am sharing this quick little card featuring the Close To My Heart White Pines paper pack and this adorable little Santa cut out of the new Artistry Cricut cartridge.  I finished it off with a little red bling for Santa's nose and Red Shimmer Trim.  I made a bunch of the Santas all at once, so I was ready with an army of them for when Christmas rolls around.

 

Thank you for stopping by to see my project this month.  Please hop along to see what my friend Donna has created and is sharing for you on her blog, Hints of Happiness with Donna.

CTMH Sangria "Look Whoos Here" Layout for the Joyful Stars October Blog Hop

Welcome to the Joyful Stars Blog Hop for October!  If you have arrived here from Helen's blog, you are on the right track.

 

Today I am sharing a layout that features these adorable little owls that were originally created and shared by another very talented CTMH consultant, Carrie Ekeroth.  Carrie created her owls with two CTMH stamp sets and I fell head over heals for these little guys.  I used only one stamp set, So Many Smiles, to create my owls.  Additionally, I used the CTMH Artbooking and Artistry Cricut Cartridges to make my mats, trees, flowers and title for this layout.  I used CTMH Sangria paper, along with some very old Flirty paper for the gold frames.  I like the contrast that paper provided.

 

 

I hope that you enjoyed my layout.  If you haven't done so, become one of my followers so that you don't miss any of my projects featured between the Blog Hops.  Thanks for visiting, and hop along to the oh so talented Krista at Krista's Crafty Corner to see what she has created for you!



Nevermore Enjoy the Little Things Card

Here is the very last Nevermore project that I have prepared to share with you.  (For now, at least lol!) 

 

It is a takeoff on my Nevermore layout that I shared with you at the beginning of the month.  I just loved the flowers that I made from the CTMH Artistry Cricut cartridge so much, that I decided to use them on a card.  I also used the CTMH Nevermore paper pack, Green Shimmer Trim and my Enjoy the Little Things stamp set, which is available to hostesses only.  The center of my flowers are embellished differently on my cards however.  This time I used a gem from the Nevermore Assortment, and I think they add the bold touch that I was looking for.  I hope you like my card, and please consider becoming a follower of my blog if you would like to see more of my projects in the future.



CTMH Nevermore Happy Haunting Artistry Card

 

Are you ready for my next Halloween project featuring the CTMH Nevermore paper line?  Today I am featuring this cute little 4" x 4" card.  The Happy Haunting overlay was created using the newest CTMH Cricut cartridge, Artistry.  I love that CTMH made corresponding bat and ghost cuts on Artistry, and I used the bat to make this card take flight!  Again, I have used the Green Shimmer Trim in back of the overlay, to create the eyes for my ghost and bat. 

 Stay tuned for my next project featuring CTMH Nevermore...as it will NOT be a Halloween project, and it is a great way to use up some scraps!  Remember, feel free to pin away when it comes to the projects on my blog!

Nevermore Haunted House Card for the Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome to my post for the September Joyful Stars Blog Hop.  If you have arrived here from Krista's blog, you are on the right path. 

I would like to share another Nevermore project with you, this time it is a haunted house card. 

 

 It was fairly easy to put this card together, with the help of our CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge.  The haunted house and its fence were one simple cut from that cartridge.  I backed all of the windows with some CTMH Green Shimmer Trim before adhering the house to the Nevermore paper.  The sentiment is from the brand new CTMH Steampunk Scoundrels set, and the spooky little ghost is from the CTMH Nevermore Complements.  Isn't it simply spooktacular?

Thank you for visiting me for the September Joyful Stars Blog Hop.  Next up is the very talented Crystal's blog.  I bet you can't wait to see the amazing project that she has in store for you this month!

CTMH Nevermore Blog Hop

Welcome to the Nevermore Blog Hop, featuring projects made with the hauntingly new Close To My Heart paper pack available starting today, September 1, 2015. 

 

I have created a two page layout featuring Nevermore to share with you, our dear blog hoppers. 

 

I was going for a glamorous Halloween look on this layout, and I really liked the way it turned out.  In addition to the Nevermore paper pack, I used a few of the elements found in the Nevermore Complements, several of the CTMH Cricut cartridges including the brand new Artistry cartridge, and CTMH Green Shimmer Trim.  I am in love with that little pop of vibrant color that the Green Shimmer Trim lends the layout.  I like the way the layout turned out so much, that I think I will need to may need to match my kids costumes this year to my layout.  Just kidding LOL!

Here are a few close up photos of the detail areas of the layout.  The flowers are created with the CTMH Artistry cartridge. 

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  Please consider becoming one of my followers, as I have 3 more completed Nevermore projects to share in the next few days that you won't want to miss!

 

Next up on the hop is my very good friend, the very talented Ellen CardMonkey Jarvis at CardMonkeys Paper Jungle.  And if you get lost along the way, here is a complete list of all of our talented artists, and you can get to their blog simply by clicking on their name below:

Ellen
Kimberly
Anita 



 

Adorable CTMH Artistry Card for the Joyful Stars August 2015 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Joyful Stars blog hop for the month of August!  If you have arrived here from Betty's Blog, you are on the right track.

 Have you seen the new Close To My Heart Cricut Cartridge yet?  It is called Artistry, and I am having quite the time getting artistic with it.  All of the layers and elements on my Adorable card were cut from that cartridge.  I love how I am able to just drag some cute little pieces into my Cricut Design Studio, and with a 6" square card in mind, I can just drag each piece until it is my desired size, and layer the pieces just as I would like to see them as a preview on my card, and all before I even stick the paper to my cutting mat!

Speaking of paper, I am anxiously awaiting September 1st, when CTMH's new Annual Inspirations Idea Book will be live, and I will have a bunch of new paper lines to create with.  Until then, I am using up some scraps of CTMH's Seaside paper for just about all of my layers, along with a smidgen of green from our Brushed paper pack just for the leaves.  I love the beachy color palette of the Seaside paper, don't you?  A few sequins from our Oceanside Sequins served as my little embellishments.

The best part of this project is that the Artistry cartridge, featuring over 700 images, is available NOW!  (And CTMH is now offering a digital only version, although you still receive 3 coordinating stamp sets and an Enchantment paper pack, just like the cartridge version, but at a savings of $20!)

Here is another view of the card.  Thank you for stopping by to see my project.  Please follow my blog to keep up with all of my papercrafting endeavors.  Next up on the hop is my fellow Jersey girl, Marie Flayer. 

CTMH Zoe Blog Hop - Magical Layout

Welcome to our CTMH Zoe Blog Hop!  We are all excited to share our amazing projects made with this brand new paper line from CTMH.  Zoe appears in our brand new Annual Inspirations catalog that will make its premiere on September 1st, but all of the Zoe products are available now!

 

 

If you have arrived here from the very talented Jennifer Wolford's blog, you are on the right track!

 

So, onto my Zoe project...

 

 

The moment that I first set eyes upon Zoe, it spoke to me.  The cheerful colors and adorable patterns told me I needed to create a Disney themed layout with it right away.  So, that is exactly what I did.  I was very inspired by a layout that I had seen that was created by Liz Mullins Johnson.  She had created a wonderful birthday layout using a pattern out of CTMH's Make It From Your Heart instruction books.  She also included an adorable star overlay from the CTMH Cricut collection, Artbooking, that I duplicated.  Using cardstock from my Zoe paper pack, I followed the cutting guide provided in the instruction book and built my layout from there.  I decided that adding a little sparkle would be the right thing to do on the layout, so I used some Silver Glitter paper for my title and to back my little "Oh So Happy" Picture My Life card. 

 

That little card was cut out of black cardstock using the CTMH Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge.  Speaking of cartridges, did you see that fancy font that I used for the word "Magical"? 

 

 

It was cut from the brand spanking new cartridge from CTMH called Artistry.  I love that font, and all of the 700+ images that join it on the cartridge.  I also used the font from our Artbooking cartridge to cut the other words.  I enjoy being able to create my own custom titles in Cricut Design Space with my new Explore.  I am having a blast, I tell ya! 

 

 

For the finishing touch, I created some little Mickey heads out of CTMH sequins, and sprinkled some Glacier colored sequins here and there on the pages.  I will soon be sad to see some of the colors that are now available gone, as they are retiring at the end of this month :(

 

I hope that you have enjoyed my Zoe layout with a Disney spin.  Please be sure to become a follower of my blog if you would like to see more of my artwork in the future!

 

Next up in the Zoe Blog Hop is my friend, the very, very talented Cindy Mercurio with Cinful Crafts.

 

And just in case you get lost along the way, here is a list of all of the talented artists that have created a Zoe project to share with you!

 

Andrea Sherman

Cindy Mercurio

Wendy Bergeron Coffman

Kara Davies

Emily Evertz

Ellen "CardMonkey" Jarvis

Julia Clendenen Hammond

Michelle Stewart

Chris Zook

Tonya VanWinkle
Randi Lewis

Tammy Brown

Denise Tarlinton

Teresita Arvelo
Jennifer Wolford

CTMH Jackson and Life is Wonderful for the Joyful Stars July Blog Hop

Welcome to the Joyful Stars blog hop for the month of July!  If you have arrived here from Crystal's blog, you are on the right path.

Today I am sharing one more card made with the CTMH Jackson paper pack.  In fact, I used a few scraps of paper that I had leftover from my big projects that I featured in my last post.  This time, however, I decided to use our brand new stamp of the month called Life is Wonderful.  I thought that it paired well with the Jackson paper.  (During the month of July, you can receive this stamp set for FREE with a $25 stamp purchase!  Click here to see all of the fine print.)  You could easily pair this stamp set with just about any paper pack by simply changing out the ink colors.  I have used Barn Red and Cocoa.  A few Oceanside sequins and my newest card was finished.

Thank you for visiting me along your journey today.  Please hop along to Marie's blog to see what she has in store for your viewing enjoyment.

CTMH Jackson - GIRLplusPAPER Style

 

 Not too long ago, Close To My Heart released the Jackson line of products.  I wasn't instantly attracted to it, if I am being completely honest.  In all of the artwork that I had seen, an outdoorsy or southwestern theme was ever present.  That is soooo not my style.  Inspiration hit when I happened to see a  shabby chic layout on Pinterest, and I thought using Jackson in this manner might be amazingly unique.  I also created two matching cards because I just couldn't help myself.  Aren't they cute if I do say so myself?  I got to work using the Jackson Paper Pack, my CTMH Cricut collections for the words, butterflies, doily and roses, some Shimmer Trim, Glitter Paper and the Paper Bird Hostess Rewards Stamp Set.  Oops!  And some Oceanside Sequins too.  Many of these items are available only while supplies last or until they officially retire as of September 1, 2015 at the longest, so order quickly if you would like to own any of these fabulous products before they are gone forever!

Ice Cream Dream for the Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome to GIRLplusPAPER, and the June Joyful Stars Blog Hop.  If you have arrived here from Nancy's blog, you are on the right track!

 

Today I have a quick little card using the June Stamp of the Month from Close To My Heart, Ice Cream Dream.  I decided to step outside the urge to pair pink and yellow with this stamp set.  Instead, I opted for the CTMH Chalk It Up paper packet, usually used for school themes.  I colored the image with some ShinHan markers that matched the paper pack color palette most closely.  I used some Teal Shimmer Trim and a heart from the Chalk It Up Assortment.

 

I hope you enjoy my card!  Now please hop along to visit the very talented Krista's blog.  See you next month!

CTMH Taste of Summer Gift Bag Tags - May Joyful Stars Blog Hop

Welcome to the May Joyful Stars Blog Hop!  If you arrived here from my dear friend Lori's blog, than you are on the right track.

 

As I sat looking at my new CTMH Taste of Summer paper, I happened to glance across the table at my new grab bag goodie pile.  As many of you know, last month CTMH offered a different grab bag every day during April.  I purchased only one, and although it was a great value, I am not the gambling type.  One of the items that came in my grab bag, and every single other grab bag that I have seen photos of, were these little Christmas gift bag set.  I have seen people with these gift bags coming in abundance, much to their dismay.  I mean, it is Spring, and Christmas gift bags are the last thing on our minds, right?  Well, back to my gazing across the table...the aha! moment.  The CTMH Taste of Summer papers would make the perfect little tags to accompany those former "Christmas" gift bags.  I stamped the little sayings, oranges and strawberries from the Taste of Summer Stamp Set.  The tags themselves, along with the flowers and leaves were all cut using the CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge.  Remember that both the Taste of Summer paper and stamp set are only available during the month of May, and while supplies last.

 

You can go ahead and thank me now for helping you repurpose that mountain of Christmas gift bags that was making you want to scream!  Just kidding!!!

I am sure you loved them before my aha! moment lol!

 

I hope you like them :)

 

Thanks for visiting GIRLplusPAPER during the May Joyful Stars blog hop!  Up next please hop along to visit the talented Helen at Living My Given Life.  I will see you next month.

 

 Featured products:

 

Taste of Summer Stamp Set - $17.95

 

Taste of Summer Paper Pack - $8.95

 

Artiste Cricut Collection - $99.00

 

 

 



Simple Stories Enchanted with Close To My Heart Touches

 

It has taken me forever to get this blog entry up!!!  Not because the project took me a long time to complete, but rather because I am obviously unskilled with the entire video process.

As I mentioned in the video, I love my Close To My Heart products, but Disney is at the very top of my loves, after my family of course!  The Simple Stories Enchanted paper line, along with some of my Close To My Heart favorites worked flawlessly together to create this amazing layout of our visit with The Princess and The Frog.
 

Here are some still photos to help you see some of my elements more clearly.

  

I hope you have enjoyed my project featuring the Simple Stories Enchanted line of products combined with Close To My Heart favorites.  You may find out more information about the CTMH products, or even purchase them, by clicking the following links.

4"x6" Flip Flaps $3.95

12" Flip Flaps $4.95

White Shimmer Trim $4.95