Get Better Make-and-Take

So it's been said that life imitates art.  Well, last fall, I designed a make-and-take project featuring one of my favorite stamp sets in the Annual Inspiration Idea Book called Get Better.  I love the font, and I love the cheeky sentiment for the inside of the card.  Anyways, the day before the home gathering I designed this card for, I came down with a horrible cold.  It started as a slightly sore throat, but by the time the gathering started, my throat was on fire and my nose was beginning to run.  I felt horrible, but luckily, the gathering was in a large room at a community center, and I was able to "keep a safe distance" from the guests -- who jokingly said they were going to send their make-and-takes to me.  :-)

Supplies used:

*Get Better stamp set
*Swan Lake paper packet (retired)
*12" x 12" Slate cardstock
*12" x 12" Sorbet cardstock
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*5 1/2" X 4 1/4" white cards & envelopes, value pack
*Archival Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Sorbet Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Aqua shimmer trim
*Clear sparkles
*Marvy Uchida LePen Journaling Pen
*Foam tape
*Waterbrush -- small round

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Thin Cuts Blog Hop

Welcome to the Thin Cuts Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Brenda Lapp, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure. 

The month's bonus hop features the amazingly fabulous Thin Cuts from CTMH -- which are on special this month for 25% off.  If you have never tried these wonderful wafer thin dies, now is the time!  If you have tried them, now is the time to stock up and expand your collection!!

I have a wide variety of Thin Cuts in my personal collection -- for today's project, I chose to feature Sweet Birthday.  If you follow my blog, you know the Sweet Birthday stamp set was my favorite release in the 2016-2017 Annual Inspirations Idea Book -- however, my first thought was "No coordinating Cricut / Thin Cuts?? Ugh..."  I bought the stamp set anyways.  :-)

Then, in October, CTMH made my dreams come true.  They released a coordinating Thin Cut set to go along with my favorite Sweet Birthday stamp set.  :-)  Now I use this adorable stamp set and its coordinating Thin Cuts all the time.  I absolutely LOVE the pair!

When creating the layout below, I used a sketch from Even More Scrapping which was coincidentally called "Sweet Friend"  The sketch was fabulous because it called for multiple repeated images across the center -- perfect for the fun party hats.  It also called for a large circle on the left page which I swapped for a cut from the Cricut Artistry collection.

I plan to add pictures from my niece's recent Moana-themed birthday party.  The colors in the Adventure Fundamentals collection coordinate beautifully with the bright, fun colors from her party.  And the 4x6 and 4x3 photo spots will make it a piece of cake to finish this layout (see what I did there?  Piece of cake... Birthday party... I'm so punny!!)

To create the adorable cupcake embellishments, I stamped the image using archival black ink and allowed it to set for a few minutes before coloring the image with the CTMH watercolor pencils.  I mixed two shades of green for the wrapper on the left cupcake and two shades of blue on the right cupcake.  To blend, I used my CTMH clear shimmer brush.  I actually have two of these brushes -- one for regular use and one for blending and other "messy" use.  As for the pink frosting, I colored about a quarter inch around the edge and used the shimmer brush to fade the color towards the face.

I also added some shimmer detail to the party hats -- specifically along the bottom trim, the polka dots, and the top "poof". I just love how the shimmer brush adds a little extra "pop" to a project.

Supplies used:

*Sweet Birthday Thin Cuts
*Sweet Birthday stamp set
*Artistry Cricut collection
*Adventure Fundamentals paper packet
*12" × 12" Lagoon cardstock
*12" × 12" Lemon cardstock
*12" × 12" Raspberry cardstock
*12" × 12" White Daisy cardstock
*Archival Black stamp pad
*Shimmer Brush - clear
*Watercolor Pencils
*Shimmer Trim - silver
*Sugar Rush dots
*Foam tape

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at {jd designs} and for hopping with us on the Close to My Heart Thin Cuts Blog Hop!  Next up on the hop is Jean McNulty. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop -- Tea-rrific

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Wendy Kessler, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure. 

The month's featured stamp set is S1703 Tea-rrific (pictured below).  This set is only available until March 31st and is only $5 with a $50 Close to My Heart purchase.

For today's project, I decided to pull out my watercolor palette and have some fun.  First I heat-embossed the stacked teacups image using white embossing powder.  Heat embossing provides a slight ridge to contain watercolors when painting.  This is a great way to get a more controlled look.  After setting the embossing powder with a heat gun, I used my round watercolor brushes to apply color to the image.  I love how the white outline pops against the color.

One thing to remember when watercoloring is the color will always dry lighter than it appears when wet.  That said, if I was making this card again, I would have added another layer of watercoloring once the first layer had dried to increase the color saturation and help it pop more against the black cardstock layer and sentiment.

Overall, I enjoyed the techniques used on this card, and I am looking forward to more play time with this stamp set.

Supplies used:

*Tea-rrific stamp set (March SOTM)
*12" x 12" Black cardstock
*12" x 12" Watercolor paper
*5 1/2" X 4 1/4" white cards & envelopes, value pack
*Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*VersaMark ink pad
*Ranger white super fine embossing powder
*Craft heater
*Watercolor paints
*Waterbrush - small round
*Marvy Uchida LePen journaling pen
*Bitty Sparkles

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at jd designs and for hopping with us on the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month March Blog Hop!  Next up on the hop is Alyson Mayo. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

CTMH Holiday Expressions New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to the CTMH Holiday Expressions New Product Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Vickie ODell, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure. 

This hop features product from the new Holiday Expressions idea book (pictured below).  The products in this book are available from now until December 31st.  From Halloween to Fall to Christmas, the HE book has you covered.  And with so many great products to choose from,, this hop is sure to be full of lots of fabulous inspiration!

For my project, I decided to put together a pocket scrapbooking layout using the Jeepers Creepers paper packet.  While this packet comes with two fun sheets of cut apart cards, I chose to make some of my own using the B&T papers and other CTMH products to show the versatility of pocket scrapbooking.  Our Picture My Life collections and paper packet cut-apart sheets are awesome for putting together quick and easy pocket layouts, but with a little fun and creativity, you can make your own pocket pieces for a unique layout that's completely your own.

I've designed both pages, but will be assembling and adding the final embellishments to the right hand page on Friday night at a home gathering.  Below is a peek at the layout as it sits now.  I will be trimming down the White Daisy layer of the monster to expose some of the fun Tangerine on the base layer -- for sure, I will make the horns Tangerine and possibly the toes.  What do you think?  I will also "sprinkle" several more black stars throughout the page.

Supplies used:

*Artistry Cricut Collection
*Artbooking Cricut Collection
*Memory Protectors -- Design 3
*Jeepers Creepers paper packet
*Thin Cuts -- Happy
*12" x 12" Black cardstock
*12" x 12" Pansy cardstock
*12" x 12" Tangerine cardstock
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*12" x 12" Willow cardstock
*Pansy Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Tangerine Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Willow Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Jennifer's Hand Stamp Set
*Picture My Life Watercolor Cards -- Clear
*Picture My Life Journaling Cards (retired, now available w/tabs)
*Waterbrush -- Medium Flat
*Green Shimmer Trim
*Black Enamel Stars (retired)

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at jd designs and for hopping with us on the CTMH Holiday Expressions New Product Blog Hop!  Next up on the hop is Michele Rowley. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

From Michigan to Wisconsin with Love

I started this pocket letter for my dear friend, Jody, at SpiegelMom Scraps, earlier this year.  However, I set it aside too many times to work on other projects.  Finally, I decided it was time to complete it; so I sat down and got it done!  I just love the way this letter turned out.  Pocket letters are so much fun to make as each pocket is its own unique work of art and they all come together in the end as a final masterpiece.

Supplies used:

*Blossom paper packet (retired)
*Blossom complements (retired)
*12" x 12" Pear cardstock (retired)
*12" x 12" Lagoon cardstock
*12" x 12" Slate cardstock
*12" x 12" Sunset cardstock (retired)
*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock
*Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Pear Exclusive Inks stamp pad (retired)
*Sunset Exclusive Inks stamp pad (retired)
*Finding the Words stamp set
*Artfully Sent Curlicue stamp set (retired)
*Little Things stamp set (retired)
*Michigan stamp set
*Wisconsin stamp set
*Opportunity stamp set (consultant exclusive)
*Waterbrush -- Medium Flat
*Coral Shimmer Trim
*White Shimmer Trim
*Chalk It Up assortment (retired)
*Just Blooms paper flowers - Paradise (retired)
*Carnival washi tape (retired)
*Boardwalk washi tape (retired)
*Lagoon Hearts washi tape (retired)
*Various supplies from my non-CTMH stash

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Stamp of the Month Blog Hop -- Life in Pictures

Welcome to the April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Gina Brandstetter, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure. 

The month's featured stamp set is S1604 Life in Pictures (pictured below).  This set is only available until April 30th and is only $5 with a $50 Close to My Heart purchase.

I've been on a kick lately -- watercoloring and creating my own B&T paper.  This time around, I combined both techniques by random stamping with Memento ink onto my watercolor paper.  Then, I pinched the lid and base of my glacier ink pad together to transfer ink to the inside of the lid.  After opening the pad, I used my water brush to add water to the ink and painted it onto the watercolor paper filling in the negative space between the cameras.

While letting the background piece dry, I put together the shaker pocket window.  First, I cut out the instant picture frame and used red sticky tape to adhere the clear window to the back of the frame.  Next, I applied foam tape around all sides of the frame -- making sure to seal off any gaps to prevent the sequins from falling out.  Before removing the backing from the foam tape, I used my powder tool to remove any extra stickiness that was hanging on the sides.  I then removed the backing and added the sequins before applying a piece of glacier Fundamentals cardstock to the back of the pocket.  I made sure to press the the cardstock tightly to the foam tape to ensure a good seal.  Lastly, I adhered the shaker window to the front of my card and added the additional stamped embellishments.

Supplies used:

*Life in Pictures stamp set (April SOTM)
*Birthday Wish stamp set (Hostess Exclusive)
*Paper Fundamentals Whimsy
*12" x 12" Glacier cardstock
*Watercolor Paper
*5 1/2" X 4 1/4" white cards & envelopes, value pack
*Glacier Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Black Memento ink pad
*Gold shimmer trim
*3D foam tape
*Marvy Uchida LePen journaling pen

*Water brush
*Clear window sheet
*Cinnamon & Sugar sequins (SpiegelMom Scraps) 

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at jd designs and for hopping with us on the Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month April Blog Hop!  Next up on the hop is Haley Dyer. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Penelope, You Make Me Happy

Today, I will be sharing my last card in my jd designs spin on the Penelope Workshops Your Way card designs.  This seemingly simple design surprisingly gave me the hardest time of the three designs I shared this week.  When I struggle with a design, I set the project aside and walk away from my studio (typically overnight).  When I come back with fresh eyes and a clear mind, I am usually able to figure out the problem and move on.  That's exactly what happened with this card.  After a few hours, I went back into the studio, grabbed my stamp of the month set and finished this card in less than five minutes.  The bones were there, but I just couldn't figure out how to finish it.  Does this ever happen to you??

Supplies used:

*Sunshine Birdies stamp of the month stamp set
*Penelope paper packet
*12" x 12" Watercolor paper
*5 1/2" X 4 1/4" white cards & envelopes, value pack
*Canary Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Pixie Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Black Memento ink pad
*Silver shimmer trim
*Playful puffies
*Marvy Uchida LePen journaling pen

*Water brush

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Little Bundle of Joy

As I continued to play with my Penelope paper packet scraps and the Penelope Workshops Your Way card designs, I decided to make a baby card.  The subtle polka dot B&T pattern in this collection was just screaming to be made into a sweet baby card.

I love the Wild Wonders stamp set I used on this card.  This set is adorable and so much fun -- especially with the great coordinating giraffe and lion cuts on the Artbooking Cricut cartridge.  Note -- Wild Wonders is one of the stamp sets not currently shown in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book and will be retiring on July 31st.

Supplies used:

*Artbooking Cricut Collection
*Wild Wonders stamp set
*Just to Say stamp set (Artfully Sent exclusive)
*Penelope paper packet
*12" x 12" Crystal Blue cardstock
*12" x 12" Watercolor paper
*5 1/2" X 4 1/4" white cards & envelopes, value pack
*Canary Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Crystal Blue Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Thistle Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Limeade washi tape
*Thistle diagonal striped ribbon
*Bitty sparkles

*Water brush

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Watercolor Blog Hop

Welcome to the Watercolor Blog Hop!

If you came from visiting Sheila Bennett, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, simply start here and continue hopping until you return here -- our fun hop is one big loop for your viewing pleasure

This hop features various projects created with either the Close to My Heart watercolor paints or the watercolor pencils.  Watercolors are very trendy in scrapbooking these days, but can be rather intimidating.  The key is to practice, practice, practice -- and don't be afraid to grab some cheap white cardstock and just play around.

For my card below, I took a piece of watercolor paper and simply began adding color from left to right not bothering to rinse my brush too much between colors.  I also tried to move from one color to the next before the first color was really dry.  This allowed me to pick up some of the first color and transition it nicely into the next color.  I didn't worry about keeping my lines or edges straight.  This adds to the simple organic flow of the watercolors.

Once my watercolor piece was complete, I used my craft heater to dry it.  If your paper curls while watercoloring, simply use the heater on the backside of the paper to help it curl back the other way.  For my sentiment, I cut the word "happy" from the Artbooking cartridge 3 times and glued all the cuts together to create a chipboard-like piece.  I then added a layer of black cardstock being the watercolor layer to offset the colors and mounted it on a small sheet of fun foam to give the whole thing a smooth lift of dimension.  Finally I stamped "birthday" on the card base to further add to the dimension.  I love using varying heights on my projects for great texture and dimension.

Supplies used:

*Artbooking Cricut collection
*Jennifer's Hand alphabet stamp set
*12" x 12" Black cardstock
*Watercolor Paper
*White Daisy card bases
*Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad
*Watercolor Paints
*Paintbrush Set

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at jd designs and for hopping with us on the Watercolor Blog Hop!  Next up on the hop is Brenda Lapp. I hope you'll hop on over to her blog for more inspiration.

Until next time, design with {heart}!

Many Thanks for October

October was one of my best months with Close to My Heart to-date, and I would like to thank all of you who ordered from me for helping me with this achievement.

At the beginning of each month, I create and send a special thank you card to anyone who placed an order with me during the previous month.  As an added bonus, I like to sign the cards with a post-it note -- thus allowing the recipient to reuse the card in the future.  If you would like to receive one of my custom thank-cards, simply place any size order via my online store at jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Supplies used:

*Variety of Thanks stamp set (retired)
*12" x  12" Pomegranate card stock
*Watercolor paper
*Watercolor Paints
*Paintbrush Set
*Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Gold shimmer trim

*Gold sequins assortment

*Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, remember to design it with {heart}!