Fight Like A Girl

If I had superpowers I would erase Cancer.   Unfortunately I don't have the power to do that, but I can stand behind my friends and family in the battle for their lives and offer prayers, support, encouragement, tears and a well timed card.

This card will be sent to one of my friend's battling breast cancer, but it was made for all of you touched by cancer in some way.  {hugs}

Butterflies are symbol of hope for a beautiful tomorrow, to me, so I chose to include a butterfly over my pink ribbon.

TCC3

I'm linking up with a new challenge that I hope you will check out. The Card Concept There are so many styles represented in the design team for this challenge site that you are sure to find your own somewhere in them.  I'm pretty sure my card today fits in the Shabby Chic category, but it could also fall under Freestyle Collage and Classy & Elegant.

Fusion#4

I'm also linking up with the fusion challenge using the butterfly against a blush background. Hopefully I will get a chance to make another card using the sketch.

Sending out prayers and healing thoughts to all of you out there battling cancer or taking care of someone who is.  "Fight Like A Girl" and kick cancer's but!

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Supplies:
Stamp: Fight Like A Girl (A*muse Studios), Gorgeous Grunge (SU), EnFracais (SU)
Colors: Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Smoky Slate (SU)
Accessories: Embossing Paste, Leanna Butterfly (SSS), Leafy Branch (Savvy Dies), Tessatina Stencil (Memory Box), Vellum Cardstock, Basic Pearls, Tea Lace Doily, Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Wink of Stella Pen, Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder

Sew Saturday ~ Value of Contrast

Last weekend I braved the snow and attended a class put on by our local South Sound Modern Quilt Guild.   The instructor was the fabulous Katie Pedersen of Sew Katie Did.  If you ever have the opportunity to take one of her classes, do it!  My mind is still swimming with all the things I learned and I am looking my quilting, AND papercrafting in entirely new ways.

The great thing about this class is we didn't just sit and listen, but we put the things we learned into practice and started our own quilts.  It was very intersting to see how different colors and patterns played together.  Some were easy to put together, others weren't.

My favorite tool in this class was my cell phone and the black & white feature I used for the first time.  It is amazing to me the contrast you can see when you view in black and white and/or from a greater distance.

What made the class even better was taking it with the ladies from my guild and meeting a few new friends at the same time.   Melissa asked me if there was enough contrast in the two blocks she chose.  I thought so, but just to be sure I took a picture. It was amazing how much contrast we could see in black and white.

Bethany finished her blocks quickly and helped me trim down some of mine.  Thanks, Bethany!  Without you I wouldn't have had enough to put them on my design wall and start creating a pattern.

Up close you can see a little bit of the diagonal stripe pattern, but when it's switched from color to black and white the values become more apparent.

I can even see a few I need to switch.   Thank you to everyone who helped me and let me help them at the class. I can hardly wait for our next class together.  This type of multi-patterned and colored quilt will never be my favorite, but I sure am learning a lot in the process of designing it.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Sequin Heart ~ Video

Happy Valentine's Day!   I'll miss making all these heart cards after today.  Perhaps I will keep making them and turn them into Wedding/Anniversary/Love cards.  :)

As I was putting this card together I decided to film a video showing you how to create your own sequin focal point.
***Note- If you are reading this post in an email or reader, you may need to visit my blog to view the video below.

Close up view of the heart.

After I was done filming I add a sentiment using Hero Arts, Year Round Sentiments, and cut out the banner using my stitched sentiment flag die from Lil' Inker Designs.

I'm linking up with a few challenges.

CTS#64

Week 82

ctd279

Happy heart day to all of you!

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Stamps: Hardwood (SU), Year Round Sentiments (Hero Arts)
Ink (SU): Pretty In Pink, Raspberry Ripple, Smoky Slate
Accesories: Hearts Framelits (SU), Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Stitched Sentiment Flag Die (Lil' Inker Designs), Rhinestones

Happy Heart Mail

What motivates you to make cards?   My friend, Sherry Piro, introduced me to Operation Write Home a few years ago.  She is a big supporter of OWH and always cheers me on in my efforts.  This week she emailed me this picture of her Valentine's Day card.  Isn't it lovely?  I'll be CASEing you Sherry!

Handmade by Sherry Piro

The best part is that it doesn't say "Valentine's Day" so it can be used year round.  Sherry doesn't have a blog, but I hope she starts one soon.  I'll happily be her first follower.

Besides friends and followers who encourage me in my card making  I am inspired by the way it feels to receive a card.   Yes, I thoroughly enjoy the process of making cards, but what really gets me going is knowing that the person who receives my card will be getting some happy mail.

Freda McCracken's card

Here is the recent "happy mail" I found in my mailbox.  Above is a sweet Valentine from Freda McCracken.  You don't have to send me handmade cards to delight my heart.  Any mail that isn't a bill or ad makes me happy.  :)

Patrica Wroblewski 

This beauty above was from Patrica Wroblewski, aka Tink on StampNation. Isn't it gorgeous?!   It reminds me of something my talented mother-in-law would make.

I'm so very inspired by all the cards and challenges that all of you make and share!    You give me TONS of inspiration to pull from as I search the internet and visit blogs.  I'm constantly running to my stamp room to see what I can make after something in your card catches my eye. At times like these I am making cards for the pure joy I feel while creating.  

Pop of Red

Check out the inspiration from the StampNation design team this week. That is some serious motivation to create, don't you think?  If that's not enough motivation for you, this week there is a prize to be won!   Wendy Coffman, of Stamping Rules, is giving away 2 CTMH stamp sets to one participant in this week's challenge. 

Want to join StampNation?  Clicky to join the fun.  :)

Already a member and want to see the challenge?  Clicky

P.S.  My project is the sweet little Valentine treat in the lower left corner.  Samples of the stamp sets being given away are in the top left and bottom right corners.  

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Song In My Heart

Your are the song in my heart.  Don't you just love this stamp set and matching die from CAS*UAL Fridays?  It combines my love of music with my favorite shape, the heart.

I've been familiar with CAS-UAL Friday challenge blog for awhile and often wondered what UAL stands for.  Recently I was looking through their online store and clicked on a link to the store blog and found my answer.  (plus a fun new to me challenge)  CleanAndSimpe- Utterly Adorable Layers.  I can do CAS, but I love my layers. How fun to discover that CFS does too.  

CFS GDT challenge

If you go to the challenge post you will see who inspired me.  The first card made by Virginia had me running to the stamp room, but all the entries have sparked my creativity. Clicky

I tried out ghost stamping on a sponged background.  It is subtle, but nice.  I'm on the hunt for a more opaque white ink.  Any suggestions?  

STS#13

The sketch for my card comes from one of my favorite sketch challenges, Seize the Sketch. Instead of a circle punch I mimicked the circular shape with sequins.  I thought it was a fun twist on the sketch.

This card is going to my hubby for Valentine's Day.  I practiced colors and inks on a scrap piece of paper and then used it to decorate the inside of my card.  I'm going to enter it in the Cardz4Guyz challenge as well.  

Truly, Madly Deeply.Challenge # 5

Three challenges for one card?  It must be a holiday week because this card could fit into several other challenges too.  :)   Each challenge is unique. One is color, the other a sketch, and the last one is a theme so I think it is safe to enter all three.  Check out the links to the challenges and see if they inspire you.

Creative Blessings,

Heather North

Stamps: Love Notes (CAS-UAL Fridays)

Paper: Glistening 6x6 pad (Authentique)

Color: (SU) Baja Breeze, Black Staz-on, Craft White, Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Soft Sky

Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Heart Note Die (CFS), Gold Paper (CM), Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

String It Up ~ Video

A few weeks ago several of you asked me how I attached my string onto my card to make it look like it was floating.  Clicky if you want to see the original post.

The fun thing is that you can make the string into any shape you want with a little glue and patience.

The video below shows you how I create the banner for this sweet baby card.  Note, if you are reading this post in an email or reader you may need to go to my blog to view the video.

In the video I mention that the Baker's Twine in the SAB catalog be thicker than SU's regular Baker's Twine. My order arrived today and it is much thicker, in fact.  It's about twice the thickness of the Pretty Pink Posh twine I used in the photo below.

There were still some scraps leftover of the watercolor paper so I used a heart die to cut them out.   Babies, hearts and love go together any time of year.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Stamps: Banner Blast (SU-SAB), Gorgeous Grunge (SU),Lots to Say (Reverse Confetti)
Paper: Pink Pirrouette, Watercolor Wonder Notecards (SU), Whisper White
Ink: Basic Grey, Bermuda Bay, Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Baker's Twine (Pretty Pink Posh), Banner Punch (SU-SAB), Decorative Dots Embossing Folder (SU-SAB), Heart Rainfall Die (Simon Says Stamp)

Glittery Hearts

In need of some quick valentines or gift cards?   Here's and easy couple of cards with matching envelopes.

In the video below I show you how you can make your own glittery heart stickers.

***Note- If you are reading this post in an email or blog reader you may need to visit my blog to view the video.  Click on the post title "Glittery Hearts" to go there now.

To make the card even simpler you can stamp and stick on just the 3x6" card base and skip the layers.  To step it up you score or emboss the top layer.

The envelopes are even easier to make than the cards with the help of the envelope punch board.

I'm linking up to two challenges that inspired me.

Fusion#3

cQc#227

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Stamps: Hugs+Kisses (Hero Arts), Sweet Sentiments (the Craft's Meow)
Paper: Smitten 6x6" pad (Authentique), SU Cardstock
Accessories: Xyron Sticker Maker, Envelope Punch Board, Dazzling Diamonds, Heart Punch

Spotlight on Trends

My sweet friend, and fellow StampNation Design Team member, Kristie, also has a trendy classroom called Spotlight On Trends.  Each month she puts out articles showcasing the hottest current trends in cardmaking.

Sneak Peek of Kristie's Card

In her lastest article she talks about the gold trend we are seeing everywhere and she has given us 4 unique samples.  The one above also shows 2 more hot trends right now, stars and thread nests.  I was so inspired by her card that I am headed to my stamp room after I post this to make my own card.  (check back later today to see what I come up with)

Here is a peek at Kristie's classroom on StampNation.  When you become a member you have access to all this and so much more.

• Close to 400 video tutorials and counting
• Over 25 lessons on Clean & Simple design by the incredible talented Maureen
• Exclusive tutorials by the amazing artist Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
• Over 100 Challenges
• Thousands of samples in the gallery.
• Forums for sharing your creations and seeing what other members are working on
• A community of paper crafters sharing what we love with each other

We would love for you to be a part of our fabulous, inspirational and growing community.

To learn more and subscribe now Click HERE.  See you in the forums.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Ghosts of Love

Today is challenge day at StampNation and we have a fun one for you, Ghost Stamping.  What is ghost stamping?  Catherine has an easy to follow video tutorial on the site, but basically it is stamping in white ink, then stamping over the top with your colored ink.

It's similar to Shadow Stamping like you see in the True Love banner.  Shadow stamping uses color, whereas ghost stamping uses white or vanilla.  Pretty cool huh?  It's hard to see, but the little hearts are ghost stamped.  The full card is on StampNation for members only.

The ghost stamping on the pink base didn't show up as well as I had hoped it would, so I tried using the same colors, but this time stamping on craft cardstock.  The white showed up MUCH better this time!

It's fun to experiment with different colors and see the effect they have.  My favorite combo that Catherine used was white and blue on craft.  I need to go watch her video again to see which shade of blue she used because it was stunning!

CTS #63

My card was inspired by the CAS(E) this sketch challenge.  Even though I used pattern paper it is still "clean" because that space is not cluttered with stamping and embellishments and layers.  My focal point remains at the top.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Stamps: Language of Love, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Lost & Found Blush (My Mind's Eye), Crumb Cake, Raspberry Ripple
Ink: Craft White, Raspberry Ripple, Versamark
Accessories: Bitty Banner Framelits, Love Note Die (Reverse Confetti), White Embossing Powder, Clear Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Song of My Heart ~ CTD278

I'm so honored to be a guest designer for Color Throwdown this week!!!  A couple of weeks ago the card I made using a cute little nurse that Julz Butler made for me was chosen as the Featured Stamper.  Clicky to see that post if you missed it.

Barbara Anders graciously asked me if I wanted to be the guest designer on February 5th and I said yes!   She didn't know she was helping me reach one of my goals for 2014.

Aren't those colors yummy?!    Color challenges often stump me, but Color Throwdown does a fabulous job of combing colors and I'm usually happy with what I come up with when I use a CTD pallet.

In case you were wondering, here are the little tags I tucked inside the front pocket.  It's hard to see but those Lil' Inker Design tags have debossed hearts on them.  I embossed them with my new Love Notes stamp set from CAS-UAL Fridays.

The inside was kept simple by using scraps I made while designing the front of the card.

I'm linking this up with the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.  Were they reading my mind when they put up a challenge for Have A Heart?  :)  I love this time of year where hearts can be found everywhere!

Have A Heart

Thank you  Barbara Anders and the Color Throwdown design team for allowing me to participate with you this week, and for the fabulous color pallet you give us each week.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Supplies Used
Stamps: Language of Love (SU), Love Notes (CAS-UAL Fridays),
Paper (SU): Crumb Cake, Fresh Prints DSP Stack, InColor DSP Prints, Pink Pirouette, Pistachio Pudding, Vellum, Whisper White
Accessories: Embossing Powder- Clear & White (SU), Linen Thread, Love Tags Dies (Lil' Inker Designs), Pink Pirouette Taffeta Ribbon, Pink/Red Baker's Twine, Stitched Scallop Border (LID)

Language of Love

Fresh Prints DSP Stack