Coffee Filter Flowers

Oh My, it has been awhile since I have posted anything crafty! We went on vacation for 5 days, and now we are winding up the school year and that leaves me little time or energy to craft!

I took these pictures when I made the envelope mini awhile back, and just realized they were never posted.

I had so much fun making these coffee filter flowers, blending colors and staining fingers!
First, I created my own craft mat! Whenever I misted with water or glimmer mist, I would pull out a Close to My Heart box to work in, this way the mess was contained inside the box.

But I still wished for a craft mat, so the colored mist would puddle on the mat instead of soak into the cardboard of the box. WELL--I just happen to have a roll of contact paper in my craft room. I covered the bottom of the box with two layers of craft paper and it is just like one of those expensive craft mats!

In fact, I think it is better than a craft mat because I have the sides of the box to stop the spray from drifting very far!

Here is what you will need to make these flowers:

Punch scallops from the coffee filters, then have fun coloring them with your markers.

Place them on a craft mat and mist with water. Use your finger to blend the colors.

After you have misted a few scallops, there will be puddles on your craft mat, lay a dry coffee filter scallop in the puddle and watch it soak up the color!

Now let them dry, and my next post will be on the creation of a couple flowers you can make with these beauties!

Thanks so much for visiting today, hope your day is great!

Happy Easter!

May you have a joyous day!

Easter Eggs

This year instead of dunking our eggs, we painted them with water colors. It was fun!

Cat and Dolphin

Doesn't get much cuter than this!

It's FREE!

I found something really cool in blogland today! A free book on journaling! I was visiting some of the favorite blogs of one of my favorite bloggers (!), and that is how I found this nifty little giveaway! So I just gotta share the joy! Click on the picture above to find out how to download yours!

Cake Pops

Bake chocolate cake and let it completely cool.














Then crumble the cake up.













Then mix in a container of chocolate cake mix.

Refrigerate for about an hour.












Then form into balls. Next time I make these, I won't make them so big.
These now need to be refrigerated for an hour.












Coat the balls with candy wafer melts. Decorate with sprinkles.

Once the melted chocolate got on these, they were too heavy for the stick. That is why I will make them smaller next time. Also, I was planning on putting the stick through a strainer, so they would dry right side up, and not have a flat side once dry. These sticks didn't fit through the holes of my strainer; so--next time, I'll have to figure something out!
Although the presentation wasn't like I had hoped--they were very tasty!

Envelope Mini Album

I"m thrilled with this mini album I just finished for my niece's birthday. I learned the envelope mini from Laura Denison, you can learn how to do it HERE on her blog, The Paper Trail.
It is made with six regular #10 envelopes. There are pockets on each side that holds a tag for pictures and journaling.











I used retired product in this (I'm actually putting a dent in all the paper packs I've hoarded for so long!) The paper packs used were Key to My Heart and Perfect Day.



I'm thrilled with the flower, bud, leaves and vine I made out of coffee filters! I found this Ruffled Flower Tutorial HERE from Lisa's blog, What a Beautiful Mess. I punched out scalloped circles from a coffee filter then colored them with Close to My Heart's Exclusive Inks Markers in Tulip and Sunny Yellow. Next I then sprayed them with water, the colors blended beautifully! The leaves were colored with New England Ivy and Juniper. The center of the flower is made with a Licorice Opaque and Red Sparkles.

Here's just another look at a couple pages.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Have a happy, crafty day!

Canvas

I had so much fun doing this multi-media piece! It's one of those things that I kept putting off, because I wanted it to be perfect!
The cat soaking up the sun here is our sweet Hank, who we lost the end of December.

I painted the canvas with acrylics and sprayed with Glimmer Mist. The petals of these flowers are from the Close to My Heart Olivia Paper Pack. The colors really brightened up when I put the medium over it. I just cut the petals free hand,and the centers are 3 free hand circles stacked. The edges are distressed with chocolate ink. The bling in the middle is non-CTMH. The leaves and the matte under the picture is a piece of Basic Grey paper. If you look close you can see a Kraft Border around the picture. I painted over it with acrylic paint.

Thanks for looking in today!

April Specials!

Close to My Heart is showering you with specials this month!

First; the Hope for Japan stamp set.

Our hearts go out to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and like so many of you, Close to My Heart is eager to help. And helping has never been easier!

During April, purchase the exclusive "Hope for Japan" A-size stamp set for the special price of $5 (retail value $7.95) and Close to My Heart will donate 100% of the profits to the American Red Cross efforts in Japan. This beautifully designed stamp set reminds us of how our hearts are hopeful for those who are in need.
This stamp set is available the whole month, please order yours (here) today and help in this worthy cause.

Next; there is Lovin' Level 1!


MY REFLECTIONS® LEVEL 1 SCRAPBOOKING KITS ARE
great for beginners to seasoned pros. The preprinted pages
make preserving your fondest memories a breeze. Get a
FREE* Level 1 kit of your choice when you order $100 or more
on my MyCTMH® website April 1–30, 2011
(limit of one free kit per qualifying order).

Next there is a special for Studio J members:

ADD DELIGHTFUL DETAILS TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL STUDIO J® LAYOUTS. Self-adhesive clear Sparkles and Opaques Pearl adhesive gems make it easy to get your shine on, and now
you can get these adorable accessories FREE!
Throughout April, Studio J members get one free package each of clear Sparkles
and Opaques Pearl gems, a retail value of $5.90, for every 10 custom-printed layouts
purchased in a single order. It's another way we make scrapbooking faster, simpler,
easier—and more sparkly! Go to my MyCTMH® website today and start creating!

Just an FYI about being a Studio J member:
Members save more, do more, get more!
• Exclusive patterns
• 50% off layouts
• Free JPG files
• Free monthly shipment
• Members-only promotions like this one!
You can get your membership HERE!
Want to know more about Studio J? Ask me here in the comment section.

The last special for this month is the Stamp of the Month, Blessed.

With a minimum qualifying purchase, you can get your Stamp of the Month set at a great discount or FREE! Go HERE for more details!

So much to help you with all you creating--that's Close to My Heart!
Ciao for Now!