**Yes, you have seen this post before. We moved some things around, and this week we are showing all our Cosmo Cricket projects for real!  ;) **

Today begins a wonderful thing: a whole bunch of projects using Cosmo Cricket and Couture Cardstock!  Today, and throughout the rest of the week, we will be posting projects that our designers made using the amazing products from both of these companies together.  When you are finished here, head over to the Cosmo Cricket blog to see what their designers created for you.  I can’t wait to see, I am sure it is amazing.

The first Cosmo Cricket project I have to show you today is one I made using Early Bird, the White Monochromatic Family, and lots of Glimmer Mist. I don’t think I have ever made a more colorful layout!

To create this card, Natalie use The Boyfriend Collection, and some Winter White, Hay Ride, and Pine Needles cardstock.

Join us every day this week for more Cosmo Cricket projects, and don’t forget to head to the Cosmo Cricket blog to see what their designers have done!

~Alyssa~

Look at all that lovely misting!

Link up your interpretation using Couture Cardstock for a chance to be featured on our blog!

~Alyssa~

Today it is my turn to bring you the latest colors from The Color Room. Here is Palette #10:

And here is what I did with it:

The coordinating Couture Cardstock colors for this palette are Cracked Wheat, Frankincense, Temptress, and Free Fall.  Make sure to upload your take on this palette to The Color Room for a chance to win a prize pack from Couture Cardstock!

Tomorrow Nicole brings you a really cool sketch.  See you then!

~Alyssa~

I love the color of water, the beach, and all things seaside. You may recognize the first photo of my girls in this project.. I used it in a layout titled “Lily Girls” last month. This photo, however, was the first in a series of photos that I took of my daughters at the pool and I wanted to be able to put it all together. This mini acrylic tag album was perfect for that!

The album is quite small, only about 3.5 inches in height, so I went through my stash of Couture Cardstock scraps and discovered that all those teeny pieces that I have held onto were perfect for exactly this project. (And EXACTLY why I hold onto those scraps also… I am a bit of a nut when it comes to that. I figure one day I will need it, lol!)

I used Websters Pages “Seaside Retreat”, and Couture Cardstock in Winter White, Umbrella, Pick-Up Line, and Liquid Sunshine. I added a lot of alcohol ink, molding paste, Glossy Accents, and Distress Inks to complete the album.

It’s summer time, crafters! Go get your beachtime scrappin’ done!

xx Heidi

Today I have a few more pieces of eye candy from our amazing team to share with you.

First up, Deb brings is this gorgeous pink card.  Deb used the A Rose By Any Other Name Monochromatic Family to create this beauty.

Next, Andrea Amu created this summery Birthday card using the Harvest Moon Monochromatic Family:

And Natalie created this rocking graduation card (anyone else late with the graduation cards like I am?) using the Camelot Monochromatic Family:

Don’t forget, you can email your creations using Couture Cardstock to amcgrew@couturecardstock.com and hkelley@couturecardstock.com for a chance to be featured on our blog in an upcoming Reader Showcase post (watch for it on the last Monday of each month).

~Alyssa~

Today I am going to show you a fun way to add the appearance of water to your projects! We will be making these circle and flower blossoms, however, the technique can be used on just about any embellishment you make.

Here is what you will need:

A sheet of transparency

One sheet of Couture Cardstock (I used Olivia, from the Red Carpet Collection)

Glossy Accents

Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink (I used “Stream”)

Cosmetic sponge or alcohol applicator

Stencil, template, or die-cut machine for your layered blossom (circle or flower)

Tiny glass beads (optional)

1. Cut out your layered blossom from your transparency sheet. I used my Cricut Expressions, but this can very easily be done using a stencil or any other personal cutting machine. Then separate all the layers from one another.

2. Cut out your layered blossom from your sheet of cardstock and set aside.

3. Sloppily add a layer of Glossy Accents to all the transparency pieces. Let set for a couple minutes, but do not let dry completely.

4. Take either a piece of scrap paper, cling wrap, or plastic, crumple it up and then blot all over the Glossy Accents. This splatters the “water”. I then added some tiny silver glass beads for a fun effect.

5. Let dry completely.

6. Turn your layers on to their backside, and apply alcohol ink randomly on the layers.

7. After this has dried, use your favorite liquid adhesive (I used my Glossy Accents here as well), to attach each transparency to it’s partner in cardstock. For the circle blossom I made, I glued them a little “off” for another fun effect.

xx Heidi

Since I used Couture Cardstock on my layout for this weeks The Color Room palette, I thought it would be fun to pop in today and share it with you.

I chose one of my 3-year-old son’s shirts as a pattern. I traced the collar and cut it out, using Snow. I cut a strip for the front, and folded each side under, and another “Y” shaped piece for the neckline area. Then I tool each piece and added the stitching with my sewing machine.    After adding brads for buttons, I created the ruching with satin ribbon by applying an line of Fabri-Tac onto a separate piece of cardstock, and scrunching the ribbon into it. Once it dried, I cut it out and applied it in two strips to my layout, attaching the button panel over it.

I then attached the collar, choosing a piece of GCD Studios paper underneath to pull out the blue from the palette. I added in the pink using some paper from Tinkering Ink and Crush cardstock. I used a chain from one of my older necklaces to complete the theme, and added a ring of cardstock with a photo in it for the necklace “charm” The swirls were made with Courtesan.

Be sure to check out The Color Room tomorrow to see the new palatte, and come back on Monday for my take on it!

~Alyssa~

Today, Nicole brings us another sweet layout using the Parisian Ephemera Collection. She is really on a roll, isn’t she?

I LOVE all the details in this layout.  So much sweetness in a 12×12 format.  Thanks, Nicole!

See you in the morning.

~Alyssa~

This month, Couture Cardstock has teamed up with The Color Room, a website dedicated to inspiring crafters with a new color palette and sketch every week. Each week, Alyssa or myself will be creating a layout using coordinating Couture Cardstock colors for the palette offered. At the end of the month, we will be supplying The Color Room RAK winner with a prize pack containing all the coordinating colors for the month of June!

I had the honor of going first and creating with this week’s palette. {Her Room} looks a bit like this:

This week’s matching Couture Cardstock papers are “Courtesan, Crush, Hush, and Snow“. I went a little artsy on it, of course, using Glimmer Mist in “Red Velvet”, “Marshmallow”, and “Bubblegum”.

The very back, background is “Courtesan”. I altered it with distress ink and acrylic paint, and before I mounted the “Hush” cardstock, I cut out the middle of “Courtesan“ to preserve for other details. I then cut the font out of this scrap, using my Cricut Expressions, outlined the letters with my signo pen, and coated with Glossy Accents to make them dimensional and shiny. (Come on, who doesn’t love shiny, ooh!) I also cut a strip of this leftover “Courtesan” and stitched it to a strip of “Crush” for the faux ribbon detail.

The “Hush” cardstock was altered using the Glimmer Mist and a border punch, and then I stitched around the edges.

For a fun detail, after adding my paint dots (created using the back-end of a paint brush) and letting them dry, I topped them with Glossy Accents as well.

Next Monday, Alyssa will be bringing you Palette #10. But in the meantime, make sure you visit us throughout the week as Nicole will bringing you a gorgeous project tomorrow and the rest of the week is filled with projects featuring our partnering company this month, Cosmo Cricket!

xx Heidi

Welcome to the weekend, again!  :)  Today it is my pleasure to bring you a fabulous sketch from Jamie.For her interpretation, Jamie used the Camelot Monochromatic Family.  How cute is this?

Thanks, Jamie!

~Alyssa~