My photo
A very warm welcome to my teeny, tiny part of the huge world of blogging. This is where I am hoping to share my passion for making hand made greeting cards. So - why "Always with a Heart"? Well this is for two reasons. Firstly, it is because every card I produce always carries a heart on it somewhere. This can be big and bold or small and almost hidden - the fun sometimes is just trying to find it! Secondly it is because I put my heart into everything I produce. I hope that any visitors enjoy seeing what I post. If you drop by then please leave me a comment so that I know you called. It would be nice to know that you have found my heart in what I do.

SKETCH LIBRARY

Friday, 11 July 2014

PARISIENNE BLUE

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a happy Friday .. .. ahead of what will hopefully be a happy weekend.

Bit late today so I will cut to the chase and stop the waffle LOL!!

Here is my share for today, no challenges or sketches to follow .. .. just lovely to make:





This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3865K" Gossamer
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat
Backing Papers:  Docrafts Papermania "Parisienne Blue"
My Favorite Things:  Die-Namics Blueprint 14
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers
Ribbon and Beads from My Crafty Stash Box

and that is me.

No "happy couples" getting married from my wedding list tomorrow .. .. which is a shame as the weather is supposed to be super lovely!!

Enjoy the sunshine if you get chance (and don't forget the suncream).  I don't want to be reading that any of you have turned into lobsters over the next 24 hours!!

Catch you again tomorrow.

Love

Thursday, 10 July 2014

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CAKE

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday.

Didn't find time to schedule my post for today .. .. the scheduling organisation didn't last long did it!? .. .. but I am hoping to do more of it as it takes some of the pressure away whilst the weddings are busy.

At least then I can still share things whilst tying all those lovely ribbons.  It just means there just isn't much time for blog visiting  :-(  .. .. but there is nothing I can do about that .. .. I just have catch up eventually when and where I can.

So today's share uses a fabby image from over at Digistamp Boutique .. .. just perfect for a girly card:




This used:

Image and Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique "Birthday Kate"
Backing Papers:  Aimee Asher "Cottage Paper Basket" (I think it is part of a larger bundle now - I have had it years and it was available as an individual download in those days).
My Favorite Things:  Die-namics Blueprints 14
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Ranger Embossing Tinsel:  Bridal
My Trusty Sewing Machine
ProMarkers
Ribbon and Eyelet from My Crafty Stash Box

Really love this colour combo.  Just right for a bright summer's day .. .. which is what we are enjoying here today!  Just gorgeous!!

I am off to pop this into the Digistamp Boutique Challenge for July.  Lots of lovely inspiration over there!

Have a great day.

All being good I will catch you again tomorrow.

Love

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY CHALLENGE - JULY

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday!

Another scheduled post from me .. .. this time for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

This month they would like to see "Buttons and Bows" so here are mine:




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "4320H" Prize Cupcake
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat (sadly no longer available)
Backing Papers:  GCD Studios "Tea Time"  (I am determined to use some of these old stacks up but believe it or not I have some that are far older than this!!  I wonder if paper stacks will ever be collectors items on The Antiques Roadshow LOL!!).
Spellbinder Nestabilties:  Standard Circle and Scalloped Circle
Martha Stewart Edge Punch:  Daisy
Woodware Punch:  Daisy
My Trust Sewing Machine
ProMarkers
Glossy Accents
Glamour Dust
Buttons and Ribbon from My Crafty Stash Box

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my Teeny Tiny Tuesday card.  I went to put my inserts into the ones I had made and at that point realised they are actually a little bit bigger than I said.  They are actually 3.5" x 3.5" so an extra half inch each way to play with.  Not that it makes that much difference in the grand scheme of things.

So pleased you liked them.  They are certainly making me look at all my stamps and dies a little differently. All the ones that are too small for what I call a "normal" sized card are coming into their own on the teeny tiny ones!

As this is another scheduled post from me today I will link my entry up later.

Hope you are enjoying your day.

Love

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

THREE AND A HALF BY THREE AND A HALF TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

Well I did warn you that a new craze may have hit the House of Hearts .. .. and it certainly has.

I have become addicted to making those tiny 3.5 x 3.5 cards and little envelopes!  I just love them so much and everyone I show them to says "Awwww!!"  LOL!!!

So cute when they are finished and just perfect for using up even more of those snippets I get left with after making other creations. I hate waste and can never throw any offcut of card, paper or ribbon away .. .. no matter how small  .. .. but these little cuties will help to use some of the smaller pieces up quite nicely!!

They will probably just have general sentiments on the front and the inserts left blank. That way they can be used for a variety of reasons.

So from now on Tuesday is going to be Teeny, Tiny Tuesday - and today is week 1!!

But I will be good and list what I have used (unlike my lazy Sunday antics).

Here is my offering for this week:




This used:

Spellbinder Nestabilities:  Classic Square and Heart
Backing Papers:  Sizzix:  Little Sizzles "Country" (perfect for these tiny cards because all the patterns are so small)
Flower:  Cuttlebug 2x2 Flower Set "Asterisks" (given the triple embossed treatment)
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and of course the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Board for the matching envelope:


and that is me.  

Super smug today because I set this as a scheduled post so I could hit the ground running and crack on with wedding work.  The decision then being what time do I schedule for?  My weird brain decided a Teeny Tiny Tuesday Card at Two felt right!!  LOL!!  Hope it worked after all that!!!

Hope everyone is having a lovely day.

Love

Monday, 7 July 2014

DIGISTAMP BOUTIQUE CHALLENGE - JULY

Hi Everyone

I hope the new week has got off to a good start for you.

The day has gone really well here .. .. I hope the whole week is full of days like today.  If so I will be well chuffed come the weekend.

My share today is for taking over to the Digistamp Boutique Challenge for July and uses an image that I love and use lots.  He is great for male cards.  I love giving him different shirts LOL!!




This used:

Image:  part of the Cheeky Monkey Set
Sentiment:  Computer generated using font "2Peas Barefoot Professor"
Backing Paper:  DCWV Latte Stack
ProMarkers and Chalk
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Ribbon from My Stash Box

and that is it!

Another share already lined up for tomorrow so will hopefully see you then.

Enjoy what is left of your evening.

Love

Sunday, 6 July 2014

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Happy Sunday everyone.

I hope you have had a good weekend.

A couple of snippet makes from me today for taking over to Pixie's Snippet Playground.   

The purple snippet drawer was struggling to close this week so that is the one I delved into first:





As always on a Sunday I am lazy and do not list my ingredients.  They are usually too varied and random in terms of the papers I use.

I love this ribbon Christmas tree very much and normally would paper-piece all of it .. .. but time was short today so it had to be coloured instead.

Happy couples who get married in July and August are keeping me super busy at the moment with their Order of Services Booklets, Table Plans, Favours/Placenames and Thank You cards .. .. but I have thankfully managed to stock pile a few general makes to share with you whilst I am busy. 

Enjoy your Sunday evening and I'll catch you again soon.

Love

Saturday, 5 July 2014

GET SKETCHY 183

Hi Everyone

I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

I feel a new craze happening here in the old House of Hearts .. .. dinky little cards!!!

Today I had great fun creating this little project which is a whole three and a half inches square LOL!!  I have rather a lot of these little card blanks as my card supplier puts them in as samples when I order card for my "happy couples".  

So I think it is time I put some of them to work and this is what I came up with today  .. .. using just one of them .. .. and quite a few of those pesky snippets that keep mounting up:




This used:

Backing Papers:  Dovecraft:  Curiosity Corner
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat
My Favorite Things Die-namics:  Blueprints 12 and 14
My Trust Sewing Machine
Buttons and Twine from My Stash Box

then I decided a nice little envelope would look nice to go alongside it so using the We R Memory Keepers envelope board and a paper that came from Costco many years ago this was the finished project:


The sketch I used came from the My Favorite Things Blog Sketch Challenge so I am linking my creation up  .. .. .. .. just not sure whether it will count as an entry because I haven't actually done any stamping.  But my entry can always be deleted if necessary..

If you fancy playing along then here is the sketch I used:



and that is me for today.

Catch you again tomorrow using up some more of my snippets.

Love

Thursday, 3 July 2014

SKETCH SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope Thursday has been good to you.

It has gone very, very dark here as though the heavens are about to open .. .. so Mr Heart is rushing around with the lawn mower before it starts!!

So whilst he is occupied I thought I would do a quick post with my entry for this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge.  




This used:

Image:  Penny Black:  "4239K" Scented Message
Sentiment:  Lili of the Valley "Happy Circular Sentiments"
Backing Papers:  Docrafts Forever Friends "Kraft Notes"
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Distress Ink:  Tattered Rose
X-Cut Punch:  Small Flower
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads

and if you fancy playing along then here is the sketch I followed (definitely a keeper .. .. it was great to work with).


Before I go I would like to say a quick thank you for all your lovely comments on the little tutorial I did yesterday.  I am pleased it gave some people a little bit of inspiration.

Right, best go and see how the gardener is getting on before he notices I am not on kitchen duty!!

Catch you soon.

Love

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

BIG BIRTHDAY WISHES

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday.

Nice and early today - I am just so unpredictable aren't I?  LOL!!

I was asked what I had cut the leaves from that were on my card yesterday, and thought that perhaps a few other people may like to know too.

I very rarely have green card that that I am totally happy with using, so I do like to alter it a bit. Certainly doing the following strengthens those thin stems up a little. 

As I need to make another card similar to the one I posted yesterday, I thought I would take the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the process for anyone interested.

Two leaves cut from plain boring green card!

Paint the leaves very roughly with an Acrylic Paint Dabber

Press onto a VersaMark Ink Pad

Dip into the Chinese Takeaway tub of  clear embossing powder

Heat emboss - holding with tweezers so it doesn't fly away!

I repeat the embossing process several times to build up a lovely sheen.
The leaves on the right have had three coats and the ones on the left
only two at this stage.
For me it is a case of the more coats the better.

Definitely more attractive than the leaves in the first
photograph don't you think?

So there we go. That is how I do it, I hope that was useful for some of my lovely followers who are perhaps still learning and experimenting.

Then the leaves were put to good use to make the following.  Very similar to yesterday .. .. but different colours and layout.




This used:

Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font "Poor Richard"
Backing Paper:  First Edition Paper "Daydream"
MFT Dienamics Die:  Blueprint 14
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber:  Snow Cap 
Clear Embossing Powder
Metallic Thread

Time for another quick make before Mr Heart gets home and I'll hopefully catch you again tomorrow!

Love

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

HAVE A HAPPY DAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Tuesday!!

I hope the day has been kind to you.

No time for colouring and stitching today .. .. just die cutting and piecing together .. .. but I am pleased with the result.




This used:

Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Tiny Everyday Sentiments"
Backing Paper:  Dovecraft "Curiosity Corner"
MFT Dienamics Die:  Blueprint 14
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber:  Snow Cap 
Clear Embossing Powder
Button Twine

and that is it.

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my card of yesterday.  The stamp I used is actually VERY old!  It is one of the first "proper" stamps I ever bought many, many years ago from a lovely craft store that is sadly no longer in business (I bought this one and a similar thank you stamp).  There was a fabulous set of samples using Hero Arts products hanging on the wall and I very stupidly thought I would be able to replicate the samples .. .. yeah right!!  Wish I could have taken a picture of the samples on a mobile phone and look at them now .. .. but I didn't even have a mobile in those days LOL!! .  

Anyway, that is me for today.

Enjoy what is left of the evening and I'll hopefully catch you again tomorrow.

Love