Happy Birthday Merry!

Today we celebrate the birthday of a wonderful person. She is sweet, funny, warm and thoughtful. I wanted to make a special card for a special person.

I started off by die cutting an entire sheet of PTI Select white cardstock. Then I started stamping the Larger Than Life images in pretty, soft pastels.

I placed the bouquet in a mason jar that I die cut and stamped. Then over that, I put a vellum die cut image. I used Zip Dry glue to adhere them all together. I've found that it works best with vellum. Wrapped the jar with some twine and hung a tiny tag.

I wanted the jar to look like it was on a wooden table so I inked up the woodgrain impression plate and used Kraft cardstock. My vellum butterfly was punched with a Martha Stewart punch.

I put a lot of love into this card for Merry. I hope she can feel it through the magic of the internet.

Happy Birthday Merry! xo

Stamps: PTI Friendship Jar, Larger Than Life, Tiny Tags
Ink: Colorbox White, Adirondack Lettuce, Versamagic Pretty Petunia, Thatched Straw, a La Mode Pink
Paper: PTI White Select, Kraft, Vintage Cream, Vellum
Misc: PTI Woodgrain Impression plate, Tiny Tags Die, Twine, MS punch, clear sparkle embossing powder

My Girls

Me again! Twice in one day, can you believe it?! My friend Cathy made me promise to share a picture of my girls when I got my new Camera. Oh how I LOVE my new camera!! It was worth every penny and all of the sacrificing of selling most of my stamp sets.

After much research I ended up getting a Canon Rebel T3i. I still have lots to learn about it, so right now all pictures are on the Auto mode.

The other day my daughters convinced me to make Chocolate Chip Cookies. I try to limit our sugar intake, so this was a special treat for them. Can you tell by the looks on their faces?

Notice my "vintage" mixer? My Mom got that for me at a thrift store. It must be from the 70's but it works great!! I would love to get a Kitchen Aid one day but for now this works perfectly. And I love vintage so I'm hoping it lasts another 40 years. :)

I want to paint my kitchen walls. I'm thinking PTI's Chartruese would look nice in a kitchen. But I can't decide. What do you think??

Congrats Spinner Card

My father had asked me to make another graduation card for my other niece who is graduating High School. I had envisioned the graduation caps that get thrown up in the air. I thought a Spinner card was perfect. But as I was making it, I realized that it wasn't going to look exactly as I wanted. I started out with a long rectangular size card that would fit into a legal size envelope. I wanted the cap to look like it's flying high inthe air. But it turned into yesterday's balloon card when I tried out the spinner and it didn't reach the top of the card without turning it completely sideways and upside down.

I was happy to learn that the spinner works well as a square card. While I was making this card, I was thinking about my wonderful niece. I can't believe she is graduating High School! It feels like just yesterday I was changing her diaper. The clouds are cut out of coaster and I applied stickles all over them.

I wanted the card to feel like the cap was flying in the air so I made a little neighborhood town on the bottom. As I was making it, I wanted to incorporate a butterfly in the design. A butterfly has a lot of significance to me. Not only does it represent a new beginning, it's a sign to me, that my late SIL (my niece's mother) is still around. Although the butterfly's scale is off a bit, it was the smallest one I have right now. I used quite a few different stamp sets to make this neighborhood.

Inside I used another SU 3x3 envelope so that my parents can put some cash in there. The sentiment is from an old The Greeting Farm set and I thought it was very appropriate for this card.  As I was stamping this particular image, something magical happened. But I will save that story for tomorrow because it's a long one.

Thank you for stopping by again! I sometimes think about quitting this hobby because it is so time consuming and expensive but reading your comments keeps me going. :)

Stamps: SU Good Neighbor, PTI Communique Sentiments, Simple Little Things, Boards and Beams, Flutterby Friend, Through the Trees, a memory box stamp and a misc sentiment stamp from The Greeting Farm, Studio G

Ink: Memento London Fog, Rosebud, Dandelion, Bamboo Leaves, Colorbox White, Versafine Black, PTI Dark Chocolate, Versamagic Turquiose Gem, Midnight Blue, Colorbox green

Paper: PTI Select white, Spring Rain, SU black

Misc: PTI Cloud die, coaster, Stickles, Glitter pen, Ranger clear embossing powder, SU 3x3 envelope, nestabilities die, pennies, pop dots

Congrats Balloon Card

I was asked by my father to make a graduation card for my niece who is graduating 8th grade. Unfortunately I rarely see her and don't know much about her. So I thought some sparkly balloons were in order.

I stamped each image in Versamark and then used either Martha Stewart glitter embossing powder, or SU's irridescent ice. I cut out each balloon and tied matching twine to each one. I tried to make the sentiment look like it was wearing the graduation cap. It looked much better in my mind!

 

Inside I used a 3x3 envelope so that my parents can insert some cash. I was stumped as to what to dio inside since I don't own many Graduation stamps so I just continued the balloon theme and left room for my parents to write something.

I wrapped some gorgeous gray twine around the envelope and added a tiny tag.

I made another card for my other niece. But that will have to wait until tomorrow because I have to make dinner now. Blah. I'd rather be stamping. :)

Stamps: Studio G (cap), PTI Signature Greetings and Tiny Tags

Ink: Versamark, Versafine Turquiose Gem and Black, Memento Rosebud

Paper: PTI Select White, Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Plum Pudding, Chartreuse,  

Misc: Twine for various sources, SU 3x3 envelope, PTI Tiny Tags die cuts, MS EP, SU Irridescent Ice, pop dots

Make It Monday #12 Line Frame

I've only attempted this technique a few times. I am just too impatient I guess. But I figured out a way to do it real quick and easy. I used my T-Square ruler. Just started drawing a line 1/4" in from the first side, then stop 1/4" from then end of the other side. So for this card it started at 1/4" on the left and ended at 5-1/4" on the right. Then turned the card, drew the line up to the 4" mark. Repeat that process until you are done. I also did it that way for my second card, only I started drawing 1/2" from the side and repeated the process.

Stamps: PTI Signature Greeting, There She Goes Poppies

Ink: Memento Black, Copics, Precision Pen

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Select White

Misc: Stickles

For this card I thought I would change things up a bit. Instead of using a black marker, I used a copic marker that was the same color as my Memento ink that I used. I wasn't too sure how it would turn out, but I think it looks okay. I definitely need to fine tune my framing skills.

Thanks for looking and I hope to be back soon with something completely different. {Hint: I am working with fabirc, felt and dies!}


Stamps: PTI Floral Fusion, Signature Greetings
Ink: Versamagic Pretty Petunia, Memento Bamboo Leaves, Copic Marker
Paper: PTI Select White
Misc: Stickles

Missing My Brother

I miss my brother. I haven't been able to see him in a very long time. So I made him this card to let him know.

First, I inked up PTI's Woodgrain Impression plate with some white craft ink. I ran it through my Big Shot with some Kraft Paper. Then I cut out a circle using my Nestabilities. On the Vintage Cream cardstock, I stamped the tree image and then the bird. I received some gorgeous Divine Twine from my friend Cathy and used it to tie on the Tiny Tag. I don't own the Tiny Tags set or dies, but was able to borrow them from a wonderful friend, Noora.

I stamped the other bird on top of the heart and the sentiment miss you. See how those cute birdies are separated? That's how I feel without seeing my beloved brother in such a long time. Hopefully I'll be able to visit him this summer. I miss his smiling face.

That's it for now. I have other projects in the works but I'm not sure when I'll be posting them. I really, REALLY want to get my craft room re-painted. Right now it is beige and red with a black and white border. It used to be a boy's room before we moved in. Not a very inspiring environment. Well, 3 years later and I still haven't redecorated it. Ideally I would like to get it done before the summer arrives. Crossing my fingers!

Stamps: PTI Through the Trees, Love Birds
Ink: Versacolor, Colorbox, PTI Pure Poppy
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Kraft
Misc: PTI Woodgrain Impression Plate, Divine Twine, pop dots, PTI Tiny Tags die

An Off Color card not for the Easily Offended

A wonderful and super generous friend of mine, Kelli Jo, sent me several of her unloved There She Goes stamp sets. One of the sets is "Loads of Fun". It has images of laundry, laundry baskets, a washer and dryer and some of the funniest sentiments. I know I'm going to have fun with this set!!

So I wanted to make her a thank you card. But it had to be a very unique, humorus and a bit crazy of a card to fit her personality. ;-) The idea came to me almost instantly.

Now be warned, it is not for the pearl clutchers. Although I don't think any of them follow my blog. ;-) I just don't want anyone to be offended by this.  It is just done in good "clean" fun.

In order for the sentiment to work, I had to ink up half of one sentiment for the beginning of the sentence and half of another for the end of the sentence. I'm hoping she will get a good laugh out of it. And I hope you did too! If not, you can let go of your pearls now. lol!

Stamps: There She Goes "Loads of Fun" and The Greeting Farm Cheeky Girl
Ink: Memento black, Versacolor Turquiose Gem, Copic markers
Paper: PTI Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, Vellum
Misc: tiny wooden clothespins, pop dots

One Layer Wednesday...on Tuesday

(ETA: Thank you Jennifer Styles to alerting me that my picture wasn't showing up! Should be fixed now.)

Nothing like getting this completed at the last minute. I attempted to do the Double Embossing technique. Thanks to several different tutorials, and a couple of hours to waste, I was able to make this CAS card. (Only today instead of "S" standing for "Simple", for me it was "Struggling".) But overall I'm glad I tried this technique. I'll definitely do it again. As long as I can find my sticky notes directions underneath all of the rubble on my table.

Hope you are all having a fantastic week and I'll see you soon!!

Stamps: There She Goes "Buttercup"
Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate, Memento Bamboo Leaves, Copic Markers
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream
Misc: PTI Impression Plate, Mat Stack Die

WPlus9 Color Cue Challenge #13

This is my first time participating in Wplus9's color challenge. These aren't my normal go to colors so it was a challenge. But I had fun and I know I'll be using this combo again!

I'm trying to get some Mother's Day cards made for Operation Write Home. The deadline is March 31st so I'll be cranking out quite a few of these in the next week and a half. I wanted to keep the design simple so I could replicate them quickly, but with a bit of elegance.

I also made a couple more to see how other colors would look.

I'll be in my craft room cranking out more Mother's Day cards for OWH. Hope to be back soon!

Stamps: SU Fifth Avenue Floral, Verve Because of You
Ink: Black Memento, Copic Markers
Paper: PTI White and Spring Moss, Bazzill Gray (1st card)
Misc: Swiss Dots CB folder, PTI Satin Ribbon

Dogwood Sympathy

Unfortunately I needed another sympathy card last week. I wanted to keep it simple and serene but not boring. I stamped a couple of extra flowers, hand cut them out and folded the petals over a bit for some more of a 3-D effect.

I stamped a sentiment inside and added a butterfly from A Muse's Flutterby Flock stamp.

It's Spring Break week here and I hope to stay in my pj's longer than I should, leave the housework until it's unbearable and stamp the days away. See you soon!

Stamps: Hero Arts Dogwood, With Sympathy
Ink: Memento London Fog, Colorbox Fresh Green, Copics
Paper: PTI Spring Rain, Select White
Misc: Pop Dots