Surprise!

I'm back!  And it's only been about a month since my last post! 😄  I wanted to share a card that I've just finished for my daughter's 45th birthday...WOW!  is she really 45!  Time sure does fly, doesn't it!

I decided to make a tunnel card for her this year. 

I embossed a panel with a "happy birthday" embossing folder that I've had forever.  The small flowers are punched with an old punch and the centers of the flowers are Nuvo drops.  The leaf is a die cut from Sizzix.  The two circles were cut with a SSS die.

Here's the inside of the card.  I used the double edged stitching dies from SSS.  Flowers are punched with an old EK Success punch and the I added a few doodles on each of the blooms.  Red birds are also a die, can't remember who makes them.  I inked the background with distress oxide ink and stamped the sentiments from SSS Everyday Messages.   The branches were also cut with a die - probably another SSS die. Not a quick and easy card, but I like how it turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by and please know that I truly appreciate each and every comment!

Hugs to all!

Back Again!

I've managed to get a few things done in my craft room this week.  A couple of cards and a new layout to share with you.  

This first card is one I made after watching this video from Jennifer McGuire.  This is a super cute card when it's all finished.  I used the inside rectangles on the front of the card. All the flowers I used are from Altenew's Garden Treasure stamp set.  The greenery is die cut with a MFT Leafy Greenery Die set.

I stamped lots of images and then added them to the layers inside the card.  The background was stamped with a large background stamp from IO.  You should go watch the video...super cool techniques

This second card was created using 1/4 inch washi tapes.  I just layered them on a card sized rectangle, then trimmed it and added it to a card base.  The sentiment is Birthday Palooza from SSS.  I cut the "Happy" directly from the washi tape background, then popped it with craft foam. Added a few sequins and it was complete!

This is a layout I just completed.  Photos were taken over 10 years ago.  I was working in St. Augustine and my husband decided to make the trip with me and we spent each evening exploring this wonderful city.  Full description of what I used can be found in my gallery at scrapbook.com.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  If you've left me a comment, please know that I sincerely appreciate each and every one!   Hope to see you again soon!

Where does the time GO!!

PHOTO HEAVY POST

I have been SO busy lately....well, actually for the last couple of months!  I've done quite a bit of scrapping and made a few cards too, so I thought I'd share with you today. I've also been super busy preparing for Vacation Bible School which is actually this week!

I've been scrapbooking quite a bit lately.  I've missed scrapbooking the last few years, but I think I'm getting back in the swing of it now. If you're interested in how I made these pages, here's a link to my gallery at scrapbook.com.  I explain how each layout was created on that site.  Most of my layouts also include journaling, which is also in my gallery at scrapbook.com.

I've also got a few cards to share with you...

This is the card I made for my great granddaughter, Ellie for her 2nd birthday.  It's a really cool card that folds up to make a little book. It used 4 - 8.5 inch squares of card stock and the rest is just folding and scoring...and of course, decorating the card.

Used an edge die to cut the edge of the pink.  Backed it with some glittery paper I made with some score tape and glitter. Cut the sentiment from the same glitter paper that I made.  Popped the pink panel over the glitter paper...and done.

This flower card was stamped on the card base with a PB stamp, then I stamped it on water color paper that I had smooshed some color on and then cut the blooms out and popped them over the stamped image.

The second card....I created the diagonal striped background in my Silhouette program and then layered a sentiment over it that was die cut with a stitched edge die. 

This last card was created using a strip of the paper from previous card and cutting it to match the curved teal paper.  The teal paper was dry embossed with an old embossing folder.  The sentiment was generated with the Silhouette program and printed on the card base. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  If you've left me a comment, please know that I sincerely appreciate each and every one!  I know this is a photo heavy blog post, but if you've managed to make it through to the end....bless you!  Hope to see you again soon!

LIM #329 - Geometrics

I hope none of you faint!  Here I am back again for the 3rd day in a row!!  I've had a productive day today.  Finished a dress for one of my granddaughters, bought groceries to prepare dinner tonight for two of my children and their families and made two cards for the Less is More Challenge!

And....I'm getting my cards posted on the same day I made them! WooHoo!!!

For this first card, I used a wood mounted stamp (that I coveted) from the wonderful Darnell of djkardkreations and leader of the NBUS challenges.  So...thank you, Darnell!  I stamped the image in versamark and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.  I colored in parts of the image with two yellow Copic markers.  The butterfly is from Hero Arts, and was also stamped and heat embossed with gold.  I fussy cut the image and added some yellow to the butterfly.  The sentiment is from SSS. I colored the side of the card and the sentiment strip with one of the Copic markers, then heat embossed the sentiment in gold.  Added a few drops of Nuvo to match, and popped the white panel with some craft foam.

Not too sure about this card.  It might not be CAS enough for the challenge.  I got this new 6 x 6 image from Concord and 9th.  I think I might need just a "little" more practice with the stamp! After my attempt at stamping, I added some Wink of Stella to the blue triangles and the orange stripe down the right side.  I wiped the blue ink on a scrap of white to make the sentiment tag.  Sentiment is from SSS and is heat embossed with white.  Added just a few Nuvo drops and popped the panel with craft foam.

That's all for me today....As always, thanks so much for stopping in.  I appreciate your visit...and I appreciate each and every comment!

The Flower Challenge and CAS Watercolour Challenge...and SO much more!

Got a couple of things to share with you today.  I've been so busy these past few weeks! Made a couple of cards today that will fit perfect with the Flower Challenge "anything goes" theme and the CAS Watercolour Challenge with a "spring" theme.

Both cards actually fit the Flower Challenge...but the second card is for the CAS Watercolour March challenge. Let's get started....

Have you ever opened your mouth and made a statement, only to realize over a week later that you really should keep your mouth shut?...Yeah, me too....thus the You Matter to Me card.  I used Altenew stamps for the blooms, and SSS You Matter sentiment.  I used two background stamps...one for the stripes on the card base (IO) and the other for the background under the flowers (PB). Added a few dots with some Nuvo and card done.

I used one of my favorite dies for this card....the Penny Black Poppy die.  The sentiment is from SSS You Matter stamp set.  The background for the flowers was a piece of water color paper that I was practicing my "smooshing" on. The poppies were also cut from watercolor paper and painted with water colors. I used a SSS stitched rectangle die to cut the background piece from the watercolor background paper that I'd "smooshed" color onto. For a little "extra" I flicked a few splatters of red and teal onto the background.

I seem to flit from one thing to another...and here's part of the reason why.

Got me a new "toy" a few weeks ago and I've been thoroughly enjoying it!  I've been really busy for the last couple of months making clothes to send on a couple of mission trips for my church.  One trip is to Haiti this month, and the other trip is to Alaska in August.  I've made almost 72 items thus far...shorts, dresses, bibs, burp cloths, blankets, knitted booties and caps, knitted dish cloths....the list goes on.  I think I made more shorts than anything...31 in all!  Anyway, this machine will do SO much more and I can't wait to learn more (embroidery and monogramming!)

In the mist of learning my new machine...I got a wild hair to make an exploding photo box of my great granddaughter for my grandson and his wife.  See...jumping from one thing to another! LOL!

I made pics of all the inside pages, but decided that would be TOO photo heavy!

Last weekend, I made a trip to visit my daughter, so I could see my granddaughter all dressed up for prom.  They do something different at their proms...they have something called "lead out" where all the couples are introduced and all the parents come to watch "lead out".  It was really a nice event. Here's a photo of my beautiful granddaughter and her date.

As I said before...BOY! have I been busy! Now I'm trying to play catch up all in one blog post!  I need to try to post a little more often!

That's all for me today....As always, thanks so much for stopping in.  I appreciate your visit...and I appreciate each and every comment!

Four Challenges...

I've made a few cards this week, and thought I'd link them up to several challenges.  I even made a card or two that would fit more than one challenge!  Yay, Me!

I will be playing along with the following challenges:  CAS(E) this Sketch, Happy Little Stampers, CASology, and Merry Monday!  Whew! That's a LOT of challenges for me!

So, let's get started....

This first card is for CAS(E) this Sketch.  I used a really old "Magnolia" stamp.  When I saw this one, I just had to have it...and I probably haven't used it 2 times!  The little girl was facing the wrong way, so I scanned the stamped image into my Silhouette program and flipped her horizontally, then used the trace feature to trace her and then welded the image into a rectangle, so that I could cut out just her legs with the Cameo.Much easier to do than to explain! LOL! I cut the cloud (SSS) from the rectangle, then ink blended the blue sky before popping the cloud back in (raised with foam). The little girl is colored with Copics and the sentiment is computer generated.

This second card is for the CASology challenge with a cue word of "hero".  My youngest grandson is a HUGE fan of Batman, and even though his birthday is a ways away, I thought I'd get his card done for him.  The Batman image is from the Silhouette Store.  I created the "Bam" accent in the Silhouette program as well as the sentiment.  I printed all of this out and cut it to 4 x 5.25 inches.  I colored in some "ground" under Batman.  I also printed out another of the "Bam" stars and popped it over the one on the card.  I added a very small black border and adhered it to a white card base.

This third card is for a couple of challenges - Merry Monday and HLS - Anything Goes with Dies.  I used a Christmas tree die that I've had for a while and cut it from a card panel.  I had to add a piece of acetate behind the aperture so that I'd have something which I could used to adhere my tree back in the aperture.  I then popped that panel over a inked panel.  To make the inked background, I used the TH spritzer, and my Tombow markers and spritzed two different colors of ink on a small panel that would fit behind the tree.  I then used my WOS silver and gold pens and flicked some of the sparkly WOS onto the green.  It's difficult to see, but there's really a lot of shine behind the tree.  I cut the sentiment "merry" (SSS) from card stock and from foam, then added a bit of glitter to the bottom portion of the letters.  The "Christmas" is from DRS Designs.  The star is popped with foam tape, and painted with gold WOS. (Cut with a SSS die)

This last card is just me playing around with some water colors again.  I wanted to create a "scene", but this one fell a little short of what I was trying to do...but it's okay.  If practice really makes perfect, then I should be getting better at this, don't you think?! LOL!

That's all for me today....As always, thanks so much for stopping in.  I appreciate your visit...and I appreciate each and every comment!

CASology and HLS January Challenge...and much more!

I've been really busy making cards this week.  I need a boxed set for a gift and then just some birthday cards for upcoming birthdays...so get ready...lots to see!

               

This first card works for the cue card at CASology and Happy Little Stampers January "anything goes with dies" challenges.

The flowers are die cuts from Penny Black that I cut out of watercolor paper and painted with watercolors.  I had to paint them several times to get the deep red color I wanted. On another piece of water color paper, I loosely painted the background with green and blue.  I really love how the background turned out! I then cut the background with a stitched rectangle die from SSS and popped the flowers on top of the painted background.  The sentiment is from Sugar Pea Designs.

This card could also work for both challenges.  I cut a 4.25 x 5.5 inch piece of water color paper and added my watercolors in blue and yellow.  I "think" I might be getting the hang of water colors! I die cut the word "Kindness" from the painted background and also cut it from a piece of craft foam and popped it back in the water color base.  The die and the rest of the sentiment are also from Sugar Pea Designs. (Oh...and don't forget to pop the little pieces from the middle of the letters back in the appropriate places!)

Ok...now comes the "photo heavy" part....LOL!

This one is entirely hand painted

The first ten of this last group of cards will be used as a boxed set that I'm giving as a gift.  I've also made a cute little purse (Thanks for the link [for the purse by LeeAnn Greff] to the tutorial, Loll!)

Whew!  I think that's all for right now...

Sorry for such a LONG post, but I really wanted to share my burst of inspiration! For the sake of space and time, I didn't put a description of the cards in this post, but as always, if you have any questions about how something was done, or what products were used...just drop me an email and let me know. (You can click on the contact me button on the right hand side of this blog.)

As always, thanks so much for stopping in.  I appreciate your visit...and I appreciate each and every comment!