Super Simple Birthday

I came across this Brilliance multi-color ink pad one day last week, and wanted to use it. It's possible it's never been used before! (Although, I could have gotten it on eBay years ago, so the previous owner may have used it.) I inked up the stamp from a Stampin' Up! set and stamped it in the corner. I used only the blue portion of the ink pad to ink up the sentiment - from Hero Arts. Love the white on white layers. Simple, but I'm still pleased with it!

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Another Birthday

Most of the cards that I mail out are for birthdays, so it's no surprise that I'm sharing another birthday card today:)

I've had this stamped flower image for several years and it's been on my stamping table for many months, just waiting to be used. I had just a couple minutes last night and I really wanted to do something in my stamping room, so this is the simple card that I made. I used the Hero Arts birthday sentiment set that has not gotten put away for a while to stamp the "Happy Birthday." I matted with black. Voila! Possibly a card to donate to our church, where they sell them for cheap.

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Embossed, Stitched and Stamped Birthday

Here is another card I made yesterday. I didn't get a lot done, but I still had fun. I have had my sewing machine out for months and never could work it on to a card - until yesterday. I'm not thrilled with it, but you get to see it anyway!

I started by embossing (with a Darice embossing folder) the lace on the bottom of the card. (It started out sideways.) Wasn't sure I liked it. Embossed the same folder on the top. Cut a piece of Lasting Impressions paper for the middle. Hmmm - what next? Was this the time for sewing? Perhaps. Stitched around the edges of the patterned paper. Gee, maybe it looks better upright. Sure, could stamp a tall flower stamp on it. Found this one from Stampin' Up! Stamped it in Vintage Violet ink. Added the sentiment (from Hero Arts) in black and called it good enough. (The stitching is for you, Leslie. :))

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How About Christmas Sunday ... and a Few Challenges

I had NOTHING going on today. Yippee! I got to make a card and I sure hope that I will get several more made. It feels wonderful to not have to go anywhere or do anything.

I found a few challenges that I wanted to do and I combined them into this one card. The stamps are both from an Echo Park set.  I used Kaleidoscope embossing powder for the sentiment. I matted each piece with matching cardstock. I mounted the sentiment on foam squares. The challenges I'm entering this card in are:
   Christmas Card Challenge blog - anything goes Christmas Card
   Natasha's Clean and Simple Stamping blog - a sketch
   CAS-ual Fridays - use three of something
   CAS on Sunday - use glitter (I guess I kind of cheated, because I used sparkly embossing powder, which you really can't see in the picture.)

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Another Guy Card

Two of the folders I recently got were actually sets of three smaller folders. This wheat is one of them. It goes along with some flowers and some birds on a wire - both of which you'll be seeing soon, I'm sure. 

I lightly rubbed an old Memories Soft Wheat ink pad over the embossed image and around the edge to highlight the embossing. I matted with a bit of black. The card base is kraft and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

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"Distressed" Birthday

I bought this Darice embossing folder along with the rest of them because it was only a dollar. Then I wasn't sure I could use it. It's not great, but it sort of works.

I embossed a piece of cardstock the same size as a card front. I sponged some Tim Holtz Distress Antique Linen ink over the edges to emphasize the embossing. I stamped the image, which is from Gina K, and colored with Tim Holtz Distress markers. I cut it out with a Spellbinders oval and cut a mat one size bigger. I used the Antique Linen ink to sponge around the edges before removing the die. I used a distresser from Stampin' Up! to rough up the edges of both ovals and then mounted it on foam squares. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. When I was finished, I adhered the whole panel to a blank card.

This was the last full-size embossing folder that I purchased, but ... I just ordered nine more! Couldn't pass up the free shipping and $3 folders from Consumer Crafts. (It was a three-day special on shipping - free shipping for over $25.) I haven't gotten my new ones  yet, but be prepared for more embossing. I haven't had time for card-making for about a week, but hopefully I'll be back again soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Simple Sympathy

This is one of my new Darice embossing folders. I did expect to use it to make a card right away, but I did not expect to use the card so soon. :( A friend of mine in our stamping group lost her husband last Monday. So very sad.

I trimmed down the embossed piece and stamped the wildflowers (from Inkadinkado) in black. I wanted to add just a teeny tiny bit of color to symbolize a little bright spot that Bill is no longer struggling, so I added the little butterfly punched with a Martha Stewart punch.

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Just a Note

Both of these embossing folders are from Darice. I matted each embossed piece with black. I mounted the sentiment panel on foam squares. The little note was punched with a Fiskars punch. What fun I had on Tuesday making so many cards:) And there are more to come.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my Christian friends. Happy Sunday to those who don't celebrate Easter!

This is the card that I made for my dad and Jim's mom. I don't think I normally make Easter cards, but I had time this year and it just happened. The crocus (I don't really know my flowers, but I'm pretty sure these are crocuses!) and sentiment are from a Gina K set. I colored them with Copics. I scored several lines on the bottom of this panel with my Martha Stewart scoring board. I embossed the background with another new (to me) Darice embossing folder. You're getting close to having seen them all! Edited to add: Yes, this folder is called Basketweave.

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Embossed Doily

I think this embossing folder is SO cool! It looks like there is an actual doily on this panel, but it's just embossed. It's from Darice again. I embossed it again on a piece of scratch paper and cut out the middle, leaving a little extra border. I used that as a mask so I could stamp inside the oval. I used an Inkadinkado stamp and a multi-color pad for the flowers and then stamped the Hero Arts sentiment in black.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Embossed Butterflies

Edited to add: This embossing folder is from Darice and is called "Butterfly." Thanks to someone on Facebook for sharing my card:)

Two more cards using my new Darice embossing folders. And there are more scheduled:) It was fun to get several at one time and then actually get to use them!

I embossed and then cut down the embossed piece along the top edge. I added pearls to the butterflies. The patterned paper is from Lasting Impressions. I've had it for years. The sentiment is from PSX.

A birthday card using the the same folder. Again, I trimmed it down along the top edge. I used Pink Pirouette cardstock and embossed with my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. I used Liquid Pearls for the butterfly's bodies. They kind of flattened out, which disappointed me. I also punched a butterfly using a Martha Stewart punch and put it on the left side about in the middle. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I stamped it in black, then cut it out and embossed with a Spellbinders die. I sponged with Pink Pirouette ink before removing from the die. I mounted the sentiment piece on foam squares.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Christmas Thursday

Time for another Christmas card. I made this one for the Christmas Card Challenge blog. The challenge every week is to make a Christmas card, but every week there is an optional challenge. That optional challenge this week is to use kraft, red and white.

My snowflakes were cut and embossed using a Spellbinders die. I adhered them with foam squares. The red strip was embossed with a Sizzix snowflake folder. The sentiment is from a Jillibean set.

I often do my posts ahead of time and write nothing personal - just the facts, ma'am. :) Then I re-read them later and wish I had written more. Well, today, I'll write a little more! I didn't have Wyatt on Monday and Tuesday, so I had a fair amount of stamping time, which was fun. The reason Monday was because of a nice event. He went to the Mall of America with his immediate and extended family on his mom's side. The reason for Tuesday wasn't so great. He spent Monday night at the hospital. He had been throwing up and got dehydrated. He came  home after one night, though, and is doing well. Poor little fellow. Other than that, he is doing wonderfully!

Today is my dad's 89th birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad! (Thought I'd add that, even though he doesn't read my blog:) He IS on the computer quite a bit, though, doing other things.) The card I made for him is posted here.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Anniversary, Lucy and David!

This is for my friend of MANY, MANY years and her husband! Happy Anniversary, Lucy and David! (Their anniversary was yesterday. I had originally scheduled this post ON their anniversary, but changed it to today, because I was late in mailing it, even though it has been done for a few weeks. :( )

I punched the heart with my new (to me) punch from Martha Stewart. I matted with some Lasting Impressions cardstock. The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set. I added some tiny gems under the sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Embossed Daisies

I got nine new embossing folders last week (actually thirteen - seven full size ones and two sets of three smaller ones) so expect to see several embossed cards coming up. :) I finally got a chance to use some of them yesterday.

These daisies are probably meant to be standing up, but I kind of liked them in this orientation. I used markers to color the stems and leaves and flower centers before I embossed them. I cut the embossed piece to normal card front size and layered it onto the card so that the embossing is not visible inside the card. The sentiment is from Hero Arts and the butterfly was punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I added a couple light green gems and drew the antennae with a marker. EDITED TO ADD: All of my new folders are by Darice.

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Precious Gift

Here is the baby card I made for our daughter-in-law's sister's baby, Noah. It's a little belated, as he was born at the end of January when my mom was in the hospital and I was a bit preoccupied. He was baptized yesterday along with our grandson, Wyatt.

The teddy bear stamp and the sentiment are from the same Inkadinkado set. I stamped the bear on kraft cardstock and cut him out. Then I stamped again on the blue/green paper and the red paper and cut out the outfit and patch. I mounted the bear on foam squares. I matted with the same red patterned paper.

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Two Baptism Cards

Our grandson, Wyatt, and his cousin, Noah, were baptized this morning. (Their moms are sisters.) These are the cards I made for them - yesterday.

I used the same stamps for both cards. They are from a Stampin' Up! set called Special Blessings. (It's the same set I used for Wyatt's brother, Owen, three years ago.) For Wyatt's card, above, I used Versamark and pewter embossing powder for all of the stamping. I cut out the dove and mounted him on foam squares. I cut the circles with Spellbinders dies and mounted them on foam squares, too. The matted part of the sentiment is also on foam squares. I embossed the background with a Cuttlebug folder. The matting is a thicker pewter cardstock.

This is the card I made for Noah. I stamped the dove with Soft Sky, embossed, cut out and mounted on foam squares. I stamped the sentiment with black and matted that layer with Soft Sky cardstock. Tomorrow I'll post the baby card I belatedly made for Noah.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Simple Guy Card

I was doing a LITTLE organizing in my stamping room (got a new cube from Michael's for storage) and came across some stamps from Tattered Angels that I had received from a Design Team I was on. I thought I should use some of the stamps and this was the first one I started with. It rather looks like a piece of screen. I stamped it with Memento London Fog ink and matted with black and mounted on foam squares. The sentiment is from a Hero Arts set. I hope to have some stamping time tonight and then again on Monday, when I don't have Wyatt.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Birthday, Andrea!

Yet another birthday card for a member of our stamping group! Happy Birthday, Andrea!

The embossed piece was in my "card parts" pile, so I decided to make use of it. They were done with a small Cuttlebug folder. I added orange flowers and used purple brads. I matted with purple, also. The sentiment is from a Gina K set. That's about all there is to it! Hope you have a great day, Andrea.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Birthday, Georgia!

Another birthday card for a friend from our stamping group. Hope you have a great one, Georgia!

I made this card a couple weeks ago for the SplitCoastStampers Technique Lover's Challenge. The challenge was to do a "no-line piercing" technique and then color it. (You can find the tutorial here. Basically, you stamp on the back of your cardstock, pierce around the lines of the stamped image, and then turn it over and color.) I used an Inkadinkado tulip stamp and watercolored with an aquapainter and Stampin' Up! inks. I matted with Mellow Moss cardstock and mounted on foam squares. I embossed the bottom piece with a Stampin' Up!/Sizzix folder. The sentiment is from TPC Studio.

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Another Paper-Pieced Flower

I had stamped this flower on white when I was making this card before I realized I wanted it on ivory. So, since it was laying on my table, I thought I might as well use it. Hence this card:)

The flower stamp is from Gina K. I used a green Memento marker for the leaves and stem and a Tim Holtz marker for the flower. I stamped the flower again on the patterned paper and cut it out and glued it over the stamped flower. I added a brad for the flower center. I used patterned paper for the background and matted it and the flower panel on solid green. The "birthday" piece was cut with a Memory Box die while I was at our Group Gathering. (Not much more than two months til we meet again!) The "happy" was stamped by inking up part of a Happy Birthday stamp from Hero Arts.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

SCS Challenge and a Christmas Card, Finally

I made this card for the Sketch Challenge on SplitCoastStampers. I am also linking it up to the Christmas Card Challenge blog. This week's additional challenge is to use your favorite coloring medium. I obviously did not do that part of the challenge:)

Quite a simple card. No surprise! The embossing was done with Cuttlebug folders. I matted with Stampin' Up!'s Soft Sky cardstock. The main panel was mounted on foam squares. The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set. That's it.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

White Birthday Wishes for Patti

This card is for Patti. I was on a design team with her for a little while and found out her birthday is the same day - exactly - as my husband's. Cool:) Happy Birthday, Patti!

I punched the bottom with a punch from Recollections, then added gems to the flower centers. I stamped the sentiment (from Gina K) and scored lines on each side with my Scor-Pal. I embossed the top part with a Sizzix folder. I mounted the entire panel on foam squares. The butterfly was punched with a Martha Stewart punch and I added gems for the body. Enjoy your day, Patti.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Thanks!

I needed just a little "jump start" to get me making cards again. The new challenge for April in the Cuttlebug group I'm a member of is to use a button (or buttons) on your card. Perfect - just a tiny challenge. I've also been wanting to use some patterned paper on a card and make a coordinating envelope.

I stamped the flower on off-white cardstock. It's from a Gina K set. I colored directly on the stamp. For the stem and leaves I used a green Memento marker and on the flower I used a Tim Holtz black Distress marker. I stamped the flower again on the polka dotted paper and cut it out. My button is the flower center. I traced around the stem and leaves with the marker. I used my Martha Stewart scoring board to score lines around the outside. The matting piece is the reverse side of the dotted paper - from My Minds Eye. I used a Cuttlebug die for the "thanks."

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April Calendar Page

Here is my calendar page for April. I sure can't believe it's April already!

The sentiment and bunny are both from Inkadinkado. I stamped them in black and colored with Tim Holtz markers. I matted with Recollections paper. That's it! :) Links for my calendar page files can be found under my blog header, if you interested in them. I'd love to hear from you if you use them!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!