Happy Birthday Card For a Granddaughter!

Hi, guys! Today I am sharing a birthday card I made for an eight-year-old girl.  I was asked by her grandma to make one with long brown hair.  I thought about it some and decided to use this fun image by Stampavie Suzi Blu.  The other request was to make it a "large" card.  The stamp I used is very, very large, so it was perfect.  One of the reasons I don't like to make large cards is there is so much space to fill, and I can't emboss the backgrounds with my A2 size folders.  So, after some thought, I decided to use some patterned paper for the background.

Supplies:
Stamps:Stampavie Suzi Blu
Paper: Gina K Designs, DCWV
Ink: Memento Black, Copics
Misc.: Stampin' Up Circle Punches, Ribbon, Glitter Pen, Corner Rounder, Computer Generated Letters/Number

I was trying to figure a fun way to put the birthday girl's name on the card and decided to mimic the paper and put the letters in individual circles in matching colors.

Here's wishing Jenna has a fun-filled birthday!

Until next time!

A Day In The Garden With Hubby

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  This weekend I was able to start planting!  Instead of my usual inky fingers, I had very muddy fingers by day's end!  I have been champing at the bit to do so, but we have had lots of frost lately.  We decided to plant tomatoes (10), bell peppers (5), and tons of herbs.  We did them in pots as it works best for us with our limited time to work in the garden.  I do have a great herb garden in ground, but those are perennials (chives, oregano, and lemon balm).  I really wish I never planted the oregano there because it sure spreads! The rest of the herbs are in planters.   I thought I would share some pictures taken today, and later on in the season I will share the hits and the misses!

Here is the established herb garden that is in ground.  This is my favorite time of year as the chives have their purple flowers on them!

The front flower beds are starting to bloom finally!  Love the azaleas! (Excuse the open garage door, we were actively working as I was snapping away!)

My late first hubby loved jumbo white irises.  They are now in bloom!

I love garden art!  We found Irwin at a local craft fair.  He just cracks me up, and when the wind blows he rocks back and forth!

Last but not least, let me introduce you to our "Metro-Gnome" Mookie!   I picked him up at Citifield after a Mets game a few years ago.  Isn't he cute?

Hope you enjoyed meandering through the garden with me.  It was fun sharing it with you.  I will have inky fingers again really soon!

Do you garden?  Or do you appreciate the great outdoors in other ways?  I would love to hear!

Have a great day!

Wedding Card -- Nature Inspired

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  I was asked to make a personalized wedding card by my sister.  She did not want me to make one in my usual wedding style.  No bride/groom, wedding cake or my usual color choices for a wedding. The bride and groom are very earthy, and so my sister asked that I incorporate nature into the card.  The groom whittled his own pen for his guest book, so I decided to use my woodgrain embossing folders by Tim Holtz on this card. I used vintage twine instead of my usual ribbon as well. The use of the Core-dinations paper and the sanding gave it a rustic look I feel.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn
Paper: Core-dinations, Gina K, Desert Storm Cardstock
Ink: Hero Arts, Memento Black, Antique Linen Distress Ink
Misc.: Spellbinders Heart Dies, Lawn Fawn Banner Die, Tim Holtz Embossing Folder, Twine

It was fun having to think "outside the box" and outside my comfort level.  My sister was thrilled when I gave it to her. Funny thing is, now my other sister who works with the bride-to-be wants one to give, too.  Not sure where I am going to go with that one yet!

Have a great day!  I hope you find some time in the day to do something you love!

Confirmation Card For My Nephew

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  This weekend was extremely busy with both Mother's Day and my nephew Christopher's Confirmation.  It was such a special weekend of fellowship, family and love.  I thought I would share the card I made for Christopher for this special occasion.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up, Lawn Fawn
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Versamark, Stampin' Up
Misc.: Tim Holtz Embossing Folder, Lawn Fawn Die, Ranger Silver Embossing Folder, Stardust Pen

The dove is a symbol used to represent the Holy Spirit, so I used a dove from an old Christmas Stampin' Up set.  I wanted rays to appear to radiate from it, so I broke out my Tim Holtz embossing folder that had lovely rays, and added sparkle with the Stardust pen.   For those who may not know, it is a symbolic gesture for the kids to pick a Saint's name to be used when they are confirmed.  My nephew chose LUKE, and he researched the life of St. Luke.  I recall making my Confirmation many years ago and I chose Katherine as my name (as did my mom and my sister Shannon).   Christopher had a wonderful day, and loved his card.

Congratulations, Christopher!  You made us all so very proud!

I hope you have a fabulous day!  Until next time!

Sparkly and Pink Get Well Card

Hi, guys! For today, I am sharing a card I made for a friend to give to a co-worker who had surgery.  She asked me to make the card "pink and sparkly" as that is her personality and would make her smile.  I decided to make a floral card with plenty of bling and pink.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts/Basic Grey
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Hero Arts Shadow Inks
Misc.: Bling, Ribbon

I really believe in the power of a good card to lift one's spirits.  I sure hope this accomplishes just that today!

Enjoy the day!  Until next time!

Personalized Holy Communion Cards

Hi, guys! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!  This weekend we will be celebrating Mother's Day and my nephew's Holy Confirmation.  I will share the cards I made for each next week (so not to spoil the surprise!).

I have been asked to make a lot of personalized Holy Communion cards this year.  It is funny to me that last year I made a bunch of them, but all for little boys.  This year there was not one boy in the bunch, but a bunch of little girls.  I used the same stamp for each of the girls, just changed up the hair color on each.  My friend wanted a card made with a lily of the valley theme. I used glossy card stock and heat embossed the background of this one.

The focal image stamp is from Catholic Rubber stamps.

I thought I would share a Mother's Day card I made for my friend Peter to give to his mom.  His mom is a big gardener and he wanted yellow flowers incorporated in the card.  She is currently helping him plant yellow flowers in pots in his garden.  I thought this was a perfect image to  use for her!

I cannot wait to spend the day with my mom on Sunday.  In the mom department, I hit the jackpot!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Until next time!

Got Margaritas? Adult Party Favors

Hi, guys! This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend a sister get-together.  My sister moved into a new apartment so we decided to celebrate together along with a few good friends.  I decided we needed to have some "adult" party favors.  I picked up some pre-mixed margaritas and mudslides. You know how I love to make cards, so I decided to make some fun tags to add to them.

The woman holding her head is a stamp by Viva Las Vegas Stamps.  I know we have all had days like that and so I thought it would be perfect for this project.  The "got margaritas?" stamp is by A Muse.  The mudslide tags used an old stamp from Stampin' Up, and the cool thing is the chocolate is embossed with chocolate-scented embossing powder.  Distress ink is rubbed along the tag to look like chocolate smudges (we have all had that happen I am sure!).

These were a big hit with all the ladies.  I think they are perfect for you to make for ladies gatherings, showers, or game nights.

Wishing you a fun day!  Until next time!