Tattered Floral Birthday Card Using Gift Wrap

Remember a while back when I wrote about some lovely books of gift wrap that I received from my friend Ruth?  Well, I was asked by a co-worker to make Ruth a birthday card for her.  Ruth loved the gift wraps, and knew I would get use from them, so I thought: what better way to use them than make her a card? I remembered her favorite pattern from the book, so that was the one I used.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Archival
Misc.: Tattered Floral Die, Circle Punch, Button, Gift Wrap

I attached a piece of the floral gift wrap to a piece of card stock and then die cut it.  This gives the piece some weight and made it sturdy.

The leaves were made by cutting out them out using a circle punch and scoring and folding.

Wishing Ruth a very Happy Birthday!  She brings a lot of sunshine to those who know her!

Chocolate Chip Cookies On The Brain

Did you ever watch a television show and see a food on there that you just HAD to have?  That happened to me this week.  My husband and I were watching a rerun of Throwdown with Bobby Flay and the focus was on chocolate chip cookies.  He went up against a pair of women who competed in the Ironman competition, and who have bakeries in NYC called Levain.  Their cookies looked so yummy (and as big as my head!).  I mentioned to my husband that I would love to try one of those cookies some day. Well, he was in Manhattan on Friday and picked some up.  Oh, my word, are they good.  We weren't able to eat a whole one, so we have been munching a little at a time.

If you ever visit NYC or are a local, I highly recommend a visit.  I hope someday to get up there to check it out for myself.

This weekend I was asked to make a birthday card for a little girl to give her grandma. The only information I received was that the girl and grandma bake cookies together, and since I had chocolate chip cookies on my brain, this is the card I made for her.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet N Sassy, Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip Wheel
Paper: Gina K Designs (White and Kraft)
Ink: Archival, Memento, Copic Marker
Misc.: Spellbinders Heart Dies, Circle Punches, Mini Cookie Cutter Embellishment

So sorry for the lack of blogging this week.  It was a bear of a week with work, jury duty and a bunch of other things.  Hope to be more active this week!

Until next time!

St. Patrick's Day Cards for Kids

Today I am sharing a pair of cards I made for my friend Ruth to give her grandchildren for St. Paddy's Day.  She has a young grandson named Elvis, and a young granddaughter named Madison.  The kids love to see their names on the cards so I did just that for each one.

For Madison's card I used my March Simon Says Stamp card kit stamp set and some of the fun rainbow paper included.  The kit also had some alphabet stickers included and since the other kits had some in various colors I mixed them up to form her name.

For Elvis's card, I stamped a fun leprechaun and put him on an Action Wobbler so he bounces around when moved or touched.  I think he will enjoy it.

I can't believe St. Patrick's day is nearly here and these are the only two cards I have made for it.  Time has gotten away from me again!

WOYWW #248 - Oh Baby!

It has been a couple of weeks since I was able to take part in WOYWW and share what is on my work desk with you.  Today I am sharing my inky mess!  You will see plenty of ink, markers and even buttons and ribbon.   I have been working on two baby cards and as usual, I start pulling supplies out even before I know what I will be actually doing.

Thank you Julia for the desk hopping fun!  I thought I would share the two completed cards I made from this lovely mess.  One is for a baby girl, and the other a baby boy.

I am looking forward to catching up with a lot of you today and seeing what you are working on!  Until next time!

Milk and Cookie Valentine

Do you like chocolate cookies as much as I do?  I'm craving hot cookies just out of the oven and a pot of tea after making this Valentine's Day card.  My friend Ruth asked me to make a special card for her husband Joe, and after giving it some thought I decided to do a milk and cookie card.  Joe is a GREAT cookie baker (I have eaten many of his yummy creations!).

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet 'N Sassy, Stampin' Up, Simon Says Stamp
Paper: Desert Storm, Card Kit Papers
Ink: Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink, Black Archival
Misc. Glossy Accents, Ribbon

For this card I used three various stamp company's stamps.  I love when I can mix and match my stamps to create something new.  I remembered I had a great chocolate chip stamp from an old Stampin' Up stamp set that I used for the background.  To make it more Valentine's Day in feel, I added some hearts from my January Simon Says Stamp card kit.  The papers I used for this card are from Simon's Says Stamp card kits as well.  In order to give the glass of milk a fun look, I applied Glossy Accents to it. I love how it turned it into a "glass."

Do you have a favorite cookie?  I love anything with chocolate, but I think Snickerdoodles have to be my all-time favorite.  There is something about cinnamon sugar that I can't resist.  Would love to hear your favorite!

WOYWW #240 - Happy Birthday Card for My Husband

Today is my husband's 56th birthday.  It is also Wednesday, so I am sharing what is on my work desk with you!  As you can see I have been working on making his birthday card. I went with a fun word search stamp that I had for many years by Stampin' Up.  I used a pencil eraser to stamp the ink on it.

Last month I was a lucky winner at Jennifer McGuire's blog and won a dozen Hero Arts Shadow Inks. I was so very excited when I learned I would be getting them and have been enjoying them ever since. A dozen ink pads to a stamper is such a treat! These inky fingers are extremely happy!

Also on my desk is a new stamp set and matching die set I received from my good friend Asia for Christmas.  I am planning to use them next to make a birthday card for a very special friend.

Thank you to Julia for the desk hopping fun!  I look forward to catching up with you today!

Distress Stain Sympathy Card

Hi, guys! Today I am sharing a sympathy card I was asked to make.  A coworker needed a card for her child's teacher who lost her husband suddenly.  When I hear stories like that it makes my heart ache.  I was told my coworker really didn't know the teacher well yet, so kept it simple and went with nature as I was not sure of their faith or beliefs.    I did decide to make it more bright in color than I normally do, because I thought it may lift her spirits a bit (especially coming from a young student).  I did the background with various shades of Distress Stains and black heat embossed the image and sentiment.

You will notice that I used my Lovely as a Tree Stampin' Up set for the main image.  I find it is perfect for so many occasions.  I used watercolor paper for the panel, as I love the way it works with Distress Stains and water, and there is a lot of color play and little warping.

I am submitting this card to the following challenge: http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com

Wishing you a good day ahead!  Until next time!

Birthday Cards for a Daddy and a Grandfather

Hi, guys!  Today I am sharing two cards that I made for a little girl named Victoria to give to her daddy and her grandfather for their birthdays in a few weeks.

The first card up is for her father, Seth.  I decided to use an old Stampin' Up set featuring one of my favorite stamps:  a fun loving crab!  I figured since his horoscope is Cancer (just like mine!) that this set would be a fun one to use.   I wanted to keep the card fun and happy since it was coming from his very young daughter.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Distress Stains, Archival Black, Inktense Pencils
Misc.: White Felt, Googlie Eyes, Twine, Corner Rounder

I thought adding the felt and the googlie eyes made it fun and whimsical and something Victoria would love.  Who can resist not shaking a card with those eyes?

For the next card, I decided to use a set of stamps and a matching set of dies by Lawn Fawn.  They feature paper airplanes.  I figured they would be perfect for a grandfather.  Do you remember making them back when you were a kid?  I sure do!

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn, Studio G
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Distress Stains, Distress Ink, Archival Black
Misc.: Lawn Fawn Dies, Hero Arts Gems

I did the background using Distress Stains in various blues and white and plenty of water.  I was inspired by a wonderful blogger and artist, Sandee. She is so kind and shares her knowledge with you.

I hope Seth and his father have a Happy Birthday!

Until next time!

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!

Mother's Day Cards Galore!

Hi, guys!  I have been very busy making Mother's Day cards for the upcoming holiday.  I thought I would share some of them with you today.  Since there are quite a few, I will not list all the supplies, so if you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me a message, or leave me a question and I will get back to you!

The first one is for my friend's Babci (Grandmother in Polish).

Here is a modern-looking one for a friend's mama.

One for a grandma.

Another one for a grandma!

Hope you like these fun cards.  My hope is they will make some lovely ladies very happy!

Enjoy your day!

St. Paddy's Day Tag

Hi, guys! Gearing up for St. Paddy's Day on Sunday here!  I was asked to make a tag for my friend Ruth to give her husband for St. Paddy's Day.  She likes funny sayings, and wanted a bit of a twist on the sentiment.  She is funny, and last year her tag was telling her husband how lucky he was to have her, so I went with this one below this year.

Front of tag

Back of tag

I used Dylusion Sprays on this tag.  I had fun with them, and yes, my fingers got very inky. I like to spray things like this in a big box to prevent my overanxious self from spraying my area (yep, I have been known to get it everywhere!).

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up,STP Canadian Maple Collections
Ink: Distress Ink, Dylusions Sprays, Copic Markers
Paper: Ranger Manila Tag, Gina K (White)
Misc.: Bakers Twine (Green and Orange), Tim Holtz Tradition Token, Computer Generated Sentiment

I want to thank my hubby for giving me the fun sentiment, as he understood what I needed and phrased it perfectly.

Hope you have a great day!  I can't wait for the Corned Beef dinner (we will be having it on Saturday with my father in-law)!

An Unforgettable Friend

Hi, guys! Today I thought I would share a card I made for a friend.  I decided to use an old stamp set from Stampin' Up that I love.  I think this elephant is just adorable.  I colored him with my Prisma colored pencils and used Distress Ink for the edges of the focal image and on the patterned paper.

He was quick to make and a lot of fun.  I used only a bit of ribbon and a pearl to accent this card.

I am entering this card in The Perfect Sentiments challenge PSC66.  

Until next time!

Puppy Love Valentines

Hi, guys! For today I am sharing two cards I made using this adorable puppy Valentine stamp by Red Lead Paper Works.

The first one I made for a little boy from his uncle.  I made the background by using an old Stampin' Up set of Conversation Hearts.

Supplies:
Stamps: Red Lead Paper Works, Stampin' Up
Paper: Desert Storm
Ink: Archival Black
Misc.: Prisma Colored Pencils, Tim Holtz Alphas

The next one up is a Valentine for two little kids to give to their daddy. I used Distress Inks to age the focal image as well as the doily.

Supplies:
Stamps: Red Lead Paper Works
Paper: Gina K Designs, Authentique, Doily
Ink: Archival Black, Distress Inks
Misc.: Prisma Colored Pencils, Rectangle Scallop Punch

Isn't it fun making cards with one stamp and getting a totally different look?

Have a great day!  Until next time!

"Swell" News

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today I thought I would share a special card I made.  My stepson is having his first baby and I wanted to send them a card congratulating them on the big news.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Paper: Gina K, DCWV
Ink: Memento Black, Distress Ink
Misc.: Ribbon, Tim Holtz Pin, Corner Rounder

Since we do not know the sex of the baby, I went with a color palette of green, yellow and purple.   To accentuate the growing belly, I decided to stamp the sentiment directly on it.   The sentiment inside the card reads "Congratulations on your swell news!".

This is such an exciting time for him and the family.  I am so happy and excited for them and can't wait until I can show some love to a new baby!

Wishing Eric and Jackie all the best as they embark on this new stage in their life!  

Until next time!

Peace And Love

Hi, guys!  For today, I am sharing two cards I made using an old set by Stampin' Up.  On both of these cards I heat embossed the focal image.

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampin' Up

Paper: Papertrey Ink, Tim Holtz

Ink: Versamark

Misc.: Joy Button, White Embossing Powder, Star Punch, White Ribbon

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampin' Up

Paper: Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock, Gina K (White), Core-dinations

Misc.: Gold Embossing Powder, Martha Stewart Heart Punch, Ribbon

I thought that the messages of Peace and Love were really needed this holiday season. Wishing both to you and yours!

Until next time!

Ornament Christmas Cards

Hi, guys!  Today's cards are similar, but the ornaments I made were different.

I have a lot of friends who love their kitties, and so I made this card with them in mind. Many cats love to check out the Christmas tree and have adventures.  I fell in love with this stamp and thought this would be a fun way to use it.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampendous, Stampin' Up
Ink: Distress Ink, Memento Black
Misc.: 3" Circle Punch, Ribbon, Copic Markers, Corner Rounder

This made me laugh and recall the cat I had for nearly 13 years.  Emily loved to sit under the tree and bat the ornaments. I would put soft ones, and ones with bells that couldn't be broken along the bottom, so she could enjoy them.  Emily was NOT a climber and couldn't care less about the rest of the tree.  It was fun to hear the bells in the morning.

The ornament on this next tree was made by paper folding.  It is hard to see in the picture, but the star is actually three dimensional.  I learned this technique from Jennifer McGuire in her Holiday Boot Camp Class last year.  If you are looking for a fun class to inspire you for Christmas card making or other fun classes on card making, I highly recommend you take one of these great classes.

Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Angel, Stampin' Up
Paper: Gina K Designs, Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Stampin' Up, Distress Ink
Misc.: Ribbon, Corner Rounder


I thought I would share the fun stamp I am using on the back of my cards this year. I got this fun fruitcake stamp from Viva Las Vegas Stamps.

Hope your day is a great one!  Hope you find a few moments in the day to do something you love!

Until next time!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Hi, guys!  I have been spending some time making Christmas cards for family and friends these past few days.  I thought I would share a few with you now.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Ink: Distress Ink, Stampin' Up
Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Gina K Designs, Core-dinations
Misc.: Impresssion Obsession Ornament Die

Here is another take on using this ornament die.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Ink: Distress Ink, Picket Fence Distress Stain, Stampin' Up 
Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Gina K Designs, Core-dinations
Misc.: Impression Obsession Ornament Die, Oval Stampin' Up Punch, Gems, Ribbon, Snowflake Cuttlebug Folder

Had a lot of fun making these cards.  I enjoyed embossing the ornament in the first one and sanding it to reveal the pattern, and for the second one I used the same technique but used it for the snowflake background.

Hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations!

Until next time!

Dear Santa ...

Hi, guys! This weekend I had a lot of fun with a stamp set by Ranger and Dylusions (Dyan Reaveley).  She has designed a set of Christmas words that are very funny and at times a bit cheeky.  I made two cards using her set that I will share now with you.  I love that the words are done in a collage format.

For the first one, I embossed a cute image of santa with two children on his lap and included her fun sentiment.  White ink was used along the edges of the card to soften it a bit.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up, Ranger Dylusions
Paper: Desert Storm Cardstock, White Gina K Designs
Ink: Versafine Black, White Stampin' Up
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Ribbon

Since a lot of my friends are already grumbling about holiday treats and eating, I decided to make the next card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up, Ranger Dylusions
Paper: Desert Storm Cardstock, White Gina K Designs
Ink: Versafine Black
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Copic Markers, Ribbon, Cord, Cookie Cutter Button, White Gel Pen

These were a hoot to make.  I am trying to figure how I will use some of the other sayings in a card. I can't wait to find time to use them again soon!

Hope you have a day filled with lots of laughter!

Until next time!

Merry Christmas, Victoria!

Hi, guys! Hope your weekend was a fun one!  Mine was filled with theatre, crafting and cooking.  I have a bunch of cards and projects that I will be working on these next couple of weeks for the holidays.  For today I thought I would share a card I made for my friend Christine's daughter for Christmas.  I wanted to make a religious card for her and she wanted the card to use the colors silver, white and blue.  I thought: what better image to use than Madonna and Child?

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampin' Up

Paper: Papertrey Ink (Silver and Navy), Mulberry Paper, Gina K Designs (White)

Ink: Versamark, Stampin' Up

Misc.: Silver Embossing Powder, Spellbinders Dies, Ribbon, Silver Cord, Snowflake Ribbon

This card was fun to make.  I felt it captured the meaning of Christmas to me.  What a special love there is between mother and child.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy 40th Birthday, Sis!

Hi, guys!  This weekend was a lot of fun.  My kid sister turned 40 today, so we went out and saw a comedy show and had dinner with my other sister and some really good friends.  I can't believe my little sister is 40, but at least she is in the same decade as me now.  I thought I would share the birthday card I made for her.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up, Cornish Heritage Farms, Crafty Secrets
Paper: Recollections Note Card, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Archival Black, Distress Ink, Distress Stains
Misc.: Ribbon, Embossing Powder, Distress Markers, Perfect Pearls Mist

The sentiment inside the card reads "You're no spring chicken ... Happy Birthday!"  She got a great chuckle out of it.  I love funny cards, and can give them to my sister.  You know who you can or cannot joke with about their age.  Since I am the eldest of the six siblings, I have been on the receiving end of many funny age-related cards.

This was a lot of fun to make.  I love the use of Distress Stains on watercolor paper.  I spray them with Perfect Pearl Mists and they blend so nicely and give it a nice shine.

Hope you have a great day!  Until next time!