Poppy Packet Thank You

When I make a greeting card, I usually have a plan for it.  That is, I know who the card is for and the occasion (birthday, get well, etc.).  I like to work this way because it allows me to customize the card for the individual.  I choose images that suit the recipient, or I use a color scheme that I know s/he will like.  This method works pretty well for me most of the time, but occasionally a card will take off in a different direction and end up somewhere I didn't envision at the start.  This was one of those cards. 

So instead of being a birthday card for a friend, this became a thank you card for my cousin.  She and her husband recently traveled to Egypt where she purchased some postcards for me.  They are reproductions of old black and white postcards that will make great collage fodder.  She also sent me some vintage ephemera that she found while doing spring cleaning.

The Crosman's seed packet image is from Artistic Outpost.  The center of the stamp is actually blank, so you can add any vegetable or flower image you want.  I chose this poppy by Oxford Impressions and stamped it on a light green patterned paper.  I colored it with Prismacolor pencils and coated it with Glossy Accents for a little shine.  And here's where the card took a left turn:  I used too heavy of a hand in one spot while I was sponging gathered twigs distress ink around the edges.  The only way to save it was to keep going in that direction, which forced me to change the color scheme and therefore my plans for the final card.

The rust patterned paper is by K and Company.  The cream paper is from the same collection; I embossed it, trimmed one side with a scalloped border punch, and highlighted the embossing with my gathered twigs distress ink to tie everything together.  The sentiment from Artistic Outpost was stamped on the same cream paper and mounted on pop-dots for dimension.  My cousin has a lovely garden with a lot of pretty flowers, so I know she will appreciate the poppy as well as the sentiment.  But now I have to come up with a different birthday card idea for my friend!

Thanks for "poppyng" by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by K and Company; stamps from Artistic Outpost and Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; gathered twigs distress ink; Glossy Accents; geometric rings embossing folder by Cricut Cuttlebug; EK Success border punches; small oval and small scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

A Sympathy Card and a Public Service Announcement

It is with a heavy heart that I share this card with you.  Regular readers of my blog may remember that just last week, I created this card to send to my great uncle, who had had a fall at home and was rehabbing a broken leg at a local health care facility.  I mailed that card immediately and last Thursday evening my mom and I had a wonderful visit with him for more than two hours.  He was doing so well and was even talking about the new flooring he planned to install in the bathroom once he was healed.  So imagine our shock when we received a call that he was taken to the hospital Monday night and passed away Tuesday morning!  I'm just heartsick for my cousins who were not expecting anything like this.  Although their mother is still living, she has advanced Alzheimer's and is in a memory care unit in a nearby town.  They certainly have their hands full.

For this sympathy card I stamped the robin from Artistic Outpost on a patterned paper by K and Company, then colored the image with Prismacolor pencils.  I sponged scattered straw distress ink around all the edges and stenciled frayed burlap through a piece of punchinella.

Now, for the public service announcement.  My uncle's cause of death was not a broken leg.  It was kidney failure (and an infection?) due to dehydration.  It's important for all of us to stay hydrated and the best way to do that is to drink adequate amounts of water every day.  It's especially critical for the elderly, who tend to take more medications.  So please, please, please, if you have an older person in your life, make sure they are drinking plenty of water (or other good liquids).  Ask them how much they've had to drink today.  Provide them with water even if they say they're not thirsty.  Nag them if you have to (like we have to do with my dad sometimes).  Don't take any excuses.  Their life may depend on it.

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a wonderful day and...drink some water!

Supplies:
Green and cream cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by K and Company; bird from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; scattered straw and frayed burlap distress ink; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; punchinella; Scotch foam tape.

Zodiac Fortune - Altered Matchbox

This is my third and final matchbox for the swap I joined.  The idea came from a piece of new-but-made-to-look-old ephemera by K and Company.  It was the perfect size for the cover of the matchbox; all I had to do was age it a little using distress inks.  After covering the box with some patterned paper, I adhered the cover piece and added a "page pebble" over the guy's picture.  The effect reminded me of a crystal ball.

The inside took a little bit more work.   After playing around with several ideas, I settled on an accordion pull-out that features a brief fortune for all 12 signs of the zodiac.  Since I'm not into astrology that much (I read my horoscope in the paper but don't put any stock in it), I found a website that had the dates and a description for each sign.  Based on that I created my brief fortunes.  I printed them on cardstock and punched them out with a small oval punch.

On the reverse side, I stamped some images from the Fortune Teller set by Artistic Outpost.

I took photos from several different angles to give you a feel for what the inside looks like.

This ended up being a fun project and I hope the recipient enjoys reading her fortune, whatever it is.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:

Small matchbox; vintage-looking ephemera by K and Company; antique linen and vintage photo distress inks; page pebble (unknown); patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket I think; stamps by Artistic Outpost; small oval punch from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; dark charcoal pencil.

Vintage Vixen

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend.  We had summer weather in our area and record-tying temperatures, which gave us the opportunity work in the yard and then grill out our supper (chicken; it was delish!).  Finally last night I sat down to create something.  And before getting up from my chair, I actually cleaned up and put everything back in its place so my craft table is ready to go for next time.  It's a great feeling.

I pulled out one of my favorite stamps for coloring and combined it with some vintage-looking K and Company papers to create this multi-purpose card. 

Thanks for visiting my blog!



Supplies:
Brown and blue cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by K and Company; stamp by Hampton Art; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; Prima flowers; mini copper brads; pop-dots.

Black and White and Red All Over

Actually this card is black and ivory and red, but that's not how the joke goes, is it?

I used one of my favorite stamps from Artistic Outpost and colored it with gray Prismacolor pencils.  I stamped it a second time on red cardstock and punched out the 35 to add some additional color.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Supplies:
Stamp: Artistic Outpost; red cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock by Stampin' Up; decorative papers by K and Company; barn door distress ink; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; small circle punch; sheer black ribbon; pop-dots.

Simple Sympathy Card

I used some of my favorite patterned papers by K and Company to make this sympathy card.

Supplies:
Sentiment: Stampabilities; black and green cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by K & Company; Archival black ink; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; sheer black ribbon.

Simple but Elegant

This simple card features a Cavallini sticker and K & Company decorative papers. I am using it as a sympathy card.

I hope you're having a great Monday!





Supplies:
Bazzill black cardstock; Cavallini Paper Company floral sticker; K & Company decorative papers; Martha Stewart border punch.

Am I the Next Top Designer?

Probably not, but I do think the outfit on this card would translate very well to fabric and look really cute on the right person. Remember you saw it here first!

This card was one of six in a series that I made to send to some of my crafty gal pals. The color combination of red, black, and cream is one of my favorites. I actually bought a second pad of the K & Company paper because I like it so much.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're having a great weekend.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampabilities (dress form), sentiment (Stampin' Up); red cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; decorative papers by K & Company; Colorbox black pigment ink; clear embossing powder; gold Stickles; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Thank You

I needed a quick but classy-looking thank you card, so I pulled out one of my favorite Artistic Outpost images and my new favorite decorative papers by K and Company.

I decided to live on the edge and use a lovely blue cardstock on this card (you may not have noticed, but I don't use a lot of blue).

Thanks for visiting my blog!


Edited to add: Lisa Somerville suggested that I post this card on the Play Date Cafe blog for its challenge this week. I don't participate in too many challenges, but this card fits the color splash challenge of black, white, and a touch of blue, so I figured why not? You can't win if you don't play! Here is a link to PDCC34.

Supplies:
Stamp: Artistic Outpost; blue cardstock by Bazzill; decorative papers by K and Company; Colorbox black pigment ink; clear embossing powder; Martha Stewart border punch; rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities; blue Dew Drops; pop-dots.