Happy Birthday, Baby!

I created this card for a friend who is turning the big 4-0.  We had a great time celebrating the occasion and I'm happy to say that she can still party like a rock star.

Since she's the baby of the family I decided to make her a sweet card using one of my favorite Tim Holtz images.  I combined it with pretty papers by My Mind's Eye and used four different Nestabilities to create some lovely layers.   The large ribbon flower from Michaels was jazzed up with a little glitter glue.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a grand day.

Supplies:
Dark pink and light pink cardstock; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; focal image by Tim Holtz; Ranger Archival jet black ink; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; banner die-cut by Spellbinders; birthday sentiment from Stampin' Up; pumice stone distress ink; flower from Michaels; Stickles glitter glue.

Aves de Amor (Love Birds)

While waiting for something to dry on another project, I created a small note card using a leftover piece of sheet music and patterned papers by My Mind's Eye.

The card turned out so cute that I made two more.

The bird is from Stampington and Company and I like its hand-carved appearance.  Hand carving my own images is still something I plan to try some day.  In the meantime, I'm happy to have this little bird to use.

This last picture made me think of the Bob Marley song Three Little Birds.  They look so sweet together that I hate to break them up.  But I started rubber stamping so I could make my own cards to send to friends and family, so these little guys will be added to the outgoing mail soon. 

Thanks for dropping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Black and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; bird from Stampington and Company; Ranger Archival black ink; vintage sheet music; antique linen, pumice stone and tattered rose distress ink; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border punch by Martha Stewart; punchinella.

Hi!

I thought I would be sooooo smart and make a quick, simple card by combining the scraps from my mom's Mother's Day card with a stamped image found during one of my recent cleaning sessions.  Yeah, not so much.  Several hours later (I did take a break or two), I finally had a card that was neither quick nor simple.  But just like life, art is a journey.  And I love a good road trip!

The first bump in the road occurred when I decided that my stamped image wasn't large enough.  I dug through my stash and chose this Tim Holtz image instead, then ended up cutting it down anyway so I could double-mat it.  And of course it just had to be colored with Prismacolor pencils.

So now I found myself down a back road where those bright patterned papers by My Mind's Eye didn't fit in, so I took a detour and antiqued those papers with acrylic paint and distress inks.  I got back on track by cutting and adhering the background papers.  A quick right turn to diecut and doctor up the sentiment got me headed toward home.  Before pulling into the garage, I used a tinted charcoal pencil to add some quick shading.  Whew!  I finally reached my destination after an unexpected but enjoyable journey.

Have a great weekend, and take a detour!  You may enjoy it more than your usual route.

Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Tim Holtz image; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; titanium white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and broken twigs distress ink; crackle background stamp from Stampin' Up; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Derwent peat tinted charcoal pencil; punchinella; label Nestabilities and border die by Spellbinders; sentiment diecut by Little Yellow Bicycle; pop-dots.

Happy Mother's Day

Hello and Happy Mother's Day !  Today I'm going all girly-girl on you with the card I made for my mom.  Thanks to some pretty patterned papers, I was able to create a very sweet card in colors that evoke these lovely days of spring.  And since this card doesn't have to be mailed, I can go all out with texture and embellishments.  (And size!  This card is a whopping 6x8 inches.)

I used several dies by Spellbinders.  The flower petals are from the peony set.  I used my hands and ordinary objects, like the rounded end of a paintbrush handle, to shape the petals.  (Hint:  if you want to sponge any ink around the edges, it's easier if you do that before you shape the petals.)  Each petal was glued to the one below it using Glossy Accents, and a dew drop was added to the middle.  The green leaves and ivory foliage are also Spellbinders dies, as is the green border near the bottom of the card.

The patterned papers are all from a collection by My Mind's Eye.  I selected the papers for the flowers first, then chose the papers for the background.  I just love how the little bird in the top right corner and the bird cage on the left work with my design.  The sentiment was stamped on a paper from the same MME collection and die-cut with a Spellbinders banner.  It was adhered using foam tape.  The flowers and leaves were adhered with Glossy Accents, so they're not going anywhere. 

Thanks for popping in!  Whether you're celebrating your mom or being celebrated yourself, I hope you're having a glorious day.

Supplies:
Dark pink cardstock from Stampin' Up (I think; if not it's Bazzill); ivory cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Nestabilities by Spellbinders: peony, leaves, foliage, border, banner; antique linen distress ink; sentiment from Stampin' Up; watering can Ranger Archival ink; border punch by EK Success; Dew Drops; Glossy Accents; Scotch foam tape.

You're Just My Type - Valentine

Like I mentioned previously, I usually don't go for puns.  But I like this one because of the subject matter.  I found the stamp at Michaels in the dollar bin and thought it would work for Valentine's Day as well as on other occasions.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
White cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; focal image from Michaels; Ranger Archival black ink; spun sugar and tattered rose distress inks; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch.

Yuletide Greetings

Usually by this time in December, my parents have been in Arizona for more than two months, enjoying the sunshine and warmer temperatures.  However, due to my dad's cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, they have had to postpone their departure date.  You wanna talk about two people being bummed out!  But on the bright side, my mom and I have been able to do some things together that we haven't done in at least 15 years.  That has included putting up Christmas decorations and doing some baking.

I also suggested that we make Christmas cards to send to their friends in Arizona.  Well, we ended up making quite a few cards because once we got going, she decided she wanted to send cards to a bunch of other friends and relatives, too.

I kept the design fairly simple and used a variety of patterned papers from my stash.  The cute focal image is by Inkadinkado.  At the last minute I added some gold Stickles to the lantern for a little sparkle.

We had a lot of fun sitting around the kitchen table working on these cards.  We made two of each design above and in the end, my mom took all but three cards!  So now I'm working on a second batch of cards for myself.

I hope you're enjoying all the holiday festivities.  Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You

Here's another thank you card for a friend who helped make my birthday extra special this year.

The patterned papers are by My Mind's Eye.  The main image from Artistic Outpost was stamped on vanilla cardstock and colored with distress inks.  I added Glossy Accents to her glasses, a simple technique that I just love.

TGIF!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Plum and black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; very vanilla and crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Victorian velvet, bundled sage and pumice stone distress ink; Momenta/My Little Bicycle die-cut; Prima paper flowers; brushed pewter Stickles; Glossy Accents; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border punch by Martha Stewart; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Simply Scrappy Christmas Tree Card

This is a Christmas card idea that I've seen numerous times over the years since I started stamping, always thinking "how cute!" and "how simple!" and "what a great way to use up all those tiny but pretty paper scraps!"  Well, this is the year I finally make some of my own.

I embossed the swirled frame on kraft cardstock, then cut the trunk and branches of my tree to fit.  I used a combination of old patterned papers by My Mind's Eye and vintage book and sheet music scraps.  The star was punched out of gold cardstock for a little pizazz, but since I like the rustic country look I didn't add any other bling or embellishments. This card is going to Pennsylvania with my Winter Morning artist trading card.  'Tis the season!

Have a fabulous day.  Thanks for popping in.

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; vintage book pages and sheet music; embossing folder by Provo (Cuttlebug); gold cardstock; star punch.

I'd Rather Have Cash

I created this snarky Valentine's Day card to send to one of my sassy girl friends.  The focal image, which was in a package of ephemera by My Mind's Eye, reminded me of the photos Anne Taintor uses in her artwork.  So I wrote my own Anne Taintor-style caption for a fun card that thumbs its nose at traditional Valentine's Day gifts.  "Forget the candy and flowers.  I'd rather have cash." 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; naturals ivory cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers and paper ephemera by My Mind's Eye (Lost and Found "record it!" line); small paper doily; vintage sheet music; small circle punch; EK Success border punch; scalloped square Nestabilities by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; antique linen and vintage photo distress ink; charcoal pencil.

Farm Fresh Eggs

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  I'm keeping my tree and decorations up until New Year's Day in order to enjoy them a little bit longer.

Speaking of New Year's Day, that is my mom's birthday.  She grew up on a farm and one of her chores was to gather the eggs.  It wasn't a job she always enjoyed, because sometimes the old "setting hens" would peck at her hand when she reached in.  In spite of this, she has many fond memories of helping her dad on the farm, so when I found some country-themed stamps by Oxford Impressions, I just had to have them.  I used stamps from the Farm Girl and Farm Boy sets.

The layout is courtesy of Sketch Challenge 466 on Splitcoaststampers.  I combined patterned papers by My Mind's Eye and my stamped images, which were colored with pencils and distress inks.  And yes, I hand-cut the little girl, her pail, the rooster AND the baby chicks.  Talk about a challenge!  But I think the final result was well worth the effort.  (Helpful hint: Use a Xyron to apply adhesive to small, fussy-cut images with detailed edges.)

Thanks for popping in!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Gray and kraft cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; stamps from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique lace and vintage photo distress ink; peat charcoal pencil; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; scalloped round punch by Martha Stewart; Xyron.

Feel Better Soon - Masculine

A dear friend of the family is in the hospital and not doing too well, so I created this card to send to him.

I stamped the image by Artistic Outpost on a piece of ledger paper, colored it with Prismacolor pencils and distress inks, and tied a piece of scrapper's floss around it.  His hat, vest, and red bowtie received a treatment of Glossy Accents. The focal image was adhered with pop-dots on top of some other patterned papers by My Mind's Eye for a simple and graphic card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; kraft cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; collage image from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; vintage photo distress ink; Karen Foster's scrapper's floss; pop-dots; Glossy Accents; corner rounder punch.

Extra! Extra!

I returned to my stamping roots, so to speak, to create this birthday card for a male friend.  He's one of those big guys (a former noseguard for the Nebraska Cornhuskers) with a soft side, so I think he'll like this card.

The paper boy was stamped on cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  He was adhered to a patterned paper stamped with a newsprint collage (all stamps are from Artistic Outpost, by the way).  I created the frame with two Nestabilities Label 8 die cuts.

I can't believe it's Friday already!  I had to look twice at the calendar to confirm it.  Thanks for dropping in and have a great day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Bristol smooth white cardstock by Strathmore; rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger archival black ink; antique linen and vintage photo distress inks; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Derwent burnt orange and natural charcoal pencils; tortillion (for blending the charcoal pencil); oval, scalloped oval, and label die cuts by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Feel Better Soon

I created this card for my mom to send to one of her "snowbird" friends who had back surgery yesterday.  I don't know this friend well, so I let my mom choose the stamp. 

She selected this lovely image by Artistic Outpost, which I colored with Prismacolor pencils.  The patterned papers are by My Mind's Eye.  I inked up a white Heidi Swapp butterfly with distress inks and only then discovered that it was embossed with the lines.

It's Friday!  It's Friday!  Thank goodness it's Friday!  Have a fabulous weekend.

Supplies:
Dark cerise and gray cardstocks by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone, black soot, and Victorian velvet distress ink; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; EK Success scalloped border bunch; chipboard butterfly by Heidi Swapp; silver pearls by Recollections; pop-dots.

Brotherly Thank You

It snowed while I was on vacation recently and my brother came over and removed the snow from the driveway and sidewalk for me.  It was so nice to know that this was taken care of and not waiting for me when I got home.  And I think he actually enjoyed using my big, bad snowblower (it really does an awesome job, which I was reminded of today as I dealt with five inches of new snow).

To thank him, I got a gift card for his favorite home improvement store and will send it in this card. For the background I layered several papers by My Mind's Eye that were punched with a scalloped edge.  The central image by Artistic Outpost was stamped on a solid paper from the same pack, colored with Prismacolor pencils, and distressed with pumice stone distress ink.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Gray cardstock by Bazzill; kraft cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone distress ink; EK Success border punch; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; pop-dots. 

Wander - Gothic Arch

Sixteen people have expressed interesting in making Gothic Arches to trade when we meet in January 2013, so I need to get cracking!  I wasn't expecting that many people to sign up, and I really hope to make a trade with everyone.

The theme for the arches is birds with book text or sheet music, so I thumbed through an old dictionary to find a bird illustration and used that as the base of my house.  The patterned papers are from a new My Mind's Eye paper pad collection called Traveler.

Have a great Monday!

Supplies:
Watercolor paper (140 lb.); patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; old sheet music and dictionary page from my stash; egg clipart from ArtChix Studio; flourish stamp by Inkadinkado; Colorbox black pigment ink; clear embossing powder; Tim Holtz mini mask; various distress inks; charcoal pencil.

Peaceful Prancer #5

After spending an entire afternoon running errands (10 stops--whew!) and navigating construction zones, I was ready for some peace and quiet at my craft table.  I don't know about you, but the creative process is a welcome respite from attending to life's annoying necessities.

For a change of pace, I used the Labels 8 Nestabilities to frame my reindeer.  I used Stazon metallic gold ink and the stenciling feature of the die to add some shimmer to the green mat.  It's not really visible in this photo, but it gives a subtle detail to the card.

Thanks for dropping in!  Have a fantastic weekend.

Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; gold stationery paper from Target; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; vintage sheet music sprayed with homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, and water in a mini mister); large reindeer stamp from The Cat's Pajamas; peace stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; aged mahogany distress ink; Stazon gold metallic ink; Stazon black ink; Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Stampin' Up oval punches; EK Success border punch; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

On Prancer #1

I finally have all of the supplies needed to make my Christmas cards, and not a moment too soon!  Can you believe it's just 42 days until Christmas?  I need to get crackin'!

I love the classic elegance of this card.  The reindeer was embossed in gold on vintage sheet music sprayed with homemade glimmer mist (a few drops of aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, and water in a mini mister).

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Burgundy cardstock by Bazzill; gold patterned paper from Michaels; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye (Lost and Found Christmas collection); vintage sheet music from my stash; large reindeer image from The Cat's Pajamas; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls); oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; corner rounder punch; Martha Stewart border punch; walnut stain distress ink.

She Sells Seashells

This card looks very summery, doesn't it?  But it's actually a thank you card for the friends I spent Thanksgiving with.  I chose the color palette and the seashell theme because they fit the tropical theme and colors in my friends' house.

The patterned papers are by My Mind's Eye. The seashell stamp by Inkadinkado was colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils and then highlighted with Glossy Accents to give it some additional dimension.

We've had a lot of cold, gloomy days lately so it's good to be reminded that summer will return.  
Eventually. (And not a moment too soon!)

Supplies:
Stamp by Inkadinkado; pale yellow, red, and turquoise cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; scalloped-edge scissors; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder; pop-dots; Glossy Accents.