Happy 80th Birthday, Bev!

The mother of one of my childhood friends recently turned 80, and the lounge where she tends bar once a week had a kick-ass party for her.  Her birthday was the day before Thanksgiving which meant a lot of people had the next day off and thus could go to a party on a Wednesday night.  Even her son from Texas was able to come, and the bar hired a popular local band to play.  A pleasant surprise for me personally was seeing another childhood friend and her sister there.  It was by far one of the best birthday parties I've been to in a long time.  I certainly hope I'm still rocking it out when I'm 80!

I created this card for Bev and thought it turned out really cute.  I used one of my favorite images by Tim Holtz and colored it with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The flower is by Petaloo and it coordinated beautifully with these patterned papers by Teresa Collins.

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Black and amber cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Teresa Collins; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; focal image by Tim Holtz; sentiment from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; banner die by Spellbinders; antique linen distress ink; Martha Stewart border punch; pop-dots.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

My dad's birthday is coming up and he gets to spend the day with his pals doing one of his favorite things:  playing softball.  It's tournament time for their senior league in Arizona and even though their team isn't in contention this year, I think the guys still enjoy themselves.

Dad's birthday card started with a background of patterned papers by BoBunny and a scrap of German book text.  I sponged frayed burlap distress ink on all the edges, roughed them up with the edge of my scissors, and added a splatter pattern using black ink.  The little boy, Extra!, and the text on the oval are stamps from the Paperboy set by Artistic Outpost.  They were all stamped on solid papers from the same BoBunny collection, and the boy was colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils before being cut out and adhered with pop-dots for dimension.

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; true thyme cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by BoBunny; vintage German book text from my stash; Paperboy stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; Adirondack watering can ink; frayed burlap distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; pop-dots.

Happy Birthday - Shaker Card

A friend of mine who is also a rubber stamper sent me an envelope of transparencies and issued a challenge: I am to make her a shaker card, and she will do the same for me.  As long as I've been stamping, I have never made a shaker card!  So I watched a few tutorials and as practice, made this shaker card for my mom's birthday card.

I didn't feel like stamping, so I selected this sweet girl from a pack of Tim Holtz instant ancestors.  Then I shopped my stash for a vintage-style patterned paper and found this collage print by Basic Grey which was just perfect.  It was a little more difficult to figure out what to put in the shaker.  Seems like most people are using sequins or shaped confetti, of which I have none.  But I have several colors of microbeads and they are ideal.  Not only are they small enough, they make a wonderful sound when you shake the card.  I added some freshwater pearl beads that I originally bought for jewelry making but wasn't able to use the way I wanted because the holes are too small.

The lace along the bottom was in a small package of miscellaneous laces I purchased at an antique shop.  The final touch was the green scalloped oval frame that I made using two Spellbinders dies.

This shaker card turned out pretty cute considering it was a spur of the moment decision to make it and I didn't buy any new supplies.  I think my mom will like it, too.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a grand day.

Supplies:
Green and ivory cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Basic Grey; Tim Holtz found relative; copper microbeads; freshwater pearls; foam adhesive strips from Stampin' Up!; Scotch foam tape; transparency; scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; vintage lace; brushed corduroy distress ink.

Man's Best Friend

My big brother's birthday is this week and although I'm not certain he really appreciates a handmade card, that is the only type I send (if I send one at all).  In this case, I'm using one of my earliest Tim Holtz stamps which features a little boy and his dog.  It's pheasant season right now and my brother has been spending a lot of time with his dog, so I think he'll like this image.

As part of my effort to use supplies that I have, I pulled out some Bo Bunny papers that I've had for at least three years and have used only once (to make this Mother's Day card in 2013).  I like the rich hues in this collection (called Serenade) and the fact that the patterns are appropriately sized for smaller projects even though the papers are 12x12.  The focal image and the sentiment were stamped on one of the solid papers in the collection and die-cut.  I sponged scattered straw and vintage photo distress ink around the edges to age the papers a little.  The square brad is another old item from my stash.  Its main purpose is to finish off that awkward, straight end of the banner.

Winter has arrived with its old pals Snow, Cold and Wind, so I'm happy to stay inside and be creative.  Thanks for stopping by to share this day with me!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Bo Bunny; focal image by Tim Holtz; sentiment from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; scattered straw and vintage photo distress inks; oval, scalloped oval, and banner dies from Spellbinders; border punch by Martha Steward; fancy brad (unknown); pop-dots.

Treat Me Like the Queen

Here's a birthday card I made recently for a friend of mine.  It looks fairly simple but that didn't come easily.  I actually went around and around with this one for quite a while, trying different things that just weren't floating my boat, before finally scaling it back to this.  Sometimes less is more, especially when you need to get something into the mail sooner rather than later.

I used one of my favorite color palettes for this card: black, red and off white.  The patterned papers are by My Minds Eye.  The focal image is from the Loverly London set by Artistic Outpost.  In my imagination she's an Eliza Doolittle type a la My Fair Lady.  I stamped her on vanilla cardstock and colored her with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  She ended up getting die-cut a couple of times to reach this final size.  To jazz up the red background, I embossed the paper with a Cuttlebug embossing folder called geometric rings; the pattern reminds me of an old tin ceiling tile.  The sentiment is also from Artistic Outpost.  Say it out loud in your best Cockney accent.

TGIF!  Make it a great one!

Supplies:
Charcoal gray/black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Minds Eye; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; old paper and gathered twigs distress ink; EK Success border punch; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; geometric rings embossing folder by Cricut Cuttlebug; pop-dots.

A Lady Never Reveals...No. 2

I had so much fun with this envelope that I decided to make a similar one as a greeting card for another friend celebrating a birthday.  Since I had a duplicate sheet of the red patterned paper, I was able to make a matching envelope as well.

These patterned papers from Stampington will make a 4.25 x 5.5 inch envelope, so my black cardstock base was a quarter-inch smaller than that, or 4 x 5.25 inches.  I cut the patterned paper to fit the front of the base and adhered my lovely lady (also from Stampington).  I added some squiggles to the background using a white gel pen and a black PITT pen.  The words were computer generated.

So, what won't YOU reveal?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Have a fabulous day.

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.

A Lady Never Reveals...Altered Envelope

Years ago, we were at my grandparents' house for something and it just happened to be my great aunt's birthday.  Someone asked her how old she was and her reply was, "A lady never reveals her age."  I had to kind of laugh at that.  I mean, we all knew she was 80-something.  Did it really matter whether she was 82 or 83, or even 87?  I would think she would be proud of having lived a good, long life.  But in generations past, it was not considered good form or even prudent to reveal a woman's age.  Women who were not married by "a certain age" were labeled spinsters and looked down upon, even pitied.  Married women whose children had left home, or young widows, were disparaged if they were youthful and vibrant or tried to have a life of their own.  Even today, age discrimination still exists for women far more than for men.

But enough serious discussion.  I only brought it up because it relates to this altered envelope I created as a birthday RAK.  I found the paper and this clip-art image in my stash (both were freebies in a Stampington magazine), and wanted to come up with a snarky caption related to birthdays.  And for some odd reason I remembered my great aunt Emily telling me, "A lady never reveals her age."  But what else might she not reveal?  Hmmm, how about the amount she spends on art supplies?!

I used a We R Memory Keepers envelope board to turn the patterned paper into an envelope, inserting a lightweight index card inside before gluing it shut (for added sturdiness).  I adhered my lovely lady and printed my snarky statement on the computer.  I added the white dots, black zigzags and mini stars using a black PITT artist pen and white gelly roll pen.  A birthday greeting and the recipient's address went on the other side of the envelope. 

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by. 

Supplies: 
Patterned paper and clip-art photo from Stampington and Company; We R Memory Keepers envelope board; computer generated sentiment; Sakura white gelly roll pen; Faber-Castell PITT artist pen.

Cute as a Button

Hello and Happy Earth Day!  Today I'm sharing a birthday card I created for a dear friend of mine.

I chose these papers by Authentique because (1) I love the color red and (2) the gingham pattern conjured up the image of a summer picnic eaten off a checkered tablecloth.  What could be more joyful than that?  I stamped one of my favorite images from Artistic Outpost on an ivory-colored paper from the same Authentique collection and colored her with Prismacolor pencils.  The sentiment is from Red Lead Paperworks; I've used it a lot because it's such a happy saying.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Supplies:
Gray cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Authentique; focal image by Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone distress ink; sentiment by Red Lead Paperworks; small oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; oval, scalloped oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border punch by EK Success; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Your Future is Bright

Hello there!  Today I'm sharing with you a card I created for a friend who recently celebrated her birthday.

I used several images from the Fortune Teller set by Artistic Outpost (the set may have been discontinued; I don't see it on their website).  For the background, I stamped the images onto vanilla cardstock which I then sponged with distress inks.  It was still too clean looking so I grunged it up by stamping on a crackle pattern and some spatters.

The swami and hand images were stamped on the same vanilla cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils and distress inks.  To dress up my swami, I added a jewel to his turban and accented his beaded necklaces with Glossy Accents.

I love the color combination of this card.  It reminds me of some jewelry I made for myself (several years ago) that included turquoise, red coral, and black stones.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Red and black cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; images from Artistic Outpost; Adirondack Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; peacock feathers, antique linen, scattered straw, gathered twigs and black soot distress ink; antique crackle background stamp by Stampin' Up; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Derwent peat charcoal pencil; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; yellow rhinestones by Studio 18; Glossy Accents; pop dots.

Happy 80th Birthday!

Today is my dad's 80th birthday.  Considering the year he has had health-wise, we are super happy to be celebrating this milestone.

For the past 15 years, my parents have been fortunate enough to spend their winters in the warm and sunny climes of Arizona.  This has allowed my dad to wear shorts nearly year-round, something that brings him great joy.  And fortunately he has the legs for it!

I think my dad is much better looking than this "Golden Oldie" by Hampton Art stamps, but you can see why I bought these stamps with him in mind.  Even the little dog reminds me of our Honey, who used to sit up and beg like that whenever a bag of Cheetos appeared.

Thanks for popping in!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Gray cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; stamps by Hampton Art; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; gathered twigs distress ink; rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities by Spellbinders, border punch by Martha Stewart; pop-dots.

Smile! You're 70!

I have a lot of cousins on my dad's side of the family, and this month the eldest is celebrating his 70th birthday!  Good thing he's a big kid at heart and isn't bothered by this fact at all.  (I, however, feel the need to point out that I am *A LOT* younger than he is.)

My cousin collects toy cars and trucks, so I made him a card using this old truck from Oxford Impressions.  I also was able to use some patterned paper scraps from a previous card.  I heat embossed the truck in black then colored it with pencils and distress inks.  The fence was adhered with foam tape for dimension (and to hide an oops).

I hope you're having a fun day.  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Espresso cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket; truck stamp from Oxford Impressions; Versamark ink; black embossing powder; Prismacolor Premier pencils; scattered straw and gathered twigs distress inks; Martha Stewart border punch; smile die cut by Little Yellow Bicycle; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; foam tape.

Baby, You're a Star!

I created this card to send to a friend who is celebrating a B-I-G birthday.  One that ends in a Z-E-R-O.  For her sake, I won't reveal which number comes in front of it.

The little ballerina from Artistic Outpost was stamped on white cardstock, colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils, and fussy-cut before being adhered to the background.  The sparkles on her tutu and on the background are thanks to some Stickles.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
White cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Authentique; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; old paper distress ink; Derwent medium charcoal pencil; Stickles glitter glue; narrow scalloped rectangle die-cut by Spellbinders; EK Success border punch.

Still Young at Heart...

I created this birthday card for a friend of mine, and giggled the entire time.  I giggled as I colored the red stripe on the old guy's socks.  I giggled as I added the hair on his chest (and shoulders, and arms, and legs!).  I giggled as I thought about my friend's reaction when he opens it.

The old coot is part of a stamp set by Art Impressions called His and Hers Camper.  I originally bought these stamps thinking I'd use them on some cards for my parents, but (sad to say) my friends and I are getting old enough that we can appreciate them, also.  I stamped the old guy on white cardstock and colored him with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  His "hair" was dotted on using a brown Pigma Micron pen, size 01.  After cutting him out, I adhered him to the card front using pop-dots.

The sentiment comes from the same stamp set, but it wasn't working for me in its original size and shape.  So I printed a version on my computer that could be cut (or punched) how I wanted it.  You can find the easel card tutorial on Splitcoaststampers.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you find something to make you giggle today.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Graphic 45; stamps by Art Impressions (Hampton Art Stamps); Ranger Archival black ink; pumice stone distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; 01 brown Pigma Micro pen; small oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; border punch by Martha Stewart; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

I'm woefully behind in sending birthday cards to my friends, so my goal this month is to make a bunch and get them sent, even if they are late.  The recipients will be really surprised, won't they?! 

This card features patterned papers by Heidi Swapp and a bicycle die by Spellbinders.   I heat embossed the sentiment and added some Sticklers to the flower and to the bike for a little bling.

I no longer own a bicycle, but I have many fond memories of the ones I had as a kid (banana seat, anyone?), especially the bright yellow Schwinn ten-speed that I got for my birthday in 8th grade.  I was as tall then as I am now, and that bike took me all the way through college.  I don't think I've been on a bicycle since then, other than a stationary exercise bike.  That really is a shame.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Black, silver and white cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Heidi Swapp; bicycle die by Spellbinders; sentiment from Stampin' Up; Versamark watermark ink; black embossing powder; oval, scalloped oval and banner dies by Spellbinders; flower by Prima; brushed pewter Stickles.

Locomotive Inspection Report

I enjoy making masculine cards.  And since I have brothers and several male friends, I get to make quite a few cards for guys.  I created this one for a buddy of mine who is celebrating his birthday this week.

I purchased a stack of vintage Locomotive Inspection forms at an antique shop a while ago.  The forms had not been filled out, but someone had used the backs (and like in this case, the front) to calculate something akin to those awful word problems in math class: "If a train leaves Chicago at 5:00 a.m. heading west at 75 mph, and another train leaves Denver at 4:00 a.m. heading east at 62 mph, at what time will the trains meet at Grand Island, Nebraska?"  I suppose nowadays the engineers simply plug all this information into a computer, but back in the dark ages they had to figure out this information on their own.  And we poor pupils were tortured with figuring out the answer the old-fashioned way, even though the likelihood of us working for the railroad was pretty slim.

But I digress.  One portion of the inspection form became the background for my card.  Another portion was used for the ATC-sized focal image. The paper was fragile and had a nice patina, but it still needed something so I used distress inks and acrylic paint to grunge-it-up a little.  My dapper gent from Artistic Outpost was stamped on a piece of vanilla cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils before being adhered.  I used acrylic paints to add some age to the copper gear pieces before adhering them.

The old cancelled postage stamp (still clinging to a piece of envelope) was in my stash. I had so much fun making this card, and I know that Ron will enjoy inspecting all the interesting bits and pieces.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Espresso and dark green cardstocks by Bazzill; vintage railroad inspection form; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; stamps from Artistic Outpost; compass stamp by Stampabilities; splatter pattern background stamp by All Night Media; Ranger Archival black ink; forest moss, vintage photo, pumice stone and black soot distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; titanium white acrylic paint; Ranger Adirondack acrylic paint dabber (espresso); Derwent charcoal pencil; Martha Stewart border punch; punchinella; metal gears unknown; vintage postage stamp from my stash.

July Birthday Postcards

Who wants a cupcake?

I do!  I do!

These two silly cupcake postcards are going to the birthday girls this month.  I used acrylic paints on a collage background, then got really wild and added glitter glue.  These cupcakes are quite shimmery in person.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Strathmore Bristol vellum paper; miscellaneous paper scraps; titanium white and miscellaneous acrylic paints; black Stabilo All Pencil; Stickles glitter glue; Faber-Castell black Pitt artist pen.

The Bird Sings

A friend of mine turns the big 4-0 today and we're having a celebration at a local winery this evening.  I bought her presents several weeks ago (including this cute little book), and had an idea for the perfect birthday card to go with them.  Well, I procrastinated and wouldn't you know?  The card was not coming together for me AT ALL.  As the night turned into the wee hours of the morning, I decided I better just switch gears.  And boy, did I!

I started by die-cutting a piece of watercolor paper and using orange and red Dylusions sprays with the honeycomb stencil.  (The honeycombs on the bottom half of the card look rather orange in this picture but are actually a color called postbox red.  There's something about red that is difficult to scan or photograph accurately.)   After adding the torn strip of sheet music, I stenciled on the letters and numbers using black soot distress ink.  The bird and sentiment are from Red Lead Paperworks.  My friend is a professional vocalist so any reference to singing is a good thing.

This card is very different from my usual style, so I hope my friend likes it.  I'm personally thrilled with it!  It reminds me of the art journal pages I see but have never been able to pull off myself, and I can't wait to make more things in this style.

A warm welcome to my new followers!  Thanks for popping by and have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Nestabilities Grand Labels 1 by Spellbinders; white cardstock by Bazzill; vintage sheet music scrap; bird and sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; Ranger Archival black ink; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Heidi Swapp honeycomb stencil; Tim Holtz schoolhouse stencil (letters and numbers); squeezed orange and postbox red Dylusions ink spray; black soot, salty ocean and mustard seed distress ink; Adirondack white and black acrylic paint dabber; punchinella; washi tapes; Gelly Roll white pen; Derwent white and peat charcoal pencil.

Country Life - Birthday Card

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted last.  It's been a crazy month.  We got a new computer and it has not been an easy transition.  (Just because something is new doesn't mean it's improved!)  One of the most frustrating things is that I lost my old photo editing and watermark programs that were so easy to use.  It's taken quite a bit of time to figure out how I was going to do the things I previously accomplished in split seconds.  So without further ado, let's see if this works! 

I created this card for a friend of mine who shares my birthday.  The images from Artistic Outpost were stamped on ivory cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils and distress ink.  The flags and the cute little pig were adhered with pop-dots for dimension.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Brown cardstock from Bazzill; kraft and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival jet black ink; images from Artistic Outpost; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; vintage photo distress ink; orange waxed linen thread from Dick Blick; black pop-dots.

Lily of the Valley - Flower of the Month

Today is my birthday, and truth be told I don't feel much like celebrating.  But I thought I'd share with you the gift I got from my mom.  We were in an antique shop together recently and spotted it at the same time.  This three piece set of bone china is from the Royal Albert Flower of the Month Series.  It's not old (from 1970, so younger than I am--ha!) but it's lovely and I do like lily of the valley.

We actually have lily of the valley in three different flower beds in our backyard, and they are thick and full of blooms right now.

I wish I had a high-powered camera!  Wouldn't this last shot be fabulous with the right kind of lens?  The ferns are also very lush right now and such a vibrant color of green. 

Thanks for dropping in!  Have a fabulous day.