ONE LAST SWALLOWTAIL...

As I cleaned off my table after this afternoon's flurry of butterfly activity, I came across this one last watercolored Swallowtail.  I just had to put it together before it got lost in the shuffle.

The verse I used is a two-parter from Sweet & Sassy that I find so true.  The inside part reads "He helps us handle what we've been given."  I think this assures us, along with Romans 8:28, that "all things work together for the good of those who love Him..."  When difficulties arise, it's comforting to know that they are part of a bigger picture that serve a good purpose and that we are not left to face them alone. 

SWALLOWTAIL FUN...

Since there was a stack of pre-stamped images we made at Jackie's house last week just laying on my table, I thought it was time I did something with them.  A couple hours later, I had them done on actual cards (imagine that!)  It's amazing how different they all are, even though it was the same stamp for all of them.  The gold-embossed one (center left) I finished at Jackie's, the rest were water-colored at Jackie's and finished here this afternoon.  Enjoy!

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

SILVER STAMPER GATHERING

Yesterday I had the joy of meeting with several of my fellow Silver Stampers!  Standing behind me are Dawn (our gracious hostess), Linda, Angie and Sue.  We had just finished making cards from kits brought by Linda.  Dawn lives in the Poconos, Linda drove in from Minnesota, Angie drove from the Scranton area and Sue flew in from Arizona!  Several others who couldn't make it this week are coming in next week.  What a fun group!

Also joining us was Precious, who just HAD to investigate everything!

Rainy Day Fun

 
Actually, it's not raining today, but it sure is dreary--chilly and damp after all the rain from last night.  So I went upstairs to my tower and looked through the cards I made at Cyndy's Technique Classes.  This is my version of a card we made last Fall--easy to make and fun to embellish!

ONE LAST CLASS

Mothers Class is done for the year.  This is one of the designs we used for yesterday's class--after the wonderful breakfast we had!    First we stamped the flowers branch in white and colored over it with colored pencils.  They all came out different!  This one I did today, using a new die set that came in the mail.  (The cost will be covered by the gift card from the class.)

The other card we did was with the French Foliage set and three shades of green ink, one for each stamp.  The strip on the left was done with double stick Score tape.  After applying it along the edge of the fold, we pulled back the paper covering and added some green mini confetti and two shades of green glitter.  Next we stamped a panel (3 3/4 x 5 1/2") and popped it up on the card front with dimensionals.  Unfortunately, the photo doesn't do the card justice here--the glitter really sparkles and the raised panel adds dimension.

Both cards were easy for the Advanced Class to do and complete quickly (as usual!)  We were all amazed at how many new techniques we learned this year and look forward to even more next year.

CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGN

Brandy Cox did a YouTube demo of this design which I have CASEd for some of my Christmas cards this year.  This first version  features a flap that goes over the entire opening and is held in place with the greeting.  She actually CASEd the new catalog (p. 127) for her version!  I thought this would work nicely for a Christmas card, so I came up with this one.  However, to mass produce it (I send 100 cards/year) the flap closure would take up more time, so I came up with the second version below.   I also reversed the colors to see which looks better.  Instead of the flap, the pieces are simply glued down on the front as shown.  I could still do it either way colorwise, but can't decide which color scheme I like better.  Which do you like best?

WATERCOLOR BLESSINGS

Here's another attempt at using techniques I've been learning in the Online Card Classes for watercoloring.  This is the better of the two I did today.

After stamping the image from the SU So Very Grateful set, I water colored the leaves and blossoms, added the "blessings" and butterfly, and mounted the panel on green cardstock.  I used Barely Banana cs for the embossed panel and mounted the stamped image over it with dimensionals.  The base is Very Vanilla cs.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

 PLEASE NOTE:  HERE is the corrected link to the online classes site.  There are many classes to choose from, so go for it!

WATERCOLOR ONLINE CLASS

It's not too late to sign up for the Online Watercolor Classes.  I'm learning tons of new watercolor techniques from the videos in this series.  They are so well done, and I'm inspired to go beyond the basics I already knew!

This card is my first attempt since watching the videos.  I used my peg stamps, some markers and my water brush to create this basket of flowers.

Enjoy!

DESIGNER PURSE

I got the idea for this card somewhere, but can't remember.  Anyway, I thought it was adorable so I came up with my own version.

Starting with a standard white card base, I stamped and colored the Greenhouse Society Chrysanthemums along the bottom two thirds of the card.  For the flap, I used a large label die and cut just over half of it out of the green cardstock.  At the center points, I scored it and secured the overlap on the back with sticky strip.

After punching holes for the ribbon, I knotted one end, ran it through the other hole and knotted the other end.  It was starting to look like a real purse!

For the final touches, I added the gems and rounded the corners on the bottom.  The greeting will go inside and the card will open at the bottom.

If you wanted to make it even more realistic, or include a gift card inside, you could start with the fold at the bottom.  After securing the sides with an accordion fold piece of matching cs,  you could then add a flap at the top opening.  Just secure it on the back and add a clasp, magnetic closure or belly band to the front so that it could be opened later.

THANK YOU CARD

This is one of the cards I made at Cyndy's technique class.  It will make a nice masculine thank-you  for our pastor to use.

(Click on photo for closer look.)

GREENHOUSE SOCIETY CHRYSANTHEMUMS

Although this Greenhouse Society stamp for March is listed as Chrysanthemum, it looks more like a dandelion to me.  Of course, that's just a guess since we have NO dandelions in our yard!

This was stamped in light green and colored in with colored pencils, then mounted behind the green panel.  For texture, I ran the card front through the CB in a floral embossing folder and mounted the finished panel over it.

Very easy card!  Next time I do this, though, I will use dimensionals between the panel and the image to give it more depth.