THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT

How blessed we are to have been given the most wonderful gift of all--Christ Himself. Merry Christmas!

5 Ways to Get Better Service at the Mall

1.  WEAR A SMILE:  People are naturally attracted to happy people, so avoid looking rushed, annoyed, or stressed out.  A warm smile, but not a big grin, goes a long way to lighten things up.  You might start feeling more cheerful yourself!

2.  FIX YOUR HAIR AND MAKEUP:  Check yourself in the mirror before you leave the house.  Since I'm allergic to most makeup, all I can wear is lipstick; so I make sure to keep it freshly applied during the day.  Pay special attention to your hair as well.

3.  DRESS WELL:  It's amazing what a difference a nicer coat or jacket can make.  In warmer climates, a pretty blouse or shirt with sleeves looks dressier than a tank top or sleeveless shirt, especially when paired with lightweight slacks or crops instead of shorts. 

4.  FRAME YOUR FACE:  Now that you're smiling, choose simple accessories that you enjoy wearing.  Earrings, a nice scarf or necklace, or a pretty pin make a simple outfit a little more attractive.  Don't overdo it, though.  Think office look rather than party!

5.  LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD:  Too many bulky packages can not only make you look stressed, but also make you feel that way--because you are!  Either bring a tote bag with you to consolidate packages, or take a few minutes to put them in your car before continuing your shopping.  If you're shopping at a large mall, it might be a good idea to move your car to the other end for a shorter walk.  Sounds crazy, but I do that all the time.  Not only does it help my feet, but I also get to sit down for a few minutes in the car.

These tips are from my own experience on both sides of the counter.  I learned this years ago when I stopped at a department store one night after work.  Since I was still in office clothes, I got noticeably better service that day than ever before.  From then on, I've followed these guidelines whenever I shop!

BTW, salespeople get stressed too, especially at this time of year.  You can help by being patient, having your cash or credit card ready and being polite.  Happy shopping!

I'M BACK!

My computer has finally been fixed (for now, anyway!)  I'll catch up with you later to share some of the Christmas cards I made.

Meanwhile, this is a card I made for my friend, Joan, who loves horses.  The stamp is from Our Daily Bread Designs, and I used colored pencils on the image.  I'm making a set of six with matching envelopes as her Christmas gift.  Each card will be embellished a little differently as I go along.

Speaking of colored pencils, I really enjoy using them.  I find it very relaxing to sit somewhere and color with them.  They're very portable, so I can even take a few with me to a friend's house or even a doctor's office for the waiting room.  They also blend very nicely.    I used 3 shades of brown for the horses, 2 shades of green for the grass, and purple for the flowers.  That's just 6 pencils and the pre-stamped  images to carry with me, plus a clean eraser.

Next is the box and belly band I made to go with it.  The horses on the oval aren't as faint IRL as they look here.  Since I won't be mailing it, I was able to use heavier twine on the box.

By the way, have you seen all the adult coloring books that have been popping up on all the magazine racks?  I've even seen them in the supermarket!  A little too busy for me, though. However, I do have a beautiful butterfly coloring book that shows the correct colors for each butterfly and blank ones to color that are simple and fun for practicing.

That's it for now.  I still have lots of Christmas preparations to take care of (like you, I'm sure...) so it may be a few days before I post again.  Thanks for checking in!

COMPUTER PROBLEMS

My PC won't let me log in anymore, so I'm unable to post pictures.  I'm just writing this update through my tablet to let you know why there haven't been any recent posts.  Hope to be back up soon....waaah...

PINWHEEL FOLD

Brenda Keenan has done some fabulous videos on YouTube, and this was one of them.  Since I don't have a diagonal insert for my ScorePal, I used my Envelope Punch Board for the necessary diagonal lines.  Here's how:

First I chose an 8" square of dsp that was double sided.  Next, I got out my Punch Board, lined up the dsp with the 3 3/8" mark and (without using the punch,) scored on the diagonal line for each side of the paper.  Then I cut out the triangles created on each side and scored the "tabs" (shown green here.)

After flipping the paper over (so that the design I wanted would be on the outside) I scored at 1" for

each of the tabs created.  I then folded the 3" score
lines inward and the tabs outward.  The final step was to fold the card like a cardboard box top.

After stamping the inside, I embellished the outside
with tiny white pearls instead of a belly band.  For the video, just go to YouTube and type in Pinwheel
Fold card and look for Brenda Keenan.  She's very
easy to follow and has lots of other videos worth
checking out.

Enjoy!

FUN TECHNIQUE

After watching her video where Jennifer McGuire shows how to make her monochromatic cards, I came up with two of my own.  Although they are not monochromatic, they are quite similar and were a lot of fun to make!

 I started with a new cardstock pad I picked up at Hobby Lobby last week.  The colors are definitely ideal for Fall, so I wasted no time using them.  Since they are white on the back, they can be used as card bases with plenty of  room to write a note inside.

For the first card, I started with a greenish color panel and stamped the leaves in various Fall colors.  The large ones were stamped first and the smaller ones fitted around them.  Next I added white lines and dots, as shown on Jennifer's video, a technique which really livens up the card.

Next, I stamped the vellum banners with white pigment ink and embossed with white.  To mount the banner, I creased it at the top so that I could adhere it to the back of the panel with no tape showing on the front.  The wooden embellishments at the bottom helped keep the tag from popping up, again with no adhesive showing.

The second card was done the same way but with a brown panel from the same cardstock pad.  These were fun to make--thanks, Jennifer!

BIRTHDAY BEAR

One of my grandsons is turning 11 next week, so I made this card for him.  No more babyish cards....

While at Hobby Lobby the other day, I picked up a pack of stencils, used one of them here and stamped the bear once on the front. Then I stamped it again, cut it out and mounted it over the first bear with dimensionals.
After adding the greeting and a few embellishments, the card was done.

Meanwhile, my oldest grandson has been checking out colleges already.  Where do the years go???

THREE OF A KIND--QUILTED LEAVES

Evelyn and I did a bunch of these with my new quilted leaf die, and I love how they turned out!

Enjoy!

(Click to enlarge.)

PAPER PUMPKIN ALTERNATE

September's kit included this Autumn-y stamp set, just a bit bigger than my peg stamps.  I made this simple card in less than five minutes with three tiny stamps, the Cajun Craze ink spot and the yarn.

The sentiment is from a different set (Autumn Collage by Sweet & Sassy.)

THREE OF A KIND--HALLOWEEN

Just gotta love those bats!

Spidey, from an old SU! set, makes another appearance.   This time he's mounted on a piece of dsp web, sporting some Wink of Stella.

The third card will go to my youngest grandsons who really are sweet.

All three cards took very little time to make--the dsp does all the work.  The BOO!'s were die cut with my Big Shot, and Spidey was quickly fussy cut.

Happy Halloween everyone!  Don't eat too much candy!

BEFORE AND AFTER TABLETOP

BEFORE...

AFTER (finally!)

JOSEPH'S COAT LEAF

This is my way of doing the Joseph's Coat technique, using the colors in a piece of dsp.  This one is done with a piece from the SU Bohemian dsp collection.

First, I stamped over the dsp with Versamark and then clear embossed it.  Next I sponged it with Tea Dye Distress Ink and then Walnut Stain Distress Ink, being careful to let some of the lighter color show around the edges.  After rubbing the excess ink off with a tissue, I tied the jute around it and mounted it on the card as shown.

This will make a nice masculine card.

SEPTEMBER PAPER PUMPKIN ALTERNATE

The September Paper Pumpkin from SU had everything needed to make goodie bags for Halloween treats that looked like witches' brooms or haystacks (depending on how you used the kit.)  Since I only needed four, I decided to make cards with the leftover materials. 

The birch trees on the card were actually straws that were to be the broom handles.  After checking out the alternate projects posted on YouTube, I saw someone cut the straws, smooth them down with a bone folder and glue them to a card.  I couldn't resist doing the same thing and attaching them with glue dots to hold them securely.

The pumpkin stamp, Cajun Craze ink and sentiment were provided.  I added the blue ink and the die cut deer.  The slightly curved tree trunks and the brown "grass" give this card a lot of texture.

Stay tuned for more alternatives...I feel a shaker card coming on...

AUTUMN-Y FRIEND

Now that "butterfly season" is over (summer) I've turned my attention to bird stamps. This one is from the old SU set, "Touch of Nature," combined with the newer "Awesomely Artistic."

It all started when I found this Crumb Cake card base already embossed and cut.  Now that I've cut my dsp down to 4 1/4' x 6" and have them on my table top, it was easy to flip through and find one that would work.  After trimming and attaching it to the inside of the card, I used a strip of white stamped with the light blue design for the edge of the top piece.  Next I stamped the bird, "friend" and circular design in blue and added some light tan on the bird and branch.

After taking the photograph, I stamped a birthday greeting inside and added a few sequins on the front for a "Postage Friendly" finish!

AUTUMN POSTCARD

This was very easy to do.  I just heat embossed the postcard image in white and sponged Distress Inks over it as shown.

Instead of attaching the postcard to the orange panel with dimensionals, I glued a slightly smaller piece of fun foam to the back and glued that to the orange panel.  This will keep it firm while going through the mail.

After roughing the edges of the panel with a distress tool (you can also use your finger nail) I tied the jute around it and attached the panel to the card front.  I then added it to my Thanksgiving card collection.

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN--The Rule of Thirds

Using a panel from the SU English Garden dsp collection, I put this card together using the rule of thirds. The floral dsp covers the top 2/3 of the card, while the slanted stripes and cardstock strips filled the bottom third.

When using the rule of thirds, the "sweet spots"  are where the (undrawn) vertical and horizontal lines meet. In this case, that would be where the flower and the greeting are placed.  I don't know why this works, but the use of thirds is more pleasing to the eye.  From left to right, your eye is drawn first to the flower and then to the greeting, a very logical progression.

An easy way to test this is to draw lines on a piece of vellum that you can see through when placed over a card.  This is a helpful way to make your cards look more balanced.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!

Since Christopher Columbus made his way here in a trio of ships, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about another element of design:  ODD NUMBERS.

Why odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye than even ones, in design that is, I don't know.  I just know it works.  This card shows both.  The three pearls at the bottom work very well, but the two at the top look out of place (to me.)  Even the single sequin works better than two would.  So once I finish this post, the two upper pearls will be removed.


One of the most common mistakes beginners make on cards is to over embellish, especially with gems and sequins.  If the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria were good enough for Columbus, then 3 is good enough for me.  Happy Columbus Day!

OAK AND ACORNS

Since the dsp is a heavy weight with white on the other side, I used it as the card base.  I stamped the oak leaves in black, then used a black pen to draw matching details on the wood embellishments (SU) below.  Although it doesn't show up here, I also used some clear Wink of Stella on the wood pieces.

The striped dsp has some sparkle in it, which adds just enough accent to the card front.  Another easy card!

WIND BLOWN LEAVES

Since the dsp used on this card suggested the wind, I arranged the leaves to suggest their being carried along.  I may change the sentiment later to something a bit larger... not sure yet...  

THANKSGIVING CARDS

Since I received over 50 birthday cards and like to respond, I will be sending a bunch of these out for Thanksgiving and include a thank-you.  The leaves and embossing folder eliminate the need for stamping, except for the inside.  Thanks to Evelyn who supplied the pre-cut leaves and the embossing folder.  The card base is Tip-Top Taupe from SU.

The hardest part of this card was gluing down the leaves with TomBow Mono glue.  Once I run out of these, though, I will use solid ones.  That should cut down the time to under 5 minutes per card!

VICTORIAN BIRTHDAY

Since this is a card for one of my friends who loves the Victorian style of decorating, I changed it up a bit after the photo was taken.  After carefully peeling off the scalloped square from the card front, I replaced the two ribbons with one organza ribbon that went around the card just above the square.  (It is a top fold card.)  I tied a big bow and reattached the square just below it.  It looked much more feminine after that.  I plan to hand deliver it tomorrow.



TIP:  I came up with a better way (for me) to store my 
12x12" dsp.  Since I no longer do scrapbooking, I cut each sheet into 4x6" panels for cards and store them upright in a clear plastic container on my table.  This makes them handy and keeps them in plain sight.

THANKSGIVING WREATH

Gotta love those peg stamps--they come in handy for so many card themes!

To make this wreath, I punched out a circle of fun foam to use as a guide for my "twig" base.  I loosely traced the first circle around it to avoid making a wreath that was oval or square-ish.  After making several circles in three different browns with SU markers, I used peg stamps for the leaves.  Then I splattered the card front with brown Distress Ink, added the "thanks" and attached the embroidery floss bow.

This makes for a quick and easy Thanksgiving card with lots of variations.  As shown in yesterday's Simple Saturday post, it also makes an even quicker Christmas card.

BTW, I'm still having to get a lot of rest because of the Epstein Barr virus, but I cut back on my activities for awhile.  This leaves more time to spend stamping in the "Tower."

SIMPLE SATURDAY #40--Christmas Wreath

HAPPY WORLD CARDMAKING DAY!

JUST A NOTE

I hope to be back soon.  Meanwhile, I've been celebrating my birthday yesterday and today, which has been fun.

What hasn't been fun is dealing with a recent diagnosis of Epstein Barr which makes me very tired by midday.  Since it is a virus, the only way to get over it is to get lots of rest until it goes dormant again.  (You never get rid of it entirely.)  So far I've been able to get my work done early in the morning and nap in the afternoon, but that leaves little time or energy for stamping.

Things could be worse, so I'm not complaining.  My recent mammogram came back negative, and the dry patches the dermatologist removed from my face also proved negative.  I'm truly thankful.

"See" you soon!

PASTOR CARDS--BEES AND BUTTERFLIES

A few weeks ago I went to a StampinUp garage sale and scooped up some bargains including two gently used stamp sets, one coordinating punch, some 12x12 dsp, a pad of dsp (used here) and a Paper Pumpkin.  I'm so glad SU is offering these smaller dsp pads which are perfect for cardmaking.  What a great variety of colors and patterns!

Now that summer is almost over, it's time to restock our pastor's supply of cards.  Shown are two of the four I made today, all using the dsp pad I bought--super easy.  All four were different, two with a bee and two with a butterfly.

I'm looking forward to getting more dsp pads in the future!

FAUX METALLIC

This was a fun and easy card to make. 

First I sponged green and blue Distress Inks onto a white cardstock panel.  Then I brushed white Perfect Pearls over it to give it a metallic look.  After using a 3-D basket weave embossing folder, I mounted it to the card with foam tape.

The flowers were already cut and colored in my stash, so I just added the sequins and glued it to the card front.  The "blessings" die cut was also precut and glued to the panel also.

This will make a nice encouragement card for someone.

Family Vacation at OBX

Having a wonderful time at the beach...lots of sun, swimming and Duck Donuts! We even watched dolphins leaping out of the ocean in front of our beach house three times so far this week--what a treat! No sharks, thankfully. The Outer Banks is a wonderful spot to spend a week with all three generations of fsmily. It's been very relaxing... Lots of card ideas to try when we get back...

Beachy Birthday

Since our son-in-law will be celebrating his birthday the day we all gather at the beach for a week of sun and surf, I used the same design as the previous post.  I wanted to use the sand dollar in place of the bird, so I used beach colors.

I think it turned out a little bit more masculine!

CASEing the Catalog--Bluebird

Once again, I used the SU catalog for my inspiration.  This time, for a second card on page 25.

This time, I turned my bird into a bluebird and used some blue cardstock and sequins to bring in more of the color.  Before assembling, I splattered some brown ink on the front using a technique I learned from Julie Ebersol on YouTube.  She mixes ink with a little water on her acrylic block and then flicks it off with a wet brush.  Works like a charm--so thanks, Julie! 

CASEing the Catalog Again!

Once again, I "stole" ideas from the SU catalog.  I just loved the softness of this card--it seems fresh and light for summer.  The card is on page 25, and  I CASEd it almost exactly.

This is also an example of using whatever sets you have that are similar in duplicating the look.  Mine is from Simply Sketched for the blueberry branch and Touch of Nature for the bird.  Since the bird's legs were too difficult to cut out, I drew legs for my bird directly on the cardstock and glued the bird over them.  (Much easier!)

The striped border is from the English Garden dsp collection and matches the bird color perfectly.  I added the jute and a tiny black gem for the eye, and I also used a pale green card base instead of the white shown in the catalog.

Stay tuned for more catalog CASEing as I keep looking for ideas!

CASEing the Catalog--Butterflies

SU catalogs are so helpful when you run dry on ideas.  I just look through the cards, whether I have that particular stamp set or not, and go for it.

This card is CASEd from the one on page 107.  Their card with the butterflies in circles inspired a design of my own with the butterflies on top of the circles.  Using the Boho dsp really helped keep it coordinated.

Their card is square, and they used the negative punches for the butterflies.  Mine is rectangular, and I used the positive punch outs with another small butterfly on top.  For embellishments, I used purple gems for the bodies and a turquoise sequin on the banner.

I just love the bold colors in this dsp collection!

MORE BUTTERFLIES

The panel on this card was made with overlapping scalloped ovals of SU dsp, glued to a scrap of white cs.  Before coating it with one layer of clear embossing powder, I ran it through the Big Shot to give it some texture.  Then I mounted it to a black panel, tied the embroidery floss around it, and popped it up on the card front with foam mounting tape.

Next I stamped the greeting, added some sequins, and punched out a butterfly.  I drew in the antennae, added a black gem "body" and painted the wings with clear Wink of Stella.

Here's a closer look at the embellishments and shine on the butterfly:

AND THE WINNER IS...

...BONNIE KLASS!

Congratulations, Bonnie.  Your card will be in the mail tomorrow morning!

FORAL Z-FOLD CARD SAGA

This card gave me some trouble, and it took me a couple of hours to get it under control.  Here's what happened:

I came across a previously folded card in my stash, apparently left over from a class I did on Z-fold cards.  No problem there.

After deciding to use these beautiful roses from Penny Black's "Petal Power" and stamping them on white cs, I colored them with colored pencils.  No problem there either.

Next, I stamped the leaves with Peeled Paint Distress Ink and fussy cut them. Still no problem.

Then the "fun" began:  I decided to add the pre-printed vellum as a background, coloring the back first.  Then I added a clear liquid glue on each side and mounted it to the front panel.  That's when the problem started--the vellum curled away from the paper!  I kept pressing it back down until it dried and finally adhered to the cardstock; but then, the cardstock began to curl too!  Unbelievable!  I was beginning to feel like I had entered the Twilight Zone as an I Love Lucy routine!  The paper just kept getting more warped.

Finally, I added another piece of cardstock on the back of the panel, using double-stick Scotch tape, to give it more support.  By then, a couple of hours had passed and it was time for bed.  I stood the card up and turned out the lights, hoping for the best.  The next morning, it was better, though still a little warped.

If you'd like to receive this card for yourself, just leave a comment and I'll pick a winner (or loser, depending on how you look at it) on August 1st.  Hopefully, it will flatten out in the mail!

ANOTHER BUTTERFLY

I LOVE BUTTERFLIES...

...CAN YOU TELL?

I made a bunch of these at once.  Here's how:

Using the SU Papillon Potpourri and Versafine Black Onyx ink, I stamped several on watercolor paper.  Then I colored them using a variety of  Distress Inks and daubers.  Then I used the coordinating SU punch and added tiny black gems for the body.  For the antennae, I used colored wire, twisted it once to form a loop at the bottom and attached them to the back of the butterflies with glue dots.  I then shaped the wire with my thumb nail.

For a final touch, I brushed each with a Wink of Stella pen. The dsp is from SU, and each butterfly is mounted close to its corresponding color.

Bonnie's Background

Thank you Bonnie, (Stamping with Klass) for encouraging us to use a dark background once in awhile.  The dark cs used here really dramatizes a simple flower image from a Fiskars clear set I got at Hobby Lobby.

I used Twinkling H2O's to watercolor the clear embossed image.  Then I added a few sequins, stamped the greeting and mounted it tilted-ly (if that's a word) to the brown textured cs which I first attached to the white card base.  It's now ready to use for a quick note.

This whole card was super easy--thanks, Bonnie!

CRAZY BIRDS

Every once in awhile we do what I call a "stamp in" where we bring some white cardstock and stamp images from each other's sets that we don't have.  Then we take them home to use on a card.

Jackie had the Tim Holtz set of Crazy Birds that we just fell in love with, so I stamped a bunch of them to color later.  This one is perfect for belated birthday cards.  In fact, the facial expression is so cute, you almost want to be late on purpose!

I colored the bird with colored pencils, then drew the deflated balloon free hand, adding the string "attached" to his wing.  The birthday hat is a Jolee sticker.  Before mounting the image to the card, I die cut the scalloped circle around him, added a handwritten message and sponged the edges with green ink.  After stamping the belated bd message inside, the card was on its way.

A WORD ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF CARDS

Yesterday, Gail, one of my friends at Bible Study, paid a visit to someone I had made a card for a few weeks ago who is battling cancer.  She told me that when she got there, she saw that my card was on display as a continual encouragement to the lady who had received it.  When I heard that, I was just blown away.  I'm so glad Gail called and told me that because I know people like to receive cards, but never realized just how much it can mean to someone.

Here are a few suggestions in making cards more meaningful:

1.  Make it timely.  A quick response to someone in need underscores your care and concern.  If you didn't hear right away, you could start with "I just heard..."

2.  Keep it simple.  It doesn't have to be a long letter.  In fact, based on my own experience, it's easier to "digest" a brief expression at a time when it's hard to concentrate.  This is one case where less is more.

3.  Be Yourself.  No need to be eloquent, just be personal.  If you knew the person who died, for instance, mention something positive that you'll remember about them, even if it's just their smile.

4.  End with something encouraging.  I usually include a short Bible verse and the assurance that I'll be keeping them in prayer, if appropriate to the person.  Otherwise, you could say that you'll be thinking of them.  BTW, if I use a Bible verse, I always put it on the front of the card so that when it's standing up on display the verse is visible.

I hope this helps take some of the apprehension out of sending words of encouragement!

THE CARD YOU HATE TO MAKE

One of my friends just lost her 36-year-old granddaughter, so this is the sympathy card I made for her.  After I finished it, I started another card (previous  post) to add to my collection.  I no sooner finished that when I got a phone call from another friend telling me that yet another mutual friend just had to put her dog to sleep.  Since she lives alone, it's an even sadder loss.  As if that wasn't enough, she also told me that another friend just got the news that her breast cancer has returned.

I hope the saying that things happen in threes is true!

ANOTHER PEG STAMPS CARD

The other day, two new embossing folders arrived in the mail.  They are 3-D folders and what fun!

This one is a basket weave which I used for a floral arrangement.  To make the basket, I used the label punch and snipped off the point on the bottom.  After punching out some "ferns" with a Martha Stewart punch, I taped them to the back of the basket to hold them in place.  I then mounted the basket to a rectangular piece of cs.

Next, I proceeded to "fill" the basket with leaves and flowers using my peg stamps until I was satisfied with the look.  I then added the dragonfly and painted the wings with Wink of Stella for a little sparkle.  Since the dsp I used had triangles, I added three rhinestones in a triangle to finish it off.

This card went out to a friend who had to have her dog put to sleep yesterday.

Bohemian Birthday

This turned out to be a simple masculine birthday card.  I used my MISTI to line up the diamond stamps on the left.  I kept the stamps on the cover, but moved the paper each time so that everything came out straight up and down.

To line up the birthday greeting on the acrylic block, I first lined it up (smooth side up) on my grid paper.  Then I pressed the block, which has grid lines etched on one side, onto the stamp so that I could keep it straight along the diamond strip.  To finish off the card, I mounted the panel with dimensionals on a light green card (looks white here) and added the sequins.

I've added a few new tools in the Tower lately that have really been a help.  My faves are the MISTI, the magnetic platform for the Big Shot, and the mint-colored B plates which I no longer have to hunt for on my table.

PASTOR CARD SET

This is the card I designed for our pastor to use as a follow-up outreach for VBS.  He sends a little note to the non-church families who bring their children to our VBS program.

To make this card, I first stamped the verse and ran it through the Big Shot with the rectangular die.  The dsp strips were then cut at 1 1/2" wide to completely fit underneath the curved opening.  (To find the width you need, measure from the top of the curve to the lowest point.  Otherwise, as I learned from experience, you'll have a gap.)

After cutting the SU Pear Pizazz cs 4 1/4" x     4 3/4", I die cut the curve and attached all the pieces to the card front as shown.  The leaf was cut with a die I bought at Hobby Lobby last year which has an outline die and another insert that embosses the veins in the leaf at the same time.  (Sorry, I don't know the company name.) I sponged the leaf with Distress ink and attached it to the card with a SU dimensional.  The pearls were added in one strip and curved to match the opening. 

Although time consuming with so many steps, this was an easy card to make.

WAY TO GO, KRISTEN!

This card is for my granddaughter's graduation party tomorrow.  I used the sentiment from Cheerful Critters and made the flower from scraps on my table.  I'll be enclosing a gift card, of course.

All 4 of our grandchildren excelled in school this year, and we are proud of them all.  (Insert grandma brag here...)  Kristen will start High School next year.  Elliot also "graduated" from Kindergarten, Owen goes up to 5th grade, and Freddy will be a Senior looking at colleges.  WOW!  Where did all those years go?

We are truly thankful for all the Lord has been doing in our family, Christian schools and churches.  It is a wonderful blessing to watch your children and grandchildren grow in the Lord, especially now that they all live close by.

ANOTHER SHAKER CARD

I can't get over how much I've enjoyed using the Paper Pumpkin kit.  This card uses some dsp (not included in the kit) with lots of yellow--perfect for butterflies!

The triangles on the bottom and the sponging along the edges are to cover smudges that just appeared out of nowhere...true confession...  I also added a strip of the yellow dsp to highlight more of the yellow.

Matching envelopes are a fun way to complete a theme.  For this one, I pierced a butterfly image by using a vellum butterfly as a template, piercing through it.  Easy!

NEGATIVE HELLO

This is the fourth card I made after the three shown in the previous post.  I kept it really simple, using the negative space from the self-stick greetings supplied in the Paper Pumpkin I used.

The dsp is from a pad of SU 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" paper stack which I also found at the yard sale mentioned below.  The ticket corners were created with a circle punch to add a little interest without embellishment.  I'm amazed at how the dsp perfectly matched the paper from the Paper Pumpkin kit!

THREE OF A KIND

I recently took advantage of a SU yard sale to pick up a few retired items.  In addition to some paper packets and a few stamp sets, I also found a Paper Pumpkin that had never been opened.  Since it was half price, I thought it would be interesting to try it out.  The one I purchased was from Dec. 2014 labeled "Shaker Cards."

The first thing I noticed was that it was beautifully wrapped in tissue paper inside.  There was also a surprise gift of a paper piercing set which I plan to give to a friend since I already have one.

Next was a packet of pre-cut window sheets and frames for the shakers, the coordinating embellishments, the card bases for 9 cards and the matching envelopes.  They even included narrow strips of dimensional foam adhesive as well as 6 stamps and an ink pad square.  Actually, I was quite impressed with all that it contained.

The step-by-step instructions were easy to follow with photos of each step.  The card on the lower right was the first one I did as I followed the instructions.  I added the butterfly embellishment from my own supplies.  The next card was the top right on which I added a butterfly from a pad of SU printed vellum and a scrap piece of glitter rick-rack.

The card on the left was super easy to do after completing the previous two.  I simply glued the dsp to the front of the card, added the shaker ingredients and mounted the shaker window over it.  The butterfly was punched from the same color glitter paper as the "hello" and mounted with a glue dot.

For more Paper Pumpkin ideas, check them out on YouTube!

CUTE CARE AND CONCERN CARD

My friend, Jan, gave me an old packet of lightweight paper that she came across while decluttering recently.  Since it tore very easily, I thought it would work perfectly for a peek-a-boo card.

After stamping and coloring the image in "From the Herd" (SU!), I cut an X with my craft knife and ripped the edges as shown.  I added the sentiments inside and out from the same set. 

For a final touch, I coated the eyes with Glossy Accents.  Hopefully, this will cheer someone who needs a pick-me-up.

NEED A QUICK CARD?

Colored cardstock and a generous piece of designer paper help get a card off to a good start.

After stamping this label frame, I colored the bird and brushed on  some Wink of Stella.  Next, I took the SU piercing template and used my paper piercer to outline the label.  Then I cut a rectangle around it and sponged the edges with blue ink, stamped the greeting, and mounted the image to the card with dimensionals.

For embellishment, I added a few shiny sequins.  I didn't time it, but I'm sure it was under 10 minutes to make this card.  Enjoy!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #39

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