SIMPLE SATURDAY #1

SIMPLE SATURDAY

Our visit with family in Prague was wonderful, as usual. Now that we're back, I'll be posting photos and video of the grandkids on our Fox Mtn. blog (link at right.) Just give me another day to recover from jet lag!

Meanwhile, since you may be wondering why it says "Saturday" on Friday, it's because I'm announcing my intent to post an easy-to-do card on Saturdays. Be sure to stop by each week for something elegant and simple that you can CASE in ten minutes or less!

OFF TO PRAGUE!

...where else? Can't wait to see Laura and family, especially Owen who is 4 and 11/12ths as he would say.

Meanwhile, Evelyn will be covering for me with the Mothers Class. They'll be making Halloween treat holders with the Sweet Treat cups in the mini catalog. If you haven't tried them yet, order a box and play with them. You don't need the stamp set that goes with it, although that's fun too. Of course, when it comes to stamping, "need" is a relative term!

Look for a new post when I get back--more Christmas card designs coming.........

AUTUMN SPLENDOR

This is how Joan and I celebrated World Card Making Day at the Tower!

I just love this set!

Using the Joseph's Coat technique, these cards were fun to do. Three were made with SU dsp, the other (far left) with colorful designer paper from my stash. Because of the busy-ness of the colorful leaves, it almost looks like a "find the hidden leaf" kind of card ;)

The baja breeze (blue) card came out like a leaf within a leaf, although I didn't notice it until I was done. Next time, I'll try to line it up intentionally. The little squiggle at the bottom is from the retired Fall Whimsy set, which coordinates well because of the similar curve.

The two kraft cards would serve well for masculine cards.

Which do you like best?

Backpack Encouragements

Now that kids are back in school, my daughter asked me to make little postcard encouragements for her to add to my grandson's backpack. I thought I'd post them as an encouragement to you moms who might like to try the same thing!

Each one is different and each has some kind of tactile embellishment for my grandson to enjoy. If you click on the picture, you can get a closer view of each one!

Let me know what you may come up with for YOUR little one...

Autumn Grid

Here's my version of Dawn Griffith's Faux Grid technique--thanks Dawn! (May 29, 2009)

Following Dawn's video, I used white cardstock for my grid and mounted it on dark brown cs. Instead of her cute fishies, I used leaves and an acorn from an old retired SU stamp set (Fall Whimsy.) After coloring in the squares and images, I added the greeting. For the finishing touch, I used Ice Stickles for a little glitz.

We all enjoyed making these cards at Mothers Class, too!

(Check out Dawn's videos--link at right!)

Special Card for a Special Person

Using the same technique in the previous post, I made this card to send to our Pastor who had a stroke last week. His recovery so far is miraculous!

Technique Tuesday Remake

Here's a new card made with the technique we learned at Cyndy's Technique Tuesday class.

The tricky part of this technique is cutting the paper so that you get the stripes going in two different directions for the chevron look. After cutting strips in varying widths, they were attached to a piece of plain cardstock that was run through the Xyron machine.

For the "bow," I taped the ribbon around the cardstock. Using another small piece, I tied a knot and added it to the ribbon with a glue dot.

The image was popped up using dimensionals, with the finished piece mounted over coordinating textured cardstock attached to a white card.

I plan to make another card using Fall colors and a leaf image. This technique is fun!

BIRTHDAY BASH TODAY!

Today was my birthday, and it was wonderful! The weather couldn't have been better, the party was a lot of fun with all my good friends here, and Rick just took me out to dinner so I didn't have to cook. Old age does have its benefits;)

The dining room table was used to display all the Silver Stamper cards I received, along with a few others from friends and family. In the foreground are the little thankyou treat bags I made for each guest.

The cake was solid chocolate cake with whipped cream icing--yum! The only thing I wanted on it were the roses and the LXV candles I added.

Since I didn't want any gifts, everyone brought things for the Hope Food Pantry instead. Joyce had lots of items to bring down there afterward, so my party benefited others as well. You might want to consider doing the same thing in your neighborhood, even if you don't have a birthday coming up. Food pantries are being stretched to the limit in this economy.

I'm so grateful for such wonderful friends who have helped me celebrate all my special occasions over the years.

Thanksgiving Card

Choosing scraps of Fall colors, I used my MS square punch again for this card. With the squirrel brad, it will go to a friend who traps squirrels and releases them on the other side of the highway so they leave her bird feeders alone!

This format is so versatile--every card can be different depending on what scraps and embellishments are used.

(Sorry for the blurry look--it's because of the button and brad in the scanner.)

Christmas Card Design #2

Here's a simple card using only one color.

First, I stamped the trees on white cardstock with green ink and colored over the bird with a black marker. I carefully tore the paper to remove the green lines under the trees, repositioned it to look like snow and stamped the verse below in black.

After mounting the white pieces on sage green cs, I added Frosted Lace Stickles to the torn edge.

Done!

DOTTO FUN

Here's a fun way to decide how you want to arrange the pieces on a card--just use DOTTO to temporarily attach all the parts and move them around.

This card is another version of the previous post, shown two different ways. Since I had no brown ribbon left, I cut the white piece and mounted the halves apart to simulate a ribbon look. By using the DOTTO, I could then stand my card up to view it from a more distant perspective. Once I decide which way I want it, I'll use permanent tape to assemble it and mail it out.

I think it will be the second one with the oval placed slightly higher. Or maybe I'll make it vertical instead of horizontal...hmmm...or maybe...

Versatile Card

Here's a card that can be used any time of year, and sooooo easy!

First, with removable tape, I attached torn typing paper on the diagonal corners to mask the card. Then I stamped the flowers in black ink, sponged over them with the green and yellow inks, highlighting the centers with a white gel pen. After adding some dots with a black marker, I removed the masking pieces to finish the card.

The ribbon is mounted around the white cs and taped on the back. The bow was tied on separately so that it could be moved up and down to where it looks best. I then mounted the white cs to a green layer before attaching to the yellow cs. The oval punches were used for the greeting and popped out with a dimensional.

Imagine this same technique with fall colors and leaves OR blue and white with snow flakes! Maybe a Christmas card with red and green...

The possibilities are endless!

Thankyou Card

It was so sweet of Germaine Ferrao to include this little clear stamp in her letter to me recently. So, of course, I used it to make a thankyou note for her.

The flower was stamped once on white cardstock, stamped again on another piece of white and watercolored. The second image was cut and the petals applied to the bottom layer with tiny pieces of foam tape. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the ferns and mounted all to the card after adding a green gingham strip.

A few Dew Drops and a sentiment, and the card was done. Thanks again, Germaine!

STAIR STEP CARD

WOW! I really like using natural lighting on the dining room table for photographing my creations. This one, especially, was a challenge because of the "stairs" of the folds.

It was fun filling this one up with cutouts and images for each "step" while avoiding the temptation to overdo it. There were lots of ideas in the gallery at Split Coast--check them out!

Treat Holder Thank-you

After watching Dawn Griffith's video for her treat holder using the Movers and Shapers die, I wanted to try my own version with my Cuttlebug. At first, I was going to use the butterfly shape as my window; but the antennae wouldn't release. Then I decided to leave it that way with the treats just peaking out the sides. Adding the dsp butterfly on top and bending the wings really made it unique.

Dawn used velcro for her closure on top, but I found that removable glue dots worked just as well and were easier for me to apply. After all, with chocolate in the cello bag, these holders would only be opened once!

You can check out Dawn's videos by clicking on her link at right.

WIPER CARD

Here's my first wiper card, shown opened. I tested it out on my DH, but he couldn't figure out how to open it. I guess I'll have to be sure and send it to someone who would know what it is!

The heat wave has broken here this week, bringing fresh crisp air from up north. It won't be long before the pumpkins hit the local farm stands and cards with fall leaves and pumpkins hit the blogs.

Thanks, Beate, for your wonderful tutorial on Split Coast/You Tube.

CYNDY'S RETIRED SALE

Don't you just love a bargain? This set has been one of my favorites and now it's part of my collection. Thanks to Cyndy, I was able to purchase it gently used for only $5! Is that cool, or what???

MOSAIC CARD

Dawn Griffith always has such good video tutorials, which is what inspired this card. Another great way to use up some scraps!

The mosaic pieces were attached to a sticky sheet that I found in the back of a drawer here in the "tower" from ages ago. Don't you just love it when something you need for a project is right there in your stash???

The side panel was applied directly on the card front. For the greeting, however, I mounted it on a piece of white cs to give it some weight before punching it out with the scalloped oval punch. Then I attached it to the card with dimensionals.

Enjoy!

Finished the Card We Started at Cyndy's

Here's my finished version of the Flower Pot Card we started last night for Technique Tuesday. The flowers were a little unbalanced to the left, so I added the butterfly. Kind of whimsical, don't you think?






Thanks Cyndy--you always have such fun projects for us!

ANOTHER TART AND TANGY

What I love about these apples is that you can make them red, green or golden. Since I had a scrap of green gingham left over, I inked up the apples to match. I also had some dew drops and ribbon in the same green. Handy, huh?

The Scor-bug lines also help fill in some of the blank space to make it work...

AND THE WINNER IS...

Here is the card that won First Place at the NJ State Fair. After retrieving my card and blue ribbon tonight, Rick took me to Applebee's for dinner. What a nice way to end the week!

(Don't forget to click on the image for a closer look at the details.)

Back to the Tower!

Now that VBS is done (and I've recovered) it was great to be back stamping again. This time I played with some new "toys": a new Martha Stewart punch, the Scor-Pal and Scor-Bug and some dew drops that arrived in the mail yesterday.

The punched squares were inspired by Kristina Werner, except that I added a grid with my Scor-Pal. The grid on the upper right card was done with the Score-Pal tool, the one on the lower left with the Scor-Bug. The green card has no grid, but features a square displayed on the diagonal. The tan card has Scor-Bug lines on the bottom of the front and also on the inside. (Click on photo for a closer look.)

These were fun to put together and easy to vary...also a great way to use up some scraps!

NOTE: Leave a comment naming your fave of these 4!

Vacation Bible School

For a few details of my week at VBS, see my family blog. Just click on Fox Mtn. on list at right...

Citrus Slices

Somehow, the scanner doesn't do justice to this card which looks better IRL. For one thing, the dots on the side are raised with clear ep, and the entire image is attached with dimensionals to give the whole card more of a finished look than captured here.

This design was inspired by Kristina Werner's tutorials where she often rounds one corner of her card. She's also unafraid of bright colors and patterns--thanks Kristina!

The card will be mailed out right away for Evelyn's birthday. She gave me the dots stamp and the Fiskar's rope edge punch, so I included them in my design. Inside is a birthday greeting with another orange slice. I also wrote "Don't worry--you're not ready for Medic-"ade" yet!"

I'm glad that all my good friends have a sense of humor...

Another Shutter Card

UPDATE: YES!! MY OTHER CARD WON FIRST PLACE AT THE NEW JERSEY STATE FAIR!!

(I'll have pictures next week when I get it back from the Fair.)


Thanks to Dawn Griffith's tutorial, I've been making my shutter cards using a full card-sized piece for the front.

This one features flowers with white Flower Soft in the centers, mounted with SU dimensionals. The polka dot dsp seems to fit the SU designer paper just right, and brightens it up a bit. Both were used on the inside panels as well.

Another card that I made the same way a few weeks ago has been entered in the NJ State Fair. I'll let you know if it wins a ribbon!

1 Down and 99 to go!

Here's what I came up with for my Christmas card this year, although it's showing up a bit dark in this photo. It's partly CASED from the sample in the catalog, with the dove from a card I saw on Gretchen Barron's blog this morning. (Hers is done in blue and is gorgeous! To take a look, click on the link at right.)

I used popping pastels on Very Vanilla cs for the poinsettias and yellow Stickles for the flower centers. The dove was stamped on white cs with Sahara Sand craft ink, cut out, and filled in with Frosted Lace Stickles. I then attached the dove to the main image with SU dimensionals. Versamark was used for the smaller poinsettia stamp up the right side and once on the inside next to the verse.

TIP: For an easy way to tie a ribbon, first cut a piece of ribbon slightly longer than the piece you want to cover, fold over each end and tape the ends underneath. After fastening the image to your card, take a shorter piece of ribbon and tie a knot around the other piece. Pull tight, trim and slide the bow up or down to where you want it.

Old Technique, New Card

Here's a card I did the other day using Embossing Resist with clear ep on white cs.

After inking over the flowers with Distress Ink (Broken China)I cut the cs to size and mounted it on red cs, leaving a very narrow border. With a bow of two matching colors of embroidery floss, I then mounted the design onto a darker teal textured cs with double stick tape. Using the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug folder on white cs, I attached it to the Baja Breeze cs, then mounted the image layers to the dotted swiss with dimensionals.

I don't know what made me choose red for the accent, but I like the way it turned out. It seems to have given it a little "punch"...

Sunny Note Card

Here's an easy card done with black ep and yellow ink sponged over it. Some black and white check in the paper and ribbon, a butterfly stamped on yellow dsp and some yellow buttons finish it up.

It's always good to have some blank cards on hand for a quick note!

All-purpose Card Updated

UPDATE: 7/29/09
I decided to add a dewdrop on one of the lower petals and a small matching button to the left of the greeting. Thanks for the suggestion, LeAnne!

A Card and a Cat

Here's a masculine card using the tree from La Jardin Botanique and some Ranger Distress ink mounted over a piece of BasicGrey paper. For glitz, I used some ribbon with gold threads and rust edges. Adding some dashes around the image with a SU Really Rust marker coordinates the colors in the ribbon and bg paper.

Meanwhile, Jenny kept me company on the "visitor's" chair while the rain came down--not good outdoor weather, but great for stamping or snoozing!

A MIGHTY TREE

What is it about trees that makes them so appealing? This one looks mighty and strong, which makes it ideal for a masculine card.

I stamped the tree on Soft Suede cs using black StazOn ink and cut it to size for the card. Then I edged the sides with Versamark and clear ep. To add color and "sunshine" highlights, I used a Close to Cocoa marker for the trunk and several branches, Mellow Moss marker for the leaves, and a yellow Gelly Roll pen for the splashes of sun on the trunk and left-side leaves. Before mounting the image on Very Vanilla cs, I used the leaf from Carte Postale with Versamark to create the background.

Be sure to click on the image for a closer view of the details!

BONJOUR, BUTTERFLY!

If you look closely, you'll see yet another card with Scor-Bug accents.

First, I stamped the butterfly in black India Ink, painted it with Twinkling H2O's, cut it out and set it aside.

Next, I inked up the SU French Script background stamp with 2 shades of Colorbox yellow inks, leaving some spots untouched for a mottled look. After stamping the plain white cs, I then used the Scor-Bug partway along the top, bottom and sides of the card.

Once the card was ready, I used dimensionals to attach the butterfly so that the left wing would extend out past the opening in the Scor-Bug dots. Then I used my SU coordinating oval punches for the greeting, which also extends beyond the lower dot border.

For bling, I added some tiny black gems to the butterfly body, his "trail" and the dot over the j in Bonjour.



Tip: As you can see, I use the dots in letter sets I can get at craft stores. They come in lots of different colors (black, red, pearl, rhinestone...) and are ideal for small touches on a card!

Scor-Bug Revisited

Here's another card using the Scor-Bug for accents on the top right and lower left. This time, I ran it with the dots facing up. (Click to enlarge.)

The flower is mounted over the leaf in the same set, with added ferns punched out of dark green cardstock using a Martha Stewart punch.

The inside greeting is for a birthday.

B is for Birthday

Using one of the K and Co. Designer cards I purchased recently at Michaels, I tried a few of my new "toys" on this one.

First, the large letter "B" was inked up with Ranger Distress Inks--a mix of "Peeled Paint" (green), "Tea Dye" (golden tan) and "Broken China" (blue). I swiped each ink pad on a plastic plate*, then smooshed the stamp around until it was covered enough. Then I stamped it on white for a marbled watercolor look. It matched the colors in the card stock perfectly.

Next, I cut out the images used and mounted them as shown. The bow is made with embroidery floss--two matching colors. For added interest, I tried out my Scor-Bug which arrived on Friday. If you look closely, you'll see the dots on the bottom and partway up the right side. A white gel pen in each dot helps make them stand out more. (Click to enlarge.)

I used a different "B" for the inside from a Hero Arts clear set and repeated the bee from the SU set. (For some reason my scanner cut off the plain bottom part of the card.)

The size of this card was a bit of a challenge since there's more space to fill, but I love the way the window worked out.

*BTW, plastic plates make the ideal pallet and/or liquid glue surface. The ridge around the edge keeps liquids from running onto my table. For gluing things, I put a few dabs on the plate and either dip embellishments into it or use an applicator direct to paper. The plates clean easily with baby wipes and are reuseable.

Fun with the Grandkids

Check out the fun we had at Aunt Carol's pool last week! There are photos and a video on my Fox Mountain blog--just click on link at right...

K & Company and "Just B"

My friend, Joan, gave me these pink and green embellishments ages ago, and I'm now just getting around to using them. They were just perfect for this cardstock!

The SU "Just B" set offers so many ways to be creative with it. Here, just because the "B" in that set is just a little too big, I used a Thickers chipboard letter, colored it with 2 shades of Colorbox green and added some shine with clear ep. For bling, I just added a pink gem in the flower center.



Since the reverse of the "Just B Cuz" card is a pale shade, it's just right for a little note later on. I made use of a few ribbon scraps in just a different way, and the green button and pink floss finished it of off just right.

K & Company Cards

Today I pulled out some older stamps to "play" with on my new K & Co. double-sided cards. They came in a pad of 24 pre-scored sheets.

For this first one, I cut off a piece of the bottom and reversed it to use as an anchor so the cat wouldn't look like it was just floating on the card. I love the richness of this tapestry print and the simplicity of the stripes as a contrast. Of course, the cat is sporting some feline bling!

Inside, the cat face is repeated alongside the SU Outline stamp, and both are placed to the left so that when I sign it, all will be in balance.

Workshop Card--Easy!

Since I plan on doing another workshop soon, I needed to come up with something simple. Here again, the background paper really helps make the card.

Inking up the tree with two colors, green on top and brown for the trunk, might be a little tricky for a beginner; but cutting it afterward for mounting is "safer" than trying to stamp it directly on a card.

I like how the button fit just right on the blue stripe. This makes for a good all-purpose or masculine card to have on hand!

HAPPY FOURTH!

I'll be at my sister's for a few days with my two oldest grandchildren. We plan to use her pool, soak up some sun, play some board games and dominoes and go to a nice sandy beach. Should be fun!

Meanwhile, I'll be keeping up on the latest blog entries from her computer and looking forward to stamping up a storm when I get back.

So sorry...

Here's a shutter card I had on hand that I decided to use for someone who just lost a pet. The cat's eyes are embellished with green gems, the collar with 3 tiny rhinestones, and the flowers at right with larger rhinestones.

The hearts were carefully punched to center a white dot on the dsp. The large section in the middle of the card will be used for a personal message.

Having had to say goodbye to several pets over the last few years, I know how sad it can be. I hope this card will help to let this someone know that I care.

NEW CATALOG EXCITEMENT!

I've been perusing the new catalog and can't wait to order some new sets!

Since I send out 100 Christmas cards, I like to start during the summer. The Gifts of Christmas set will be the one for this year--LOVE it!



For my grandchildren, I think the "Greetings, Earthling" set is adorable for a birthday or even just a Hello...



What a nice idea to offer sets for a sympathy card after the loss of a pet. There's one for dogs and another for cats, and each one includes images and sayings for other uses as well. Needless to say, I'll be getting the cat one.



There are new designer papers, punches and oodles of wonderful card samples on every page! My wish list keeps getting longer every time I look through it again. (uh-oh...)

Sometimes It Works...

...to let the background paper do some of the work, yes? The blue swirls in this SU dsp were just on one corner, so I cut it to use on this card. I wanted to cut off the SU words in the upper right corner, so I used my punch and trimmed it to fit. Then I rounded off just that one corner to highlight it a bit more. Little details like that really add a lot of interest, don't they?

Can you tell that I enjoy using the "God's Beauty" set? and the two oval punches?...and that I seem to be into question marks today?

Hope you're having a great summer! Remember, if you're stuck indoors because of high heat or lots of rain, it's good stamping weather!

Butterfly Bling

Here's a card I made yesterday. When I was done, even after adding some blue gems on the butterfly for bling and some tiny pearls in the flower centers, I thought there was still too much emptiness.

By adding just a few freehand dashes around the edges with a black marker, the images no longer "float" on the card front. The "frame" pulls the images together without distracting from them.

Isn't it amazing how one little change can make such a big difference!