Flower fun...

 

I bought a new flower die set a while ago and finally got around to trying it out.

Because this is the first time I have used this die set, I am entering this pair of cards into Darnell's NBUS challenge #90.

I started with a very simple card. I had this scrap of aqua cardstock with a gold metallic pattern on it, and I wanted to use it on a card. 

After adhering the aqua and gold piece to my card front, I cut an arched rectangle from another scrap of white cardstock.

I heat-embossed the sentiment with gold embossing powder.

I cut out the four parts of the flower--the stem with leaves and three layers for the blossom. I adhered the flower beside my sentiment without enhancing it in any way.

The background pattern was so busy, I felt it was best to keep the rest of the card really simple.

I heat-embossed another sentment on the inside and the card was finished.

Another couple of scraps were used on this card--the aqua floral piece and the smaller, light aqua piece in the center.

I added thin strips of black cardstock on either side of the floral DSP and matted the smaller piece with black before popping it up.

This flower was cut from white cardstock and given some color with blending brushes.

The sentiment was stamped onto a die-cut piece of white cardstock and glued directly to the light aqua DSP.

 I stamped a sentiment on the inside to finish the card.

I love working with layered flower dies. I think they add so much to a card.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #235: Anything Goes or Frame It! (use a frame)...

 

It's September and time for a new challenge at Let's Craft and Create. This month we're offering you the option of using a frame on your project. If that doesn't work for you, consider entering per the "anything goes" category.

I have a die that cuts numerous 1/8" frames of descending sizes for A2 cards. When I cut them to get a specific size frame, I add the unused ones to an envelope. When this challenge rolled around, I pulled out that envelope of frames and chose a few of them to use on some cards.

I was in the mood to do some ink blending, so that's where I started this trio of cards.

This first card was a simple one to make. I chose a scrap of white cardstock (one that was a bit bigger than my frame) and blended on hues of yellow, pink and purple. When that was done, I stamped a floral silhouette onto the center.

Finally, I glued the frame onto the colored area, keeping the image centered, and carefully cut off the excess. The frames I used on all three cards are actually cut from dark purple cardstock (not black!).

The white background panel was textured with a pinpoint background die and glued to the cardbase.

The framed image was popped up with foam tape and adhered to the center of the white panel.

The left side of the sentiment strip was glued to the framed image and the right side was supported with some foam tape.

This is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

The framed centerpiece of this card was made the same way as on the first card. For the background, I used another pinpoint design on white cardstock, but it didn't show up much at all. I brushed on a little purple ink and it became much more visible.

I stamped the same sentiment on the inside of this card.

I chose a piece of DSP for the background on this card. I matted it with some dark purple cardstock before adhering it to the card front.

I selected three smaller frames, glued them onto scraps of patterned paper that coordinated with my background piece and cut off the excess.

I die-cut some small flowers, colored them with alcohol markers and added them to the framed DSP.

The two frames with the yellow and pink backgrounds are not popped up, but the one with the aqua background is.

The sentiment was popped up on either side of the bottom frame.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added an extra flower that I had die-cut while making this card.

While I hope these cards will inspire you, there are additional projects to jumpstart your mojo on the Let's Craft and Create website. I hope you'll check them out.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Thanks a bushel...

 

I had the pre-printed scalloped oval in my stash for a VERY long time--possibly years!. The large apple and flower were part of the oval design. 

I looked through my stash to find the red checked and blue papers to complement the oval and added them to the card front.

I stamped "Thanks a bushel" in the center of the oval and added the small apple image (also from my stash) with a foam square to pop it up a little.

The entire oval was then popped up on my card with some thin foam tape and a few gems were added for sparkle.

I stamped another sentiment on the inside and added two small apple stickers from my stash.

This was a simple and quick card to make, but I liked the end result. It reminded me of going to a local apple orchard to pick apples. 

Minnesota is known for developing many kinds of apples. If you've had Honeycrisp apples, you've had one of the more popular varieties that was developed at the Minnesota Arboretum, under the auspices of the University of Minnesota. Since the arboretum is not far from where I live, I have been there numerous times to taste new and old apple varieties. It's a fun, and delicious, outing!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Three Christmas cards...

 

The poinsettia and sentiment for this card were in a small pile of ephemera in my Christmas stash. After die-cutting the white panel and gluing it to my card front, I popped up the poinsettia and added some Viva Decor dots to its center. The sentiment was adhered directly to the white panel.

This is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

Before die-cutting the red panel, I added a strip of matte gold cardstock down the center of it. Once, cut, I glued the panel to the green cardbase.

The stocking ephemera was popped up and some red Nuvo Drops were added as the holly berries.

The sentiment was die-cut, stamped and also popped up.

At right is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

This card began with a plain gold Christmas bauble cut from gold cardstock and two shades of die-cut greenery that were to be applied to the top of it.  I used an embossing folder to give the bauble some texture and then used my finger to apply some gold embossing paste to it.

When the paste was dry, I glued on the greenery and added a die-cut bow and a red gem.

A strip of self-adhesive striped glitter paper was adhered to the center of the die-cut panel.

Before gluing the panel to the front of the cardbase, I added a piece of gold cord to the hanging ring of the bauble and taped it onto the backside of the panel.

The bauble was popped up with foam squares, as was the sentiment.

I have quite a few more of these die-cut baubles in my stash, so I'll be using them on more Christmas cards. I liked the extra pizzaz the dry embossing and the paste added to this one.

This is the sentiment that was stamped on the inside.

Have you gotten started with your Christmas cards, yet? I'm feeling pretty good about mine. I believe I've made about 60 so far.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Inspired by pretty paper...

 

I found a piece of this pretty striped paper in my stash, and I decided to make as many cards as possible with it. That turned out to be three cards.

I loved the soft coral color of the striped piece, so I went hunting for other papers and embellishments to coordinate with it. I found a solid paper, some ribbon, stickers and gems.

The sheer ribbon was tied on my bow maker and then taped in place.

The sentiment was die-cut and glued directly to the solid coral paper.

The rose sticker was added to the lacy-edged die-cut circle and popped up with foam squares.

This is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

This card features another sticker of roses. I die-cut a white oval, applied the sticker and then added some texture to the oval with an embossing folder.

The coral oval was glued directly to the striped paper, but the white oval was popped up with foam tape.

The sentiment was stamped, matted and popped up.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added yet another rose sticker.

This card started with an A2 cardbase. I cut 1" off the right side of the front and then used a border punch to scallop the edge. Once that was done, I added the striped DSP to the front.

A strip of the solid coral paper was added to the inside and the corners were rounded.

I no longer had any of the light coral rose stickers so I added a deeper colored one. I think it still looks okay.

The sticker was added to a die-cut panel and then that panel was dry-embossed and popped up with foam tape.

The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder and then fussy-cut. This banner, then, was also popped up.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside, and the card was done.

It felt so good to use up not only that piece of pretty paper, but also a slew of stickers!

We had a quiet weekend, saying "so long" to our granddaughter who moved to Massachusetts. We will miss her, but we're excited for this new adventure in her life.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Postage collage card...

 My brother-in-law's birthday is this weekend and this is the card I made for him:

This top-folding card was a lot of fun to make. First I cut out the postage collage format from white cardstock. Then I used a stencil to add the orange and yellow background colors to each "stamp" area.

When the background was done, I selected the images and the postal markings I wanted to stamp in each space. Using a stamp positioner was a real timesaver because I could stamp numerous images at one time.

After the postage collage was adhered to the cardbase, I stamped a small "Happy Birthday" on white cardstock, cut it out and popped it up under the top left "stamps."

This was the sentiment I stamped on the inside. Another humorous one that I thought a guy might appreciate.

I have some other stencil sets, too, for this collage style card. I'll share the cards I make with them in future posts. 

The Minnesota State Fair is now in full swing and the traffic around here shows it! About two million people visit the fair each year so it's a pretty big deal. I have been to it several times, but I have no plans to go this year.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Polar bear Christmas cards...

Did you know that polar bears aren't actually white? They have black skin and translucent fur that only looks white because of the way the light reflects off of it. Amazing, right? 

I found 15 other interesting facts about this beautiful animal on the Good Housekeeping website. Remember that magazine? We always had a current issue in our house when I was growing up. I should have read it more diligently so that I could have become a better housekeeper! LOL

I am fascinated by polar bears, and I couldn't resist buying a few dies so that I could add their image to some Christmas cards.

I made these two cards as a "try-out" session for using the dies. I loved how they turned out, so I'll be making lots more.

This card started with a 4 1/4" X 5 1/2" piece of red cardstock and a 4" X 5 1/4" piece of Christmas tree DSP.

The center tri-panel piece was cut at 4" X 8 1/4", scored at 2 3/4" and 5 1/2" and folded like a Z-fold.

I cut scraps of DSP and mats for each section of the tri-fold, making each layer 1/4" smaller in length and width. 

The bear and his scarf were die-cut from white cardstock. I colored the nose and scarf with markers and used a black pen to add definition to the eyes. 

He was then popped up with foam squares.

The die-cut sentiment was in my stash and was also popped up.

This is how the Z-fold looks when it's opened.

The center panel features some trees that I fussy-cut from the background DSP.

The sentiment panel was stamped, matted and added to the final section.

More scraps + more die-cut polar bears = another Christmas card! This time I also matted the piece of DSP on the base.

The sentiment (from my stash) had been stamped and die-cut. I just had to pop it up. The bear was glued directly to the DSP.

This time I added another bear to the center section. He looks so cute in his ice skates.

These cards are such a great way to use smaller pieces of coordinating Christmas DSP. I have already picked out the pieces I'll use for two more cards. I just have to find the time to get them put together!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl