Happy Birthday, Leigh...

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday. Happy Birthday, Leigh! Today's project is the card I made and sent to him. I used the Art Impressions stamp "Norm" for my focal image. I love this guy! He's so grumpy looking that I want to do everything I can to make him crack a smile. He'd fight it, I know, but the challenge would be fun.

Because Leigh is such a handy guy, I thought it was appropriate to use some sheetrock tape down the center. I know he'll recognize it when he sees it. He's done a ton of sheetrocking in his life.  I also added a couple pieces of Card Candi that I colored green with my ProMarkers to match the card base. ProMarkers are so great because they allow you to blend colors until you get it just right. They were used to color the image, too, which was then cut out with a Lifestyle Crafts die.  I used a die from Spellbinder's Labels and Tags collection to make a couple of tags for the two-part sentiment which I tucked behind the mat.

I also added four faux black pearls--one in each corner--with some dimensional paint so that it looks a little like it's nailed onto the mat.

 

Here's what the inside of the card looks like. Both the front and inside sentiments were computer generated. I inked the edges of the inside cs and added a decortive strip of the card base cs along the bottom.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

 

One Cool Cat...

 My daughter-in-law just got a new job as the principal of a middle school out in Oregon. We're so proud of her and we know she'll do a tremendous job. I wanted to make a card that was fun but that also let her know how supportive we are. Here's what I came up with.

The cat is cut from the Cindy Lou cartridge and I cut her out at 4 1/2 inches. The glasses are from the Nifty Fifties cartridge and I cut them at 1 1/4 inches. Don't they fit the cat's face perfectly? And I think they make this image look very scholarly, yet very stylish, too--like a school principal ought to look. Ha ha!

The pretty embossed paper for the card base was in a group of mixed papers that I picked up a while ago, so I'm not sure exactly what brand it is. I love it, though! I inked the edges of the cat's layers and simply used a marker for the pink inside her ears and her eyes and nose.  The flowers are from Petaloo and are called "Flower Doodles." They're great to have on hand when you need some small flowers in fun colors. I think I need to get some more of them in pinks and purples.

This is the sentiment on the inside of the card. Fun, right? I sure hope my DIL likes it.

As you can see in this photo, the cat is adhered to the front of the card with some pop dots for a little added dimension.  They are thicker than the ones under the banner so that she sticks out just a bit more and her feet can actually sit easily on the top of the banner. I also wrapped some baker's twine around the left end of the sentiment banner and tied it in a little bow for an added touch.

I hope you enjoyed my card today. Thanks for stopping by and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

 

 

Decorating packages...

I have so much fun using my Cricut to decorate birthday gifts. Of course, gifts for kids are the most fun.  Recently my grandson turned 5 and here are the packages I decorated for him. The car and jack-in-the-box images are from Nate's ABCs.  I made the banner on the card by using a journaling guide to draw a curved line, and then I added a hand-drawn bow to each end.  I stamped the little pennants onto patterned paper, cut them out and glued them onto the line.

Here's a closer look at the little dog driving the car. The image does not have eyes, but I really wanted to add some - and I didn't want to use googly eyes. Instead, I used some gold liquid pearls and made two rounded mounds where the eyes would be. Once they were dry, I used a permanent marker to make a black dot in the center of each. I think they look pretty good!

Here's the little jack-in-the-box. He is so much fun! I added some rosy chalk to his cheeks, nose and palms for a little dimension. I also added some sparkles to the blue star but it's tough to see them in the photo.  If you look closely, you'll see that I should have rotated him 180 degrees on the package because the pattern on the wrapping paper is upside down. Oh well - I don't think a little 5-year-old cares two hoots about that! Had this package been for an adult, I would have taken the jack-in-the-box off, rewrapped the package (if necessary) and then adhered it correctly.

Here's just a little closer look at that banner on his birthday card. Please excuse the shadow. I need some photo-taking training!!  I stamped "Happy Birthday" in the corner and added his name with letter stickers.  If you'd like to see the card inside the envelope, check out my post about it here.

Thanks for stopping by today. Rember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day!

Cheryl

 

 

Kraft birthday ensemble...

I love working with kraft paper and decided to use it as my main ingredient for this birthday card ensemble. 

I am entering this card into Challenge #10: The Krafty Crafter on A Blog Named Hero. You should check out this great blog and fun challenge!


I cut my kraft paper at 4 1/4" by 12". I scored it from the long side at 5 1/2" and 11" to create the fold-over card with a 1" flap at the top.  I rounded the corners of the flap and inked with some white chalk ink.  To hold the card closed, I used a larger brad on the flap and tied some neutral colored floss onto it. The floss can then be wound around the smaller brad on the card front to keep the card closed.  I covered the front of the card with some pretty paper on a green mat.  I created a rose (from the Flower Shoppe cart), a triple bow made with some satin and sheer ribbon along with some paper lace and a leafy branch, both made with a Sizzix dies.

Here's a closer look at the flower, bow and tiny tag (Spellbinder's Labels and Tags).  I inked the edges of the rose and the leaves on the branch behind it.

Here's a look at the inside of the card. I used the small coral colored flowers to cover the tines of the two brads.  These flowers were made with the Martha Stewart hydrangea punch.

Since the rose would not permit this card to be given or sent in an envelope, I decided to make a box for it. I wanted the box to be pretty, but not to outshine the card.  The main decoration on the cover is a piece of the patterned paper, cut with a Spellbinder's Labels 8 die and inked along the edges.  Do you see the tiny tag on the left hand side? That is where I will write the recipient's name.

I fussy cut a flower from the patterned paper, adhered it with a pop dot and added some glossy accents to it and to the flower on the paper next to it. This added just a touch of dimension to the top.

I added a piece of decorative paper to the bottom of the box and adhered a ribbon under this paper in the center of each side. After cutting a slit on each side of the cover, I slid the ribbon through the slits so that I could tie a bow neatly on top.  The sides of the cover are decorated with some lacy seam binding and liquid pearls.

Here's one last look at the card with its decorated box and cover.

I hope you enjoyed my kraft project. Remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Cloche to my heart...

I just love 1920s-style cloche hats. When I saw Enfys' August challenge on her blog, Going Buggy, I just knew I had to make some cloche hat cards as my entry into her challenge.
My first problem was, I didn't have a pattern. I dug out my graph paper and went to work, and this is what I came up with:

Since I had gone to all the trouble of making a pattern, I decided to make a set of four cards.

If you squint your eyes and use your imagination just a little, you will see that there is a hat for each of the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, in that order.

I love the flower on the Spring hat. I cut the two main layers of the flower with the Flower Shoppe cartridge, molded the petals for dimension and added a bit of pink chalk to the center.  For the yellow stamens, I used a very thin-petalled small flower punch and used my embossing tool to cup the tiny petals to look more like stamens. I added a small pink adhesive-backed pearl to the center and cut a leafy branch with a Sizzix die. The lacy ribbon was some I had in my stash (I used the same ribbon on the sympathy card I featured in a previous post).

For the Summer hat I pleated some blue seambinding for the hat band and added a couple of polka-dot Petaloo flowers.  The gem in the center is one that I won from Zva Creative quite a while ago. You can see on this hat that I have inked all the edges for a little dimension.  The darker blue or "inside lining" of the hat is the color of the card base and the lighter blue is the paper that I cut and adhered to the card front. Easy peasy!

Everyone needs a good work-a-day hat and I think this card represents exactly that. The hat for Autumn is sturdy but stylish, don't you think?  I know I'd be happy to wear this hat every day.  For the hat band I used some pleated ribbon on each side of a piece of grosgrain ribbon.  Then I added a copper colored brad with a sparkly gem in the center, just for a tiny bit of bling.  This really is my style of hat - if I ever wore one - and I honestly wish I had this one to wear when the weather starts turning a little colder.

And finally, we come to the Winter hat - one that has enough red on it that it would be perfect for the Christmas holidays.  I found the rose covered tulle ribbon at a brand new little sewing/fabric shop in my neighborhood.  It's a lovely little shop with all kinds of fun things to buy, including this beautiful ribbon. I just had to have some for my collection and to use on this card. I added a red feather and a "buckle" made from a sizzix die and a strip of red adhesive-backed gems. I actually really love this hat, too, mostly for the strong contrasting colors and the RED.  I LOVE RED!

Here's a look at how I lined the inside of each card. I stamped only a tiny flourish on the bottom of each to add a little something, but still leave plenty of room for a personal note.

And finally one last look at all four cards.

Thanks for stopping by today and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day!

Cheryl

Added note:  these cards fit nicely in a 5" X 7" envelope.

Sympathy card...

I always want to have a sympathy card or two on hand for those times when I need them. They are doubly hard for me to make if I wait until they're actually needed. 
Here's one I made for my stash recently:

It's a very simple design, but I think that it has a calm and peaceful look to it. The colors are serene and the swirls in the paper pattern remind me of ripples in the water. The ribbon that runs across the seam between the two papers was a wired ribbon. To make it a little easier to work with, I simply cut the length I needed and then pulled the wires out from either side. I saved these thin wires to use them as butterfly antennae on another project.

I used a couple of Lifestyle Crafts dies to cut the two scalloped squares. The largest one was chalked in the center with blue chalk and then popped up on dimensionals. I printed the sentiment and cut it out with a smaller die and glued that square directly to the larger one to make it more mailable.

 

I added a sheer double bow with a brad to finish the card. I hate to think when I will next need this card, but I'm glad I have it ready.

Thanks for stopping by and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day!
Cheryl

Lovin' these Letraset metallic markers...

The card I am sharing with you today was made specifically to thank Enfys (Going Buggy) for randomly selecting my name to receive a set of metallic markers made by Letraset.

Thank you, Enfys!

I decided to stamp with Versamark on navy blue cardstock and heat emboss with detail white embossing powder. Then I used these great Letraset metallic markers (set 2) to color in the image. The markers give such great coverage and are perfect for coloring on dark cardstock.

 I also stamped the sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed with white powder.

I cut the image out with a Lifestyle Crafts die and also cut a mat in white.  The dark blue square is raised up on foam tape and the rounded corners were finished off with liquid pearls.

I made this as a 5" X 5" square card so it will require a little extra postage.

This card was amazingly simple and quick to make. I added a white liner to the inside of the card so that a message can be easily written and read.

I think I'll be using these markers and this technique a lot - especially when I need a quick card.  Check out the other sets of markers on the Letraset website. I just know you'd love using them as much as I do.

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

Cheryl



A Chi-Wow-Wow birthday...

My little granddaughter is turning 7 years old today. She is such a sweet little thing who loves, loves, loves stuffed animals, miniature animal figurines, and anything tiny. I just knew I had to make a card that would reflect her love of all tiny creatures. What better tiny creature to use than a cute little Chihuahua - and not just one, but 8 of them! I decided to use the cascading card format to showcase the little Chihuahuas, cut from the Four-legged Friends cartridge. Here's the front of the card.  You'll notice that the Chihuahua on the label is holding a heart and the others are not. I simply handcut the heart off the others and didn't cut the other heart layers. I would have like to have used "hide contours" but that wasn't possible in this case.

And now a look at the back of the card:

I puzzled over what to use to hold the little Chihuahuas high enough to peek over the top  edge of the card. I finally decided to use a tulip, cut from the Walk in My Garden cart. I had to stretch out the stem to fit the differing heights of the sides. Here's a look at what I mean:

I attached only the bottom of the petal portion of each flower so that the little puppies can be put in and taken out, rearranged and played with. I think my granddaughter will love that interactive feature. :) You may have noticed that I've inked the edges all the layers on the tulips and the puppies. It adds so much dimension!


Here's one last look at the card with the 6 removable puppies outside of their little tulip seats:

Hope you enjoyed today's card. I know I sure enjoyed making it! Thanks for stopping by and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day!

Cheryl

From Plain Jane to Pretty...

I purchased this pad online a while back, hoping it would be a quick way of making some last minute cards.  I didn't pay much for it, but since the MSRP was $19.99 I thought it would be pretty complete. Well, I was a little disappointed with it when it came. The sum total of what I recieved was this tablet of scored card blanks with some sentiment stickers. Above is a photo of the stickers that were provided and a couple of the card blanks which I've pulled out and folded.  There were no envelopes and only some small rectangles with colored frames on which to put the stickers.

I've begun cutting the card blanks into two pieces and using each piece as a card front or in other ways to embellish a card. I may even make flowers out of some of them!  Here's the left over piece of a cardblank (on the left) that I used recently to make the card on the right.

I was actually really pleased with how the card turned out.  I added some liquid pearls to the buds on the long stems, some pastel chalks to the flowers at the bottom and used my Sakura glitter pen on the dandelion-like flowers to add some sparkle. Here are a couple of close up photos to give you a little better idea of what a difference these little extras made in the appearance of the card. For the final touch, I matted the cardfront on pink CS and then added a narrow black ribbon tied in a quadruple bow held in place with a little pink brad.

I've left the inside of the card blank for a personal note, but stamped the "Thinking of you" sentiment in the upper right hand corner. I will definitely be using the rest of the card blanks in a similar way. I actually really enjoyed making this card and developed a whole new appreciation for this build-a-card pad.

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

Cheryl

You made me smile...

Sometimes you just want to let someone know they brightened your day. This card was made just for that purpose. I believe I used the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the card base at 5.5". I made this card some time ago so I'm not 100% sure. There are a number of other cartridges that have interesting card bases like this one.

I used some pretty cardstock from my stash. I love the teal color with a subtle tone-on-tone design. I added a center oval of coordinating dotted paper that I cut with a Spellbinders die. I embellished the oval with a gem flourish from Zva Creative, a Petaloo flower attached with a brad and a tiny tag. A few little flat-backed gems finished off my card.






Here's another photo with the pink envelope that sets off the color of the card so nicely. I was thrilled to find I had an envelope in my stash that matched this flower.

This photo gives a close up of the Zva Creative flourish. I won this flourish and a number of others in an online drawing. It's so much fun to have them on hand to put a special sparkle on some of my cards.

Finally, here's a photo of all the other Zva Creative products that were included in my prize package. Aren't they beautiful?

I need to design some more cards around these wonderful flourishes and actually use them, rather than hoarding them so I can just look at them from time to time.

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

Cheryl