Sometimes pretty paper is almost all you need...

While I love to cut images on my Cricut or with punches and dies, sometimes all you need is some pretty paper and a tiny bit of embellishment.

One of my daughters gave me some paper pads and other cardmaking supplies for Mother's Day. This paper came from one of those pads. All I did for this 4.5" X 6" card was mat a 4" X 5.5" piece of the DSP with black CS, then colored the stems, leaves and selected parts of the flowers with a couple of ProMarkers. For a little further embellishment, I re-colored the dots on the flower petals with a white gel pen, added some stamen dots with gold liquid pearls and put a little bit of copper-colored Stickles in the flower centers.

This is what the flowers looked like before I did anything to them. They're pretty enough as is, but I like them even more when they have a bit more dimensional embellishment.

You can also see in this photo that the stems and leaves are not colored at all.

Here's a close-up of the flowers with my embellishments added. It didn't take long at all to add these simple embellishments, but they definitely draw the eye to the flowers.

It worked perfectly to just stamp the sentiment directly onto the paper.

Since this is a sympathy card, I kept the inside very simple. The paper is a fairly vibrant hue, but light enough to sign it or add a personal note.

While sympathy cards may not be as much fun to make as cards that are more celebratory, I always try to have a couple on hand in case I need them.














Do you have designer series papers that would make a pretty card with only a small amount of embellishment? I know I will be looking more carefully at my papers from now on to see if I have others that I can use in this way.

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

Another graduation card...

One of my great nephews is graduating from high school this year, so I wanted to make a card especially for him. (How in the world did I get old enough to have a GREAT nephew?)

I created the "Word Search" paper at www.puzzle-maker.com. I simply typed in the word "congratulations" six or seven times to create the puzzle. Once I printed it out, I searched for and circled each "congratulations" with a red fine-point felt-tipped marker.  It would be fun to make a "Happy Birthday" or "Get Well" word search background paper for other cards. I'm sure you could come up with all kinds of ways to use this fun website.

The mortar board was cut from Everyday Paper Dolls, and I added an embroidery thread tassel. The flags and 2013 were cut from the Art Philosophy cartridge. I used a small alphabet stamp set to stamp M H S and the two stars on the flags with Versamark so I could emboss them in white.

In this side view, you can see that I've curled the flags up slightly for a little extra dimension. They've each been "hung" on a length of blue crochet thread which is anchored at each end with a blue pearl. I also adhered each little flag to the card with a pop dot. It's a little hard to see, but I frayed the ends of the crochet thread beyond the pearls. I thought it looked a little better this way.
















For the inside, I found a quote I liked and used my computer to print it onto some white cardstock.

The colors of my nephew's high school (which also happens to be the school I graduated from) are blue and white. When I was in high school, however, they had introduced a little bit of red into the basketball uniforms. I'm hoping they still use a bit of red since I also used it on this card. I think the red adds a feeling of celebration to the card. Besides that, it's one of my favorite colors. :)






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

Even though Mother's Day has come and gone...

...I decided to share a card I made for a special Aunt.

I cut the flowers using the Flower Shoppe cartridge and the leaves were made with a Martha Stewart punch. I drew on the stamens inside the flowers with a gold metallic pen and then used some brown stickles (even though they look black in the photo) for the centers.  You can see that I did some inking around the edges of the petals, as well as around the label shape that I used for the sentiment.

The white border under the ribbon was made with a Martha Stewart punch. In retrospect, I feel that I should have inked the edges of that, too. Oh, well. Maybe next time I'll remember to do that!

I shaped the flowers and the leaves with an embossing tool and adhered them to the card with some Diamond Glaze, which works great as a heavy duty adhesive.

I kept the inside simple, using just the Martha Stewart border punch to add some detail.

Both the front and inside sentiments were computer generated.

Now I need to get busy on some Father's Day cards for two dear uncles. Guess I'd better get back down in my "woman cave" as my husband calls my craft area. It's in the basement, so it is kind of a cave. :)










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

A card for a classy guy...

I am so lucky to have some amazing sons-in-law. They are all so bright, funny, interesting and hard working. Most importantly, however, they are great husbands and fathers! Here's a birthday card I made for one of them:

I love this image of a convertible from the Nifty Fifties cartridge. Believe me, I'm old enough to remember these cars.

Speaking of cars, when I was a child my grandmother had a lavender and white Cadillac. She even painted her house lavender to match her car! I remember as a 9- or 10-year-old being absolutely in awe of her electric windows. Her car was so classy compared to the timeworn 1947 Jeep station wagon my family drove.

The sentiment on both the front and inside of the card is computer-generated. For the red banner, I simply cut a strip from the DSP on the front of the card, leaving a narrow line connecting all the flags, and adhered it to the inside.








Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed my card today. Remember to laugh--a little or alot--every day.
Cheryl

Congratulations graduate...

This year I needed a couple of graduation cards, so here's a fun one that was so quick and easy.

I used a strip of GCD Studios double-sided cardstock that 4" X 12" for the base card. I scored it on the long side at 4" and 8". This created 3 equal sections. The center section was scored diagonally from the top left-hand corner down to the bottom right-hand corner for a mountain fold in the center.

The 4" and 8" score lines were valley folds. The diagonal mountain fold was folded across the back section to form a pocket and held in place with a couple of square brads that went through all four layers. If you look closely you can see them at the top and bottom of the rectangle in this photo.

The pocket is perfect for tucking in a couple of bills, a check or a gift card.

I added a scalloped square cut at 5" from the Art Philosophy cartridge to the back of the base card. This backer not only added a design feature to the card, it also covered up the tines of the two brads that hold the pocket in place.

The owl was cut from Create a Critter 2 at 2". Instead of cutting a paper tassel and a flat diploma, I added a tassel made from embroidery thread and a diploma from a small piece of rolled vellum, tied with the same embroidery thread. I also used some liquid pearls for the eyes.















The banner was made with a Making Memories stamp that was fussy cut and adhered to the card with pop dots.

I had gotten the "Fly High" stamp in a grab bag of stamps and wondered how I would use it. I thought it fit this card perfectly.

I'm entering this card into the following challenge:

Fantabulous Cricut's Fantabulous Friday #160: Congratulations Graduate

This card was so quick, easy and fun to make, and I am going to use this design again - especially when I want to give a gift card or money.

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

One of my former co-workers is expecting a baby next month, so I decided to make a couple of cards to welcome her little one into the world. She has opted not to find out the gender of the baby, so I decided to make two cards, one in case it's a boy and another in case it's a girl.

Here's the first card, which will be great if she has a little boy:

This image is another one of those I found on the internet a long, long time ago. I'm sorry, but I honestly don't remember where it came from. It was simple to color with my ProMarkers with just a little shading here and there. The yellow patterned paper in the background is from the GCD Studios Indian Summer paper stack.

I cut the image out with a Lifestyle Crafts square label die. I then drew around the die itself and hand cut the blue mat under the image.

The "welcome" letters were some that were in my daughter's box of scrapbooking supplies. She sent all her supplies home with me so that I could do some scrapbooking for her, but I knew she wouldn't mind if I used a few of these letters for this card. They just worked so perfectly here. Each one is adhered with a pop dot for a little added dimension.

"Little One" was a rub-on that also came from my daughter's stash.

Here's a little closer look at this cute little guy. I'm thinking about using this image for a similar card for a girl. I think I could add a little bow from twine or crochet thread to those little hairs on top of the elephant's head. Don't you think that would work?












Here's a look at the inside. Babies do, indeed, touch the world with love!




















Thanks for stopping by my blog, and I hope you enjoyed today's baby card.

Enjoy your day wherever you are, and don't forget to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

It's okay to get a little crazy...

On May 9, my granddaughter turned 10 years old. She's a beautiful young girl, and she has more style in her little finger than I've been able to gather in a lifetime! She loves to dress in stylish clothes and wouldn't ever want to wear something that looked silly or crazy. Hence, my birthday card for her this year:

I got this image online a couple of years ago, so I'm not even sure where it came from. I thought it was perfect for her, though, because it actually looks like her.

Here you can see that I used some foam tape to pop up the sentiment at the bottom and the framed circle with the "10" on it.

The image was colored with my ProMarkers and some sparkle was added to the tassels of her hat with a glitter pen. A couple of googly eyes and some red stickles on the nose of her hat added to its silliness.















The inside was pretty simple. I used the fun polka-dotted paper matted on red for the background with some of the same yellow crochet thread that I had used on the front.

My granddaughter learned the meaning of the word "decade" when she received this card. It's funny how you don't realize that kids are unfamiliar with words like this, as they haven't had the opportunity to use them yet in their short lives.


I am entering this card into the following challenge:

ProMarkers Challenge #197: Theme - Birthdays









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

The perfect get well card...

A few weeks ago my husband had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The hardest part of the recovery period for him seems to be that he has to stay off his bicycle until his knee is fully heeled. My thoughtful sister sent him this wonderful get well card:

She definitely got the theme right--he thinks about his bike a lot! She cut this cute bike from the Just Because Cards cartridge and the fence from the Spring Cottage cartridge.

The bird is a little wooden one that she glued onto the card. So cute!

To carry the theme to the inside of the card, she stamped a bike and the sentiment.














I save my sister's cards, even when she sends them to my husband. They serve as ongoing inspiration for me. When I feel stuck, I just look through the cards she has given us.

Thanks, Michelle, for this awesome card!

So glad you stopped by my blog today, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Mother's Day cards for some special ladies...

Even though my mother passed away more than 20 years ago, I still have some special ladies in my life for whom I wanted to make some Mother's Day cards. They are aunts that I like to remember on special days like this. I have fond memories of visiting their homes when I was a child and playing with their children--my cousins. Here are the cards I made for them:

I started with a pre-made aperture card. The circle cutout was 1 3/4".  I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the pretty circular frame around the cutout. To easily make this frame fit my card perfectly, I used my Gypsy to delete the original circle cut inside the frame and replaced it with a circle cut from the George cartridge that was exactly the same size as the circle cutout on my card. This was much quicker than trying to get the inside of the frame to fit by trial and error.

I also used the Tie the Knot cartridge to cut the perfect little flourish to add a little extra greenery. Since I had selected to use a green flower (they're all from Petaloo), I didn't want to add green leaves, as well. I think the flourish added just the right touch.

I was so happy to finally use some of the green flowers that came in a pack with other colors. I think they work really well on this card.

The butterfly was made with a Martha Stewart punch and I embellished it with three tiny pearls with Liquid Pearls.  I also added adhesive backed pearls to each of the flowers.

When you open the card, you can just see the flowers and the butterfly peeking through the aperture.

The sentiment is computer generated on the upper part of a scalloped oval (Lifestyle Crafts die), leaving room for a brief note and signature.



There are so many fun challenges out there right now, so I'm entering this card into the following:

Make My Monday: Anything that Flies

My Craft Spot #96: Something Special for Mom

Fantabulous Cricut #159: Mother's Day Card

Celebrate the Occasion #111: Happy Mother's Day

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

Hooray! Hooray! Today's your big day...

Another card for my daughter's stash, this one was really fun to put together. I used the little cheerleader from Every Day Paper Dolls. She's a total cutie.

I used a Peachy Keen stamp for the facial features, rather than cutting them out with my Cricut. I love that I can delete cutting lines on faces with my Gypsy!

I also did a small amount of shading on the face, hands and knees with a couple of ProMarkers, and I added a tint of pink chalk to her cheeks.

One thing that I felt compelled to change about my little cheerleader was to make it look as though she is actually holding her pom poms. All of the characters in this cartridge stand with their hands splayed out in an unnatural way. I simply used a tweezer to bend her fingers around the handles of her pom poms and glued them in place.

To highlight her outfit, shoes and pom poms, I drew some simple lines with a white gel pen. I also added a little pearl on each hair bow with Liquid Pearls. I love the difference just a little white can make!

To create a focal spot for my little cheerleader, I cut a scalloped circle from the Art Philosophy cartridge and added a plain white circle to the center.  Scalloped circle shapes like this one can be found in lots and lots of cartridges.

It was easy to just use the same set up on the inside of the card.

I love this BIG happy birthday stamp. I'm not sure who made it - I lost the packaging long ago, but it's really fun to use on a card like this.











So glad you stopped in for a visit; remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day!
Cheryl

A very special birthday card...

My older sister is six years older than me, and I have always adored her. She was always so kind and thoughtful to me, and I never remember her making me feel like a little pest--even though I'm sure I was! As children, we shared a bed, and I remember her singing to me at night before we went to sleep. We slept upstairs, which was unheated (in North Dakota!) except for the little bit of warmth that crept up the stairs at night or drifted through the register. She didn't seem to mind when I cuddled next to her for warmth. She was a princess in my eyes; when she laughed, I was happy, and when she cried, I cried, too.

Here are a couple photos of us when I was very small. In this first picture, I think I'm only about two years old, or maybe even less.

That's me in the sailor hat and my sister in the cowboy hat. The yellow-brown color you see in the two bottom corners is from old (really old!) transparent tape. This photo and the one below are taped into my baby book, and I simply took a photo of each of them to share with you.

Here we are together again when I was a year or so older. Notice the matching dresses! I'm sure my mother sewed those dresses for us. We hardly knew what a store-bought dress was when we were growing up.

My sister always deserves a special birthday card, and here is the one I made for her this year:

This is a tri-shutter card, with lots of little panels to decorate.

I used Martha Stewart punches for the butterflies, flowers and leaves. I used a Fiskars punch for the heart and Fiskars stamps for the sentiment.

The plain and scalloped ovals were cut using a Lifestyle Crafts die. I added some liquid pearls to the centers of the flowers (the butterflies, too!) and some Diamond Glaze to the heart beneath the sentiment.

 

This is a view from the top of the card, so you can see how it criss-crosses itself.

 

I hope my big sister enjoys her birthday card, but more than that, I hope she has a spectacular year!

 

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

Cheryl



Minnie Mouse says Happy Birthday...

Here's a fun birthday card featuring the Minnie Mouse image from the Mickey & Friends cartridge:

Isn't this a fun card? I sent this card along with quite a few others to my daughter for her children to give to their friends whenever they're invited to a birthday party. I think my granddaughter Lucy will like giving this card to a friend.

Minnie was cut at 3.5". I cut the shadow to give her a bit of an outline against the bright pink polka-dotted paper.

"Celebrate" was stamped onto a label die cut (Spellbinders Labels and Tags) which was inked around the edges and then tucked under the black ribbon. I added one self-adhesive gem that looks black, but it actually reflects the colors around it. I think it's perfect for this card!

I used some black dimensional paint on Minnie's eyes and nose.

The white circle frame began as a round doily that I cut with a Lifestyle Crafts doily die. I then cut out the center with a Lifestyle Crafts circle die to create the frame. I think it adds a lot and really draws the eye to Minnie.

I love her celebratory pose, don't you?

For the inside, I cut a black mat and adhered some more of the dotted paper. For the sentiment, I cut some white cardstock with a Spellbinders (Labels 8) die, inked the edges, stamped the sentiment, and--voila!--a finished card.

This card was great fun to make.

I am entering it into the following challenge:

Die Cuttin Divas #113: Anything Goes!






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