You are awesome!

On June 1, my son began a new journey in his life. He began serving as superintendent of the Washington State School for the Blind. I am so proud of him, so of course I had to send him a card.

He is definitely awesome, so that is just what my card said.

I used a couple of different stamp sets for my sentiment and heat-embossed the word "awesome." These are older stamp sets, so I'm not sure who made them. Sorry!

The card base, front panel and stars are from an old card kit that I got from my local thrift store.

I'm hoping you can see in the photo on the right that I popped up some of the center stars for a little dimension.

The inside of my card was pretty simple with another stamped sentiment from the same set I had used on the front of my card. I added a few more of those stars for decoration.

I had some striped paper that coordinated nicely with my card, so I also made an envelope. I find that this is a great way to use up some of my older one-sided patterned papers.

We were lucky to tour the campus of the School for the Blind in Vancouver, WA, when we visited my son recently. It's a beautiful residential school with amazing facilities. I know he will be an outstanding superintendent who will make a real difference in the lives of so many students. He has a big heart and is passionate about his work with the blind and visually impaired.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and remember too laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

A quick get well card...

Recently my brother-in-law had back surgery, and I wanted to let him know we were thinking of him, even though we were off on a camping trip. That meant that I needed to take some time to quickly make a card and get it in the mail before we left.

I searched Pinterest for some ideas and saw a card similar to this one:

I happened to have these little bandaids on hand. I thought they were the perfect size.

The first thing I did was cut my front panel, making it 1/8" narrower than usual. Then I carefully tore this panel diagonally ALMOST all the way down, leaving the last wee bit intact so that I could still keep my two halves perfectly together when I embossed. I didn't want to try to tear it after it was embossed, because I thought the embossing would influence where it tore and make it look a bit strange. It may well work just fine to tear it after embossing, but I was short of time and didn't want to have to start over.

I carefully placed my torn panel, with both halves together, in an embossing folder and ran it through my Cuttlebug. Once it was embossed, I finished tearing the two pieces apart and adhered them to the front of my card before adding my bandaids
.

My sentiment was computer-generated and cut out with a rectangular Lifestyle Crafts die.

I popped the sentiment up with some foam tape.


I left my card blank inside so that I could write a personal note.

I'm happy to tell you that the surgery was a success and my brother-in-law is now home and recovering. I hope he continues to heal and get stronger by leaps and bounds every day!

I empathize with those who have back problems; I've had a few myself. There was a time, years ago, when I actually had trouble getting in and out of my car because of back pain. I discovered that a big part of my problem was the weakening of my abdominal muscles, so I began using an "Ab Roller" to strengthen them. It worked! I still use that Ab Roller, but not as regularly as I should. Whenever I do, though, I notice a marked reduction in any back pain I may have at the time.

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

Another Christmas card at last...

I just haven't had the time to get any Christmas cards done this summer. I FINALLY finished one when I got a new die by Die-Namites called "Beautiful Ornament."

I cut the ornament out twice - once from blue cardstock and once from green. I used only the pine bough from the green die-cut and glued it on top of the blue. I also used the die to cut a little silver cap out of mirror cardstock. Finally, I added a silver backing (again from mirror CS) and three blue pearls.

I had cut my ornament from plain blue CS, and then decided I wanted it to have a little sparkle. So, I pulled out my clear Wink of Stella and gave it a quick once over, which added just the right amount of bling.

My fancy oval base for my ornament was cut with a Spellbinders die. I really love this die! It is a bit large, though, and covered almost the entire front of my card. I had just enough room at the bottom to add a greeting that was stamped with one of those $1.50 stamps from Michaels.

I stamped only a Christmas sentiment on the inside, keeping this card simple and straightforward. That way, I can duplicate it like mad, using other colors of cardstock for a little variety. I have a feeling this may be my go-to card for this holiday season. I am really hoping to get some more of these made in the next few weeks.

The recent violence in the U.S. and around the world has deeply saddened me and made me wonder how we humans can be so cruel and destructive to other humans. There are so many things that we all have in common, if only we would open our hearts and minds to the needs and well-being of others. I simply do not understand how anyone can hold onto such incredible hatred. Maybe one day we'll recognize we are all brothers and sisters, no matter the color of our skin or the religion we choose to follow...but, sadly, not in my lifetime.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and please remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Vintage Roses by Altenew...

For quite a long time now, I've been wanting one of the stamp sets that features 3-step stamping. I finally broke down and purchased the Altenew Vintage Roses stamp set.

My uncle passed away and I needed a sympathy card to send to his family, as I was unable to attend the funeral. I thought this stamp set would be perfect!

I first created the embossed background panel. I think I used a Cuttlebug EF for it, but I'm not 100% sure. Then I began stamping my rose and leaves.

I used three different colors of ink for the leaves and three different colors for the rose. I also used my homemade stamping tool (similar to a Misti) to make it easier to line up each successive stamp.

Once I was done stamping, I gave my flower a liberal coating of clear Wink of Stella. I think you can see the subtle sparkle in the photo at left.

Here's a photo from another angle that also shows a bit of the sparkle on my rose. My scalloped rectangle was cut with a Lifestyle Crafts die.

On the inside, I added a lavender mat behind my sentiment panel. I believe the sentiment and the little sprig are Technique Tuesday stamps.

When you read this, my DH and I will be enjoying a camping trip to Iowa. I wrote and scheduled this blog before we left.

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

Happy birthday to my husband...

Today is my DH's birthday, and this is the card I made for him:

I created my sentiment on the computer. After printing it out, I went over the words in script with a glitter pen to make them stand out.

The music notes were made with a punch. I only have the punch for the double eighth note, but I was able to make some single eighth notes by fussy-cutting them apart.

This crazy little bird is a Basic Grey stamp. I heat embossed him with some black embossing powder and then cut him out--all except for his legs. I used a couple of ProMarkers to add a little color to his wings and his belly.

Then I stamped just his legs onto my card panel with Versamark and heat embossed them with gold embossing powder.

After adding a couple of googly eyes, he was ready to pop up on my card with some foam tape.

I put the rest of my computer-generated sentiment on the inside of my card with a couple more of those punched notes. I used a Lifestyle Crafts die for my white panel.

I like the way this one turned out. Hope my DH likes it too.

So, I always get a Dairy Queen cake for my husband on his birthday. In fact, my kids call it "Gary Queen" (his name is Gary), because he likes their soft-serve ice cream so much. When I went to our local DQ to get the cake, I picked one out that had some space to add a personalized message. I asked that they write "75 years young!" on the top of the cake. I even wrote it down for them so they could be sure to get it right.

When they brought the cake back to me, it said "75 year's young!!" For some odd reason, they decided to add an apostrophe, which was absolutely incorrect in this context. They also added an extra exclamation point, which I didn't mind so much, but the apostrophe really bothered me. Rather than embarrass the nice lady who had embellished my cake by asking her to correct it, I simply brought it home and removed the extra apostrophe myself. It was a bit tricky, but I managed to get it done.

Tomorrow we will all celebrate my DH's birthday with family, and we'll enjoy that ice cream cake. I'll enjoy it even more, knowing that the errant apostrophe is no longer there! :)

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

Every day you sparkle...

My beautiful twin girls turned 39 (Gulp! Where did the years go?) on July 11. I made them each a card like this. They both have sparkly personalities, so the sentiment totally fits!

The card base and the lattice background  panel (from Design ID #63993 in the Silhouette Design Store) were cut with my Cameo.

I also used my Cameo to cut the sentiment label and its shadow and to actually write most of the sentiment onto the label (love those Silhouette sketch pens!)

Then I selected a font for my "sparkle" word, typed it into the Silhouette software and manipulated it to get what I wanted. Once that was done, I cut it out of glitter CS.

The little crown was actually cut with my Cricut using the Gypsy Wanderings cartridge. Besides using the glitter CS for a couple small layers, I also added some pink flat-backed gems for extra sparkle.

The crown is popped up on foam tape, which is why you can see that shadow behind it.

Since I was using my cutting machines and sketch pens for the front of the card, I decided to use them for the inside, as well. I created a rectangle with rounded corners, and used the Silhouette to write the sentiment, which is my own.

These two cards were so much fun to design and put together. I hope my daughters enjoyed receiving them.

My DH and I just returned home from a quick three-day business trip. He had several appointments with wood producers in Wisconsin, and I went along for the ride. We took our little RV (first trip of the summer) and had a really nice time. Wisconsin is a beautiful state - so many forested areas and lots of rivers and lakes. There had been quite a bit of rain in this part of the Midwest, so everything was green, green, green. We stayed in small-town campgrounds each night. I love visiting these small (under 1,000 people) towns, because I grew up in one. They always make me feel very nostalgic, even though I've morphed into a city gal in my adulthood.

Now we are back in Minnesota and getting ready for a weeklong trip to Iowa beginning this coming Monday. This will also be in our little RV, so we're quickly unpacking, only to pack it up again.

I hope you are having a great week wherever you are. Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Simple (but fun) thank you card...

I picked this paper stack up in the thrift store where I volunteer. Recently, I was going through it, trying to find something to use on a thank you card.

I found this cute design, and decided to use it, along with a few embellishments.

First I took a couple of these flowers and used my ProMarkers to color them a light blue to match the blue on the paper.

I put them right over the top of the printed flower head and added a red enamel dot in the center.

I also used my red Viva Décor pen to add some tiny, red dimensional dots at the end of the two thin fronds coming out from the stem.

After cutting my paper to fit my card base, I added some red rickrack and a sentiment (SU Word Window punch and a Lifestyle Crafts die).

On the inside of my card, I added just the blue and green stripe with a little of the rickrack at the top to tie it in with my card front.

Easy peasy! I love it when cute and/or pretty papers can do most of the work for you.






We went and got our RV out of storage tonight. We're taking a short little trip next week, so I need to make sure it is clean and loaded with food, clothes, and all the other stuff we'll need to keep us content while we travel. I'm really looking forward to getting away for a few days again. My DH has meetings to attend during this trip, so I'll have time to sit and read and maybe even design a few cards! There are lots of summer birthdays in our family, so I need to get those cards made, pronto!

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

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #115: Four-legged friend...

The challenge this month at Let's Craft and Create is truly a fun one. Who doesn't love to create cards and other projects featuring four-legged friends?

I decided to use my Silhouette Cameo and some clipart featuring cat silhouettes to create my card.

I started with some pretty paper from my stash for my background and a "happy birthday" sentiment, cut with an Elizabeth Craft die. I added a strip of brick embossed pink CS at the bottom to serve as a ledge on which I could set my cats. The embossing folder was by Sizzix.

I found some fun cat clipart online and used my Silhouette to trace and cut the images out of some different patterned papers--all in brown tones. I inked around the edges of each cat and added some collars made from tiny metal gems.

I added some sequins and liquid pearls to my flowers for a bit of bling.

The inside of my card is very simple with just a matted piece of white cardstock and a computer-generated sentiment.

This card was for my daughter--she loves cats and has three of them!

The rest of the Design Team has created some outstanding projects to inspire you. We've got some new team members this month who are top-notch. Head over to Let's Craft and Create and check them out! Then channel all that awesome inspiration into your own project and add it to the LCC site. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you create.

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