Sizzix jar card...

I have had this WRMK jar die for a very loooong time and never used it...until now.  I actually pulled it out because I am trying to use up these pink and green patterned papers that were given to me. I got a whole stack of them, and I'm sure you're probably getting sick of seeing them by now.

I cut my two-part lid out of some gray cardstock and then used an alcohol marker to color the very top of it a darker shade of gray.

My stitched oval is by My Creative Time, the leafy branches are unbranded dies and the flowers were made with Fancy Blossoms dies by Memory Box.

I don't recall now who made the sentiment stamp that I used. I think it came from one of those small sets I have picked up now and again for very little money.

One more photo of my card, showing a bit of its blank interior, and then I'll be on my way.

We are traveling this week, so if I'm not popping in at your blog, that's why. I'm going to try to find a little computer time, but you never know how things will go when your kids are doing all the planning.

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

Cute little Betsy Bluebell...

This image is from one of the Betsy Bluebell stamp sets by Penny Black. If you click on the link and look closely at the set, you'll notice that the image I've used has three more balloons than the Penny Black image. That's because I've added some die-cut balloons, drawing in their strings with a black pen.

I stamped the first three balloons onto scraps of colored cardstock, fussy cut them out and adhered them to my image.

Once I had the balloons on (the red and purple ones are cut from glitter paper) and everything colored in, I felt like it needed something more, so after masking my image, I spattered the background with some distress ink.

Then I thought, OMG, what have I done??? Why did I think this was a good idea???

But I decided to forge ahead and put my card together. After it was all done, I thought it might be tolerable. What do you think?

Here's my card standing partially open...

...and the inside of my card. I've used two different stamps, separated by a tiny ribbon bow.

That's it for me today. Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Sympathy in blue...

With the addition of this card, I definitely have enough sympathy cards...for now.

I always think that sympathy cards should be clean and simple in design. Those receiving them are already going through such an emotional time in their lives, they may not have the energy to appreciate a more complicated card design.

For this card, I chose to use unbranded dies to create a leafy frame for an A2 card and a fancy oval for my sentiment. I cut my card base first, and then adhered (using spray adhesive) my leaf frame to it. It was a little tricky to get my frame on the card base in exactly the right position. When I try it again, I think I might just adhere my frame to a larger card base, and then trim the card to fit. Or, I may just make a larger card and leave a border around the outside of my frame.

Again, I tried something new (for me). I created little circles with my clear glitter pen, and then covered the circles with Glossy Accents.

I think I've made them too small on this card, so next time I'll try again with some bigger circles.

It does add just a bit of sparkle, though.

On the inside of my card I used a couple of Technique Tuesday stamps.

We are getting ready for a trip out to the Northwest. It will be fun to be in that part of the country again and to see our kids who live in Oregon and Washington. We will also visit a cousin in Washington.

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

CAS "Just a Note" card...

This card is so super clean and simple, I feel like I MUST have missed something in its creation.

 I didn't even make my own card base. I had this gatefold card base in my stash (it's been there for years), and I decided it was time to use it.

The poppy die that I have used is an unbranded die, but Memory Box makes a very similar one. Simon Says Stamp sells it here.

I'm sorry I don't remember who manufactured the stamp for my "Just a Note" sentiment. It could very well be a freebee that I got with a papercrafting magazine.

As you can see, I used some shimmery silver card for the poppies and my sentiment was heat embossed with silver embossing powder.

The inside of my card has been left blank so I can write a personal note.







I want to say a special thanks to all of you who left notes for my granddaughter Polly's cards, which I shared on this blog post. She was thrilled by your kind words. It was so much fun to see her smile and hear her giggle as she read each one. You definitely brightened a little girl's day and made her feel so proud!! It's one thing when Grandma tells her she's done a good job, but it's something quite different when veteran papercrafting ladies she doesn't even know tell her that. Thank you again!

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

Happy Father's Day...

My beautiful granddaughter, Polly, worked hard to make these fantastic cards for her Dad and Grandpa. I'm so proud of her!

She is 11, soon to be 12, and is already a veteran crafter. Her dad is an artist, so she comes by her creativity honestly.

She began the process of making this card by first choosing a die (unbranded) from my selection of dies. She liked this owls-on-a-branch die because it had just the right number of owls to represent her and her three siblings.

Each owl was embellished to represent a specific person. Her little brother is the one holding the balloon. Polly is the upside down owl with glasses. We did have to cut the glasses using my Silhouette.

Polly even came up with the sentiment for the inside, which I helped her print from my computer.

Lots of room was left for each child to write a special note to their Dad.

For this card, I helped her turn a base card into a tool box. The tools were a set of dies (also unbranded) that were cut out a couple of times to give us the red handles. I just happen to have some brads that looked like screw heads, which were used to add a little authenticity (although they're a little big when compared to the tools!).

Polly decided that one screw driver should be put in with the handle down and one with the handle up. I think that was her mojo talking to her.

It was a lot harder to come up with an inside sentiment for this one, but I think together, we nailed it. he he. In her own personal note to her Grandpa in this card, Polly wrote, "Stay awesome!" Isn't that so sweet of her?

It was so much fun to make these cards with my granddaughter. She definitely has the heart of a crafter and will stay with a project until it is done. And she was very proud to hand them over to the recipients. And I was very proud of her!

A happy Father's Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, uncles, mentors and other men who have been a positive influence in the lives of children. You all make a difference!

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

Wishing you joy...

I love the sentiment for this card. Experiencing joy covers all aspects of life, right? I'm thinking the inside sentiment could say, "...on your wedding day," "...in your new home," "...on the birth of your baby girl," "...today and always. Happy Birthday!" or many other phrases, depending on the occasion.

Since I'm not sure yet how I'll use this card--I've left the inside blank so I can determine that sentiment later.

I've used an unbranded die for my flower, inking all the petals (and veins in the leaves) and adding some gold Viva Décor dimension to the center, which is also a die-cut piece.

In this picture, you can see that gold Viva Décor medium a little better. I decided it needed something else, however, so I added a few dark brown dots with a brown pen. Too much? I'm not sure if I like it or not.

All in  all, though, I like the flower, but there's definitely room for improvement.

The sequins were some in my stash (eons old, since I inherited a jar of them from my mother's craft supply back in 1994!), and the embossing folder is by Cuttlebug.

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

Happy birthday pop-out...

My brother-in-law's birthday was the end of May, and we were actually able to celebrate with him this year. Here is the card I made for him:


























I grabbed some cardstock from my stash, along with some bits and pieces that I thought I could use to embellish the front of my card.

My sentiment was computer generated, and I inked around my die-cut (Darice) to give it a little definition. The stars were cut with a Lifestyle Crafts die set. They're kind of wonky, but I like them like that.

For the inside of my card, I used a Silhouette cut file (#49563) for my "Happy Birthday" pop-out.

I guess I have a "thing" for pop-out cards. I think it's always a nice surprise when there is this extra element on the inside of a card. I love that the Silhouette Design Store offers so many different possibilities for pop-outs.

 As you can see in this picture, it doesn't pop out very far, but it still gives a nice affect to the card.

Summer has definitely arrived in my area, and I am enjoying the warmer weather and the way my flowers are blooming like mad. I just need to make sure they get enough to drink!

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

A simple Father's Day card...

Father's Day is coming up, and though my own father passed away in 2000, I still like to send a card to my one remaining uncle to let him know I am thinking of him. Here's the card I made:

The cardstock for my card base came from a masculine retro stack that I thought worked nicely for this card. The Polaroid-like frame and the car are both unbranded dies. I think the embossing folder that I used on the bottom of my frame is by Darice.

Isn't this car fun? I cut it out and then used the die as a stencil to ink up the black parts. After I took this picture, I went back and added a black faux pearl to the center of each wheel with a Viva Décor pen.

The headlights were cut out of silver CS and then covered in Glossy Accents.

The inside of my card is very simple. Just a computer-generated sentiment.

I think I may be losing some more of the few marbles I have left. I have completely lost (misplaced?) a card I made a couple of weeks ago. It was this card, and I can't find it anywhere! I was going to send it to my daughter, along with a couple more cards I made for her, and I simply cannot find it. I searched through my entire card stash three times, looked under my work bench and all around my craft area, but it seems to have vanished into thin air. Guess I'll just have to make another one. At least I have already featured it on this blog, so I have a record of how it looks. Sheesh!

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

It's "Girls, Girls, Girls" time at Let's Craft and Create...

I love the challenge this month at Let's Craft and Create. After all, who doesn't like to make girly cards? None of you? That's what I thought! :)

To begin, I reached into my card parts box and found an image that had been languishing there for...ahem...years! I am sorry I can't give credit to the creator of the image, since I had no idea back then that I'd have a blog and would be sharing it online. If you happen to recognize this image and know the artist or company that produced it, please let me know and I will credit them.

Awwww...isn't she sweet? I love the retro look of this image. I tried to use some retro shades from my ProMarkers to color her. I think my favorite part of this image are her droopy little socks and Mary Jane shoes. I used a Lifestyle Crafts scalloped oval die to cut out my image and a piece of lace from my stash to add a little texture behind it.

Don't you think that along with her dress, her hairstyle is also reminiscent of the 1940s and '50s?  I have pictures of myself as a small girl in the 1950s, and my dresses and hair weren't much different.

My rose and leaves were made with three different unbranded dies. One  spiral die for the rose petals, another spiral die for the yellow center (only part of the spiral was used here), and another die for the leaves.

I've inked the edges of the flower petals and leaves and added a flat-backed pearl to the center of my flower.

My little tag was made with a Sizzix die from this set. I absolutely love the entire set because it is so versatile with the various sizes and shapes of tags.

For the inside of my card, I cut another Lifestyle Crafts scalloped oval and used my computer to add a sentiment.

My daughter recently needed a birthday card for her little niece on her husband's side of the family, and I just wish I had finished this card earlier so she could have used it.

Here's one last look at my card and the box-type envelope I made for it (so as not to crush the rose).

Now it's YOUR turn. I'm certain you've already got a "girly" card in the works, so finish it up and enter it into our next challenge over at Let's Craft and Create--#126: Girls, Girls, Girls. I can't wait to see what you create. I am always inspired!

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

Pretty floral card...

This card was made with just three cutouts from an unbranded flower die. I cut it in three colors and then used some spray adhesive to adhere them to my card.

The sentiment is one that came free with a magazine. A pretty font combination, don't you think?

I think this is such a pretty die, and I could see making this same card in all sorts of color combinations.

A single enamel dot finished off each of my flowers. Luckily, I had all the right colors on hand!

I chose to use the lavender cardstock as a mat on the inside of my card. The shaped cut for my sentiment was also made with an unbranded die.

The sentiment here is from a Stampendous stamp set that I use a lot. Sometimes I wonder if my friends and family members notice that I tend to use the same sentiments multiple times. I HOPE I don't duplicate it too often for any individual person.

That's my card for today.

We're busy, busy, busy at our house. My daughter and her family are living with us while their  home is being remodeled. That means three kids with their busy schedules, three cats who like to lay right where we want to walk or sit and two hamsters who think its fun to run on their noisy wheels at night. The hamsters don't bother me, since I sleep upstairs, but two of the grandkids find the noise bothersome at night. We're still trying to figure out a spot where they can't be heard. We have people sleeping on all three floors, so it isn't easy!

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