Happy birthday in purple...

My oldest daughter celebrated her birthday this week, and this is the card I made for her:

I used a number of unbranded dies on this card, including the edge die at the top of the card, the background die and the ivy die. The stitched oval is a My Creative Time die.

I cut out my background die and then cut a card back that was a little longer than the length of my front. I carefully cut a fancy edge and folded it over so that the flap could be adhered to my fancy background die-cut. Does that make sense?

Once I had my oval adhered to the front, I penciled in its border through the openings in my front, so that I could see where to stamp my sentiment inside.

My stamped image's hat and dress were paper pieced, and the ivy was inked (although it really doesn't show much in the photograph).

My sentiment was heat-embossed with Wow! embossing powder. I love the bright white of this brand of powders.

Here's a peek at the inside of my card. The stamped sentiment came from an unbranded set. There is enough room below the sentiment that I was able to sign the card and not have it show through when the card is closed.

We have a hot day here today. It is 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius). The heat index (what it feels like with the humidity) is even hotter:  110 degrees!! I think my flowers are gasping out there. We are fine, though. With the air conditioner turned on, the house stays comfortably cool.

I hope the weather is perfect where you are. Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Twofer Card Challenge: Trees!

Here I am again, sneaking in under the wire, slipping past the nearly closed door, stumbling to my seat when the curtain is just about to raise. Today is the last day to enter the Twofer Card Challenge, and I really do love stretching my brain a bit to come up with two very different cards using the same image or idea.

With trees as this month's theme, I decided to use an old, wooden Stampin' Up stamp of a solo pine tree. This is what I came up with:

First, I stamped my tree onto a piece of card that already had a border running round the edge. This was actually a response card blank from an invitation set. It was just the right size, so I thought, "why not?"

I used a brown marker to color in the trunk of the tree before stamping, and that worked really well.

The two-layer label is from a set by Spellbinders. I don't use these labels much, but every once in a while, they come in handy.

I added a couple of brown brads to my dark green label and also a twine bow to my image panel.

The inside of this card is very plain, with just a stamped birthday sentiment.

I'll be sending this card to my oldest brother for his birthday next month. I think the style will work well for a masculine card.

For my second card I masked off some snow hills with a torn piece of cardstock and used some distress ink to create them. Then, keeping the mask in place, I stamped some partial trees to give the impression they were sitting in deep snow. After heat-embossing my sentiment with some silver EP, I added some dots with a white gel pen to look like snow. Finally, I adhered the whole image to a piece of dark green glitter cardstock before putting it on my card.

On the inside, I again heat-embossed a sentiment and added a narrow strip of my dark green glitter CS across the bottom.











If you'd like to join in on this fun challenge, you'll have to hurry--only a few hours left!

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

Being thirteen is awesome, right?

I sure hope my grandson Max's 13th year is super awesome. This is the card I made for him:

I had a designed a card very similar to this one on my Silhouette a couple of years ago. When I decided to make one for Max, I went looking for the file, and it was gone. Maybe I somehow deleted it when I got a new computer, or maybe my memory is faulty (very likely), and I never really did save it.

Anyway, I went to work and designed another one. The "Awesome" stamp (no packaging, so not sure of brand) was heat-embossed, fussy-cut and popped up on foam tape. This time I also added a few enamel dots, just for a bit of color.

The inside sentiment was printed out with a sketch pen and my Silhouette. Easy, peasy.

We now have five (soon to be six) grandchildren who are 13 or older. I can hardly believe it!

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

Pretty paper...

I love it when some pretty paper does almost all the work for me.

This beautiful rose-patterned paper was actually a freebie that came with a magazine.  Three unbranded dies (bow, fancy edge and sentiment) made quick work of this card.

This was a commissioned card, so the sentiment on the inside was personalized with my computer.

While I had these papers out, I decided to make another card. For this one, I used a Spellbinders wavy scalloped edge die. I heat-embossed the sentiment (not sure of the stamp brand) and added some pink sequins.

I used a Mother's Day stamp on the inside, but it could just as easily be a birthday card.

As you read this, my DH and I will be on our camping trip in Wisconsin. It's a beautiful state, and I'm certain we'll have a great time.

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

A few more Father's Day cards...

I wanted to share just a few more Father's Day cards (most of them to be sold at the thrift store) before the big day arrives.

I like this little unbranded saw die, so decided to cut it three times for this card. I also had this "cracked" looking DSP, which I think is great for masculine cards.

My sentiment was computer-generated.

The inside of my card is also very simple. I dressed it up the tiniest bit with a couple strips of black cardstock.

This guitar-patterned cardstock was a freebie I printed out (ahem) years ago. I never seemed to be able to come up with a card idea for it until now.  My letters are popped up on some black fun foam that I also die-cut. The sentiment is from a Sizzix stamp and die set and is heat-embossed.

For the inside of this card, I used a large stamp that I got at the thrift store where I volunteer. I'm not sure what brand it is, but I really like it.

I also made a tool box card. I first cut my pieces of cardstock and then stamped them with a big woodgrain stamp and some distress ink. I thought I'd make this card for a Grandpa. I printed the word out on my computer and then cut it out with a Stampin' Up word window punch. You probably noticed that I used that saw die again, along with the other tools in the set.

The "handle" of my toolbox was created by using a My Creative Time oval die.

Once again, my sentiment was computer-generated.

This last card is one I made for my husband. We're leaving on a week-long camping trip on Father's Day, so I have tucked it in the camper and I'll give it to him after we arrive at the campground.

The design of this card is REALLY simple, but I wanted the inside sentiment to be the star.

I found this sentiment on Pinterest and thought it was lovely. My DH and I really are best friends, and we have so much fun together. In fact, when someone asked him what he liked best about our 6-week long camping trip a couple of years ago, he said, "Spending 24 hours a day with Cheryl."

I'm so glad you stopped by today. I hope you are able to celebrate Father's Day with the special person in your life who is a father, a role model or even a good example to the young people in their lives. And remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Father's Day will be here before we know it...

...so I thought I'd share three cards I made recently. The first two were sold in the thrift shop and the third was made on commission for a staff person there.

I did some inking on a piece of light blue cardstock. Then I added my die-cut streetscape, but not before putting some light in the windows by backing my little houses with some yellow cardstock.

The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and then embossed with Wow! white embossing powder.

Here's a peek at the inside. I stamped an iron fence border across the bottom. This particular stamp came from a set that was given to me (no packaging included).

My sentiment here was computer-generated.

For this card, I used a glittery frame, die-cut with my sister's die. The letters were some sticker letters that I've had for a VERY long time. I was glad to use at least a few of them here.

The stamped sentiment is by Hampton Art, and the enamel dots are some I had in my stash.

Another simple interior. I used a left over strip of cardstock to decorate it.

The stamped sentiment is a cheapy clear stamp I got on sale.

This is the commission card. I actually made it using some stickers (chair, iPod, umbrella, sunscreen and seashell). My supervisor at the thrift store gave me these stickers, so I thought it was only right to use them on a card she asked me to make. My "sand" is a torn piece of cardstock. I cut my clouds using some Impression Obsession dies.

I used a couple more of the seashell stickers on the inside of the card. The sentiment was computer-generated.

I am going to take a rest now from making cards for the thrift store. I really need to concentrate on cards for family members--we have so many birthdays coming up!

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

My 1,774-mile train ride...

I thought it was about time I shared a little about my recent train trip, which took us from Vancouver, Washington, to Seattle (165 miles) and then from Seattle to Minneapolis (1,609 miles). It took approximately 42 hours, which includes 5 additional hours because of engine trouble, but does not include the 5-hour layover in Seattle.

While we were in Vancouver, Washington, staying at my son's home, we enjoyed many hours on his deck, looking at this awesome view of Mt. St. Helens. His home borders a nature preserve, so it was fun to see deer come out of the woods on occasion and bald eagles flying overhead each day.

We also spent some time in Portland, Oregon, with granddaughter Hadley and her parents (daughter Heather and son-in-law John). This is a photo of Hadley and her teacher on the day she was given an award for "Enthusiasm."

Here's a photo of me getting ready to board the train in Seattle.

Our "roomette" was very cozy! In the above photo, I am sitting on one-half of the bottom bunk, which makes into two chairs during the day. The bunk essentially fills up the floor space of the room when it is made into a bed. What you see in this photo is the complete width of our space. A sliding door with privacy curtain would close off our space at night.

The upper bunk was a bit narrower than the lower one. My husband slept up there the first night, but really didn't like it. So I slept there the second night. I didn't mind it, but I must say, the lower bunk is definitely more comfortable.

The photo at right shows my husband climbing into the upper bunk the first night. He doesn't look very happy, does he!




I did take a shower in the shower room on the train. It was plenty spacious and had lots of towels and hot water. The only problem with the shower is that I had some trouble controlling the temperature of the water. My shower was quite hot! So I made it a quick one. :)

Eating in the dining room was a treat. The meals (included in the price of the ticket) were good, with a full menu to choose from. You could even have a nice glass of wine at lunch and dinner. Breakfast and lunch were casual, but evening meal settings were a little more posh and served on fabric tablecloths. For most meals, we were seated with another couple. It was fun to get to know people and find out why and where they were traveling on the train.

Here's a photo of my husband, enjoying a snack in our "roomette." You can see the privacy curtain on the left and the upper bunk tilted upwards at the top. This was pulled down and our beds made up for us each night by train personnel. The steward also "unmade" them for us in the morning, but we kept our pillows handy for use during the daytime. His arm is resting on the steps that are used to get into the upper bunk.

The scenery from our roomette window was spectacular, especially when we traveled through the Cascade and Rocky Mountain ranges. We also went through the country's longest tunnel in the Cascades. It was over 8 miles long and took approximately 15 minutes to travel through (in complete darkness, of course). A park ranger was with us on the ride through the mountain ranges, and he explained (over the intercom system) all that we were seeing and gave information about the flora and fauna of the area.

The plains of Montana and North Dakota were not quite as spectacular, beyond their vastness, but gave us a couple of new experiences--siting a coyote and some antelope. The animals were too quick for us to get photos, but it was fun to see them anyway.

We had a few stops along the way that allowed the passengers to get out and stretch their legs. Here we are in Havre, Montana, in front of a statue of James J. Hill, the man responsible for building the Great Northern Railway. His family home (a large mansion) is in St. Paul (near us) and holds tours on a regular basis year-round. We have toured it and also attended special functions there.

If the "roomette" accommodations seem a bit too spartan for you, there is another option of a larger sleeping room. I believe both beds are at a lower level in that one and it has its own bathroom facilities. It costs quite a bit more, but might be worth it on a longer trip. We had a lot of fun on this trip, and we're so glad we took the train. It was a bucket list item that has now been checked off!

If you're interested in seeing some videos of train accommodations, YouTube has a number of them. Our train was called The Empire Builder.

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

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #138: PUNCH IT! (Use any or your favorite punches)...

I can hardly believe that May is already behind us and we're on to the June challenge at Let's Craft and Create. This month we're asking that you use one or more of your favorite punches to create your project. If that idea doesn't fit your fancy, you can always enter via our "anything goes" option.

Of the punches I do have, more than half of them are border punches! I decided to go through my bin of border punches for a few ideas and some inspiration.

I picked out a Martha Stewart Birds on a Wire border punch. This is one my daughter gave me a couple of years ago, and I really do love it. It can not only be used as a border punch, but with a few snips, it can create a stand-alone image, too.

I found some inspiration on Pinterest and decided to run with it. First, I used a rectangle die to cut an aperture in my card base. Then I used a slightly larger rectangle die to cut a slightly larger aperture in my pink dot-embossed cardstock. I made sure the larger aperture fit perfectly over the smaller one, leaving a narrow edge all the way around.

Then I cut a piece of vellum to fit over my opening. Before adhering down the vellum. I punched out three bird borders, snipping their tails free from the rest of the cardstock and coloring the birds with some pastel ProMarkers. I put a small dot of glue on the back of each bird and glued them to my piece of vellum. Once that was done, I could adhere the vellum to the back of my pink cardstock.

The word "hello" was cut out three times and layered together to give it some dimension. Then it was glued to my yellow ribbon.

Once my pink card front was done, I adhered it to my card base. This resulted in the vellum being sandwiched in between the pink CS and the base.


This photo shows you how neat and tidy my aperture looks on the inside. I punched an extra line of birds to decorate the inside. I glued them to the bottom so that they didn't show through the aperture.

Here's a little closer look at my birds on a wire.

I hope you'll dig out your punches and use some of them to create and enter your project into our current challenge. You'll find lots more inspiration over at Let's Craft and Create, so head on over and have a look-see.

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