Getting older is for the birds...

 Recently, I made a couple of cards that I thought would work nicely for both men and women. 

 

I stamped the birds, colored them using some colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits, and then cut them out with the coordinating dies. In looking at the photo, I should have gone around the edges with a black marker. The dies cut pretty close to the outline, but they still leave a tiny margin of white. Oh well, next time.

The gifts were cut using dies from a little set that is just gift boxes and bows in different shapes and sizes. It's very handy for cards like this!

All three items--bird, gift and sentiment--were popped up on dimensionals. 

The blue strip embellishment was created with a border punch and a scrap of blue cardstock. It was glued directly to the DSP.

I added three enamel dots to the first card and some Glossy Accents to the eyes of both birds.

I printed this sentiment with my computer and used it on the inside of both cards.

The customers at the thrift store seem to love buying humorous cards, but it's a little harder for me to come up with ideas for them. I guess  should make a few more of these, since they sold very quickly.

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

Cheryl

A couple of get well cards...

 

These are both simple cards, made with some DSP and die-cuts. This one features a vase I had cut from a linen-like piece of cardstock and a die-cut sprig of leaves.

I inked around the edges of the vase before popping it up on dimensionals.

The sprig of leaves, and the single leaf, were glued directly to the DSP.

The sentiment had been laying on my desk. It was already several layers thick, so it didn't need any popping up.

This is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

When I was finished with this card, I thought I should make one that would be a little more masculine. After all, guys get sick, too!

I felt the next card would fit this purpose.

This card has a little more out-doorsy feel to it with the cattails die-cut.

I popped the top of each cattail up with a thin strip of foam tape.

The stamped sentiment was cut with a really old Spellbinder's die. It has two parts, the frame and the insert. 

I thought it worked nicely for this card. I added some gold Nuvo Drops to each end of it.

For the inside I chose a stamped sentiment that I thought would be a bit more masculine, too.

I went out to our flower garden on Saturday and picked a few blooms to bring inside. It's so hot out right now that we don't spend much time out there, and I like to enjoy the flowers when I can. My DH took a photo of them on our dining room table, so I thought I'd share his picture here.

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

Cheryl

A fun and fancy birthday cake...

 

I used a fun die and stencil set to create this fancy birthday cake. I first used the stencils to create the flowers and the candles. Then I cut them out with the coordinating dies.

I also cut the cake stand out of silver holographic cardstock with a die in the set. I could have cut out dimensional pieces to add to it, but I found that using a stylus on the back of the cardstock while it was still in the die created the detail I wanted.

The candles were glued directly to the card. The cake and cake stand were popped up on dimensionals.

I stamped the sentiment, cut it out with a die and matted it. I had a couple of tiny translucent flower stickers on my desk, so I added them, along with a couple of gems.

This was a top-folding card, and here's a photo of the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

I've been trying to think of other ways to use this set. I think it could be a wedding cake (with no candles). 

I also think I could use some flower stamps to stamp the cake with Versamark ink and heat emboss with gold embossing powder. Then, if I added "50" on the cake or somewhere on the card front, it could be a golden wedding anniversary card (again, no candles).

I've also thought of cutting the cake out of DSP and adding dimensional details with Nuvo Drops.

Now if I can just find the time to try all those ideas!

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

Cheryl

Happy Anniversary...

 

I was in need of a few anniversary cards to donate to the thrift store so I came up with this design.

I wanted to use this pretty paper that included shades of purple, yellow, blue and teal. I chose a coordinating solid cardstock to pair with it.

I created a card base by cutting 1" off the righthand side of the A2 card front. Then I added a piece of the pretty DSP that was 3" X 5 1/4". On the inside of the card, I added a strip of a solid cardstock that was 1" X 5 1/4".

Finally I added a shaped die-cut on which I had adhered my stamped sentiment (also die-cut) and a few gold flat-backed pearls. I placed the sentiment shape at the visual center of the A2 card, which meant it hung over the card front just a bit.

This card was made exactly the same way, using different papers, of course.

This is the sentiment I stamped for each card on a white piece of cardstock that measured 3" X 5 1/4". I adhered it on the inside, butted up to the 1" strip of solid color cardstock. You could stamp directly onto the card base, but I prefer to add the white cardstock. I feel it gives the inside of the card a more finished look.

This card design is great for using patterned papers from a 6" X 6" pad. Since you only need a 3" wide piece for the front, you can make two cards with only one sheet. I hope you'll give it a try!

*****

We had our T'ai Chi class yesterday. I think we're finally getting the hang of it and able to anticipate quite a few of the moves. My DH and I are still pretty clumsy, though, compared to those who have been taking T'ai Chi for years. 

When I was looking at some videos on line to help me learn the forms, I realized there was often an apostrophe in T'ai, and I wondered why.  I looked that up and found that the apostrophe was used in the Wade-Giles system of transliteration for Mandarin Chinese. Then I had to look up what they meant by the "Wade-Giles system of transliteration for Mandarin Chinese." Oh, boy, I think I just fell down a rabbit hole!

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

Cheryl

It's time to PARRRRTAY!...

 

Not long ago I purchased a die and stencil set for party hats. Since I love to stencil and I love to die cut, it was perfect for me! The stencils include different designs for the party hats and the dies feature different edge fringes and pom poms.

The hats are quite large so two of them pretty much fill up an A2 card front.

I plan to make some slimline cards in the future so I can use at least three party hats on a single card.

Glitter cardstock works great for the fringes and pom poms. There are several different dies to choose from and they can be layered up for lots of dimension.

I glued the blue/white party hat directly to my card front and popped the white/silver one up on dimensionals.

The sentiment was stamped directly onto the card front.

I stamped two different sentiments on the inside. The top sentiment was an open font, so I colored it in with a yellow colored pencil to tie into the yellow card base.

I plan to use this die and stencil set again in the near future and maybe use some more dramatic colors. I think magenta and black would be eye-catching, don't you?

I also want to try die-cutting some hats from patterned paper, rather than stenciling them. It would be a great way to use up some of my unending pile of scraps.

 This weekend, my grandson became the Minnesota State Champion in the 200 backstroke at the Long Course Senior State Meet in Rochester. He will only be a Junior in High School this coming year and already has college swim coaches calling him from across the country. It's so exciting to watch him swim!

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

Cheryl

Turning Father's Day ideas into birthday cards...

As I have said many times on this blog, I struggle to make masculine cards. After Father's Day had passed, I had a few die-cuts left on my desk, and I decided to turn them into masculine birthday cards.

If you check out this post, you'll see an example of the Father's Day cards I made with the "classy guy" die-cut. Since I still had one of those die-cuts, I used it to make this birthday card:

I liked the stamped sentiment that I used for this one. It's been popped up on dimensionals.

This die cuts the shirt collar completely out of the image, so I cut one out of white and used it instead.

I stamped two sentiments on the inside.

I also had some charcoal grill die-cuts on my desk. You can see the Father's Day cards I made with them in this post. Here's the birthday card I made with the leftovers:

I made this card a top-fold, rather than a side-fold like the Father's Day card.

I really do love this set of dies, but in Minnesota, it doesn't really work for cards in the winter. 

I know a few guys who will try to grill in the wintertime, but it's a lot more difficult when we have a lot of snow or sub-zero temps!

The inside (computer-generated) sentiment was also leftover from Father's Day, but I thought it would work fine for a birthday, too. I simply cut it out with a stitched rectangle die and glued it in place. 

Now I think I need to go back and look at all the other Father's Day cards I've made and see which ones I can convert to masculine birthday cards.

We had a great time at my family reunion, which was held last weekend in North Dakota. It was a long 9-hour drive to get there, but it was worth it to see so many relatives in one place.  We reminisced, laughed, and teased each other, and ate an incredible amount of food. Everyone brought dishes to share.

My dad (who had his own restaurant when I was small) was known for his homemade cake doughnuts. My sisters and I used his recipe and made them for everyone at the reunion. They turned out great!

As we drove through the state, the canola fields were blooming in all their golden glory. My niece shared this photo online:

I was a little disappointed that the flax fields were not also in full (purple) bloom. When canola and flax fields are side-by-side, it is breathtaking!

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

Cheryl

Sweet teddy bear baby cards...

 

I wanted to make a couple of baby cards to donate, so I downloaded a free teddy bear image and cut it out with a stitched circle die.

For this first card, I matted the image with a slightly larger navy blue circle. I also cut off a narrow section of the card front. I think it was 3/4". I added some blue striped paper to my card front and a 1" strip of navy blue polka dot DSP to the inside.

The sentiment was stamped onto a die-cut shape and popped up on dimensionals.

I decided to add some of the striped paper to the inside, too, and then used another shaped die-cut for the sentiment.

The striped paper is light enough to write a note or sign a name.

This card was a little trickier to make. I figured out where my card center would be, and then I used partial die-cutting to cut half the circle from the front flap of the card. 

I added the little strips (at the top on each side of the circle and across the bottom) of a darker cardstock for a little added decoration.

And once again the image was matted with the darker cardstock before it was adhered to the card.

When this top-folding card is opened, this is what you see on the inside.

I thought it was cute, but it really took too much time for me to make more of them. I fussed around with the DSP for the card front for ages! It was hard to get it to fit just right around the half-circle opening.

*****

We celebrated my DH's birthday tonight by having family over for some Dairy Queen ice cream cake. That stuff is seriously good on a warm summer day!

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

Cheryl

Happy caterpillar card...

 

I'm always looking for ideas for children's birthday cards, and this is one I found on Pinterest. I happen to have a 1" circle punch, so I used it on a few scraps to make my circles for this card. The white background piece was embossed with a dotty embossing folder and then edged with gold cardstock before applying it to my card base.

Once I had my circles punched out, I inked around the edges with some green ink. Caterpillars are often green, aren't they?

I used a Peachy Keen stamp for the face and a butterfly body die to get the antennae.

The circles for the body were popped up with one layer of dimensionals. The head was popped up with two layers.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside to complete this card.

If this one sells quickly at the thrift store, I think I'll make a few more of them. It's so quick and easy--definitely fun to make.

Do you have a favorite child's card design to make? I'd love to know what it is.

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

Cheryl

Good friends are like stars...

 

I had these punch-out sentiment strips in my stash and wanted to finally use them. I created a card base that had a front that was 1" narrower than the back. I added the checked DSP to the front and a strip of navy blue cardstock (for some nice contrast) to the inside right edge.

I popped the sentiment strips up on dimensionals and then scattered some  punched stars around them.

As a final touch, I added some Stickles to the stars for a little sparkle.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside. In this photo you can see the strip of blue cardstock that is exposed when the card is closed.

Since I donate the majority of the cards I make to the thrift store, and they generally sell out every week, I often wonder if handmade cards encourage people to send more of them. I sure hope so!

Have a great weekend, and thanks so much for stopping by. Remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.'

Cheryl

Sending love and hugs...

 

Recently I purchased this cute die set of cats spelling out the word "love." I thought it would be a fun set to have on hand for quick cards.

I also wanted to use up some scraps of DSP, so I cut some 1" strips and adhered them to my A2 card base. Then I arranged my cats as though they were sitting or playing on those strips.

My sentiments were printed with the computer, cut out and popped up on foam tape. My only embellishment was to adhere a few enamel dots.

I stamped a sentiment and a tiny heart on the inside.

These were such fun, quick cards to make, and I love that I used scraps to make the card fronts--even for the cats!

We are getting our little RV ready for our next road trip to a family reunion. I will have a chance to visit with my oldest brother and his wife. We haven't seen them in several years, so it will be nice to catch up

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

Cheryl

For the loss of a fur baby...

I wanted to make some cards for the loss of a pet, and since I had a new doggy "edge" die, I came up with these:

I had purchased not only the die, but also the pawprints and hearts stencil.  Those two tools are perfect for making quick, but very sweet cards for someone mourning the loss of their pup. I will donate these to the thrift store. It seems that people are always looking for cards for such a sad occasion.

I don't think we usually distinguish between male and female dogs when sending cards, but I thought I'd make one in pink and one in blue anyway.

For this top-folding card, I cut the card front an inch shorter than the back so that my stenciling would show through.

The puppies were cut on the edge of a piece of silver metallic cardstock so that it left a thin strip to fit across the front of my card.

I also matted my stamped sentiment with the same metallic cardstock.

I added a left over strip of the DSP to the inside to finish off the edge of the stenciled area. It's placed so that it doesn't show when the card is closed.

*****

We just returned from a trip to Illinois for my DH's class reunion. We are now getting ready to attend a family reunion. It's a busy summer!

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #209: Anything Goes or Add Buttons...

 

Happy summer, everyone! 

Today is the beginning of a new challenge at Let's Craft and Create. As always, you can enter under the "Anything Goes" umbrella, or you can choose to enter by adding one or more buttons, as I have done.

Here is my card:

I created a template for this cloche hat card 12 years ago, but I haven't made them in a very long time. If you'd like to see more cards like this one, check out this post.

For today's card, I chose some yellow cardstock for the base and a yellow with white polka dots for the exterior. I lightly inked around the edges of my hat and added a white cardstock hat band, cut with a stitched strip die. 

I also selected a button die and cut several layers for the flower-shaped yellow button. I layered them up to add some dimension. I like to use die-cut buttons, rather than actual buttons, because they don't create a "bump" in the envelope that may result in extra postage.

Here's a better look at that flower. I die-cut three layers of white petals so that it had lots of dimension.

I also added some white thread to the center of my button. I have a "thing" about putting thread in buttons before applying them to cards. I guess I just don't like to see a naked button. lol

I added a stamped sentiment on the inside that I thought was fun and fit the card design.

This card will fit in an A7 envelope.

Now it's your turn. I hope you'll check out all the inspiration from the Design Team at Let's Craft and Create. 

I look forward to seeing your creations and commenting on many of them.

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

Cheryl