Happy 21st birthday...

Because I make an assortment of cards to donate, I decided to make a couple of 21st birthday cards and use up some scraps in the process.

My sister had given me some "fashion girl" images a couple of years ago. They were made of very heavy cardstock and were already colored and pre-cut--perfect for making quick cards!

I had already used a couple of them on some 16th birthday slimline cards, which you can see in this post.

I had a scrap of deep pink polka dot DSP on my desk that had a fairly large round hole cut out of it. The hole was not centered, but I thought I could make it work for me anyway.

I cut a card base from some pale pink cardstock. Then I cut a white circle that was slightly smaller than the hole in my DSP and stamped my sentiment onto it. The pink polka-dot paper was glued to the card front and the circle was adhered inside the aperture so that a narrow band of the light pink showed around its edge.

The fashion girl image was popped up on foam tape, and as a final touch, I added a couple of rub-on flower images, They had also been sitting on my desk, begging to be used.

This scrap of striped DSP had no holes cut into it, and I thought it would be perfect for my second card. I glued it to the card front and added a solid narrow strip of cardstock on either side.

This time I added some rub-on floral images first and then popped my fashion girl up on foam tape.

The circle sentiment was also popped up on dimensionals.

I added a little bit of decoration to the inside of each card, including another rub-on image in the corner. It felt good to use up that sheet of rub-ons!

This past Saturday, when I walked out my back door, I noticed something REALLY strange in my back yard. This is what I saw:

LILACS BLOOMING IN THE MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER!!! I have never seen this before. They have always bloomed in April/May for a few weeks and then they're done for the year. 

This year, after they had finished blooming in the spring, a fungus of some sort attacked the bush and the leaves turned brown and crisp and fell off. It looked dead. But later, some new shoots began to grow from the existing branches, and now those new shoots are blooming. This is happening in places all over the city. Go figure! 

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

Cheryl

Coffee--always a good idea...

 

I bought a coffee-themed set of stamps at Dollar Tree for $1.25, and this sentiment and the cup of coffee were part of the set.

I colored the coffee cup with alcohol markers to coordinate with my DSP, which was matted with a panel of black cardstock.

The fancy corner die-cuts were made with a die from a really old set that I got years ago. I love the way they dress up a card front.

Finally, I added an enamel dot (also purchased at Dollar Tree a loooong time ago) underneath the word "coffee."

The sentiment on the inside was printed from my computer. 

I added a pocket on the left for a coffee shop gift card. Because this card was donated to the thrift store, I cut a piece of cardstock the size of a gift card, added a brief note, and put it in the pocket to demonstrate what it was for.

This was a fun card to make. I should have made several while I was at it!

It has been a busy week, but I'm hoping things settle down into more of our usual routine in the days ahead. The weather has been unusally warm. I even had to turn on the air conditioning last night. Usually by this time of the year, things are starting to cool down in Minnesota--but not this year.

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

Cheryl

Holding you in my prayers...

Just a quick post today. We still have company and we're super busy trying to wrap up my brother-in-law's estate and give away/dispose of his belongings.

I am so thankful for pretty 3D embossing folders that make a quick card. Here is one I made recently:

I embossed a light blue panel and then added a bit of ink to the flower heads with a finger dauber before adhering it to a dark blue card base.

I also added some Wink of Stella to the leaves and stems, but my camera simply doesn't capture the subtle sparkle.

The stamped sentiment was popped up on some narrow foam strips.

I stamped two sentiments on the inside, and that finished my card.

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

Cheryl

Painting over a stamped image...

As I try to build up my stash of Christmas cards, I like to try a different technique on a single card, and if I like it, I make more of them. Here is one card that I think I'll make a few more of:

I started with a piece of black watercolor cardstock. I stamped it with a leaf and berry background image using white ink. After the ink had dried thoroughly, I used a green metallic watercolor paint to paint over the stamped leaves. It was easy to do, and I think it turned out alright for a first try.

I wish the camera showed the pretty metallic sheen of the green paint.

I made a little stencil by using a single hole punch on a piece of plastic sheet. Then I used this handmade stencil to add some red Lunar Paste to each of the berries, one at a time, and gave it time to dry. The white dot on each of the berries was made with a paint pen.

When the white dots had dried, I decided I still wasn't satisfied and added some Glossy Accents to each berry. 

Before adding it to my card base, I matted it with white cardstock.

Finally, I die-cut a sentiment in red metallic cardstock, backed it with white cardstock and popped it up with foam tape.

The inside features a simple, stamped sentiment. Card done!

We enjoyed a beautiful day today, weatherwise. We took Mickey to the dog park, which he loves. We met the first "Sheepadoodle" that I've ever seen. They are a cross between a sheep dog and a standard poodle. His name was Buzzo and he was very cute. Mickey got a little peeved  with him, though, when Buzzo kept trying to herd him as if he were a sheep. It was kind of funny to witness.

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

Cheryl

A Yoda happy birthday...

I recently made a child's birthday card using a free clipart image of Yoda. He's my favorite of the Star Wars characters, and I think he appeals to little kids, too. This card was donated to the thrift store and sold quickly, which makes me think that he's still popular.

I printed the Yoda image twice with my computer. One of the images was die-cut with a shaped square die. I fussy-cut the head from the other image so that I could pop it up on top of the die-cut image and give Yoda a little dimension.

The sentiment was cut a few times and stacked to make it sturdier and add dimension. I added a little sparkle to the stars with a glitter pen.

You can see a bit of the popped up head in this photo (especially visible on the left ear).

I also used a splatter stamp to give some texture to the background of the shaped square.

The inside sentiment that I used had been sitting in my craft space for a very long time (which is a big reason I decided to make this card). It had been printed with my computer. I'm certain I printed several of them at one time, and this one just never got used...until now.

I often print or stamp multiples of a sentiment that I like and set some of them aside to use later. I just wish I didn't usually forget that I even have them!

Do you ever use clipart on your cards? I know my crafty friend Donna (DesignbyDonna) has used some clipart, as I remember that she featured it on at least one card this past Spring.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #211: Anthing Goes or (Option) Use a Sketch...

 

Today, at Let's Craft and Create, we're starting a new monthly challenge. You have all of September to create a card or other project and enter it for a chance to win a crafty prize. 

I find it to be the most fun to use the optional suggestion, which for this month is "Use a Sketch." First, I looked for a card sketch online and found this one:

As you can see above, this sketch came from the PaperPlaySketches blog. You can also search Pinterest for card sketches. You will find hundreds (maybe even thousands) of them there.

Here is the card I made, using the sketch above for inspiration:

I started with a white card base and added some Christmas DSP with holiday words printed on it. Then I cut three lengths of glittery ribbon and glued them to my DSP, spacing them evenly down the front of mt card.

I had gotten two sets of candy cane dies, one large and one small. I used the larger size on this card. The candy cane was made with two different dies, the background (solid) die and the striped top layer die.  

I wanted to cut two candy canes, each facing the opposite direction, so I had to flip the die-cuts of one candy cane over to achieve this. I don't think anyone will ever know if I don't tell them.

I popped up the fancy oval die-cut, and then popped up my candy canes, as well.

The glittery snowflake was added to replicate the star embellishment on the sketch.

A final touch was to add the ribbon bow.

On the inside I added a stamped sentiment, a narrow piece of the glitter ribbon and another snowflake for embellishment.

A sketch can be a terrific source of inspiration, so I really hope you'll give it a try. Check out the Design Team creations on the Let's Craft and Create blog, and remember there is a fun prize up for grabs.

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

Cheryl

Dollar Tree flowers...

 During a recent stop at Dollar Tree, I found a pack of little flowers that I thought would make some great cards. The pack contained more than 30 flowers in two colors--white and aqua.

I used the white ones first to make this card:

Each white flower came with the aqua shading and a small white pearl adhered to its center. I cut some skeleton leaves from coordinating cardstock to use as a base for my flowers. The sentiment stamp was also from Dollar Tree. It was included in a pack of numerous birthday-themed stamps, all for $1.25!

I die-cut the fancy oval and adhered it directly to the DSP that covered the front of my card base. 

Don't the flowers in the DSP look just like the flowers from Dollar Tree?

To decorate the inside, I added a piece of the DSP, a small sprig of skeleton leaves and a stamped sentiment.

I also made a card using the aqua flowers in the pack, and here it is:

For this card, I die-cut a leafy border in white and glued it down the center of my DSP. The two-part sentiment was printed from my computer, die-cut and popped up on dimensionals.

I chose some of the aqua flowers and removed the pearl centers. After adding them to my card front, I added a white Nuvo Drop center to each one. I thought this would make the card easier to mail.

Isn't the sentiment on this card fun? I actually printed it out such a long time ago that I can't remember where I found it, but I'm glad I finally got around to using it.

I printed another sentiment on the inside. This is one I just made up.

*****

We are having a short interlude right now as one of our guests flew back to Europe tonight. The other two are in California for a few days, but will be back toward the end of this week.

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

Cheryl