Happy birthday and get well soon...

I made these two cards recently, using a wavy sentiment die that covers the seam of the two patterns of DSP. This time, however, I chose not to put a sentiment on the wavy die-cut, but to add it on a separate die-cut, instead.

The leafy sprigs were die-cut, glued directly to the card front and embellished with a twine bow.

The sentiments were stamped, die-cut, matted and popped up with foam squares.

This picture shows the sentiment I stamped on the inside with a leafy sprig embelishment.

You've probably noticed that these two cards have the opposite patterns at the top and bottom. That's because I cut a 4" X 5 1/4" panel of each pattern, stacked them, and then cut them together, having traced the wavy line onto the back of one of them. Then I did a little switcheroo so that each card had one piece of each pattern. And they fit together perfectly!

I stamped my favorite "get well" sentiment on the inside of this card. We all want restful recoveries, don't we?

Another tiny sprig was used as an embellishment.

This particular layout would be great for Christmas cards, too. I can see using a die-cut poinsettia or jingle bells or greenery with a pinecone in place of the leafy sprigs.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #224: Anything Goes or Things with Wings...

 

Happy October, Happy Fall and Happy Halloween! I hope your autumn weather has been as beautiful as ours has been in Minnesota. The warm sunshine, gentle breezes and beautifully changing trees make it hard to stay inside and craft. But I have still managed to create a card for this month's challenge at Let's Craft and Create.

I started this card by cutting an angled card base that was 11" long by 3" on the left side and 5 1/2" on the right side. I marked these two points and then cut the cardstock at an angle between them. This actually results in two card bases the same size.

With the straight side against the top of my scoreboard and the narrow end on the left, I scored my cardbase at 3" and 6 3/4". Then I turned the piece so that the straight long edge was at the bottom, and I burnished a mountain fold at the first score and a valley fold at the second score. That finished my card base.

I had a wonderful sheet of masculine 12" X 12" DSP that I thought would work perfectly for this card. I began by cutting a 2 3/4" piece with the mallard duck on it. I angle-cut this piece to fit the first panel. I continued by cutting pieces for the back of the middle panel (because it shows when the card is closed) and also for the two other inside panels.

The sentiment was stamped and die-cut with a stitched oval die. Only the bottom half was glued to the small, front panel.

This is how the card looks when opened:

For my center panel, I cut a white angled panel to fit, stamped the sentiment, and then fussy cut part of the lake scene and glued it onto the bottom. I really liked how it looked when I was done.

As you can see in the left and right panels above, I have two "things with wings" that make this card appropriate for this month's option. 

I hope you'll join in our challenge. You certainly don't have to make a project with wings; you can enter under the "anything goes" banner. And if you decide to play along, just add a photo of your project here at the end of the post. Be sure to link your photo so we can leave a comment.

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

Cheryl

Using an AI Halloween image...

This is an AI image that was available on one of the AI Facebook sites. I don't recall exactly which one, but it could have been "Free Printables + AI Art Sharing" or "Free Printables."

Because it's more the type of card an adult would enjoy, it will be sent to one of my aunts. I have also made a few to donate to the thrift store.

The only additional elements I added to the image were the die-cut bat (I used a white gel pen for his eyes), whose wings were raised by double-sided foam tape, the twine, and the stamped and die-cut sentiment, also popped up with foam tape.

Because this card was so easy to make, I decided to put a little extra effort into writing a poem that would serve as a sentiment on the inside. It has a punctuation error and a capitalization error (which I have corrected for future cards), but it was fun to work on. I like writing simple poetry for my cards when I have the time. Please feel free to use this poem, if you wish.

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

Cheryl

Sweet flower birthday card...

Sometimes all it takes to make a birthday card is a sweet flower die, a scrap of pretty paper and a bit of ink.

I had this scrap of DSP in my stash and wanted to use it, so I matted it and then prepped a card base.

I went through my flower dies to find one I thought would work nicely for the card. My usual instinct is to cut a flower out of green first and then to cut just the flower head out of colored cardstock. Luckily, I looked carefully at my DSP and thought, "Why not cut the stem out of the soft tan color?" I'm so glad I did, because I really like the result.

"Happy Birthday" was stamped with a copper colored metallic ink. I think it reflected both the tans and the pinks in the DSP.

I cut the flower head out of the same pink cardstock as the mat and then added a little ink blending to the center of it.

The flower head was popped up with dimensionals, but the stem and leaves were glued directly to the DSP. When that was done, I tied a sheer ribbon around the matted piece, making a bow over the flower stem. Then I glued the whole shebang to the card base.

For the inside, I stamped a sentiment in the same copper metallic ink. I also added a strip of the pink cardstock and another small, die-cut flower head.

My life is still a little crazy right now, caring for my grandson and the family's five dogs and two cats. I run back and forth between our houses several times a day, but I do spend my nights at my daughter's house. Luckily, they are only about one mile away. I even "get" to get up at 4:45 a.m. twice a week to make sure my grandson gets off to his 5:30 a.m. swim practice on time, and I make dinner for all of us each night. Like I said, it's a little crazy.

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

Cheryl 

Ghostly greetings...

 

I had these dimensional stickers (potions and witches kettle) left over from last year's Halloween card-making frenzy, so it was time to use them. The spider web border was also in my stash, and looked like a lacy tablecloth--the perfect thing to serve as a base for the stickers.

The only die-cuts I made for this card were the hanging spider and the stamped sentiment.

Even the computer-printed sentiment on the inside was left over from last year. 

This was a super quick card to make. that's for sure!

For this card, I started with a pre-made white card base that had the three circle apertures on the right side. I covered the front with some Halloween DSP. Then I used a circle die that was the same size as the holes in the cardbase to cut the holes in the DSP.

The cat is actually an old rub-on from my stash. It didn't have an eye, so I added some green Nuvo Drops and then used a craft pick to bring the drop to a point, so that it looked more like a cat's eye.

This is how the card looks on the inside. The two spiders were glued in place and the spider web was glued behind the middle aperture.

The sentiment was stamped, and I should definitely have done a better job of stamping it straight!

This card was made with some printed cardstock that featured the clouds, moon and stars across the top. It was a 12" X 12" piece, so I cut it to 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" and scored it at 4 1/4".

I added all the bats and the branch. The two larger flying bats have their wings lifted up with tiny pieces of double-sided foam tape.

The sentiment is also popped up with foam tape.

This is how I stamped the inside.

And now my bat story:

Years ago, we had a bat in our attic. I was home alone for the weekend and decided to clean some stuff out of the attic. Unbeknownst to me, the bat was in one of the boxes that I carried out. All of a sudden it flew out and scared me out of my wits! 

I didn't see exactly where it went, so I searched the entire house for it--and didn't find it. It was getting very late, so I decided to just go to bed and resume my search the next day. I really didn't think it would bother me in the night.

The next morning, I woke up and quietly walked downstairs and began looking for places a bat might roost. Sure enough, I spied it in our living room, hanging from the wide crown moulding that went around the entire ceiling. The moulding has a picture rail incorporated into it (we have a 98-year-old-house), and it was the perfect place for the bat to hang.

I didn't want to hurt the bat, but I definitely wanted it out of the house! I went to the kitchen and got a large, long-handled strainer and an old ice cream pail cover. I snuck up on the bat, quickly covered it with the strainer and then carefully slid the strainer over the cover, keeping the bat enclosed. It wasn't happy, but it didn't protest too much. I carried it outside and let it go. 

We have since had work done on our roof that has eliminated the possibility for any more bats to get inside, thank goodness! They are valuable animals, eating millions of mosquitoes, but they don't make very good house pets.

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

Cheryl

I couldn't decide on a sentiment for this card...

 ...so I used a bunch of them!

My brother, who volunteers at the thrift store with me, had a birthday in September. We are only 16 months apart in age, so we've always been close. We played together as kids and see each other every week now--sometimes more often. 

I started out by making a gatefold card. The red and black plaid is actually some self-stick vinyl. It works great on cards!

I wanted a fun sentiment on the front. When I couldn't decide which sentiment to use, I decided to use several of them. I also scattered in some LOLs and Tee Hees, because you know I'd be giggling at the fact that he is SO much older than me!. 

I scattered some enamel dots among the sentiments for a bit of color.

On the inside, I used my die-set that reveals a sentiment in the circle when the card is opened. I added the white rectangle so I would have some place to write a brief note and sign our names.

Although my brother is not very effusive (he's too much like our staid, Norwegian father), he seemed to like this card. At least it made him smile!

This week I am helping to care for my daughter's five dogs and cook meals for a couple of her children while she, her husband and her oldest daughter are in Greece. It's been a little hard to get some good, steady, card-making time worked into the schedule. They'll be home toward the end of next week, and then I'll really have to get in gear!

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

Cheryl

A couple more Christmas cards...

 

I had the background DSP of a starry sky and the die-cut sentiment lying on my desk, so I decided to use them both on a card. After I die-cut three trees and my snowbanks, I arranged them as you see above. I had also done some ink-blending on my snowbanks to give them more dimension.

I liked how I was able to place the top of the tallest tree just under the biggest star.

The trunks of the trees were tucked behind the foremost snowbank. In fact, the trunks were very long, so I cut them off quite a bit before adding them to this card

This is the sentiment I stamped on the inside.

This card was inspired by the sentiment and the little cat die. He looks like he's happily singing Christmas carols, doesn't he? 

I embossed the background panel, added the die-cut holly, and popped up the arched rectangle.

The cat was die-cut from some dark gray cardstock and the mouth and ear openings were backed with pink cardstock.

The Santa hat die-cut came from a set of Santa hat dies that I've had for a few years. I don't remember how many different little Santa hats they make, but it's quite a few. 

To see another card I made a few years ago using a couple of the hat dies in the set, click here.

Isn't that just the perfect sentiment to go with that little singing cat? 

I stamped a sentiment on the inside that was from the same stamp set as the one on the arched rectangle.

I had so much fun making this card that I made 10 of them!

Now I'd better get back to making those Halloween cards. lol

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

Cheryl

Dramatically different Christmas cards...

Shortly after Christmas 2024, I stopped in at Michael's to see if they had any of their Christmas cardmaking supplies on clearance. I found a pack of 24 card bases with envelopes for just over $3.00, so I bought them. The card bases all had a red and white striped border. I tried a couple of different ideas in using them.

 This was my first idea. I cut a red panel to fit the center, then embossed it with a 3D poinsettia embossing folder. I used a dark red ink pad and lightly swiped it over the embossed panel to highlight the pretty design.

After gluing the panel to the card base, I die-cut a sentiment from some red, heavy vinyl I had on hand. I also die-cut a white shadow and glued them together.

This is a 5" X7" card, so the large sentiment worked well. 

As a final touch, I die-cut a sprig of holly and glued that onto my card front, too.

Next, I tried using the blackout technique, where I swiped a black ink pad over the debossed side. 

Because this card seemed a little dark for such a joyous occasion, I decided to add a few gems for some sparkle.

The sentiment was stamped, matted and glued to the card front (I tried to keep these cards easy to mail).

This is what I stamped on the inside of this card. I stamped the same thing on the inside of the first card, only with red ink.

I decided to make the remaining 22 cards like the first one. That card design just seemed "merrier" to me.

Which one do you prefer? Do you ever make holiday cards that have a lot of black in them?

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

Cheryl

I'm batty for you...

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I like to use AI images whenever I think they'll look great on cards. I recently found one of a little bat that I thought was so cute. I printed out four of the same image to make cards to donate.

I sized the image to fit in a 4" X 4" space and used it on a bookbinder card. The DSP on the spine is from an old 12" X 12" Halloween paper stack. I've had it for years and can't seem to make a dent in it.

The sentiment was printed with my computer and popped up with foam tape. The only embellishment was a bit of purple twine tied in a bow around the spine before it was glued down.

I thought this image was neutral enough that it would work for either a girl or a boy. I didn't add any gems or sparkly embellishments so as to keep it gender-neutral.

I created a mini-explosion pop-out for the inside sentiment. This DSP is another piece from the same 12 X 12" stack I mentioned above. If you want to know how I made the pop-out, check out the instructions in this post.

*****

We arrived home from our camping adventure on Wednesday afternoon after spending four days in Itasca State Park, site of the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

This is the plaque located at a point on the banks of Lake Itasca where the Mississippi begins its journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

My DH and our dog Mickey enjoyed a little time in the shallow water. The rocks you see in the photo show where the lake waters end and the Mississippi begins (it flows to the right in this photo).

Here's a photo of our little camper, parked near the Headwaters Interpretive Center. A lot of people might find it too small, but it works perfectly for us!

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

Cheryl

Sympathy cards using scenic papers...

 

I recently bought a pack of 6" X 6" papers that all depicted different outdoor scenes. I thought they would be great for sympathy cards. The group of cards above doesn't include all the cards I made. I think there were three more of them for a total of eight cards.

Some of the sentiments were die-cut and glued directly to the card fronts; others were stamped, cut out with an oval or rectangle and popped up, as you see above. 

You may have noticed that I matted some of the images, and some I did not. It just depended on how it looked and whether I thought a mat would enhance the look of the card.

This is a close-up of one of them. They are all such peaceful scenes, and I thought they made lovely sympathy cards.

Becausse the papers were 6" X 6", I had 2" left after cutting a 4" piece for the front. I cut it down to 1 1/2", I believe, and added it to the inside. I loved the way it continued the peaceful scene.

Finally, I added a white panel, stamped with a sentiment.

This card is not shown in the first photo, so I thought I'd share it with you here. I cut the scene down to fit my card front, which was cut 3/4" shorter than the card back. 

I heat-embossed the sentiment onto a 1" piece of purple cardstock and glued that to the bottom of the inside.

This is how the card looks when opened.

I am pleased with how these all turned out. I now have enough sympathy cards for my stash and to donate for the next few weeks.

It's a comfort to me that I can now immediately send a card to comfort someone else.                                        

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

Cheryl

Double Z-fold card...

 

This was an interesting card to make, and when finished, it fits nicely into an A2 envelope.

The aqua plaid cardstock was cut to 8 1/4" X 5 1/2", and with the 8 1/4" side across the top, it was scored at 2 3/4" and 5 1/2".

A second coordinating cardstock was cut at 81/4" X 4 1/4". Again, with the 8 1/4" side across the top, it was scored at 2 3/4" and 5 1/2".

After folding and burnishing the folds, I adhered the two pieces together so that the finished card was 4 1/4" at its widest point and 5 1/2" high.

This is how the card looks when opened. The two white panels that I stamped, ink blended and embellished with flowers measured 2 1/2" X 4".

I added a little double-sided tape under the ribbon tied around the card front so that it wouldn't slip off.

Here's a closer peek at the two inside panels. This picture more clearly shows how I used gems for the flower centers. 

I learned how to make this card from watching a video from Connie Stewart of Simply Simple Stamping. If you'd like to watch the video you can see it here.

Connie shows how to make two of these cards at once, and you can download her measurements and supply list on her blog post here.

As you read this, we are on a little camping adventure in northern Minnesota. We'll be home soon, and I'll share a little more about our trip then.

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

Cheryl