Birthday card for a 19-year-old...

 

My granddaughter turned 19 yesterday and this is the card I made for her. Actually, I made two cards for her, but I didn't like the first one, so it ended up in the bin.

This is a fun-fold card, which is why it looks a little cockeyed. I promise you, it's not! The center piece with the mushrooms is a tri-fold that is adhered to the 4 1/4" X 5 1/2" panel (with its 4" X 5 1/4" piece of DSP). 

When I decided to use some cute pink mushrooms and tiny heart flowers for my main image, I didn't know if they would appeal to my granddaughter. She texted me, however, to say how much she liked it.

Of course, I also added a circle with her age, cutting the numbers from some glitter cardstock.

Because I didn't think that was enough bling, I added a tiny gem to each of the heart flowers.

This photo shows how the center card folds out. The pocket in the middle is where I added some cash for her.

The center tri-fold started as a piece of white cardstock that measured 4 1/2" X 9 3/4", scored on the long side at 3 1/4" and 6 1/2". Each panel can then be decorated and embellished as you wish.

I really enjoy making funfolds like this one. They're so much more satisfying than the usual side- or top-fold card. I need to make a few of these to donate. I think the customers at the thrift store would really like them.

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

Cheryl

Using pre-printed, punch-out sentiments...

You know how you sometimes get punch-out pages in card kits or paper stacks? They usually consist of images and/or sentiments to help with your cardmaking. I don't often use them, but when I wanted to make a couple of quick cards recently, I did.

The framed rectangle sentiment is a punch-out. I always carefully trim off the tiny connecting stubs that hold them in place on the page.

I die-cut the fancy rectangle with the pinpoint border and adhered it to the card front. Then I popped up the pre-printed sentiment with some foam squares.

To finish the front, I added a little bling.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added a strip of the DSP as a small embellishment.

This card features another punch-out sentiment.

This time I glued some gold and white glitter foliage die-cuts to the card front before adding the sentiment with foam squares.

Do you see the gold pearls I added as an embellishment?

I stamped the same sentiment inside this card and added a scalloped strip on the bottom. I wanted to mimic the scallops around the punched-out sentiment.

It felt so good to get all my Thanksgiving cards in the mail on Monday. And I was even able to send some early Christmas gifts to our kids. 

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

Cheryl

Grateful and thankful...

 

When making these two cards, I tried to use up more of that busy DSP that has lines of printed words related to Autumn and Thanksgiving.

For this card I die-cut a large sentiment and adhered it to a piece of vellum. The vellum was then adhered to the DSP on my card front by adding double-sided tape behind the words. I thought the vellum obscured some of the busyness of the printed words.

On this one, I decided to use some simple images. I die-cut three pumpkins from different shades of orange cardstock and added some ink blending to give them more depth. The pumpkins on the left and right were popped up with foam squares.

Because the sentiment oval looked as though it might get lost on the DSP, I added an orange banner to help distinguish it.

This is the sentiment I put on the inside of each card.

While I have finished making Thanksgiving cards for personal use and for the thrift store, I haven't shared all of them with you yet, so expect to see a few more here on my blog.

As for my crafting, I will definitely be focusing on finishing my Christmas cards!

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

Cheryl

Thanksgiving cards...

 

I had some dimensional acorn stickers, so I decided to use them on a few Thanksgiving cards. These were really simply card designs using some fall themed papers I had in my stash.

The stickers were made from a plastic or vinyl material that gave them lots of shine and dimension.

I added a little glue to the back of each acorn to make sure they stayed in place.

The sentiment oval was raised up on foam squares.

I don't have many Thanksgiving sentiment stamps, but this is one that I do have.  I like the combination of fonts in it.

The DSP that I used for this one is VERY busy, so I added an arched rectangle die-cut to cover some of it up. It also provided a space for an acorn sticker and a sentiment. It was popped up with some foam tape. I did a little inking around its edges to define it a bit more.

Did you notice that I didn't cover the entire card front with the DSP? I used a scalloped border punch on the right side, and I also added a narrow strip of cardstock to draw attention to those scallops. I rounded both corners of the cardbase on the right hand side, as well.

Here's a little sloser look at that acorn.

This is another of the sentiment stamps I have from the same set. I think I'm going to have to look for some new T-day stamps for 2026, as I've used these two sentiments on a LOT of cards!

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

Cheryl

Oh, deer, another year...

 

The sentiment and the die-cut of the deer were laying on my work surface, and I wanted to use them on a card before they got lost in the shuffle.

I was also using some 6" X 6" scenery papers for Thanksgiving cards. I suddenly realized that I could put all three items on a card.

After adhering my chosen scenery panel, the deer was glued directly to the card front. I thought it looked as though it was walking down that path towards the trees in the hills. The sentiment circle was popped up with foam squares.

I stamped a simple sentiment on the inside.

Yesterday, we attended the "signing ceremony" at our grandson's high school. He has commmitted to attend Boston University on a swimming scholarship next year. This ceremony was a way to congratulate him and other athletes at his school who have earned scholarships and committed to other universities. Each of their high school coaches had some nice things to say about them, and parents and other family members were there to show their support.

This is a photo of Patrick "signing" his commitment as he sits between his mom and dad. It will be fun to follow his swimming career in Boston beginning next fall.

We have a granddaughter who will also be graduating in the spring and heading off to college. She hasn't committed to a particular university yet, but she's a great soccer player, so I hope she gets to use her athletic skills at college, whether its on a school or intramural team.

This is one of her senior pictures that were taken just recently. She's a beautiful girl--inside and out--and she wants to go into nursing. I think it's the perfect field of study for such a kind and caring girl!

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

Cheryl

When the embossing folder is too narrow...

I have a beautiful 3D embossing folder, but the design that it embosses is not a full 4" wide. Its length is fine; in fact, it's about 6", so I actually have to trim it down to fit an A2 base. It's only the width that is a problem.

I could certainly alter the size of my card base to fit the embossed design, but for this card, I didn't want to do that.  Here's what I did instead:

Since I was making a wedding card, I decided to add some sparkle on each side of the embossed design with a couple narrow strips of aqua glitter cardstock.

This angle shows the gorgeous embossing. I love the different levels of a 3D design.

I used the flat space in the center for a stamped sentiment and a few gems. There's never too much sparkle on a wedding card!

I stamped a sentiment on the inside and added another strip of the same glitter cardstock I had used on the front.

This card actually looks so much nicer IRL. I don't have the photography skills to do it justice.

It turned cold in Minneapolis this weekend. We even had a dusting of snow. We used the heated seats and heated steering wheel in my new car when we were out and about. What a nice feature they are! My DH says I'm getting soft, but I can tell he enjoys them, too.

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

Cheryl

A pumpkin out of ovals...

I know that Halloween has come and gone, but I thought I'd share this card anyway because pumpkins work for Thanksgiving cards, too.

I have a few pumpkin dies, but sometimes I just want to try my hand at creating an image a little differently. This pumpkin was made from three die-cut ovals. I cut them out and then inked them around the edges before adhering them together.

I tried tilting the left and right ovals this way and that and finally decided they looked best if I tilted them slightly toward each other at the bottom, making the top of the pumpkin just a bit wider.

I hand cut a stem and die-cut a bit of of ivy for some green around the top.

The face was stamped with one of the jack-o-lantern face stamps from my stash. It could definitely be drawn on with a fine-point black Sharpie or cut from black cardstock and glued on.

I die-cut the white arched oval and then embossed it with a textured embossing folder.

The sentiment was stamped and popped up on foam tape.

I stamped two sentiments on the inside. The "Happy Halloween" could easily be changed to "Happy Thanksgiving." 

This would make a sweet card to send to a granddaughter, don't you think?

It sounds like some cold weather (and maybe even snow!) will be here by Sunday. Oh joy. I really dislike the cold. I'm just so thankful that I have a new car with heated seats and heated steering wheel. It's a Toyota Corolla Cross (small SUV) hybrid, and I am enjoying driving it.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #225: Anything Goes or (Option) Add Twine...

It's a new month at Let's Craft and Create, and you know what that means--a new challenge!

For this month's challenge I decided to use some ancient dark green twine that I knew I had in my stash...somewhere. After finding it, the first idea that came to mind was to use it to make a Christmas wreath. 

After adhering a panel of DSP to my kraft card base, I used a pencil and a circle die to lightly trace a circle on it. I added narrow pieces of double-sided tape at four different spots on the circle and then, starting at the center top, I carefully added the green twin, following the pencil line. The tape held the twine in place perfectly!

When that was done, I thought it looked too bare, so I die-cut a few small holly leaves and glued those in place. To finish the wreath, I added a red ribbon bow and a few Nuvo Drops for the red berries.

The sentiment was die-cut, backed with red cardstock, inked around the edges and popped up with foam tape.

I stamped a sentiment on an off-white panel for the inside and added a couple of holly leaves and Nuvo Drop berries.

Since I was in a Christmas card making mood, I decided to make another one.

This card features a couple of die-cut trees and a more traditional use of that dark green twine. The sentiment was created the same as for the first card, except this time I backed it with dark green cardstock.

I used the same stamped sentiment on the inside of this card.

Do you like using twine on your cards? I often use it and have quite a supply of types and colors. I've even been known to use plain old string, which can easily be colored with alcohol markers if you want something other than white.

I hope you'll join the fun and create something you can share on our website here. You'll find lots of inspiration from the Design Team at that link, too.

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

Cheryl

Danke...

I needed a thank you note to send to some extended family members in Germany. We spent a night with them during our recent trip, and I wanted them to know how much we appreciated their hospitality.

I have a "Danke" (Thanks) die which I used for the card front.

I used some of the pretty Dollar Tree vinyl on a navy blue mat for the front of my card. If you'd like to see other cards I've made with this vinyl, you can check them out here.

I also cut a white circle and a slightly larger navy blue circle for my "Danke" die-cut. The circles were adhered together and then popped up with foam squares.

I also cut and colored one of my favorite butterflies, using the blues and greys that are in the vinyl.

A few gems (one for the butterfly body) finished the front.

I created a German sentiment for the inside and printed it with my computer. It says, "Heartfelt thanks for your warm hospitality."

My DH and I are finally getting over our colds. They were pretty awful, but we're definitely on the mend now.

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

Cheryl

It's your birthday? Already?...

 A super fun image was offered for use online, and I took advantage of it to make this card:

Aren't those cats funny? I added the cat image to a Word document, made it the correct size, and then attached the sentiment to it. Once printed, I just had to cut it out and add it to my card base. The only embellishing I did was to add some Glossy Accents to the eyes and the gold dots you see in the corner.

I also printed the inside sentiment with my computer and added a couple of stamped paw prints.

This was such a quick card to make, and I loved the final result. The customers at the thrift store, where I donated a couple of them, seemed to like them, too. 

I mentioned our trip to England and Germany in my last post, so I thought I'd share a photo here. This is our grandson Sebastian, standing in the quad of Magdalen College in the University of Oxford. He looks like he's a "proper English student," don't you think?

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

Cheryl

Son-in-law birthday card...

We just returned from a two-week trip to England and Germany. While we were in Heidelberg, Germany, we celebrated our son-in-law's birthday. This is the card I made for him:

For the vest and tie, I used some die-cuts my sister had given me long ago. I think this was the last of the die-cuts she gave me, but they were fun to use while they lasted.

In this photo, you can see the pocket (I inked around its edges) and the little buttons I created with Nuvo Drops.

I popped the entire vest up on foam tape.

On the inside, I created a mechanism that popped two additional messages out from under the "Happy Birthday" panel.

This picture shows how they slide back under the panel as the card is closed.

*****

We had a nice time on our trip, for the most part, but both came down with terrible colds while there. Our son-in-law is a pediatrician, so he was acting as our personal physician, prescribing a specific medicine regimen for each of us. Even with his personal care, we are still fighting those darn colds! 

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

Cheryl

A not-so-scary Halloween cat...

 

I love this Halloween cat die set. This year I made it extra special by die-cutting his eyes from glittery self-stick ribbon. Don't you love the sparkle?

I added a couple of bats. Doesn't every Halloween card deserve a couple of bats?

The ribbon the cat is sitting on is from my stash. 

I used a silver metallic pen on the web string the spider hangs from, but it doesn't show up as well as it does IRL.

I stamped the sentiment and popped it up with a couple of thin foam strips.

I came up with a little Halloween poem for the inside of the card and printed it out with my computer. Feel free to use it, if you like.

One more die-cut bat finished the inside.

This is it for Halloween cards this year. I had so much fun making all of them. I know I've said this before, but they really are my favorite cards to make.

I hope you enjoyed making a few, too.

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

Cheryl

Halloween cards for the grands...

 

I had fun making five cards like this one for my granddaughters. The ghost die-cut is on an action wobble, so a little flick and it flutters! The bat is another die-cut with popped up wings. The sentiment was stamped and popped up, as well.

This is the inside of the card. The DSP (it's lightweight, like copy paper) was cut at 5 1/4" X 12" and scored at 3", 4", 5", 6", 7", 8" and 9". I lightly folded it on the score lines, but I did not burnish the folds--not yet.

I added double-sided tape to the backside of the left three inches and glued it down, making sure there was 1/8" of black on the top, left and bottom.

Then I added double-sided tape to the back of the right three inches and carefully added it to the right side of the card base. 

When that was done, I closed the card and firmly pressed down on the area over the accordion folds. The folds will adjust slightly so that the card easily opens and closes.

When that was done, I decorated the inside with stamped sentiments and die-cut bats and ghosts. The white panel on the right measures 2 1/2" X 5".

Another example of a card for a granddaughter.

And the inside.

This one is for one of the boys. The little pumpkin and the sentiment are popped up with foam tape. The background is an embossed panel that has been lightly inked using white ink and a finger dauber .

And there were pumpkins and speech bubbles for the skeletons inside!

Another card for one of the boys.

The design on the left was on the DSP. It was a little long and ran onto the first accordion fold, but I thought that was OK.

Also, the orange was light enough that I decided it did not need a white panel on the right. I stamped the sentiment directly onto the DSP and will be able to write a brief note and sign our names there, as well.

These were so fun to make and a great way to use up some of that thin DSP. They offer a nice surprise when they're opened, too. 

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

Cheryl