A fun new sunflower die...

Recently I was going through my book of flower dies and found one that I had not yet used. In fact, I couldn't even remember when and from where I got it!

The blossom part of this die is all one piece, but the first row of petals is cut so that you can lift them up and put a small foam dot behind each one to lift them up.

The sentiment was stamped and popped up with foam tape.

You may be able to see in this photo how the petals are lifted up.

I colored the center with a brown alcohol marker, and then I added a few brown gems for a little sparkle.

The stem and leaves were cut from green cardstock and glued to the card front. There was actually a fourth leaf extending from the stem, but I cut it off because it seemed a little too crowded with it on.

I stamped a simple "Happy Birthday" on the inside.

Since this is the first time I've used this die set, I am adding it to Darnell's NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) blog.

I'm also linking this post to Darnell's personal blog, DJKardKreations. Her inspiration this week is to use a die, so this card "fits the bill." 

That's another idiom for you, Darnell! I did a little searching and found that it originated in 19th century theater. The "bill" refers to a list of performances.

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

Cheryl

One for the books...

This card showcases the last of my Dollar Tree book stickers. How I wish they would get more of these in stock, but I check each time I go and I haven't seen them for months and months.

I used the arched rectangle dies to frame the sticker and stamped sentiment. The arched shape and its mat are popped up on foam squares (also from Dollar Tree).

The sticker is 3D, and I think it looks so realistic. I even love the colors of the books -- they're perfect for a masculine carad!

I stamped another sentiment on the inside and added a single book sticker.

I have been on a mission lately to make more masculine cards for the thrift store. I always run short of them because I simply don't make enough. It's just so much easier to make feminine cards. 

So now I'm off to check Pinterest for some more masculine card ideas.

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

Cheryl

Diamond Art birthday cards...

I've seen a lot of Diamond Art projects online, so I decided that I had to give it a try. I ordered a set of six Diamond Art cards from Temu. It came with the card blanks (a numbered design on the front of each), the flat-backed gems in numbered packets by color, and the envelopes. The kit also included a tool with wax filler, with which you pick up the gems, and a little tray to hold the gems while you work.

The design on each card is covered with an adhesive, so you don't have to add that. You simply remove the acetate sheet from the front of the card and place the gems on the numbers. It's a bit like "paint by number." 

After I had completed placing the gems on all the designs, I painted on a coating of ModPodge as a sealer. You can purchase a special sealer on Temu, but I already had the ModPodge, and a little online research told me it would work well (it did!).

Here are the 6" X 6" cards, one at a time.

I didn't add any sentiments to the fronts, but I created a different verse on my computer for the inside of each one. I am giving all of these to my daughters and daughters-in-law, so I wanted to personalize each one. Here's an example of what I put inside:

Five of these were, or will be, handed to the recipient in person. The sixth one will be mailed next month, so I'm not sure how it will do. I will make sure it is marked "hand cancel" so that it doesn't go through the machines. I will also put a piece of cardstock over the design in the envelope to add a bit more protection.

These were fun to make. They definitely take more time than most cards, but I could work on them while watching TV, which was a plus. 

Since this kit was NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff), I'm entering these into Darnells latest challenge on the NBUS blog.

Have you tried Diamond Art yet? If so, I'd LOVE to see what you have made.

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

Cheryl

Cheers to you...

I was looking through my masculine die sets the other day and came across some fancy drink and small hibiscus dies that were part of a man's shirt die set. I decided to use them to create a couple of feminine birthday cards.

The leaf die was not part of the set, but I thought it looked like a tropical leaf, so I used it. I colored the drink in with a pink alcohol marker.

The orange flower was popped up with a small pop dot. All the other die-cuts were glued directly to the arched rectangle, which was popped up with foam squares.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside to finish the card, but as sometimes happens, I smudged it! To fix it, I cut a large, arched rectangle and stamped the sentiment on it. Then, I glued the rectangle down above the strip of DSP, which I had added previously.

I decided it looked okay since the arched rectangle mimiced the one on the front of the card.

This is the second card I made using the same small dies, along with a couple of circle dies.

The larger circle was glued directly to the card front, and the smaller circle was popped up.

The pink hibiscus was also popped up.

The sentiment on the inside was the same as the previous card, so I opted not to share a photo of it. 

We have finally gotten our cleaned and pressed drapes back from the cleaners. I hung them right away in the living room and dining room. 

Today, the new dining room rug will be delivered and I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks. I have a photo of it on my phone, but I really want to see it under our table! Once that is in place, we will have to work on wall decor. Everything had to be removed before the floors were refinished because of all the sanding dust. Of course, now I want to change things a bit, so that may take awhile.

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

Cheryl

Using vellum stickers...

A short time ago, I saw a card on Heartwarmers by Vicki that inspired me to make a couple of cards. I simply guessed at the measurements to use, and I think they turned out to be quite nice cards.

This design enabled me to use up a scrap of the striped DSP. I think it was 3" wide, and the navy blue mat under it was 3 1/4" wide. I made each matted piece just long enough to fit under the diagonal strip.

The flower is a vellum-like sticker that has some metallic gold highlights. The colors in it went perfectly with the DSP and navy card base.

The sticker is rather delicate, so I applied it to some white cardstock first and then die-cut the circle. This worked really well because it helped to embed the image into the white paper.

Each circle was then popped up on foam squares.

I made the diagonal strip of navy blue CS 1" wide, and the white mat under it is 1 1/4" wide.

I used Night of Navy ink to stamp the sentiments on the front and inside.

I have a lot of the floral stickers in different colors, so I think I'll be making more cards like this to donate to the thrift store and to have in my own stash of cards.

Our new sofa and one of our new end tables has been delivered. The second end table should arrive today. New furniture is so much fun!

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

Cheryl

Birthday card for a young man...

 One of my handsome grandsons turned 20 recently and this is the card I made for him:

It's a pop-out fun fold that is a simplified version of the one that is made in this tutorial. 

I think most young men dream of owning a pickup--unless they already have one, of coursse--so I used a pickup die-set to create this one. I even put some vellum in the back window, although you can't see it.

The balloons were all popped up with foam squares and a black piece of thread was attached to each one. 

The letters were stickers, and the word "Birthday" was stamped onto the tailgate.

I used metallic silver cardstock for the bumper, lights and sideview mirrors. The brake lights have a red dot glued to the little metallic circle.

I used some gray, nubby vinyl for the eight small sections you see here. I thought it might resemble some vinyl upholstery in a pickup.

Both sentiments on the inside were stamped. I just had to make sure that the second one was in the center so that it would be covered up when the card was closed.

This was a fun card to make, and it really isn't difficult--just a little time-consuming.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #221: Anything Goes or Punch It! (Use a hand punch and/or die)...

 

It's time for another fun challenge at Let's Craft and Create. This month you can choose the usual Anything Goes option, or you can opt to create with a punch or die (or both!).

I chose to start with a scalloped circle punch. I hadn't used it in a very long time, and it was definitely due for a little action.

I wanted to make a couple of children's birthday cards and decided to create some Sesame Street characters with my punch.

I chose a slimline card base that measured 3" X 7 1/2". I pulled out a stencil from my stencil drawer, some inks to match the the colors of the characters I would make, and began inking up my card front.

For each character, I first punched a scalloped circle from the appropriate color of cardstock.

I used a small circle punch to punch two white circles for each character.  I also used a 1/8" single-hole punch to create small black circles for the eyes.

The sentiment was stamped, matted with black and popped up on foam tape.

A small circle die was used to create Cookie Monster's mouth. I simply cut the circle in half. Then I punched another small circle for the cookie and used a small, scallop-edge die to make the bitten end.

Elmo's mouth is the other half of the circle used to make Cookie Monster's mouth, and his nose was made with the same punch used for the eyes.

I fussy-cut Oscar the Grouch's eyebrows and added them to his eyes after cutting off a bit of the white.

The mouth was cut from a circle die-cut and the tongue was 1/2 of a circle that came from the middle of an "O" die. 

Big Bird's top feathers were fussy-cut from some yellow scraps.

His beak was made with a die for a narrow leaf. I just cut it twice out of two different colors of cardstock and layered them.

To decorate the inside, I added a strip of cardstock the color of each character to the top and bottom before stamping a sentiment.

Since this card has some fun stenciling on it, I am adding it to Darnell's (DJKardKreations) weekly inspiration post.

Now it's your turn. I hope you'll join us with your punched and/or die-cut creations. Of course you can always choose the "Anything Goes" option, too.

Be sure to check out the Design Team's wonderful creations at Let's Craft and Create. The other team members always inspire me, and I know they'll inspire you, too!

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

Cheryl

Happy 4th of July 2025...

Each year I send only two cards for the 4th of July--to my two elderly aunts. One is 89 and lives in North Dakota and the other is 98 and lives in Montana. Luckily, on our recent RV trip, I was able to visit with each of them in person.

I made two of these cards to send to them:

I started with a blue card base and added some patriotic DSP to the bottom of it. The "happy" was cut with a "happy birthday" die. The number 4 and the little "th" were cut with a number die set that I have.

Each of the die-cut balloons is popped up with foam squares.

I added some marks with a white gel pen to indicate the shine on the balloons. Since it wouldn't show on the white balloon, I used a glitter pen on that one.

In one of my birthday stamp sets, I have some fireworks stamps, so I used them on the inside, along with a "celebrate" stamp.

I hope you have a happy and safe holiday. Ours will be filled with a lot of catch-up yard work. Every plant in our yard (including the weeds) seemed to grow an extraordinary amount while we were gone.

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

Cheryl

Dragonflies on a Z-fold card...

To make this card, I started with a piece of cardstock that was 5 1/2" X 8 1/2". With the long side across the top of my score board, I scored it at 2 1/8" and 4 1/4". The first score became a mountain fold and the second score, a valley fold.

I added a piece of DSP to the front that measured 1 7/8" X 5 1/4". 

I heat embossed the sentiment using some purple EP, then die-cut it and adhered the left half to the front folded section of the card.

A couple of metallic silver, die-cut dragonflies were added as embellishments.

The DSP for the inside measure 4" X 5 1/4".

I stamped the inside sentiment with purple ink onto white cardstock and then die-cut it, using the same die that I had used for the front. 

To get the right placement, I added adhesive to the back of the sentiment piece, and held it behind the die-cut on the front, making sure it matched exactly. Then I carefully  laid it down onto the DSP on the inside, so that when the card is closed, you cannot see it.

One more little dragonfly embellishment finished the card.

This is an easy card to make and looks much more complicated than it is. You can use almost any shape for the white piece. I've used plain and fancy ovals, circles and rectangles. You can even use two smaller shapes on both the front and the inside, if you wish.

We've just returned from a 14-day RV trip to Vancouver, Washington, and back. It was wonderful to spend some time with our granddaughter and our kids and their spouses who live in that area. We also stopped several times enroute to visit other relatives and friends.

While we were gone, our floors were refinished and some other carpentry and finishing work was done. Everything looks great and we're working now to get all the furniture and decor back in place. My plants need some attention, too!

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

Cheryl

Using another sketch...

 I wanted to use up a few more scraps, so I turned to a card sketch to help me do that.

First, I cut a green mat that was 3 3/4" X 5". The flowery piece measures 2 3/8" X 3 7/8", the yellow piece measures 1" X 3 7/8" and the striped piece is 3/4" X 3 1/2".

I also had some little pre-made flowers sitting on my desk in just the right colors, so I used them on this card, too.

I stamped a sentiment, used a circle punch to cut it out, glued it to the green circle, and then decided I didn't want to use that one. Ever do that?

So I stamped a new one, punched it out, and glued it right over the top.

The sentiment is popped up with foam dots, which enabled me to tuck three little flowers around the left side. I added a gem to the center of each one.

I had this computer-printed sentiment panel on my desk, so I used it on the inside of this card. 

And since those flowers were still sitting there, I added three more to the inside.

I enjoy going through my pile of DSP scraps to find some that coordinate well enough to use them on a card. I think sketches like this one are a great way to do that.

Did you know that there are TONS of card sketches on Pinterest? Just search for "card sketches" and you'll get more than you could ever use in a lifetime!

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

Cheryl

Colorful get well cards...

 

I had a partial sheet of this colorful DSP left and I wanted to use it up. 

This is almost an A2 size card . I started with a 4" X 11" piece of yellow patterned CS (it was what I had and I was ok with my card being 1/4" shorter than a standard A2). I scored it on the long side at 4" and 6 3/4". That left 1 1/2" of the inside (third) panel exposed on the right when the card was closed.

I added my layers to the top, along with a punched scalloped circle and a die-cut stamped circle with a navy blue mat.

The sentiment circle and mat are popped up with foam tape.

This is how the card looks when opened. The navy blue piece on the right is just over 1 1/2" wide. That left about a 2 1/2" wide area for my sentiment panel.

Then I decided to make an arrow caard with a remaining piece of the DSP. You can find instructions for how to make this card in this post. Once again I used a circle sentiment, but added a couple of simple foliage die-cuts before I added the navy blue mat. Then I popped the circle up with foam squares.

This is how the card looks when opened.

I stamped the sentiment and added a couple die-cut leaves.

With this card, you have to be mindful of how much the pointed front covers of the sentiment panel. You wouldn't want your sentiment to be too large or placed too low so that it could be seen when the card is closed.

I really do love making arrow cards. I think they have such an interesting look. They are a nice change from the standard A2. Also, they can be made in any size. You'd just have to measure where the half points are on the three sides.

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

Cheryl

"Quilt-y" thank you cards...

I came across a couple of AI images online that depicted lots of different scraps of fabric and reminded me of quilting. I thought the images seemed cozy and "down home."

After printing the images, I cut them to size and glued each of them to a coordinating card base. 

The only elements I added to this image were the die-cut "Thank You" and the three red dots at the edge of the circle. I think the creator of this image expected users to add some sort of sentiment to the blank circle.

There would have been room to stamp a small "thank you" in the white square on this image, but I decided to add a die-cut sentiment, instead. I also added a couple of purple dots in the lower right-hand corner. I know that many cardmakers recommend adding embellishments in odd numbers, but I only had two purple dots, so I went with them.

This is the sentiment, printed with my computer, that I put on the inside of each card.

Every once in a while I love putting together quick and easy cards like these two. I am amazed at the beautiful AI images that other crafters create and their generosity in letting others use them.

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

Cheryl

Using vinyl on cards...

I was given some textured vinyl sheets a while back, and I finally decided to cut into them for a few cards.

I know Father's Day has come and gone, but I wanted to share these with you anyway. The design could work for any occasion.

I thought the colors and texture of the vinyl sheets were perfect for Father's Day cards, so I pulled out a card sketch and followed it to make this one.

I used a very strong double-sided tape to adhere the vinyl. I didn't think liquid glue or tape runner would hold it well enough.

After the vinyl was adhered, I cut a leafy sprig out of black cardstock. 

The sentiment was printed with my computer and popped up on foam squares over the top of the leafy sprig.

I used another computer-generated sentiment on the inside and stamped a couple of small leaves.

I made a second card that used the same elements, except for the focal point. "You're the Best" is a very old sticker that was adhered to a decorative metal circle (from the same sticker set). 

To finish the inside of the card, I stamped a simple "Happy Father's Day."

Here's a closer look at that sticker. It has a slightly domed surface. I've had it for years--thank goodness I finally used it!

Do you save stickers when there are just a couple left from a set or do you chuck them? I tend to save them, but I've been working hard to use up some of the older ones I have in my stash. I almost always add glue to them, because I'm pretty sure they wouldn't stick otherwise.

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

Cheryl