Beautiful butterfly...

 

This is such a simple card, but I actually really loved it when it was done.

I started by adding a panel of DSP to the front of my A2 cardbase. Then I cut the fancy butterfly out of some white cardstock. I also cut a solid butterfly that came in the same die set out of vellum and glued it behind the fancy one.

You can see the vellum a little better in this photo.

I use a die from another butterfly set to cut the turquoise body. I really liked the contrast.

The sentiment was die-cut from teal and then from white and stacked for dimension.

I printed the inside sentioment with my computer. I think I may have to make a whole set of cards like this in different colors this winter. They will remind me of spring when we're dealing with mountains of snow here in Minnesota!

Do you tend to make more cards during the winter months? I know I do. This summer has been especially busy with our months-long remodeling project, and I have struggled to get enough cards made for my stash and for the thrift store. Thank goodness for crafty friends like Lynette (My Stamping Addiction) who donates cards to the store, too.

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

Cheryl

Surprise Happy Birthday card kit...

Online crafty friend and wonderful cardmaker Shirley Hotop (Glittered Paws Blog) sent me a little surprise not long ago. It was a card kit for a colorful, glittery, and fun birthday card. Everything was in the kit (including some dot adhesive) to make the card base and front. All I had to add was a stamped panel for the inside.

Look at this fabulous card!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHIRLEY!!!

Shirley had done all the die-cutting, so it really was just a matter of  adhering the pieces to the front of the card.

She also including the strip sentiment. I did cut a few more strips the same size out of black cardstock and stacked them behind the sentiment to give it some dimension.

On the inside I stamped a sentiment. Shirley had included a glittery red outline of a balloon, so I glued the outline to a piece of red cardstock and cut it out. Then I glued this to the inside of the card and drew a string with a black pen.

This was such a fun and unexpected surprise. Thank you again, Shirley! You made my day!

To all whose blogs I follow and comment on regularly: I may not be commenting much during the next 10 days. I will be on an adventure, which I'll eventually share with you here on Paper Panacea.

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

Cheryl

Happy 16th birthday...

 My sister sent me several "fashion girl" images that were already cut out and ready to place on cards. Because they were images of young girls, I decided to use a couple of them for 16th birthday cards. I popped each girl up on foam squares.

I used a die that features a pierced design for the background. I really love these dies as they add such nice texture.

The "Happy" and "Birthday" were from a sticker sheet that I've had for years! They're tiny, so I haven't used them much, but I thought they worked fine for these cards.

I cut the "16th" out with a number die set. The swirly corner was also cut with a die from my collection of corner dies.

On the inside, I matted my sentiment panel with the same cardstock as was used on the front.

The sentiment was computer-generated.

These cards were fun to make. I actually made three of them and donated them to the thrift store.

While our company was here, we took them to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I love going there, and when I do, I always have to visit my favorite sculpture--the "Veiled Lady" by Raffaelo Monti (1860). I am always amazed that a sculptor could make you think you were looking at a lady's face through her veil, when it's all made of stone!

This effect is achieved by leaving the portion of stone that makes up the veil unpolished, and polishing the rest of the sculpture. It's actually more amazing than this picture shows. There are other sculptors who have created veiled ladies, so if you ever get a chance, go see one!

This is a picture of my son-in-law and me studying the Veiled Lady at the MIA.

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

Cheryl

Birthday wishes for a guy who fishes...

I saw this sentiment on Pinterest, and knowing that I had a fishing-themed die set, I just had to use it.

I printed four sentiments on a sheet of white cardstock first. Then I cut the cardstock into four panels that would fit onto A2 size card bases.

After adding a little color with a blending brush to the center of my panel, I adhered a die-cut rod and reel, a can of worms and a small red  bobber. Then I moved on to the inside where I added a fun pop-out.

The dangling worm on a hook was part of my die set. I drew the line in with a fine-tipped black felt pen. The fish is surprisingly easy to make. It takes just one cut into the card liner and a couple of strategic folds to create. I used a couple different sizes of die-cut hearts from patterned paper for the tail and fins. The inside sentiment was also printed with my computer.

The fish's eyes were made with a couple of small circle punches, and I stamped "Happy Birthday" on the pink piece of paper before adding it to the inside behind the fish's open mouth.

Since I made four of these to donate to the thrift store, I kept them quite simple. If I were making them for family members or friends, I would probably add some inking to make the background to look more like water. I would also add some water plants and maybe even a river/lake bottom.

Our kitchen is finally beginning to look like a kitchen again. The cabinet boxes were installed yesterday. Below is a photo of a portion of the kitchen. There are no doors on the cabinets, yet, and, of course, no appliances, but it will all come together before we know it!

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

Cheryl

Floral slimline card...

 My stepdaughter's birthday was in August, and this is the card I made for her. I stamped the image using a light-colored ink. Then I used a stencil and blending brush to lay down a very light base of color on each flower.

Instead of using the other stencils to add shading, I used my water color pencils and a water brush to add some depth to the petals and leaves. I also outlined each of the petals with a colored pencil.

When my coloring was done, I created a mask for my flowers so that I could use a blending brush to add some color to the background.

Using the water brush did cause my cardstock to warp, since it wasn't extra heavy. All I had to do to straighten it out was run it through my laminating machine. Voila! It became perfectly flat once again.

Finally, I stamped the sentiment, and then adhered the panel to my slimline card base.

For a final touch, I added some clear dots.

Since there is so much room on the inside of a slimline card, I stamped just the largest flower again with yellow ink.

This card took quite a while for me to make because I'm such a slow colorer, but I actually really enjoyed the coloring. I am going to try this process again with other stamp and stencil sets. I feel like I get better shading and have more control if I add it with colored pencils.

Do you like to use stamp and stencil sets? Even if you use all the stencils to add different shades of color, I recommend trying to add some additional shading with colored pencils. I figure if I can do it, anyone can!

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #187: Anything Goes or Frame It! (Option)...

Well, the summer has disappeared in a flash, and here we are in September. It's the beginning of fall in Minnesota--one of the prettiest times of the year when the leaves turn to red, gold and yellow. Sometimes, the tree-lined streets in my neighborhood are absolutely breathtaking!

Starting a new month also means it's time for another challenge at Let's Craft and Create. This month the challenge guidelines include "Anything Goes" or "Frame It!" Paper Nest Dolls Digi Stamps has generously offered to sponsor this month's challenge, so I've used one of their fun images for my card.

Meet Avery with Coffee (with glasses) from Paper Nest Dolls. Isn't she great? She was so much fun to color--not hard at all...really! I used alcohol markers plus a little chalk (for her cheeks) and a gel pen (for her glasses and the polka dots on her sweater).

I had so much fun coloring her, that I actually made two of these cards.

The scalloped oval--those scallops represent my "frame"--is popped up on foam tape.

I couldn't help but stamp and color a couple of coffee beans. I fussy-cut them and popped one of them up on a tiny foam square in the lower left corner.

On the inside, I couldn't choose between two stamps I had on hand, so I decided to use them both, plus a couple more coffee beans. I also decided that it is not a crime to stamp them at an angle. In fact, it's rather fun--no worrying about lining them up perfectly parallel to the top of the card!

Be sure to check out Paper Nest Dolls. I am sure you'll find something fun to play with; they have so many cute images.

We're looking forward to seeing your entries in our September challenge at Let's Craft and Create. Click the link to see lots of inspiration from the Design Team.

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

Cheryl

Cute little monsters...

 

I made these two fun birthday cards (to be donated to the thrift store) a couple of weeks ago. They sold immediately, so I definitely need to make some more. Those cute monsters were so much fun to make.

This was the first one that I made. His head/body is popped up on foam tape, but his hands and feet are glued to the card.

Look at those fangs and the claws on his feet! So tiny! I have to be careful not to lose them when I'm taking them out of the die.

The die also impresses some "spots" on his face, so I enhanced them a bit with some clear Nuvo Drops. I few "warts" just makes him more handsome.

I thought a purple monster would work for either a boy or a girl.

For this card, I die-cut the sentiment out of glitter cardstock and added a few holographic stars.

When I make more of these, I'm going to make a pink monster, too, with a little bow on her head. he he

For each card, I printed a sentiment with my computer. The word "big" looks a little faded in this photo because I had a smudge on my camera lens. I had already taken these to the thrift store when I noticed it in the photo, so I couldn't retake it.

Last night I went to a local high school football game to see my granddaughter perform with her high school marching band. They played prior to the game and also put on a half-time show. They were SO GOOD! One of the songs they played was Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and everyone in the band, except the tubas, baritones and drums, did a choreographed dance in between two run-throughs of the song. It was just great and so much fun to see my granddaughter, who was placed right up front with her trombone during "Thriller." I hope I didn't embarrass her with my loud cheering.

Anyway, I had a monsterous good time at the game.

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

Cheryl