Inking an embossing folder...

 I decided that I wanted to have another go at inking up an embossing folder. I selected one of the few 3D folders that I have and used some blue Distress Oxide ink on it.

I was really pleased with the coverage I got. I used a brayer to ink up the background side of the EF and kept my panel of cardstock in place so that I could brayer on more ink several times. Once that was done and the ink had dried, I glued the panel to the front of a white card base.

I think the Distress Oxide ink works better for this technique than any other ink I've tried. Also, using a brayer helps to get nice, even coverage.

I used a glitter pen to add just a tiny bit of sparkle in the creases of the flowers where some ink occasionally settled. I also glued on a few pearls.

The stamped sentiment oval was one I had in my stash, and I simply popped it up on foam tape.

I stamped another sentiment on the inside and my card was done.

This was so easy that I think I'll make a few more in different colors for the thrift store to sell.

Now a little about out latest "adventure." We went on a RoadScholar trip to a guest ranch called Rancho de la Osa, which is about an hour south of Tucson, AZ, very near to Sasabe, Mexico.

This is one building with guest rooms on the ranch grounds. We had a large room with a fireplace in the middle of this building. It was built in the 1800s, so was quite rustic, but with everything we needed for comfort. It was also air-conditioned, so even in 95+ temps, we were comfortable.

Other buildings on the ranch included the hacienda, where we had three fabulous meals a day, a cantina where we gathered for some of our classes and to socialize with others in our group , additional buildings with guest rooms, and, of course, the horse barn and other outbuildings.

We rode horses most days. The horse assigned to me was named Boone. He was a gentle, patient soul, and we got along well. The trail rides lasted about 1 1/2 hours and took us into the Sonoran Desert countryside.

When we weren't riding horses or doing other outside activities, we had informative classes we could attend. One of them was a watercolor class, taught by an artist from Tucson. In the picture above, my creation is on the left and my husband's is on the right (guess who is the wine drinker in the family? LOL). We also had classes from experts on Navaho jewelry and weavings, desert plants and their uses, horsemanship, varieties of tequila and how they're made, etc. We enjoyed the classes as much as the trail rides and we're looking forward to another RoadScholar trip - maybe in 2023.

One early evening, after a sudden rainstorm, we had this beautiful sunset. It's a great reminder of the fun we had "getting our cowboy on" at Rancho de la Osa.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #188: Anything Goes or Colors of Fall (Use any or all of these colors - red, yellow, orange, brown)...

 

The beautiful month of October has arrived and it's time for another challenge at Let's Craft and Create. You can choose to enter any sort of card under the "Anything Goes" option, or you can create something using the fall colors of red, yellow, orange and/or brown.

I have chosen to use shades of brown to make a sympathy card. I believe that muted colors are perfect for sympathy cards, and I really liked how the browns and beiges looked on this one.

I started with some heavy, patterned cardstock to make my card base. I added the "With Deepest Sumpathy" die-cut that had been backed with one of the lighter shades found on the card base.

I die-cut a flower, but kept all the interior cutouts in place by adding some tape to the back of it.

I also added a little shading to the petals and backed the center with a very dark brown piece of CS.

The sprig of die-cut leaves in off-white added some nice contrast.

The inside was stamped with an appropriate sentiment.

I prefer making sympathy cards before I need them. It's so much easier to choose such a card from my stash, rather than making it at the last minute.

Now it's your turn. For some special inspiration, visit Let's Craft and Create to see what the Design Team has come up with. Even I am excited to see what my talented teammates come up with each month.

And don't forget--there is a prize you could win!

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

Cheryl

I always knew we would get old...

This is a card I made and sent to my oldest brother. I wanted to make it fun and interactive, so I adhered some stars to some clear strips of plastic that I salvaged from some packaging material. I glued the other end of the clear strips between the layers of my sentiment panel.

The stars bob and wiggle when the card is moved, so they add a bit of fun. The sentiment was printed with my computer and it was popped up on foam tape.

This is the inside of my card. I did trim that rough edge on the bottom of the card base. It's funny how you sometimes don't see stuff like that until you take a picture.

This sentiment was also printed with my computer. I have set up a form in Word where I can pull it up, add four sentiments, then print and cut them out. It's very quick, so I often use this method for sentiments, rather than searching through my stamps.

This is just a quick post today, as I have scheduled another post for October 5, when we start another month-long challenge at Let's Craft and Create.

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

Cheryl

Cherries on a fun fold...

 

Since I had some of this pretty, cherry-patterned DSP in my stash, I decided to make a card with it. This time I opted for a simple fun fold. This is one of my favorite folds--it's so much more interesting than the usual A2 card, but is still super simple to make.

The cherries were die-cut and adhered to the white panel after using a stamp to add a speckled background for them. The "Happy Birthday" was also die-cut. When I was done with that, it still seemed like it needed something, so I added the little triangular corners out of the green DSP, which I also used as a mat for my cherry paper.

Here is how the card opens up. The piece on the right is a separate piece that is adhered behind the white panel. You could actually make it any size you wanted.

And this is the card fully opened. I added a stamped sentiment to the inside panel.

Do you have a favorite fun fold? I'll admit that I have several. It's fun to make the more complicated ones if I have the time. These days, however, it seems I just don't have that much time.

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

Cheryl

Another quick baby card...

As I've mentioned before, I sometimes am given stickers (usually just odds and ends) when I volunteer at the thrift store. They give them to me in hopes that I can use them on the cards I make for them to sell. I've gotten quite a few baby-themed stickers, and here's a card I made with some of them.

The rectangle with the tiny buttons was a sticker, as was the teddy bear sleeping on a cloud with the baby banner hanging beheath it. I just placed the bear on the green and pink panel before adhering both to my card front. The sentiment was stamped, die-cut and popped up on foam squares.

Each letter of the banner was also held in place with a tiny foam square. Those little stick-ums sure come in handy!

On the inside of the card I stamped a sentiment and added yet another sticker--a cute little gingham bunny!

I really do appreciate that the store offers me these stickers. They make quick work of some of the cards I make, and they seem to sell very well, even though they're not 100% handmade.

The store also gave me a stack of inserts for cards with embellishments like the buttons on the one above. These inserts are actually 4 1/2" X 6" and I just cut them down a bit for A2 cards. They are made of a fairly heavy cardstock, and I add a note to the customer to place them over the front of the card before inserting it into the envelope. I sure hope they use them!

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

Cheryl

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