Cute little dinosaurs...

 I found a sheet of dinosaur stickers at Dollar Tree and thought they'd be perfect for making some kids' birthday cards to donate to the thrift store. Here's what I came up with:

I thought the pink one would work well for a girl card.

I used purple cardstock for the base and some purple glitter cardstock for the sentiment.

The stickers are already layered and mounted on foam squares, so I didn't need to add anything else to them.

I also popped up each cloud on foam squares.

I made these two cards a few days after I had made the first ones. I still have enough dinosaurs left to make a couple more cards. I think that's pretty good for $1.25!

You can easily see the layers of the stickers in this photo. 

Children's cards sell quickly at the thrift store, and these were quick and fun to make, so I'm going to be keeping my eyes out for more stickers like these. 

We've had a couple of cold, rainy days here, so it's back to turning on the heat and wearing jackets when we step outside. Will Spring ever truly arrive? I do have some tulips that are being very brave about forming some pretty flower heads. They must be shivering at night, though, when the temperature dips to freezing and below. Poor things...

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

Cheryl

Another word-shaped card...

 

When I ordered the "HAPPY" shaped card die set, I also ordered "HUGS" and "XOXO."  These cards are fun and so quick to make. 

I popped up the word "Sending," but didn't add any other embellishments. I thought about adding a few gems, but felt if I left it plain, it could be for a male or a female.

I used an old wooden stamp on the inside. I really like this sentiment and wish I would remember to use it more.

I'm looking forward to making some Valentines with the "XOXO" die set.

My brother-in-law has come to live with us while he builds up strength and looks for an apartment. He has lived in Alabama for many years, but his health now requires him to be closer to family. My husband spent a total of about 5 weeks in Alabama since the beginning of the year, helping him when he was seriously ill and then helping him to get ready for the move. It will take time, effort and determination for my brother-in-law to become strong enough to live on his own, and we're doing our best to encourage him. He is very weak and unsteady when trying to walk up or down stairs, so we carried our stationary bike upstairs from the basement and put it in the back porch for him to exercise on. Fingers crossed that he'll use it every day!

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

Cheryl

Some shimmery, painted butterflies...

 I have this 3D embossing folder that is so pretty all by itself, but I decided to add just a little more to it. 

I got out my metallic paints and used them to paint just the butterflies. The large butterfly wings were painted with two different colors of shimmery paints, while the small butterflies were painted with a white metallic paint. This gave them a bit of shimmer, but no additional color.

I know that I need some practice on choosing colors and then blending them, but it sure was fun as a first try. I definitely plan to try this again. I just wish you could see the pretty metallic shimmer in the pictures!

I just happened to have this printed sympathy sentiment in my stash, so I cut it to size, matted it and used it on the inside of my card.

My hubs and his brother arrived back in Minnesota a couple of days ago. Mickey was so glad to see my husband, he went absolutely wild when he walked in the door. It took a few minutes to settle Mickey down again, but he's definitely happy to have someone else at home who pays attention to him. 

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

Cheryl

Hello Sunshine...

 

I had cut out a few lemons with my Silhouette for a commissioned card and had some left over, so I decided to make this card.. I added the die-cut fancy oval and a very bold stamped sentiment.

I inked around the edges of each lemon and then embossed them with a randomly bumpy embossing folder.

The leaves were created with some leaf dies in my stash. 

The largest lemon was popped up on foam tape.

I still had a small lemon, so I added that one to the inside of the card along with a stamped sentiment.

I actually still have three lemons left to make another "Hello Sunshine" card, which I hope to get done soon.

This week I have been culling some of the really, really old craft supplies in my craft area. I am either tossing them or donating them. It feels good to get rid of some of it. I had inherited a lot of items when my mother passed away in 1992. I figured if I haven't looked at them in 31 years, it's time to make them available to someone who will appreciate and use them. There were a lot of embroidery kits and craft books that I think someone else will enjoy. I also threw out a large box of dried and fake flowers that I had collected over the years. I saved just one little bunch of daffodils that I put on my dining room table.

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

Cheryl

Elegant border Easter card...

 

I made a few Easter cards like this one. I've had the fancy border die for a long time. It has been really handy for cards like this. The "Happy Easter" sentiment is also a die-cut.

I thought this fancy egg die went well with the border die. I cut it out and then adhered some turqoise  cardstock behind it with a piece of double-sided adhesive sheet cut to the size and shape of the egg. Once I had adhered the fancy die-cut to the backer, I burnished some clear glitter into the open spaces. 

As a final touch I tied a narrow ribbon around the egg and then popped the whole thing up on foam squares.

On the inside I added a computer-generated sentiment.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter, if you celebrate the holiday. If not, I still hope you have a great weekend with loved ones or friends.

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

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #194: Anything Goes with the option of Pink & Grey...

 

Spring has finally sprung, and Let's Craft and Create is back with a new challenge for April. You can, of course, enter the challenge using the "Anything Goes" option, but I have chosen to make a card following the "Pink & Grey" alternative.

When I think of pink and grey, I most often think of baby girls. They always look so sweet in pink and grey. In fact, when my twin girls were little, I loved dressing them in these colors.

I had a baby carriage die-cut in my stash, which had been given to me by a friend long ago. It was perfect to use on this card.

I added some pink vellum behind the hood of the carriage and some darker pink cardstock behind the opening that is the bed of the carriage.

The embossed area was highlighted by using a finger dauber to lightly add some darker pink ink. 

As a final touch, I added three gems--one on the handle and one on each of the wheel centers.

The sentiment was stamped and die-cut, along with a tiny heart, and then popped up on foam tape.

The intricate doily was die-cut (it's one of my favorites!) and then cut in half before being added to the DSP on the bottom of my card front.

As a finishing touch, a little rickrack was adhered to finish off the edge of the DSP.

The inside of the card featured a stamped sentiment and two more of those tiny, die-cut hearts.

I hope you'll play along with our new challenge. I'm really looking forward to seeing other creations in pink and grey. Also, be sure to check out the prize that is being offered. You'll find it here.

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

Cheryl

Sweet Easter bunnies...

 

I made four cards like these two for my granddaughters. Isn't that bunny so cute? I cut him out of off-white cardstock and then did a little inking and coloring on all the pieces before assembling him. 

I had printed a whole slew of strip sentiments onto some cardstock last year, so I used most of them on this year's cards. The bunny and the sentiment were popped up on foam tape.

I was also able to use up some scraps of DSP on these cards. I just had to find pieces that had coordinating colors.

And I used up the remaining white butterflies that I had purchased from Dollar Tree long ago.

I added a tiny dot to each eye with a white gel pen to give them a little life.

I found some free Easter egg clipart online to add to the inside sentiment. I liked the way the colors on the front of the cards were among the colors of the eggs.

I enjoyed making these cards, especially since the bunny didn't have too many tiny parts.

Mickey and I have been "batching" it the last week and a half since my hubs is down in Alabama helping his brother. We'll be alone for another week, before the two men make their way to Minnesota. One of Mickey's best attributes is that he LOVES eating the same dog food every single meal. No fancy cooking required! LOL

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

Cheryl