Somebunny loves ewe...

I made this valentine for one of my granddaughters. The stamped images are from a set that I've had for a long time. The packaging is long gone, and I'm not sure what brand it is.

I stamped the bunny and the little sheep and added some  color to them with my ProMarkers. The sentiment beneath them was computer-generated, and I added a couple of dimensional (and sparkly) heart stickers.

I fussy-cut my images and popped them onto my card with some foam tape.

I used a strip of some pink and red Washi tape to provide a "floor," rather than having them floating on my DSP.

For the inside of my card, I also used a computer-generated sentiment, another strip of Washi tape and a heart sticker.

This was a fun and quick Valentine to make. I've still got a few to go, so my aim is to have them done and mailed in the next few days.

We are currently working on remodeling a bathroom, which has taken me away from my card making. I've been helping with the clean up each day and spending hours online learning about bathtubs, pedestal sinks and general remodeling tips. So far, we've nearly finished the demolition - what a mess! - and soon we'll begin to put it all back together. I've lived through a number of home remodeling projects in the past, and they have never been fun. This one is no exception. I'll be sooooo glad when it is "done and dusted," as they say.

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

Je t'aime, Valentine...

I have a beautiful 11-year-old granddaughter who speaks French quite fluently, having attended a French Immersion School since Kindergarten. I decided I should pull out my "Best Images of 2009" cartridge and make her a special French-themed valentine.

This image of the Eiffel Tower had also contained the word "Paris" in a smaller rectangle right below the tower. I decided to cut that part off and then add "Je t'aime," which I cut out using the Gypsy Font cartridge.

The red glitter paper behind the image really adds a rich sparkle to the card, and I added the gem heart for good measure.

The inside was kept very simple. I used my Lawn Fawn sentiment set to stamp "happy valentine's day" on a simple white mat. The heart punched from the same red glitter paper adds a touch of sparkle to the inside.

I hope you don't mind if I share a little story about my recent visit with another granddaughter who just turned 7. We traveled to Portland, OR, where she lives to celebrate her birthday, which was on January 30. We were all pleased when my son - her uncle - and his wife gave my granddaughter a Betta fish in a little tank, all set up with some cute decorative items to help the fish feel "at home." My granddaughter named her new fish Steve, and was absolutely delighted with her gift. She kept saying, "I can't believe I got a fish for my birthday!"

Well, Steve happened to be a star athlete kind of fish, and sometime during his second night in his new home, he jumped out of his tank - through a hole that was only about 1/2" X 1 1/2"!!!  He was in a tank made especially for Betta fish. It was a covered tank that had a small hole so that the fish could be fed without taking the cover off. Bettas are known to be jumpers, but through holes THAT SMALL?

My granddaughter was devastated and couldn't understand why Steve had jumped to his death just one day after her birthday party. She tearfully cried, "My F-I-S-H is D-E-D!" She wouldn't let any of us say the word "dead," as it was too upsetting for her.

To make a long story short, she was consoled when a new fish was purchased and she quickly named him Mars. My daughter put a couple narrow strips of tape over the feeding hole to make sure Mars stayed IN his tank. I teased my daughter that we all had to hope and pray she didn't find Mars sticking to those little strips of tape in the morning. We couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of this mental picture.

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

Pink and pretty Valentine...

I hope you all have had a great Groundhog's Day, with your local groundhog predicting only a few weeks for winter to last. In my part of the country, winter will go on for at least another six weeks. We even had a couple inches of snow today, which I shoveled off our walks and driveway in short order. Luckily, it was cold enough so that the snow remained light and fluffy.

I've been very busy making Valentines for my family members, so I thought I would share one of them with you today.

This was a very simple layout. I cut a piece of pink cardstock and embossed it with a Darice embossing folder.  If you look closely at the picture of this embossing pattern, you may be able to see the tiny hearts that are scattered in the design.

The center square is a stamped image that I stamped with Versamark and then embossed with white embossing powder. After embossing, I cut out the square and added a darker pink heart to the center. This darker heart had been punched from some pink glitter paper.

The scalloped border at the bottom is a sticker border that came on a sheet of embellishments that I received quite some time ago as part of a prize package. I simply cut it to size, stuck it down and then added a strip of pink glitter paper and some more hearts punched from that same glitter paper.

The inside is also pretty simple. The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn, and although you can't see it, I went over the letters with my glitter pen, so there is some sparkle there, too.

Another strip of the glitter paper and a final punched heart completed the inside of my card.

I'll be sharing more of my Valentine cards in the coming days. I'm feeling the pressure now to get them DONE and in the mail.

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

Happy birthday to a beautiful 7-year-old!

My granddaughter who lives in Portland, OR, is turning seven today, and here is the card I made for her.

Step cards are so much fun, and this one was no exception.  The focal image was created by Anna Stillwell of Cuddlebug Cuties. If you've never visited her blog, I recommend a little look-see at all her fabulous images, which she generously shares with her readers.

I colored the image with my ProMarkers except for her skirt, which I paper-pieced. I also added some Glossy Accents to her balloons.

After fussy cutting around the red balloon, I used a Lifestyle Crafts scalloped oval die to cut her out.

I'm not sure who made the circle happy birthday stamp, but it was stamped with Versamark and heat embossed.
















The buttons have also been die-cut with my Impression Obsession button dies. When I have time, I make them out of scraps of paper that are too small for anything else. I keep them sorted by color, so that I can easily find just the one I want.












The hanging hearts on each side of the card were cut with the Memory Box "Precious Hearts" die. After I took them out of the die, I used a stylus to round the heart out a bit and added a gem to the bow.

The inside of the card has a computer-generated sentiment and a couple more buttons for good measure.

I sure hope my granddaughter likes her card! This card took a while to make with all its little details, but I had a blast doing it.

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

Cards with a simple, springlike design...

I must be getting tired of winter and wishing for spring in a big way. When I decided to make a cards recently, I immediately thought "flowers!"

I love this Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder. I think it's perfect for cards like this, and the elegant pattern embosses beautifully. Since it is a very symmetrical design, it is also easy to emboss the top of the cardstock piece, then turn it around and emboss the bottom part, leaving space for a sentiment.

I have a little box of Recollection white and off-white flowers, so I grabbed one of those and a couple of my ProMarkers and went to work to put some life into the flower. I used two shades of blue, and believe me when I say this flower is even more vivid IRL.

The flower center is a cluster of microbeads. I squeezed on some Glossy Accents and then sprinkled micro beads on top of that. When it was dry, I shook off the loose beads, and voila! - a perfect flower center. My daughter gave me a set of 6 colors of microbeads for Christmas, and I am loving them!

The leafy branch behind the flower was cut with a Memory Box die called "Fresh Foliage." After die-cutting, I cut the fronds apart and adhered the pieces under my flower so that they fell the way I wanted.

I was so pleased with how this card turned out, that I decided to try coloring a few more flowers and creating a set of four cards.

I had so much fun coloring the flowers and seeing how they looked on each card.

I stamped a sentiment on only two of them and left the other two blank. It will be easy enough to stamp something appropriate when the need arises. I've also left the insides blank for writing a personal note or for stamping a sentiment later on.

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

Valentine's Day is just around the corner...

Can you believe that we are just a couple weeks away from the day of hearts and flowers, chocolates and cards, and best of all, hugs and kisses?

I have been busy making some Valentine cards along with all the other cards I've been working on. It seems like I'm making more cards than ever before. How is that possible? I haven't gained any new relatives or new friends to whom I am sending cards. Maybe I'm just slower in getting them made, and it only SEEMS like there are more of them.

Anyway, here's a Valentine card that I made recently. This one is decidedly more feminine than the last one.

This Valentine card was made using the traditional colors of red, pink and white. The background DSP is actually a deep pink and red pattern. I had fun adding a few sequins on this one.

I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder, but it doesn't look very white, does it? That's because it really is an off white. Does anyone know of an embossing powder that is a bright white after heating it? I'd sure love to have some advice on this, so that I don't have to try 8 or 10 of them before I finally hit on a truly white one. I've got two containers of "white" embossing powder now, and neither one is truly white.

I cut this pretty heart from the Best Images of 2008 cartridge. It has four layers, but was very quick to put together. The top red layer with all the flourishes was sprayed with some adhesive and then coated with some clear glitter.

You can just see that I've inked around the pink scalloped heart with a darker pink ink.

The inside is pretty simple - just a computer-generated sentiment and some red hearts punched from the same DSP that was used on the front of my card.

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

A Valentine card for my husband...

He is a dear man, but he doesn't read my blog...go figure...so I'm safe in posting his Valentine here before Valentine's Day.



I used a Lifestyle Crafts die called "Branches" for my branch, then added a couple of hanging hearts cut with the "Precious Hearts" die by Memory Box. The "I Love You" stamp is from a very old set - not even sure what brand it is anymore.

Here's the inside of my card with it's punch line:

My husband knows I like a good nap - especially on the weekends - so I think he'll appreciate this sentiment. LOL

Now, I just want to share what's been blooming at our house:

Isn't this a beautiful amaryllis? I love the contrast of the big, red blooms against the snowy looking weather outside.

This was a bulb that I picked up at The Home Depot in December. As we speak, all eight blossoms (four on each stalk) have opened up and it really looks impressive.

I've been reading online about the process in prepping the bulb for next year after the flowers have faded. Have you ever done this? I'm just wondering if it is ever successful. I'm not sure if I'll give it a try. Maybe...

Thanks so much for stopping by and allowing me to share a card and my lovely amaryllis.

Don't forget to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl