Thanksgiving Thank You

I wanted to send a thank you card to my friends who invited me to celebrate Thanksgiving with them this year. I had the centerpiece of the card already made and just added a layer of punched cardstock, a Spellbinders label with a Hero Arts "Thank You," and some brown ribbon...voilà!

November Birthdays

Thought I'd try something a little different for my November birthday people. The stamp is "A Girl and Her Cake" by The Cat's Pajamas. I colored her with Copic markers and used Pearl Pen for the cake's icing. The patterned paper is Life of the Party Charmed Trees in the Lime Twist collection from My Mind's Eye.

À Bientôt, Professeur!

I've had a substitute teacher for the past five weeks in my third semester French class, and yesterday was his last day with us. We all grew quite fond of him and were sorry to see him go. I decided to make a little farewell and thank you card for him. I used a vintage carte postale and added one of my favorite stamps: the French chicken, complete with a glass of wine and a baguette.

Halloween Frog

Thought I'd use a stamp set I hadn't used before - the Halloween Frog set from the Inky Antics Honey POP Collection. This creates a 3-D pop-up on the inside. I had planned to make a few of these, but it ended up taking me MUCH longer to make the card, so it looks like it will be a one-only production. The Copic markers used: V15 & 17, YR16, Y38, E31, 50 & 55, YG00, 11 &13, and BG000. The spider web punch is from Martha Stewart. The patterned paper is Eerie from Fancy Pants Design.

Laurie Mika - Class Project

I'd been wanting to take a class with Laurie Mika for over a year and was finally able to attend one yesterday. We made a mosaic book cover. Naturally, I went for a french/Parisian theme. I even got to use rubber stamps on the project. The main/central image uses a frame stamp, and that is attached to a larger stamped image underneath it. Two of the white glass squares were stamped with Staz-On ink, and the two matching rectangular tiles on the sides and the two across the top and bottom were made from rubber stamp images.

Considering it was my first time to work with polymer clay, I'm pretty happy with the results. I just might have to try another project some time.

Thanks a Bunch

I had my first birthday celebration today - lunch and a nice outing with a friend, so I wanted to get a thank you note in the mail to her right away. The patterned paper, the stamps, and the die cut are all from Papertrey Ink - they work perfectly together.

Sun Conure Birthday Bird

A friend is having a birthday next week, and since he loves his Sun Conure parrot, I thought I'd use this "Party Bird." I noticed that I used him in May of last year, but instead of coloring him, I used patterned paper. This time, since the recipient is a bird lover, I thought it would be better to at least try to approximate the colors of his parrot. I really like how my Copic colors came out - nice and bright! As with my previous version, I used the Cuttlebug "Happy Birthday" embossing folder, but added the EK Success birthday present punch along the top.

My Cousin's Birthday

One of my cousins is just a month older than I am, so since we're both celebrating a big number this year, I decided to send her a fun card to start off the celebration. This is a similar layout to one I used in June with a different central stamped image. The bunny/birthday cake stamp is a new one for me from The Cat's Pajamas, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

50th Anniversary Card

I just found out that my neighbors are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, so I came up with a golden card to celebrate their golden anniversary. The numbers dies are from Papertrey, and the doily die is from My Favorite Things. I used a piece of glittery gold mesh over some gold cardstock, and the doily is cut from some platinum shimmer cardstock.

Birthday Card for Pamela

I saw this delightful rose-patterned paper, "Life Stories 'Roses' Paper by My Mind's Eye, and immediately knew I had to use it to make a birthday card for my dear friend, Pamela. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the scalloped edges, a Spellbinders label die, and sentiment by Waltzing Mouse.

Masculine Birthday Card

My nephew asked me if I could make a birthday card for him to give to a friend of his - how could I refuse?! Making a card for a man I don't know is really a bit of challenge, AND since it's being given by my nephew, that adds another level of consideration....can't make anything too cutesie. Plus, the recipient of the card makes FABULOUS cards himself, so the pressure is on! I ended up going with a more graphic design and remembered these Big Candles by Hero Arts - just what I needed. The previous time I used these candles, I heat embossed them in black then colored in the candles with markers. This time, I white embossed the candles onto colored paper and like the result. The sentiment is also Hero Arts from the Life of the Party Birthday set. All stamps are mounted on top of the Cuttlebug birthday embossing folder.

Sympathy Card

A sympathy card for a dear friend. I recently received this stamp, Hero Arts Large Lotus Pattern, and the Distress Stains: Weathered Wood, Antique Linen and Walnut Stain. The sentiment is also Hero Arts, Just Because. I got the stamps and stains because of a beautiful card that Shari Carroll did on June 15, complete with a video showing how to do this watercolor with Distress Stains technique. I wasn't sure how I felt about the result at first, but now like it very much.

Summer Camp - Card #2

Here are the inspiration colors for week two of Summer Card Camp:

And here's my project:

I started with this new border die, Catalina Border, from Memory Box. At first, I was going to color the flowers, but after I found the butterfly stamp, Hero Arts Clear Design April, I decided to color the butterflies and keep the flowers white. The butterflies are colored with three colors from the Color Box Classic Queue. The stem and leaves are colored with Copics. I used Paper Trey's Edgers #3 to cut the black background, and the Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder for the white background. The sentiment is also Hero Arts: Message Circles. Plus, it's difficult to see, but I wound a very thin black ribbon three times around the middle of the black cardstock.

Summer Camp - Card #1

Yes, I decided to go to summer camp - for card making! It's a four-week online class that will, hopefully, provide some new ideas and lots of motivation. One of my favorite stampers, Jennifer McGuire, is one of the main teachers, so I'm sure it will be a quality program.

Anyway, this week's inspiration involves using some summery colors: pink, orange, purple, blue and white. I chose some Hero Arts stamps, Bold Pop Flower and Heart Blossom. The patterned paper is Bunny Love from Best Creation, Inc., and the embossing folder is from Sizzix. I also used Viva Decor pens for the little dots in the center of the flowers.

"Tweaked" Card

I wonder if everyone else does this. I make a card and as soon as it's completed, I think of changes I want to make to it. Well, right after I finished my last card, I kept thinking that it needed something else. I thought about adding a critter of some kind and remembered this little guy - one I hadn't used before. Luckily, my sentiment label peeled off without any damage, and I was able to add a duck ("Lucky Ducky" from Verve stamps). I liked the result so much that I made two more cards of the same design. Would you believe I've now completed all the birthday cards I need for the month of July?! Woo Hoo!!

Birthday Card for my Cousin

My previous card is going to my aunt, so since my cousin lives with her, I wanted to be sure to make her something different. I'm happy to again use some stamps from my collection that I haven't used before. I hadn't used the banners before because I wasn't quite sure how to "string" the banners across the card. I checked out the gallery over at Taylored Expressions and got some inspiration there. The banners (stamps and die) are from Taylored Expressions, "Pennant a la Carte." The sentiment is from an older Hero Arts cling set, "Number One." The patterned paper is "Bunny Love" from Best Creation Inc. The white panel was embossed with a Sizzix folder. Glitter pens were used to some sparkle, and Nestabilities Wonky Rectangles finished it off.

Birthday Card for my Aunt

I did so well (for me) in getting all my birthday cards made for May and June that I decided to get a head start on my July birthday cards :) This one is almost an exact copy of birthday card #12 from June 5th - I just added a couple of pearls and used some delightful pearlized lavender-colored paper. I'm planning to send this to my aunt.

Thank You Cat

I saw two different sets of friends this week that I hadn't seen for quite a few months. I got gifts from all of them and wanted to be sure to get a thank you note off quickly to them. This is Daisy Love by Penny Black, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts Message Circles. Once again, stamps I haven't used before.

Graduation Card

My niece's elder son is graduating from middle school, so it gave me the opportunity to break out some new/unused stamps. The ribbon (and "Congrats" banner) is a stamp and die set from My Favorite Things. The background, which reminds me a bit of fireworks, is embossed with clear embossing powder with the Magical Background cling from Hero Arts. I used Color Box ink for the white star, Memento black for the circular frame and banner, and Viva Decor pen in Anthacite.

12th Birthday Card

I wanted to do a special birthday card with a flower for my neighbor's 93rd birthday. I used white embossing powder on Hero Arts 3 Dotted Flowers, and the birthday sentiment is from Hero Arts Find Joy clear set. The large scallop is from Taylored Expressions, and the smaller scallop is actually a Martha Stewart punch. And, this is birthday card #12 - I did it!

9th, 10th & 11th Birthday Cards

I liked the 6th birthday card so much (from May 23) that I made it again in different colors for three of my cat friends. Yellow always reminds me of summer, so I hope my June birthday folks enjoy this.

8th Birthday Card

My neighbor turns 70 in a few days and this is the card I made for him. It's similar to a card I made for my grand nephew in February, though I used different colors and added the punched image (by EK Success) at the top. Certainly, no stamping here - just a Cuttlebug embossing folder (Numbers), a Nestibilities die (star), and Papertrey Inc. dies (70). I like the bold, graphic look of it.

And, I'm more than halfway through my goal of 14 cards for May and June! All of my May birthday cards are done, and I've even completed a few for June. Phew, the pressure is off for now.

7th Birthday Card - Did I smell birthday cake?

This is almost an exact copy of a card I made in February. A few of the changes were the addition of googly eyes to both of the mice, changing the Nestabilities dies, changing the color of the frosting, and adding dots to the white, embossed paper. All other card making information is in my February 13, 2011 post.

6th Birthday Card - Eat Dessert First!

Several of my May & June birthday folks are cat people, so here's a little cat stamp that I think they'll all appreciate. I'm really pleased at how the two Nestabilities, one in white and one in blue, fit together to make perfect alternating colors. The main stamped image is from Stampendous. The dotted background, Hero Arts Raindrop Background stamp, was stamped in Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I used Copic markers C3, E50, E33 & E31 on the cat. A Bronze Viva Pearl Pen makes the fun cake frosting. The dotted ribbon is from Michael's. I've always liked its sentiment - "Life's uncertain...eat dessert FIRST!"

5th Birthday Card

I'm feeling pretty good about finishing up card #5, and it's the second card in two days - that's really good for me. This card is the same design as card #2 but with different colors. The sparkly patterned paper really adds to the overall effect. One thing I did not do was mount the rubber stamped image up on foam tape - I'm planning to mail this card and think it will be easier for it to remain intact with a flatter profile. I did still use googly eyes, though - I can't resist 'em.

4th Birthday Card

Card #4 for the month of May (or maybe June). It has the basic format of card #3 with a little tweaking - I do seem to like tweaking - and different color scheme. I used the same rubber stamps as in card #3 and similar (but different color) paper, Confetti by American Crafts, as used in cards #1 and #2. I'm not sure who'll get this card, but I have plenty of birthday people to choose from. I do like these colors. I used Copics Y000, Y36, YG11 & YG13 on the cake, and E57, E55, E33 &E50 on the critter. I love the Viva Pearl Pen highlights on the cake!

3rd Birthday Card

Here's the third card I've made for the month of May. This might go to my grand nephew. The cake is from Hero Arts cling set "Hip Hip Hurray;' the racoon is from Stampendous - I colored both stamped images with Copic markers. Three sizes of Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles finish it off. I also used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder on the white rectangle, and dots from a Viva Pearl Pen are used around the edge of the two blue rectangles.

2nd Birthday Card

Here's my second birthday card: same paper, same rubber stamp, and same punch, but with a bit of tweaking. Plus, this time I added a Spellbinders Nestabilities die background. I like the way the solid color background helps to make the stamped image "pop." I think I'll try it in different colors next.

Lots of Birthdays Coming!

I just checked my list of birthdays for May and June. Ideally, I'd like to make 12 birthday cards, so I'd better get hopping! To get things rolling I started with a Hero Arts clear set, "Life of the Party Birthday," that I haven't used before. I was inspired by a card over at the Lily Pad Cards blog. The dark pink paper (Botanique from American Crafts) is actually the flip side of the polka dot pattern, but in this photo the dots seem a bit more coral than pink - they're more pink in person. The "Happy Birthday" is a Martha Stewart punch. I think I may try this again with some different color combinations.

Special Card for my Nephew

My nephew asked me to make a special card for him in honor of his deceased mother, my sister. He asked for yellow since that was her favorite color. I chose butterflies as they represent transformation. He seemed to like it a lot.

The butterflies die is from QuicKutz; the punch is Martha Stewart.

March Birthdays

March ended up being one wild, turbulent month. Luckily, I started a couple of March birthday cards before all the madness began. My good friend, Judy, and my wonderful French teacher, Danièle, both received this card, and they both liked it a lot.

This is basically the same design as I used for a card in February - just different colors. Once I find a design I like, I tend to make it several times.

Valentine Cards

I'm late to get this up on my blog, but still wanted to share. I found these adorable kitty & puppy Valentine cards that were originally marketed for children to use for Valentine's Day. I just couldn't resist them, and started to think of how I could incorporate them into something fun.

I ended up cutting out the individual kitties/puppies and mounting them on top of some scalloped circles.

I used scalloped hearts on the inside. The kitty cards had "You're a purrrfect friend" inside. The puppy cards had "You're a grrreat friend."

Did I smell birthday cake?

This MAY be my last birthday card for the month of February; at least, I can't think of any other birthdays to acknowledge in the next two weeks. So, if I'm smart, I'll start working on my March birthday cards (three that I can think of), and maybe even a St. Patrick's Day card or two...IF I'm smart.

Back to the card of the day - this was for my friend, Joe, who happens to LOVE cake, especially chocolate cake. I'm proud to say I used a number of items I haven't used before - always good to use what I already have. First is the delightful stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie, colored with Copic markers, and the cute "Did I smell birthday cake?" stamp from Claudia Rose. Next, is the Nestabilities die that I'd had for a while but never used. Then, the embossing folder I recently purchased from Sizzix. Lastly, the birthday candles punch is from EK Success.

Oh, and check out the inside of the card:

Another mouse stamp by Kraftin' Kimmie with greetings by Hero Arts. I have to give myself a pat on the back for trying something else new. I originally used Picket Fence Stickles giving the cake a white frosting look, but since I knew this card was going to a chocoholic, I decided to try and chocolatize (is that a word?) the glitter. Sure enough, a nice, dark brown Copic marker did just the trick - yippee!

Another February Birthday

I wanted to make something special, and very mailable, for my dear friend, Jane. I hadn't used this Hero Arts stamp yet and, after looking at Jennifer McGuire's blog and seeing dustypenny's cards on Flickr, I came up with this. I can't believe that I never used to use die cuts or punches - now I can't live without them!

Happy Birthday 10-Year-Old!

My niece's younger son is turning 10 in a couple of days. I wanted to make something eye-catching and fun - I think this does the trick. This was my first time to use Papertrey's number dies - they're great! Below is the inside of the card using the EK Success candles punch and the Martha Stewart Happy Birthday punch:

It's 2011! January birthday cards

January is nearly gone already - this month always seems to speed by for me, and this year is no exception. I have managed to make three birthday cards this month, which is HUGE considering I hadn't made any in about three months!!

The first two, for my friends Mary and Connie, use the same basic design and stamp (from Penny Black), but different background papers and a little difference in Copic coloring - what a difference that can make. Oh, and I thought to add wiggly eyes to the second one - love how that turned out!

On the second card, I used double-sided, patterned paper that's a delicate, floral pattern on one side, and solid orange on the reverse side. For me, the solid orange seems a bit too dark as a contrast to the floral side, but I decided to stick with it anyway.

My third card, for my friend, Lyn, uses products from Papertrey Ink. Lyn & I go to the movies together, so I used a ticket-shaped die-cut, a ticket-shaped "Impression Plate," and Papertrey's coordinating "Just the Ticket" rubberstamp set. I kept the card simple by using black and white and really like the result.