Hello

My card for today was kind of an experiment using  the SCS Try a New Technique... Camouflaging Die Cuts, TLC540.   I really like this technique and will definitely use again.

Stamps:  Flower Patch, Hardwood Background

Dies: Flower Fair Framelits, Hello You Thinnest, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits

Inks: Watermelon Wonder

Cardstock: Watermelon Wonder, Whisper White

Hello

Front.  I inverted the Fun Fold

This just in... my new Stampin' Up! Supplies.  Love them. The SCS New Technique Challenge is to "Look Into My Window".  Also, This is also for the SCS Color Challenge Pools of Wisteria Bliss.  New Supplies... New Challenges... New Folds (for me).  I followed LeeAnn Greff's  directions for her Corner Fold Fold Card on her YouTube Channel.

Inside of Card

Thanks So Much

Front of Card

Inside of Card

I've never tried the Chalkboard Marker Magic Technique before.  I don't have many solid image stamps but after trying this technique, I'll probably add more to my collection. 

Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Basic Black
Blendabilities: Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, and Old Olive

VersaMark Ink and White Embossing Powder

Calypso Coral Ribbon

Butterfly Basics Die (Inside of Card)

Stamps:Oh, Hello; En Francais; Serene Silhouettes

Remembering our daughter this Memorial Day Weekend

To My Dear, Sweet, and Beautiful Angela...

It was a year ago today that I last heard your sweet voice and saw your beautiful smile. I cherish those last weeks spent with you because we had no way of knowing that God would perform the ultimate miracle of calling you home to rest safely in his arms ... forever.

Oh how my heart aches for you... I miss you dearly. You were my first born and I thank God for blessing me with you.  I thank Him for the short time we had together, and for allowing us to spend your final hours here on earth with you.

I think of you every day and will continue to think of you every day for the rest of my life.  I look forward to the day when we are reunited again as a family... until then, just know that you were and still are loved beyond measure.

I'll love you always... Mom

Happy Mother's Day

Card Front and Envelope

My Mother was admitted to the hospital a few days after the big finale of her 95th birthday celebration.  After her health improved, she was released to rehab.  Great news... she goes home tomorrow and she gets to spend Mother's Day in the comfort of her own home... there's no place like home.

The latest SUO Challenge #121 is to make a Mother's Day card or project; this card is for my mother.  After the new SU! catalog was revealed on line, I fell in love with a card pictured on page 26 ... I CASE'd it but  used my Honeycomb EF. Other SCS challenges for this card: WT530, SUO, WT528 Inside and Out. 
All products are from Stampin' Up!

Inside of Card

Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Butterfly Basics, Sweet Laughter, a Delightful Dozen

Card Stock:  Pool Party, Whisper White

Other Products:  Basic Jewels, White Detailed Embossing Powder, Honeycomb EF

Ink: StazOn Black Ink, VersaMark

Dies: Ovals Framelits, Butterfly Basics Die

Another View

Happy 95th Birthday, Mother

Before adding the banner

My mother's 95th birthday was March 19th but our tradition is to celebrate her for the entire month of March. I wanted to make her a really special card this year and I saw a really neat money cake on the Internet and I decided to try my hand at it.

After finishing the cake, I was at a loss as to what to use as a topper. I subscribe to the SUO Challenge Blog and the latest SUO Challenge was #119 - Fun Folds. My Fun Fold is a Pop-Up Box Card and I decided to use it as her birthday cake topper.  The tutorial for this card can be found on the Splitcoaststampers website Here.

My Mother loves watching hummingbirds and butterflies so I had butterflies popping out of the. Pop-Up Box Card. She absolutely loved it (as you can see from her reaction) and I was really pleased with it myself... so was the rest of the family.

The finished cake

Surprise, Mother!!!

True Friend

During the pastor's message at church yesterday, members of the congregation were asked if they had two or more friends...  This gave me pause to think because I only count people as friends if I consider them 'True' friends... someone I completely trust.  I have at one person I consider a true friend and this card is for her.

I made the flower by punching 5 flowers out of Wisteria Wonder Cardstock using the SU! Medallion punch, then securing together with an antique brad.  I added a little shimmer by mixing alcohol with Champagne Mist, then spritzing it all over the flower.
 

Challenges: SUO; TLC526 Punch and Pleat; CC522 Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Wisteria Wonder, Dessert: A touch of green; WT523 Triple Play

Stamps: Let Your Hair Down, Flowering Flourishes

Other: Champagne Mist; Flower Medallion Punch; Edgelits Border, Fancy Fans TIEF, Antique Brads

Spring Forward

Today is National Daughter's Day and I really miss my eldest.  Spring is just around the corner and I had her in mind as I made this card.  When she and her sister were little girls, they would always be on the look-out for the first flowers of Spring to pick and give me.  Next week her dad and I will place fresh flowers on her grave.  Angela... this card is for you...

SCS Challenges:

• IC484 Beautiful Cookies: As I waded through the cookies on today's Inspirational Challenge, I was reminded of the old mason jars I displayed my flowers in from my daughters when I came across these cookies.
• TLC524 Stamped Acrylic Block Background: I loaded my acrylic block with Soft Sky, misted with water, then stamped onto Whisper White cardstock.  I then loaded my acrylic block with Pink Pirouette, misted the block again, then stamped it on top of the Soft Sky ink.
•  F4A264 Baby Pinks & Blues: Pink Pirouette and Soft Sky.  I also used Lost Lagoon, Rose Coral, Strawberry Slush.  I really wanted a spring feel on this card.
• To get the dimension on the flowers, I used the rounded tip of a ball point pin to roll over the backs of the flowers to break down the fibers in the Cardstock and puff the flowers up in the centers. I attached the flowers with glue dots to slivers of clear plastic and extended them from the jar through a slit that I cut in the top of the jar, 
• CAS315 Ribbon:  Is any card really complete without adding ribbon or a butterfly.  I used some of the Rose Coral ribbon on the jar, then tucked a butterfly behind one of the flowers.
• WT521 Hoop It Up: My got plenty of use from my Framelits today.  I also used my Petite Petals Punch to punch out my flowers and added brads to the centers (Brights, Neutrals, & Vintage).

Stamps:  Perfectly Preserved, Petite Petals, Papillon Potpourri 

Framelits: Cannery Set, Ovals Collection, Circles Collection, Starburst, Edgelits

Papers: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette DSP & Pink Pirouette Cardstock 

Inks: Memento Black, Rose Coral Chalk, Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette, Lost Lagoon, Strawberry Slush

Brads: Brights, Neutrals, Vintage

Ribbon: Rose Red

Perpetual Birthday Calendar

 Birthdays have a way of sneaking up on me and I am usually 'last minute' making cards for friends and family.  I decided to make a Perpetual Birthday Calendar to keep on an easel near my desk in my craft room so that I can keep track more closely.  This calendar is double-sided... six months on the front and six months on the back.  The total overall size of it is 8" x 10" and I can easily frame it and hang it on the wall if I need to.  I'll just have to flip it over at the end of each six months. I made this calendar using the same colors and card stock that I used in my previous post. 

*Stamps:  Notes & Details, Best of Flowers, Gorgeous Grunge, Blooming with Kindness, Bliss (Sale-A-Bration), Full Calendar (SU! Retired)

*Inks: Early Espresso, Soft Suedes, Crumb Cake Blendabilities

*Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Thinking of You

This is for SC529 (Sketch Challenge) and F4A262 Free for All).

For the F4A262 challenge, we were to use Kraft  or brown cardstock.  Since I didn't have any Kraft cardstock, I decided to make a masculne card using Crumb Cake and Early Espresso.

 

*Stamps:  A Happy Thing, Wetlands, Best of Flowers, Gorgeous Grunge, Blooming with Kindness, Bliss (Sale-A-Bration)

*Inks: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake Blendabilities

*Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

 

I made a second project using these colors and it will be in my second post.

 

 

Friendship

I have several views to share with you in this post.  I made this Stationery Box to give to my sister for her birthday next month and I will include two each of the following: Thank You, Get Well, Birthday and Sympathy.

Since this is a card and a project, I ended up using a lot of my stamps, some retired but all Stampin' Up!.  The main image on my card is one of the new stamps from the 2015 Occasions Catalogue, Butterfly Basics.  I love butterflies so I stamped one of the butterflies in VersaMark ink on Vellum, heat embossed using white embossing powder, colored the back of the butterfly with Blackberry Bliss ink, then attached it to the image panel.  I forgot to snap a picture of the inside of my card.  The inside sentiment is from a retired SU stamp set, Friend to Friend.

The tutorial for the Stationery Box can be found here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/stationerybox/.  I made a few changes... I made a small notepad rather than the pocket for the stamps.  I will still add stamps in one of the pockets I created in front of the card holder.  

I was inspired by Brandy to use a layout she used on one of her cards (http://brandyscards.com/). I didn't have the stamp set she used for her background so I substituted the Hardwood background stamp and it worked just fine.  I just received by Bow-Builder Punch so I had to try it out.  Worked perfectly to complete the outside panel for the stationery box.

Stamps: Lotus Blossom, Butterfly Basics, Papillon Potpourri, Notably Ornate, The Nicest Things, Rue Des Fleurs, Hardwood, Perfect Blend

Card stock: Blackberry Bliss, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Vellum

Inks: Blackberry Bliss, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz

Bow Builder Punch, Oval Punch, Little Letters Thinlits, Basic Jewels

Butterfly Wishes

I spent the day making cards in my craft room and decided my final card of the day would be for the SCS Featured Stamper Gallery.  I wanted to use some of my new supplies and I wanted to use the Emboss Resist Technique on my card.

Stamps: Indescribable Gift, Butterfly Basics
Inks: Tangelo Twist, Mossy Meadow, Daffodil Delight, VersaMark

Congrats!

I'm usually a few days or a few weeks late making cards for SCS challenges.  I wanted to use some of my new stuff so I used some of the new DSP and inked up one of my new stamps for the Ways to Use It challenge (WT512). I also used Wednesday's Sketch Challenge (SC526), and Tuesday's Color Challenge (CC516).  The color challenge was to use Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, and Melon Mambo; the Dessert option was to use Vellum.  

I stamped the butterflies on vellum in VersaMark ink and heat embossed them using white embossing powder. I colored the backs of the butterflies with the darkest of the Melon Mambo blendabilities.

The poppies were stamped Whisper Whitehite card stock, fussy-cut, then colored with Pink Pirouette and Melon Mambo Blendabilities. The Edgelits die was used to give interest to the side of my strip.

I sponged Melon Mambo and Pink Pirouette onto the Irresistibly Yours DSP before attaching it to my card front.  

Supplies (all supplies are from Stampin' Up!):
Card Stock: Vellum, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Irresistibly Yours DSP
Stamps: Simply Wonderful (Sale-A-Bration), Papillon Potpourri, Pleasant Poppies
Inks: Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, VersaMark
Other Supplies: Basic Jewels; Edgelits Die, Stampin' Blendabilities, White Embossing Powder,

Thanks So Much

Sneak Peak of Front and Back

Catching up on my Blog Posts:

SCS Challenges:
Wednesday's Pop-Up Diorama Card
Wednesday's Sketch Challenge: SC524
Ways to Use it - Ovals: WT515
New Technique - Triple the Possibilities: TLC517

Stamps & Accessories (Stampin' Up! Only:
Image Stamps: Papillon Potpourri
Sentiments: For Your Country, Blooming with Kindness

Papers:
Whisper White Card Stock; Paisley Petals DSP
Inks: Tangerine Tango, Memento Tuxedo Black

Punch/Framelits:
Ovals Collection;2" Punch
Butterfly Punch

Front View

Front

Inside of Card

No Calories Here

This is the card I made for my husband's birthday this year.  I was inspired by SCS Challenge F4A256, Cutting Back Calories.  When our children were growing up, I always baked cakes for birthdays but now that it's just the two of us here, I don't bake as much.  He loves cookies and milk so here are his cookies and milk... minus the calories.

Front of card

Inside of card where Gift Card was inserted

Beautiful People

This is for SCS TLC514,  'The Ones Have It': One piece of cardstock, one large stamp image, one sentiment, one color ink, and one ribbon.


Very Vanilla and Raspberry Ripple Cardstock
Raspberry Ripple Ink
Raspberry Ripple Ribbon
Stampset: People Like You

8 1/2" x 5 1/2" cardstock scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  I made a mask using the 'People Like You' stamp, then stamped the image on the outer edge of the folded card.  I placed my mask over the image and stamped another flower at the top.  I also stamped the top of the flower at the bottom of the card, then fussy-cut around the edge.  Tied a ribbon and added raspberry ripple cardstock inside (5 3/8" x 4 1/8")

Just Because

This is for today's SCS Challenge:  F4A241
Repeat After Me ... use one stamp and stamp multiple times.  I stamped the 'Stampin' Up! Corner Garden Back Ground stamp three times and cut the large flower out to layer on top.  Added bonus: Use pink since we are in the month of October... Breast Cancer Awareness.

This is also for Wednesday's Sketch Challenge: SC508.  




Card Stock: Melon Mambo; Blushing Bride ; Mossy Meadow; Very Vanilla
Inks - Blendabilities: Melon Mambo; Rich Razzleberry
Stamps: Corner Garden; Notably Ornate

RIP My Darling Angela

Where to start... my heart still aches... I still can't believe she's gone.  Our beautiful daughter, Angela, passed away this past May and we are still devastated and in disbelief.  I can still see her smiling face... hear her voice... hear her laughter ... see her in various stages of her life from infancy through that fateful day in May when God called her home.

Angela with her Babies

Boot Camp Picture

Angela had just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan this past November and we had so many things planned together.  She was a Certified ZUMBA Instructor and was teaching classes, had  been accepted as a student at Le Cordon Bleu here in Atlanta (aspirations to become a personal chef), had just been hired by Gwinnett County PD (her job was 'Security Forces' in the Air Force) and was formerly a Police Officer in San Antonio, TX).  She had just moved back home (Georgia) and into her new home.  She had so many things on her To-Do list but God had something more in store for her.

Stretching Before Running (2013)

I still don't know how to answer questions on questionnaires that ask for number of children because I will always have two children ... God blessed us with two beautiful daughters and Angela was our first born ... she would have turned 43 this past September 16th.  Getting through her birthday was heartbreaking ...  it was the first birthday that I was not able to talk with her... sing 'Happy Birthday' to her... give her a birthday gift... send her a 'Happy Birthday' card.  Now I have no more hugs from her...  no more birthdays with her...  I love and miss her so.

Getting through the Thanksgiving and Christmas season is going to be so lonely without her.  Our other daughter and her husband are expecting a second child, a daughter, and she is scheduled to be delivered on November 11th... they are giving her Angela's middle name.  I love that they are going to do that... November 11th is Veteran's Day and Angela really loved Military life.  She was Active Reserve and was planning to re-enlist this past June for another six years, then retire. This just wasn't to be.

RIP My Darling Daughter
TSgt Angela Monique Steger
16 Sept 1971 - 27 May 2014

Birthday Greetings

Due to personal tragedies, I have been out of my craft room for the past few months. The worst tragedy was the death of our beautiful daughter...  DH and I are still in disbelief. She had just returned from Afghanistan this past November.

I finally decided to get back to work in my craft room to occupy my mind with things that I love doing.  She always loved getting cards from me.  Now I will craft with her in mind.

My project on my first day back is for today's SCS color challenge and this is a card that I have been wanting to CASE for quite a while; I admire any and all cards made by Karen Barber (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...p;thumbsonly=0).  I changed mine up a bit and cut around the flowers so that I could tuck the sentiment under.

Stamps are by Stampin' Up!: Simply Sketched (Hostess); Wetlands; Delightful Dozen (Inside Verse)
Card Stock: Garden Green, Crushed Curry, Elegant Eggplant
Ink:  Garden Green, Crushed Curry, Elegant Eggplant 

Enjoy your birthday card, Sharon... It's on its way to you.  

Toilet Tissue Mini Book

The Challenge:  
Mini Books from toilet tissue holders.

Stamps: 
My Friend, Loving Thoughts, Blessed Easter. 

Papers: 
Watercolor Wonder DSP

Card Stock: 
Island Indigo; Whisper White

Ribbon: Daffodil Delight 

Each tage/tube has a different saying on it.