Happy Birthday, Mia

Our daughter’s birthday is coming up and I was at a loss for the birthday card I wanted to make for her.  She is really into sewing now and is doing all she can to learn more about that craft.  She has signed up for sewing classes and her hubby gave her a serger for Christmas.  I normally don’t purchase any stamps other than Stampin’ Up! Since Stampin’ Up! doesn’t carry sewing related dies, I used a Sizzix die that I purchased years ago (Sewing Elements).

The Designers Series Papers (Bird Ballard), card stock (Pool Party & Basic Gray),  inks (Basic Gray), buttons, baker’s twine, and stamps used are Stampin’ Up! products.

She and her hubby and their two little girls came by today to celebrate her Dad’s birthday which was January 3rd.  While they were here, we also celebrated her birthday by giving her the card.  I added an inside pocket so that we could place her birthday money in it. Her birthday is Tuesday (January 15th) and she plans to come over and visit us on her birthday.

She asked me to bake a Chocolate Cake for her birthday so I will definitely have to get busy making it for her. I will post a picture of it and the recipe used after baking it.

She loved her card (and the gift inside of it).

Birthday Card for Hubby

Birthday wishes today to my husband of 50+ years.  We will celebrate 51 years in March. He wanted a home-cooked meal of Steak, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Green Peas, Rolls and Sweet Tea.  I also baked a Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate Cake for dessert.

I used the four egg-whites left after making the Coconut-Pecan Frosting to bake a Heavenly White Cake. Hubby requested Pineapple Frosting.

 To make his birthday card, I searched Pinterest for masculine card ideas.  I really liked cards made by Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator Amanda Bates, so I pretty much CASE’d one of the chards she made.  I did make a few changes along the way.  one of the major changes I made was adding a Pool Party card base of 11 x 5 1/2.  The sentiment on the front of the card is from “A Good Man”.  The images are from “Waterfront” and “High Tide”

I used “A Good Man” and ”Stitched All Around” stamp sets for the inside of the card.  I encouraged him to do absolutely NOTHING on this day because it was his birthday and his first birthday of the new 2020 decade.

All products are from Stampin’ Up!
Card stock used:  Pool Party and Shimmery White
Inks: Pool Party, Soft Sky, So Saffron, Tranquil Tide, Wisteria Wonder

Birthday Wishes to My Daughter

  

Stampin’ Up! Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Healing Hugs (Images)
Butterfly Basics (Sentiments)
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Pear Pizzaz
Dies:  Stitched Shapes and Layering Squares
Ribbon:  Cherry Cobbler

Happy 74th Tabitha

I haven't sent my friend a birthday card for the past couple of years and I'm determined to get this card to her this year.  I made a card for her last year and the year before and was not pleased with it.  I do hope I got her age correct.  If I didn't, she may no longer consider me her friend.

Happy Birthday, Tabitha!!!

Swirling Butterflies

I am finally getting a chance to post a card I made the other day for the SUO154 - Delightful Dies challenge.  

Dies:  Rose Garden Thinlits Die; Florish Thinlits Dies
Punches:  Bitty Butterfly; Elegant Butterfly
Paper:  Very Vanilla; Basic Black; Basic Gray; Flirty Flamingo; Timeless Elegance DSP

My card base is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored in half at 4 1/4".  I cut 2 1/8" from the right side of the front of the card.  I watched France Martin's YouTube Video for instructions on the Fun Frame that I attached to the half-front (easier to see the half-front panel in the second and third blog photos).

I used the Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Write marker to color the flowers on the Timeless Elegance DSP.

     

Beautiful Bunch of Flowers

I am really rushing trying to complete the TCTC6 challenge before it closes.  I've been busy this week getting my craft room back in order after receiving paper holders from Stamp-n-Storage. They were a bit expensive but worth it; I am now able to find the card stock I need pretty quickly.

To make this card I used SC578, a sketch challenge  from Splitcoaststampers.  I used Whisper White card stock as my card base with Blackberry Bliss panels.  I stamped the flowers using the Beautiful Bunch stamp set in Perfect Plum and Rich Razzleberry. I stamped the butterfly using Papillon Potpourri stamp set with Perfect Plum.  The centers of the two Rich Razzleberry flowers were stamped with Perfect Plum and cut out and layered on top.  The center of the Perfect Plum flower was stamped with Rich Razzleberry and cut out and layered on top.  I dry embossed each of the Blackberry Bliss panels with Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.

Stamp Sets:  Beautiful Bunch, Papillon Potpourri
Inks:  Blackberry Bliss, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry
Card Stock:  Blackberry Bliss, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
TIEF: Deorative Dots, Fluttering, Lovely Lacy Fancy Fan (Retired)
Banners Thinlits
Elegant Butterly Punch

My Splitcoaststampers Gallery

Pleats, Pleats, & More Pleats

Today's tutorial gives directions on making a Pleated Skirt card.  It was so easy that I made several much-needed cards.

I've got a lot of DSP that I've hoarded over the years and one of the SCS challenges from earlier this year is to Lose Weight Feel Great ... I'm losing weight by using up some of my old DSP.  I've also not used this Apothecary Art stamp set in quite a while.

SUOC141 - Happy Birthday is to make a Birthday Card. I hope this qualifies because one of my cards is a birthday card.  This card can really be used for any occasion.

Love my butterflies (Papillon Potpourri)

My Splitcoaststampers Gallery

A Field of Flowers

Another entry for the Just Add Ink Challenge to Just Add Nature.  I made a card for this challenge a few days ago using this same flower stamp using Stampin' Up!'s 'You've Got This'.  Since I was up in the air over whether I wanted to add a dragonfly or butterflies, I decided I needed butterflies with all these flowers.



Visit My Splitcoaststampers Gallery

Dragonfly Thanks

Butterflies are usually my go-to when I stamp flowers on my card and the new challenge on the 'Just Add Ink' blog, is to Just Add Nature, JAI#296,  I'm adding a dragonfly and flowers as my nature items.  I used the colors listed in the current 'Color Tree Challenge' TCTC3 of Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Gold, and Mint Macaron to color my flowers and dragonfly.

I stamped the flowers twice (You've Got This stamp set) on Very Vanilla card stock using Basic Black ink, then cut out three extra flowers to pop up on top of the ones stamped on my Very Vanilla panel.  I colored the centers of the flowers using my gold Wink of Stella pen and colored the leaves in Mint Macaron.  Even though it's hard to see, I colored the flowers with the Wink Of Stella glitter pen.  I stamped the dragonfly (Awesomely Artistic stamp set) in Soft Suede, cut it out, then covered it in embossing ink to add stability and shine to it.  I stamped the sentiment (An Open Heart) in Mint Macaron.  I Used my Apothecary Accents Framelits to add my sentiment at the top of the card.

My Splitcoaststampers' Gallery.

Birthday Wishes to my Hubby

This is the front of the birthday card I made for my husband using retired Stampin' Up! DSP.  I have a ton of DSP that I've been hoarding for years and I have resolved to make use of it this year.

I wanted to make a card with a different type of fold and he got a kick out of opening up this card.

I once saw this fold demonstrated on the Carol Duvall Show when she was on the DIY and/or HGTV channel.  I loved those crafting shows and was sad to see them taken away one-by-one.  I found directions for this fold again on Karen Burniston's YouTube channel. 

I used a combination of Stampin' Up! DSP and stamps (Another Great Year, Big Day) and Tim Holtz's Dies to decorate this card.

Stamps Galore

Card Collapsed

I'm loving last week's Color Challenge:  CC541 Rose Red, Mint Macaron, and Tip Top Taupe.  I used it to make another card for today's Technique Challenge TLC545 Fussy Cutting.  I pulled out quite a few stamps to make this card some of which, before today, had never been inked up.

Stamp Sets:
Gorgeous Grunge
Butterfly Basics
You've Got This
Best Thoughts
Best of Butterflies
Wetlands
Express Yourself

Partially Opened

Inks:
Rose Red
Mint Macaron
Tip Top Taupe
Black StazOn
White Gel Pen

Fully Opened

A Pictorial Tutorial:

4 1/4"x2 3/4"; 11 1/2"x5 1/2"

Score at 1/4"; 3 3/4", 7 1/4"

 

Cut away 5/8" at top left on first 2 panels

A closer look at cutting away 5/8" in picture #3

After 5/8" cut away

Fold on score lines using bone folder

Cut away small tab on top left side

After tab cut off. 4 1/4" x 2 3/4 panel from  picture #1 will be attached here.

Attach 4 1/4"x2 3/4" panel from first photo to the 1/4" strip

Decorated card & template of card

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

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,

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

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

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.  

Happy Birthday Mother

This is a card I made for my mother and mailed to her in celebration of her 94th birthday this month (she turned 94 on Wednesday, March 19th).  We will have the large family gathering on Sunday at her home and I plan to make another card for that occasion.

Sunday will be both a celebration of her birthday and a time when we will reflect on the life of my brother who passed away last month.  We are all still mourning his loss but our plan is to share our memories of him in an effort to bring smiles to the faces of our mother and our sister-in-law.

I CASE'd this card from Karen Barber's gallery.  I am a huge fan of hers and admire each and every card she makes.  Her card can be found Here.

Swirling Butterfly Sympathy

Sympathy cards are ones we don't really want to need but they are necessary.  I am always caught off guard and, as a result, ending up making one at the last minute.  I really love this stamp set from Stampin' Up! because it makes a quick and easy card with minimal coloring.  It's been a while since I've used the Center Step Fold method and this stamp set seems perfect for it.  This is for one of the ladies in our church choir who recently lost a family member.

This is the outside of the card.  Below is a view of what the card looks like inside.  The image is colored with Island Indigo and Pear Pizzazz markers and the sentiment is stamped in StazOn Black.  I stamped the butterflies in VersaMark ink then embossed in white detailed embossing powder.  I used the Honeycomb embossing folder also.  Card stock: Very Vanilla and Island Indigo.

For You

Today is my husband's birthday and this card/money holder is for him.  My plans are to prepare a nice breakfast for him, then treat him to lunch/dinner at a really nice restaurant later today.  Our daughters are banding together to treat him to some type of  'Biggie Surprise' tomorrow.  They won't give me a clue as to what they have up their sleeves.  I can't wait to see what they have planned for him.

This project is also for the SCS WT460 Challenge... Crafty Goals 2014.  One of  my goals  is to make at least one project per week and my husband's birthday gave me the incentive for week one... one down, 53 to go.

Chalk Talk Stampset & Framelit Die
Inks: StazOn Black, Always Artichoke, VersaMark
Card Stock: Always Arichoke, Naturals Ivory
TIEF: Square Lattice, Fancy Fan
Ribbon: Always Artichoke Seam Binding