Repeat Blog #2 - Rudolph

Today I am prepared to share the other blog that had the disappearing photos with it.  This one is a Christmas card.  It used the owl builder punch which if you haven't guess by now is one of my favorite punches.  As my daughter says it is probably the best punch I have had in a long time.  The versatility of it is so great.  Now back to my card.

 

Here we see Rudolph before that magical sleigh ride he takes each year.  When I was growing up, I use to look forward to watching this Christmas special each year.  I still watch it every year and enjoy every minute of it.  I was so happy to be able to make this card in honor of Rudolph.  My base cared is Cherry Cobbler with a layer of Whisper White on top.  Now you may be saying "I don't see any white except the snow."  Well that is because I took the first layer of white and used my SU! pastels (chalks) to color it a light blue.  Then I tore several strips of white and layered then on top to create the snow.  I used a snowflake stamp from the retired stamp set called Christmas Punch.  I stamped them on the "blue" part of the card using VersaMark ink and heat embossed them with white embossing powder with some glitter in it.  I then used my handy two way glue pen to trace along the edge of the snow layers and added dazzling diamond glitter to them.  I bet that did not surprise you.   After all, you know how I like things to sparkle.

 

Here is little Ruddy.  Can you see the owl punch?  The owl body is used in 2 places here:  first as the head and then as the body.  For the head, you cut off the feet, add the owl builder eyes, and add a glimmer brad for the nose.  By the way, the color I used for the head, body, and legs is Soft Suede, edged with the same color ink.  The body is the owl turned side ways.  Trim off the feet and one ear.  The other ear becomes the tail.  For the legs, I used that little left over strip you get when you use the scallop border punch.  You know the one that is punched off.  If you do not have this you can use strips that are about 1/4" .  His hooves come from another left over strip in Basic Black.  For the antlers, I used the snowflake punch with Chocolate Chip card stock.  You can make 3 sets of antlers from each snowflake.  He is attached to the card using dimensionals. 

 

For the sleigh, I started by punching out a designer label in Cherry Cobbler.  I then trimmed it free hand into the shape I wanted for the sleigh.  I outlined the sleigh with gold glitter and set it aside to dry.  For the ski, I used Basic Black for my color on this one but next time I think I will use the Brushed Silver card stock.  Anyway, using my modern label punch, I punched out a piece of the black card stock.  I then trimmed it to be the shape I wanted for the ski.   Next, stamp 2 set of presents from the Load of Love Accessories stamp set using StazOn ink.  I used my SU! markers to color the presents, cut them out and placed then on my card in the sleigh.  Most of the presents I left attached to each other but a few had to be snipped off as individuals.  It is really not as bad as it may sound to do all the steps and the end result is definitely worth it.   

Well I must say I feel better now knowing I have posted this again as well as yesterdays.  I truly apologize for the pictures disappearing before.  I still do not know just what happened.  Oh well, I hope these stay for you.  Thanks for dropping by today.  Have a wonderful weekend and I will be back on Monday.

Repeat Blog #1 - Ellie the Elephant

Today I am going to share one of my favorite cards I made.  This is the first one I am re-posting.  I still have no idea why the pictures disappeared from the original blog but I knew I had to delete the blog and do it again.  After all, I really wanted you to see the cute card.

 

I call her Ellie the Elephant.  I made my first elephant from punches and share it with you on a get well card.  Not too long after making that one, I realized I could use the ornament punch for ears instead of the butterfly punch.  So I began working on my new little elephant and as I was developing her, I decided to turn her so you could see all her little feet instead of the side view profile.  The base card is Wild Wasabi with a layer of Bashful Blue on top of it.  The blue was put through the big shot using the perfect polka dots impression folder.

 

As I stated above, I used the ornament punch for the ears of this elephant.  The wide oval punch was used for the head with the eyes coming from the owl builder punch.   The trunk believe it or not is the large petal of the blossom builder punch.  For the body, I used the 2 1/2" circle punch while the feet are all made with the 1" circle punch.  You cut the bottom flat.  The little toe nails are a 1/4" punch cut in half.  The tail is the branch from the bird builder punch.  A leaf is used for the tip of the tail.  I bet you can tell the elephant is Basic Gray in color while the toenails are from Pink Pirouette.  The eyebrows, mouth, and wrinkles were drawn on using a fine tip black marker.  I added white gel pen to the eyes to enhance them.  

 

The peanuts were a bit of a challenge for me.  I had never seen any done and had to come up with this all on my own.   I started by using the small oval punch (not the retired one but the current one from the catalog).  I then used my 1/2" circle punch to snip a bit out of each side of the oval.  Using my scissors, I trim the sides into the shape I wanted.  The 1/2" circle is simply a starting point to do this.  However, you could just free hand cut the ovals into the peanut shape.  Once I had all my peanuts cut out, I placed them in the square lattice impression folder and ran it through the big shot.  I felt the texture really gave an authentic look to them.  I used Crumb Cake card stock for these and brushed the edges with Crumb Cake ink.  

I know you will agree she was just too cute not to let you see her.  So I hope there are no problems this time and I can leave this post up forever!!  Thanks for stopping in today.  See you tomorrow.

Pretty in Pink

My favorite color in the world is pink.  Now when I was little, I really loved the color red which is part of the pink family and my preference just seemed to evolve into pink the older I got.  It is frustrating to me because with my skin tone, pink does not look good on me.  I do wear it sometimes around my house but never out.  So I was thrilled to be asked to make today's card for sharing because the color scheme is pink. 

 

Isn't this just the cutest card?  Okay so if pink is not your favorite color, imagine it in a color scheme you would love.  Let's start by talking about the base card and background.  The base card is Rose Red.  This is a really deep pink, close to red but not quite there.  I then took a piece of Whisper White card stock and ran it through the big shot using the Petals A Plenty impression folder.  So far every thing is from SU! but here is where I go off the track.  For the center of the flowers, I wanted to use a glitter glue to highlight them.  Since SU! only has the Dazzling Details which is like a clear, I went to my box of Stickles.  I pulled out a color called Fruit Punch to use.  I think it looks great and added some dazzle to the card.  Let's look at the dress now.

 

I love these little dresses.  They remind me of a ballerina and of course, I took ballet when I was growing up.  This actually reminds me of a costume I had for a recital where I was a flower.  There was not an owl on my outfit, but it was pink.  This owl paper is not from SU!. I came across it at a local scrapbook store a few years ago and since it was pink with glitter I had to have it.  I started the dress by punching a 1" circle out of the owl paper, then lined up my rounded tab punch and punched out the body of the dress.  This way I could line up the scoop neck where I wanted it to go.  I then added Fruit Punch stickles to it to make it shine even more.   Then I got out my handy blossom builder punch and punched out small petals in Lucky Limeade card stock and dotted it with the Dazzling Details (this one is from SU!).  For the lare petals of the tutu, I again used the blossom builder punch.  This time, I used a vellum I got when I bought the owl paper.  It has white dots and stars on it which have some glitter on them.  So I thought this printed vellum would look really good for the skirt.  I used the Fruit Punch stickles to dot the edges to add a little color.  Layer the green petals on the vellum, then attach the petals to the bodice.  Easy as pie!!

 

The stamp I chose for the greeting is from Inkadinkado.  I stamped it using StazOn ink.  For the colors of the letters and balloons, I chose Rose Red, Pretty In Pink, and Regal Rose SU! markers.  I colored them in a pattern.  Then I punched it out using the Designer Label punch.  I added Dazzling Detail dots and edged it using Rose Red ink to help it stand out on the card.  

For tomorrow and Friday, I am going to attempt to photograph the 2 cards I posted before that had their picture disappear.  If the photos upload, I will re do the posts so that you can see the cute cards.  I have deleted the previous ones from my blog.  Hopefully all goes well and I can share these with you.  

Thanks for all your feedback and for dropping in today to see the card I made.  Please stop by tomorrow.  See you then!!

There's A Peacock on the Loose

When I was growing up, we lived in a neighborhood with a home that raised peacocks.  I can remember them wandering around the streets and doing that beautiful scream that they let out on a whim.  So when I sat down to design my daughter's birthday card I decided to make her a beautiful peacock. 

 

She has always loved the color blue so I decided to stick with it and use Tempting Turquoise and Pacific Point card stock.  I added Wild Wasabi to make the body and Tangerine Tango for the beak and feet.  He is just adorable.  I created the background by punching out 3/4" and 1" circles.  I layered them together and adhered them to Whisper White cardstock.  I then ran it through the big shot using the Houndstooth impression folder and edged it with Turquoise ink.  I then attached it to a piece of Pacific Point card stock that I had run through the big shot with the perfect polka dots impression folder.  The base card is Tempting Turquoise.  

 

The peacock is made entirely of punches.  I used the ornament for the body, the bird builder for the wings, the word window for the neck, and the 1 1/4" circle for the head.  The eyes are from the owl builder.  The feet come from one of the flowers in the boho blossom punch.  For the feathers I used the modern label punch and the circle from the itty bitty punch pack.  White gel pen highlights the circles on the feathers.  The beak is from the retired small star but you could use the heart from the owl builder for it. 

 

For my greeting, I used the Curly Cute stamp set.  I wanted it to be colorful like the card so I used my Stampin' Up! markers to color the letters of the stamp.  That way I could use the 3 main colors and make it unique.  One I had it stamped and cut out, I edged it using the same 3 colors.  I love the festive look it gives to the greeting and to the card.  

My daughter loved the card.  She tells me every year how much she looks forward to seeing what I come up with for her card.  It is a challenge to always try to be unique and different but since it brings her such joy it is worth the effort.  

Today I will be working on a special card for a special person.  I will share it with you tomorrow if I get it finished.  Oh well, I better get my laundry done so I can get to work on the card.  Thanks for dropping by and I will see you tomorrow. 

Flying Reindeer and A Jolly Rider

Welcome to a brand new week.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was fantastic.  It was busy and I must admit I am a little tired today so this will probably be another short blog.  Before I get to that I want to thank everyone who came to the Crop Party on Saturday for coming.  I really enjoyed see all of you. 

Today's card is again a Christmas card.  That really is my favorite holiday and I love making cards for it.  So let's get started on this one.

 

 The designer paper with the cute pine cones is one I picked up at a scrapbook store a while back.  I used all of it.  I loved the pine cones and the fact they were glittered made them even better.  The rest of the materials used are from Stampin' Up!.  The base card is Old Olive.  I felt it matched the sprigs on the dsp nicely.  I then put a layer of Real Red on it.  My stamp and greeting were stamped on Whisper White and placed on the Red.  I then placed the piece of dsp at the bottom.  To tie the two together, I added a border of Old Olive punched with the eyelet ribbon punch with a piece of Real Red grosgrain ribbon across it.  This hides the meeting of the papers nicely and adds a touch of class to the card.

 

I used the spotlight technique on this card.  That is where you pick one part of the card to stand out.  In this case I chose Santa and his sleigh.  This stamp is from the retired set Wandering Words.  First I stamped this entire stamp in Close to Cocoa on Whisper White.  Then I stamped the image again on a piece of scrap Whisper White in Real Red.  Using my 1" circle punch, I punched out the Santa and sleigh.  Now comes the hard part.  I attached my punched piece to the White carefully lining up the reins of the sleigh so they seem like one.  It is attached with a dimensional allowing it to stand out a little from the card.  I guess it really isn't that hard to do but I am always worried that I will not line it up right.  

Well that's it for today.  I am going to go put my feet up for a while and then work on another card.  I hope you all have a Marvelous Monday.  Thanks for dropping in and please come back tomorrow.

Another Dasher Card

Whoo hoo!!  It's Friday!  That means I get to spend all day tomorrow with friends doing what I love best - crafting!!  The task for the day today is finishing the vacuuming and dusting and preparing the snacks.  So let's get the the card.

I know I shared a card with Dasher on it before but I do enjoy working with that stamp.  This is a card that uses some DSP from a previous year.  The name escapes me right now.

 

The base card for this is Real Red.  The DSP was cut using the Top Note die for the Big Shot.  You first cut out the top note, then turn it sideways and run it through again.  You get this nifty square.  The greeting is from the stamp set Christmas Punch which is retired.  It is stamped in Real Red and punched out using the curly label punch.  

 

Dasher is stamped using the retired ink Close to Cocoa.  I used my VersaMark marker to trace over his antlers and added glitter to them.  After all, Dasher is entitled to shine.  He is stamped on a Whisper White oval I cut out using my Cricut machine.  I then cut a second one from the Close to Cocoa card stock (retired) just a little bigger so I could layer them.  I stamped Dasher after cutting the oval out.  SU! does have an oval frame die for the big shot which would also work well on this card.  For the Close to Cocoa, I would use Soft Suede in its place.  It would look just as wonderful.  Of course, just go the the Catalog Idea Book or the Holiday Mini to find the latest DSP available.  

Okay I am off and running.  Time to get busy and get the place ready to party tomorrow.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I know I am planning to have one myself.  The other festivity we have this weekend is out oldest daughter birthday on Sunday.  A weekend full of family and friends and fun.  Who could ask for more?!  Thanks for stopping in and I will see you Monday.

Resting Reindeer

Well we have made it to Thursday.  I must admit Wednesday was not a fun day for me.  It was actually very stressful.  You can imaging how happy I am it is over.

Today's card is one that I love but it is attached to some difficult memories.  By now you all know I love my punches with a passion.  I enjoy creating animals and characters for cards.  Well this card has 3 little reindeer heads on it.  Now I made this one back in 2009 but came across it yesterday and just had to share it.  The reason it stands out so much is this is a card I worked on in the hospital waiting room while my brother had surgery to remove his cancer.  That surgery had a happy ending or so we thought.  But the entire story did not.  Since I do not want to depress you let's get back to the card.

 

The main idea of this card is to have the reindeer looking out from the stable they are housed in.  I chose 3 colors that at the time were call current - Chocolate Chip which is still available, and Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa which are both retired now.  The base card is Whisper White.  The layer with the barn is Close to Cocoa.  I took this piece and first drew the lines on to make the pieces of wood.  Once they were drawn horizontally, I divided them vertically being sure to offset the pieces and added the "nails".    I took a piece of glossy white paper (I used a photo paper) and sponged ink onto it to make the light in the window.  Once it dried I attached it to the barn and made the frame for it from Chocolate Chip.  The greeting is from the set Four The Holidays which is a current set.  It is stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  

 

These reindeer are very simple.  You use the large oval punch for the face, the 1/4" circle punch for the nose and the whites of the eyes, a 1/8" circle punch for the eyeballs and the snowflake punch for the antlers.  I did add glitter to the antlers.  If I were making this card now, I would still use Chocolate Chip for one of the colors.  For the other two I would use Early Espresso and Soft Suede.  They would look nice together.  

And so we come to the end of another short blog.  I must get back to cleaning my kitchen and finishing laundry.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you tomorrow. 

It's The Groovy Ghoulies

Do you remember that cartoon?  I found it on Netflix one time and had to get it.  I remember watching them on Saturday mornings.  What ever happened to Saturday morning cartoons?  It seems they have disappeared.  I don't know about you but I miss them.

Today's card reminds me of those Ghoulies.  I came across a stamp set I used a few years back and wanted to share a card with you from it.  Now it is retired.  I know it is cruel to show you things you can no longer get but if you come to my Crop Parties, you can always use it there.  By the way my next one is this coming Saturday. 

 

Don't they make a fun looking group of trick or treaters.  I used a Basic Black card stock for the base card.  The dots on it were created using the eraser of a pencil, inking it with VersaMark, stamping with it, and adding glitter.  It is a simple technique but one of those tricks that can add so much to a card.  The ribbon used is non-SU!  I picked it up at a local craft store.  I cannot help myself when it comes to the cute ribbon they put out every year for the holidays. 

 

The name of this set is Tableau of Terror.  My main reason for getting this set was I just thought the monsters were so funny.  The are stamped on Whisper White card stock with StazOn ink.  I then chose to color them with colored pencils.  I could have used markers but I wanted to make sure all the details showed through.  Colored pencils seem to be the right medium for this.  As much as my husband loves Halloween, he really liked this set.  

Now just so you don't think I am running out of words to say, I want to let you know I am just so busy this week my blogs will be on the short side.  Between decorating, preparing for the crop on Saturday, and doing all the normal errands and household chores I am going to be running my legs off.  Please do stop by each day though.  I promise there will be a post.  The rest of this week will be devoted to Christmas.  I will try to redo the 2 blogs I took down due to missing pictures next week.   It should be a slower week for me.

Oh well time to get busy.  Thanks for dropping in and see you tomorrow.

So Sorry

This past weekend I was informed that a couple of my blogs were missing pictures.  So I logged into my blog, found the 2 cards, and reloaded the pictures.  All day Saturday and Sunday I checked to see if the pictures were still there and they were.  Then on Monday, they mysteriously disappeared again.  I truly apologize for this.  I cannot figure out what happened to them.  More than likely, I will delete both blog entries and redo them for you so that hopefully you can see the wonderful pictures. 

Now lets move on to a happier topic.  My card for today is a Happy Harvest card.  Now I know this may sound silly but every time I work with the phrase Happy Harvest, I think of the Judy Garland movie called Summer Stock.  She goes into town to get a tractor and as she drives it home, she sings a song with that phrase in it.  I have to admit it is one of my favorite movies and I love to sing along with her.  So let's look at the card now.

 

I used the color Always Artichoke for my base card.  There is only one layer on the card mainly because I wanted to create a scene.  I took a piece of Whisper White and using my handy pastels, I chalked the sky first and then the ground.  Again, this is my favorite way to make backgrounds for my cards.  My choice for my stamp sets for this one are Loads of Love and the Loads of Love Accessories sets.   I stamped the truck onto the background using StazOn ink.  I did this after chalking the background on.  Since I would be paper piecing the truck, I did not worry about the chalk showing through the truck.  I then stamped a tree on each side of the truck.  For my greeting I stamped it on Whisper White, edged it with Always Artichoke ink and snipped on end to make a flag type tail.  In my mind I can see a plane flying through the sky with this behind it.  So on my card you just can't see the plane.  

Here you can see my little truck.  I colored the tires with black marker knowing it would cover the chalk.  I then chose a piece of designer paper, non SU! I'm afraid.  I started by stamping the truck onto it and then cut it out.  I made sure to cut the windshield off and then cut out the window.  I adhered this to the truck frame on the card creating the cute green truck you see.  I also cut out the hubcaps for the wheels and attached them.   Grabbing a piece of scrap white card stock, I stamped the pumpkins and the lady with StazOn ink.  I then used my handy SU! markers to color them, cut them out, and adhered them to the truck to complete my picture.  Not bad if I do say so myself.

Well, I guess it is time to head into my craft room to start my next project.  I have been busily decorating my house for Halloween and need to make a few items to complete the look.  Maybe I will share these with you too.  Thanks for dropping in today and please come back tomorrow.  See you then.

 

Turkey from a Peacock?

Okay so I know that must sound a little weird.  You are probably thinking I have lost my mind.  However, let me explain what my title means.  A while back I showed you my punch samples that I display in my craft room.  One of the animals was a beautiful peacock.  He was inspired by another demonstrator and I just love him.  He is easy to make and so vivid.  Well, I was in the shower the other morning thinking about what type of card I would make for today.  My peacock came to mind but a funny thing happened.  I started thinking about taking the basic body of the peacock and changing the plumage to make a turkey.  I immediately knew what punches I would use and how I would assemble him. 

 

So here he is in all his glory.  For the base card I used garden green.  I took a piece of whisper white card stock to layer on it.  Using fall colors, I cut out leaves with my Leaves #2 die for the big shot.  My fall colors are cajun craze, tangerine tango, cherry cobbler, and daffodil delight.  I attached the leaves to the white and then ran it through the big shot using the Houndstooth impression folder.  I love the way the leaves become one with the base card stock by doing this.  It is such a cool technique.  I sponged the edges of this with the fall colors and attached it to the green card.

 

For my turkey I used all Stampin' Up! punches to make him.  His head is a 1 1/4" circle. It is attached to the body by a word window which serves as the neck.  The body is the ornament punch with the hook part cut off.  The wings come from the bird builder punch.  All of these are punched out of chocolate chip card stock.  His feet are one of the flowers from the boho blossom punch.  You need 2, one for each foot.  They are tangerine tango.  For the eyes, I turned to my handy owl builder punch.  The beach is a prong off of a star.  It is the small star punch which is retired but you can improvise by doing it free handed or use the heart from the owl builder punch.  For his gobbler (is that what it is called?) I punched a flower out using the triple layer flower punch.  When you do this, you get these nifty little pieces shaped like a raindrop left over.  I used one of these for this part and it is out of cherry cobbler paper.  That just leaves his lovely feathers.  They are all from the blossom builder punch.  I used the large petal with scallops for all of them.  They are punched out of the fall colors I mentioned above and layered on to make a lovely fan of feathers.  He is attached using dimensionals.

 

For the greeting, I turned to my Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  I stamped the greeting on whisper white and punched it out with the word window.  I then sponged the edges using the fall colors.  It was layered onto a garden green modern label.   I attached it to the card with dimensionals.

 

For the inside saying, I used a stamp not from SU!.  I know I know.  How dare I stray from my wonderful SU!.  However, I love this saying and wanted to use it.  It is stamped on white, sponged with the fall colors around the edge, and attached to the green card with runner adhesive.  Pretty nice looking if you ask me.

Well, I really want to thank all of you who brought to my attention the fact that a few pictures on my blog were not showing up.  I do not know what happened.  One minute they were part of my photo album and the next they disappeared.  Last I checked they are still there now.  Please feel free to let me know anytime something like this happens.  

I wish you all a marvelous Monday.  Thanks for taking time to stop by and visit.  I will see you again tomorrow. 

Halloween Dress

It's Fabulous Friday!!  At least I hope yours is fabulous.  When I sat down to make my card for today I must admit I was a little uninspired.  I have been feeling like I am getting a cold and my brain is just not functioning.  I happened to look up and see a display board I created with samples of punch art I love to make on it.  The first item I looked at was a little ballerina type dress.  I started thinking about how I could change it.  With Halloween coming up, it seemed logical to make it a Halloween theme.  So I went to my stamps and found 2 sets I wanted to work with.  One is current and one is retired.  But we will get to those later.

 

My color scheme for this card is pumpkin pie, garden green, whisper white, and rich razzleberry.  The base card is the pumpkin with a layer of green on top.  I took the white layer and ran it through my big shot using the Spider Web impression folder.  I then took my razzleberry ink pad and brushed it over the web using the direct to paper technique.  Once I had the web highlighted I was ready to attach it to the green.  I then set it aside to wait for the dress.

 

To make the dress, I started with a scrap piece of pumpkin pie card stock.  I punched out a 1" circle.  Then I took my designer label punch and lined it up over the punched out hole creating the scoop in the neckline.  For me it is easier to do this rather than punch out the label and try to line up the circle.  I then took my blossom builder punch and punched out 5 large scallop petals in vellum card stock and 5 of the same shape smaller petal without scallops.  Then it was time to stamp.  The first set I used is current and is called Wicked Cool.  I love this set.  I used the bats to stamp on the body of the dress.  I then put a line of glue across the bottom and top of the pumpkin piece and added orange glitter.  Then I took the dangling spider punch from the retired stamp set called Eat, Drink, and Be Scary.  I stamped it on each of the vellum petals using StazOn ink.  I recommend using an ink like StazOn because it dries quickly and will not smear if you touch it.  I did take my heat tool and use it to dry the ink a little just to ensure I would not smear it.  I brushed the edges of the vellum petals with pumpkin ink.  I took the green petals and brushed the edges with green ink.  I then glued them on top of the vellum petals.  Beginning in the center I then attached the petals to the body of the dress.  Once they were all attached I put little dots of Dazzling Details, which is the new glitter glue offered by SU!, on the green petals and around the edge of the vellum on the scallops.  I left the center scallop blank on each petal so a black pearl could be placed on the edge.  I set it aside to dry first and then attached it to the card using dimensionals.

For the greeting, I punched out a modern label in razzleberry.  The word Spooky is from the Wicked Cool stamp set.  It is stamped using StazOn ink.  It was then punched out using the large oval punch.  Then I wanted to tie it all together by highlighting the edges with the colors of the card.  So it is edged with garden green, rich razzleberry, and pumpkin pie.   It was then adhered to the modern label using my runner adhesive.  I attached the entire greeting to the card with dimensionals.

Here we are again at the beginning of another weekend.  I hope yours is wonderful.  Do something fun and creative with your time.  I know I will.  Thanks for stopping in today and I will see you Monday.

Fire Dog to the Rescue

Having a fireman for a husband means being around all types of fire items.  From statues to toy truck to real fire equipment, we tend to have all or most in out house at the same time.  The one item associated in a lot of books and pictures with firefighter is the trusty fire dog.  It is usually a dalmatian and very cute.  Well, I can tell you I have yet to go to a fire house and meet a dalmation.  We do have our sweet little dog at home.  I refer to her as demon dog some times but that is a different story.  So making this card was a lot of fun as I could think of many nieces and nephews that I have who would really like this one.

 

What a cutie!!  Again, I found myself wanting to play with my Cricut machine and with the Create a Critter cartridge.  This dog is in his yard playing fire dog and rescuing all the other dogs in need.  He has his fire house (his dog house) to rest in and his helmet is on to protect him no matter what he encounters.  I do not know if you can tell but the "1" on the house is from the shield on his helmet.  I chalked the background on this one too using the pastels.  The grass is simply torn pieces of Garden Green card stock.  I tucked the little house in the grass and made it smaller that the dog giving the illusion that it is behind him in the yard.  

 

Here is a close up of the little guy.  The dog is made using layers that you cut out with the Cricut.  Even the tongue is cut by the Cricut.  I love this machine.  All card stock used for this card is from Stampin' Up!  I may have a lot of non SU! items but card stock is not one of them.  The quality of the card stock from SU! is superb!!  I would not think of using any other brand.  The glitter on the helmet, eyes and nose is also from SU!.  

 

This is the inside of the card.  Again, I did not have a stamp with a saying that I liked on it for this card.  So I turned to my handy computer (what did we ever do without these?) and typed my own.  I cut it out and layered it on Garden Green.  The base card is Crumb Cake.  Since this if for a child, I decided to put the smiley face on the fire hydrant.  Again it could have been solid red but I like the face.  So I layered the red hydrant with the smile on top of a solid black one.  Then I added glitter to the eyes and mouth.  All in all I am pleased with the results and know the recipient will love it.  

The week has been busy but fun so far.  Hope it stays that way.  Thanks for dropping in today and please come back tomorrow.  See you then!

Pandas and Bamboo

I love bears of all kinds.  When I was little, I received a stuffed Panda bear for Christmas.  I loved that bear so much.  His fur wore off and he had a hole so his stuffing came out just a little.  You know I still have him today.  He lives in my home and will always be with me.  Pandas make me think of bamboo.  When I was teaching, I had a student who gave me some bamboo to grow.  Now for those who know me, you know I have a black thumb not a green one.  I was worried about not being able to care for it but I wanted to try since it was a gift.  I placed the little pot on my kitchen counter by the window and watched it grow.  Do you know it grew and grew?  I lived for several years and ended up so tall I had to place it in a large container on the floor.  I was amazed. 

Now what does all this have to do with cards?  Well, my card today has both of these things on it:  a panda and bamboo.   I used Stampin' Up cardstock to create the card as well as SU! pastels for the background.  I used SU! punches and the lattice impression folder was used with the big shot for the hat too.  Other than that, the rest was made with my computer and my Cricut machine.

 

Isn't he adorable?  I love his little hat!  I used a Cricut cartridge called Create a Critter for this little guy.  Now I love love love all Stampin' Up! products but as I have said before, I had several of my machines and stamps and other card making items prior to becoming a demonstrator.  My Cricut is a machine that I really enjoy using and refuse to get rid of.  So every now and then, I buy a new cartridge for it or pull an old one out and create.  Today was one of those days I just wanted to play with it.  The neat thing about this is the machine cuts out all the pieces and accessories.  All I have to do is put it all together, add a few extra touches, and there you have it.  You do have to take time to cut out the pieces in the various colors you will be using.  The bamboo is from Lucky Limeade card stock and has been enhanced by drawing lines on the leaves and bamboo with the matching SU! marker.  The panda is easy since he is black and white.  The hat was made with More Mustard and Chocolate Chip card stock.  Before placing the Mustard on the panda, I ran it through the big shot to add texture to it.  

 

I love the straw look the lattice folder gives to the hat.  It makes it more real to me.  The greeting on the card was made by me using my computer.  I did not have a stamp set that fit this card so I made it up myself.  I have been know to do this in the past.  Sometimes, I type it and print it out while other time I do it by hand.  I used the Large Scallop oval punch and layered it on top of the scallop oval.  I added dazzling diamond glitter to the panda's eyes and to the greeting for a little pizzazz!

 

This is the inside of my card.  Again, I typed the greeting, printed it out, and punched it out with the decorative label punch.  I then made the frame for it and of course added more glitter dots to jazz it up too.  The cute little bowl, the noodles, and the chop sticks all come from the Cricut.  These are part of the accessories you get with the panda.  I could have made the bowl a solid color but I thought the happy face was too cute.  I layered the red bowl with the face on top of a black bowl so the black would show through the eyes and mouth.  I then added black glitter to them.  Overall, a very cute card!!

Well, I am off to create again.  Maybe I will use my Cricut again or maybe I will use punches or I could just stamp.  I guess I will have to see what strikes me when I get into my room.  Thanks for dropping by today.  See you tomorrow!!

Floating Frame?

Okay I know it sounds weird but that is what I am calling my card front.  I happened to see another card online by a demonstrator (I have to start writing their names down) that had a card front with this type of frame.  Of course my normal response of "I have to try that" popped out of my mouth.  It took me a couple of days before I actually tried it but I do like the results.

 

I love this embosslit folder called Beautiful Wings.  Perhaps it is because I really enjoy butterflies.  I used it to make all these little guys.  I did cut 2 sets of each color.  I will show you why in a few minutes.  I also used the lattice die to make the interior of my frame where the butterflies would be placed.  Let me show you what makes this so special.  

 

Here is the card open.  Can you see how the frame is hallow?  That's right.  The base card it Very Vanilla.  I trimmed out the interior of it 1/2" in from each side.  I then took the piece of Garden Green and trimmed out the interior from each side 3/4" in making the sides slightly wider than the Vanilla sides.  The lattice is attached to the back of the Garden Green frame prior to adhering it to the Vanilla frame.  Then I attached the butterflies.  Before we move on, check out the greeting.  It is from the stamp set Curly Cute.  Using my SU! markers, I colored the stamp with the colors of the butterflies and stamped it on Very Vanilla.  I then sponged the edges with the rainbow of colors.  The ends were snipped with my handy scissors.  Now to the inside.

 

This is the inside of the frame.  Here you can see the back of the frame.  To add strength to the frame, I paired up the butterflies on the back.  Yes they may be a little off but I tried my best.  I did this prior to adhering it to the Vanilla.   This makes a lovely card front that is unique.  I like to make new card styles in order to change up what I send to family and friends.  I think they appreciate it.  

 

This is the interior of the card.  If you go back to the first picture I posted, you can see the greeting through the openings in the frame.  Personally, this does not bother me.  If it bothers you then this would not be a card style you would want to do.  I stamped the simple greeting from the stamp set Create A Cupcake in Basic Black ink.  I punched it out using the decorative label punch, then making a frame to go behind it.  

Well we are off to the start of a new week.  My hope is that it is better than last week.  I wish all of you a marvelous Monday.  Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see what I come up with next.  Thanks for dropping in today. 

More of those Rosettes!

I am really becoming addicted to making those cute rosette flowers.  I was going through some old dsp I have and came across a some from a few occasion mini catalogs back.  I thought wow this would make cute rosettes and of course I had to sit right down and make some.  Let me remind you what this flower looks like:

 

Remember these?  I knew if you saw them you would remember them.  You know unfortunately, dsp included in any catalog whether it is the yearly Idea book or one of the minis retires when the catalog retires.  I think this is kind of sad as I know lots of demonstrators who have left over paper but are no longer able to use them for classes or workshops because they retired.  However, they can still be used on our own projects or cards that we send out.  Thank goodness for that.

 

Here is the card I did.  The base card is Certainly Celery.  I then took a layer of Chocolate Chip and place a little more than half into the Stripes impression folder and sent it through the big shot.  Then I took a piece of Very Vanilla that is half as long as the Chocolate Chip and used the Vintage Wallpaper impression folder on it.  I adhered it to the unimpressed end of the Chocolate Chip.  I place a piece of Certainly Celery ribbon, which is also retired, along the edge where the two colors meet.  I could then place my flowers how I liked on the card.  I stamped the greeting from a retired stamp set called Well Scripted on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock using Chocolate Chip ink.  I punched it out with the decorative label punch and edged it with Certainly Celery ink.  I then made a Certainly Celery frame for the label and attached it to the card.

 

For the inside I used a stamp from the Word Play stamp set for my greeting.  It is stamped on Very Vanilla card stock using Chocolate Chip ink.  It too is punched with the decorative label punch, edged with Chocolate Chip ink, and layered on a Chocolate Chip frame.  I added the rhinestone to the "i" for a little bling.  I really like bling!!

I cannot believe another week has come and gone.  Where does the time go?  I hope your week was a good one.  I know mine was busy but in a good way.  Hopefully next week will bring more good things my way.  Thanks for dropping in today.  Have a great weekend and I will see you Monday!!

Yellow Lab Card

First and foremost I want to wish my beautiful mother-in-law Linda a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  I hope the day brings lots of fun and laughter into your life!!  Dave and I are planning to take you out next week.  I can hardly wait!!

I had a request to make a card for a girl that had a yellow lab on it.  Now if you work with punch art you know that you do your best to make a project look right but they are usually not exact.  So I set off to make the puppy and found that I could use So Saffron for his coloring and a basic dog for the body.  Here is what I came up with:

 

I believe I showed this little dog in Chocolate Chip a few weeks ago.  The only change I made was to the ears.  They needed to be floppy instead of short.  For the base card, I used Real Red which is also the color of the apples.  I made the apples using the cutest little punch from a set my friend Val gave me (Thanks Val!!).  I punched them and added glitter of course.  The tree is a Sizzix die I have for my big shot.  I picked it up several years ago.  I cut it out of Chocolate Chip and Garden Green to layer it, then added the apples to the tree.  I then used a piece of Whisper White for the background.  I chalked a sky and the grass onto it and then attached the tree to it.  The dog is adhered using dimensionals to give some depth to the card.  

 

Here is a close up of the dog.  Now I know you can see any imperfections I happened to make but remember they simply add character to the card!  Now maybe he does not exactly look like a yellow lab but he is so cute I am sure the recipient will love him.

 

This is the inside of my card.  I used 2 different stamps to make my greeting.  While my card stock and punches are all from Stampin' Up!, these stamps are not.  Again I had these prior to becoming a demonstrator.  Anyway, I like them because it stamps the outline of the letters and allows me to color the inside using my trusty colored pictures.  I love to color and have ever since I was little so it was a pleasure to get to do this.  

Well, I am off to work on another project.  I hope you like the card I shared today.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the dog.  Thanks for stopping by today.  See you tomorrow.

Purple People Eater

Do you remember that song about the Purple People Eater?  I think that is such a funny song.  I find myself singing it often and love to hear it on the radio.  Well as we approach Halloween, it seems that a purple monster would make for a cute card.  I taught a class on these two years ago.  I think everyone had a good time making them.  My memory is not what it use to be and 2 years is a long time to me. 

 

Isn't he cute?  As I was looking at him, I did realize the stamp I used in the background is now retired but almost everything else is current in the catalog.  The bat stamp is from the retired set called Scary Skeleton.  The circle of Pumpkin Pie is a 3 1/2" circle which I cut out using the 3 1/2" circle die for the big shot.  I then stamped the bats using basic black ink.  Now as for the Old Olive layer, it is embossed with an impression folder not from Stampin' Up! but the bubbles seemed to go well with this guy.  The actual base card is Rich Razzleberry, which is also the color of the monster.  The greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  If you haven't guessed by now, it is one of my favorites to use.  It has greetings for lots of holidays as well as most occasions .  Happy Halloween is stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink on Whisper White and punched out using the word window punch. 

 

Now to the monster himself.  For his body, I punched out a 1 3/4" scallop circle.  Using re positional adhesive, I attached it to a piece of scrap paper.  I then put it back into the scallop punch offsetting the scallops.  This gives the outside edge the look of a medallion that you see in the picture.  I then punched a 1 1/4" circle in Whisper White and layered a 1" circle in Basic Black on top of it.  The antennas are word windows with 1/2" circles on the ends.  Of course, I added dazzling diamond glitter to it to jazz him up.  His legs are just little scraps of Basic Black cardstock.  As for his little feet, it is a 1" circle punched in Basic Black, cut it in half, and then take one of the halves and cut it in half again.  Pretty simple to make but adorable none the less.  

I spent time yesterday with my aunt, helping her clean out some things from her house.  I love spending time with her because I know it will be a day of laughter and good memories.  But, boy am I tired today!!  So I am going to craft a little and rest a little.  I will return tomorrow with another card to share.  Please come back by to visit.  Thanks for stopping in today. 

The Littlest Angel

There is a Christmas story called The Littlest Angel.  I remember reading this to my daughters when they were small.  Believe it or not, I still have this book along with many others which come out every Christmas at my house.  I still enjoy reading the stories myself and hope to one day in the far future (hear that girls) to read them to my grandchildren.  So what does this have to do with my blog today you ask?  Last Friday, I received a call from my aunt who happen to need a birthday card for a friend.  Her friend really likes angels and she wanted angels on the card if possible.  I happened to see another blog last month where the topic was little angels made from punches.  I looked for it again, but could not remember who had posted it.  So I set off to attempt to make an angel from memory, or at least what I could remember.  The rest I improvised.

I must admit, it was easier than I thought.  I took a little girl face/head I had made with the owl punch and then focused on the body.  It seemed divine intervention must have been with me because once I started, I had 2 angels made before I realized it.

 

Here is the first one.  I gave here blond hair (So Saffron) and a sweet, serene face (drawn on).  I used the butterfly punch for her wings.  I punched one and ran it through the big shot using an impression folder to add texture.  Cut it in half, and there are her 2 wings.  Her face is a 3/4" circle in Blushing Bride.  Her bangs are a 1" circle punch cut in half.  The back of her hair is the owl minus his feet.  The halo is a 1 1/4" circle punched around a 1" circle punch hole in Brushed Gold.  The flowers in her hair are from the itty bitty punch pack.  Her body is the large scalloped petal from the build a blossom punch in Shimmery White, like the wings.  I ran it through the big shot using the Elegant Lines impression folder. 

 

Here is the 2nd angel I made.  She is a brunette (Chocolate Chip) like all the girls in my house.  The only other difference between her and the first one is her wings.  These were made using a 1 3/4" scallop circle.  It was run though the big shot to texture it, then cut in half, and then cut one half in half again.  My daughter liked her wings best.  I like them too.  You should have noticed on both that I added rhinestones to the center of the flowers.  I made a couple of other angels later and added pearls to theirs.  I love how serene these little girls look.  The only change I made on the next set I made was a added some small snips to their bangs so they looked more like hair to me.  Now for the card.

 

Here is the final product.  I created the background myself by using chalk to make a sky with clouds.  I know it is hard to see but under the 2 angels, there are fluffy clouds.  These were made using a sizzix die I have had for years and running it through the big shot.  I did edge them with bashful blue ink to help the corners stand out.  The greeting is from the Pretty Postage stamp set.  I stamped it in Marina Mist and punched it out with the 1" square.  It is layered on a Marina Mist postage stamp punch piece.  The base card is also (can you guess?) Marina Mist.   

My aunt loved the card and I really hope her friend likes it too.  Now I must be off to create another card that my aunt ordered.  So thanks for stopping by today and I will see you tomorrow.