Why Are Weekends So Busy????

Hi everyone and happy Monday.  I hope you had a relaxing weekend.  If it was like mine, you were busy but still did some fun things.  I spent the first part of mine working on tickets for the charity banquet my hubby is hosting at the end of this month.  These tickets are for the VIP's who will be attending.  I also spent some time with my sister who has been super busy lately.  It was so nice to see her and have lunch with her.  Sunday was my mother in law's birthday.  We went to lunch with her and had a chance to just visit and catch up.  Sometimes you really just need that time to talk and catch up.  Life goes by so fast.


Since the tickets took up most of my time, I thought I would show you what they look like.

 

The bottom layer is a 2 1/2" x 6" piece of Night of Navy card stock.  I added a 2 1/4" x 5 3/4" layer of Real Red to this.  The top layer is a 2" x 5 1/2" piece of Whisper White.  I punched the 4 corners of each piece with my ticket corner punch and attached them together using runner adhesive.  I added the logo for the charity which was punched out using the decorative label punch and framed with the same punch to the ticket.  I cut the letters for ADMIT 2 out using my Cricut machine and a Storybook cartridge.  The rest of the information I wrote by hand using the Night of Navy and Real Red markers.  Usually I would print this info out on my printer but my printer decided not to work so I improvised.   All in all I think they turned out fairly nice.

 

This is the card I gave my mother in law for her birthday.  I have posted it before so I will not bore you with the details again.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by to visit.  Be sure to come back and see what I have next.  See you all later!

The Long Day

Hi everybody and happy Wednesday to you all.  Boy was yesterday a long day for everyone in my home.  My daughter has to be to work by 5am every day so she is always up by 3 to have plenty of time to get ready and to drive there.  But yesterday, even my husband had to be up at 2:30am.  He had a memorial service to attend for a sheriff's deputy who was killed in the line of duty one year ago.  They held a special gathering at the place and time where he was killed, then he had to attend school all day.  Well I don't know about you but once everyone in my house is up and moving, I too seem to get up and cannot stand to stay in bed and sleep.  So I got up myself by 3:30 and got to work on the laundry.  By last night, we were all tired.  Luckily we went to bed early.

 I was also lucky that I worked hard in the morning and finished my share for you.  Today's card is one I made for my husband's fire chief to celebrate his birthday.  I think I will just show it to you and get started.

 

I started with a base card of Real Red card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I added a layer of Whisper White measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  I attached it using runner adhesive.  For the final layer, I chose Night of Navy.  Yes I went for the red white and blue theme.  Anyway, I cut the navy to be 4" x 5 1/4".  I ran this piece through the big shot using the stripes impression folder.  Once embossed I sprayed it using my champagne shimmer spray.  Once it dried, I attached it to the card with the runner adhesive.

 

To make the fire helmet, I used Whisper White and Basic Black card stock.  Believe it or not, I used my Cricut machine and a cartridge called Create A Critter.  Doesn't sound like it would have a fire helmet does it?  However, one of the critter's is a dalmatian dog.  I have actually used him before on a card.  Anyway, I cut the helmet out of white because that is the color of the chief's hat.  I cut the badge out of black.  Once both pieces were cut, I glued the badge on using a liquid glue.  The number one pieces is cut out from the badge by the Cricut.  I filled in the hole left by it with liquid glue and then added the gold glitter.  I used my Basic Black marker to draw on the black line and to write the word CHIEF on it.  It is attached to the card with a dimensional.

 

 For the focal point, I decided I wanted to make a Maltese cross.  I cut it out of Real Red card stock.  I added a 2 1/2" Night of Navy circle to the center of this.  I took my retired Voila stamp set and stamped the Happy Birthday using Real Red ink.  I punched this out using the 1 3/4" circle and sponged the edges with the red ink.  I added this to the navy circle.  These were all adhered together using runner adhesive.  I then used my 2 way glue pen and added the stripes to the red and sprinkled on red glitter.  Once finished, I attached the entire piece to the card with a runner adhesive and a few strategically placed glue dots.  I added some rhinestones to this to jazz it up a little.

I sure do hope that today is more of a normal day than yesterday.  I plan on it being which should give me plenty of time and energy to work on my card for tomorrow.  I am so glad you stopped by today.  Please come back tomorrow to see what I will have to show you.  See you all then!!!!

One Fish Two Fish

Welcome to November everyone!  I cannot believe it is here.  I am a big fan of the Thanksgiving season and love the family get togethers and meals that we always share.  It is also a time of reflection for all we have to be thankful for in our lives.

Now you would think I would share a Thanksgiving card with all of you on this Nov. 1st.  However, I am not going to do that today.  I have a really cute card with some fish on it that I want to share instead.  So let's get started.

I started with a base card of Night of Navy card stock cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I then took a piece of Whisper White cut at 4" x 5 1/4" and chalked a background on it using my pastels.  I just wanted a light blue effect for the sky. It was then added to the white using runner adhesive.  Next I took a piece of Marina Mist cut at the same dimensions as the white and tore it into strips.  I layered these onto the sky to form the water using runner adhesive.  Once attached, I took out a light blue glitter glue that was similar in color to the marina card stock.  I added it to the top of the waves and then spread it out using a paint brush. You will need to let this dry completely ( I did it over night) before going to the next step.

The greeting for this card is from the stamp set called Curly Cute.  I stamped it directly onto the card stock in the sky area using Night of Navy ink.  Don't ask me why I like this set so much but I do!!!

Finally it was time to add some creatures to the water.  I was going to make a dolphin for this card using punches but was having the hardest time getting his head to look right.  So instead of frustrating myself, I went with fish instead.  I started to get out punches when my Cricut cartridge called Life's A Beach caught my eye.  I pulled it out and looked through the sea life it has on it.  When I found these cute little fish, I knew I wanted to add them to the card.

I pulled out Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Gumball Green card stock.  I used the Life's A Beach cartridge and my Cricut machine to cut out the fish in each of the colors.  I also cut out the layers that could go onto the fish in each color.  I attached the layers to the fish and then attached them to the card using runner adhesive.  I tucked them underneath the waves just a touch so they kind of look like they are jumping.  Once they were securely on, I added a blue glitter glue to the eyes and some orange, yellow and green glitter glues to the fish.  After all they need to sparkle just like the water.  

For my inside greeting I used a stamp set I got during Sale-A-Bration 2012.  It is called Outlined Occasions.  I stamped the main word "celebrate" and the smaller phrase onto Whisper White card stock using StazOn ink.  I then chose colored pencils that matched the colors of my fish and colored in the letters.  Once completed, I cut it out free hand and attached it inside the card with runner adhesive.

Well, I am finished for today.  I hope you enjoyed my little fish.  I will return tomorrow with another card to share with you.  I do hope you will stop by to see it.  Thanks for spending a little time with me today!!

Trick or Treat Bow-Wow

It's Thursday!!!!  This week has gone by so quickly.  The wonderful thing about this week is I have had a lot of time to spend with my husband.  He is gone so much with his work and teaching that any time we can get is wonderful.

For my share today, I decided to make another Halloween card.  Although it might be hard to believe this card was inspired by my laundry.  That's right I said my laundry.  I was folding and hanging up clothes and happened upon one of my Halloween shirts.  On it was a very cute kitty.  Seeing this cat got me to thinking that so much of Halloween is centered around cats.  Now I like cats.  We don't own one because my husband is highly allergic to them.  We do however have a dog.  I realized I wanted to do something to bring a doggy into Halloween.  Of course that was all I needed to get me started on a card.  Here is the card I came up with:

 

Isn't he cute?!!!  I started my card by using a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock, scored at 5 1/2".  I added a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of Basic Black.  It is attached using runner adhesive.  for my top layer I started with a piece of Basic Gray measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  I sponged it with a little Basic Black ink so it would dull it a little.  I punched a moon out of Very Vanilla using the 1 1/4" circle punch  and attached it to the card using runner adhesive.  I then used my XL big shot die that you use to make those beautiful rosettes and cut out a strip of Chocolate Chip card stock on the end with the picket fence looking boards.  I bent each slat on the crease just a little and brushed it with Chocolate Chip ink to add some texture.  I attached this using runner adhesive and trimmed off any excess that hung over the edges and attached the entire piece to the card with the same adhesive.  Then it was time to create the scene. 

 

For the greeting of this one, I used a stamp I bought several years ago at a local craft store.  I stamped it at the top using VersaMark ink and then heat embossed it using a Halloween embossing powder.  It is simply black powder with some orange glitter in it.  Next, I used the retired bat punch and punched a bat out of Basic Black.  I then added black glitter to it using my 2 way glue pen.  It is attached to the card with dimensionals.  For the pumpkin bucket, I punched a 1 3/8" circle out of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  I trimmed the top off to make it flat.  I then took a scrap of black and punched out a small oval using the retired small oval punch and then punched around that hole using the large oval punch.  I used a cartridge for my Cricut machine called Paper Pups and cut 4 bones out of vanilla card stock.  I brushed the edges of these with a little Crumb Cake ink and glued them to the bucket using a 2 way glue pen.  I then used the same adhesive to glue the handle on.  I added some orange glitter glue stripes to my bucket and attached it to the card using dimensionals.  

 

Now let's talk about the star of the card.  I was going to dress my dog as a pumpkin but thought a pirate would be more fun.  To make the dog body parts, I used punches.  I used the owl builder punch for the eyes of this guy punching them out of black and white as you can see.  I added a little white gel pen to them.  For the ears and nose, I used Early Espresso card stock.  The ears are made with the large oval punch and the nose is the small heart from the retired heart to heart punch.  Again I added some white gel pen to it for character.  His head, muzzle, arms, and feet are made out of Crumb Cake card stock.  All of these pieces were sponged on the edges with Crumb Cake ink.  The head is a 1 3/4" circle punch.  The muzzle is the full heart turned upside down.  I used my chocolate marker to add the line and dots to the muzzle.  The arms are made using the wide heart from the retired heart to heart punch while the feet are 3/4" circles that have been trimmed to be flat on the bottom.  I added some black marker to make his toes.

For the pirate outfit, I once again turned to my Cricut machine for help.  I used the cartridge called Paper Doll Dress Up for this one.  I used Chocolate Chip for the shorts, Cherry Cobbler for the shirt and Basic Black for the hat and mustache.  I did have to modify my pieces a little to make them look right on my dog.  I sponged the shirt with a little black ink and added black stripes using my black marker.  I added the cuts at the bottom of the shirt too.  The pants had to be trimmed down just a little.  I added some gold glitter glue to the hat to add some dazzle to it.  

Now I will tell you, I do not dress up my real pet dog for the holiday.  I husband would have a fit.  He thinks all those costumes for animals are just plain silly.  So it is fun to make cards like this one where I can dress up my animal.  

Well that is all I have for you today.  I am so glad you decided to stop by and spend a little time visiting.  I hope you will return tomorrow to see what I have for you.  Do something creative today and have fun doing it!!  See you tomorrow!!

Another Card for Another New Arrival

Happy Friday to all of you.  This week has sure gone by fast.  It really has been a busy one for me and the activities kept me out of my craft room for a few days.  I am happy to say though that once again i have managed to come up with a card to share with you.

My daughter and I went shopping earlier this week for baby gifts.  It sure seems that this has been the year of babies for family and friends.  Anyway, she asked me if I would make a card for her to give her coworker.  Of course I agreed to make one for her.  Lucky for me, my daughter knew she wanted a fuzzy teddy bear on it so it was easy to design.  Today I will share this card with all of you.

I started with a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" base card of Pretty in Pink.  This was scored at 4 1/4".  I added a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of Elegant Eggplant card stock to this using runner adhesive.  For the top layer I went with Whisper White card stock cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  Once the words were added to this I ran it through my big shot using the Medium Polka Dot impression folder.  The layer is attached using runner adhesive.  Once the bear was on, I added the little bubble stickers in pink and lavender to the background for sparkle.

For the words, I decided I would let my Cricut machine do the work.  I used a cartridge called New Arrival which has all things baby on it.  The phrase was one of the options.  I cut it out in both Pretty in Pink and Elegant Eggplant card stocks.  I attached them to the white using a 2 way glue pen and ran the words and white layer through the big shot for the dots.  Once the card was impressed, I added some dots of Stickles glitter glue to the letters for dazzle.  

Finally we reach the star of the card - our little bear.  For this I once again turned to my Cricut.  I used a cartridge called Create a Critter.  The cartridge has all kinds of animals on it.  I cut the bear out of Chocolate Chip card stock and then cut an overlay for it out of Crumb Cake.  I glued these together using liquid glue.  to make my bear fuzzy, I used Fun Flock.  I used a dark brown for the inner ears, the muzzle and the tummy.  I chose a light brown for all the other areas.  I applied one color at a time using a liquid glue.  I started with the dark.  I added glue in the areas I wanted the flock, sprinkled the flock onto it, pressed down a little and shook off the excess.  I waited about 5 to 10 minutes to let this dry well and then did the lighter color.  Again you will apply liquid glue to all areas to cover, shake on the flock, press down and shake off the excess.  I know you can tell the flock is lighter in some areas.  Don't worry about this.  After all loved teddy bears have wear spots on them.  

For the bow, I used the small heart punch and the circle from the itty bitty punch pack.  I punched two hearts out of pink and 2 out of eggplant.  I then punched a circle out of pink and another out of eggplant.  I layered the hearts and circles and glued them to the bears head using a liquid glue.  I added a lavender bubble sticker to the center and some Stickles glitter glue dots to each heart.  

Finally for the eyes, nose and mouth I chose to use rhinestones.  I picked up a pack that had these black stones in it a few months ago at my local craft stock.  I thought they would work perfectly with this little girl.  It adds some subtle sparkle to her face.  The bear is attached to the card using glue dots.

Well that is all for today.  I hope you enjoyed this little bear.  Teddy bears are my favorite stuffed animal so I had fun making this one.  

Have a wonderful weekend and do something fun.  I am going to craft (I hope).  I will see you all back here on Monday morning with another card to share.  Thanks for dropping by today!!!

Jackson's Baby Card

Happy Tuesday, Happy September and Happy Birthday to me!  Yes it's my birthday but we won't get into how old I am.  August seemed to fly by for me.  Now I have one month to get ready to decorate for Halloween!!  I am so excited.

Last week was not my niece's favorite week.  Baby Jackson was breech and she went in on Wednesday for a C-section only to be told he had flipped himself over and they were not going to do the C-section.  On Thursday, she went to the hospital to be induced.  By Friday afternoon, it was clear she was not going to dilate so they sent her home.  Finally on Saturday, she returned to the hospital in the afternoon and her labor was progressing.  Jackson made his grand entrance into the world on Sunday morning at 2:45 am.  He was a very healthy 8 pounds and 10 ounces.  And let me tell you, he is adorable!!  I got to go see him several times over the weekend and did deliver the card I had made for him.  Therefore, I can share that card with you now.

Ta Da!!!  I made a shaker card for him.  First though let's take care of the basics.  The base card for this one is Pool Party card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  Next I added a layer of Island Indigo card stock cut to measure 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  For the top layer, I wanted to use Whisper White card stock and dress it up.  I cut a piece to be 4" x 5 1/4".  Next I used my itty bitty punch pack circle, 1/2" circle and 3/4" circle punches to punch circles out of the Island Indigo and Pool Party card stocks.  I randomly scattered these on the front of the card and attached them with runner adhesive.  I then would layer a size smaller onto the first circle with runner adhesive.  Once they were attached, I ran it through my big shot using my medium polka dot impression folder.  Don't attach it to the card yet.   Now for the rattle.  

 I started my rattle by pulling out my retired stamp set called Something Sweet.  I stamped the rattles handle onto Whisper White card stock using Island Indigo ink.  I then cut it out and set it aside.  Next I took my 1 3/4" circle punch, lined it up in the center of the card making sure I went as far in as I wanted and punched a hole out of the white card layer.  I went from the top down to do this.  Once the hole was punched, I applied a small amount of adhesive around the hole on the back side using my 2 way glue pen.  I took one of the Sweet Treat Cups and inserted it into the hole from the back.

Before attaching it to the card, you have to fill it with whatever it is you want to use.  For mine, I used a foot, a star, and a circle punch and punched out the shapes from Pool Party, Whisper White and So Saffron.  I placed these inside the cut and peeled off the adhesive strip that is attached to the cup.  I applied runner adhesive to the rest of the white piece and carefully attached it to the base card.  Once it was securely attached, I took the rattle handle and attached it right up to the cup using glue dots.  I added a piece of 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon to the handle to complete the look.

For the greeting, I used a stamp from the set Curly Cute.  I stamped it on Whisper White card stock using Island Indigo ink.  I then cut it out free hand, layered it onto a piece of Pool Party card stock with runner adhesive and cut around it to add the back layer.  I attached the greeting to the card using dimensionals.  

Finally let's talk about the inside of the card.  I stamped the greeting using a stamp from the set A Word for You using Island Indigo ink on Whisper White.  I punched it out using the decorative label punch.  I brushed the edges with Pool Party ink and then created a border with the decorative label punch. 

Next I cut out the letters of Jackson's name using my big shot and the retired decorative strip Billboard.  I alternated the colors of Island Indigo and Pool Party for these.  I attached these using liquid glue onto Whisper White 1 1/4" squares.  I used my Cricut machine and the colored card stock and cut out 1 1/4" square frames to go around the letters.  I attached the frames with liquid glue and then attached the "blocks" using runner adhesive.  I then added Crystal Effects to the letters to make them glossy.  To finish them off, and the greeting, I added these cut little stickers I picked up at a local store.  They really match the Pool Party color well and look like water droplets.  

Since his nursery is decorated with owls, I had to add one to the inside.  I used the owl builder punch to make this cute little guy.  He is put together using liquid glue and attached to the inside of the card using runner adhesive.  

I will tell you that if you need to mail this type of card, you will want a padded envelope to do it in.  That way the cut does not get smashed in the mail.  Since I was going to be seeing my niece, I used a regular envelope.  It takes some maneuvering to get it inside but it will fit.  

Well, I am going to get ready to spend the day with my hubby just relaxing and then have my girls over for a while.  At this point in my life, all I really want for my birthday is to see my family.  So I guess I am getting the best present of all today.

I will return tomorrow with another card to share with you.  I wish you all a wonderful day.  Thanks for dropping by today!!

Good-Bye Card

Happy Monday to all.  I want to publicly wish my daughter's boyfriend Matt a very Happy Birthday.  His special day was yesterday and while I did send him wishes via text, he is special and deserved to see his name in my blog too.

My weekend turned out to be a pretty busy one.  My sister called me last week and asked if I could make a going away card for one of her coworkers who is moving on to a new challenge.  Of course I said yes.  I finished out my blog cards and planned to work on this one all weekend.  Well, I found out she really needed it by Monday which would have given me 2 days but since it is the start of the college school year, she had to work all weekend.  The only time I could really get it to her would be Saturday evening.  Well wouldn't you know that Saturday evening was also the banquet for my husband's charity.  So I was limited to just Saturday morning and afternoon to get this done.  Lucky for me, my sister had an idea of what she wanted and it allowed me to get going very quickly.  I thought I would share with you what I made today.

I had made a Dr. Seuss card with the same theme a few years ago for another friend who was moving.  While I had a basic idea of what I wanted, I did use a sticker set to decorate that card.  This time I had no stickers and no time to go shopping.  So I pulled out my handy book by Dr. Seuss and started thinking of how to design my card.  Since the entire office staff would need to be able to sign this card, I had to make sure I included enough space to allow this.  The card measure 8 1/2" x 11".  That means there is no cutting of the card stock on this one.  I went with a piece of Night of Navy for the cover and Basic Black for the back.  I placed 3 pieces of Whisper White card stock in between and added a quote from the book to each of those pieces.  That left plenty of room on each page for signatures and notes of good wishes.  I took each piece of card stock and scored them down the side at the 1/2" mark.  I used a paper piercer to make 5 holes down the side and bound the card pages using silver brads.  I used Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Wisteria Wonder, Wild Wasabi and Daffodil Delight card stock to cut out oval from.  I did this by using my retired ovals die for the big shot as well as my large oval punch and the retired small oval punch.  For the larger ovals, I used my Cricut machine and a cartridge called Plaintin SchoolBook.  Once the ovals were finished being cut out, I layered them in a similar fashion to the cover of the book using runner adhesive.  I cut out the letters for the title from Daffodil Delight card stock using the big shot and the retired decorative strip Billboard.  The letters are adhered to the card using a liquid glue and added yellow glitter glue to the top of the letters.  I then added yellow glitter glue dots to the blue part of the card and set it aside to dry while I worked on the cat.

I wanted to show you a closer look at the whole cat close up.  Yes I know the cat is black and white, but I decided to cut all parts of the body out of Whisper White card stock and sponge each piece with Basic Gray and Basic Black ink.  I am going to break him into top and bottom halves to go over how to make him.

Sometimes I do one half at a time to make it easier for you to understand the directions.  This time however, I am doing this because I actually learned to make the hat, head, face, neck and tie from the punch queen herself Ellen Kemper.  So as always, I am going to direct you to her sight to learn how to do this portion of the cat.  Click on this link to get the instructions:  http://blinkthinkink.blogspot.com/2010/08/famous-feline-yep-another-one.html

The body of the cat is all my own development.  The main body is a wide oval trimmed down to get the shape I wanted.  The arms and legs are the word window punch.  I punched these along the edge of the card stock so instead of a whole window I only used a little over a half.  The hands are from the retired heart to heart punch.  I used the widest heart from this.  For the feet I turned to the retired small oval punch but I bet you could use the current one too.  Last but not least, I used the stem of the branch from the bird builder punch to make the tail.  All pieces for both top and bottom were adhered together using liquid glue and the completed cat was attached to the card using dimensionals.  

I had fun making this one and while it took time to cut out all the ovals and layer them to achieve the final look I wanted, it was well worth it.  I enjoyed making the cat too.  I cannot wait to use him on another card.  

This week is busy for me.  We have family coming into town tomorrow and my sister in law is having back surgery on Wednesday.  So while my intentions to post each day are heartfelt, I hope you will understand if I miss a day or two.  I really am hoping to have craft time each day and get a card made to share with you each day.  I just know how life is and how quickly things can come up and change plans.  I do hope you will stop by to check each day and see if I managed to create something.  I will do my best.  Thanks for dropping by today!  See you soon!

 

Halloween Spooks

Over the weekend, I visited one of the craft stores that is close to my home.  I love going to these at this time of year as all the seasonal decorations are coming out and look so cool.  I immediately visited the Halloween display to see what new items were out this year.  I also wanted to know if I would need to take my husband to see them.  The answer is yes.  He will really enjoy some of the things I viewed.  That doesn't mean we will purchase them just that we will visit them.  Anyway, it put me in the mood to make a Halloween card.  Today I will share with you what I came up with.  Are you ready?  Let's get started.

This type of card is called a Side Step card.  You can visit Splitcoaststampers by clicking here to get the full tutorial on how to make one of these. You will also find a video at the bottom of the tutorial that will take you through making one.   I like this card because it stands up easily and looks great on display.  I chose to use Gumball Green card stock for my base card.  I cut it at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" which is what the tutorial will tell you.  On the left side of the photo, I added a layer of Basic Black cut at 2 3/8" x 4 1/8".  The back panel on the right is a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock cut at 2 1/2" x 4" with a layer of Basic Black on it measuring 2 3/8" x 3 7/8".  The panel right in front of that has a small piece of Daffodil Delight added to it which measures 1 1/4" x 2 1/4".  All of the panels were attached to the base using runner adhesive.  The only part of the card I will mention before focusing on panels is the fence.  I used my Soft Suede card stock for this.  I put it through my Cricut machine using a cartridge called My Community.  This cartridge has a fence on it that I thought would really work well.  Once it was cut out, I ran it through my big shot using the Woodgrain impression folder and sponged some Soft Suede ink onto the pieces which really brought out the impression on the piece.  I attached it to the front of the card using runner adhesive after completing the panel on the left.  The leaves added to the fence are from Garden Green card stock punched using the bird builder punch.  Now onto the panels!!

For the left panel, I chose to make a graveyard.  I started by punching Basic Gray card stock with my large tag punch.  I only needed 2 of these.  I brushed the edges with Basic Gray ink and set them aside.  Next I took Basic Black card stock and ran it through my big shot machine using the retired Billboard decorative strip to cut out the RIP for each head stone.  Once they were cut out I used a glue pen on them and added black glitter to them.  I also glued then to the stones using the same glue pen.  I then took some Whisper White card stock and using my owl builder punch and punched out 4 owls.  Yes I know you can only see 2 here but the others will show up in a minute.  I cut off the feet of the owls and turned them upside down.  I punched out the black eyes from the owl builder also and added black glitter to them for effect.  They are attached to the ghosts using a glue pen.  Last but not least, I punched a 1" circle out of white and brushed it with Basic Gray and Daffodil Delight ink to make a moon.  Once all pieces were completed, I attached them to the panel using runner adhesive.  

This photo highlights the 2 panels on the right side.  Let's start with the back panel first.  The greeting I chose from this one is from the retired stamp set called Eat Drink & Be Scary.  I stamped this onto Whisper White card stock using VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with a Halloween embossing powder that I picked up at a convention.  I punched this out with the retired small tag punch and layered it onto a large tag which had been punched out of Gumball Green.  I attached it to the panel using runner adhesive.  Here you can see one little ghost hiding behind a pumpkin.  He is attached using runner adhesive.  I made this pumpkin using Pumpkin Pie card stock and the wide oval punch.  You need 3 ovals for this. All ovals are brushed on the edges with Pumpkin Pie ink.  They are layered together using runner adhesive.  I added a stem of Soft Suede impressed with the Woodgrain impression folder.   The Garden Green leaves are from the bird builder punch.  I attached this large pumpkin with dimensionals.  All the pumpkins are made in the same way.  Only the sizes are different. 

The panel in front of this one has another cute ghost peeking out and 2 pumpkins.  The larger of the 2 was made using the large oval punch.  The small one used the small oval punch.  Again, these are made exactly the same way as the large one.  All items on this layer are attached with runner adhesive.

Finally we come to the front of the card on the right side.  I chose to go simple on this and just add a couple of pumpkins made using the small oval.  They are attached using dimensionals.  

I encourage you to give this type of card a try.  It is easier than it looks and is so nice to look at.  I have no idea what I will make for you tomorrow but I will come up with something.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you all tomorrow.  

Royal Paper Dolls

Well we have made it to the middle of another week.  I think an appropriate name for this day is Wacky Wednesday because I always feel at my wits end by today.  I am usually ready to slow down and just relax but no such luck.  It would be wonderful if we could all live in fairy tales and our homes would always be clean and meals would be prepared.  We would never have to do dishes or wash clothes. We would all be the perfect size and have lovely hair.  Doesn't that sound wonderful.  It does to me.  However, last time I checked my life was not a fairy tale so today's card lends itself to my fantasy.  It is the perfect fairy tale card. Let's get started on this one.

This card was started with a base of Marina Mist cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a layer of Midnight Muse measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  By now I bet you could tell me all about the top layer but just in case there happens to be someone who does not know, I will tell you about it myself.  It begins with a piece of Whisper White card stock measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  I took out my pastels (chalks) and created the sky background on the card.  I then added a strip of Garden Green I had torn to the bottom of the sky to make the grass.  I attached the sky to the Midnight Muse and the Midnight Muse to the Marina Mist using runner adhesive.  

The final piece of the background it the castle.  It was cut out of Whisper White card stock using my Cricut machine and the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge.  Once it was cut, I added some Stickles glitter glue to different areas.  A magenta was added to the flags of the castle towers, yellow to the windows, brown to the door and silver to the pillars.  I allowed this to dry completely.  Once dry I attached this one using glue dots to the card.  

Now I had a choice to make a prince or a knight for this one.  I chose the knight because what girl does not want her knight in shining armor to come sweep her off her feet?  All of the pieces for the knight were cut out using the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge and Cricut machine.  I chose Brushed Silver for the suit of armor including helmet and for the sword.  I cut out the hilt of the sword again in Brushed Gold so I could layer it onto the sword defining the handle.  The body is the retired Blushing Bride card stock and his hair is Daffodil Delight.  All pieces are attached together using liquid glue.   I added the face using Stampin' Up! markers.  I also added Dazzling Diamond glitter glue to the suit and helmet to accentuate the details.  I then added gold Stickles to the sword hilt to add pizazz to it.  Once the pieces were dry, I attached the finished sword and knight to the card using dimensionals.  

Here is our princess.  I think she is lovely.  Again I used the same paper doll cartridge and my Cricut to make her.  Her body is the retired Blushing Bride.  For her hair, I chose to used Early Espresso card stock.  Her gown is Pink Pirouette while her shoes, crown and scepter are Brushed Gold.  Once I had all the pieces, I attached them together with my liquid glue. I added the face with Stampin' Up! markers.  Next came the embellishing of the pieces - my favorite part.  I added a pink Stickles glue to the dress creating my own design as I went and added some gold Stickles to the crown.  I allowed this to dry.  Once dry, I added pink rhinestones to the prongs of the crown and the scepter.  I then added a square "diamond" rhinestone to the scepter.  Once all the embellishments were on, I attached the scepter and princess to the card using dimensionals.  

I have had a lot of fun playing with this cartridge.  I am going to try to tear myself away from it and do something else for tomorrow and Friday.  However if the pull of the Cricut is too strong, I may have to play some more.  Again this is a wonderful one to work with children with.  They love to make all the elements and put them all together.  They even like embellishing them.  These cards can be used for whatever occasion you would like to use them for.  

I encourage you to do something fun today.  Make sure to have time to laugh.  I will be back tomorrow with another card to share.  Thanks for stopping by today and I'll see you later!!

More Paper Dolls

Happy Tuesday to you all.  It is funny how you begin a week with nothing on your calendar and end up having several days with things scheduled to do.  Now if it is fun stuff I am all for it.  The not so fun stuff I do not like.  Oh well.  That is just how life goes.  I think my daughter said it best yesterday when she posted on Facebook that it is a great day to be alive.  I am so thankful for every moment I have be given with my family and friends.  Now let's get busy with a card.

As I told you yesterday, I made a couple of cards using the Cricut machine and my Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge.  I really enjoy using this cartridge.  I have made paper dolls for my cards as well as made them for my niece and others to have to actually play with.  They love to work with this one because they get to pick out the clothes for their doll as well as the patterned paper to make them out of when its time.  These cards may seem silly to you but I do hope you enjoy them.  Let's get started with the card for today.

For some reason, making this first one seemed like the right one to do.  The dolls remind me a little of Pebbles and Bam Bam from The Flintstones.  While I still want to make them out of punches I enjoyed making them this way too.  I started with a base card of Crumb Cake cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a layer of Chocolate Chip card stock measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" and attached it using runner adhesive.  For the final layer, I took a piece of Whisper White and cut it to be 4" x 5 1/4".  I then chalked the sky background onto it (bet you guessed that) and added a torn strip of Garden Green to make the grass.  I attached this to the card using the runner adhesive once again.  

To make a complete background for this one, I wanted to add a little something to it.  When I was looking at the accessories I could make on the Cricut for these two, I happen to see the volcano.  I really liked it and immediately knew what I would do with it.  I cut it out of Chocolate Chip card stock on the Cricut.  Once it was cut out, I took my Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details glitter glue and added the lava.  I did this before attaching it to the card.  You will need to allow this to dry completely before you attach it to the card.  I used liquid glue to attach the finished volcano.  Of course it needed some smoke puffs so I used a retired flower trio punch I had and punched a set out of Basic Gray.  You can use the scallop flower from the itty bitty punch pack for these.  I attached them to the card using glue dots and then added Crystal Effects to the top of them giving them that puffy, glossy look.

I am sure you know that all parts of the boy were cut from the Cricut machine.  I used Daffodil Delight for the hair (after all Bam Bam was a blonde), Crumb Cake for his animal skin and retired Blushing Bride for the body. I added the eyes, nose and mouth using my Stampin' Up! markers.  I also added a brown glitter glue I happen to have to the animal skin to give it a print.  He had to have his club so I cut that with the Cricut out of Early Espresso card stock and ran it through the big shot machine using the new Woodgrain impression folder that will be available in the Holiday catalog as of August 1st.  All pieces were attached together using a liquid glue and the finished product was attached to the card using dimensionals.  

Again I want to be sure you know all pieces were made with the Cricut machine.  I used Real Red for her hair, retired Blushing Bride for the body, Crumb Cake for the animal skin and Very Vanilla for the hair bone and necklace.  Stampin' Up! markers were used to add all facial details to her.  I added some of the same brown glitter glue to her animal skin as I did to the boys.  This time I chose dots.  I just wanted to be different.  I also wanted to add a little something to her hair bone and necklace.  I went searching through my stash of rhinestones and found this set I picked up a few months ago at a local craft store.  They have an amber tint to them and I thought they would work very well for her necklace.  Luckily the set contained various sized so that I could use a large one for the hair bone and several smaller ones for her necklace.  

This card could be used for a child's birthday as a birthday card or invitation..  You could even use it for a get well if you wanted to.  I do think the paper dolls lend themselves to children's cards but use them for who ever you would like too.  The nice thing about these dolls is you can actually work with children to make cards using them.  They love to create a background for the setting and dressing up the dolls.  It is a wonderful project for them.  

I hope you like the cave people.  I will be back tomorrow with another paper doll card.  I hope you stop back by to see it.  Until then, thanks for stopping by today and I will see you all tomorrow!!  

Groovy Ghouls

I certainly hope you can tell by the title of this one that we will be working with Halloween cards today.  Welcome to Thursday.  This card just seems to fit my mood.  It has been a stressful week and one I am glad is almost over.  We just had too many important things going on this week.  So thinking about Halloween with all the scary things you see just fit into my week perfectly.  Let me show you my card and let's see what you think.

Yes even Frankenstein and his Bride trick or treat on Halloween.  Aren't these guys just too cute?!  I started with a base card of Daffodil Delight cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a layer of Basic Black measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" using my runner adhesive.  For the top layer, I took a piece of Whisper White and cut it to be 4" x 5 1/4".  Next I decided to use one of my Stampin' Up! jumbo wheels called Haunting Hill.  It is retired but I still love it.  I inked it with Basic Black ink and rolled it across my white card stock.  I used my colored pencils to color this background with and highlighted the bat over the moon with a black marker.  I wanted the background to be spooky but fun too.  I attached this to the other layers with the runner adhesive.

Here is a close up of my Frankenstein.  Let me show you his bride and then tell you how I made them.

Isn't she lovely?  Let's start with their buckets.  I made these using the small oval punch.  You punch 3 for each one out of Pumpkin Pie card stock and layer them - 2 for the bottom and 1 on the top in the middle.  I added some orange stickles glitter glue to each one.  For the handles, I punched out a retired small oval (the old punch) and punched around the hole with the large oval.  I cut the resulting ring in half and attached it to the buckets.  For the candy you see inside, I used a stamp I picked up years ago at a craft store.  I stamped the image onto Whisper White, colored the candies with Stampin' Up! markers and cut them out.  They are attached to the buckets using a liquid glue which is how I assembled all the bucket parts too.

My color scheme for Frankenstein and his Bride is very similar.  I used Always Artichoke for his pants and her dress, Gumball Green for the bodies and Basic Black for their shoes, hair and her necklace.  His shirt is Chocolate Chip and her shawl is Bravo Burgundy.  I added glitter glue to various areas for enhancement.  To make all of the parts, I used my Cricut Machine and the cartridge called Paper Doll Dress Up.  If you have a Cricut this is a cartridge you should get.  I love it.  I will be using it to create more cards in the near future.  I assembled all the pieces of each one with a liquid glue.  I even attached the buckets to their hands with a little of it too.  The finished people and buckets were attached to the card using dimensionals.

I know this is a short post.  I seemed to run short on time to sit down and type this today.  I hope you like my creature card and please come back tomorrow for another fun card to see.  Until then, thanks for stopping by today.  See you later!!!

Our Beautiful Little Niece

Hi everyone.  I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and spent some time with your family.  I did a non-traditional meal for our day - I roasted a turkey.  I found that I still had one in the freezer a few days ago and while we did not want a Thanksgiving meal, I though why not cook it and make some delicious sandwiches from it.  So that's what we did.  It took up my afternoon though so no time was spent crafting.

Now I know what you are thinking - why did you not craft in the morning?  Well I spent the morning at Phoenix Children's Hospital visiting our newest niece.  She was born in June but needed a little extra care so she has been at the hospital every since.  Hopefully she will get to go home on Friday.  Her name is Sloane and she is so precious.  I thought I would show you the card I made for her.

I decided to do blocks to spell out her name.  I used pinks and purples because she is a girly girl.  The bear was cut out using my Cricut Machine.  I used a product on him called Fun Flock.  It adds texture and actually makes him fuzzy!!

Hopefully you can see some of the flock in this picture.  I used black glitter on the nose and mouth to help them stand out.  Normally I would show you the inside of the card.  However, it does contain a photo and I did not get mom's permission to share it with you.  I placed the photo on the inside panel of the card and used the other side to write her birth information and a special message just for her.  It turned out really cute and her mommy loved it.  

Well that's it for today.  I will be back tomorrow to end the week with another fun card for you to see.  I do hope you will stop by again to visit.  Thanks for dropping in today!

Dapper Dog Gets A New Job

On Tuesday I introduced you to Mr. Dapper Dog.  I truly love this guy.  He is so easy to make and just fun to look at too.  So I was at lunch with my husband and showed him a picture of this guy.  While he liked him a lot, he asked me if I could do another one and make him into a bbq chef.  After all, don't all dads bbq?  Well they do at my house.  Of course, I could not resist the challenge so I set out to make him once again.  Ready to see how it turned out?  Here we go!

I started this card with a base card of Real Red card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I added a piece of Basic Black measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  I attached it using runner adhesive.  For the top layer, I bet you can tell what I did already but I will still write it.  I started with a piece of Whisper White measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  Using my pastels, I first chalked the sky and then the grass.  Working with chalk always relaxes me.  Once it was finished, I attached it using runner adhesive.

Since I gave you all the instructions for making him on Tuesday of this week, I am not going to bore you with those details again.  I will tell you how I made the hat.  I used a 1" square for the bottom part and the butterfly punch made the top.  I punched the butterfly out of Real Red and cut it in half.  I then placed the pieces behind the square and glued it with a liquid glue.  It is so sad that the butterfly punch is retired.  I will still use mine though.  

Again the bottom is the same as Tuesday's.  Only the apron was added.  Again the main part of the apron it the 1" square punch.  The ties are from the retired horizontal slot punch.  If you do not have one of these, a strip of card stock would work well too.  The spatula comes from my Cricut machine.  I used the Everyday Paper Doll cartridge for this one.  It is cut out of Brushed Silver card stock at adhered to the card with liquid glue.  I used a fine tip black marker and wrote the saying onto the apron.  

For the inside, I used a couple of stamps from the retired King of the Grill stamp set.  They were stamped using Real Red ink onto Whisper White card stock.  I used my paper trimmer to trim it out and brushed the edges with the red ink.  I layered it onto a piece of Basic Black card stock and attached it to the card using runner adhesive.  

Tomorrow is an important day as we welcome the new 2012 - 2013 Stampin' Up! catalog.  Visit my SU! site (link is on the side of my blog) and take a look at all the new goodies.  You can begin ordering item tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by to see me today.  I will look forward to seeing you tomorrow.  Until then, happy stamping!!

Two By Two

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Noah.  I have always enjoyed reading it.  It is where my love of rainbows comes from and the meaning of the rainbow as a symbol of God's promise has stayed with me all my life.  I also was always amazed that all those animals would board the ark two by two and co-habitate together for all that time.  The inspiration for my card today comes from this story.  I first saw one of these done by a demonstrator named Sharon White.  I have always wanted to make one and when I woke up today and was thinking about the story of Noah while in the shower, I decided to give it a try.  There are aspects of it I really like and aspects I would change.  I will go over all that as we look at the card.

 

This is the first ark I have made.  I do not know how Noah built his ark but I am sure his was much more impressive than mine.  Anyway, I started with a base card of Pumpkin Pie (5 1/2" x 8 1/2" , scored at 4 1/4").  Next comes a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Whisper White which has been chalked with pastels to resemble a sky.  I turned to the Pacific Point to make my water and used my Cricut machine along with the Life's A Beach cartridge to cut out the waves.  I cut various sizes so I could place some behind the ark and some in front of it.  I did not think about the fact that most of the waves would be hidden behind the ark.  Oh well.  I used my Plaintin SchoolBook cartridge to help me make the ark.  I used Early Espresso card stock to make the ark.  The first shape I cut was for the bottom of the boat.  I used an oval measuring 4 ".  I cut 5 of these and layered them one on top of the other.  I flattened the end to make them more like sides.  For the "house" of the ark, I cut a 3" square and for the roof, I used a 1 3/4" rectangle which I scored every 1/4".  To make the port holes, I punched 3/4" circles from Crumb Cake card stock and 1/2" circles from Basic Black.  The ark pieces and port holes were attached using liquid glue.  I added Stickles glitter glue dots to the waves in front for visual effect.

 

One thing I would change when making this card again is the color scheme for my giraffes.  I was truly not thinking when I was making them using Early Espresso card stock about how they would blend with the ark.  So next time, I would either use a different color for the giraffes or for the ark.  Besides the Espresso, I used So Saffron card stock.  I cut strips that are 3/4" wide and 2 1/2" long.  I added dots to the necks punched from the circle of the itty bitty punch pack.  The heads are wide ovals.  I punched one in Espresso and cut the ends off to make the muzzle.  The ears are the small heart punch cut in half.  For the antlers, I used my retired horizontal slot punch (scraps work just as well) and 1/4" circles punched with the hand punch.  For the eyes, I got the white part from the owl punch and the black from the 1/4" hand punch.  They do have manes on their necks but you cannot really see them since they blend in with the ark.  I used my scallop edge punch for these.  I made nostrils for my fine fellows using the 1/8" hand punch.  All parts of the giraffe were adhered together using a liquid glue.  The finished giraffes were attached to the ark with the same glue.  I added white gel to the eyes and antlers.  Black marker was added to the neck of both and to the female giraffe for eye lashes.

 

I just love my elephants.  They are made from Basic Gray card stock.  I used the 1 1/4" circle for the head.  I punched out a butterfly for each elephant, cut it in half and attached it for the ears.  The trunk is the large petals from the blossom builder punch.  The eyes are the same as the giraffes.  I adhered all pieces using the same liquid glue as before and also used it to attach the elephants to the card.  I added the white gel to the eyes and ears for these.  The mouths and wrinkles on the trunks were added with a fine tip black marker.  I also used it to add eye lashes to the female.  

Now I have a very sad photo to show you.  

 

You see, I made my sets of animals before attaching any of them to the ark.  I wanted to have 3 types on it so I made the polar bears.  But when I started placing the animals, I realized they would not all fit.  So the little polar bears were left off the ark.  So sad.  I think I will see if I can make my animals a little smaller next time so that I can fit more animals.  I really hated to leave any off.  

Well that's it for today.  I hope you all have a wonderful day and spend some time doing something you love.  I will be back tomorrow with another share.  Thanks for stopping by today.

 

It's Reveal Day!

Alright.  I know I promised I would play with more new items this week and share what I made with you.  However, if you remember last week I shared with you the piles of pieces I had been working on to put baby shower cards together for my niece.  I promised once I got them to her and she mailed them out I would share the finished product with you.  Well that day has arrived so we while you won't be seeing any of the new items, you will get to see the cutest shower card around.  Ready?

 

Here are the finished piles of the cards and the envelopes!!  They turned out really cute.  I added an owl stamp to the outside of the envelope in order to carry the theme onto it.  

 

Now I will break down the parts of the card for you.  The theme for the shower is a picnic theme and she is having a little boy!  So I started with a base card of Real Red cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  I added a layer of Whisper White which I chalked a sky background on using my pastels.  Finally to finish the front background, I tore strips of Garden Green and added them for the grass.  I added some Dazzling Diamond glitter to the edge of the grass to make it stand out.  All the layers were adhered using runner adhesive.

 

The greeting I chose to use for this card comes from a retired Stampin' Up! stamp set called Occasional Quotes.  I truly love this saying.  I happen to believe that babies are miracles from above and this saying rings very true to me.  I stamped it using Real Red ink onto Whisper White card stock, punched it out with a 1 3/4" circle punch and adhered it to the card using runner adhesive.  

 

To make the umbrella, I turned to my Cricut machine and used a cartridge called New Arrival.  I went to my local craft store and found the cutest gingham paper in red and white to go along with a picnic theme.  I used it to cut out the umbrella and the bow on the umbrella.  For my umbrella handle, I used Brushed Silver card stock.  Using my Plaintin SchoolBook alphabet cartridge, I cut out the letter "J".  I tucked the hook of the "J" into the grass to hide it.  I used a liquid glue to adhere the handle, the bow and the umbrella itself.  I then added pearls to the top of the umbrella, the edges of it and the center of the bow.  The pearl on the top is larger than the others.  They are self adhesive so they were easy to attach.  

 

Last but now least is the little owl himself.  Obviously, I used the owl builder punch to make this cute little guy.  All pieces are pretty self explanatory.  The ties on the diaper are the little hearts.  The beak is also a heart.  For the pacifier, I started with a little heart in Bashful Blue.  I then punched a 3/8" circle which is the circle punch from the itty bitty punch pack.  Using a 1/8" hand punch, I punched a circle out of the center of this to create the pacifier handle.  The colors I used one the owl are Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black and Tangerine Tango.  I added white gel pen to the eyes to highlight them.  

I am happy to say my niece was very pleased with these.  She is decorating the baby room using owls so this carried her theme onto the cards.  I was so happy I could do that for her.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of these.

Tomorrow, I have another baby card inspired by my daughter.  I will use some of the new catalog items.  I hope you come back to see it.  Thanks so much for dropping by today.