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Hi everyone.  It's Tuesday and it is hot hot hot here in Phoenix.  We have definitely reach summer temperatures meaning we are over 100 degrees every day.  It will only get hotter as the summer days go by.  While I do enjoy swimming and the lazy days, I will be ready for the autumn season with the holidays, busy days and cooler temperatures. 

Today I decided to make a baby card.  No idea why I chose this.  I do not know anyone who is pregnant right now but since I seemed inspired to do this I thought why not!!!  Let's just jump in and get started.

 

I started with a base card of Tempting Turquoise cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I then added a layer of 4 1/8 x 5 3/8" Whisper White.  I ran this through my big shot using the perfect polka dots impression folder.  Once impressed, I used sponges and Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise ink and brushed over the dots to add color to it.  I attached it using runner adhesive.  

The top layer is a quilt I made using left over designer series paper.   I started with a 4" x 5" piece of Whisper White.  Using my 1" square punch, I punched out squares from the dsp and attached them to the white using runner adhesive.  Once covered, I ran this through the big shot using the top note die. 

I attached a piece of retired 1/4" grosgrain Tempting Turquoise ribbon to it and attached it to the card using the runner adhesive.

 

The stamped image on this one is from a stamp set called Best of Brides and Babies.  This is a special set offered by Stampin' Up! in celebration of their 25 years in business.  I stamped the image using Chocolate Chip ink onto Whisper White.  I colored the image using colored pencils and cut it out free hand.  It is attached to the card with runner adhesive.  I tucked it behind the ribbon just a bit.  I added some colored rhinestones to the ribbon for dazzle.

The word was made using my big shot and an alphabet set of sizzlits called Girls are Weird.  I cut the skinny part of the letters out of Pumpkin Pie card stock and the shadow letter from Basic Black. I layered the letters using a 2 way glue pen and attached them to the card with the same glue pen.  I added some dazzling details glitter glue to the letters for added pizzazz.

Well that's it for today.  I am going to go finish my laundry and take a nap.  The worst part of the summer heat for me is that it increases my migraines greatly and I spend a lot of days hurting.  Oh well, I have survived for many years so I am sure I will be fine this summer too.  

Please stop by tomorrow to see what I will have to share with you then.  I am so happy you chose to spend some time with me today.  Thanks for dropping in and I will see you tomorrow.

Patchwork Halloween

Welcome to a brand new week.  Isn't it funny how weekends seem to fly by?  Where does the time go?  I spent a fun day on Saturday with my youngest and my sister.  We went to an event to raise money for my husband's charity.  It was a shopping event so of course we had a lot of fun looking at everything.  I did find time to work on a few card ideas so I do have a fun card to share with you.  Let's just jump right in and get started.

 

When I started this card, I was actually planning on putting different punch art items on it.  However, once I laid the background down, I found it was too busy for my art.  So I have saved that for another day.  I did like the look of this card so I just created a design to go along with it.  

I started this card with a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Gumball Green card stock.  It is scored at 5 1/2".  Next I pulled out scrap pieces of Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black card stock.  I punched 1 1/4" squares from these, three of each color.  Next I laid them in a random pattern and adhered them to the base card using runner adhesive.  Once they were secured down, I pulled the circle and the plus looking flower punch from the itty bitty punch pack and punched circles out of black and flowers out of green.  I outlined the outer sides with the circles and placed the flowers in the center where corners of the squares meet.  I adhered them using my 2 way glue pen.  I added large pearls to the four outer corners, small pearls to all the other circles and rhinestones to the flowers.

 

The stamps I chose to use for this card are all Halloween stamps I have picked up over the years.  On the daffodil squares I stamped a moon with a bat using Basic Black ink.  I added yellow glitter glue to this.  Next I stamped a pumpkin onto the pumpkin squares using Basic Black ink and added orange and  green glitter glue to the image.  I did add yellow glitter glue to the eyes, nose and mouth but it is hard to see in the photo.

 

On the eggplant squares, I went with a witches hat stamp and stamped it with black ink.  I added a lime green glitter glue to the hat band and purple glitter glue to the hat.  For the black squares, I knew an image would not show up as well if stamped with regular ink.  So instead, I stamped this image with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it using black embossing powder.  Since it has a bit of a shiny look to it, I did not add any glitter glue.  

Think of this card as a sample of how to turn a mistake into a workable project.  After all as I said before, I laid the pattern down and adhered it to the base card and then decided it would not work for the card I wanted.  I am glad I came up with another idea and was able to make it work for this one.  

Well that is all for today.  I hope you have a wonderful Monday.  Please come back tomorrow for another card.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Charity Begins At Home

One of the most important traits we want our children to have is the knowledge that it is better to give than to receive.  We always want them to remember that there are so many others who do not have one thousandth of what our girls do.  Growing up in the age of reality tv, I really think that we have an overwhelming responsibility to teach our children to be giving.  They are seeing so much selfishness on those reality shows!  Well I am truly one lucky lady.  My husband is one very involved person in the community.  He serves on the charity board of his fire department and runs all kinds of charity events throughout the year.  I love to help him and really love when our girls come to help too.  As we are in the season to remember and be thankful for our blessings I hope everyone takes time to give of themselves to help others.

So what does all of this have to do with making cards?  Well, one item I worked on over the last day or so is a thank you card for my husbands charity committee to use.  He asked me to design one so he could share it at their meeting today.  I am hoping they like it and will want more.  Anyway, I thought I would share it with you today too.

 

I chose to do a side step card mainly to be different than anything else they may have seen.  I used Real Red for the base card and went from there.  I used one of my all time favorite DSP's with the little cherries on it.  It is so old I cannot even remember the name but I love it.  The "thanks so much" stamp on the 1 3/8" circle is from the retired set called Eight Great Greetings and is stamped using Old Olive ink.  I layered it on the 1 3/4" scallop circle in Real Red.  This side is finished off using a piece of Old Olive ribbon tied in a knot.  The " Thank You" on the bottom is from the stamp set Curly Cute which is available in the catalog.  The logo of the charities is printed out on card stock and punched out using the designer label.  Then I created a border for it using Old Olive.  Let's look at the last piece of this card.

 

The "You Always Do The Nicest Things" is from the retired stamp set called Happy Greetings.  It is stamped in Real Red.  Now the cute little fire fighter stamp is from a different company.  I know SU! use to have a set of stamps all themed with fire fighter images.  When it retired, they did not make a new one.  I really wish they would.  I have been unable to locate one of the old ones to buy.  Anyway, he is stamped in Basic Black.  Now I thought about coloring him but decided against it.  I did not want to take away from any of the details on him.  This layer of Whisper White is attached to a piece of Old Olive and then adhered to the card.  When making a card like this, you just need to remember to only apply adhesive to the area that will actually be attached, not all the way from top to bottom.  Otherwise you will have one sticky mess.

Well, I will let you know how the board liked the card.  I will be making these to donate to them and am really looking forward to it.  Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to drop in tomorrow!!

Owl Girl

This was a nice weekend for us.  My sister and I went on Saturday and had our hair done which is always fun as the ladies who work in the salon are full of stories that make you laugh and laugh.  After, I spent a relaxing evening with my husband.  He made the most delicious bar-b-que chicken on his grill.  He smoked the legs and thighs for almost 2 hours.  It was so juicy and flavorful--yummy!  It was a real homemade meal as I made homemade potato salad and homemade cream style corn to go with it. I wish you could have been at our table.

Sunday is always a day to worship.  My husband had to work this day so I spent a good part of it with my sister crafting.  I love my craft time!!

Today's share is a card that I made a few months ago.  It sold very quickly at my April crop.  I came across a picture of it recently and wanted to share it with you. 

 

Isn't my little owl girl just adorable?  I used the wonderful 2 step owl punch to my owl.  I put a piece of DSP into the punch to make the dress.  Now the ruffle border was not made with the owl punch.  I actually used the scallop oval punch punched around a large oval hole.  I then cut it in half and adhered it to the bottom of her dress.  Then I trimmed the sides off so that it would be the perfect fit.  As you can see, I used the little heart from the owl punch in the center of her dress and placed a bead on it.  I also used the heart from this punch to make the beak.  I punched it out of tangerine tango and adhered it to the bird right at the v-neck of the dress.  Then I placed the eyes which covers the top part of the heart leaving the "beak" revealed.  She is perched on a branch from the 2 step bird punch.   Behind that is a 2 3/8" scallop circle punch embossed using the elegant lines impression folder.  Behind that is a beautiful quilt.  I started my quilt by using a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of whisper white card stock.  I used my handy 1 1/4" square punch to punch squares of of the DSP set I used for the owl dress.  I adhered these in a random order on my whisper white piece.  Once that was complete, I ran it through the big shot using the top note die.  I added the little "x"'s with a fine tip black marker to complete the quilt look.  It is layered on a piece of Not Quite Navy which had the corners rounded using the corner rounding punch and was then run through the big shot using the Vintage wallpaper impression folder to emboss it.  It was all then assembles on a base card of Marina Mist, I think.   

I love the quilt look and of course the little owl too.  I will definitely be making another one of these.  It is just too cute not to make one.  

Well, I am off to work hard on many things.  I appreciate your comments and encourage you to leave more.  Be sure to visit my online store and see all the cards I offer for sale.   Of course, feel free to order as many as you like.  

Thanks for dropping in today and I will see you tomorrow.