Monday, May 2, 2011

Playing with "Vintage Vogue"...

This is the main set I've been playing with recently. If you looked at my craft area right now, you'd see all sorts of these flowers stamped and cut out just waiting to be placed on different projects. :-) Here's a few more of the cards I created with this set...


My personal favorite is the "Thank You" card...which is your favorite? Why?

Because I Care cards...

One of the stamp sets I pulled out to play with recently was "Because I Care" (a hostess set from SU). I made three cards with it...all with the same layout, but slightly different color schemes. I stamped the main image with StazOn ink, then colored with my favorite aqua-painter and ink pads. I played with one of my new toys (a Martha Stewart border punch) on this project, as well. Which one is your favorite? I posted a close-up of mine...

Ramblings on a really rough month...

April was a really rough month at our house. Our oldest daughter has been struggling with depression for some time now, and in April spent eight days in a psychiatric hospital, followed by three more as a "partial patient" in an attempt to diagnose, treat, and teach her how to better manage the emotions she's dealing with. On top of that, we had three birthdays to celebrate (and Easter, too)! How do you celebrate when your life is in the midst of a storm? Carefully. I'm definitely not an expert at this, but I'm learning to recognize the truly important, and focus on one day at a time (sometimes one minute or hour at a time).
We all deal with life's ups and downs differently. I eat...and craft...and cry (in no particular order). Crafting is one of the few "positive outlets" that I have, so I refuse to let that go completely. A few of the cards I've made recently were for family, so I thought I'd share them here.

The turquoise card uses Stampin' Up!'s "Natural Beauty" set, and I simply watercolored the bird image a bit. The flower strip was made using an EK punch.

The birthday card was made for Brenna's birthday (I still have a hard time believing that she's actually 17!). I used the Vintage Vogue set from Stampin' Up!, along with a Nestabilities die, and some vanilla seam binding. This is one of my personal favorites. :-)

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

4-Drawer Easel Card

When my friend Jennie made and posted her gorgeous 4-drawer easel card on her blog recently (http://inkypuddles.blogspot.com/2011/03/4-drawer-easel-card.html?spref=fb) I knew that I wanted to make one. Most of the projects I create are definitely on the feminine side, so I tried to make one that was more masculine for our son, Cody. Here's what I came up with:



It isn't nearly as elegant as hers, but Cody LOVES it! The directions I used can be found at http://inksomething2.blogspot.com/2010/04/tutorial-for-4-drawer-easel-card.html

Craft it Forward...




You know the movie where the theme is to "Pay it Forward"? Well, there's also a group that likes to "Craft it Forward" by sending handmade items to others simply as an act of kindness. I recently participated in a round, and ended up sending five different people five cards each. Some of them I've already posted here before (like my spring card with the Spell-binders die and the butterfly), but I also made a couple of new ones. Fairly simple, but fun! The card with the jungle animals is a "Waterfall Card".
If you'd like to Craft it Forward, check them out at http://www.facebook.com/CraftitForward

Emma's birthday invitations...

I haven't bought a card at a store in years. In fact, I have a LOT of hand-made cards ready to send out at a moment's notice. Still...I'm not good at sending cards in a timely fashion, and I still like to create new cards for certain events. My kids' birthdays are a great example. :-) Since our youngest recently turned 10, I made these fun owl cards for her invitations. Her actual birthday card was just like them, but without the "Party this Way" element on the front. The owls were made entirely with punches, and the scalloped circle is a Spell-binders die.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Playing with my Cuttlebug...

About a month or so ago...I spent some time playing with my Cuttlebug and Spellbinders dies. The end result? This happy little card. Sometimes you just need something bright and "springy" to look at when it continues to rain outside...

My Stampin' Up! party...

Since it's "Sale-a-Bration" time with Stampin' Up!, I recently hosted a stamping party at my house. My friend Tessa was our demonstrator, and brought supplies for each of us to create three cards. Spending time with friends and stamping = a perfect day in my book! Here's what we made (the last picture is the one I made as invitations):




If you'd like to contact Tessa (she offers classes regularly!), just visit her website at www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/tessaboulter/

Valentine's Day...



I must confess...I LOVE Valentine's Day! I see it as a day to celebrate and connect with those you love (and not just a "Hallmark holiday".) This doesn't mean you need to spend a ton of money, either. At our house, I got up early (very rare!), and fixed my family a hot breakfast of bacon, heart-shaped pancakes, and eggs. Now, this might seem normal to you, but with 5 different people all leaving the house at 4 different times, this can be a challenge. My family loved it! Later in the day I made these cute boxes (instructions can be found at http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/allinonebox/ ) and filled them with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses. They were a huge hit! Tom gave me a beautiful pink rose and a card that he created himself - absolutely made me smile! I hope you and your family had a great day - no matter how you chose to spend it!