Happy Easter - Photo Collage

I am wishing everyone a Happy Easter.  I will be with family and will see my sister that I haven't see for a long while.  We are planning a bit of crafting time for the girls.  I've prepared my salad and desserts some of which came from our bake sale this week.  Too easy!

I took these pictures from a flower arrangement one of the girls at work received this week.  The large pink flower was really nice.  I created a collage from the daisy and chrysanthemums.

TH Distress Stains - Christmas Colors

I'm working on the April Christmas Card Challenge so I decided to see how the colors from the Tim Holtz Distress Stains collection would work together.  I had paired them in my mind and had to change the combos a bit.
I've decided to pair these top and bottom. The vintage colors set on the left, traditional colors in the centre then an alternative color combo on the right.

Photo - Roses

These roses are in memory of my friend Nelson who suddenly passed away recently. 
I  placed a piece of gauzy fabric behind the arrangement to give me a subtle background.  I think it work pretty well.  The vase is a classic elegant shape.  The roses are gorgeous red, full and just starting to open. 

Dog Treats

We had a fund raising bake sale at work today.  Last night I made dog treats in the shape of dog bones. I made 2 different kinds - peanut butter and the other fruit based.
On the left, I cut a designer paper with doggie words and images with the TH Ornamental die, folded it in half and added a color printed tag.
On the right, I wrapped metal tea tins with designer paper and I added the red label with the ingredient details which bridges the shortage of the DP.
We had a very good sale but doggie treats were not as popular as last year. 

Note Cards - Simple Daisy

Another set of quick Thank You note cards for a friend who lost her sister this week. The daisy graphic comes from Reusable Art.
It came in handy that I bought a few of these sets a while back.  It allowed me to quickly create a small gift for some one in need.

Card Club - March - Star Trio

Here's a masculine card for this month.  I selected a dark brown card based on the decorative paper I choose.  I glued it to the card front.  I printed the greeting onto a gold card stock then punched the ribbon slider with a Fiskars border punch.  I fed the dark brown gross grain ribbon through the slits then glued it to the card front. I made a slit in the fold, pulled the ribbon end though and taped both ends to the the inside of the card.  I punched 3 stars from the same card stock and placed them below the greeting on the right hand side.  I have some kits with different decorative paper with a red greeting and stars.  The right card was one of the other colors combos I had put into my kits.  These worked out well.

Card Club - March - Paint Chips

Here's a card made with a paint chip.  I punched the flowers from the chip which gave me the 3 coordinating colors.  I will see what the girls do with their chip tonight.  I mounted a yellow handmade paper flower in the centre.  I placed the colored then the yellow and used a push pin to made a hole in the greeting layer. I inserted a tiny black brad to hold the flowers in place and spread the prongs to the back. I wrapped the thread around the greeting layer and tied it in a knot on the front and trimmed the ends.  A bit a tape in the back will prevent the sliding of the threads.  This greeting layer was then adhered to the black card.    If you don't have a punch you can just trim the paint chip into a rectangular shape.  I trimmed the white strip off the top and bottom and made the colored shapes square.

Card Club - March - Cameo

I started with the striped paper.  I chose the burnt orange color striped and matched the card. I wrapped the gross grain ribbon around this layer then glued it to the card front.  I cut the silhouette with a TH Mover & Shaper in brown, layered to a smooth oval of ivory then layered onto a dark brown scallop oval to create the cameo.  This is mounted with 3D foam tape over the ribbon. The only change I would make is to place it on right hand side.   On the card on the right I did make her face into the centre instead of the outside of the card.  This card had white ribbon and white back ground for the cameo.

Card Club - March - Mother's Day

This is my Mother's Day card for card club.  This is the first card I made using this paper. I cut the glitter paper with the Tim Holts Cabinet die. I glued the glitter decorative die cut to the card front.  The solid corresponding shape was cut with the TH Mover Shaper for the cabinet die. I embossed the solid die cut with the Cuttlebug Victorian embossing folder.  The greeting is color printed to coordinate with the color of the glitter paper. It was die cut with a Spellbinder circle Nestabilities. I glued the greeting to the top of the embossed solid colored die cut.  Wrapped the ribbon around the solid colored die cut below the greeting.  Trim ends. This layer is adhered with 3D foam tape on each corner and the top of the half circle over the glitter decorative frame die cut.

How To: More Blah Paper

I found more colors to use on this blah glitter paper.  Here's the ones I did earlier.  This is Nick Bantock Prussian Blue and Vermillion Lacquer.  Keep an eye here to see the cards I will make with these papers!

Notecards - Madison Avenue

Another set of note cards for someone who has lost a husband recently.  It's a time when thank you cards come in handy.
These are again the small note cards onto which I printed some digital images from the Stampin Up Madison Avenue set.  I added colorful centers in yellow, turquoise and pink.  Quick and easy.

Card - Butterfly - Sympathy

Another sympathy card for Lillian who lost her husband. I will miss you Norm.
I chose the butterfly for it's reminder about rebirth.  Again, this large greeting and digital images are coming to my rescue. The butterfly is from a Dover CD.  I layered the color printed layer onto a deep burnt orange then a pea green colored card.  I coordinated the sentiment with the burnt orange layer.

R2G Card Kit - Jumbo Flowers

A Ready 2 Go Card Kit - another set of birthday cards.  Using up some peachy/coral circle stickers on the centre of the flower.  I used some on this card club card .  I started with a Groovy Guava card onto which I color printed a frame and greeting which matches the color of the flower. I cut flowers in turquoise, chocolate chip, navy and grey.  The jumbo flower was cut with a QuicKutz thin die.  The leaf was cut from designer paper with a Sizzix flower die.  The jumbo flower has 3 pieces: the centre, the zigzag border and the flower.  It's helpful to keep all three piece together to ensure the alignment of the centre and the flower during the gluing process.  Be sure to place the leaf behind the flower before gluing it down. The center and flower are glued down then the zigzag ring is removed to reveal the card color.

R2G Card Kit - Circle Trio Lilies - HB

Another Ready 2 Go Card Kit using up some stickers from this set of cards. The large greeting I designed a while back and this is my third time using it. Here's another set of cards where I used it. These are all birthday cards - can never have enough of those.
The lily stickers were placed onto card stock then punched out with the SU! 1.25" circle punch. The greeting was coordinated with the color of the circles.  The greeting was color printed and trimmed to leave a small border.  The lily accents are glued evenly across the top of the card.  Either both sides evenly and the last one centered or the first one centered and the other two placed evenly.

Card - Green Paint Chip

In honour of St. Patrick's day a green card.  I started with a paint chip from the hardware store.  I stamped a set of leaves with a border by Magenta onto the paint chip.  I used Versafine Black Onyx ink which did not seem to dry onto the chip so I clear embossed the stamping. The greeting is a small clear stamp.  I layered the paint chip with a layer of white then onto a green card.  I added 3 black snaps in the bottom right hand corner to balance the elements.
If you have been renovating you may have some paint chips leftover which can be put to good use in your card making.  Take a look around.

R2G Card Kit - Felt Reindeer

Here's another Ready 2 Go Card kit.  This time a sparkly reindeer.  I matched the card to the reindeer then added a white embossed layer done with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder.  I added a glitter paper snowbank.  The centre star holds the reindeer onto the card with a tiny silver brad.  The other stars were spread into the sky. A push pin to make a hole through the card front then the brad is inserted and the prongs are spread on the inside of the card.  The set includes black, green, white and red reindeer. 

Card - Felt Daisy

I had one Felt Daisy leftover after finishing my R2G kits so I made this card to add to my card box. 
I started with a red card onto which I adhered the Sizzix Bigz Frame Back Ornate #8 cut from green designer paper.  I punched 2 slots with the Stampin Up! punch on both sides of the frame.  I strung a length of caramel seam binding through the slots and around the back of the card front and tied a knot on the front.  I placed the red daisy onto a caramel card stock oval cut with SB Nestabilities. It is held in place with a tiny red brad.  I mounted this accent onto the frame with 3D foam tape.

R2G Card Kit - Felt Daisy

Here's another Ready to Go Card Kit. 
Here's a very simple card.  I matched the card to the color of the felt daisy.  The other colors in the kit are yellow and red daisies.  I found some green designer paper to cut with the Sizzix Bigz Frame Back Ornate #8. I cut the white circle backing the daisy with one of the circle Nestabilities.  A tiny white brad holds the daisy onto the circle.  I wrapped the white seam binding around the card front across the label leaving the ends free. I then adhered the daisy accent in the center of the label.  With the ribbon now secure I tied a knot and trimmed the ends.  I struggled about adding something else such as embossing or faux stitching but decided against it as I wanted a simple card. 

Notecards - Colorful Dots & Flags

More note cards today.  I decided to see if I could find a few images that were colorful.  Here's a couple from the 2012 Eventful Year CD. Having digital stamps really helps in getting cards made quickly which is the situation I'm facing.

The note cards had the sentiment already printed so I just added the colorful dots and soft colored flags.  I hope to get them delivered today.

Notecards - Black Flourishes & Butterflies

Another set of note cards for my friends who lost a loved one.

This set is printed from Stampin Up! digital stamps. The greeting is printed in black.  I chose flourishes and butterflies.


Top left: Flourish is from 2012 Fresh Vintage Set
Top right: Flourish is from 2011 SAB Bliss Set
Bottom left: Butterfly is from 2011 Bliss Set
Bottom right: Butterfly with trail is from 2011 SAB So Happy for You set.

Notecard - Thank You - Gold Script

I made some more note cards for my friend who has lost her dad recently.  The black silhouettes are die cuts from the Tim Holtz movers and shapers. I traced a oval frame onto the card with a black thin nib marker before I glued them down.  The bee is a Sizzlet mounted on a piece of gold paper of which I flagged it's ends.  The leaf is a Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die cut in dark brown which is brushed with a Chocolate Chip ink pad. The thank you is gold foil.

How To: Re-purpose Blah Paper

Do you have paper in your stash that does not inspire or speak to you?  The top left corner of the picture here is the original glitter paper.  I bought it on sale and thought I should be able to do SOMETHING with it.  Well I decided to paint it with diluted Nick Bantock ink.  The colors I chose were Turquoise, Lamp black and Sap Moss Green.  That stuff goes a long way because it just took a drop or two to get this color.  I just watered it down then applied it with a foam brush.  I pressed it down as it dried. I'm so much happier with it now.  Keep an eye out here for how I will use it.
Think about what technique you could use on blah paper.  Paint it, print on it, stamp on it, distress it, think outside the box.  You are not inclined to use it the way it is so what have you got to lose? I way nothing so go for it. Let me know what you do and how it turns out.

Card - Sympathy - Florals

Here's a couple more cards for the family of the friend who died last week. The flowers are from Graphics Fairy Vintage. I added greetings in coordinated colors.  I added a layer of card stock then this was mounted on the card.

Card - Sympathy - Leaves

I created a few sympathy cards for the family of a friend who passed away suddenly on Feb 23rd. I will miss you Nelson.
Left: The leaf images are from Graphics Fairy.  They are printed in 4 autumn colors. I added a square frame in a similar color to the greeting. The greeting was printed in the dark green color.  I mounted this layer onto a piece of mustard card stock.  The cherry red card has these layers added to it's front.



Right: This card has the large greeting printed on card stock aligned to accommodate the leaves on the embossing folder.  I used the Cuttlebug - Elegant Branch Leaf & Stems Corners.

Notecard - Scallop Circle with Sticker

A few more notecards for my friend.  I made these from left over supplies from this card.  I selected a chocolate brown card and a wide strip of white card stock.  I used the Stampin Up! Adorning accents Edgelit dies to added a scalloped edge to both sides of the strip.  I placed a dark brown piece of 1/4" gross grain ribbon set off centre and taped the ends to the back of the white strip.  This layer was then adhered to the card front.  The sticker was placed in the centre of the green SU scallop circle. I adhered the scallop circle accent to over the ribbon with 3D foam tape. 

Card - Digital - Sycamore Street Notecards

These are some note cards I designed with digital paper from the Stampin Up! Sale-a-Bration 2013 CD.  These papers are all from the Sycamore Street Designer Paper.  I used the Pretty Petites stamps and the Petite Curly punch.  The flower on the top left and bottom right cards is from Sweet Summer Stamp set from the 2011 SAB CD.

Card - Tulip Birthday

I made this card for a friend's birthday today.  I chose blue for the tulip then a deep yellow for the card. I added my textured background with the color printer. I cut the leaves with the Cricut and the Create a Critter cartridge. I cut the stem with the paper cutter from Cricut leftovers.  I coordinated the SU! Modern Label with the tulip and added a color printed greeting punched with the SU! Word Window. I mounted the oval frame cut with Spellbinder Nestabilities onto the card front with 3D foam tape. 

Notecard - Honeycomb with Daisies

Another set of cards for my friend.  I chose card stock that matched the deep plum daisy confetti.  I added a layer of white core card stock which I embossed with the new Stampin Up! Honeycomb folder.  It works really nice. Once that layer was embossed I used a sanding block to remove the top layer of color to reveal the white core. I glued this layer to the card front. I then added the daisy confetti which is held in place with a tiny white brad to which I added a small white sequin which works with the white I revealed in the embossed layer. 
I made several colors.  You could change the color of the daisies and card stock and the embossing folder as well which provides a wide array of different looks and feels.  A great versatile design.

Notecard - Bee with Script

I'm making note cards for a friend who lost her husband. These are the first in a few.  I used the same script background I used on this card printed in black. The bee was cut with a Sizzix Bee #4 sizzlet die.  I printed the background on designer paper and placed it on a dark purple card with the bee in a coordinating card stock.  I wrapped an organza ribbon around the card front and tied it in a knot.  On the right hand card I used a light green card.

Christmas Card Challenge - March - Hearts

I started with the quilted heart.  I started with a piece of card stock onto which I glued scraps of designer paper in Christmas colors.  Once it was dry and pressed I cut the heart free hand as I did not have a die large enough. I added stitching to the heart with a black marker then embossed it with the Cuttlebug Victoria folder.  I printed the stitched frame onto ivory card stock.  I then put the holes in between with a push pin.  I roughed up the edges with a distress tool.  I layered a piece of colored card stock between the stitched frame and the card front.  It's edges were distressed as well.  I mounted the heart above the greeting with 3D foam tape.  I added a button with green thread tied onto it, held in place with a Zot.