The Open Sea in Style

Okay.... here's the second day in a row of my card a day challenge to myself. I need to get some father's day cards done, both for my own father and also for the little shop that I sell some of my stuff in. Today's card uses the sketch challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary.

Today I used my new set, The Open Sea. I ordered a bunch of masculine stuff from the mini cattie and haven't used most of it yet! I had to change that today with this set, which I am seeing everywhere!!!

I started with a base of Very Vanilla. There is a layer of Crumb Cake on top of that. Then, I have three strips of vanilla that are stamped with images from The Open Sea set in Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, and Cherry Cobbler. The ship is stamped in Early Espresso is layered on a piece of Night of Navy. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, one of the best sets I've ever purchased! I use it all the time! I also added baker's twine in Cherry Cobbler.

As usual, I made two cards and changed up the second one a bit. I do like it the best. I attached the sentiment to the side of the main image. I also sponged some Crumb Cake ink around the edge of the boat image and I moved the twine to the bottom edge of the card.

Thanks for looking!

Evolving Butterfly

I posted a while ago about the discovery I made about the evolution of the card. With this set of cards, the idea was born. I was working to make a butt load of Mother's Day cards for a bunch of women who I love who are mothers.

This one was card one. Not too bad. Pretty in pink with layer of Wild Wasabi. I used Elements of style. I stamped up the background, then I used the floral image on a very vanilla. I used my big shot and butterfly die cut. I colored in the image using a q-tip and ink. Then I put the sentiment on vanilla in Rose Red ink. I punched the message out. I punched a second piece, in Rose Red, and put that behind the sentiment. I finished it with a pearl in the middle of the butterfly.

Not bad for the first card. But wait... there's more.

Here is the second one. A bit fancier. I have a layer of Rose Red under the wasabi. I tried the same trick with the butterfly and the sentiment. But this time, cut the rose red punch out in half and put half behind each part of the sentiment. I also added two pearls on the butterfly.

This is a little more dressed up than card 1, a small step in the card evolution.

But wait... there's more....

Here is card number 3.

You can see the evolution. You might not be able to see the small pearls along the bottom (which I punched using the scallop boarder punch). I used the sentiment from Teen Tiny Wishes, the word window, and the modern label punch.

This is the final evolution of this card. I love, love, love how this turned out. I think it is beautiful. I hope you like it, too. The wasabi paper is from an old pattern pack of dsp that was a hostess gift.

Thanks for looking...

Frames, Frames, Frames

These are some frames I made for a colleague of mine. She wanted them as graduation gifts for officers of from her various clubs at our school. I tried to use our school colors and the sentiment, "May all your dreams come true." I ended up making about 12 different frames.

Thanks for looking...

Come Sail Away

Are you singing the song yet? "Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me..." I have been singing it when I use this stamp.

This is my first card in a bit. I've been creating some frames for a colleague (I'll post those pictures later). I don't know what is wrong with me because I don't feel particularly creative these days. When I have the time or the chance to go in the studio, I just don't feel like it. Maybe it's the end of the school year and I'm tired and fried; I don't know, but needless to say, my mojo has been missing. In an effort to find it again, I decided to force myself in there today. I have decided to issue myself a challenge.... one card a day. I will make one card a day. It is a big challenge for me, but one I believe I can do if I motivate myself to complete the challenge. I'd love your encouragement!!!!

Here's my card for today. I have seen others that are close to something like this, and I wanted to try it. I also wanted to use the technique of using paper piecing for the sails on the boat. AND wanted to use my new brown and white twine (see it hiding behind the sentiment on the first one? Well, I didn't like it hiding so I changed it for the second one. I used Sail Away, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso and Whisper White.

Here I added the strip of Early Espresso to wrap the twine around. I decided to go with the retirement cards since I have so many friends retiring this year! If they checked out my blog, they'd see what kind of card they'll be getting!

On a separate note, if you are a praying person, one of the bloggers I like to follow is in need of your prayers. She's been evacuated from her home due to flooding in North Dakota. Her name is LeeAnn.

Please keep checking back to see if I am keeping up with my goal!

Thanks for looking...

More card evolutions...

This group of cards meets two different types challenges, the sketch challenge over on Stampin' Royalty and a challenge over on Stampin Celebration. I bought a bunch of seed packets so I could make mother's day cards for lots of folks. Here are a bunch of cards I made. I varied each one, but stuck with one set of DSP, a retired set. I used Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, and Cameo Coral.

I punched various edges with various edge punches. I also used brads to attach the top layer on many of the cards. I used mostly word window and modern label punch. But the card did evolve to the butterfly punch with the sentiment.

These cards have the same loop of ribbon on the seed packet so that it easily pulls from behind the top layer.

I do really love how cute the card still looks when you pull the seed packet out. See....

I also added a bunch of bling on these, mostly pearls.

Hope you like these....



Thanks for looking....

More Seed Packet Cards

Because I bought so many packets of seeds to make mother's day cards, I needed to come up with lots of ideas of how to do incorporate the seed packet and a card.

This little pocket card was one idea I had based on a card I got from someone at a regional swap. The base is Peach Parfait. Then flowers are Poppy Parade and Peach. In the center of each flower is a sparkly glimmer brad. Each card has a ribbon.

I used the Sunny Garden DSP (I think that's the name).

It's simple but it's sweet.

Thanks for looking!

Mother's Day Seed Pack Cards

Here are a whole mess of cards that I made for Mother's Day. I am loving this evolution of the card thing I have going. These aren't in the order that I made them in. These two are the last two cards that I made.

I used Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, and Perfect Plum. I built these cards based on two different challenges. One challenge is Stampin' Royalty's sketch challenge for the week. These cards do mostly fit that sketch.

Another challenge this set of cards fits is the Create with Connie and Mary color challenge for this week. The challenge is to use the color Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, and Perfect Plum, and Whisper White.

Each card has the sentiment happy mother's day from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set that was punched with he oval punch. It is layered on a the same DSP as the top note (from the patterns pack hostess set) that was punched out with the scallop oval.

I used various edge punches on layers. About halfway through this evolution, I thought to put these little white loops of ribbon at the top of the seed packet so it could be easily pulled out from behind the top layer on the card.

The card is still beautiful after you pull the seed packet out!

This card was born out of seeing that sketch on Stampin' Royalty and knowing I had these seed packets to use to make mother's day cards.

I really love the way this turned out. They all follow the same basic pattern, but at the same time, they are all different!

Thanks for looking!