Will's 6!

Our grandson, William, has his 6th birthday on June 27th. Hard to believe how quickly that happened! He is loving Angry Birds so I had to find a way to make that into his card. I downloaded the app and also looked on line... Thank goodness for Pinterest!

This was so appropriate for the fancy fold card. I used punches to duplicate what I thought looked like the red birds and green piggies! I drew the slingshot after seeing one on Pinterest and used the idea of a band around the bird with cording. I also had to make the structure to hold the piggies. 

The paper is SU's DSP and Island Indigo. Also used some grass paper from an old stack pack that I had. The sentiment is SU's Curly Cute and cut outs from SU's letter diecuts- Avery Elle's sentiment for Look who's 6.

I also used Distress inks to blend blue for the sky and backed the front panel with black and then chocolate chip. The Bird has google eyes and eyebrows- glued with crystal effects to shine! I hope Will enjoys it as much as I did making it!

Lyla Kate is Two!

Oh my... Hard to believe that our youngest grand child is turning two on June 30th! She is such a little peanut- but so strong-willed! Lyla loves fish and the water. It is with joy that I watch her grow...

I totally cased this card from Splitcoast Stampers, Laura Lipe's card! I changed up the panels but this was her design... 

This is the card opened up:

Here it is closed:

First I had to get the pattern for this fancy fold.  The card is a 12x 5.5 piece of paper, scored at 2", 4", 8", 10" and folded on the score lines.  Then I opened it up and turned the paper - making a cut from the edge at 1.5" from the first fold up to the last fold. Turned the paper and did the same on the other side, which gave the center panel. The front of the card has a piece of 3.5 x 4.5 cardstock glued on it. Each of the center 2 panels measure 1.75 x 3.75.  I added patterned paper to look like water on the free panels. It appears sturdy enough for a two year-old's constant opening and closing!

Paper colors are Pool Party and white. The pattered paper is an old piece from a miscellaneous pack. Ink colors are, SU Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, Real Red for the heart spout and Basic Grey for the whale. I also added some "bling" for the whale's spout and Baja Breeze ribbon at the top. The sentiment "Look who's 2" is PTI and SU's letter die for the name. 

I used SU Oh Whale stamp and die set. Just love the way this came out. Thanks so much Laura for sharing!

Next card is Will's Angry Birds for his 6th birthday on June 27th!

Our Anniversary

It is hard to believe that my husband and I have been married for 42 years June 26th.  He is an original - the best husband and father (not to mention grandfather) - you could ever ask for.  I can't really remember a time when we weren't together! I have always looked to the stars and so this is the perfect time to use PTI's Star Gazer stamp set! 

The picture could have been better. I used SSS Falling Stars Die in black and put it on a white card base with yellow distress ink sponged to show through the stars. The PTI Star Gazer Addition Pack has the star chart which I embossed with gold. It is attached with dimensionals to give it added depth. The finishing touch is the tilted banner with Happy Anniversary. The edges of the banner are also gold embossed. The inside sentiment is "Love you to the stars and back!" And I really do!

Birthday Thank You Cards

We had the whole family come home over Memorial Day Weekend- kids and grandkids! SO much fun- and so very much rain! Sixteen people in the house... and only two bathrooms! We were planning to let a group try camping in the backyard... but it was even too wet to set up the tent!

We did celebrate my birthday though... and I just made the thank you notes to send tomorrow for the very thoughtful cards and gifts that were shared.

Here's a look at the inside of the card:

Just love the PTI Happiness In Bloom stamp set. I used masking to create this card in one layer. The card base has an oval diecut with the sentiment stamped on the inside of the card. I partially stamped the flower on the outside and then stamped the same flower on the inside so the petal could be shared.  Colors are Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizazz, and Tangerine Tango. The sentiment and flower center are stamped with Staz-on Black ink. The finishing touch is the green Bakers twine at the top. I used a small hole punch on each side of the front to make an edge for the twine.

I totally missed Father's Day this year and had to make calls to send wishes to the men in the family. Next year...  

Retirement

The end of a school year brings a whole new way of life to our teaching colleagues, especially if they are retiring as we did three years ago now. My husband has four friends retiring this year from teaching, as well as his sister retiring from the health field.  Great chance to make some fun cards!

I treated myself to an order from PTI, Simon Says and Paper Smooches and with it lots of fun new stamps and dies! And I already have a want list growing for my next order...

First I tried the PTI Happiness in Bloom set. I did not get the dies that coordinate (on my want list)!  This is a one layer card, with the center masked and sponged with Distress ink (mowed lawn) to give it a layered look. Then stamped the outside of the flower with SU blushing bride, melon mambo over that with the inside of the flower, and the very center with another melon mambo which appears lighter because it has one less layer of stamping. How cool is that? 

I masked the flowers to add the leaves in SU gumball green and some smaller blossoms in the pinks. The sentiment is from SSS Tilted Banner Sayings with Staz-on black ink. I love that I can manipulate the stamp to tilt or wave!

Then I got the brilliant idea to do the same card, and "fussy cut" the center blossom to add dimension to the card. So I cut each layer of the center flower and added dimensionals to give it depth. Love it and tried to photograph it to show the result... I did forget to round the corners though!

 The inside sentiment ... The best is yet to come! And with retirement I do believe that- especially when it comes to enjoying another quiet, relaxing cup of coffee.

 The next card is PTI's Fly Away stamp set with coordinating dies. Just love this little plane which I did in SU Real Red and Gumball Green. I used masking to sponge color the center of the card with Distress Broken China and stamped the birds from SU's Up, Up and Away and DSP for the bottom of the masked section. 

The plane and banner are stamped on another piece. The banner sentiment was heat embossed with white and added with dimensionals to give some depth. It is being dragged by the plane with baker's twine. I didn't attach the twine to the paper, rather left it on its own! The plane is also attached to the base with dimensionals, so it gives the twine a little "wiggle room!"

I did another plane in SU's gumball green, using the same idea as above. The added Distress ink is Wild Honey.

 This side view picture gives a better idea of the plane and banner, although not the best :)

I also have gotten into a little envelope art to decorate - matching the card. The sentiment is from SU's Up, Up and Away stamp set. 

Off to do my first volunteer stint at the elementary school. I am reading one of my favorite children's books, a Steve Jenkin's,  to a first grade class, extending comprehension ideas and prediction into "about the text" examples. I love the thought of giving back to the profession from my literacy coach position, but mostly I am just looking forward to enjoying the kids!

Thank Yous

One thing I have shared with friends is the belief that when I give a gift, it comes with a "no need to send a thank you note" guarantee.  Funny that I should end up loving to make cards, right?

So I don't usually send thank you notes to family. This year however, I decided to send them for the lovely Mother's Day gifts that were given to me. Here are the cards:

This pink hydrangea from SU's Because I Care set reminded me of the one that was my Mother's Day gift! It was so appropriate for the occasion and came out just the way I envisioned it in my head. I embossed the card base with the hearts embossing folder, stamped the hydrangea on another oval and pop-dotted it to the base. Colors are blushing bride, melon mambo, and old olive on whisper white cardstock. 

The tilted banner was sponged with melon mambo to add depth and fit perfectly at the bottom of the oval. I added the leaf and a few flowers with dimensionals after fussy cutting them and it did make a huge difference to the look of the card.

This thank you is a one layer card with some of the smaller hydrangeas in SU's set Sweet Summer. I used melon mambo and gumball green for the colors, with blushing bride for the lighter pink shade. I used Liquid Pearls spray on the pop dotted flowers to make them shine with that pearlized look. 

This thank you is also a congratulations for my daughter who just completed her Masters Degree work, along with being a fantastic mom to Campbell, 3 , and Lyla, 1! Amazing! I used the SU Eastern Blooms, and my favorite fromtilted banners die, with sentiments from my new PTI set!

In this side view it is easier to see the raised banner and the partially embossed card base. My first try with that technique, and I love the look! Also used some sticky backed ribbon that looked great with the cameo coral, chocolate chip ink  that I used. I sponged the layer with the blossoms with distress ink, peeled paint, added some little pearls to the center of each blossom, then finished it off with my corner chomper!

Mother's Day Cards

My mother is just amazing... I am so fortunate to have had her wisdom and experience as a guide for all of my life. In her last few years, life has not treated her kindly with strokes and immobility. I wanted to send her a Mother's Day card to brightened her spirits and make her smile, and I think the hummingbird will do that...

Although I got the initial inspiration from a card on Pinterest, this card is a collection of many ideas I have gathered. I have been anxious to try some new stamps and ideas out... Today I had time to do just that!

 

Starting with my new supplies of 110 lb white paper, I used the SU Hearts A Flutter framelit for the opening with the sentiment stamped inside the card. I used my new PTI set, Happiness in Bloom , and SU Best Blossoms, for the flowers and two of them overlap the opening and are layered with dimensionals. The love die is from PaperSmooches and I just love how it went over the opening in the card with the sentiment showing through. It's a little hard to see in the picture,  the side view shows it better. 

This view shows the dimensionals under the layers of flowers and the "love" die cut across the front of the card.

I added the hummingbird from the SU Amazing stamp set on watercolor paper and painted the colors to resemble the ruby-throated hummingbird from our area. We were actually treated to our first one yesterday!

Colors were Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Old Olive; I also used the leaf framelit with the dimensionals on the two flowers that were layered. The envelope is dressed up to match with "Happy Mother's Day" and two flowers.

As in the past, I send Mother's Day cards to my daughters and daughter-in-law. They are incredible young women and I so admire all of their hard work as mothers to our grandchildren. Truly remarkable!