February birthdays

Three family February birthdays means lots of cardmaking! My son's family has 4 February-March birthdays and celebrates with a Birthday Bash for all the celebrants! I like to send the card for the "special" day but needed tags for the gifts too! Here is the card info....

Mason's 5-year old card was made for a Lego-lover if ever there was one! I have been casing this card on Pinterest for a  while, but a changed it up to be a 5! I also used the Happy Birthday embossing folder on the card layer to add interest... how about that beautiful little face? It's hard to believe he is 5 already! Mason is amazing because he has no idea how awesome he is... he considers himself able to do everything his 7-year old brother can do... so much like his dad did with his older sister...

And he is John and turning 36! He has to be the best son there could ever be... I am just so proud of the man that he has become.  What a blessing to our family!

One of many things he enjoys is golf and I wanted a card that showed him that! It is a time that I see him really relaxed and that is not often. Again, a Pinterest card that I basically tried to just copy! I love the idea of the tee and the long way to go... My Stampin' Up supplier sent a gift of DSP cut to the just the right size to use for the second layer on this card. I love the embossed golfball! How about the layers of green, with sand and water traps?

Carter is turning 7... He has been such a pleasure to watch grow! Although he is our oldest grandson, he is a such an enigma to me... I can't explain the pleasure he brings! His card was harder for me this year because I couldn't get a connection to the videogame he's into now, Mindcraft... so I went for the idea of 7!

Carter also loves cupcakes! So this was my thinking... I used the scallop edge punch and the Happy Birthday embossing folder. The larger scallop punch for the birthday message. I use the create-a-cupcake set quite a bit with the crystal effects on the candle tops.

January

First thing that happens in January is my daughter, Stephanie's, birthday.  I love making this birthday card because it's not a Christmas card... and because she is my baby!

Although the picture is dark, the snowman is doing a happy dance! How interesting that by just putting the smile and the nose in the air, he is just so cute! I saw this on Pinterest and had to try it using the Cold Play stamp set....  Used the masking for snow mounds with a light blue and ribbon for his scarf. Snow flakes from the punch and a pearl in the center of each... Love this guy! Will use him again... Maybe my niece Julie's card?

A Thank You Card and a Congratulations on Your Retirement both came from this Just Believe set. I used the shadowing technique with the blender tool, and forgot to take a picture of the retirement one! I used the Distress colors of Wild Honey and Faded Jeans then stamped the image with Staz-On. Love the result. Again got the idea on Pinterest although I changed it up a little.

Christmas Cards

I promised myself that I wouldn't go crazy at Christmas time by making cards at the last minute.. So of course I did!

Here's the first card for the Santa group... I heat embossed the H for Ho-Ho-Ho! Then outlined it in black. I wasn't s happy as I wanted to be, but it worked okay. I did like the Santa in the three windows! The white was embossed with the all over snowflake folder.

This was my favorite card this year. I embossed snowflakes in the corner and used the pearls to shine them up and added the dazzling details.  I masked the tree and added blue for the sky with the blender and lighter blue to show the snow mounds. Then I stamped the tree with old olive mixed with some brown in spots. The star... which was heat embossed was cut out and used ---- to add dimension.

This is the new bundle from Stampin Up and I had to use it since it was such a big purchase for me!  I got this idea from Pinterest with my own spin added to it. The tree is actually the one from the above card and I just made it appear as a branch. I also used the snowflake embossing folder again and the JOY stamp to complete the card. I do love the Merry Christmas sentiment!

Card number 4 for the season! I loved the two ornaments instead of a single and left off the snowflakes. I did however use the all over snowflake folder after I stamped the tree! Dimensionals are added under the bows and ornaments so they really stand out. Also rounded all four edges. 

I also stamped all of the envelopes and am noticing that I like that for the mail!  This year I am starting early for Christmas.... I like having more than one design and LOVE getting cards! I am also noticing that I forgot to take a picture of my Thanksgiving card (Triple-Stamped) and Avery's 2 year-old's Minnie Mouse birthday card, and Emma's 7 year-old's Princess birthday card! Good to mention them though, so I will remember....

Halloween!

Halloween Is such a fun time for kids! I decided to send a card to each of our grandkids... Here are the selections:

The spider is cut out and hanging on a piece of twill. the goblins and the word BOO are heat embossed as is the spider. Tree embossed and Black-and-white bakers twine is wrapped around lettering. Googlie eyes set off the spider and goblins...

Again used the hanging spider and set it on embossed background of web. Washi tape is under the word BOO which is cutout. Spider heat embossed with black and dangling!

The background DSP made this card! Such an easy card to put together! I used the black-white washi tape and scalloped the edges for the witch... She also had googlie eyes!

The last is the envelope for the witch card. I also decorated the other envelopes for each design. I had such a great reaction from the kids, that I am already planning for next year...

September Birthday cards

September is a big birthday month, so lots of opportunities to make some fun cards. There's my brother, sister and mother... and not to forget our three year old granddaughter, who is really into cupcakes.  Here goes:

Birthday card for my sister-in-law. Masked the flowers and used the blender tool to shade in background. Getting better with masking strip. Love this cling stamp set! Peach Parfait and chocolate chip from SU.

Card for my sister's birthday. Stamped happy after embossing, should have done it before. Love the flower technique in 3-blocks. Same stamp as the sunflowers, but with concord grape and pear pizazz.

Matching envelope...

Birthday card for Mom, using the rubber stamp from  online class purchase. I feel like I am finally getting the  hang of using them. Used Poppy Parade from SU with white and black. Tried heat embossing but didn't like the results. Redid the card and used blender tool to soften the edges. The red twine is an exact match for red.

Matching envelope

Three-year old cupcakes and a picture! Heat embossed the hearts and "lit" the candles with gold glitter! Used So saffron as yellow is Cami's favorite color, right now :)

Added white detail with pen, embossed the mat for card and the frosting on cupcakes. 

Get well card for my brother recovering at a sub acute care center. His days must be very long as he's not very mobile now. I added the acorns after heat embossing and using dazzling details to give them some shine. I am loving the triple layer technique.

Kick Start

New online class started today, Kick Start!  You can tell by the title it is definitely something I need... My main sources of inspiration are Pinterest and other blogs. I haven't been brave enough yet to enter a challenge because I do use other folk's designs. Maybe this will get me rolling!

So here's my first submission for the class using ideas from the other classes that I have taken. Interestingly... I added it with flickr! Next time I might try adding from this blog...

I used the stamp from last class, but did Versamark to emboss it in white. Then watercolored with Yoyo yellow and Garden green, like the effect. I decided to try the technique with three frames, wish I didn't round the corners on the card though! This is my first attempt at faux stitching in black. The butterfly is watercolored after white embossing using the lattice background stamp. Used dimensionals to attach it to vellum.

I can see that my photos need to be better to get the detail of cards. Will work on that....

Also wanted to document a few other cards for my own reminder. 

Sympathy card for a friend. Love the masking and layering technique with this set. Will definitely use again!

Matching envelope

Used for Nancy's birthday. Love Distress shading and the masking so it is all one layer. 

Colored with Copic markers. The sentiment smudged so I will use it for my Emma penpal letter but will mask and color with these gorgeous flower stamps again!

Grammy notecards

It's hard to believe a month has passed since I posted. I have done some card making, some traveling, golfing, swimming, babysitting, and vacationing too. But my pen pals have kept me busy with cards this month for sure. Below are some of the newer ones that I sent. I am enjoying the practice from online stamping classes:

Loved this technique and can't wait to try it again! Maybe not with a black background next time and black to separate the layers. Used the copic markers to color in. I am more impressed everytime I use them. I also added the butterfly just because I thought it fit.

Used the Unfroggetable Set to make this card for Will. Also used google eyes on the toad in front. Looks like one fell off before I took the picture :} I had a hard time with the pictures as you can tell!

Cupcakes for Emma! When we visited she "crafted" with the cupcake punch and had so much fun, I thought I'd try this note for her. I'm still experimenting with the alphabet stamps taking them off the wooden blocks and mounting with Aleen's Tack It Over and Over.

Also needed to send a sympathy card to a golfing friend of John's. It was so good to be able to reach into the stash and find one from my favorite set. I have a picture of the set that I made doubles of just for this kind of situation.

On a happier note, I sent a baby card to my niece who is expecting her third child, a girl, in October. I wasn't able to make the shower for her so I sent gift cards. I used those alphabet stamps again and really liked how this one came out. The pink is Regal Rose and the onesie stamp is a separate from my daughter's collection.

My first time using the triple blossom punch and although it was difficult to get out of the punch, I love it! Wante to use a ribbon, just couldn't make it work.

Today I practiced some embossing and double embossing techniques. There's so much I have to learn and I sure to love to practice! That's it from the craftroom for now...