Thanksgiving Cards

While I don't usually send cards at Thanksgiving, I did send one to my mother at the nursing home and one to a friend who could use a positive mailing. Love the PTI Gobble, Gobble stamp and matching die set...

Here's the cards:

Love the sentiments stamped around the outside of the card. The acorns are from the SU Autumn set and fussy cut to complete. I used the white pen to outline the tips of the tail feathers... maybe I have been watching too much Kristina Werner, because I really didn't need too! I used SU chocolate chip for the base, and a polka-dotted orange first layer under the pumpkin pie top layer.

I like the cream color so much better than the orange on the mat. The DSP is from SU in chocolate chip.  The mat is die cut from Lil Inkers and I really love the look! I made the tail feathers with Distress inks and water, then die cut the shape. Love the random look of the gobble in orange, first and second generation prints. Twine finishes off the acorns across the bottom of the card.

Oh my! I haven't started my Christmas cards yet... happens every year!

Emma Rose is 8!

So hard to believe that Emma Rose will be eight on November 19th. She is really amazing and I just couldn't be more proud of her! Emma has always had a special affinity for My Little Ponies and now Equestria Girls... So I tried to add that to her card. Not my most successful addition... But my heart was in the right place :)

Here's the card...

Rarity is the name of the pony... which transforms into a girl.  This is another Magic Window card, with Rarity showing in the plastic window. The words "happy birthday" were diecut on gold vellum (hard to see in the picture). The base of the card is a patterned heavy cardstock with raised flowers. The added 8 candles are die cut with the tips embossed with gold embossing powder to look as though they are lit, then attached to the base with foam squares. I used Silver Stickles to make dots on the candles to match with the paper.

The ribbon has an "8" die cut and tied in the center, matching the pull at the top of the card to reveal a surprise when pulled up.

Rarity transforms into Emma by cutting and inserting Emma's picture to match the image on the front. The letters for her name and age are diecut using the patterned paper from the card base. The whole "Not Quite Navy" piece was then covered with Crystal Effects to give added shine. The heart-shaped bling in Emma's hair added just the right touch! 

The back of the card has a little embossed gift card from Simon Says Stamps die Circle Card Border, "Love U" was gold embossed from the matching stamp set. The clasp in the front was diecut with Avery Elle's rounded diamonds.  Inside is...

... an envelope (die cut in vellum) from SSS small envelope die which is holding an iTunes gift card! Love how that worked out! 

So I guess while this isn't my favorite card... I am hoping that it makes Emma Rose, my little artist granddaughter... smile!

November

We have two November birthdays on our family, Avery Neal will be 3 years old and Emma Rose will be eight! Avery is really into Doc McStuffins and Emma is fascinated with the Equestria Girls! So my task was cut out for me...

I knew I wanted to do the Magic Window Cards for both girls. Trying to get the logistics of how the card could work with their faces in the characters was tricky for me. But here's what I ended up with...

November 4th for Avery Neal:

I followed the Magic Window card pattern. After cutting the window I inserted an image of the Doc from the web, separating the head and gluing it on the white paper inside the window. The body I colored and glued to the inside of the plastic overlay so it would match up with head of Doc McStuffins when the card was closed and...

Avery's face which was on the white inset connected under the plastic sheet by the ribbon, when the card was opened.  Crazy right? The next picture shows what the card looks like when extended on both sections. The line on the picture is actually the plastic when it is pulled all the way up. 

Because the image was bigger than the original Magic Window card insert, this insert is longer, 2.75" x 4" which made it fit perfectly! Avery was over the moon with excitement about the card! Almost as much fun as her present... almost! The cupcakes are from SU's Create a Cupcake stamp set and punch. The frosting is on vellum and a little bling star is on each of the three candles. Again I used the alphabet die from SU and the number die from Avery Elle's Count on It for the sentiments, along with PTI's Bigger Bloom's "Best. Day. Ever."

The card is closed at the bottom with three purple flower brads. Because this is a card that doesn't open, we wrote our message for Avery on the back. My next post will be Emma Rose's Equestria Girls!

October- Happy Halloween!

No October birthdays in our family... but there is Halloween! Love to make Halloween cards because the grandkids love them so much!

Our eight grandchildren live far enough away that we don't get them to trick-or-treat... so I add the treats in my cards! As a matter of fact- we don't have ANY trick-or-treaters, being a bit off the beaten path. I also send a card to Mom just because she gets a smile out of mail...

Here's one of the eight grandkid cards ...

There's a lot going on with this interactive card! I used the SU Booglie Eye stamp set for the cute little characters, PTI's Mighty Oak stamp and matching die for the tree and Movers and Shakers die and zipper die with the embossed white pull stamp. Notice the little eyes peeking out from near the witch?

When the arrow on the bottom is pulled out, the three trick-or-treaters move across the card and out pops BOO! with a hidden googlie-eyed bat! 

The top has an embossed white arrow with a pull direction too. It works with PTI's Zipper die which I used on DSP.  It has a hidden message underneath which says, "Trick or Treat" or it might say "Halloween is a Hoot" depending on the grandchild! 

The inside sentiment is Happy Halloween embossed with gold embossing powder.

I made eight different cards using the same design, so each message was a little different to give each kiddo a surprise opening. The response from them has been fantastic! I also used some inexpensive Halloween paper to make envelopes with my new envelope maker... So fun! Here's a quick look at 5 of them...

Next... Here is the card that I sent Mom...

This is a Fancy Fold card which gives three panels.  This is the card closed. Although I have used this design before, I changed the dimensions for this card. The base is 4.5" x 10.5", scoring each end at 1.75", 3.5" making the card just a little smaller than Lyla's birthday card (my June posting). 

The front face - First layer ...I added a 4x3 black panel on the first flap, then a DSP, and the Madison window in black with the opposite DSP underneath it. The corner spiderweb is embossed on vellum with the Booglie eye spider, colored with Black Wink of Stella pen. PTI's Trick or Treat die is attached to a piece of vellum. The picture is ok, but way more impressive in real life!

Here is the opened card, showing all three panels. Different Halloween patterned papers cover the panels and then Halloween Hoot stamp set and fussy cut the pieces on the card. Sorry the pictures don't do it justice... 

The sentiment is gold embossed on the black base, and the witch is colored with markers and my new favorite Wink of Stella pens!

The stamp set is SU Halloween Hoot and I just love the witch with the ability to have her carrying signs, the broom or the owl! She also appears on the envelope front... Happy Halloween!

Thinking of you...

My college roommate and I have connected over the past year after quite some time and it has been such a joy for me. September brings sad memories for her as nineteen years ago her husband lost his battle with cancer at such a young age. I have been thinking about her quite a bit lately and sent her this card...

I used Papertrey Ink's Mini Bloom coordinating stamp set and matching dies. I just love the clean and simple look of this card! The sentiment also came with the set. 

All of the flowers were stamped on another sheet of white and then added to the card base. The ink colors I used were SU Melon mambo, tangerine tango, pear pizzazz, always artichoke, summer sun, and raspberry fizz. My second photo shows the layering of the flowers. The dimension with the foam dots and round corners with the corner punch added a touch...  Hope she likes it!

Campbell is 4

It is hard to believe but our granddaughter Campbell will be four on September 27th. She is named for her great-grandmother who turns 90 on September 24th. Cami is an amazing little girl, just the idea for her birthday gives you a hint...

Cami wants a pirate-princess birthday party. You must dress up as one or the other; or because she's from Boston- a Boston Red Sox fan will do!

So here is my card for her:

Of course I had to use the magic window card (directions Magic BirthdayCard )! The stamp set is SU's Birthday Beauty. I created four cupcakes with Create a Cupcake stamps and dies, running the bottom of the cupcake through the crimper after stamping. Yellow is her favorite color, so I used daffodil delight. The letters are die cut from SU's letter die on yellow polka dot paper as is the cupcake frosting. The black 4 is from Avery Elle's Count On It. 

The window was made with the Heart's a Flutter scalloped heart die. The banner die is cut from vellum and embossed with gold embossing powder. I used the pull it words from PTI's Movers and Shakers stamps.

When you pull the ribbon behind the beauty... lo and behold! There's Princess Campbell with a star-studded wand and a jeweled crown! I sponged yellow ink on the white card stock under the plastic sheeting. 

Now to the pirate! I made a pirate envelope for the card... not to mention our gift was a pirate ship you can use as a playhouse! Happy birthday, Cami!

Mom

My mother will be 90 years old on September 24th. Things have not been easy for the past two years. She has had several strokes and is in a nursing home in CT. She is confined to a wheelchair, suffering from more and more bouts of dementia. Her care is considered to be "comfort" care, quite a misnomer. 

For her birthday, our three children chose different times to visit so as not to overwhelm her. What wonderful children we are blessed with for sure! No one lives within an hour of her, so it requires scheduling.  As busy as their lives are, with young children, spouses and jobs, they are considerate of that fact! I am so proud of each and every one of them!

Back story is that my mother has always loved the ocean. For the several years before her stroke, I always tried to take her to the shore for a "birthday celebration" sometime in early September. We would plan an overnight together. These are some of my fondest memories with my mom. Sometimes my sister would find time to join us, if not just the two of us would go; Maine, Cape Cod, Rhode Island. So my card for her celebrates those birthdays by bringing the ocean to her....

SU's Crumb Cake was torn for the sand, my own blue watercolor paper for the water, (see The First Day Of School post) cut in strips to show different colors from the same sheet. The lighthouse has a brad that holds the gold vellum. It can move up and down. The little sailboat attached with foam dots has separate sails in DSP. The foam on the water was created by tearing the paper.

SU's Up, Up and Away birds are flying in the sky, sponged with Distress Broken China ink. The lighthouse is from Wplus9 Guiding Light stamp and die set; the sailboat is from PaperSmooches Wicked Nautical stamp and die. Avery Elle's Count on it  was used on the guiding light.

Looking at it makes me think of the stormy seas that are directing her path right now, but that guiding light is still shining in her direction. Really directing us all!