Valentines

For the "anything goes" challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches,  2 more Valentines
for a girl

for a boy

Girl: image from Newton's Nook colored with pencils. Sentiment done on the computer. Papers from the scrap file.
Boy: image colored with pencils and sentiment are From The Heart digs. My Favorite Things stencil and Stampin' Up! archival black ink for the "jail" bars.
These will go in my box for
Send A Smile 4 Kids If you are like me, you always make more cards than you can use. Check out the guidelines at Send A Smile 4 Kids. They would love to have your extra cards to share with children's hospitals.

Botanical Blooms

I am getting so much use out of the Botanical Blooms bundle from Stampin' Up!  The flowers are so pretty, and I use the fern leaves on a lot of cards. Appropriate for any occasion.

For some texture on the background I used a floral impression folder from Sizzix for SU. Using 3 gradient shade of green give the fern leaves some dimension. The sentiment is so old but well used. I don't know who made it.
I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

While I was thinking about this sketch, I also did a Valentine

The hearts IF is from Cuttlebug. All the other elements are SU.

Jar of Hearts

Christmas cards, made, addressed, mailed. Time to start on the next holiday.  I usually make a lot of Valentine's for Send A Smile 4 Kids. They need to be sent by end of January so time to get going on that.

It is trend week at Just Us Girls. That trend is "jars".  I made a shaker card with SU's Jars of Love. The little tag is hard to read, It says "you have my heart". I used a Cuttlebug impression folder of hearts on the white background. Although this is a special Valentine, it was pretty time consuming so I won't be making many of these for Send A Smile 4 Kids.

Flu Bugs

It won't be long until flu season is upon us. I have the perfect card for someone suffering the flu.

I used some old bug stamps to stamp all over the card base. The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn. The image is a From the Heart digi.
This is using the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

Also submitting over at CAS(E) This Sketch whose sketch is very similar.

Unfortunately I am still trying unsuccessfully to get the site images to copy to my blog.

Simple Christmas Tree

I am starting out this Monday morning with some crafting therapy to lead to my goal of a less stressful week. Using the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch and the theme Christmas tree from Just Us Girls

A very quick and easy card to mass produce is you need something last minute. I used the triangles Sizzix impression folder on the white card base. The papers are from the scrap bin. The sentiments are Stampin' Up!  Gold sticker stars and done!!

Sorry, I still can't get the linked images to copy and. paste. UGH! Okay, the stress has started.!      

On My Mind

So many thinking of you cards are for serious situations but sometimes you just want a kind of a light cheerful greeting just to let someone know you care.  

The penguin pals and sentiment are from The Unity Stamp Company. I mounted them on a lavender scrap and rounded one corner. The water theme backgrounds are from my scrap file. Some blue sequins to add a little sparkle--maybe look like water drops. Inside, I typed a sentiment then stamped some circle in the colors from the front. The blue sponging around the edge gives a blue tint to the photo.
I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

I tried a different approach to getting the sketch to show up but see it still is not there. I have a whole list of MacBook problems for my son-in-law to help me solve when I see him at Christmas.

Masculine get well

Trying to restock my inventory of get well cards. Today's is for men

The DP was given to me by a friend. She made a great find at a yard sale this past summer and so generously shared with me. I stamped a Tim Holtz compass over the top and sponged the edges with Tim Holtz Tea Dye ink. The car image is a very old one stamped on a die cut circle. The copper sparkle Washi tape adds a feel of a highway. I guess you won't know this is a get well until you see the inside

I did a sentiment on the computer and then stamped 2 images from SU Gorgeous Grunge to look like tire tracks on a road.
This is getting in to Freshly Made Sketches just under the wire

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I am so sorry, I still cannot figure out why the image does not show up.  Any ideas? I am using a MacBook.

Get Well Seaside

If you wanted to go somewhere to do some recuperating, wouldn't you love to go here?

I am sorry the picture is a little hazy. I haven't decided on photo editing software for my new MacBook. Any suggestions?
The paper and stamps are from Stampin' Up! I love this Wetlands set. I use it a lot. The little sun in the upper left is from the new Swirly Birds set. The sentiment is from the old Angel Company. I really like the font. The colors are SU Pool Party.
Thanks to Tuesday Morning Sketches for the inspiration







Okay, anybody tell me what to do to get the picture to show up? I did the copy and past but keep getting the box with the question mark. Probably simple but haven't been able to figure it out.
Also entering the challenge at CASology whose que word is Soft
And I can't get their sign to copy. and paste.
 AAARRGGGH! Learning new computer is frustrating!

Restocking

What with a computer crash, buying and getting used to a new MacBook, and having a successful craft show and sale, I have kind of run out of Mojo. Oh, and I also cleaned up the exploded mess in the craft room to an organized mess!
So I pulled up the Mojo Monday sketch to get a kick start. I really need to restock my stash of get well and birthday cards.

And please forgive the picture flaws, I haven't learned a new photo editing program yet. Have to wait until Christmas to see my son-in-law, the Apple expert.
The products are all Stampin' Up except the sentiment which is from Morning Star Stamps.
Here is the sketch

And can someone tell me why the copied images do not show up? I do the copy and paste functions.

Elf

I saw this saying somewhere, wrote it down but not the source. I just knew it would made a cute card with the NBUS elf stamp from Stampabilities.

I am sorry the pic is not very good. A couple of weeks ago, my computer crashed. Even the Geek Squad could not get into it to transfer files. I bought a MacBook Pro and am still learning about it. Haven't learned the photo editing yet.

The card base is Real Red from SU. The plaid DP is Lawn Fawn. The note is also Stampabilities. It is stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with red embossing power. Then fussy cut. The elf was also stamped on scrap white, colored with pencils and fussy cut. The green sparkly ribbon is actually an after Halloween sale at Michael's.

I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

Swinging Snowman

Looking at this snowman image, you can almost hear the kids at the playground squealing to go higher. Pure joy!

This is a free digi from Free Dearie Dolls Digistamps. Mary Ellen draws the cutest images.
The DP is from last year SU, perfect background for swinging on a strand of lights.. The joy is cut with Tim Holtz alphabet. I used scraps of green ribbon and background under the circle.
Here is a close up.

I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

Board Snowman

Have you seen those snowmen at craft shops that are made from a slab of old barn wood? I think they are so cute. That is my inspiration for today's card.

I used the falling snow impression folder from SU on a white card base. The sentiment is also SU done in black on Kraft cardstock. The snowman is made from a scrap of weathered board paper sponged with some Tim Holtz Tea Dye ink for some antiquing. I punched out dots for eyes and mouth, cut a strip of black, and free hand cut the carrot nose. That is it--CAS and quick, easy to mass produce.
I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

Also close to the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches in reverse.

Love it when you can get a twofer!

Swirly Snowman

I have been wanting to try this since I saw it on Pinterest a few weeks ago. I finally received the SU set Swirly Bird. I made pumpkins last week. here
So this week, I tried the snowman

I was using a plaid paper from SU and turned it over to apply tape and discovered this soft blue with white dots.  Perfect for snowman background. I used the falling snow impression plate and rubbed across the surface with white StazOn. To add some sparkle, I put a border of silver glitter paper on the left side.The sentiment is from SU's Peaceful Pines. It is a little labor intensive but this may just have to be my family card this year. I love it!
Entering at Tuesday Throwdown challenge to add a border.
Here is the original from Pinterest. Really pretty in the red. See it at Stamping Serenity Blog

Fall Card

I couldn't pass up this cute photo challenge from Just Us Girls

I love cats and have the perfect die for this photo. It is called Poised Cats from Poppy Stamps.

Do you think it is up there guarding the pumpkins or plotting some mischief?  I created a "garden wall" with a scrap of brick paper and a strip of wood grain at the top. The pumpkins are La-La Land Crafts, colored with pencils and cut out then popped up with deminsionals with some raffia behind them. I punched some leaves from a yellow scrap and then sponged on orange and red. The flourish behind the strip of grass is a Tim Holtz die--using only a part of it. Then 3 punched yellow flowers sponged with a little orange and put on with glue dots. 

Festive Pumpkins

This week challenge at Tuesday Throwdown is # 316 Festive Pumpkins.
I received the Swirly Bird stamp and dies from SU yesterday. I just had to break them out and play. So many options here this may become one of my favorite sets ever.

I cut the 2 larger swirls in 2 different scraps of orange. Sponging some SU Pumpkin Pie ink in the background and adding leaves and raffia ribbon turns them into pumpkins. The sun is the smallest swirl in the set. It is done with Delightful Daffodil paper and sponging in the background. The bottom border is 2 strips of glitter copper tape and the die cut waves from the set in the Kraft cardstock.
On Pinterest, I have seen these swirls made into snowmen and wreaths. See, so many ideas. Hope I can find time to try them all.

Silver Sparkles

There is a always lot of sparkle about Christmas. I am joining that trend today with a shiny silver sparkly card.

 I started with a white card base. added a layer of shiny silver, another layer of white, and a layer of silver dotted vellum. The snowflake is from silver glitter paper made with a Sizzix snowflake die. It sure is hard to get the sparkly and glitter elements to show well in photos. This show it a little better.

I will have to confess, this is the first time I have ever used black (other than stamping) on a Christmas card. I tried other colors and they just did not look right. Black/white/silver just has elegance about it. The sentiment is from SU, stamped with Versa Mark, and embossed with silver.
The design is the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch

Beehive

For sharing today, I have a honey of a get well card.

Did you catch that pun? hahaha!  Oh well. Back to construction.  A friend bought a whole box of designer papers at a yard sale and so generously shared with me. BFF. I wish I had taken a picture of this paper before I deconstructed it. I cut out the beehive section and taped it to a purple background. The daisy print banner was a border on the paper. There is a hint of purple in the daisy print, thus the purple layer. The sentiment is on a strip cut from the background.
Inside, At the bottom of the page, I used another strip of the daisies and a bit of basket weave which was also on the border of the DP

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

And a Christmas version of the sketch

A From The Heart Stamps digi. Scraps from my pile And glitter glue to the snow flake (Martha Stewart Punch) and below the snowman.

Baby Girl

We just added a pretty little great niece to our family--Abilgail Grace. So sweet. Of course she has to have a hand made card from her Aunt Donna.

I have had these images forever and really don't know who made them. They are stamped in SU Melon Mambo. Little girls are about lace, ribbons, and sparkle. So of course I had to add shiny pink hearts for accents. Inside I did a sentiment on the computer and then added sweet baby footprints.

I worked with the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

Thanksgiving Pumpkin

Playing along today at CAS(E) This Sketch with a Thanksgiving card.

I started with a Kraft card base. Cut out and taped on a strip of some burlap fabric. The pumpkin is from Newton's Nook stamped in SU Pumpkin Pie (appropriate huh?) then fussy cut. The leaves are an old stamp done in SU Real Red onto a scrap of orange paper. Pumpkins seem to need rafia bows. Then I added some orange gems. Found those just today at WalMart--a whole sheet of orange, black, and clear for $.99 in the Halloween decorations. The sentiment is from The Angel Company.
Not only did I case the sketch


but I also cased Jen's card. It inspired me to pull out that burlap fabric.

Tags

I am in a tag making mood today. I am gearing up for a Christmas Bazaar next month and I usually get requests for tags. I went exploring on Pintrest for some inspiration and found these from djudiscrap.com


Then went to Tuesday Morning Sketches to check out the sketch for this week.


I could see potential for tags in this sketch.

I used a Sizzix label die for the tag. The background paper is Core'dinations purchased at Hobby Lobby. The gingerbread man is from SU's Cookie Cutter Christmas set, stamped in Baked Brown Sugar--isn't that an appropriate name for gingerbread :).then punched it out with the coordinating punch. The red heart is also a part of that punch. I put a strip of green glimmer tape and then popped up the cookie with dimensionals. Tie it all up with a candy cane strip baker's twine. I stamped To and From on the back of the DP. (Hint: easier to do this step before assembly). I love it so much, I made 5 more and will sell as a set.

I can imagine these on brown paper gift wrap with red ribbons. Actually wouldn't a whole tree of gingerbread theme be cute? Probably won't happen at this house LOL!!

Now I think I will try this in a snowman theme and maybe the Santa cookie from the set.