Laser Cut Butterfly

 Happy Easter to all. It is too chilly here to be outdoors. None of my family is here so I am being productive in the craft room

Card base is 4 1/4x11, scored at 4 1/4, 8 1/2, and 9 3/4. The purple piece is 2 1/4 x 10 1/2 scored at 5 1/2. Patterned paper is 4" square.  Put glue only on the inside bottom edges and glue in place. Hint: put a 4x4 white liner inside before gluing the purple strip.

The purple is stamped with a flight of butterflies. The accent on the front flap is a laser cut butterfly sponged with blue, purple, and black. It is flimsy so I backed it with a black square. 

Here is a side view

I am submitting this to Let's Craft and Create with the option of Beautiful Butterfly

Primary Colors

 Kids love bright happy colors. This is one of the cards I will be sending to Send A Smile 4 Kids

The giraffe and sentiment are from Whimsy Stamps.

I'm going to enter this at Shopping Our Stash where the theme is "white out"--no white on the card.  I sponged Balmy Blue behind the giraffe and on the sentiment. And Pool Party in the eyes.

Using the sketch from Try A Sketch on Tuesday

For Paper Funday I used 2 square dies

Spring Flowers

I am doing some Mother's Day cards for Send A Smile 4 Kids . What a better time to use spring flowers for the current challenge at Cardz 4 Galz

I used a Bubble Bath card base. The next mat is Highland Heather embossed with swiss dots. The 3x4 white card has some black dots stamped and then ephemora flowers glued on. The sentiment is an old one in the stock. There was a smudge of black ink that I masked with a glittery pink gem. Perfect cover for an error.

Tea Party

 I went looking in my stash  for something to make a Mother's Day card. I found a sheet of teapot stickers that are ++ years old. I always enjoyed doing tea parties with my granddaughters--before they moved on to the electronic age.

I am playing along with The Paper Players Tic-Tac-Toe challenge. Once I got started, I realized I was ending up with a  "cover all"

The card base is SU Basic Beige. The basket weave is also SU. To add a little texture and satisfy the embossing square I used a linen texture E/F. It is not very noticeable but gives a little texture to the basket weave. Then added a die cut a deckle edge circle from a yellow vellum. The teapot sticker went on top of that. The ribbon is SU Crumb Cake. The sentiment is stamped on the backside of a scrap of the basket weave paper. For the sparkle elements, I winked the flowers and added some gold gel pen highlights in the flowers. To finish off I added more sparkle with some flat gems. I count a total of 5 layers.

Here is The Paper Players grid

Spring is Blooming

Spring has finally come to Southern Indiana. Warm temps, flowers blooming, trees budding out, and sneezing.

The papers are from SU's Lovely and Beautiful. I fussy cut the big flower from one of the papers, then offset it and trimmed the edges. I added 3 light green punched leaves.. The sentiment is also SU, die cut with deckle edge circle and popped up with foam squares, Finishing it off are 3 clear gems. I like clear gems because they reflect the background color. 

THis is for

Cardz 4 Galz  Splash of Green

The Paper Players CAS florals

Let's Craft and Create option of ppurple and green

New Flower Paper

 I have been doing a good job using up some stash papers. But sometimes you just have to break out some new papers. These are from SU. And I am certainly ready for some flowers. Mother Nature seems to be having a hard time losing her grip on winter here. Daffodils were up and blooming but then we had a 16 degree night. They got frostbitten! 

 I bought this in  a paper share. I think it must be an online exclusive but can't find it to tell you the name.  The little squares are from one of the Perfectly Paired pages. The base is Petal Pink and the dark mat is Secret Sea. Sentiment is SU.  The flowers don't exactly match but the colors coordinate.

You know while all the supplies are out why not do a second card.

On this one, I tried a graphic block square.  

Which do you like better?

These are from the sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge

Monochrome Green

 The new Gears and Textures set from Stampin' Up! is just perfect for masculine cards. The monochrome greens I used are Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Evening Evergreen

The card base is Mossy Meadow. The mat is a subtle patterned paper from SU and stamped with lines of green in the center. The gear elements are die cuts in Old Olive. The sentiment is an old one from SU! stamped with Evening Evergreen. 

This is for:

Cardz 4 Guyz

The Card Concept.  

Inspired by the greens and the white vase to make this clean and simple card. Even though the picture is feminine, I decided to do a change up to masculine.

More Butterflies

 It seems I make a lot of cards with butterflies. I like going to butterfly gardens and see all the pretty colors and them just flitting around looking for food. Sounds a lot like me--I spend a lot of time looking for food especially snacks, LOL!

Anyway, when I saw the new challenge up at Cardz 4 Galz--Wings I knew just where to look for inspiration. I just purchased the Days Like This Memories and More cardpack from Stampin' Up!. Seriously if you haven't tried any of the memories and more packs, you just have to order one. There are 54 double sided cards in the pack for $11.50. I have already made 15 cards from the designs and there are still a lot of cards left.

The background design is one of the 4x6 cards that I trimmed down to 5 1/4, The attached butterflies are punched from a scrap in the Subtles 6x6 papers. This one is soft and serene.

A look at another one made from the same card pack is bright and cheerful.

The centerpiece is one of the 3x4 cards in the pack. Again I trimmed down the 4x6 card and used the leftover strip in the inside.

Celebration

 This card is versatile for several occasions. Birthday, achievement, graduate, etc.

The DSP is from Stampin' Up! 6x6 pack called Subtles. One of the blue sides looks like sky. I embossed it with a cloud E/F. I die cut 2 sizes balloons from different sides of the same papers. Each of the balloons is shaded with coordinating color. Otherwise that would have ust faded into the background The balloons have dental floss strings.2 of the balloons are popped up on foam squares.  The card base is Balmy Blue. The sentiment is also SU stamped in Balmy Blue. I filled in the word with a clear star gel pen. It is popped up with foam tape. I added some sparkly gems for some sparkle. 

This is for several challenges.'

Can You Handle the Pressure. Anything Goes with twist of die cuts.

The Paper Players. Balloons and Birthday

Send a smile 4 Kidz. Birthdays for kids

Paper Funday Challenge. Anything Goes with twist of pastel colors.

 

Soft Sea Foam Sympathy

 I try to keep a stock of sympathy cards on hand.  It can be hard to make one at the time it is needed. You also would need one quickly and maybe not get your best effort.

The products are all from Stampin' UP!and in Soft Sea Foam color. 

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

Here is a blue version

Masculine Valentine

 When I saw the new challenge at Lets Create Challenge anythig goes +from the heart, I was sure I had made something that applies. I am sharing my husband's Valentine.  It is safe because he never looks at my blog. He is techie challenged and probably doesn't even know what a blog is.

I added some gray check to a gray card base. A strip of white with the sentiment from SU across the center and 2 die cut hearts from shiny red paper are popped up on foam tape and complete the card. Easy Peasy! Just right for a man--not a lot of frou=frou. 

Gear Up

I just purchased the Gears and Textures set from Stampin' Up! It is a really good set for Masculine cards.

 The tweed looking paper is retired from SU!. I used several dies from the Gears and Textures set on the corner and three gears to accent the card.The sentiment is computer made and die cut with a deckle edge circle.

Inside I  did a computer sentiment and stamped one of the gear stamps over it. 

I used the sketch at Freshly Made Sketch

es

I will also upload to  My NBUS (never before used stuff)

Thought of Love

I've been making Valentines for a Valentine's Vendor Market held yesterday. I was a bit disappointed with sales. It was very cold and piles of snow on the ground so attendance was low.

Anyway, this is one of the cards that did not sell.

I used a grunge stamp from SU for the splotches behind the die cut heart. The strip on the side is from a Recollections pad of paper. I tied a pink/white twine over the seam.  The sentiment is from SU. I cut it down and backed it with pink glitter paper.  Finished off with a red gem at the top of the heart.

Playing along with The Paper Play

ers

Cheery Coral

 18" snow and below zero chill factors has kept me confined to the house for 3 days. What else is there to do but spend the days in the craft room for a little fun.

The papers are from SU Subtles 6x6 pack. The stripe on the left is the reverse of the leafy print. I die cut 3 leaf branches to put behind the sentiment. The label is a Sizzix die cut set.. The sentiment is also SU.

I've used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketcheshttps

Flower Bouquet for Birthday

One of my retail outlets took all my birthday cards so I have been working on restocking them.

A pad of 12x12 paper by Recollections has a full page of bouquets. I fussy cut one of them for this card. The butterfly us from the same page. The sentiment is an old unlabeled one.  To add a little sparkle, I used gold thread behind the bouquet.

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches making it iin landscape orientation.

Pink Valentine

 The challenge this week Try Stampin' On Tuesday is a sketch.

I have been working on Valentines. I couldn't think of mountains on a Valentine. But I did find this striped paper from a Recollections Pad called Speciality Pinks. I fussy cut along one of the pink stripe to make it look like mountains. 

To soften the peaks, I did a scalloped border at the bottom.  I die cut hearts and embossed them with 2 different  E/F folders The sentiment is from SU and fussy curt.

Girly Pink

 the challenge by Cardz 4 Galz calls for pink flowers.

I  recently purchased a pad of paper by Recollections named Speciality Pinks to make Valentines. The papers don't all have hearts and I used 3 pieces of that pad for my card.

The sentiment is from SU and die cut in the circle.I added pink daisies along the bottom of the circle. There was too much space between sentiment and flowers so I added 3 pink gems.

The picture does not show it but the bottom triangle is a glitzy paper. The diagonal strip dark pink is really shiny. 

Boy Valentine

 The new challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz is Epic Adventure.

I designed a card for the little guyz. But you could give it to a big guy also.

The airplane is an old wooden block stamp called Cutsie Airplane made by Stampabilities. I colored the plane with a silver star gel pen and used a gold one on the windows. The hearts and clouds are punches. I did the flying by on the computer and then punched it out. I sponged some SU Pool Party in the back ground and on the clouds. The inside says "to wish you a Happy Valentine' Day.

House on the Praire

 Cardz 4 Galz challenge is Country Scape

I found this scrap piece that reminds me of a house on the praire. It was only 3" wide I used 2 gray/blue strips on either side, I think it actually softens the scene a bit. The 2 wood fences are a die cut from SU. A little Tim Holtz Tea Dye ink makes the fences look more rustic. I think the fences are so welcoming. Inviting you to come in and stay awhile.Some grass dies are in front of the fences. The sentiment is SU and die cut with a fishtail banner. A flying bird stamp from SU completes the scene.

Butterflies

 Playing catch up with blogs. This is my second one today.

The butterfly print is from Recollections Field Dreams paper pad.  The sentiment is SU. The 3 punched butterflies at the bottom almost get lost in the background but they meet the requirements for the sketch challenge at Paper Funday. I am just doing the sketch and not the January option. Butterflies are not January creatures at least in my part of the country. 

Donuts

 It has been so long since I blogged anything. I had a couple of weeks out of town for the holidays and came  home with a cold that set me back a couple of weeks. Now I'm dealing with the lingering cough.

My granddaughter's 6th birthday is coming up. She and her Mom both love donuts. So I think this card will be a hit.

The large dot E/F is from Cuttlebug. The donut stamp is one of the cheapies from Michaels. I colored the frosting with SU Bubble Bath blend pen.  The sprinkles are made with gel star pens. 

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches