Summer Birthday

 Today I m sharing a sunny cheerful birthday card for a summer birthday.

The DSP is from Stampin" UP!. The frame is by Szzix The flowers are SU Nature's Harvest. The sentiment is an old SU stamp.

I added a tiny SU butterfly gem to the flower. 

I was inspired by the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

Gorgeous Sunset

There is gorgeous new DSP from Stampin' UP! called Scenic Coast. It is a 6x6 paper pack. There are gorgeous sunsets on one side and a more plain pattern on the flip side.

The frame uses one of the reverse sides of the DSP. It is cut from an old SU cover plate die.  I trimmed out the center to create the frame. I think it gives a little peaceful zen feel to the card. I trimmed 1" off each side of the DSP so the sunset is centered. The sentiment is an old stamp in my stash, unlabeled.

On the inside I did a computer made sentiment and added a strip of the purple left over from the frame die cut.

I am entering several challenges with this card.

Time Out Challenges--Water

  

Neglected Stuff Challenge--the die has not been used for several years.

Cardz 4 Galz--Friend or Friendship. Hoping this card will bring a little comfort to a friend who recently lost her husband.

Trick or Treat

 I made this card yesterday and today discovered the challenge at Shopping Our Stash is "You're So Sweet", creating a project with something sweet. I had the perfect card for this sweet challenge.

I've been making Halloween Cards for Send A Smile 4 Kids

For the background, I used a retired paper from SU. The pail of candy is a clip art from Google, trimmed down and matted with purple. I'm not sure where the sentiment came from. I made one on the computer, trimmed it and added a purple mat. 

Inside the card is the answer

I hate to think of how I'd feel if I ate too much Halloween Candy. Fortunately I'm not tempted. We do not buy candy for trick-or-treaters. We no longer have kids at home who would go trick-or-treating.

Riddles that make you groan

 Do you like those silly jokes, bad dad jokes, and the riddles that make you groan? I'm sure kids will love this card I made for my stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids

I've been bored with flowers and summer cards so I pulled out my Halloween stuff and am making Halloween cards for Send A Smile 4 Kids 

The blue water paper is from SU, embossed with a wavy E/F. I used a piece of Crumb Cake Paper to make sand. I tore the top edge and sponged it with Tm Holtz Tea Dye. The witch is from a retired SU set called Best Witches. I colored it with SU Blends pens and fussy cut it out.  I added 3 shell stickers to emphasis the beach theme. 

I'm not sure where the sentiment came from. This one I did on the computer and die cut it with a deckle rectangle die. 

Have you figured out the answer? It is on the inside of the card.

I used the rectangle die again. Putting the sentiment on the upper half so I could add the white liner on the bottom.

I am entering several challenges.

As You See It Challenge--use an embossing folder. They are asking for use of a favorite E/F folder. I use this wavy one a lot so I guess you could say if is a favorite.

Can You Handle The Pressure--with a twist of purple.

The Card Concept--Summer by the Sea or Christmas in July. I made a clean layered card, Showing a witch on vacation at the beach. I guess it is a bit of a stretch for the concept theme.

Let's Craft and Create--anything goes and/or summer fun.

Trimming Shrubs

Cardz 4 Guyz has a challenge to make cards for guys with the theme Gardens/Gardening 

The image is a digital art from Imagine That.  All I added was some green "grass" and sponged in some blue for background. The sentiment is also from Imagine That. The plaid background was in my stash.

Boo!

Cardz 4 Galz current challenge is CAS (clean and simple). 

 I know it is a little early to think about Halloween cards but I am getting a head start on my stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids

This started out really clean and simple. I made an A2 card base in Highland Heather trimming off 1" on the front. The SU stripe paper is actually black and white. The polka dotted paper is the reverse side. So far so good. But it seemed to want some color so I strayed a little from the simple by filling in the spaces with SU Blends in Highland Heather, Pumpkin Pie, and Lemon Lime Twist. I was a little cross eyed by the time that was done! The ghost is an Impression Obsessions Die. The die cut leaves hole as the eyes and mouth so I punched a black circle and glued it to the back. Then I popped up the ghost on a wobbler. The kids really like interactive features on a card. The BOO! is an old wood stamp. I colored the BOO in the same colors as the stripes. It is popped up on diminsionals.

Inside, I added the white liner next to the polka dot and finished it off with a strip of Pumpkin Pie.

Row of Daisies

I found this piece of DSP in my scrap box and was thinking water or sky? Then I saw the The Paper Players  challenge of weather, I decided on sky. I made a row of daisies in the garden on a sunny day.

The daisies are die cut from an old SU die. I used a paper hole punch to make orange centers and dotted them with a fine black sharpie. The cloud is punched out and a punched circle sun glued behind it. The whole cloud is popped up on diminsionals. The sentiment is an old SU one.

I'll be putting this in my stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids and entering in their challenge Summer Fun Cards for Kids.

And linking up  on Let's Craft and Create challenge Penny for Your Thoughts (add a sentiment)

Colorful Birthday

 It is sad that any child should be sick and in the hospital. Doubly so when it is their birthday. I am happy to contribute to Send A Smile 4 Kids mission to see that hospitalized children get cheer cards. Every child likes balloons and that is the theme of my card. What a fun, colorful card to celebrate a birthday.

The background paper is Berry Burst by Stampin' Up! The pattern papers are some left over pieces of Memories and More card pack by SU. I used a punch for the balloons and attached twine for strings. The orange and purple balloons are glued down and the yellow one popped up. The sentiment is from SU and stamped in Melon Mambo, then fussy cut and popped up with diminsionals. To bring out the green from the papers, I added a scrap green and white stitched ribbon. 

Also posting to Lets Craft and Create challenge

Challenge #232 - AG + Penny for your Thoughts

Beach Scene

Are you a beachy person or mountain person?  I like both but today it is off to the beach for Cardz 4 Galz

The card base is Cloud Cover. The background paper is from the Paper Medley pack from SU.  I used the curvy dies to cut the sand from Crumb Cake.  A Tim Holz Tea Dye ink pad was dragged across the sand to give it some depth.I used a small circle stamp to make the sun peeking out behind the palm tree. I think the palm tree die is My Favorite Things.  I die cut the palm tree top with Crumb Cake and then cut just the top with a green in my stash and glued it over the Crumb Cake.. Then I did highlights with Stampin' Blends. The fence is from a package of chipboard die cuts by Stamperia. Grass is a die cut from On The Horizon. The sentiment is an old one from SU.

I hope you will be able to enjoy the beach sometime this summer.

I roughly interpreted this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

The word week at Just Us Girls is Summer

Will add the TIME OUT challenges of pick two I actually have 4: summer, sun, water, vacation.

 

Transportation

What pre-teen and teen boy doesn't like a skateboard. Our town even has a skateboard park for them to do their tricks. Send A Smile 4 Kids monthly challenge is Planes, Trains, Automobiles, or any form of transportation. For kids who can't drive yet, skateboards are a good way to get around. I don't think I would recommend playing a guitar while skateboarding though.

The DSP is from Stampin' Up!. The picture and sentiments are digitals. The digital was even colored, Gotta love that--no coloring. Quick card.

Go to Sketch

Go to sketch. When stumped for design, I go to this sketch.

 The DSP if from SU (now retired) but I don't remember the name, Garden something. The base is Golden Glow. I had an extra strip of the DSP left over and made a  banner in the center which is matted with a piece that is the reverse side of the floral paper. 

The sentiment is SU as well as is the label punch. To emphasis the sentiment I surrounded it with 3 punched flowers centered with clear gems.

Just so happens that Freshly Make Sketches is featuring this layout this week.

Also playing with the tic-tac-toe chart from The Paper Players using the middle vertical row: flower, free, Patterned Paper.

Cheery Hello

This is the reason we never throw away even the smallest scraps. You can make really cute cards with even 1 1/2 inch squares.  

 The patter papers are from SU. I backed them with a black mat. I started with a plain white background but that was kind of boring so I used a large circle E/F from Cuttlebug. I think it coordinates well with the circle print. The card base is Lemon Lime from SU.

I don't know who makes the hello die cut. I have had it a long time and don't have the original packaging. I took a bunch of my word sentiment dies and put them together on a magnetic sheet. It is easier to find the one I want without sorting through a bunch of different packages. I used one layer of blue and one layer of black. I tried it at the bottom of the card and it just seemed unbalanced so I glued it across the squares. I repeated the blue and circles with 3 blue gems along the stripped pattern. 

I've used the sketch from Try a Sketch on Tuesday moving the sentiment up to the center

Also linking to Can You Handle the Pressure with embossing and embellishments.

I am adding this card to me stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids I think these bright colors and designs will cheer up a sick child.

Another Guy Birthday

The ongoing use of papers from my stash never makes a dent. There is always more. All the papers here are from that stash.

The white mat is embossed with circles with a Cuttlebug E/F  I added a 2" strip of patterned paper from SU that looks like bolts then added a strip of a silver pattern. I cut 2 "bolts" from a darker grey using 2 hexagon dies. I added a silver center to the solid center from the hexagon frame. The sentiment is SU matted on a strip of silver.

Made for Cardz 4 Guyz challenge is Squash It--use an embossing folder.

Guy Birthday

 Our neighbor has a birthday next week. This is the card I made for him.

The linen paper and the basket weave are from Stampin' Up!. I added a narrow copper strip alongside the basket weave. The gears are from the Gears and Textures die cuts, also SU. This set is perfect for masculine cards. It comes with a variety of stamps as well as the die cuts. I did the sentiment on the computer and die cut it with a deckle circle. I think the edges look a little like gears too. Hubs on the wheels are 2 square faceted pewter brads from my stash. They are kind of thick for mailing but I will be hand delivering this card..

Inside I typed another sentiment and lined it with the basket weave paper.

I've used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

In the Mountains

Can you believe it is time to be thinking about Father's Day cards?  Paper Funday Challenge of anything goes with an option of mountains or coast gave me the perfect inspiration for my card.

This scene was created with SU's retired Wetlands stamps. I did a stamp off technique to give it a watercolor feel. The sentiment is an old stamp in my collection. The DSP is also SU. 

Inside I copied a sentiment from my home Hallmark program and repeated the pine tree stamp.

 

Bees

 I recently discovered preprinted card fronts for A2 cards from Whimsy Stamps. They come as a set of 8 fronts and strips of sentiment. I just finished some with bees on the front. Timely for Cardz 4 Galz new challenge to use bees. 

It feels almost like cheating to use premade card fronts but I added my own personal touches.

I trimmed the picture down to 4"x5 1/4 and glued it to an A2 card base of SU's Daffodil Delight. I used a clear gel sparkle pen on the wings and Wink of Stella on the flowers. I added a small die cut cloud from the Playing in the Rain set.  I trimmed one of the sentiments and added it across the bottom corner. This is going in my stash to send to Send A Smile 4 Kids

Sunny Birthday

 I just received new DSP from SU,  I had to break out some and make a card.

The papers are Painted Illusions. Crumb Cake base. The gold vellum is die cut with a deckle circle to indicate a sun. The sentiment is also SU. 

Inside, I added a narrow strip of the DSP to a computer printed sentiment.

The sketch is Try Stampin' On Tuesday

Grad Card

 I need a graduation card with gold and black as the school colors. It just happens The Paper Players challenge has those very colors.

I cased LeAnne's card, you can see it here. Thanks LeAnn for the inspiration.

Black card base, Daffodil Delight mat, white card stock matted with gray and elevated with foam tape.   The Daffodil Splotch is from Gorgeous Grunge. The sentiment is an old SU one. The mortarboard is a sticker backed with the gray card stock and trimmed to create a shadow and make it firm enough to elevate  on dimensionals. 

Inside is a computer sentiment with black and Daffodil Delight strips

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