Geometric

 New word for Just Us Girls challenge

I have had a box of cards forever, I think I found them at a yard sale. They are pre-embossed with geometric shapes. I chose the one with squares and rectangles, coloring each with a different Prisacolor pencil.

So the colors would show through, I die cut the words for a sentiment and glued them place. A fun little card to send a cheer up greeting to someone.

On My Mind

This is totally not what I started out to do for Tuesday Morning Sketches

Does that happen to you? Looking at that flower, I was thinking something more spring like. I had the DP  from Stampin' Up! out for another project and went looking for something to go with it but flowers didn't seem to fit.
I came across these penguins from Unity Stamp Company. Aha! Red goes well with b/w so I used SU's cherry cobbler card stock to back the image and a strip of red polka dots from my stash. The penguin ties are from a die cut in SU's Snow Friends set. I grounded the penguins with a light blue colored pencil and coated with Wink of Stella for sparkle. I used square silver stick on brads for the lower right. Since my image is "bottom heavy"--pun intended- haha-I moved the sentiment up to the top for more balance.
Now I am one ahead for next winter cards.

Feel Better

There has been so much illness in our church lately that I have depleted my stock of get well cards. Today I am working on replenishing them. Had to stop to do a couple of challenges.
From The Heart Stamps sketch

combined with Tuesday Throwdown challenge of "Things with Wings",
I have a cute chickie dispensing Feel Better Syrup

The image and sentiment are both From The Heart Stamps. Colored with Prismacolor pencils. I die cut the oval frame from a scrap of neon green. On the  Stamping' Up! Real Red  card base, I used a Darice impression folder of chevrons. Then I had to chuckle--appropriate image as it reminds me of tire tracks. You can certainly feel like you've been run over by a truck when you have the flu.
All these Birdbrain images by From The Heart Stamps sure make me smile so I know this will certainly bring cheer.

Spectacular

I won a free digi stap from Sami Stamps and just had to play with it immediately.

Isn't it just the cutest?  Check out her designs, there are lots of adorable ones.
And I found this sketch image at CAS(E) This Sketch that fits with the card I made. Usually, you find a sketch and then make the card. This time, I had the card made and was blog hopping and found this new sketch. Karma!!

Instead of making my own background, I used paper from SU. The image is colored with Prismacolor pencils. I added some Wink of Stella to the glasses lenses and then some great big froggy eyes. The sentiment is a digi by From The Heart.  Inside, I typed a message: "So have an eye popping spectacular birthday."  

Stained Glass

I have another Easter Card to share. This is a NBUS die from Die-Versions.

I cut the image from black paper and glued it onto vellum.  Then I turned it over and using the negative of the die to cover the edges, I sponged on Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, and Melon Mambo--all from Stamping' Up!. It gives a bit of a stained glass look. Then I attached the vellum to a white card stock base with small clear mounting squares at the corners and covered them with Candy Dots. 

I learned this technique from Karen at Karen's Creative Cards. This is her gorgeous card

This is for the challenge at The Paper Players

Easter Cards

I have been doing some Easter Cards for Send A Smile 4 Kids. Thought I better get them posted while their Easter Card for Kids challenge is still going on.

This one features a free digi from Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps. I used the precolored version here. The sentiment is a From The Heart digi.  The polka dot papers are by Bo Bunny. I added 3 little stamped and colored eggs to balance out the image.

This one is a From The Heart digi, again I used the precolored version. The sentiment is also FTH. I added some punched flowers at the base.

Chalkboard

We have a good friend who has been a teacher and now is a high school principal. He is going through chemo treatments and I wanted to make him a special card. One thing I really like about making my own greeting cards is that they can be personalized to the recipient. The whole time I am making one of these special cards I am thinking of and praying for the individual.

I used some chalkboard paper that I think came for Stamping' Up! but I can't really remember as I have had it a long time. It has a bit of a slick surface and takes white StazOn ink really well. I sponged some white around the edges and then lightly stamped some script with white. The banner is some cork board looking paper from my stash. The school lined writing paper is from Tim Holtz. The sentiment is Lawn Fawn.  I anchored my cork paper with 2 brass brads to look like thumb tacks.
These brads are my favorite for masculine cards.
I am submitting this to Tuesday Throwdown where the challenge is "Favorite Embellishments"

Cat Pout

This digi stamp by From The Heart is called "Birthday Cat Pout".  Too many candles? Too many birthdays? Or not enough cake? Just not a happy kitty.

I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils. The banner strips are all from the paper stack Cherry on Top by SU.
Inside sentiment was done on the computer.  This sentiment actually comes in the set in the same cute font used on the front. When I was trying to get it onto the page, I accidentally pasted when I should have copied. Didn't realize it until it was too late to undo. Duh! I can do stupid moves on the computer sometimes. Other than repurchasing the whole set, I don't think I can get it back.
I added a tiny cupcake to reinforce the sentiment.

Submitting to From The Heart weekly sketch challenge.

Cracked Eggs

Here is a fun pun for an Easter card.

The image is a From The Heart digi colored with Prismacolor pencils. The egg border is an old, old stamp as set of 3 eggs, repeated 3 times. Cut out and glued to the border. The blue and white polka dot DP is from my stash. The white ribbon behind the image has white polka dots on it also.
The layout is from Tuesday Morning Sketches

Gift Bag

There is no way I could use a purchased decorative gift bag when I am giving a gift and personal handmade card. So I buy the plain white and Kraft gift bags from Hobby Lobby. They are less than a dollar apiece when you use their coupons.

I spotted my first robin yesterday. And the tulips have popped their heads above ground. That means spring is soon here. WooHoo!! So I am definitely thinking spring. I used a digi by From The Heart and used Prismacolor pencils to make a robin and pink flowers. I think the label die is from Sizzix. To balance the image, I made a "river of grass" with a die from the Swirly Bird set by SU. Then punched out 2 colors of pink flowers and accented them with yellow centers of  Candy Dots from SU. The are then attached with glue dots.
I often use card sketches to decorate gift bags so I am submitting it to Tuesday Morning Sketches using this sketch inverted