Christmas card 2009

After the last lengthy post took me hours of time and STILL failed to show the pictures properly, I'm tired and want to keep this post short. This is a Christmas card I made, one I really liked. Maybe I'll add more info later.

Birthday invitations!

So awhile back, I was completely consumed with snapping up all of DCWV's "Sweet" line ~ I bought the adorable paper packet, (tons of glitter & GORGEOUS, thick papers) and all the accoutrements: stickers, glitter chipboard, rub-ons, the works. I bought all of this not knowing exactly what I'd do with it, but knowing I HAD to have it all.

When my daughter's birthday party was coming up, it hit me: INVITATIONS! The paper is thick enough to be used as a card base, and then I just had to add some additional embellishments. Because I was making 12 5x7 cards, and there are only 2 sheets of each design, I had to make each 2 invitations a little different; but that's what made it fun! I have pictures of all the unique ones, because I wanted to remember what they all looked like. These took me the better part of a whole day to make, but I was SO happy with the results. (this is saying something, as those of you who know me know...I'm quite the perfectionist and not always happy with my work!)

Materials used:

Glitter Paper (card bases) - DCWV

Patterned paper: assorted, mostly Stampin' Up

Stamp sets: Cupcake Sprinkles, Friendship Alphabet (sm) - Close To My Heart

Ink: Close to My Heart

Glitter brads: Oriental Trading

Border punches: EK Success

Decorative edge scissors: Provo Craft

Glitter chipboard accents: DCWV

Ribbon: assorted

(sorry about the cards cut off - it is a highly annoying glitch with stupid photobucket that I can't seem to fix, even after wasting tons of time on it)

Card Angel 11-3-09

This card is my weekly one for my Chemo Buddy...

I have some new embossing folders & had just gotten two new sets of Spellbinders nestabilities dies, so I wanted to try them all out...I LOVE THE RESULT! Now I have a better idea of how I'll put together my Christmas cards.

Materials used:
Close To My Heart paper packet - Stylin'
Close To My Heart cardstock - Blush, Hollyhock
CTMH white grosgrain ribbon
Cuttlebug embossing folder - D'Vine Swirls
Spellbinders nestabilities dies - Labels 9
Stamp set - Somewhere Within (Unity Stamp Co)
Tsukinenko Brilliance (?) metallic pigment ink (rubbed over the raised embossing - by the way, I like the effect, but when they claim this is "fast-drying" pigment ink, it is a complete lie. It takes forever to dry, just like all pigment ink. I love the effect of the silver ink over the embossing, but you have to be very careful, as I ended up smudging the ink all over my card. And that was even after trying to speed up the drying time by heat setting it)

Peter's Birthday Card

So my hubby's birthday required a very fancy, lots-of-time card (especially since I couldn't afford to get him a birthday present this year!) I started with a blank white 5x7 card base, but wanted to try something new, covering the entire thing in pattered paper, inside & out, front & back. It turned out pretty well, making a nice sturdy, heavy card, with lots of body to it. I like it. And it's a great way to use up the massive quantities of patterned paper I have! ;)

Materials used:

Close To My Heart paper packet - Good Times (background paper, inside & out)
Close To My Heart ink & markers - Chocolate, Twilight, Buttercup
Close To My Heart cardstock - Buttercup & Sweet Leaf
Cuttlebug embossing folder - Happy Birthday
Chocolate embossing powder
Metallic rub-on
Stamps ~ Close To My Heart Adorning Corners (corners of text block on inside), Unity Stamp Company Something Within (frame & sentiment on inside)
Gold micro beads w/ super tacky strip tape
Embossing marker, 3-D adhesive dots, corner rounder punch

After embossing the card front, I decided to make two of the words "Happy" and "Birthday" stand out by coloring them with an embossing marker and then coating them with embossing powder & setting it. It didn't work perfectly (embossing markers aren't gooey enough to make embossing powder stick perfectly, and in trying to tap off the stray embossing powder grains, you end up tappping off the powder where you don't want it to be off!) but the general idea is there. That wasn't enough for the front, so then I added the metallic rub-ons over the whole rest of the embossed front; that wasn't enough, so then I added four tacky strips as borders on the front and coated them with micro-beads. Ah, finally, it looks more "finished" (IMO anyway).

Then since I had covered the inside with a very busy patterned paper, I had to make a place to write and stamp a sentiment, so I stamped & embossing the frame using the USC stamp, and then made a decorative text box.

Thank You card

I make cards as a ministry for my church (mostly birthday cards, but I enjoy the opportunity of making cards for other needs as well). I had a request for a birthday card for a church member who is on deployment right now. A card of encouragement & prayers. I happened to have made this card previously and thought it would fit the occasion nicely, considering his service to our country.

Materials used:

All Close To My Heart ~

Stamp set ~ Treasures, September stamp of the month

Ink ~ Sweet Leaf, Chocolate, Sorbet

Chocolate eyelets

Hemp twine

Paper packet ~ Twitterpated

Sympathy card

I'd had this card for awhile that I made for a workshop around Valentine's day...it was a cute card but I needed a sympathy card! A great way to use up the cards you have is to alter them when the sentiment doesn't suit your purpose. It still takes creativity & often the results are great! I used a combination of materials from all different companies.

Materials used:

Close To My Heart paper packet - That's Amore

Close To My Heart stamp set - Best Wishes (with sympathy)

Stampin' Up stamp set - Thoughts & Prayers (tree branch)

Fiskars stamp set - Circle Around? (thinking of you stamp)

Close To My Heart organdy ribbon - chocolate

Close To My Heart ink - Chocolate & Tulip

EK Success scallop circle punches

Cricut die cut scallop circle (largest)

Just For You card

My Card Angel card, Wednesday October 14, 2009. Same stamp set as last week's for the images. (still can't remember the name, too lazy to check right now, again! ;) The sentiment is from a Verve stamp set, Just For You.

I used Stampin' Up cardstock for the card base, and patterned paper scraps for the rest (I have so many scraps that I find making cards is a perfect way to use them up!).

Other materials:

Close To My Heart dimensional elements chipboard circle

Paper piercer

Stampin' Up scalloped circle & 1-1/4" circle punches

Michael's self-adhesive pearls

Oriental Trading Co glitter brad

Close To My Heart ink pads ~ Garden Green, Crystal Blue, Honey, Bubblegum

Close To My Heart White Daisy grosgrain ribbon

Celebrate Today card

I made this card for my Card Angel buddy, 10-7-09. It's kind of a knockoff from a Stampin' Up card design that I altered a bit. Most of the materials are from Stampin' Up: the cardstock, ribbon, punches & stamp sets {Celebrate Everything and...shoot, I can't remember the name of the other one, and I don't feel like going out to my craft room to look it up right now! ;-)

I like the way it turned out.

Grandma's Birthday Card

My grandma has always been very special to me, so I wanted to make an extra special card for her birthday. I spent alot of time on this one! It was fun.

(Materials)
1)I started with heavy patterned paper from the DCWV Sweet Stack. This is heavy duty enough to act as the cardstock base as well, perfect for cards as it has a white back.
2)I wanted to try using my new We R Memory Keepers adhesive rub-ons with foil sheets, so I painstakingly transferred a bunch of flourishes onto the patterned paper and then transferred the foil onto the adhesive rub-ons.
3)Then I picked a coordinating color of pink patterned paper with white polka dots (I think it was a leftover scrap) and attached it to the scalloped oval chipboard, sanding and inking the edges using a CTMH Watermelon marker & Basic Grey files.
4) I stamped the image from Stampin' Up stamp set, Living Large, colored it using SU! & CTMH markers, then cut it out and attached it to the chipboard piece. Then I stamped the sentiment from the same set directly on the chipboard.
5)I punched a hold on either end of the chipboard piece using a Crop-a-Dile, then attached CTMH white picture hangers on either end, secured with a matching brad, and then tied CTMH watermelon organdy ribbon through the loops; then attached the whole thing to center of card front.

6) I attached a piece of CTMH Watermelon cardstock to cover the whole inside.

7) I stamped the sentiment from the SU! Living Large set, and then stamped the circular flower image, from CTMH Dream Wishes stamp set, around the sentiment.

8) Additional sentiments (Happy Birthday) & (With Love) are from CTMH Happy Birthday & With Love stamp sets.

9) Finally, I colored the flowers with CTMH White Daisy & Watermelon markers.

Card Angel card 9-16-09

I actually made this card years ago at a Creating Keepsakes convention. I've been holding onto it because I thought it was really cute & I just hadn't had the opportunity to use it. I'm uploading it here mostly because I like the design ~ simple, yet very cute. It's one I'd like to duplicate in the future when I'm looking for a simple card design that I really like. I especially want to duplicate the technique of putting a rub-on onto the window charm. I have so many rub-ons that I need to use up!

Card Angel card

This is my next card I sent to my Card Angel buddy. I followed a sketch in one of Close To My Heart's card idea book programs (can't remember if it was Originals or Wishes). It is a size 5x7.

Card materials:

Spring Fling paper (Stampin' Up)

Printed ribbon (Current)

Follow Your Dreams stamp set (Unity August kit of the month)

Chalk ink

Markers (Stampin' Up & Close To My Heart)

Edge anchor - pink flower & brad (Close To My Heart)

Adding cards

So I signed up to become a "Card Angel" - that is, to send a card & note at least once weekly to someone who is undergoing chemotherapy. For the purpose of brightening their days and giving them something to look forward to getting in the mail. Since I love making handmade cards, I loved the idea of having those cards make a difference in someone's life. I'll probably be posting many of the cards I send to my card angel buddy on here as I make them.

Materials used for this card:

Inque Boutique clear stamp set ~ Monarch

CTMH More to Adore Level 1 printed cardstock

Blush & Colonial White cardstock

Chocolate organdy ribbon

White/pink paper flowers

Pink glitter brad

Antique copper brads

I've finally caved and entered blogger world

I've never had a blog before, never really saw the need, but I'm beginning to like the idea of it for the purpose of having a gallery for my creative crafting endeavors...I make so many cards & scrapbook pages that I never take pictures of, never shared with anyone (except those upon whom my scrapbooks are foisted)...and since 99% of the cards I make are given away, I think it might be cool to take pictures of them first and post them here so I can remember what I've done...plus I'll be more motivated to make them especially beautiful since I'll have a place where they are saved for posterity (and where maybe 1 or 2 people might actually view them! ;)

Anyway, this is my first blog post! I'm a very busy mom, so I doubt I'll be posting gobs of things daily, at least not initially, but now I have a place to go if I do feel inspired enough to share my creations...if with no one other than myself!