Retirement Card

Another card for work.  This one was much easier to make. Also a woman I admire (They are dropping like flies in my office) Who is retiring fairly young and I couldn't be happier for her!

For this one I used Close to My Heart stamps for those squares on the left, I stamped off the first blush of the ink to make the squares a bit more muted.  I dried them with embossing gun so that when I went to heat emboss the pocket sillouette in black - it would be cleaner and more vivid.

Funky Pink 'Shrooms

Not too long ago I attended an auction/dinner benefit for the American Theater Company.  A good friend of mine was heavily involved in gathering donations for the auction.  If she told me once, she told me 10 times she had secured a 'HUGE' basket of Stampin Up goodies. 

I could read between the lines... I was to bid to win! Well, I did!  And there were so many great papers, this Funky Four stamp set, the Blossom Punch seen here was in it, too.  I am so glad I won it, Seems like the next 20 cards I made had some of these goodies.

Yellow and Embossed

This was one of those cards that was really hard to make.  A woman I really admire from my office has decided to resign.  She is a true welath of knowledge and personally, I have really looked up to her.  She is the exact opposite of me.  She is quiet, thinks before she speaks and never insults anyone.  Since the day I met her, I have tried (believe it or not) to imitate her style to a degree.
There is no sentiment on this card because, well, frankly, I didn't have one that fit the situation.
I used an embossing folder directly to the card front - leaving the left side untouched and rounded the edges.  The strip down the front is that French Script stamp I can't ever get enough of.  I layered that on a little bit of a scalloped edge.  That pretty yellow flower was from a swap and since this one doesn't go in the mail I used a big, fat, lush ribbon and larger than usual brad.

Serene Masking

I am pretty sure this was a Pinterest case, but I am not too sure.  The white area is left because I punched a piece of scrap paper and used a tiny glue dot to hold it in place.  Then I inked over it.  I think the irregularities of it all really help make the feeling of a sky.  Then I used a little matching DP scrap paper for the top and bottom, added a SU punch and sentiment and coordinating brads. 

Hello There...

I never can get enough of animal prints.  This card is so versitile it can be used all year round.  The giraffe here is from SUs Zoo Review and the sketch is a Gina K classic.

A Little Shabby Card for a Change

This card was a bit different from my usual OWH style.  I don't often use the shabby methods of a nail file to the edges and extra inking.  Guess I was in the mood for a change.  I layered some papers from Prima, ripped, filed and shabbed em up.  Stamped the beautiful cage from SU's Nature's Pace on a tag.  A little button and some twine to connect it al together.

Valentine Series

My daughter's married name is Kee, so she is a sucker for romantic keys - of course that means I am, too. This one has a pretty doily to keep it company. I really enjoyed working with these little images and hope to find another sheet like this for next year.

Valentine Notes

Just a note to say Happy Valentines!! I embossed that great vellum with a music note folder from Paper Studio. When the scalloped oval was punched for the sentiment, I realized you kind of see through it. So I used the little lable punch from SU to layer the sentiment. I like the little touch of color behind the opening. Twelve of these went into the box for OWH Valentines.

Sweet Cards

This card has one little banner across the middle that came to me in a swap last year. I think these MME papers and the Nesties matting really lets is shine. Just one of these for OWH this year.

You Make Me Smile

I used a My Mind's Eye 6x6 stack and an OWH sketch to put 10 of these cards together in less than an hour. I just love that these will work for our heros to send to the men at home.

My favorite Stamp used again

This Fresh Vintage Stamp just can't get enough use in my craft room. Makes me feel better about the stamps I have bought and NEVER used ;) Lots of pretty layers and four just like this for OWH. Update: So excited to hear I have been tagged as a sketch inspiration by OWH the stamp set is Fresh Vintage by Stampin Up. I found a few of them on Etsy and Ebay or here" The pink DP is just something from my scrap bin, layered on black, another wider strip of white layered on black behind that. I am embrassing the CASE. My goal is to send lovely cards to soldiers so they can tell someone at home they are thinking of them. My goal is not orignal design. Some people write music and others play it...I play ;) What I usually do is pick a stamp set and check it out in the split coast stampers gallery or Pinterest - find a few I like and shut the craft room door.

Repurposing a punch

This oval punch set form Stampin up is usually used horizontally with a sentiment. I

love how they fit nice and even and give such a polished look to a card. Well, on Pinterest (you know...my new obsession) I saw a card very similar to this - and I love it!! So cool to let that punch work in another way. Pocket Silhouettes fit just right. Four of these for OWH came together quickly.

BoBunny Serenity - first of many

I just love this BoBunny Serenity paper line. I treated myself to the whole set, stamps, bling and all. And these cards - are just for my personal stash. This card with the great button detail is off to a good friend of mine.

Pretty Triple Time

This triple time stamping style just doesn't get old for me. Stampin Up essential elements set used here. And the fork technique to tie the gray sheer bow (found at the dollar store!) Six of these in the OWH box.

Sassy Chic

Not my usual style, especially for Op

eration Write Home. But I felt like something a little different for the OWH box tonight. I started by embossing a swirl pattern on the music paper. Then I crumpled and distressed that pretty good. Next I inked the edges with a sponge and ran the whole ink pad over the surface of the paper. I was going to leave the 'just a note' sentiment on by itself, but it looked lonely, so I added that big heart from Martha's punch. Then I had the dreaded two instead of three images. I added the bling heart on top of that and it seemed to really give the eye a 'flow'. I made six of these and it took longer than it looks!! Not sure if I will repeat the style, but I am glad I did something out of my box.

Red Thinking of You

Another straight up pinterest case. I wish I kept better track of who had the original card. But, since all four that I made go to OWH, I don't feel too guilty! These came together very quicky, less than an hour for all four and I think they really look sharp.

More toile

Can't go wrong with it, right!! That strip across the center, with eyelets and a seam binding bow - two tag punches from stampin up!!

Great all occasion card.

World Card Making Day

I love World Card Making Day!! This is so much fun. Please be sure to stop by lots of blogs and leave lots of love. I make cards for Operation Write Home In short, we send cards to deployed troops - because there isn't a Hallmark in the desert. This year we were asked to used a sketch, I picked #135 because I had this new image from Inkadinkadoo I wanted to use. Teen cards are difficult, and especially for the boys. I resisted the urge to bling this up or add a ribbon, I felt a bit more simple it works for those teen boys best. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Don’t Be Blue

I had a great weekend with a friend and we made our Christmas cards…yes in September, some people are organized –deal with it!! :D But, after she left I wanted to top off my OWH box so I made about 14 cards in there styles (will post the other two later this week)

This one uses a paper pack from Authentique. I find the 6x6 paper packs are perfect when I am using a sketch that leverages patterned paper. They seem to always have one that is a bit tone on tone, a stripe one (zig zag here) and small and large prints. I went with the larger print here and newsprint in the background as a neutral. This sketch isn’t my own, I found it on pinterest. I just love scrolling through other people’s cards to find ideas I can use on my own. When I find a card I like for the layout (or sketch) as opposed to for the color theme or maybe stamp set here are the steps I use for CASing: -Pick an image (assuming the card has one) and measure that piece first. -cut up scraps until I have the right size to match what I saw in the example. I always cut for nice round numbers even it if it is a tiny bit off the example. -Pick the papers and layer paper and cut those based on my little scrap test case -Stamp the image (here I used the crumb ink from SU and the vintage jump roller so the background of the image had some warmth. Then I used markers to achieve the two color effect. -Tape all the layered pieces together and assemble. Then I used this great trim from the Paper Bag Lady on etsy. I like that it was more vivid and kept the card from being a bit to muted. Start to finish these six cards came together in less than an hour.

Punny Cards

I love puns! And puns on greeting cards about one of my favorite things. For this card, I used a sketch I saw on Pinterest from one of my favorite stampers. But after I made it, the circle was too large to fit with the card in the portrait position

. So I turned it. Simple Copics coloring again, and a sweet sentiment stamped direct to paper. Four of these for the OWH box tonight.