A Birthday Card Fit for a Princess

Hi, everyone.

Wednesday night, we had another fun Stampin' Up! class with Bernadette during which we made a really cool tri-fold card. So, I decided to try out the technique on a princess-themed birthday card.

Outside of Card
computer-generated sentiment
Stampendous vintage crown stamp, scanned and resized
Distress Ink core, Bazzill white; stash gems
Martha Stewart butterfly punches, sponged with Distress Ink
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Creative Memories cutting system

Inside of Card

The card base is 5.25" by 12" with scores at 2", 4", 8", and 10". Pretty easy card. Thanks, Bernadette!

Parting Thoughts

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

OWH VCMP: Cards 4 Kids

Hi, everyone.

Welcome, party goers! Happy Birthday, Operation Write Home!

Operation Write Home is a wonderful nonprofit organization that sends blank homemade greeting cards to our deployed troops so that they can write to loved ones back home in the States. Today's post is a stop on a Virtual Cardmaking Party to celebrate OWH's birthday month. :)

Please click here to return to the Master Thread.

Before we get to the challenge, let me send a big shout-out to Allison and the OWH blog team. And, thanks to yesterday's hostesses for a great day of challenges.

 The Challenge

Swiss dot embossing on red border
polar bear cub
paper-only embellishments
Please click here for card details.

The challenge on this stop is to make a kiddie card using the tic-tac-toe board shown below.

Today's sample card was inspired by a recent Tuesday Tutorial on polar bear cards and several adorable photos of polar bear cubs.

So, what will you choose? Maybe you're a softie for a punny sentiment... or have a favorite technique... or have a new truck stamp that you can't wait to ink up and color. Whether you go 3-across, down or diagonally, I can't wait to see your kiddie cards!

Blog Candy

And, what's a birthday party without some candy?

So, a $15 gift certificate to Paper Smooches will be awarded to one lucky, randomly-selected cardmaker! Just link a tic-tac-toe inspired kiddie card by noon (Eastern Time) Tuesday to be eligible.

Thanks for playing and happy scrappin'!

Have a BEARY Merry Christmas!

Hi, everyone.

The card below was inspired by Operation Write Home's Polar Bear Tutorial and photos of adorable baby polar bears in ice caves. I have to say I am THRILLED with the way this little guy turned out.   :)

Distress Ink core paper; cardstock: Bazzill black, AC white
Cuttlebug embossing folder
punches: EK hole, Paper Shaper circle, Recollection snowflake
Creative Memories oval cutting system
pens: Uniball white, Micron black; tool: Staedtler bendable ruler
techniques: paper piecing and fussy cutting

While this digital picture is one of my better efforts, there are a few details that don't show up. The red core paper around the borders was embossed, and lightly sanded, using a Swiss dot embossing folder. Also, the outlines of the bear cub and the Santa hat were lightly inked using blue and black shades of Distress Ink, respectively.

Speaking of the Santa hat, Microsoft clip art images were used to make the hat and candy cane. After images were printed, they were cut out to use as templates.

If you haven't seen a Staedtler bendable ruler, you might want to check them out. A good friend gave me one a while ago, and I it comes in handy at the most unexpected times. For this card, I used it to outline the "cave" opening so I didn't get too tear-crazy.

Parting Thoughts

I'm hoping that this little cub brings a big smile to the face of one of our troop's little ones.

And, I'm thinking this could be a popular card at this season's craft fairs. Just need to find a way to keep the cuteness -- and attention to detail, while streamlining the process. Trust me, this little guy was pretty labor intensive... but definitely worth the effort! I couldn't be happier with this little bear cub.   :)

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Have a ROARing Good Day!

Hi, everyone.

The card below was in the box that I mailed to Kris just yesterday. It is a perfect fit for today's OWH Tuesday Tutorial to get punchy.

Stampin Up! products
Please click here for product details.

Can you believe the mane and legs of this little guy are made from a flower punch? We started the card in Bernadette's technique class. I finished him at home to add the computer-generated sentiment and Baker's Twine. 

  Parting Thoughts 

Thanks, Nancy, for a great tutorial.Thanks to Lauren for a great sample card.

And, thanks to everyone for stopping. Happy scrappin' to all!

Have a Super Day!

Hi, everyone.

This card has been rattling around in my brain ever since the adorable Paper Smooches Super! stamp set released. (This is actually a second version using the Paper Smooches Alphadots stamp set.) And, even though I just ordered a set of the newly released dies that go with the stamp set, I couldn't pass up the chance to (literally) piece this together while I had some serious time to work on it.

Paper Smooches Super! stamp set in StazOn jet black
Distress Ink core paper (red, yellow, blue)
Bazzill black cardstock
Tombow foam squares behind super hero and buildings on right
LOTS of fussy cutting

Paper Smooches Super! and Alphadots stamp sets in StazOn jet black
Distress Ink core paper (red, yellow, blue)
stash white and black cardstock
computer generated shapes, requiring even more fussy cutting
(For details on making this popped-up sentiment, please click here)

Since this is going to Operation Write Home, I added a white strip to the bottom of the inside of the card for mommy or daddy to write a note to their super hero back home in the States.

So, with the popped-up sentiment and all of the fussy cutting, this little card was pretty labor intensive. And yet I can't help but smile when I think about the little super hero who's going to love getting this card from his mom or dad.  :)

Think I'm posting the card for this month's Paper Smooches Guest Designer Challenge.

Parting Thoughts

It's sure to be a super weekend around here. Hubby and I are celebrating 29 years of marriage tomorrow and my dad is celebrating his 79th birthday!  :)

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

On a Scale of 1 to 10

Hi, everyone!

Hope the first day of the work week went well. Boy, it was a good day to be inside here. We got over 2 inches of rain. Wow, is it wet!

Today's Card

The current CAS-ual Fridays challenge is to make a card involving at least one number. Should be a perfect challenge for a math educator... right? So, why did I struggle so much with this one?

hand-drawn table, sponged in Distress Inks using Stampin' Up! daubers
Distress Ink core paper
computer-created stars, adhered with Zots 3D glue dots
Paper Smooches stamped numbers
non-identified stash number stickers
INSIDE SENTIMENT: On a scale of 1 to 10, You're a 100!

I'm always hearing people say something like, "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it [...] an 11!"  So, the math teacher in me decided to do a take on this... 

MATH ALERT WARNING: Math stuff ahead!!!!  Since 10 raised to the 0 power is one and 10 raised to the 1st power is 10 and 10 raised to the 2nd power is 100, I decided to go with the numbers 1, 10, and 100. I know, sometimes the math-i-ness just comes out in spite of myself. :)

I sponged the lower numbers in red, the middle numbers in yellow, and the upper numbers in green -- going for an ombre effect at each level. After that, the card took on a life of itself. The sponged ink had more of a primary feel/look than I had envisioned. So, I went full-speed ahead with the primary feel, going with primary-looking numbers and primary-like stars.

Most of my cards go to Operation Write Home. So, I'm thinking a little boy or girl might really like receiving an encouraging card from mommy or daddy as a new school year begins.

Parting Thoughts

Have a good rest of the week.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Say It with Legos

Hi, everyone,

Okay, making a legos card was not on my day's crafting to-do list when the day began. But, when I saw Julie's stinkin' cute card idea at this week's Tuesday Tutorial, well I just had to join in the fun. Thanks, Nancy and Julie, for such a fun idea for a cute kiddie card!

Distress Ink core paper and ink (chipped sapphire, barn door red, scattered straw)
Stampin Up! sponge daubers; white gel pen; Marvy circle punch; Tombow dimensional adhesives

Julie suggested stamping a sentiment on a separate sheet of paper and adhering it to the card. I decided to make the sentiment out of the legos.

My only regret is that I didn't have an embossing folder to create the lego base. So, I went with a larger piece of white cardstock.

Parting Thoughts

Thanks again to the OWH blog team for a great idea! (BTW: The math teacher/editor in me LOVED the fractions -- even though I just eyeballed my circles and rectangles!)

Have a great week. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Happy Dirtday!

Hi, everyone!

Today's Midweek Throwdown challenge is to make Cards 4 Kids. Sounded like a perfect opportunity to ink up my new Stanpin' Up! I Dig You stamp set. So, between a morning walk with hubby, a trip to the neighborhood pool with nephews, and a dinner of steaks on the grill, I'm making and posting the card below. (Aren't vacation days the best?!)

truck and sentiment: Stampin' Up! I Dig You stamp set
clouds: Stampin' Up! cupcake punch; Distress Ink core paper
truck and clouds: heat embossed with embossing ink and clear powder
sentiment embossed in Distress Ink black soot
garage sale brads

A few Tricks of the Trade:

• I used a bendable ruler to create the shape of the dirt hill before tearing the core paper.
• Clouds were created by pressing a section of white cardstock into an embossing pad and heat embossing with clear powder before punching out the top of a cupcake.  [Thanks to Stampin' Up! demonstrator Bernadette for the suggestion to use the punch to make clouds. :) ]

Having major second thoughts about the brads -- going to replace them with hole-punch-size circles, embellished with Glossy Accents. I almost never use any gems or brads on kid cards. While I like the look of the brads, my concern is that the card might get in the hands of an itty, bitty kiddie. So, I'm going to err on the side of safety here -- not even sure what I was thinking in the first place.

Parting Thoughts

Brads or no brads, I'm REALLY loving the way this little card turned out -- liking the bright colors and the design itself. Hoping one of our hero's little one will love it as well. :)

Hubby's getting ready to fire up the grill. So, looks like it's time to sign off.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Lil Monster

Hi, everyone!

Isn't it interesting how the excitement about something keeps you up late and gets you up early? I'm so very excited about my brother's family's visit that I had trouble falling asleep -- and even more trouble getting back to sleep!

The other thing that had my motor running was the desire to ink up some new stamps. The Paper Smooches blog candy from OWH's Memorial Day blog hop came this week. (The delay was totally mine, by the way. Once I finally decided on what to get, the package arrived within days! Kim was fabulous!!! Thanks, Kim.) I also wanted to ink up some newly purchased Stampin' Up! stamps.

So, as it turned out, I've had time to sneak in one last card before the visit begins. :)  The card below is for this month's OWH Design Bootcamp on repetition -- and variation -- and a strong focal point.

Lil Monster

Paper Smooches Alphadot stamp set and natural ribbons; 
Stampin' Up! Build a Monster stamp set
Cosmo Cricket Matilda dp; Distress Ink core paper;
Distress Ink black soot, heat embossed with clear powder
EK border punch; Zots 3D glue dots, Zig 2 Way Glue

A description of the thought process behind this card's design follows:

• The first decision was to make three lil monsters in the same shape and same color, but varied in features. There is also a slight variation in the sanding of the left and right monsters, while keeping the center monster at 100% saturation.
• The second decision was in paper selection. I didn't have any space- or monster-related dp in my stash. But, then I remembered the Matilda halloween collection had some really fun colors and patterns. Looking at the patterns I had left from the pad -- and the complementary cardstock papers in my stash, I decided to go with the orange/gold/purple plaid. The plaid seemed playful, gender neutral, and unexpected. Two other important considerations: the plaid was non-Halloween'ish and it "popped" the lil monsters.
• I repeated the monster's purple in the background of the top portion of the card and around the paper and sentiment on the bottom portion of the card. 
• A pair of natural ribbons were placed behind the monsters to connect them and make a stronger focal point without adding an additional color or pattern. I also liked the extra texture the ribbon brought to the card.
• To adhere the monsters, I used 2 Way glue on their main bodies and glue dots on their eye and leg appendages. They have to be pretty secure for little hands. :)
• This fun font from Paper Smooches was just right for these little guys. It is stamped on the reverse side of a Distress Ink core green that matched a green used in other papers in the dp collection. I chose to not heat emboss -- deciding to use that little extra shimmer for just the monsters.
• So, you'd think I would be done. Not so fast... The top corners felt like they needed something, but I never put brads or gems on kid cards. And, then I saw the cute little trio of dots in the Stampin' Up! monster set. I stamped those in the corners, heat embossing so that they would pop off the plaid paper.

Here's hoping a hero's little one will smile when receiving these little guys in the mail.

Parting Thoughts

Wow, this post got a little longer than I expected. Sorry about that! (Can you tell I'm really psyched about my brother's visit?!)

Thanks to Paula for these Design Bootcamps. They are great!

Another huge thanks to Paper Smooches for all they do for OWH. For my blog candy, I ordered three sets that would address some OWH needs: a fun alphabet, the Teen Scene images, and the Bee Mine set (to go with a honeycomb embossing folder.) Kim, the stamps are fabulous and you totally rock!

Speaking of that honeycomb folder,  a big thanks also goes to Bernadette, a central Ohio Stampin' Up! demonstrator. My stamping is getting better thanks to her help. If only I could say the same about my checking account....

Have a great weekend! REALLY looking forward to celebrating Father's Day with both dads and my brother and his family.

Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!

Bee Happy

Hi, everyone.

I'm not much of a punny cardmaker -- not that I don't admire my fellow cardmakers who do such adorable punny cards.

However, when I read this month's ODBD challenge to make cards featuring things that fly, my new honeycomb embossing folder arrived, and I found a cute little honeybee template online... Well, I just couldn't resist.

Stampin' Up! embossing folder, heat embossed with Distress Ink Vintage Photo; online bee template
Stampin' Up! oval punches and black brads; Marvy circle punch
most papers: Distress Ink core; black: Bazzill; cream behind sentiment: stash ???
computer-generated sentiment (Arial black) and basic Word shapes
crimped strip, inked with Close to My Heart Desert Sand and Distress Ink Antique Linen
wings lightly painted with watered-down Honey Brown and Light Ivory acrylics

To achieve the embossed effect of the honeycomb, I rubbed the inside of the top of the folder with Distress Ink, applied clear embossing powder, and heat embossed. Although I chose not to distress the Distress Ink gold paper itself, I still decided to use it because the color is so rich.


I ran into serious technical difficulties when printing out the sentiment -- trying to run a remnant piece of sanded core paper through our printer. One of the following things is evidently true.

A) Our printer does not like tiny pieces of paper.
B) Our printer does not like sanded core paper.
C) Our printer does not like tiny pieces of sanded core paper.

But, I fear the answer might be: D) All of the Above.

So, for the sake of family harmony, I think I'll abstain from trying to print on any of these papers for future projects. :)

Here's hoping a little one will "bee happy" to receive this card from mommy or daddy.

Parting Thoughts

I'm always amazed when basic shapes are combined to make cute little critters.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Paper, Tools & Techniques... Oh, My!

Hi everyone,

Excited about this weekend's OWH Virtual Cardmaking Party? I know I am.

Erika's Zig Zag (aka Chevron) Challenge

star paper, chevron paper, word search: We R Memory Keepers Red, White & Blue
cardstock: red: Bazzill watermelon, blue: ???; stars: Recollections brads
techniques: crimping, fussy cutting

This challenge inspired me to use one of those patterns and one of those small embellishments in the paper pad that hadn't initially called to me. Thanks, Erika!

Thinking this is a card that might appeal to a pre-teen.

Misty's All Creatures Great and Small Challenge

paper: Core-indinations Vintage collections; butterfly: K & Company adhesive chipboard
embellishments: Queen & Co and Mark Richards pearls; flea market & scrap ribbon by/from ???
technique: embossing with Sizzix folder; tools: Creative Memories cutting system, corner rounder

I can never resist the opportunity to make a butterfly card. Misty's challenge gave me the perfect reason to use this adorable butterfly chipboard sticker. Thanks, Misty!

It seems like a daddy might be sending these butterfly kisses to his little princess. :)

Beth's Selective Embossing Challenge 

green/gray paper: Distress Ink core, black: Cardstock Warehouse Paper Co, brown: AC;
embellishments: garage sale brads;
techniques: selective embossing with Tim Holtz folder; heat embossing with Distress Ink Black Soot and clear powder;
inking in Distress Ink Black Soot, Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Stampin' Up! Bravo Burgandy, Stampin' Up! Going Gray
sentiment: Jillian Vance; adhesive: 3D glue dots

Oh my gosh -- I've seen this technique used on cards and wondered how it was done!  Thank you, Beth, for sharing this with us! 

One note about the card: I originally placed brads at the center of the gears, but felt the gears were starting to look more like flowers. So, I added additional brads -- going for a few clusters of 3 -- to bring back the "manliness" feel of the card. Hubby said it was "nice", which is pretty high praise from Mr. Stoic. :)

Yvonne's Things with Wings Challenge 

Summer Rule No. 7 tag: My Mind's Eye garage-sale bargain
blue paper: Distress Ink core; brown and green paper: Core-dinations Vintage core
circle and hole punches, sanded for distressed effect
inking in Distress Ink Vintage Photo, Distress Ink Peeled Paint, and Distress Ink Tumbled Glass

paper: BasicGrey inked in Distress Ink Vintage Photo and Distress Ink Antique Linen
Martha Stewart butterfly punches; Creative Memories cutting system
Queen & Company and Mark Richards Pearl; Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder

It's ironic I have two cards for this challenge because I really do not have many winged things in my stash upstairs -- a fact hubby would find rather unbelievable! Thanks, Yvonne, for helping me spread my wings for this challenge. 

What I really like about the first of these cards is that it's a change of pace for me. I've had this adorable tag, which was 10 cents at a garage sale, for several years. Guess it was waiting for just the right challenge to come along! I also like how the sanded circles mimic the circles on the tag.

The second card is more of a typical card for me, although I don't often emboss patterned paper. Hubby preferred this one. :)

Leslie's Disappearing Act Challenge

paper: Moxxie Father 12x12 and AC Neutrals cardstock 8x8; Cuttlebug ef
sentiment: Stamper's Best heat embossed with Distess Ink Vintage Photo
star punches: The Paper Studio and Fiskars; garage sale brad
inking in Distress Ink Vintage Photo and Close to My Heart Desert Sand

 

What a great challenge!  I never would've thought about getting 6 cards from one 12 by 12 sheet. And, I seldom make multiples.

However, confession is good for the soul. I had to cheat a little on this one. The only 8.5 by 11 cardstock I have is Bazzill Admiral and Watermelon -- to go with my cherished Bo Bunny Liberty paper. But, I went with the spirit of the challenge and made 6 cards from this one 12 by 12 sheet of Moxxie paper. :)

Oh, my sentiment strips are not the specified dimensions for the designated sketch... and I moved the sketch embellishments. It just felt right to place the stars on the right side to balance out the vertical strips.

OWH Sketch #160 

dp and star sticker: Bo Bunny Liberty; cardstock: Bazzill Admiral and Watermelon
star brads: Recollections

Love the sketch!  This week's Any Hero card really came together quickly once I decided upon the dp for the background. Decided against the sentiment rectangle after placing the star on the white paper.

Can't get enough of these cute little star brads I found on sale at Michael's this past week. Just wish the center part of my card didn't look like it's sliding downhill. Why don't these things ever look so obvious on the card? :(

Linda's Things with Wheels Challenge 

cardstock: AC; computer-generated sentiment
tools: Creative Memories cutting system, hole punch

Okay, I have so few wheel-related items in my stash. But, I found stickers from long ago. So, I went online, did a search of truck birthday parties, and came up with the idea of yellow and black diagonals. Various party sentiments provided a spark of inspiration and the card text was born. Kind of stumbled on the gray and orange papers through experimentation. Finally, I decided to go with just black punched holes to kid-friendly focal accents. 

Thanks, Linda, for inspiring me to create my own wheek-related background to go with my few stickers. :)

Jen's Caffeine Challenge 

DCWV Sweet matstack; SEI Happy Day die cut accent
stash ribbon (with cute polka dots); Mark Richards crystal sticker pearls
tools: Creative Memories cutting system, Fiskars border bunch
technique: inking edges in Close to My Heart Desert Sand

Jen, you had me at chocolate. Thanks for hosting!  :)

For those new to OWH, the glitter on this card is okay. Papers with baked-in glitter, like some DCWV and SEI lines, are okay to use. The "Can I scrape it off?" test is a good test to use. 

Sharon's All White & Cream and Kaylee's Glitter-Free Glitz and Glam Challenges

White & Cream cardstock: AC; Cuttlebug ef
embellishements: Queen & Co and Mark Richards pearls, cream tulle

I never, ever would have thought of doing a 3-layered card in all white or cream. And the results are so elegantly CAS. I'm really loving this monochromatic look. (Wouldn't this make a beautiful wedding card?)

For Sharon's challenge, the layers are: bottom embossed white base, cream rectangle, and a white rectangle with a scored border. I went with pearled butterflies and tulle for the embellishments.

After I embossed the butterflies, I thought about adding a tiny pearl for every embossed dot -- channeling my inner Sandy, I suppose! This seemed like a perfect way to incorporate Kaylee's glam challenge. While it makes for an interesting effect, I'm thinking all the pearls might be too much to send in the mail. So, I'm thinking of replacing the top butterflies before I mail this to Kris -- maybe going with just a few pearls in the center of each butterfly.

Thanks to both Sharon and Kaylee for hosting such creative challenges.

Donna's Washi Tape Challenge 

Making Memories Packing Tape; Core-dinations core paper
computer-generated sentiment; garage sale brads
technique: sanding

I seem to be saying this a lot during this card-making party, but I did not have any  washi tape in the menopause (aka craft) room -- mainly because I had no idea what to do with it. However, I did have some garage-sale packing tape that I had not yet opened. So, in the spirit of the challenge, I went with that.

After seeing Donna's great sample card and the wonderful linked cards, it looks like I'm headed to my LSS to pick up some washi tape. Thanks, Donna, for showing some of the cool things that can be done with a little tape!

Parting Thoughts

Wow! That was so much fun! With the recent demands of work, it'd been a long time since I've had a couple of days to devote to cardmaking. So glad I was able to do that this weekend.  :)

Thanks to OWH's very own Allison for organizing our party and to all of the cardmakers who hosted challenges. And, thanks to all of you who visited and/or left comments.

Looks like it's time for Design Boot Camp. It appears Paula has a focal point lesson for us!  

Happy scrappin'!