A Nascar Birthday Card

Someone asked me to make a birthday card for a friend who is a big Jeff Gordon fan, so this is what I came up with. I couldn't find any Gordon logo I could recreate, so I just went with the colors and used the number 24 of his car. I started with a navy background and embossed it with the CB happy birthday ef. The next layer was a piece of real red, cut with a Nestability die and embossed with another CB embossing folder. I covered all that with Versamark and and embossed it with clear detail ep to give it a leathery look. The sentiment was cut with my Cricut using orange and yellow scraps. The checkerboard and striped ribbons came from Joanne's and the yellow ribbon is the reverse side of some SU! crushed curry polka dot ribbon. The little 24's were computer generated and the buttons were from my stash. I hope this works for that big Jeff Gordon fan :)
I'm looking forward to the beautiful temperatures on the way in the next few days! Wow, 84 on Friday! I'm loving that forecast!
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Carol

For the Waitress

I had a request from a customer to make a birthday card with an apron for a favorite waitress who always gives them such great service. How sweet to think of gifting a waitress with a birthday card huh?! I did a search on Google for an apron card and found this. I made my own version using the free template they offered.
I cut the pattern out from cardstock and adhered some PTI dsp on top. The card opens from the top BTW, so there is a place to put the sentiment inside. I used coordinating PTI dsp for the apron pocket and row of flowers that were cut with a small flower punch. I cut out 2 butterflies from the dsp for the apron string fasteners. I used a piece of Scor-tape to adhere the apron strings, gathering slightly in the center to fit the curve of the card. For the pocket I wanted to insert something to resemble the pads waitresses use to take orders, so I found a small scrap of pale green cardstock in my bin and drew some lines on it with turquoise and sage markers. I used a SU! set for sentiments, using the HB2U one, and stamped 2 of them. I turned one upsidedown to show the cake, and the other shows the opposite side for the HB2U. Those were cut with a ticket stub punch. I added a tiny bit of stickles to the candle flames and the decorative border on the cake and you can click the photo to see those details. I sponged around the outside with Ranger antique linen ink for a little interest. I hope my customer is pleased, and I hope the waitress she gives it to will enjoy it as well. I had fun creating this one :)
Thanks for stopping by today, and have a wonderful Sunday!

Carol

Birthday Flowers

I recently made some Easter cards with this Sugarloaf stamp, so I decided to make another card for someone's birthday. I decided to put the sentiment inside the card since the image looks better standing alone. The image was stamped on wc paper with Versafine Onyx Black ink, embossed with clear ep, and colored with Tombow markers. The yellow and purple layers were scraps that were cut with my cricut, and the BG dsp was embossed with a swiss dots ef. I used a PTI white card stock base for the card and the bow was made with the bow-easy.
I love coloring this image for some reason, so there may be more cards coming soon with a different color scheme.
Have a wonderful Friday and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

What's Moo?

This card was done to combine 2 challenges for the OWH Stars and Stamps blog. I used the sketch #9 challenge, along with the mid-week challenge to use our "four-legged friends" on a card. The sketch called for a 1-3/4" square, and this cow image by Rubber Stampede fit that size perfectly! I stamped her on wc paper and colored her with a white deco pen and some Tombow markers. I used a piece of creative impressions dp, and cut a strip in the opposite direction for the vertical strip. The white cs was scalloped using the SU border punch. The sentiment was stamped with 2 packs of $1 alphabet stamps found at Michae's, and cut with my Cricut. I accented both panels with red cardstock, and snipped the corners of the focal image with a pair of scalloped scissors, then added some silver beads for interest. I hope this card brings a smile to someone's face when they receive it :)
Have a happy Wednesday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Got Eggs?

I made this card for my dear friend's little girl. She loves hand-made cards and has saved each and every one I've sent her so far, so hopefully this one will put a smile on her face :)
This was a Friday freebie digital image from dzdoodles. I don't normally do digi images because my printer doesn't like heavy card stock, but for this image I used a lighter weight paper that worked just fine. After coloring, I decorated the eggs with some deco paint markers, geo sparklers and white gel pen, and then added some dazzling diamonds glitter to the face and tail. The SU! sentiment was stamped with Versamark and embossed with silver ep. I used Spellbinders Labels4 for the layers, using Pacific Point blue card stock and ribbon. The inside says "GOT EGGS?" also embossed in silver.
Have a fun Tuesday everyone, and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

A Birthday for the Boys!

I had a customer request a card for her grandson who is currently attending college. I don't know why, but beer immediately came to mind?! LOL He studies accounting which is why the background was done with the Cuttlebug numbers embossing folder. The beer mug image was free clipart that I printed out and embellished with some glitter and diamond glaze to make it look frosty. The sentiment was done with a combination of a HA stamp set, and a SU! set. The screw-brads always add a masculine touch to a guys card, so I added a couple of them too. I know the person who's going to receive this, and I know it will be a hit with him :) Party on!!
Have a great weekend and enjoy the first day of spring!! I'm just loving this time of year with these warm temperatures and brilliant sunshine! It just makes me say AHHhhh.............

Carol

Father's Day Cards

Happy Friday everyone!
I made these Father's day cards recently for OWH so I thought I'd share them with you today.
The shirts are just designer paper with a slit near the top on each side, folded in to look like a collar. I added some tiny button brads to look like the old-fashioned preppy shirts that had button down collars. The origami necktie was made with coordinating patterns and a little clip was added to look like a necktie. I found the origami pattern years ago on the barefoot stampers blog (Susanna Boyd), and I always seem to make a few of these for father's day every year. They were made with scraps of paper and some taken with teal, vintage cream and kraft cardstock. The sentiment is by SU!
Spring has sprung in PA!! It's a glorious 70 degrees here today and I feel WONDERFUL!! I hope you're having a fabulous day wherever you are too, and thanks so much for stopping by today!

Carol

Stash Challenge - Flowers

I've been making my Easter cards and gifts this week, and after seeing the Stash Challenge this week to use flowers, I realized this qualifies! I've had this pretty designer paper hoarded for much too long now, but it's time to use it!! Yep, I'm sticking with my resolution to use my supplies instead of "saving" them. The beautiful silk ribbon on the card was the last bit of that amazing ribbon I had, so now I have to do without until I use the rest of what I have! *sniff sniff* This lavender ribbon is my most favorite ever!
The image on the card is a stamp by SugarLoaf, and was stamped on water color paper using Versafine Onyx Black ink, then embossed with clear embossing powder. I colored it with Derwent water color pencils and an aqua pen, adding some colors also with Tombow markers. After coloring and drying, I smeared my versamark ink pad all over the entire image, and heat embossed with clear detail embossing powder to give it that shine of a stained glass window. I cut the image out by hand, and then cut the oval layers with my Cricut. I used scraps of green and yellow from my over-flowing stash. I added a few Kaiser gemstones for the final touch. The bottle is a leftover Prima flower bottle that I've been saving for a special occasion. I attached a scrap of matching dsp with some Scor-tape, adding ribbon at the top and bottom, and also around the neck of the bottle. The sentiment is by SU!, done in elegant eggplant and layered with some Prisma royal purple cardstock. I cut those oval layers with my Cricut too, and added more Kaiser gemstones.
Here's a closeup of the lid, just to show that I actually DID add a flower :) The layers were done with punches in matching dsp and cardstock, and the covered button came from Michaels. Now I need to make some more Easter treat containers before all that tasty candy disappears :D
Thanks for dropping in today - it's such a perfectly beautiful day that I'm going to go have a bite of lunch and sit outside for a while! Make your day a great one!!

Carol

FTTC58

I made this card loosely based on the FTTC58 challenge where my sweet friend Silke gave us a sketch to work with. I say it's loosely based on the sketch, because Silke made a square card, and I rarely ever make square cards. They look great, but I have to make envelopes for them and they cost more to mail so I usually stick with A2 cards. I followed her sketch, I just added a little to it *wink* :D
I used some of the Cottage Wall dp by SU! along with some PTI white cardstock. I added some Old Olive for the scalloped circle and some olive striped ribbon by SU!. The button is by PTI and almost matches the olive color but it looked better than white or cream. It's tied with a piece of tan hemp. The strip in the center of the circle is just a thin piece of the reverse side of the dp on the right side. The sentiment is by SU! and was stamped with Rich Razzleberry ink and punched with a Marvy punch. A few lavender Kaiser pearls were added for interest, and I punched a couple of butterflies with a MS punch and adhered them; one on top of the other and bent the wings upward. The antennae were drawn in with a fine-tip pen.
I'm going to get out and enjoy some of this beautiful weather today, so thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Carol

C&S Sympathy

I had to make a couple sympathy cards for someone recently, and this clean and simple design works perfectly for me. Some vintage cream card stock and ribbon, a beautiful piece of designer paper by SU! and an elegant sentiment stamped in soft gray, 4 rounded corners and this card was finished! I find myself leaning toward clean and simple more often these days, probably because the postage costs are minimal, and the cards are also done in no time at all.
The sun makes a long-overdue appearance today, and the temps are on the rise, so it's going to be a great day!! Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day wherever you are!

Carol

Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #8

Good Monday morning! I hope you all had a nice weekend. We had some wicked weather here in PA with driving rain and high winds. Our neighbor's trampoline was lofted into the air like a giant frisbee! It traveled over a fence and into the air for about 50-60 feet, and slammed into the side of our house so hard that the house shook! Fortunately no one was hurt, but our vinyl siding and rain gutter received some serious damage! It was a scary moment when it happened though! More rain and wind is in our forecast again today, but hopefully it won't be quite that severe!

Anyhoo........on to today's card. This was made using the sketch challenge #8 from the Stars and Stamps blog. I dug into my stash of scraps for this one again and found these pretty papers by Wild Asparagus that I've always loved. I used Nestabilities to cut the circles, and found a piece of pale pink card stock to make the scalloped circle. The sentiment is by SU! and was stamped on Soft Stone card stock using Sage Shadow ink. A little piece of pink satin ribbon and a little Kaiser kraft bling were the finishing touches.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Monday is a great one!!

Carol

Something for Dad

The challenge this week over at Crazy4Challenges is to create a masculine card. This card is going to OWH since they need their cards well in advance. It was difficult to photograph this card with all the shine but this was the best I could do. You'll have to take my word for it that it looks much better IRL.
I started out with 3 blocks of scrap cardstock and covered them with aluminum foil, taping to the back. I ran them through the Big Kick with a Cuttlebug diamondplate ef and added some Thickers letters to spell out the word DAD. The sentiment was stamped with Versamark ink, and embossed with silver ep on top of a piece of black PTI dsp. A little piece of checkered ribbon was added for interest.
Thanks for stopping by today, I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Carol

A Card-Themed Birthday

I had a customer request a birthday card for a friend who enjoys playing cards. What a stroke of luck that I had a couple pieces of card-themed DSP in my stash! I find that most folks don't want to pay extra postage for embellished cards, so I try to make mine flatter for mailing. For this one, I tried to incorporate more eye appeal with colors and patterns instead of pretty buttons, bows and bling. This was an old SCS sketch that I just loved, so I mixed up some scraps of SU! retired DP along with red, black and white card stock. I did a little scoring and paper piercing on the image panel, and added a couple tiny red Geo Sparklers for interest. There are a few of those hearts on the inside as well. The red and black grosgrain ribbons are attached flat for less bulk. The sentiment is by SU! and was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink.
Thanks for stopping by today, and have yourself a fantastic Friday!

Carol

Paper Pieced Butterfly

I needed to make a few encouragement cards, so I made this one for the Stars and Stamps Technique challenge found here. I stamped the butterfly image on PTI white card stock, and again on some SU! pretty in pink dsp. I cut the butterfly out and adhered it over the stamped image. The sentiment is by Verve and was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink. The ribbon is from the Flower and Craft Warehouse.
That fellow who writes Moyer's almanac and predicted 30 inches of snow to fall in early March wasn't too far off the mark afterall! The heavy rain storm that's on the way to PA would have been between 33-60 inches of snow if the temperatures were colder!!! He called for the snow to fall on March 7th, and he was only a few days and degrees off! Unreal huh?
Stay warm and dry wherever you are! Thanks for dropping by as always :)

Carol

CPS157

I made this card for the CPS157 sketch found here. I immediately thought to use the Just-Rite stamps for this card after seeing the circles. I stamped the sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black ink on Bashful Blue card stock. I punched and layered it with black, and then stamped the outer ring with black on white PTI cardstock, then colored in a few spots with a bashful blue marker. The black circles were stamped with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder using a different decorative border. I pulled the scrap of blue dp from my stash and matted it with a piece of black cardstock that was punched with the Fleur de lis border punch. I added a piece of ribbon and a few Kaiser black pearls to finish it. I don't know what prompted me to use the black and blue combination, but I really liked it once it was finished.
Thanks for stopping by and spending part of your day with me here - it's always nice to see you :)

Carol

Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #7

This week over at the OWH Stars and Stamps blog, Erika has a sketch challenge. I used an assortment of retired SU! Baja Breeze and Parisian Breeze dp's for this card. I cut the strips and embossed them with Cuttlebug leafy branch embossing folder (click the photo for detail), lining them up next to each other in the folder carefully, so the pattern is continuous. The sentiment panel was done with another CB embossing folder, and sanded lightly afterward to help the words show up a little better. The ribbon is Baja Breeze and I added a copper heart brad to coordinate with the sentiment.
I hope you're all having a fabulous Monday and enjoying some sunshine wherever you are!! Thanks for stopping by:)

Carol

Flower Pot Pocket Cards

This photo is the inspiration for the OWH Stars and stamps color challenge #2 this week. The flowers really put me into the spring mode, so I decided to create some Easter cards with flowers
I haven't made any of these adorable flower pot cards for a while, so I went to work using up some of those flowers I've been hoarding forever. I just pulled out all the yellows, purples and reds that I had on hand. I used a sizzix die to cut the branches and a MS fern punch for the little ferns. You can always click the picture for a larger view. I used an assortment of fancy brads for the flower centers, and some cocoa velvet ribbon on one, and some retired SU! satin ribbon on the other. Both DP's are by PTI, and the base of the pots was done with kraft cardstock, using a SU! scalloped border punch on the top border.
Here is what the insert looks like when you pull it out of the little "pot." That sentiment is by SU! and don't you just love those fancy fonts?!
*Here's a hint for those of you making these for the first time. Leave the insert IN the pot while you add the flowers; otherwise it may not fit back inside. I put adhesive foam squares and glue dots on the top of the exposed insert and then added the flowers and stems. I layered them as I went along, leaving some flowers to spill over the outside of the pot.
If you'd like to make these yourself, you'll find the directions right here. They're also great for mother's day cards or just for welcoming spring :)
Thanks for stopping by and have yourselves a wonderful weekend!!

Carol

Thinking of You

I've been working with this color combo for a few days now and trying to use up the overwhelming collection of scraps I have. I used a piece of Kaiser black and white DP along with a piece of really red SU! dp. I also used basic black, really red, and PTI white cardstocks The sentiment is by Just-Rite and was colored with markers before stamping. The outer ring was stamped with Versamark on black cardstock and embossed with white ep. I used a scalloped border punch on the edges and mats, and added a few black Kaiser pearls in 2 different sizes. I topped it all off with a piece of red grosgrain ribbon tied in a knot. This is one of my favorite go-to sketches for a quick and simple card.
Thanks for stopping by and have yourself a fantastic weekend!!!

Carol

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger

This is the inspiration for the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Triggers "Sweet on Spring" challenge found HERE. The colors are very spring-like and so pleasing to the eye, so I decided to make a few more cards for OWH. I went through my scrap pile and used mostly scraps and remnants of ribbon to make this set of cards.
I took a picture of one card standing alone so you could see the embossing detail. The embossing and coloring pretty much got lost in the group photo.

And here they are all together. Each is embossed with a different design and the floral image is colored to match the embossed panel. The sentiment is by Inkadinkado and layered with oval punches.
This was the first time I played along with this challenge and not only was it fun, it enabled me to get a few more cards finished.
Thanks for popping in to see what I've been up to, and feel free to come back any ole time! It's always nice to see you :)

Carol

stamps - Echoes of Kindness, Inkadinkado
paper - PTI white & Bitty Box Basics, basic black, scraps of yellow, turquoise, pink, and salmon
inks - Versafine Onyx Black
accessories - SU! sm and lg oval punches. CB embossing folders, Victorian, Swiss dots, SU! Petals a Plenty ef, (the yellow cardstock was already embossed) ribbon remnants, Tombow markers

OWH Sketch Challenge #6

Hello, and happy Tuesday to everyone. I hope you're all enjoying a great day!
I made this card for the OWH Stars and Stamps blog sketch challenge #6 found HERE. Velda gave us a great sketch this week along with cutting measurements to make it simple to follow. I tweaked the sketch a bit by turning it on the side. The image is by SU and I stamped it with Versafine Onyx Black on wc paper and embossed it with clear detail ep. I colored the dog a nice chartreuse color with Tombow markers to indicate sickness. *snort* The 2 dp's were from my scraps and I have no idea who made them. The light blue and yellow cardstock I used for the mats was also from my scrap pile. I pierced and distressed the edges of the main panel and added a mini clip with a bit of ribbon for interest. I hope this card brings a smile to the face of the person who receives it!
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your thoughts..........it always means so much :)

Carol

Busy Bunny Butt!

I made this Easter card just for kicks :) I used the 1-3/4" round punch and 2 oval punches to create the bunny from Blush Blossom and Pretty in Pink card stocks. I added a piece of cotton for the tail. The grass was just a scrap of green card stock that I snipped with scissors to create grass. The carrots were just drawn on orange card stock scraps and doodled with a Tombow marker, then topped with punches from the MS fern punch. The sentiment is by SU!. I think my granddaughter might get a chuckle out of this one :)
Wishing you a wonderful Monday wherever you are, make it a great day!!

Carol