"CONEFLOWER CELEBRATIONS"

 

Coneflower Celebrations . . . what a gorgeous product bundle from Stampin' Up!  None of the photos that I'm sharing in this post do justice to the colors, texture, dimension, and beauty of this project.  Let's start with a photo of the whole card:

My cardstock colors are Soft Sea Foam, Early Espresso, Garden Green, and Azure Afternoon. The embossed white layer features the Forever Plaid 3D embossing folder.  I'm so happy to have this embossing folder and wish my photos showed just how pretty it really is.  The designer paper is from a retired 6x6 collection, and the light blue gems are from a card kit--most likely a previous Paper Pumpkin kit.  

Alcohol markers were used to color the die-cut butterfly, and I also used an alcohol marker to color the Rhinestone Jewels that I placed on the flower center.  The butterfly and the center of the coneflower were brushed with Wink of Stella.  It's hard to tell from the photos, but blending brushes were used to deepen the color of the die-cut vein detail on the leaves, the top portion of the flower petals, and the edges of the flower center.   

The dies in this bundle seem to be very well thought out.  Just look at the detail on the flower center!  I used the four dies to cut my leaves, but the stamp set also includes leaf images that coordinate with the dies so they could have even more detail and depth--and either (stamps or dies) could be used one without the other.  Something else that I love about this bundle is that one (maybe two) coneflowers on a card would be just about all that is really needed to complete a gorgeous card for someone special.  There are times when I don't feel very creative and/or just don't have time to play around with ideas that I might end up not liking.  This gorgeous coneflower could take a project from start to finish in no time!  

In closing, here's the finished card one more time . . .

"FLORAL IMPRESSIONS" FAN CARD

Sunflowers and "Floral Impressions" designer paper make it easy for this card to deliver sunshine, don't you think?  The sentiments that I chose for this card are "Good Feelings" and "Hope You Know" (both retired, sadly), but they were just too perfect.

While the inside of the card has an angled piece of white cardstock, the angles were enhanced by the designer paper strip on the right side, which is behind the white cardstock, the floral designer paper at the bottom of the white layer, and the piece of dotted ribbon.  Did you notice the sequins?

Pictured above are the clear sequins.

In the photos above and below, you can better see the green sequins.  They didn't begin as green sequins, though.  They were actually clear, but I didn't like how prominent they were on the green designer paper after I had placed them.  The more I looked at them, the less I liked them.  And then it occurred to me that I could color them with a green alcohol marker.  They turned out great, huh?

This was my first fan card, and I don't know that I will make any (or many) more.  I'm not even sure this one turned out correct, but I felt that I was slicing too much designer paper and cardstock for one little card.  And that's another thing . . . this isn't a little card--it's 5x7.  It's kind of nice to have a larger card but, as someone who is used to making A2 cards, it just seems like a cardstock/paper hog.

All things considered . . . I think it turned out quite pretty, and that makes it a winner!

Have a stampin' good day!

 

DRAWSTRING BOX-BOTTOM BAGS FOR MOTHER'S DAY

 

Today's post is not about stamping or paper crafts.  I want to share the box-bottom bags that I made for my mother and sister for Mother's Day.  While I enjoy sewing and will tackle a reasonable challenge, what concerned me the most about making these bags was the drawstring.  I've never had to insert a drawstring in a project before, but I ordered a little doohickey from Amazon that made the task oh so quick and easy.  I can remember my mother using a safety pin, but I was afraid I'd mess that up and get the pin stuck halfway through.  Below is a photo of the bags without the drawstring (while I was waiting for the tool to arrive):

Since the widest measurement was 10" for the cut pieces to create a bag, this was a perfect project for a Layer Cake.  The one I used is Fleurs Tiles by Northcott.  The prints are just so pretty!  

I sewed a heart-shaped button to the front of my mother's bag, and a "handmade" leather tag to the front of my sister's bag since she doesn't like hearts.  I don't understand that.

The instructions that I used didn't call for a lining, and I didn't put one in the first bag that I made--the trial--but I lined the bags that I made for my mother and sister.  And guess what?  This project even has a pocket inside--actually, there are three little pockets!

Isn't this such a cool little project?  I was so anxious for my mother and sister to get their gifts, but I had to wait a whole week since I didn't get to see them on Mother's Day.  

I'll get back to sharing paper crafts soon! 

SIMPLE "FLORALS IN BLOOM" NOTE CARDS

The three cards that I'm sharing today--all made exactly alike--were created with just one sheet of "Florals in Bloom" designer paper.  I didn't even use the whole piece of paper--there's plenty left to decorate the flaps of three envelopes.

All three cards are 4.25" square and feature Blackberry Bliss layers, silver trim, and shiny pink sequins.

The center square layers were embossed with the Coastal Weave (retired) embossing folder, which you can see a bit better in the photo below.

Aren't the flowers so very pretty?  This paper collection is simply gorgeous and, as you can see, quite easily makes beautiful note cards.

"FLORALS IN BLOOM" MOTHER'S DAY GIFT

 

I had to work today and, since it's Mother's Day weekend, I wanted to take a little something for my "bestie".  I've only got three pictures to share of the adorable little box and the way the envelope was decorated--both featuring Stampin' Up!'s gorgeous "Florals in Bloom" designer paper and pink gems.  Below is a better picture:

It's such a feminine ensemble, right?  I can't even find the best words to describe how pretty this designer paper collection really is.

Of course, the envelope flap had to be decorated, too.  And just look at those pretty gems on the box! 

I haven't processed the photos of this year's Mother's Day cards, so I'll share them in a separate post.  

Happy Mother's Day to you (if appropriate) and to all the mothers who are special to you.

SIMPLE (ROUGH CUT) CIRCLE FLOWERS

Sharing a really simple card today.  I found this gatefold card base in the file with my cardstock and decided to put it to use.  It wasn't actually meant to be a gatefold card.  Last Fall, I taught a paper crafts class at the club where I work, and the white card base was left over from a slide-up gift card project.  Moving right along . . . some time ago, I saw a card similar to the one I'm sharing today and loved how colorful it was and its truly simple design.  Scissors were used to cut the flower layers and leaves, and I used a paper trimmer to cut the stems.  

The colors really pop, don't they?  My cardstock colors are Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lolly, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade, and Calypso Coral.  The sentiment is from "Go To Greetings" (Stampin' Up!, retired).

In the above photo, you can see how pretty Stampin' Up!'s brand new Holographic Resin Dots are but, of course, they're much prettier in person.

Whenever your scrap cardstock is piling up, this might be a good way to use some of it.  :-)

"ZANY ZOO" BIRTHDAY CARD (AND A CUTE PHOTO BOMBER)

Today is my nephew's 30th birthday!  I'll admit that the card I made for him might look a bit juvenile with the (not black and gray) raccoon holding balloons, but I thought the image was cute, festive, and one that adds a pop of color.  Why is the raccoon not black and gray?  Well . . . coloring with black ink is scary--especially on a small image where a very dark color can all of a sudden become way too much of a very dark color.

I wanted to make sure this little guy looked as cute as the balloons he's holding.  Even though this card was made for a 30-year-old man, it still needed some coordinating sparkly gems.  Can you spy the lighter green gems that are beside some of the die-cut letters on the darker green paper?  I was hoping they wouldn't blend in as much as they did--they're scattered between the die-cut letters on the dark green paper.  

A coordinating pocket was adhered to the inside of the card to hold a nice little check.  Isn't that what every 30-year-old nephew wants for his birthday?

While I was trying to take photos of the card, my sweet little Jack photo bombed--and totally stole the focus!  But look at his adorable little face.  Who could be mad at that?  

Happy birthday, Bryson!!!  

 

ONE MORE EASTER CARD

 

Pop-up cross cards seemed to be all the rage in card-making land this past Easter, and I know why.  Not only is this THE perfect design for Easter, it's also an easy card to make.  I actually made several of these using assorted designer paper, but the actual cross was embossed cardstock on each of my cards because . . . well . . . I thought the cross really needed to stand out.

All of the cross cards that I saw online were adhered to a single layer of cardstock, but it bugged me that the card wouldn't stand on display and certainly wouldn't balance as nicely as I thought it could.  I worked with it for a little while and decided that a top fold card base would work beautifully and, as you can see in the photos, it really did work beautifully.  "He is risen" was a sentiment that I found online and printed since I didn't seem to have the perfect stamp for this card.

And YES . . . this card folded (nearly) flat for mailing.  You can see in the above photo that the pop-up column folds over to either side and, since the card base is slimmer than a regular A2 card, this flat card fits perfectly inside an A2 envelope.  My cards had considerable bulk, so I used extra postage to make sure there wasn't an issue with them getting delivered on time.

I guess I've made a little comeback with my blog posts this month.  I'd love to say that this is the new norm but, if I'm honest, it probably won't be.  Thanks for visiting and come back soon!

"STORYBOOK" EASTER CARD

 

The Storybook Moments Specialty Designer Series Paper is quite a unique product.  Not only are the papers too cute--some with images that can be cut with the coordinating Storybook Friends dies--but the paper collection includes two sheets of die cut images that can be used to enhance a project, create a scene, etc.  Simply adorable!  The card that I'm sharing today features quite a few of the products from Stampin' Up!'s Storybook Moments Suite.  I had every intention of creating a whole set of Easter cards similar to this one, but I never got around to doing that.  

Isn't the card adorable?  I liked it so much and regretted not having time to make more.  From the pictures you've seen so far, you can't even tell just how stinkin' cute and fun this card really is so take a look at it from the side:

It's a pop-up!  And it's just a piece of cardstock (layered with designer paper and ribbon) and a decorated Window Sheet held together with that little pop-up mechanism in between.  I don't know the name of this pop-up design, but my friend, Laura, sent a Valentine's card to me that was made like this.  I liked it so much that I had to make one.  It wasn't at all difficult to figure out.  Of course, I don't know her exact measurements, but my pop-up mechanism is 1.5" x 8.5" and scored at .5, 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5 inches.

In the above photo, you can see the Window Sheet a little better.  After adhering the Window Sheet to the pop-up mechanism, I was able to place all of the design elements in a way that hid the mechanism.  

Of course, this fun card lays flat for mailing, but it's difficult to get a photo of that.  These two layers could be adhered to an actual card base, but I just adhered a white cardstock panel to the back of my card where I could write a message and sign the card.

It's a really fun card, huh?

NAUTICAL MASCULINE BIRTHDAY CARD

 

My dad celebrated a birthday this month, so I pulled a few nautical goodies from the shelves and drawers to create this neat masculine card.  All of the products that I used are from Stampin' Up!; however, most (if not all) of them have been retired.  Here's a better look at the card:

I believe this card perfectly demonstrates how the use and placement of simple products can create texture, dimension, and visual interest . . . the kind of interest that makes someone pause to take in all of the design elements before opening the card to see what's inside.  And speaking of the inside, it was decorated, too:

If you ask most card makers what's the hardest kind of card to make, they'll probably say "anything masculine".  It's the truth!  But . . . the next time you need to make a masculine card, just reach for coordinating products (not flowers, of course) and add ribbon, embellishments, punched shapes, etc. to pull it all together.