Monday, December 19, 2011

Tis the week before Christmas and all through my house...

Here it is the week before Christmas and I am getting my cookies baked and the last of everything put together for the festivities.  I wish we would get another inch or so of snow as it is looking brown and green in the yard for this time of year.  I will probably be kicking myself for that comment in a month though.

I believe most of the cards I sent have been received, so it is safe to show more of them here now.


This card is made with a photo I took of some pine boughs and winterberries that I picked and put in a bucket on our deck.  Mother Nature provided a dusting of snow and I went out and took the photo as it looked so pretty.  I attached the velvet ribbon and made a tea bag medallion to finish it off.


Not your typical holiday colors, but I really like the way this one turned out.  I used a silver sticker on the purple card and then covered the front with snowflake embossed vellum.  Using the same fold for the medallion as the previous card, I opted for this one to make the flower for the front along with the embossed leaves from Spellbinders Poinsettia set.

More purple!  This time using a cuttlebug embossing folder (snowflake corner) on white for the background, Spellbinders classic oval for behind the stamped snowman cut with a scalloped oval (also from Spellbinders).  The stamp is from Stampin Up "It's Snowtime" set.

And this is what I call embossed spot light technique.  I embossed the background and then another small piece that lined up over a portion of it and colored in only the small piece with colored pencils.  Clear as mud?  I thought so.

I wish all my family and friends a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS filled with love and peace.  May all your Christmas wishes come true.

But remember...when you stop believing in Santa Claus,
you start getting underwear for Christmas. 
May you always believe in the spirit of Christmas!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Creating some cards

Well, I have been busy creating my Christmas cards.  Christmas card making falls during hunting season and Thanksgiving and I am only half done with the cards I need to get done to send out for Christmas.  I will (again) ask Santa for more hours in the day this year.

Here is a card that is 2 types in one.  I made a box card and mounted it on an easel base.  The background is cut from 2 copies of the same image and cutting out parts (house, bushes, tree, etc.) and popping them out with dimensionals and adding stickles.  The box card is stamped and colored with colored pencils before cutting out the inside frame.


This card was made using my spellbinders Poinsettia and the styrofoam lid from a take out container.  I inked the flower with chalk inks before assembling it and putting it over the embossed background.


This card is done with a teabag medallion.  The paper came from a paperstck of Christmas papers that I got.  The medallion is made from tiles of my own creation.


That's all from now!  Time to get back at making the cards.  Don't want to spoil any more surprises for family or friends that may look at this blog..




Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Fall here and leaves have left

Fall is here and we have had beautiful temperatures in the 70's to 80's for the past couple of weeks.  After some heavy rain and wind a couple weeks ago, all of the leaves are now on the ground.  The Aspen still have most of their beautiful yellows and the oaks are pretty with their shades of rust and mahogany.

Our garden did pretty good considering it was the first year.  I was able to put up quite a few quarts of colorful tomatoes.


We found these pretty mushrooms growing on a dead downed tree, but have not been able to find out what kind they are.  They are huge - about a foot across.



If anyone knows what kind this is, please feel free to leave a comment.  In 1 weeks time, they have grown to about 20" across and gotten thicker.  So pretty in their form and shape.  BTW, no need to leave a comment about not eating these.  I know better than to pick and eat any fungus that I don't know what it is. :)

At any rate, I have also made some new cards and played with some new techniques.

This one is teabag folding for the frame around the image.  I created the tile for the medallion from the image in the center.  The background is called Acrylic Distress using acrylic paint, a cuttlebug folder, and sanding paper.  I cut it out using a Spellbinders die.


This one is made from a kit that I won in a contest years ago.  Embroidery on paper on the left side of the card and 3D work on the right.


This one is a bubble wrap background also done with acrylic paints.  Fun stuff to play with.  Also a teabag medallion and a Spellbinders die cut of course!

Sorry this is so blurry.  This is also bubble wrap background, but smaller bubbles that had some popped ones in it (don't you just love popping those?).  Another teabag medallion using a tile I created.  And Spellbinders Elegant Posts die cuts for the accent pieces.

I hope you are having a great fall where you are.  It is time to start thinking about Christmas cards again.  I did some shopping last weekend and picked up a few "must haves" to start making mine.  You know, things like paper, cardstock, glitter, embossing powder, a new Spellbinders Die, etc. 

I just love "Retail Therapy"!




Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Life is Sweet

Hello again!  I wanted to show a cupcake card that I made for a group anniversary.  It was fun to make this card and I plan on using this template to make cards for birthdays. 
The icing was made with fun foam.  I tried running it through my Cuttlebug with the Divine Swirls folder.  It worked, however the embossing stared to fade.  I quickly grabbed my Stickles bottle and went over the embossed lines before they disappeared entirely!
The cupcake wrapper was made by running my paper through my crimper.  I tied a thin ribbon into a bow and attached the center with a brad.  The cherry on top is a tea bag medallion folded using a tile I created.

The inside is a pop-up greeting made with a Spellbinders die cut from Fancy Tags.  The stars are some stickers I had on hand and I used some on the front of the card as "sprinkles" to tie them togther.


I hope you like my card today and also hope that you have a "sweet" day too!


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Pretty in Purple

Well, I did it!  I finished the Morning Glory card and here it is:

The medallion is made with 1" tiles.  It is the Star Frame fold, but I changed the way I put it together to form the medallion and put a lovely lavender brad in the center.  I was quite pleased with the way it turned out, so I did a blue version as well:


I thought I would also share these photos from my bird feeder:
This is the male Baltimore Oriole.  He sure looks proud of his colors!

And here is the Scarlet Tanager with a male Red-breasted Grosbeak.  They look like they are sharing a meal, but there was quite a bit of squabbling going on:

I hope you are having a great day where ever you are!





Sunday, May 15, 2011

Of cards and stamps

Oh how I have missed blogging lately.  I have been busy making cards and doing so many other things, but have just not had spare time to work on my blog.


The weather is finally trying to show signs of spring and we have so many new birds coming to the feeder.  Rose breasted grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, Indigo buntings, Scarlet Tanagers, and of course the Goldfinches have returned to their beautiful yellow color.


Here is a card I made for a graduate in our area.  I made it in the school colors and hand tied the tassels on to each cap in the medallion.  Time consuming, but I was pleased with the results:


I also made this birthday card using white embossing powder and then 2 shades of yellow ink.  I made the Happy Birthday background using word and printed it out first.  Then I cut it out with my Spellbinders die.



I won some new stamps on Ebay and have been playing with them too.  This one is the wild rose 2 step die from Stampin Up.  I put some Stickles on the rosebuds to give them a little extra sparkle.


This is the Morning Glory 2 step set also from Stampin Up.  I ended up taking them off the blocks and using them like clear stamps and got much better results.  I still need to finish this card and then hopefully with get the finished card posted here soon.


Here is the Mother's Day card I made for my Mom.  I used my Carly cut and emboss folder for the background and Fancy Tags 3.  I had some silk flowers that I pulled apart and then added a rhinestone to the centers.  A Martha Stewart Punch made the Lacey edge on the card.


This card is made with another new Spellbinders Die that I recently got.  The medallion is made with a fold that I made up.  I have had the yellow background paper for ages, so I don't know who makes it.


I hope you like these newest additions to my blog.  Have a great week and enjoy your day!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Springtime in Northern Wisconsin

It is springtime in WI and we received over a foot of snow in the past 24 hours.  UGH!  I think everyone here is tired of the white stuff.

But, I have been making some cards since I posted the last time...gee, time goes by fast.  Has it really been a month since  posted last???

This is a Magical Marquee card that I made...or at least the front of it.  I got the idea from Jan at Stamppaperscissors where you can see her video tutorial.  I made the tulips using the Stampin Up Bird punch - just the wings though.  I did not have the correct punches for the openings on the card, but played with the idea using my nestabilities dies and found that they will work, it just takes some fiddling with.  When you open the card, the curtains pull back to reveal a hidden message...

Here is the first one I made.  I did not have the circle punch, but using my circles die for the Cuttlebug, I was able to finish it.




Here is a card I made a while back for a challenge in a tea bag folding group.  The theme was "circus" and I chose to do a circus wagon, complete with teabag folded wheels and a tiger that looks like he is going to jump through the bars of the cage.

I hope the weather is good where you are.  I am going to keep thinking spring.  It has to come eventually...RIGHT????


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Butterflies

Well, it will be some time before we see the real thing here!  We just got another 16 inches of snow on Monday.  At least we think that is how much we got, with the blowing wind all day, it is hard to tell!

So, I made this card using the Bleach Technique to bring a little spring to the air.
I stamped the image from Northwoods Rubber Stamps with Versamark and then embossed with clear embossing powder.  Then, using an old paint brush, I applied bleach to the petals of the flowers.  I stamped the image again using Versamark (just the butterfly portion) and embossed in black.  This time I stamped it on paper I had painted with Twinkling H2O's so it has some glimmer to it.  Then I cut the butterfly out and glued it over the original image.

Not being done playing with this stamp, I also created this card:
For this one, I heat embossed the same image in black.  I created the big butterfly using the same method and also made the smaller butterfly using a stamp set from Stampendous!  I popped the wings by cutting a piece of clear stiff plastic from packaging of a Cuttlebug folder and creasing it in the center.  I glued it to the back of the butterflies.  When dry, I glued it to the card front.  These fold flat for mailing, but pop up when removed from the envelope!

Thanks for peeking at this one!  Have a great day.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Something New!

Sorry I have been missing.  We have something new in the family!  A new member, but NOT a baby.  LOL

We have a new Mr. & Mrs.!!  My step-son married the love of his life on Friday.
Yes, it was cold!  14 degrees.


It was a beautiful wedding.  I helped the new Mrs. make her invitations and RSVP cards over the past year. 


I also did some (60+) favor boxes for the shower as well as the wedding.  Here are the shower favor boxes.


Here is the card I made for them.
I used the Martha Stewart hearts punch around the page, Snowflake embossing folder, Spellbinders classic hearts (which I glittered), satin ribbon, and sticky pearl embellishments.  The wedding colors were blue and yellow and they had a snowflake theme. 

To make the hearts, I did not use the Spellbinders in the normal way.  I drew around both edges on white card stock twice, overlapping them to entwine them.  Then I cut them out with my craft knife.  With the addition of some glue and glitter, I then ran them through my Cuttlebug between layers of wax paper to set the glitter into the glue.

I think it came together almost as well as this lovely couple did.

Congratulations to Cass & Casey.  I know you were meant for each other and your love will only grow stronger day by day.