Boy Cards Rock!

....not really but I did have fun making more boy cards with the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for May.
:)

Here are a couple more I made.  The first one is just a simple birthday card done with strips of paper.

And a little heat embossing with some white powder for the sentiment.  I love the cute little monsters.  The big red one was cut out of some of the Fancy Pants printed paper.

The second card is actually NOT a boy card but was made with the same stamp set.  I think it is gender-less.  :)

The kit came with a star stencil and I used it to make the background with some Hero Arts Ink.  I love the red, white and blue theme I have going here, too. :)

The tennis shoes were inked and colored with a few Copics and then cut out .  I stamped the sentiment with Memento Luxe ink and then threw some clear embossing powder over it and heated it.  I love clear embossing powder...one of my favorite things to use!  I added some neutral twine over some red strips of cardstock that I cut sort of randomly.

I am actually sending this to a friend who runs all the time.  I think she will like it very much.  I do not run.  In fact when I play tennis my favorite word is "YOURS!" (said with great gusto and enthusiasm) so that my partner will run down the ball.  Of course, my tennis partners use the same favorite word with me.  It's a mutual give and take....and run...


Happy Crafting!  I'm hoping to do a bit today myself....I have several birthdays coming up and need to get some cards going!!! :)

I entered the Cuttin and Stampin Challenge Little Monsters HERE.

Boy, Oh Boy!

Yesterday I wrote about the difficulty I have making non girly cards.  Girly just seems to come a bit easier for me...is it that there is such a plethora of more feminine things in paper crafting?  Or is that must my imagination and really just an opportunity for me to use the word "plethora"?  :)

Anyway, I did make a few cards with the Simon Says Stamp May kit which you can see here but is, of course, already out of stock!  You can get the product individually, though...

and I do love the cute stamp set!

Here is another card I made:

I used a Lawn Fawn journaling card die which has the cute perforated edge that I cut out of vellum.  The little game controller was stamped on another piece of vellum with VersaFine ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder and then colored on the underside with some Copics.  I cut it out and then added some black cording for the wire.  The sentiment was also stamped with black VersaFine Ink and then heat embossed with clear powder.  And....That's it!

Actually this is a non gender specific card.  It's not really just for boys, is it?  We girls can rock a game controller, too!
(When we first got Nintendo back in the early 90s and we had Super Mario Brothers...when my kids would go to bed I would play by myself.  And I loved Tetris! More than once my kids busted me!  And I still hear the story which begins with "Remember when Mom used to play Super Mario Brothers late at night?"  LOL!!!  Those kids fergit nuthin'!)

Happy Crafting!

Hey Dude!

I struggle making boy cards.  I like flowers.  I like lace.  I like girly stuff.  But those male cards...wow...I'm always looking at them thinking I'd like to girl them up a bit.

Anywho....I spent a few hours yesterday making more boy type cards.  The Simon Says Stamp kit for May was boy-ish.  See?

When I first saw it I thought..."Oh, no!"....but then I saw some really cute cards made with it so it gave me a little hope.

And I was happy with the results.  :)  Big smile here.

They were fun to make!

The first one I'll share is one I made for my son who recently gave me some gifts for Mother's Day and my birthday.  He asked me tongue in cheek if those gifts would warrant a card.  Not only was he tongue in cheek but I also detected a sure note of sarcasm.  I know he secretly likes the cards but oh my....he will never admit it much!  That would be too girly of him he thinks.  LOL!  We do use a lot of sarcasm in our household.  I use sarcasm in my blog.  I feel perfectly at home with a bit of sarcasm.  I'm good with it.  So. There.

Anyway, here is my card:

I should have made a card that said "Hey Dude! Be nice to your mother!"

But instead I put this on the inside:

I used the Lawn Fawn Borders 1 die to make that cool curve.  The papers came with the kit and are Fancy Pants and really cute!  I used white embossing powder by Zing to heat emboss the sentiments.

And because I couldn't leave it alone I had to add some white pen stitching.  My pen stitching looks like my machine stitching....uneven and crooked.  LOL!

And what is better than getting handmade card?  Well, getting $ in it.  I slipped in some cash and told my son to buy some treats for his dog or something nice for his new wife.  Sarcasm.  I love it!

Happy Crafting and Happy Sunday (no sarcasm there!)!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I know that most people will be celebrating the long weekend with cookouts and parades but I hope that the reason for this "day off" will be remembered...and that is to honor those who died while serving in the US Armed Forces.  This should be a reminder that our freedoms came at a huge price.

My dad served 31 years in the United States Army.  A career veteran.  He passed away many years ago but I do remember his very profound sense of patriotism.  He (and my mother) are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

And now onto card making...not a very graceful segue.... :)

I made this as a congratulations card for a recent graduate.  I liked the fun paper from My Mind's Eye that said "Follow Your Dreams".  Appropriate for a young adult venturing out in to the world!

Congrats was stamped with a Lawn Fawn stamp in Versafine Smokey Gray onto vellum and then embossed with some clear embossing powder. 

A simple card...mostly flat and easy to mail! 

Happy Crafting and Happy Memorial Day!

Rainy Day...Time to Play!

It's a wet day here in Atlanta today...a perfect day for some paper crafting! :) Not that I need an excuse, though! 

Here are a couple of cards I made last week during my card making marathon.  Both were made with the March Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month.

 I used the little stencil that came with the kit and Memento Luxe inks which I "daubed" in for the rainbow and then heat embossed the colors with clear embossing powder for an extra bit of shine.

The second card which was CASED from a card from someone/somewhere (and yes, I did try to look it up but couldn't find the inspiration card) was done with the Martha Stewart scoreboard to give a little embossed dimension to the background layer.  A very simple card.  I. Like. Simple. Sometimes. 

Again....all done with elements from the March card kit which you can see here.  I love, love, love the stamp set that came with it.  

Of to make and create! (She says with hope!)

Happy Crafting and Happy Sunday!

Happy Mother's Day!

And a Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies out there in blog-land.  I hope that you have a wonderful day. 
I made this card for my daughter who is a wonderful mother.  I'm sure that those of you who have grandchildren would agree what a joy it is seeing and watching your child be a parent. 
I used the Simon Says Stamp set Best Mom Ever which you can see here:

I love that set and have used it a pretty good bit....I love the handwritten look to the sentiment.  And those roses can be used for so many none Mother's Day things!
Anyway....here is my card made with some My Yellow Bicycle paper from the Poppy collection which I picked up at Tuesday Morning for one dollar and ninety nine cents!

It's difficult to see in the photo but there is actually acetate covering the circle.  I love that look, don't you?
Mostly it was just a lot of cutting and paper piecing.  And a touch of Wink of Stella on the flowers.
Love how it turned out!

Again, Happy Mother's Day!

And Happy Crafting!

Rehearsal Photo Album and Guest Book

As I was planning my rehearsal dinner I knew that there would be photos and I thought of a great idea to do with the candid shots we would end up with.  I decided beforehand to include them in a mini album which would double as a guest book.  I had seen on Becky Higgins' (the founder of Project Life) website that she had done a mini album in this manner for a wedding.  I thought it would work perfectly for my rehearsal events.

I looked at various albums and settled on one of the Project Life Mini Albums instead of a ringed binder type book.  The good news is that the pages are sewn in...the bad news is that you have that limit on pages...you cannot add to them, of course.  But I thought I would make do and it really all worked out fine.

I didn't put a lot of time into this...I didn't want a lot of embellisments and I wanted the album to lay flat. Pictures and insert cards were about it!  I used insert cards from the Becky Higgins Blush Project Life core kit.

Here is the outside:

I added an engagement photo of the bride and groom.
On the inside I posted this:

Not everyone filled out a card but I got pretty good response.  I was impressed!
Here is the cover page:

Then I simply loaded up the album with photos of the evening and cards that were filled out by guests.

I added a few diecuts here and there but this whole process was very fast and very easy!

The couple is returning from the honeymoon today and I will see them tomorrow for Mother's Day.  I will give them this album as a little momento of the evening and I know they will both love it!

Happy Crafting and Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there!

Keep Smiling!

I hope that today finds everyone happy and healthy and looking forward to a wonderful weekend.  Mother's Day is Sunday and I hope the mothers who read my blog are celebrated by their families!

I made this FLAT card recently using stamps from the Simon Says Stamp Kit of the month for February.  Here is the stamp set....it's a great one, I think!

It's called "Thinking of You" and can be found HERE.

I used a white card base and stamped the dotted border multiple times with Memento Luxe pigment inks in yellow, orange and red.  Then I heat embossed the images with clear embossing powder.  So pretty!  I am not much one for lining things up in repetitive patterns but this was fun and easy and the image stamped so well.  I stamped Keep Smiling and the arrow stamp with some black VersaFine ink and heat embossed it with clear, as well.  I love the sheen.  This is a great card for mailing....no bumps and ridges! LOL!
Here's my card:

and a side view so you can better see the cool embossing:

Very clean and simple, I'd say....

Well, that's it for today!  I need to get in my craft room and finish up a project!

Happy Crafting!

You Are Missed

Sometimes, just sometimes and not very often...I get a kick out of making a relatively flat card.  Mostly, though, I like lots of layers and SCHTUFF on my cards.  Bling, ribbon, buttons...whatevs...I love all the schtuff.  I personally think dimensionals and foam tape were invented because of me.  LOL!!! Ok, that sounds a bit egocentric but when we all started adding dimension onto scrapbook layouts or cards...well, that made me very happy.  I jumped on that bandwagon and have NEVER gotten off.

But again...flat can be good.  I had a lot of fun making this flat little baby.  I used a Lawn Fawn journaling card die...which puts a little stitched edge around it...how cool.  Stamped the flowers and leaves and sentiment which are all from the Simon Says Stamp February Card kit and put it on some Basic Grey paper.  Very simple and easy and I am happy with simple and easy!

Flatness can be a good thing.  OK, now I realized I fibbed on the whole flat thing...I actually did add foam tape (I couldn't resist) being the journaling card.  but it is mostly flat....I swear!

And here is the February Card Kit again with the fabulous stamp set.  Love it. 

And that is it for today my flat and dimensional friends!

Happy Crafting!

You Are Loved

I got a little card making time in yesterday and enjoyed every minute.  I dove head first into the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for February which I had yet to use.  Yep, I'm behind but I love it!  I'm ok with that!
Here is the Card Kit:

I have a thing for stamps that look like handwritten sentiments and I also love practically anything floral so I was good to go with this kit!
I was inspired by a card by Kristina Werner which you can see HERE.http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/february-2014-card-kit-reveal/

And here is my version:

I used some of the white paint for the arrow and when it was dry I used a little Wink of Stella clear to give it a bit of sheen.  I also used a piece of a Project Life 4x6 card which I heat embossed with some clear powder.  I love that hand drawn flower outline.  I also love the papers which are from the Basic Grey Fresh Cuts Collection.
I stamped Happy Mother's Day inside and will send it to my children's grandmother.  I know she will like it.

Here is a little closeup:

I also decorated the envelope with a few Simon Says Stamp Envelope Sentiments Stamps.

And that is it for today, my friends!

Happy Crafting!!!

Another Wedding Photo

My nephew, Scott, took this photo....I am hoping in the one the wedding photographer took my eyes are open but I love this one nevertheless....eyes slightly shut or whatever.

See that pretty little pearl bracelet?  D'Ann gave it to me just before the wedding.  So sweet. 
I loved my dress.....I bought two of the same dress in two different sizes from Nordstrom's and was glad to send the larger one back! LOL! Nordstrom's carries petite sizes and I am a mini person so that is good.  My dress had a little mermaid train which I just thought was so way fun.  I did have to have it hemmed a tad in the front and the tailor asked me if I wanted a bustle for when I danced.  Heck no...I wanted that train dragging around the whole time! :)

I did get back to some crafting today.  Yay! And made 4 cards.  Such fun I had!

Hope you had some fun today, too!

We Survived!

I have finally recovered from the wedding hoopla!  We had such a wonderful time and the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and wedding went off without a hitch.  It was an absolutely gorgeous event....certainly one of my most memorable weekends ever....watching your child get married should be one of the happiest times of your life...and for me it has been!  I have both of my kids married now and I would say that watching them commit to the loves of their lives ranks up there with giving birth to them.  *sniff*

Some of you follow me on Facebook so have probably seen these photos but I wanted to share them here, as well. 

We had absolutely fabulous weather....warm and sunny with a beautiful sky.  We also had a gorgeous sunset.

It was just so pretty....
My rehearsal dinner was wonderful.  The venue we used, Brumby Hall, was built pre-Civil War (1851) and was spared during Sherman's March to the Sea (a military school built on the site was burned to the ground).  It is such a pretty house with beautiful gardens behind it.

There were dogwoods and azaleas in bloom....so lovely.
I made the table decorations...dollar frames from Dollar Tree glued together to make a planter (thank you, Pinterest!)...I put photos of the couple in them and made one for each table.  I purchased a bunch of spring bouquets from Costco on Friday morning and we broke up the bouquets and trimmed them to fit.  The effect was stunning...the photos don't do it justice.  We put burlap table runners on under 10 inch mirrors as our meal theme was a backyard cookout (steaks, grilled chicken, etc.).

It just all smelled so fresh when you walked in the room where our meal was.

The facility then came in and set place settings at each place so they tables were quite dressed up when the guests arrived.  Did I get a photo of that?  uh, no....
My good friend, Kelly, made a cake for me....it looked like a scrapbook.  And all was edible.

It looked like an open scrapbook.  Again, the photos don't do it justice but it was the coolest thing ever!!!
I gave Koozies as a favor which I think I already shared here once:

That is me on the left with the bride's mother, Cindy.  She did an awesome job on the wedding...and after the rehearsal was over I was glad to hand the reins to her and let her get that wedding off!
:)
Taylor and David were the flower girl and a ringbearer and they looked so darned cute!

 The other little ring bear is the bride's cousin, Ryan.

 Taylor rode in a  wagon that said "Here comes the bride"....after the ceremony the sign was flipped to say "And they lived happily ever after!"

Even our little Wade got dressed up for the occasion:

The bridesmaids all wore different colored dresses and looked lovely:

My daughter, Amanda, is in the ice blue dress on the far left.  The ladies all looked so pretty!
Of course the professional photographer will have much better photos than these candids that were taken by family and friends.
I only cried a little....

OK...that will be enough photos for today....but check out this cake!

It was fabulous!!! 

Well, that is it for today, my friends!

I hope you enjoyed sharing this with me! :)

Happy Crafting!