Top Hat Rabbit Gets Ready for Easter!

I am again using a vintage image as my focal point, and I envision this top hat rabbit in his apron going to an egg decorating party.  Don't you think he got all dressed up because he was trying to impress a certain lady bunny, whom he knew would be at the party as well.  Notice he has a bouquet of flowers that I envision he picked along the way  How's that for an imagination!

To start, I picked some possible papers that complimented my vintage image, and I was ready to go to work.  I had a 6 x 6 pad of canvas that I had used on another card recently to make a big canvas flower, and I thought that might make an interesting frame for my image rather than a traditional paper frame.  I adhered it to a piece of lightweight chipboard to give it stability, and then I ran it through my Big Shop using my Lifestyles Eyelet Square die.  It didn't cut it; it actually acted more like an embossing folder and imprinted on the canvas rather than cutting it, but I liked what I saw.  You know, one of those happy accidents, because I thought it would make an interesting mat background for my image rather than framing it!  (I'm thinking the thin wafer dies are not sharp enough to cut through a canvas and chipboard combination.)

With it now going to be a background for my image, I decided to pink the edge of the canvas with my pinking shears (old ones I keep in my tool stash).  To finish it off, I sponged and distressed the edges of the vintage image and the entire background of the embossed canvas in a combination of Baja Breeze and Pear Pizzaz Stampin' Up inks.  I so very much like the way the image and its canvas background turned out.  I was stoked!  Below is the finished product of my happy accident.

I decided this card would be for my husband, so I needed a verse that he would be pleased with...it needed to have a religious tone.  I typed it up and printed it out onto Very Vanilla cardstock, matted it with the Old Olive Words paper, and finished off the corners with the vine paper from the front.

Recipe:  Papers:  SU-Baja Breeze cs (card base), SU Brights Stack/ Old Olive words; K&Co.-Studio K: Meadow/ Breeze; Angel Co.-Country Cottage/ gold dot; Recollections: Canvas Stack; Grafix Lightweight Chipboard.  Lifestyles die: Eyelet Squares.  Vintage image (online freebie).  SU stamps: Delightful Dozen-sentiment.  SU Ink: Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Perar Pizzaz.  SU punch: Modern Labels.  SU buttons.  Offray ribbons.  Stash: Embroidery floss/ doubled; Pinking shears.  (Size: 5" x 6").

A Good Friend's Birthday!

I am celebrating a good friend's birthday today by making her a handmade card.  Cardmaking is a hobby I started after I retired from the elementary school where I worked for 13 years.  This wonderful friend started working at the same elementary school within days of myself, so I have tried to continue to remember her birthday every year with one of my paper concoctions to help her celebrate her day.

It almost seems like spring here in the northwest, we've had such a delightfully warm February and March with little rain.  The crocus, primroses, and daffodils are blooming already!  All this make me feel that spring is already here, so I had the yen to make a bit of a spring card.  I decided to borrow one of my sister's designs (Heidi Gonzales: My Lil' Scrap Corner blog).  By the time I finished, my flower was gigantic and is surely the envy of every other flower in the realm!  I made it out of canvas and twine with my Fun Flowers BigZ die from Stampin' Up via Sizzix.  It needed some sort of a filler between the flower and the ribbon.  I thought a tag would be just the thing, so I used a Stampin' Up Chalk Talk framelit and made a little color-coordinated tag.  It worked great in my thinking!

When it was all done, it was very thick through and quite heavy, and I thought, "Good thing I don't have to mail this one, because it would definitely have to be sent as a package in a box!"  Fortunate for me, Carla now works at the high school not too far from my house, so it will be hand delivered to her school desk!  I hope she loves it, and she enjoys it in the days to come.

But a card is never really finished until you dream up an inside befitting the outside creativity.  I stole some of the Simple Stories flowered paper to make decorative corners for my little verse I composed and printed on my computer.

Recipe:  Papers: Simple Stories: Harvest Lane.  Stampin' Up: Naturals White, Old Olive.  Stampin' Up: Dies-Tasteful Trim (scallop) BigZ XL; Fun Flowers BigZ L; Autumn Accents BigZ (leaves); Chalk Talk framelit; Vintage Brads.  Wilton 4" Doily. EK punch: Fancy Photo Corners.  HugSnug Seam Binding: Bluejay.  Stash: 1" Crochet Lace; Buttons; Dark Brown Twine; Dark Brown Embroidery Floss; Celery Felt.  (Size: 5" x 7").