A Minion Birthday is LATE!

My nephew had a birthday in the early part of April, and I blew it all to smithereens!   In other words, I did not get his card made and sent on time.  It was not just a little late but a LOT LATE!  I was totally distracted getting ready for my trip to California to visit my Mom right around the time of his birthday.  I had not been down in two years, and it seemed I was just totally out of sync trying to complete my personal packing, my cardmaking packing (now that's a chore), plus finishing up personal business before leaving, i.e, Mr. Tax Man!  I'm sure it doesn't make my nine-year old nephew feel any better, but I missed making his mother's birthday card as well, as her birthday falls six days after his.  Note:  I finished her card a few days ago and both were hand-delivered together today!  Whew! Now I'm all caught up with by late cards.

To make Parker's birthday card, I tossed around several ideas before leaving home,  and I even had a plan to color a cowboy crab at the beach. . .even down to getting the digi printed, with papers for paper-piecing and dies chosen, but I left home without them, so I had to start planning from the beginning all over again.  I was peeking at Pinterest a few days ago and saw another Minion card.  I've seen quite a few on Pinterest some with the whole card a Minion head, some with one Minion and a birthday sentiment, and several with balloons featured in some manner.  Balloons are my favorite birthday thing. . .I love to give them; I love to receive them; and, I also love to put them on cards for birthdays that I make.  My mind was made up. . .Parker's card would feature a Minion and balloons!

I was in luck. . .I had put in an order while here purchased the Stampin' Up Brights designer paper stack.  The Minion colors seem to be Pacific Point Blue and Daffodil Yellow, both from the Brights Color Collections.  I wanted to feature a layered frame look, so my new paper stack would work just great.  The first two layers of the Pacific Point blue cardbase and the patterned Daffodil Delight diagonal stripe are adhere together.  Then, smaller layers of the blue plus white embossed with Cuttlebug's Birthday embossing folder are adhered together and popped up off the cardbase layers.  I was thankful I brought along all my embossing folders from home, because I dearly love Cuttlebug's Birthday folder. 

My Mom just purchased the SU's Balloon Celebration stamps and punch, so I decided those would work in my card as well.  I searched for stamps sets in Mom's stamp stash to use on my balloons to indicate they were birthday balloons and found several to my liking.  I was also able to use stamps from Mom's stash for the inside "verse" as well.  SU's Owl punch is used to make the Minion.  Once I decided on my design and gathered all my tools, inks, and stamps, my card went together really fast.  Take a peek below. . .isn't it just too cute!

I finished my interior design in record tme as well.  I love the large birthday sentiment from Stampin' Up's Age Awareness.  I added a little BELATED from one of her Papertrey Ink stamp sets, a punched balloon out of patterned paper and a few starts from SU's Balloon Celebration stamp set.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Pacific Point Blue, Daffodil Delight.  Pattern--Color Collections DSP Stack--Brights-Daffodil Delight.  Stamps--Balloon Celebration, Pretty Petites (retired), Age Awareness (inside).  Ink--Pacific Point Blue, Daffodil Delight.  Punches--Balloon Bouquet, Owl Builder (Minion), Itty Bitty Pack-Circle.  Other:  Cuddlebug Embossing Folder--Birthday.  Papertrey Ink stamps--Inside & Out-Birthday (BELATED).  Size:  4-3/4" x 6".  (Thank you to Patty Bennett for her tutorial on how to build a Minion using the Stampin' Up Owl punch.)

Making Spirits Bright (Totally Lovin' Christmas #2)

I've been finishing this little reindeer Making Spirits Bright card today. . .it's my second card design from Liz Thayer's Totally Lovin' Christmas.  This card is a fun-loving, whimsical card for sure, and it uses some of Stampin' Up's newest products from their 2015 Holiday mini catalog, such as the Reindeer clips and the Holiday Fancy Foil Vellum.  I had to bring this one home from the event to finish, because I had such a terrible time getting the Making Spirits Bright solid sentiment to stamp out correctly.  Now, I know I'm a perfectionist, but believe me, I wasn't even close to the problem!

In looking at the card pieces and then the picture of the card design, I decided that my first step was to tackle and stamp that most difficult sentiment.  I recently bought myself a MISTI stamping tool (MISTI = Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented), and it finally arrived about a week ago.  I knew this sentiment would be quite the test for it, but it was time to see if it could live up to its advertising.  I mounted the stamp onto the MISTI cover, inked it up, gently closed the lid, and pressed firmly and evenly on the cover where the stamp was adhere.  Voila, it worked...it truly lives up to its advertising!

The more I looked at the card's original design, the more I thought I just had to add some red and green foil papers to coordinate with the green foil trees on the vellum.  I replaced all of the red cardstock with red foil and added another layer in green foil underneath, and I also added a white cardbase to start it off.  I thought the card was looking good so far; therefore, it was time to give the little reindeer a look see.  I decided he need a perky little bow under his nose instead of a double-trailed knot, and he definitely need some eyes; Googlies eyes would be just right.  You take a look see and see if I got it right.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Shimmery White cardstock; Holiday Fancy Foil Vellum.  Stamps: Among the Branches.  Ink:  Real Red.  1/8" striped ribbon-green.  Reindeer paper clips.  DCWV Foiled Cardstock Stack.  Darice Googlie Eye.  Recollections Large Rhinestone.  (MISTI by My Petunia).  (Thank you Liz for the original design sample.)

Bride of Franken-Owl!

Still on a roll making these cute little mini album cards.  Well, I made Mr. Franken-Owl, so why not a mate for him?  I thought I'd help out with a bride for him.  

Off I went designing a little lady Franken-Owl.  I decided she must be dressed in purple, with a pinked skirt and a bow in her hair.  Unfortunately, her creator was just as bad at finding her a matched pair of eyes, and thus, she has a mini googlie eye and a small googlie eye just like her beau! 

I pretty much followed the same theme as the first Franken-Owl, but with different papers for this little book.  I was truly liking her when I was done.  I planned this one for a cardmaking buddy, and I hope she likes her Bride of Franken-Owl as much as I heard that Franken does.  I heard they are already engaged and ready to tie the knot!

Front Cover with Bride of Franken-Owl's graveyard scene.

This is the centerfold of the feminine version of my card book.  I added a tag with a Halloween verse and Martha Stewart bat stickers.  I also added a little drill to the edge of the verse pocket, fitting for a female card!

Back cover, adding Beware by using the Sizzlits Halloween Set #2.  Dazzling Diamonds-Silver glitter adhesive also added to letters for a little bling!

Recipe:  Papers:  SU Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Black, Whisper White; SU Core'dinations - Black, Basic Gray.  DCWV--Halloween & Fall (2011/ 2012), Bewitched Mat Stack; stripe/ argyle (pocket).  Core'dinations - Black Tie Glitter (bats).  White paper sack: 9" x 4-3/4" (Michaels).  SU Stamps: Best of Halloween.  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.  Dies: MFT--Spooky Scene (gravestones); Sizzlits--Halloween Set #2 (Beware); Sizzix TH Alterations--On the Fence; Spellbinders Labels 11 (tag).  Punches: Studio G--Mini Bat; EK Pointed Flower Border; SU Owl Builder, Bird Builder (owl wings).  Die-cuts: Martha Stewart Bat stickers.  Other:  SU-Dazzling Details/ Silver, 3/8" Dotted Grograin; Ki Memories--rhinestones; Online jpeg--Spooky Tree.  Stash: Googlie eyes--mini/ small, Black pearls (buttons)

Scary Mr. Franken-Owl Mini Album Card!

I am on a roll. . .lovin' those little mini album cards, so I just had to do another.  I had in mind to use the Owl Builder Punch to do Halloween punch art image and found several ideas on Pinterest to get a start.  Love that Pinterest!  I decided my little guy would be a Franken-Owl.  First to decide on green for owl's body. . .aren't all Frankenstein's green?  He got a shaggy hair-do with jagged bangs.

Next, he needed a tree to sit in, and I didn't have a die that would cut me a large enough tree, so I Goggled Spooky tree images to see if I could find just the right one.  To my pleasure, I found one that would do nicely.  I saved it to my computer and dropped it into Microsoft Word to resize.  I fussy cut it out and changed and/or eliminated a few limb points to look just right on my card front.  I sponged all the edges and the surface a bit with browns and charcoal.

While working on my little owl and tree, I decided the scene for Mr. Franken-Owl would be a graveyard.  Perhaps, he is revisiting the site of his body parts or looking for a eyes that match a bit better?  Whoooo knows why he sits in that spooky tree.

Front Cover with Mr. Franken-Owl's graveyard scene.

This is the centerfold of my card book.  I added a tag with a Halloween verse and Martha Stewart bat stickers and large rickrac (Papertrey die) to the pocket's outside for added decoration.  I moved the Spooky circle from the pocket side and placed it on the witch's hat panel. The Trick or Treat panel lifts up a bit, and I placed my personal Created by Chatterbox Creations below.

Back cover with the Sizzlits Halloween Set #2 Beware used.  Dazzling Diamonds glitter adhesive added to letter for a little glitz!

Recipe:  Papers:  SU Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Black, Whisper White; SU Core'inations - Black, Basic Gray.  DCWV--Halloween & Fall (2011/ 2012), Bewitched Mat Stack (pocket stripe).  Martha Stewart Haunted Mat Stack (owl/raven).  Core'dinations - Black Tie Glitter;   White paper sack: 9" x 4-3/4" (Michaels).  SU Stamps: Best of Halloween.  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.  Dies: MFT--Spooky Scene; Sizzlits--Halloween Set #2 (Beware); Sizzix TH Alterations--On the Fence; Papertrey LG RickRac; Spellbinders Labels 11 (tag); Studio G--Mini Bat  Die-cuts: Martha Stewart Bat stickers.  Other:  SU--Baker's Twine, Candy Dots (buttons), Dazzling Diamonds; Celebrate - 3/8" Stitched Grograin; Ki Memories--rhinestones; Online jpeg--Spooky Tree.  Stash: Goodly eyes--mini/ small.

A Nephew's Birthday to Celebrate!

One of my sister's boys has a birthday in October a few days after my own son, Mark's, birthday.  Well, why not...doesn't EVERYONE want a birthday in October!  I just counted up, and I have 12 birthdays in October with 9 of them before October 15th, plus an anniversary in mid-October as well, and not to mentioned, Halloween cards!  It's a very BUSY month!  I think I'm overwhelming myself just thinking about it!!! 

This post is about my sixth birthday card this month for my nephew, Davis.  My mojo was sending me to thinking about a card using owls as they just seem to go with fall and the month of October, in my mind anyhow!  I had a stash of paper by Echo Park called Fall Fever from a few years back loaded with leaves, owls, and trees, and the owl paper just spoke to me.  A friend of mine, Misty Bradley, made a card several years ago with this very same paper, and I thought I would borrow the theme of her layout with a repositioning and changes here and there to make it my own.  She gave me some Cricuit cut letters for the word fall that she used on her card, and I found them stored with the paper, so away I went.  My card will be a squat rectangle rather than the traditional 5" x 7", with a few more color layers added, and I thought the birthday sentiment, WHOO's BIRTHDAY??, would fit the bill.  What probably doesn't show in the picture is the little red owl that I decided to fussy-cut out of the paper, added googlie eyes, and popped him up on his own image from the paper below.  This is my card that evolved using a layout similar to Misty's and a bit of my mojo added for Davis's birthday.  I hope he enjoys his little fall owl card as much as I enjoyed making it!

Recipe:

Paper:  Bazzill Mono cardstocks: Brown (base), Saltillo (red-orange), Coastal, Glow, Pear, Dotted Swiss-Mud Puddle; Echo Park Fall Fever Owl/ Stripe.  Spellbinders dies: Circles/ Scallop Circles. May Arts Hemp Twine.  Stash: Googlie Eyes, Cricuit Letters.  Fishtail banners: hand-cut.  (Size: 5"x6-1/4").

Nephew's Birthday to Celebrate!

One of my little nephew's celebrated his 7th birthday.  I bought the Blast Off! Stampin' Up stamp with him in mind, and I decided I would work on his birthday card at my annual Mom-Sister cardmaking retreat in Mt. Shasta, CA.  My sister, Heidi Gonzales - My Lil' Scrap Corner (blog), came up with a new surprise to occupy us this year. . . five homemade challenges for the three of us to complete while on the retreat.  My idea for Parker's Blast Off! birthday card fit Color Challenge #4 to a tee.  I was stoked.

I used the same chevron Jillibean paper that I used in February on my husband's Groundhog's Day birthday card for this card's paper-pieced rocket ship.  It is a great guy paper and fit the green/blues color palette just right. I added a grass-patterned paper to the card bottom that I sculpted with a cut-grass border die from the Cat's Pajamas to be my rocket ship's liftoff point.  I am pretty pleased with how the card turned out, but I must apologize for the picture shown here.  I do not have my usual tools for getting a jpeg image incorporated on my blog that I do when I'm at home.  The picture is not only a bit blurry but also has too much light on the right side, and it doesn't do justice to the green and blue color combination in the true richness of the paper colors.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up cardstocks: Bermuda Bay (base), Island Indigo (mat layer), Subtles stack: Pool Party (sky), Daffodil Delight (flame).  Jillibean: Macho Nacho Soup - 2 Parts Boy (chevron).  Creating Keepsakes - Grass.  Cat's Pajama's Grass border die.  SU stamp set: Blast Off! SU Ink: Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Pumpkin Pie.  Ribbons:  SU-Gumball Green Satin Stitching; Stash-Gathered Blue Velvet ribbon.  SU-Googlie eyes.

Little Owl Valentine for Mom!

Valentine's Day is coming and I decided to start with my card for my Mom.  I went to a cardmaking event last Saturday and made a little owl card that gave me the idea for mine.  I decided on my card I would add two more layers and enlarge my card as well.  I dug out the Stampin' Up More Amore paper that I bought but did not get a chance to use for my patterned layer and then matched it to the Cherry cardstock in my stash.  My banner uses two banner flags punched from the More Amore paper, and the other banner flags were stamped with Strawberry Slush ink (SU) using the Banner Blast SU stamp set offered in the current 2014 Sale-A-Bration promotion currently in progress.  I also decided my owl was definitely a little girl, so she gat a bow for her head made from the bitty hearts on the owl stamp using the More Amore paper.  I made a duplicate little owl to place on the inside to dress up the verse.

Recipe:  Staples cs: Cherry (base), SU: More Amore, Smoky Slate cs, Pink Pirouette cs, Basic Black cs.  SU Emboss Folder: Woodgrain.  SU Punches: Full Heart, Heart to Heart, 1-3/8" Circle (wings), Modern Label, Banner (SAB 2014).  SU Stamps: Banner Blast (2014 SAB).  SU Ink: Strawberry Slush.  Maya Arts Fine Twine.  Recollections: Cherry rhinestones, medium Googlie eyes.  (Inspiration card by Janine Henrickson.)

Halloween 2012 Has Arrived!

On my little vacation retreat to the Trout House, I was busy getting family Halloween cards ready to mail.  I just love all the fun papers, stamps, and embellishments available for this holiday.  With no computer access, I had to wait to finish my inside verses after I got home.  Here are a couple of samples of what I was up to:

 Enjoy...Happy Halloween, Jackie!

This ones for Mark & Ginger...

enjoy all the creatures that come visiting with your card!