Birthday Love!

My Mom's 97th birthday is right around the corner, and I needed to get a card finished and off in the mail very soon. I got busy checking out Splitcoaststamper challenges to see what I might come up with.  I usually start with the Sketch Challenge, the  Inspiration Challenge, or the Featured Stamper Challenge and move on to others from there.  I play a little Challenge Catch-up game with myself, trying to incorporate as many challenges as possible in my card from the design, to the theme, or the color scheme. This week I found 12 challenges I could enter for this card!

From the Inspiration Challenge, I decided on a monochromatic card mostly in blue shades from light to dark. I'm using a ribbon bow, an idea from the Featured Stamper Challenge. Other challenges influenced my card design as well.

I remembered the Boho Indigo Card Kit that came out in the Stampin' Up 2020-21 Annual Catalog that I purchased and that I had never gotten around to using it to make any cards.  I really can't tell you why that is, because the 6x6 paper pad is full of gorgeous double-sided patterns in many shades of blue, including white. It also includes some ivory-white pre-embossed papers as well. I certainly planned to use it now for Mom's card, plus I added some Metallic Shimmer White, Balmy Blue, and Night of Navy cardstock layers, in addition to some Dotted Swiss vellum. Take a peek below at the finished card inside and out:

Ingredients: Papers: Cardstock--SU-Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Basic White (inside);  Bubbley White Metallic Shimmer (Amazon); Paper Pizzaz Vellum Dots; SU Boho Indigo 6x6 dsp. Stamps: SU-Boho Indigo Kit stamps. Dies: MFT-Stitched Circle STAX; Spellbinders-Pinking Circles LG. Punch: Martha Stewart--Trio of Butterflies, SU Pearls, Ribbon-3/8" Navy w/White Stitch (stash). White Sequins-Pink Posh (Copic colored navy). Wink of Stella-Clear (butterflies). Chatterbox verse (inside). Size--4-3/4" x 6."

Hugs for Kandie!

An SCS Alpha friend recently lost her husband, and we are sending her well wishes and thoughts via the Splitcoaststampers' (SCS) Teapot Challenge, 7/5/22..."In A Word!"  Each of us is challenged to choose a WORD theme for our cards that represents what we want to say to Kandie.  Mine is "Hugs" and goes along with my inside verse of sending along thoughts, prayers and hugs to let her know I care.

My card is made with a stencil and blender brush inking. I made the stencil from the lacy flower die, Artistic Dies, by Stampin' Up, deliberately using white cardstock so that the leftover stencil would finish with lots of inks and could be converted into another card, which can be seen here: [URL=https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2022/06/my-daughter-grows-beautiful-flowers.html][COLOR=#6A5ACD]Hugs to Kandie![/COLOR][/URL]

The idea for my design came from a card class (by Luci Kirschbaum) that taught this clever die-cut stencil and two-card idea! I've cased the original cards with changes to both to make them more me. I love larger than A2 cards, more color mat layers, added embellishments, and often a sentiment change as well. For these cards, my tweaking involves all of those listed changes above. Take a peek below at my finished card and its inside verse:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up: Cardstock--Basic White, Polished Pink, Starry Night, Parakeet Party. Glimmer--2022-245 In-Color 6x6 Ombre Glimmer (butterflies), White Glimmer (Hugs). Dies--Artistic Die (Artistically Inked), Butterfly Wings (Butterfly Brilliance). Inks--Orchid Oasis, Polished Pink, Parakeet Party. Banners Pick-A-Punch. Ribbon--1/8" Metallic Woven-Orchid Oasis. Basic Pearls. Other: Dies--Cottage Cutz Expressions (Hugs). Copic markers (pearl coloring).  EK Punch--Victorian Medium (inside corners). Chatterbox verse. Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

So Cool...It's Your Birthday!

 It's birthday time again for another crafter, and I needed to finish a past due challenge.  Ideas had been mulling around in my head of how to meet the challenge requirements of using lots of color, yet making a fun birthday card as well.  I also wanted to throw in as many other new or make-up challenges as I could.

I also had some Paper Pumpkin kits that I had not even opened the packages, much less given them any thought to doing something with them.  I decided this would be where I started by looking for one that used a lot of color.  I found that the "So Cool" April 2021 would probably work really well. Then, true to my usual mode, I did not want to make one of the kit designs, so I needed to keep that in mind as I search for challenge ideas. 

I did a bit of modifying of the kit pieces I used to make my card.  The envelopes were lined with the striped design.  I cut one open and used it for my striped pattern paper.  I took one of the popsicle stickers and made it into a jpeg image and printed it on the White Metallic paper to give it a sheen...so pretty in RIL!  I took the sentiment stamp You Are So Cool and careful cut it in half for my So Cool sentiment.  Take a peek below at my "So Cool" alternative birthday design, plus my inside design and Chatterbox verse:

Ingredients: SU cs: Coastal Cabana; White Metallic Shimmer cs (Amazon); SU Paper Pumpkin April 2021--So Cool stripe paper (envelope inside design), Popsicle sticker (size modified), "So Cool" sentiment (modified); SU Ink: Melon Mambo (splattering), Bermuda Bay (sentiment), Burnt Brown Sugar (ink-edge distressing; Reverse Confetti die: Cuttlebug EF: Happy Birthday; Recollections: Aqua Pearls; Chatterbox verse; Size: 4-3/4 x 6-inches.

A Shen Yun Celebration!

I've been intrigued by the wonderful cards being posted on Splitcoaststampers for the Alphabet Challenge, Letter "J" for JUNK.  Some fabulous creations can be seen from collages of pieces of "junk" possibly ready to be thrown out, to magazine pictures, junk mail, old envelopes, package wrapping, etc.  There are "junk" backgrounds, "junk" collage cards and mini-albums, elements made from "junk" throw-aways, etc.  I have been saving a beautiful picture and advertisement about the upcoming Shen Yun ballet to be performed in the Seattle area in April that I received several months ago for just for this kind of challenge "junk" challenge.  

It would be my dream to attend with my "girls," which includes my two daughters, my daughter-in-law and myself.  I was hoping I might feel comfortable enough to attend and buy tickets for all of us to celebrate our birthdays past that we have missed due to Covid.  I remember several such festive occasions to the ballet, to musical plays, etc. in years past!  So, here is my card depicting my dream night out made into a birthday celebration card, which would be perfect with those tickets enclosed as a birthday gift:

Ingredients:  SU Cardstocks--Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo. Recollections Glitter Paper (Copic colored). Celebrate die. SU Curvy Corner Trio punch. Recollections Colored Pearls.  Shen Yun Advertisement Picture. Colorbox Chestnut Roan Ink (ink edge distressing).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

A Ballerina for Amara's Birthday, Too!

My oldest son's fiance has two adult children. Her daughter has a daughter who was born between my granddaughter #2 and granddaughter #3.  She is a wee little thing, and my granddaughter #3, who is five months younger, is at least three inches taller!  We consider Amara our adopted granddaughter #4, and she needed a birthday card for her second birthday in early June.  Needless to say, she needed a ballerina birthday card as well!

To decide what colors her ballerina would feature, I asked what colors of clothing Amara looked the very best in...the answer was turquoise (aqua) and yellow.  So, a two-tone card Amara would get.  I used an SU retired Tempting Turquoise cs and Crushed Curry.  patterned paper I chose was a little pale, so I sponged Daffodil Delight ink over the surface.  Since I made the last ballerina card for Evie, I purchased the body parts that I spoke of in the first ballerina card made (see it here: A Ballerina Birthday for Callie!); therefore, this little girl has real arms and a real torso, and legs, which are hidden below her clothing!  Other than these added body-shaped parts, there is very little difference in construction.  Take a peek below at Ballerina card #4 in light turquoise and yellow:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Crushed Curry, Tempting Turquoise (ret.), Whisper White.  Patterned Paper--All Abloom dsp stack (2014-15).  Ink: Daffodil Delight (sponging).  Pearls-mini--Copic colored.  Other:  DCWV Glitter stack--Turquoise-oval frame/ Yellow-skirt.  American Crafts POW--Marine Glitter paper (bodice/ balloon).  Dies--Alina Crafts--Ballerina, Doll Body Set; Spellbinders--Floral Ovals, Petite Ovals Large; Lawn Fawn--Party Balloons; MemoryBox--Varsity Numbers; Autone dies (Amazon): Balloon Message Strings (happy birthday sentiment). EK punch--Victorian Corners (inside).  Ribbon--Offray 1/2" Turquoise Organza (lengthwise 1/2 cut).  Copic Markers.  Wink of Stella: Black   Stash--Balloon strings--Lyon Sparkly Mini Yarn; Glitter Tulle--turquoise/ yellow.  Chatterbox Verse.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6-1/4".

But, Of Course, Evie Gets a Ballerina too!

Evie celebrated her first birthday in November, 2020.  Not to be outdone by her cousins, Evie did not receive a birthday card in 2020 for her first birthday from Grandma either.  Mama and Evie were busy moving into their new home, and Grandma was busy helping Mama move storage unit boxes, babysit, and unpack many boxes as well.  Grandma also masked up, brought hand sanitizer, clorox wipes, etc. and timidly ventured out with Mama and Evie, while eyeballing my six-foot minimum distancing as we bought furniture, carpeting, closet doors, window coverings, paint, lumber, and hardware for all of Mama's myriad of projects she wanted to complete before officially moving in.  With everything freshly painted, renewed or replaced, Mama and Evie moved into their new home with three weeks to spare!  Grandma's house became very quiet...we surely missed Mama and Evie, but not to fret...it was only a 12-minute drive to their new doorstep!

Evie's Zoom Unicorn Birthday Party day arrived after many hours spent decorating with streamers, a birthday banner, balloons, and unicorn tidbits everywhere.  Unicorn cupcakes were made and party favors delivered to each party participant's porch the night before, and Mama made and decorating a beautiful unicorn cake with whip cream frosting and a beautiful pink, turquoise, and purple mane.  Grandma had her gift all wrap with a note that said, "Evie's birthday card is 'under creative construction.'  Hopefully, it will arrived completed soon!"

I am happy to say Evie's birthday card and my third ballerina card is complete!  I have to say, I thoroughly enjoy making these gems for my lovely girls!  Evie gets a turquoise ballerina with a dab of pink.  She has light brown hair to match Evie's very short locks, but the little ballerina doesn't show off the reddish glints in the sunlight that we see sparkling off little Miss Evie's head!  Take a peek at Evie's card below:

If you are interested in the Ballerina construction check out this link: A Ballerina Birthday for Callie!

Ingredients:   SU cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Blushing Bride, Whisper White.  ColorBok Glitter Paper: Glacier Springs/ White.  Patterned Paper: Raspberry Road Design by Susan Darter--Mini Roses/ Stripes.  Recollections: Turquoise Foil.  Cote'dinations Sparkle cardstock: Fashionista.  Bubbley White Shimmer Paper.  Spellbinders dies: Floral Ovals, Petite Ovals Large.  Lawn Fawn die: Party Balloons.  MemoryBox die: Varsity Numbers.  Autone dies (Amazon): Balloon Message Strings (happy birthday cutout/ sentiment).  Turquoise Glitter tulle (stash).  Wink of Stella/ Clear.  Offray ribbon: Turquoise Organdy.  SU: Pearl minis.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6-1/4".

A Little Pink Ballerina for Sienna!

 I've now finished my second ballerina card, and this one is for my second granddaughter.  They get to be granddaughter #1, #2, and #3, by their age.  Callie, who was just 4, is granddaughter #1.  Sienna, who was just 2, is granddaughter #2, and Evie, who is 16 mos., is granddaughter #3.  I love them all dearly, and I'm sure you know, their number has nothing to do with how much I dearly love them!  All clever, cute, and darling girls for sure!

So, I missed making Sienna's first birthday card, as I was just returning from several trips to California, just in time to attend her birthday party, but not get a card done!  Within 5 days of her birthday party,  Covid arrived in Washington...the first state with a Covid case, then schools closed, gatherings closed, restaurants closed, and life became anything but normal!   It seems everything stopped, even my creative mojo and ability to get myself to my crafting table stopped!  I think we were all in shock, and my husband and I were certainly in the age range where every precaution was needed!  I am happy to say...a year later, both my husband and I have received the vaccine, and we are looking forward to an end of the pandemic!  At least we can now socialize with our family members who are vaccinated...we are almost to 75% of our immediate family at this point.

I am also happy to say that I have finally made little Sienna her card for Birthday #1 to save in her memory box...a homemade card from Grandma in honor of her first birthday!  Sienna dressed in a darling little frilly pink birthday dress, so it was only right that her card should be pink...and with her very blonde hair, her ballerina surely must have yellow hair.  I followed the construction instructions provided on Callie's purple ballerina card, and here is that link:  A Ballerina for Callie! if you are interested in the ballerina's construction.  Take a peak below at Sienna's sweet little pink ballerina:

Ingredients:   SU cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper White.  ColorBok Glitter Paper: Glacier Springs/ White.  Little Yellow Bicycle Patterned Paper: Baby Safari Girl--Pink Floral/ Girl Small Squares.  Bazzill: Hot Pink Foil.  Gemstone Shimmer Cardstock: Rose Quartz. Alina dies--Ballerina. Spellbinders dies: Floral Ovals, Petite Ovals Large.  Lawn Fawn die: Party Balloons.  MemoryBox die: Varsity Numbers.  Savvy die:  Happy Birthday cursive.  Rose Glitter tulle (stash).  Offray ribbon: Hot Pink Organdy.  SU: Pearl minis.  Wink of Stella: Clear (hair sheen).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6-1/4".

A Ballerina Birthday for Callie!

March is a time to celebrate two granddaughter's birthdays as their actual birth dates are only two days apart.  Callie is my oldest granddaughter, and it will be her fourth birthday.  I have been so out of mojo for over a year that she did not get a Grandma birthday card for year three! Since a bit of my creative mojo has returned, I wanted to make a very special card for her for birthday #4.  

A friend made me a "Thinking of You" step card during my hand surgery recoveries, and I loved the card so much, I borrowed the die, thinking Callie would love it.  What little girl wouldn't...its a ballerina!  I've since decided I need to make one for each of my other two granddaughter's in different colors and different patterned papers.

The die is from Alina Crafts, and I found some YouTube videos on construction using the die.  It turns out that it's meant to be used with a companion body-parts die, which can be used with a variety of other theme and wardrobe  "people" dies.  The die comes as one main die including the head, hair, neck, upper body, and flowery vine tutu skirt.  It also has dies that cut out the dress bodice, ballerina slippers, and the eyes and cheeks.  I didn't like the way the video put the face and hair parts together...let's just say, to me, it was weird.  So, of course, I had to do my own thing, which I've tried to explain below the card picture.  And,  voilà, here is my finished card!  I think Callie will love it! 

Note:  Inside & outside are identical shades...somehow camera lighting didn't take it that way!

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Gorgeous Grape, Purple Posie; Punch--Detailed Trio; Pearls-mini; Rhinestones--Copic colored.  Other:  Papers--K&Co. mini floral (from Stash); Paper Adventures--Dazzle Purple-Pink Stripes; Colorbox--White Glitter paper.  Dies:  Alina Crafts--Ballerina; Spellbinders--Floral Ovals, Petite Ovals Large; Lawn Fawn--Party Balloons; MemoryBox--Varsity Numbers.  Balloon strings--Lyon Sparkly Mini Yarn.  Stash--Flower Gems.  Chatterbox Verse.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6-1/4"

Ballerina Construction:

Die-Cutting/ Punching/ Fussy-Cutting:
1) Die-cut the chest/ skirt die (and the ballerina slipper dies) from purple foil, leaving off the head and neck.  2) Using this same die, out of flesh-colored cardstock, die-cut two sets of heads with chest down to the waist...do NOT include the "skirt."  3) Die-cut a third flesh-colored cardstock head/ hair rounding the lower edge of the face without a neck.  This piece will be the "final" face for the ballerina.  4) Die-cut the head/hair only from black cardstock for the hair.  5) Using the eye/cheek die, out of black cardstock, die-cut the "eyes."  6) Using the bodice die, die-cut the dress top out of a sparkly lavender cardstock.  You could use glimmer paper, but I wanted a little less sparkle than that.  7) Again, using the eye/cheek die, you could die-cut the cheeks using pink cardstock, which is what Alina intended to be done.  I decided to use Copic marker coloring/ shading on all flesh colored areas that would show when the ballerina is complete: the face, neck, upper torso, and arms flesh.  I also Copic-coloring rosy cheeks and added a white gel pen dot rather than using pink half-circle die-cuts.  I also added Copic-colored blue eye shadow.

There were no dies for the lower body, legs, arms, or a leotard, so I fashioned my own.   1) Using a retired SU Small Oval punch (3/4" x 15/16") for the arms (with an arms behind the back look), punch one oval from flesh-colored cardstock.  2) Using the same oval punch, punch out the leotard from same sparkly cardstock used for dress bodice.  3) Using a retired SU Large Oval punch (1-3/4" x 7/8"), punch one large oval  from the flesh-colored cardstock for the lower body (hips) and legs.  4) Turn this large punched oval vertically.  Leave one end of the oval as is for the hips.  5) Fussy-cut and shape legs with pointed toes from the other end of the oval.  Now, it was time to put my body parts together!  

Head/ Hair/ Face/ Upper Body & Arms:

1) I adhered the two head/ upper body flesh pieces together to form a stronger upper body unit.  2) I trimmed 1/16" around the head/hair down just to the neck.  3) I trimmed 1/16" along the chest/ upper body along the sides from shoulders to waist.  The head/hair was done so when the third "head/ face" flesh piece was added this double thickness would not show...only the top third layer would show and its round without a neck would form the chin.  The sides of the chest/ upper body edges were trimmed to allow the flesh cardstock Small Oval to form the shoulders and arms, looking like she was putting her arms behind her back.  4) I  Copic-colored/ shaded the face at this step and I did the same to the neck and chest of the two-layer piece.   5) I adhered this third Copic-colored face (hair, which did not need to be Copic colored or shaded) to the double-thick body making sure the head fit nicely on top and formed a "chin".  Now, my head is 3-layers thick!  6) I trimmed off just a bit of the flesh cardstock around the edges of the hair area so that none of the flesh color would show around the edges of the black hair color.  7) I fussy-cut the black hair from the head black cardstock so it would fits nicely over the flesh-colored hair area and adhered it to the flesh-colored hair.  When it was dried, I applied Clear Wink of Stella for a bit of shine to her hair.  8) I applied a tiny bit of glue to the back of her black eye/ lashes and used tweezers for correct placement.  (Be sure you have them turned over for the correct sides of the face when applying the glue).  9) I Copic-colored her rosy cheeks and added a white gel pen dot to their centers.  10) When eye glue dried, I Copic-colored her blue eye shadow.  11) Now, I was ready to add her arms.  I Copic colored/ shaded the flesh-colored Small Oval, but didn't bother to color the center of the oval where the chest/ upper body would be glued.  I positioned the oval horizontally, fitting it behind the back so the shoulders flared out at the base of the neck and adhered it to the back of the torso with glue. 

Lower Body/ Leotard/ Legs/ Ballerina Slippers: 

My ballerine needed a lower body, leotard and legs!  1) Take the leotard...the Small Oval cut from the sparkly bodice cardstock; turn the oval vertically, and trim 1/16" off the end of the oval curve using a straight cut.  2) Fit this straight edge up to the flesh waist bottom and glued it to the lower edge of the arm oval (which you will see extending below the waist) and snug it up to the waist flesh.  3)  Turn over the ballerina and glue her "hip/legs fashioned larger oval" behind the sparkly leotard so her hips are behind the leotard and legs extend below.  4)  Adhere the ballerina slippers over her pointy toes with the wider part of the slipper down covering the "pointy toes."  Set aside your girl to thoroughly dry while you form her skirt/ dress.

  

Skirt/ Bodice Top/ Hair Bow: 
1) With the purple foil skirt/ chest die-cut, narrow the chest area, all around three sides, down to approximately 1/4" wide and 1/8" high just to waist where skirt flares out; set aside.  2) Cut 5 or 6 pieces of tulle (sparkly best) 2" long by 3" wide.  Overlay the pieces one layer over the other.  2) Using the metal die as a guide only, fussy-cut the tulle to the same shape as the die skirt and upper body.  3) Adhere the layers together with bitty glue does and larger if needed, keep the edge-shaping even along the skirt sides and upper body to form a unit.  4) Take the purple foil skirt/ chest and attached to the tulle unit to the backside of the chest (make sure no tulle shows along the "chest" part of the skirt).  5) Lift the skirt vines and streak with glue, pressing them on the tulle to attach and dry.  6)  When skirt/ tulle is dry, attach the lavender leotard and legs behind the tulle at the torso back with glue/ glue dots as needed.  7) Glue sparkly lavender bodice onto ballerina chest top and foil skirting.  8) Add 4 string pearls along waist.  9) Take a 4" to 5" piece of 1/4" sparkly ribbon and tie a bitty bow, cutting and angling its tails.  (Tip: my sheer ribbon was too wide, so I trimmed it to 1/4" width.)  10) If desired, you can add 2 bitty pearls to the bow knot area as well.

A Little Happy Birthday!

I bought a kit, Made to Bloom, from the Stampin' Up 2019 Jan-Mar Mini catalog and had not opened it.  Here it is in late March 2020, and I thought it was about time.  I'm not having much mojo with the Covid-19 isolation requirements, so thought I'd try to see if kit pictures would give me any incentive.  I did find that though there were ready made pictures to follow, I was inspired to use the parts to make something totally different.  What a relief...some sort of creative mojo going on!

First of all, since I like card more closely in size to A7 (4-1/2" x 6-1/4") than the more common A2 (4-1/4" x 5-1/2"), I was able to cut the card bases, which were patterned on front and back in half, giving myself the opportunity for twice as many cards.  I used a white iridescent oval with a patterned edge creative when making a frame with an inside scalloped edge to host one of the gold foil, yellow floral die-cuts that I cut down to fit inside the oval and added blushing pink pearl embellishments.  I add a new cardbase and a Blushing Pink patterned dsp below the Calypso Coral, white flecked card front paper.  I used the same Blushing Pink pattern with double fishtails for the stamped happy birthday sentiment.  Voila, a card is completed with my own design using the card kit parts.  Take a peek below:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up:  "Made to Bloom" Card Kit parts--Calypso Coral dsp, yellow/ foil die-cut floral (fussy cut to size).  Papers--Whisper White cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer, 2018-2020 Subtles Color Collection dsp/ Blushing Bride Lattice.  Ink--Blackberry Bliss.  Pearls (Copic-colored).  Other:  ColorBox Cat Eye--Chestnut Road ink distressed edges.  Scrap: oval negative die-cut leftover.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

Poinsettias = Christmas!

My enthusiasm to finish all of my Christmas card in my "To Do" stash is waning, but I only have a few left, so I will persevere and try to get them all done!  This one is a Dar Peterson 2018 design that I was unable to finish back in 2018 with my hand issues that were finally resolved by hand surgeries on both in April and July 2019.  

I tweaked this card just a bit by adding a red foil layer and using Shimmery White on the card front.  The little pearls are Copic colored and can be done with any alcohol marker.  I have to say I really like the added red foil, it really dresses up the card quite lot, plus it allowed me to enlarge the card, which most of you know by now...I prefer larger cards!

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Whisper White, Shimmery White, Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler, Red Foil.  Stamps--Peaceful Poinsettia (2018 Holiday).  Ink--Cherry Cobbler.  Dies--Detailed Poinsettia Thinlits.  Pearls (Copic colored).  Gold Metallic Pearl.  Size:  4-3/4 x 6 inches.

A Birthday Marquee Message!

One of my cardmaking besties has a Spring birthday.  I am determined to make her a card totally from scratch using nothing that is semi-prepared as a test to see how well my left hand will do post-surgery.  I did stamping, die-cutting, dry embossing, fussy-cutting, Copic coloring, and a shaker card.  A pretty great test, and I'd say I'm pretty pleased with the results.  The hand is a little tired, a little achy, and a bit swollen, but fabulous compared to pre-surgery swelling and pain!

I was also determined to get back into the Splitcoaststamper (SCS) challenges, and I have accomplished that with a vengeance!  I found eleven challenges that I can enter by tweaking my design idea here and there.  That is a new RECORD!  I can usually get in seven to nine, but have never even done ten before!  It all started with a card by cdimick (aka Catherine).   Catherine is an SCS Alpha sister, who is the current Featured Stamper at Splitcoaststampers.  I browsed her gallery and chose a card to "case" as the challenge requires, which featured a stamp set that caught my eye.  I browsed the inspiration challenge photos for some ideas, which led to the color challenge with the exact blues and greens I wanted to use, and on and on it went!

Meanwhile, I was keeping in mind that this card is for a very special friend, and I wanted it to be special for her with a huge focus on her birthday.  The Stampin' Up Marquee Messages stamp set was perfect!  I made it into a shaker to fit the Fan Club April Monthly challenge, and it really set off the marquee stamp perfectly.  First, I dry embossed a confetti pattern onto my Coastal Cabana cardstock and added sparkles by "painting" on glitter glaze with a foam brush. Love that sheen!  My finishing touches to dress up the shaker marque frame was to pop on some flowers, leaves, and oodles of pearls.  I must say I was pretty please with the results, and I am pretty sure my friend will like it as well!  Take a peek below.

Ingredients:  Stampin Up products:  Cardstock--Whisper White, Tranquil Tide, Coastal Cabana, Balmy Blue.  Stamps--Marquee Messages (shaker frame/ sentiments), Vibrant Vases (flowers), Happy Birthday Gorgeous (leaf). Embossing Folder--Confetti.  Pearls.  Metallic Sequins Asst.  Other:  Sargernt Art Acrylic Glitter Glaze.  Copic markers.  Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black.  Buttons Galore--Aquamarine Party Mix.  Wink of Stella/ Clear.  Chatterbox verse.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

Watercolor Wings for a Beautiful Insect!

A good friend and Splitcoaststamper (SCS) teammate had a birthday right before Valentine's Day.  Unfortunately, I had thumb basal joint surgery at the beginning of February, and my left hand is still in a cast almost to the elbow to allow healing where The basal thumb bone was removed and replace with tendon plaiting to act as my future thumb cushion.

Four days after surgery, I managed to finish a card for another friend with an earlier birthday.  It was already designed with its pieces already stamped and the selected  patterned paper cut to size.  I just needed to select my cardstock colors, do a little mat layer die-cutting, fussy-cutting, and gluing to finish.  But I did find it stressed my hand and caused some added pain.  It was a message to me I was doing too much too soon as I had previously been relatively pain free!  I needed to wait a few weeks longer before trying it again.  This week-end was the time so my birthday card would not be any later.

Per my usual mode of operation, I caught my SCS challenge list up to date, and then I browsed for ideas and inspiration.  I really liked the pattern paper collection used on my previous card, because I love the blues and greens color combination.  It seemed I was destined to stick with them, because one of the first things I spotted in the SCS Inspiration challenge was a canvas in very similar hues with butterflies!  I'm really tired of winter, so building my card design around a beautiful spring insect, the butterfly, was perfect!   You may wonder the focus on an insect?  One of the challenges I wanted to enter this card into is the SCS Alphabet Challenge for Letter "I".

I decided to used the same paper collection, Naturally Eclectic, though different paper patterns, plus I focused on a light blue and green instead of navy and green.  Take a peek below at the finished inside and outside designs...not bad totally one-handed!

Ingredients:  SU Products:  Cardstock--Whisper White, Bashful Blue (ret.), Emerald Envy.  Patterns--Naturally Eclectic/ 2018; DSP Stack-Subtles 2012-2013/ Bashful Blue Dots.   Stamps (ret. 2018)--Watercolor Wings; Sweet Cupcake (sentiment).  Ink--Lemon Lime; Emerald Envy.  Punch--SU-Banner Triple; M. Stewart-Butterfly Trio.  Die--Leafy Eyelet Scallop.  SU Basic Pearls (Copic colored).  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse.  Size: 4-3/4 x 6".

Bright Green, Navy, & Lemon Lime for a Birthday!

A friend has a birthday just a few days before Valentine's Day.  I found I can do a bit of cardmaking after my hand surgery...one-handed as long as I take it slow since it isn't my predominate hand.  I can hold things still with the weight of the cast as long as I do not put any pressure on it and keep it in a relaxed state.  So, I may get a few cards done if I'm lucky without causing undo pain.

I've had this pretty patterned Stampin' Up paper called Naturally Eclectic for about a year, and I thought I'd use it along with the companion stamp set.  I focused on the two-step stamped flower and double stamped it twice, and then fussy-cutting one to pop and layer over the other on its small rectangular flower panel.  To finish it, I mat-framed it with a postage stamp edged die, and I used its larger size to mat-frame my patterned background paper.  The card fell together fairly easily, except for the modification I had to make for my smaller postage mat-frame to fit the size I wanted my stamped flower panel to be.

I designed the inside to match elements found on the card front and composed a little birthday verse for my friend.  Take a peek below at the finished design.

Ingredients:  SU Products:  Cardstock--Whisper White, Night of Navy, Emerald Envy.  Pattern--Naturally Eclectic.  Stamps--Oh So Eclectic; Sweet Cupcake (sentiment).  Ink--Lemon Lime; Emerald Envy.  Punch--Classic Label.  Ribbon--1/2" Finely Woven-Lemon Lime.  Die--Avery Elle Postage Stamp Rectangles (smaller modified).  Darice Pearl Stickers--4 cm + seedlings.  Chatterbox verse.  Size: 4-3/4 x 6".

Circa 1860's Vintage Christmas Tree!

I'm working on the Splitcoaststampers' Virtual Stamp Night Mini Challenge #2, whose theme is "Little Women."  The requirement is to make a vintage card in keeping with what their era of Christmas might look like.  I also went to several other SCS challenges for the layout and embellishment inspiration.

I started by looking through my stash of patterned papers for something with a vintage flair.  I found two perfect pieces that I was pretty excited about.  I checked my layout inspirations and with the paper in hand, my mojo began to simmer.  I jotted down a quick sketch of changes and additions I might want to add to the layout, so that I could gather all my tools and materials before I started the timer to begin making my actual card.

I opened up my stash of Christmas embellishments and re-acquainted myself with what I had, looking for something that would work with my chosen papers.  Right off, I spotted the lovely dimensional tree that I ended up using, but it certainly needed some background framing, which led me to the lovely, vintage-looking oval frame.  Of course, vintage means lace, pearls, ribbon, etc. to me, so I searched through my stash of these types of items for ones that might go well with my papers and my layout ideas.  I had to "build" my own lace panel as what I had was either too large or too small.  I cut out and cut down the center of the wider piece and added new edge lace to make it the perfect width.  I was really pleased with how it turned out.  All in all,  I am pretty happy with how my card evolved so quickly and how well it turned out.  Take a peek below:

Ingredients:  Papers: Stampin' Up cardstock--Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler; American Crafts/ The Color of Memories--Vintage Christmas #320369/ Musical Score #341340.  Die: Cottage Cuts--Oval Doily.  Punch: EK--Scalloped Scallops border; Stampin' Up--Curvy Corners (retired).  Dimensional Chipboard:  K&Company/ EB Versions of Christmas Grand Adhesives--Christmas tree; Recollections Chipboard Accents--Christmas sentiment.  Lion Bonbons Jingle Bells (Christmas colors plain/ metallic).  Recollections--mini pearls.  Stash: Two laces/ modified; Fun Foam (pop up layering).  Size: 4-3/4x6 inches.

(This card became my daughter, Michele's Christmas card).

Sympathy for the Loss of a Brother!

My daughter-in-law's father just lost his brother due to an accident and surgery complications, and once again, I needed to make another sympathy card.  This is the second recent loss of one of her uncles, as her mother lost one of her brothers about a month ago.  It seems like I have made several too many of these types of card lately.   

I was going to participate in the SCS Ways to Use It challenge several weeks ago, which required the use of a silhouette—stamped or die-cut, but I was not able to get to it.  I have an idea in mind using a partially finished card started over a year ago that will work great.  It is a leftover from a card class by Dar Peterson to which I have made several changes.  

I changed up the background from vertical coloring with Stampin' Up markers into a horizontal watercolored background using Crushed Curry and So Saffron ink and an aqua painter.  When the panel was dry, I added very fine dots of black paint for a bit more interest.  I also changed the direction of my Flourish Framelit die-cut going from bottom to top and place my sentiment in the top left corner instead of the bottom right.  I added some Wink of Stella for some sheen on my black silhouetted flourish, and I added white pearls instead of black-inked pearls.  Next, I die cut a decorative-edged, Daffodil Yellow layer instead of using a plain So Saffron layer, and I made my Delightful Dijon layer with less of its color edge showing.  Take a peek at my finished card below:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products: Cardstock--Whisper White, Daffodil Yellow, Delightful Dijon, Basic Black.  Stamps: Flourishing Phrases.  Ink: Crushed Curry, So Saffron, Basic Gray (sentiment).  Dies:  Flourish Framelits.  Pearls.   Other:  Die: Avery Elle Postage Stamp.  Folk Art Acrylic Paint: Licorice.  Chatterbox inside verse.  Size: 4-1/2" x 5-3/4."

Traveling Teapot Challenge...Sympathy Card #2!

Splitcoaststamper's Teapot Challenge for May 15, 2018 is for the mother and grandmother of our SCS friend's great niece, who has left us and gone to her final resting place with God.  I wanted to participate in this challenge and send my card on the way to this family, who are so grief stricken.  I am praying that all of our SCS cards will help bring solace to their wounded hearts.  It is always difficult to deal with losing loved ones, but when they are young as well, it makes it doubly difficult.  Take a peek at my card below, which is bright and cheerful, and I hope it bring a small smile to their faces.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Bermuda Bay, Lemon-Lime Twist, Whisper White.  Pattern Paper--Eastern Palace DSP.  Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Christmas Quilt (stamped bg).  Ink--Bermuda Bay, Lemon-Lime Twist.  Dies--Quilt Builder Framelits, Layering Ovals Framelits (plain/ scallop), Stitched Shapes Framelits.  Pearls.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

Sister-in-Law Birthdays in July - Number 1!

A little sunshine card for Dianne, a lovely lady with a sunshiny sense of humor and a quick wit.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Daffodil Yellow, Bermuda Bay, Shimmery White.  Bright Collections DSP Stack-Yellow word pattern.  Stamps--Sunburst Sayings.  Ink--Early Espresso.  Embossing Folder--Arrows (retired).  Punches--1-1/4" + 1-3/8" Circles; Bitty Butterfly.  Pearls.  Other:  Papertrey Ink stamps: Big Birthday Wishes.  Martha Stewart punch: 3-1 Classic Butterflies (inside).  EK punch: Scallop Corners (modified).

The Card's Story & Other Tidbits

As I mentioned in a June post, I have six sister-in-laws from my husband's side of the family, and of those six, two have birthdays in July.  The first July sister-in-law is Dianne.  She is one my husband's brother's wives, whom I met when we were still teenagers and all just dating!  WOW. . .that is along time ago. . .  I'd have to do the math to figure out just how many years ago that actually was!

As mentioned above, Dianne has a wonderful sense of humor and a quick wit, so you would think her card would be humorous for sure, but not this year.  I attended a card class while visiting in Redding, CA, and our hostess was Darla Watson, a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  She presented a lovely card design for us to re-create, which reminds me of sunshine.  Right then and there, I decided this card will be perfect for Dianne as she can be like a ray of sunshine when her humor gets injected into our visits.  

I loved Darla's card design, and I cased her card exactly, using the new Sunburst Stampin' Up die.  The cards colors are cheerful Daffodail Yellow set off with bright and Shimmery White and a bit of contrast with the turquoise shade, Bermuda Bay.  The patterned paper is from the Brights Collection DSP Stack using the word print and also in Daffodil Yellow.  I think the sentiment circle replicates the sun shining brightly with a little butterfly spotlight for a bit of femininity.  I do think this card is perfect for Dianne and hope she likes it as well.  

While on my Mt. Shasta Girls' Get-Away, my goal was to complete as many partially finished cards and those without my finishing inside design and verses so I could claim them really finished!  Dianne's card was one I really wanted totally complete and ready to mail as her birthday would be soon after arriving home.  I  decided on the perfect verse that fit just this birthday occasion for Dianne and created an interior decoration to coordinate with the pretty card front.  For that bit of humor needed, I think she will get a chuckle out of the birthday verse.

Easter Brings A Dahlia-Fold Cross!

I went to a card class this past week-end hosted by Dara Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum, a team two Stampin' Up demonstrators in my area.  Most of our samples to make were miscellaneous 3D items (a berry basket, a bunny box, and a candy purse), but there was one card designed by Luci that featured the Dahlia-Fold Technique, using punched and folded circles.  Most Dahlia-fold circles are made into flowers, but our sample introduced this technique used to make an Easter cross.  

I love this technique and it isn't very difficult.  I especially like the look of it in the form of a cross, which is so perfect for Easter cards.  If you are interested in learning the Dahlia-Fold technique, it can be found on YouTube, Pinterest and Splitcoast Stampers, and here is a link to Splitcoast Stampers:  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/dahlia_fold/

I did make a few minor changes to my card rather than making it exactly like Luci's, but my card still retains the look of the original design.  My first change was actually to correct an error I made in stamping and embossing my papers.  Now, you all probably remember the rule. . .stamp before embossing?  Well, guess what. . .I forgot all about the little EASTER sentiment in the lower right corner and away I went embossing, and making my Dahlia fold cross.  After I had it all assembled, I realized my mistake.  

To fix the problem, I decided to stamp the EASTER part of my sentiment on a small piece of Whisper White cardstock and punch it out with my Washi Label punch.  I wanted my word background much smaller than that the Washi Label punch provided, but not to worry. . .I had an idea.  After I stamped my EASTER word with the Mint Macaron coordinating ink and then punched it out, I cut the label narrower and then punched the ends shorter by lining it up and punching again to achieve my desired length. . .first on one side and then the other.  A little trick I learned long ago in order to handle a short and/or small piece of paper in a punch is to use a post-it note and stick it to your paper piece, which allows you to maneuver and position the small paper piece easier in the punch.  I think I like the way my EASTER turned out even better than the original design where it was stamped directly on the card front with the embossing on top.

My next change was to add a Mint Macaron layer between the card base and the card front.  This picked this color in the mini resin flower, the EASTER ink color, and the happy die cut.  Adding this layer did require me to cut a new and larger card base.  My final change was to add a bit of sparkly glitz by using glitter adhesive on my happy die-cut word and to the mini resin flower.  I'm likening my results, and I thank Luci for the original design that I tweaked just a bit!

I finished off my card by creating an inside coordinating design and finding the perfect Stampin' Up stamp for its verse.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up Products:  Papers - Cardstocks--Crumb Cake, Mint Macaron, Whisper White; Pattern-2015-2017 In-Color DSP Stack/ Crumb Cake dots.  Stamps--Crazy About You; Suite Sayings (verse).  Ink--Mint Macaron, Crumb Cake (insde).  Hello You Thinlit dies/ happy.  Softly Falling Embossing Folder.  Punches: 2-1/2" Circle (cross base); 2" Circle (cross side/top arms); Washi Label (Easter sentiment); Curvy Corner punch (inside).  2015-2017 In-Color Blossom Accents.  Dazzling Details Glitter Adhesive.  Recollections Pearls.

Bloomin' Love & Happy Hearts!

I went to a cardmaking gathering hosted by my Stampin' Up upline, Liz Thayer, where she provided us with three card designs to make as a make-n-take.  It was a fun gathering of just six ladies who made the hour trip south to visit Liz and see her new home that they purchased about six months ago now.  We, of course, each brought a dish of food and Liz provided the beverages.  What a fun way to spend the afternoon.

One of the cards we made was a Valentine card using the new Stampin' Up Bloomin' Love stamp set, with lots of lovely popped layers to which I decided to add a white cardbase as another layer.  This card's colors are soft and elegant and the bottom Crumb Cake layer is texture embossed with the Happy Hearts embossing folder, which adds to the wonderful three-dimensional aspects of the card.  Thank you Liz Thayer for this lovely design. . .it was great fun to make! 

Now on to finishing the inside of the card so that it is ready to send off to someone special for Valentine's Day.  I brought the soft and elegant colors into the inside and embossed my Crumb Cake layer with the same Happy Hearts embossing folder as the front.  I printed my verse onto the Blushing Bride pink layer and added the My Valentine stamp from the Bloomin' Love stamp set.  I finished off the corners with a little embellishment and it was ready to go.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up papers:  Cardstocks--Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer; Love Blossoms dsp stack (2016 Occ.).  Stamps--Bloomin' Love (2016 Occ.).   Ink--Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Rose Red (inside).  Embossing Folder--Happy Hearts.   Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit (2016 Occ.).  Punch--EK Scroll & Hearts Edger.  Pearls.  Computer-made verse.  Size--4-1/2" x 5-3/4".

A Shower of Cards As She Celebrates Her 95th!

My husband's Aunt Margaret has lived a long and lovely life, and she celebrates her 95th birthday this Saturday.  Her five children are hosting a lovely party at the local country club in Wichita, Kansas, where my husband grew up.  They have asked those who can not attend to "shower" her with oodles of cards by mail to mark this 95th birthday.  With all of her relatives, I think it might be more like a monsoon as my husband comes from a very large family, being the oldest of eight, who in turn also have large families. . .thus, I'm sure a monsoon!

This is an "almost" duplicate of a card I cased about two years ago and sent to my cousin for her birthday.  The original design was from one made at a Liz Thayer's card class, with a few modifications to see how it turned out.  I added a third flower to its original design and a few more leaves.  I also changed the sentiment to a birthday theme and stamped it on a separate pieced of white cardstock instead of directly onto the card front itself; I tweaked its location; and I popped it up.  On this second cased card, I decided to use different punches for my layering, and I tried a little punch creativity by using a different punch for each layer.  I decided I liked this idea.

Next, I went to work creating a decorative design for the inside to coordinate with the front.  I decided the little Boho punch flowers and the pink pearls that I used on the front Flower Shop flower centers would be a nice touch on each of the verse corners, and I even threw in a few tiny leaves under each flower to make it just right.  I was pleased with the additions I made to the original card design, my birthday verse,  and the coordinating inside design.  I think John's Aunt Margaret will enjoy her specially made birthday card with its flowers showing the promises of the coming spring.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up cardstocks:  Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Gumball Green.  SU stamps:  Flower Shop.  SU Ink: Primrose Petals.  SU Modern Mosac EF.  SU punches: Pansy; Bird Builder (leaves); Scallop Oval; Word Window.  Retired SU punches: Modern Labels; Boho Blossoms; Scalloped Scallop Edger.  SU pearls (colored with Copics). Computer-made sentiment/ verse (Xiorama font).  (Size: 4-1/2" x 5-3/4").