Drum Roll Please. . . A 99th Birthday This Month!!!

My Great Aunt will be 99 years-old this month, and you would never believe it to see her.  In my youth, I remember her as the best dressed person around and an amazing cook as well!  She was quite the seamstress and made beautiful garments for herself with stylish dresses that made her look like she had always stepped out of the pages of a Vogue magazine.  For sure, she looked like she belonged in New York City not in rural California!  Current day is almost the same, although she does occasionally wear slacks with an elegant top or blouse.  

For my aunt, I borrowed a card design by my sister, Heidi Gonzales, My Lil' Scrap Corner, and made this little card displaying a vintage button card with a seamstress slant that I thought my aunt might enjoy.  I tweaked the design just a bit by adding a blue cardbase and using the original white cardbase as a mat layer.  I also hand-embroidered the pink crosses rather than use a sticker picture and slanted my button card just a bit more than the original, but other than that the design replicates the original.  Thanks, Heidi, for the design idea...I love it!

 Recipe:  SU Baja Breeze card stock base.  Papertrey Ink Button Boutique stamp set.  4" Wilton Doily.  SU Jewelry Tag punch. WRMK Corner Deco Chomper.

Easter's Coming...Let's Get Started!

I've been working with digital vintage Easter images for the past three days.  I've found quite a stash of them, but had quite a bit of work to do on them to size them and get their background colorized to be able to use them in a frame without hiding the picture.  Out came PaintShop Pro to add an additional border around many of the images, but then I had to work with the background colors and images to clone the right textures and colors into the border to blend into the existing image.  I have finally finished all that grunt work and should be able to get started with some mojo to actually come up with a design, but I've had my daughter's birthday card that I need to get finished on in mind as well.  

While letting my juices mull on her card, I had a yen to use a BINGO card and I found a cute little kitty digital stamp to Copic color, so I pick the paper colors.  In the midst of finalizing her papers, I realized the one of my little vintage Easter chicks would be perfect with the same colors.  After finishing the sketch for Jackie's birthday card, I pulled out that little chick and realized not only would all the paper colors go just perfect, but Jackie's birthday card design would be perfect as well.  So, I decided to use it on my first Easter card to see how it would look.  I did some work on my Easter card's BINGO card and blended too images to make an EASTER bingo card, colorizing it, and a little tape measure I wanted to use, in PaintShop Pro.  I am really pleased with my BINGO Easter card, and I know the design will be cute on Jackie's birthday card as well.

Recipe:  Papers: Darice Kraft cardstock (base); DCWV Everyday Essentials; Jillibean Southern Chicken Dumpling Soup Coordinating stripe.  Lifestyles dies: Lace Circles & Circles.  Elmer's Craft Bond spray adhesive.  Stampin' Up Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  Vintage Easter Chick image (Graphic Fairy).  Vintage Bingo card and tape measure (found online).  Colorbox Chestnut Roan sponge-distress edges.