Birthday Card Pressie from Mom!

Oh my Mom, you have outdone yourself. . .what a beautiful card, and thank you for birthday dollars, as well!  I can see many new cardmaking items coming my way!  I have to post your Card Pressie to share with my blog readers.  Love all the popped up embellishments. . .butterflies (one of my favorites) are beautiful!  I know my blog readers will be inspired by the gorgeous work that you do, and it also sends a message that one can be creative at any age.  You sure prove just that. . .love you Mom!

I thought I would share another card I received from my Mom back in 2011. . .isn't it just gorgeous!  Again, she know what I like. . .butterflies and flowers!

Thank You, Mom!

Card Pressies and Lunch Thank Yous!

My birthday is coming up at the end of August, and my two wonderful cardmaking friends took me to lunch a few days before my birthday and showered me with lunch, goodies, and lovely handmade cards.  It was such a wonderful occasion where we had the chance to catch up on our lives and fun events of our summer as we had not had the opportunity to make cards or visit with one another for several months.  I must share their wonderful card pressies for all who read my blog to enjoy!

My first round of thanks goes to Charlene for her wonderful handmade step card and gift bag holding my embossing folder goodies.  Isn't this gift bag just too cute!  She used her Circuit to make the large round doily that became the top of the gift bag. . .I absolutely LOVE it!  I must also applaud Charlene for the pro that she is in making cards with the step technique.  For several years, I have admired step cards from afar, but never worked up the courage to actually try making one myself.  Charlene tells me it isn't difficult, and I give her that skeptical glare with the "yeah, right" attitude.  I did tell her that now that I had her card as a sample right in front of me to follow, I might be brave enough to give it a try.  Isn't this card just too adorable!

 

Gift Bag by Charlene Inks

Step-Card by Charlene Inks

My second big round of thank yous goes to my good friend and cardmaking buddy, Sandy, for this beautiful shaker card, which was accompanied by the WRMK "tool" and the Memory Box die to enable me to make one myself.  I just love the idea of being able to heat seal my own shaker cellophane bags that can be customized to whatever size is needed.  What a great idea!  I can't wait to try it out.  Isn't this card just too feminine...I love cards in pink!

by Sandy Stroble

Thank you ladies, you are very special and what a lovely surprise starting off my birthday several days before it arrived.  Here I thought it was just a spur of the moment get-together to catch up with each other, gab, and shop at the local craft stores as we usually do when we go out to lunch!

Seahawks Pre-Season is Almost Here!

I have started a new craft hobby. . .making Deco Mesh wreaths.  After viewing many YouTube videos and gathering as much information as we could, my daughter, Michele, and I decided to try making a Deco Mesh wreath with a Seahawks theme.  While we were shopping for supplies, at every craft store under the sun, we happened on an actual wreath that was completed and for sale at the Michael's store in Federal Way, WA for $89.99!  Now, it was nice, but just not fancy enough to suit what we were looking for, as it only used what we called the Pouf method.  If you know me, you know I always seem to challenge myself to start with the most difficult thing possible. . .is that trying to set myself up for failure or what!  Actually not, I have always achieve more if there is a challenge and a goal that is difficult to achieve. . .I'm all in for achieving it!

What we learned in viewing many YouTube videos that we would need an 18" wire wreath base, 21" wide mesh and 10" to 12" wide mesh.  You can not cut the 21" mesh in half and substitute it for the 10" to 12" as it totally starts to unravel or fray once cut and there is no way to stop it!   To start, take your 18" wire wreath base and twist pipe cleaners onto the center of each of the nine segments on the outside (#4) wire and inside (#2) wire.  Note: do NOT use the 4th smallest row toward the center.  Next, twist pipe cleaners onto the nine segment braces on your center row (#3).   

We learned there are three different styles to fashion your mesh into:  Poufs, Bow-Ties, and Tubes.  Poufs are the easiest and can be really big and billowy poufs or low-level poufs. . .kind of like a bra size: from a DDD to a B. . .by taking a 21" wide mesh roll and about 15" to 12" down its length, gather it up, with your hands, and tie it to your wire wreath base with a pipe cleaner, continuing around your wire wreath in each of the nine segments in this manner.  The Bow-Tie and the Tube versions both use the 10" to 12" wide mesh instead of the 21".  For each of these, you cut this narrower mesh into 10" to 11" lengths.  For the Bow-Tie, gather in the center, raw edge to raw edge (cut edge) from one end to the other (looks like a bow tie) and tie it down with a pipe cleaner to your wire wreath base.  For the Tubes, you take the 10" to 11" cut length and roll it with the raw edge as the length and the mesh "selvage" being the edges of the tube.  We used the cardboard tube of a 12" tube as our rolling tool.  You make three of these Tubes usually in various colors, and tie them down to your wire wreath base.

Michele and I decided to combine two different styles.  We started with the Poufs in three different colors, applying the first two colors in a criss-cross manner (our idea because it was more difficult...right?) and using the outside row and the inside row of pipe cleaners (pipe cleaner wires #3 and #1).  Then, we applied our third layer of poufs on top of the criss-crossed mesh by using the center row of pipe cleaners.  We considered this entire process our base layer.  Next we added sets of three Tubes in each of the nine wire wreath base segments to the outermost row and to the third inside row (pipe cleaner wire #3 and #1).  By this time our 18" wire wreath base, looks MUCH bigger in circumference!  Next, we add a set of two different 12" wire ribbons to each segment to the middle row of pipe cleaners and a single 12" wire ribbon to the inside row.  The final steps are to add embellishments: one as the center circle focal point and other smaller embellishments to the mesh surface to spruce it up to your liking.

TAH DAH!!  Here is my first wreath. . .one for myself. . .after all I am a 12TH woMAN and ready for pre-season SEAHAWKS football!!!!   My second one made for my dauthter-in-laws birthday, which is TODAY!!  Happy Birthday, Ginger!

Butterflies Celebrate Ginger's Birthday!

My lovely daughter-in-law celebrates her birthday just shortly after my Mom.  At our Girls' Getaway in May, our hostess, Liz Thayer, shared a lovely card, which I thought would make the perfect card for Ginger's birthday.  I decided to re-created this card, but on my version, I chose to branch out a bit and add a few more layers.  I liked the idea of a bit more color and bling to compliment the glittery little butterfly with its deeper shade of coral and to bring more attention to the rhinestones embedded in the embossed design.

To accomplish this idea, I added a layer of Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper, which did indeed bring out the sparkly rhinestones on the embossed lacy flowers, as well as those forming the bitty butterfly body.  I also added a fourth layer of a light coral for the cardbase, which is slightly darker than Stampin's Up's Crisp Cantaloupe used on the embossed card face.  This added color, though lighter than the bitty butterfly's wing, compliments the darker coloring.  With these additions and Liz's original card design, I was happy with my new card for Ginger's birthday!

The finishing touches for Ginger's card was to make a birthday verse for the inside and to create a complimentary design to coordinate with the card front.  It is now ready to show off.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks - Basic Black, Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer; Stamps/ Framelits: - Butterfly Basics/ Butterflies; Embossing Folder - Lovely Lace; Punches - Open Scallop Border (retired), Bitty Butterfly; Ink - Crisp Cantaloupe, Tangelo Twist; Dazzling Details Glitter Glue; Rhinestones.  The Paper Company cardstock: Light Coral.  Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black.  (The original card design was created by our Getaway hostess, Liz Thayer. . . thanks Liz for sharing it with us).

Happy Birthday. . .90 Years Young!

It's my Mom birthday this month, and she will be 90 years young!  I made this card at my Girls' Getaway Retreat, and thought, as I was making it, that it would be perfect for Mom for her birthday.  It is such a delicate and feminine card, and so very much suited to her.  The original card was designed by our hostess, Liz Thayer, and I thank her for sharing her the lovely design.

I love this Big On You Stampin' Up stamp set from the spring 2015 Occasions mini catalog and was so glad to be able to use it, I was disappointed that they did not renew it for the next annual catalog.  The Irresistibly Yours designer paper is from the 2015 Sale-A-Bration catalog, and again, I was sad that they did not continue it into the next annual catalog.  It is a very unique paper in that the pattern has slightly raised white glossy patterns for coloring with a variety of coloring techniques. . .this coloring reveals the pattern.  With my card, I sponged Blushing Bride ink evenly all over the paper, which gave the background the Blushing Bride color and the mini clouds (or perhaps they are flowers) resisted the color, making them white.  Such a clever idea!  A few popped layers, a little organdy rosette, and a little glitter, and voilà , a beautiful card is created!  

Next, I created an inside verse and printed from on the computer using the same Blushing Bride font color to match the front design.  It speaks eloquently of my lovely vintage mother, who by the way, doesn't look a day over 75.   I'm catching up to her!

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks - Blushing Bride, Whisper White; DSP - Irresistibly Yours (2015 SAB);  Stamps - Big On You; Ink - Blushing Bride; Rosette Artisan Embellishment kit; White Baker's Twine; Dazzling Details (glitter glue); Rhinestones (Copic colored).  Computer verse/ Font: SantasSleighFull Bold/ 19.  Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2".  (The original card design was created by our Getaway hostess, Liz Thayer. . . thanks Liz for sharing it with us).