A Shower of Wishes for Your Birthday!

 I needed another February birthday card for a cardmaking friend. In looking over my Splitcoaststamper Challenge Catch-up List, I decided I needed to make a card that had something to do with rain showers and umbrellas.  I pulled out an old but never used die by Elizabeth Craft Designs, Rainy Day, and I began to create my design with this umbrella in mind.  

I thought it would be fun to dress up my umbrella card front by using the Basket Weave edging technique.  It is a technique that looks difficult and classy when complete, but is actually quite easy to do.  I've used it on five or six cards in the past, but the last time was way back in 2018!  It's definitely time to dust it off and use it again!

I've finished my card with my design evolving as I sorted through and chose multiple SCS challenges to include.  I think my cardmaking buddy will enjoy her birthday card!  Take a peek below:

Ingredients:  SU Cardstock--Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Basic White. Elizabeth Craft die--Rainy Day. SU Embossing Folder--Perfect Polka Dots (retired). EK Punch--Victorian Corners. K&Co. Butterfly Stickers. SU Rhinestones. SU Glitter--Dazzling Diamonds. Stash--1/4" satin ribbon (Copic colored-R14). SU sequins--Iridescent Sequins-Asst. Wink of Stella/Clear (umbrella & inside corners). Technique--Basket Weave (aka Braided Edge; aka Lattice Edge). Chatterbox sentiment/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".

Pssst. . .Missed It!

Sister-in-law #4, one of my husband's sisters, had a birthday toward the end of July.  It totally snuck up on me and slipped on by before it even came to mind.  It took me almost an entire month to remember and that was only because her sister's came in August.  That's when I rememeber I had forgotten to make a card for the sister in July!  Of course, had I looked at my Cardmaking Date calendar this would not have happened, but I think our extremely hot summer has fried my brain!  So, I really needed to get to work fast!

I thought I would do a sweet little belated card with a bit of humor and use a gumdrop stamp that I borrowed from a friend.  My gumdrops would come in a myriad of colors in all shades of the rainbow with a little gold glitter to give them a bit of sparkle.  I used several mat layers all in different colors to coordinate with my colored gumdrops.  I popped a little hexagon tag with a sentiment "pssst. . .missed it" and tweaked the tag with a little red glittery heart just because I thought it needed a little embellishment to perk it up.

I finished my gumdrop card front and also the inside design with a little belated birthday apology verse, and it's ready for the mail.  Take a peel below. . .it's pretty "sweet!"

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock-Crushed Curry, Lemon-Lime Twist, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White; 2011-2012 DSP Paper Stack (Bashful Blue Dots).  Stamps:  Goody Goody Gumdrops.  Spellbinders Dies: Venise Lace Rectangles; Octagon Classic Nestabilities; Octagon Scallop Nestabilities.  Copic Markers.  Stash: Gold Iridescent Glitter; Gold Rhinestones; 3/8" Offray Plaid Stitched ribbon; Horizon Friendship Thread (Harlequin).  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse.  Size: 6" x 4-3/4".  

Sorrow for Our Alpha Sister!

It is with sadness that I must make another sympathy card for a dear friend that I've gotten to know through Splitcoaststampers.  She is a fellow Alpha Challenge sister, Art Deco Diva, and after a long struggle, she has lost her mother to the battle.  We are all so saddened to hear this, but want our friend to know how much we are thinking of her and praying for her and her family.

The Splitcoaststampers Traveling Teapot Challenge, which chooses someone each week that we want to honor in some manner and for different reasons.  Unfortunately, some of those reasons involving losing someone near and dear to us.  Art Deco Diva's SCS galley is filled with lovely cards that can only be described as eclectic.  We are choosing to honor Art Deco Diva with cards that feature the shabby chic style and are challenge hostess wants us to include lots of detail.

I love shabby chic, one of my favorite styles, but I prefer it not to be too over the top, but for sure it must include ribbon, lace, flowers, and definitely be feminine.  I am using all of those things, plus some layering and dry embossing to add texture.  Of course, it has to have some sparkle, so I added a flower rhinestone medallion for the center of my flowers.  Take a peek below at my finished card inside and out.  I'm hoping it will bring solace to ADD's sorrowful heart and let her know that we are thinking of her and keeping her and her family in our prayers during this trying time.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Sahara Sand, Lost Lagoon, Very Vanilla.  Stamp--Petal Potpourri (2015 Occ).  Markers--Lost Lagoon, Sahara Sand.  Dies--Stitched Shape Framelits/ Ovals.  Punch--Flower Medallion (ret.).  Embellishment--Something Borrowed (Occ-2015).  Ribbon--3/8" Stitched Satin-Lost Lagoon (ret.).  Lace--7/8" Lace Trim-Sahara Sand (ret.).  Other:  Cuttlebug EF-Summer Set/ Floral.  Dies--Spellbinder Petite Scallop Oval SM.  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse (computer printed).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

My Lovely Mother!

Mother's Day will be here before I blink, and I needed time to get a card made and mailed to my Mom you lives several states away!  I went to a card-making class, hosted by Dar Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum, a few weeks ago to try out my new knee and see if it would withstand several hours in the sitting position.  It didn't like it much, but managed to survive until I could get home and elevate it in my recliner, where I promptly fell asleep!

While at class, I started a card from a very nice design, but visions of things I wanted to add or change kept interfering, plus the desire to color the daffodil stamped image with my Copic markers rather than the pens our hostesses were providing, prompted me to gather its parts and bring it home for completion.

I think I'm pretty pleased with my totally remodeled card...it is surely more my cardmaking style, and, I think, worthy to be a Mother's Day card for my Mom.  I thinks she will be delighted with it!  I found I will also be able to enter it into several SCS Challenges that I checked out before starting my finishing project. 

Take a peek below at the card front, as well as my interior design and Chatterbox verse!  Check out the modification story below the ingredients list if interested.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products: Cardstocks--Daffodil Yellow, Whisper White, Old Olive; Patterned paper:  Delightful Daisy dsp; Stamp--You're Inspiring (2018 Occ); Ink: Old Olive; Twine: Crushed Curry Solid; Pearls; Washi tape--Basic Pack #2.  Dies: Reverse Confetti Lacy Scallop Frame (yellow mat layer); Spellbinders Lattice Rectangle (daffodil frame); MFT First Place Ribbon (double fishtails).  Punches: Martha Stewart--Butterfly Trio; EK--Medium Scallop Photo Corners (inside).  Copic Sketch markers.  Computer printed sentiment/ verse.  Chatterbox verse.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

The Modification Story

Several days ago, I finished coloring my daffodil image, I was really pleased with it...such a pretty stamp set!  Next, I began with my own design ideas to finish off the card.  

I added a new daffodil yellow mat layer die-cut with one of my favorite rectangle edging, and I adhered it to a new and enlarged white cardbase (cut 9-1/2" x 6" and scored at 4-3/4").  I cut the green patterned paper layer provided in the card class smaller to allow my new yellow mat layer's edging show.  I adhered this green patterned paper to the yellow mat.  I also cut my daffodil image smaller to fit onto a new yellow lattice-work rectangle frame, where the lattice curves peeks out around the edges of the daffodil image.  

I decided to center my lattice-framed daffodil image from side to side and center my double fishtail sentiment below.  I added criss-crossed golden-yellow twine to the olive green one-inch wide horizontal strip, and centered the strip from top to bottom beneath image frame.  

To finished, I plunked a bitty butterfly hovering along the edge of my daffodil flowering image.  The butterfly is punched from a lemon-lime and white striped washi tape adhered to a piece of Daffodil Yellow cardstock with a bitty pearl added for its body.  I prepared my sentiment using my computer and composed a versed to added to the inside, which I colorized to match Old Olive green.  I added punched scallop photo corners, using the olive patterned paper, and more bitty butterflies punched from the same washi-covered cardstock and body pearls.