A Doily Gatefold Garden

I finally had the nudge to visit my craft room...yay!  I really wanted to put some cards together to send to some friends who have received no cards from me to celebrate their special times, even birthdays or Christmas while my mojo and cardmaking deserted me and ran amok for over a year!  My first thought was to motivate myself by trying to finish some cards already started that were gathering dust in the unfinished stash!

My first card is one I start back in the spring of 2019 when I traveled to visit my Mom in Redding, California before the COVID pandemic took over our lives.  While there, I attended a Stampin' Up card party given by Mom's Stampin' Up demonstrator, Darla Watson.   Darla is quite talented, and I always enjoy going to her parties when visiting Mom!  I am so glad my 95-year old "young" Mom still enjoys getting out and doing cardmaking with family and friends!

There were 5 card kits to make, all fun designs.  Some I completed at the party and others I took home half completed because ideas popped in my head while making them to add other layers or embellishments to the design.  This "popping into my head of ideas" is quite common when I'm making cards, my own or someone else's designs.  Most times, I feel pressured to pursue the ideas, or I will look at the finished card and say to myself, "what if" and drive myself crazy because I didn't at least see what I thought by using the "what if" ideas.  So, this card is one of those "what if" designs from Darla's long-ago designs that I found still unfinished and remembered my "pop in my head, what if" ideas.

As most of you know, who have read my blog for any length of time, I prefer cards larger than the standard A2 size.  The original card design had a white gatefold card base and a floral dsp layer added to the gatefold .  To me, it just needed more color, which meant layers, which automatically means...larger card.  I added a Blueberry Bushel (blue) bottom layer and a Call Me Clover (green) layer and then the white gatefold with flower dsp panels. 

 
It had a yellow belly-band as most gatefold cards do, but I decided to try a permanently attached horizontal band with Rose Red or Strawberry Slush scalloped edges.  The band starts on the center left side of the gatefold, under the doily, at the edge of the flower dsp and is adhered all the way around the back to the center right-edge of the gatefold.  The doily is only attached to the left side of the gatefold and becomes an overlay over to the right side.  Because of my modifications, I added a 1-3/4" white punched circle to the centerback of the doily underside to pretty it up now that its back shows when the card is opened.  

Thank you Darla for allowing me to modify your design many months later.  I always enjoy my visits and the fun times at your parties.  Here is my finished version of Darla's original card:

I'm send this card to a cardmaking buddy who did not receive cards from Chatterbox (me) while I hibernated in isolation.  Here is the added interior that she will received when she gets it in the mail!

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Blueberry Bushel, Call Me Clover, So Saffron, Melon Mambo, Whisper White;  Patterned Paper--Garden Impressions dsp 6x6;  Stamps--Eastern Beauty (sentiment);  Ink--Blueberry Bushel;  Punches--Bitty Blooms, 1-3/4" and 1-1/2" Circles, Leaf;  2-7/8" White Pearlized Doily; Bitty Basic Pearl Jewels.  Other products:  EK Punch--Victorian Corners. 

A Mother-in-Law's Birthday Camping Celebrations!

As mentioned in the previous post, all of my children, their spouses, a mother-in-law, a girl friend, and the only grandbaby went on our annual family camping trip this last week.  We celebrated three birthdays while enjoy our time together in the great Northwest.  Birthdays celebrated were:  a daughter-in-law, a mother-in-law, and my own.  Mine was celebrated just a few days early, and theirs a bit late.  The celebration was filled with family time, games, a veritable birthday feast, including dessert, and campfire time.  This is the first year that daughter #2 brought her recently widowed mother-in-law, so I needed to get busy and make her a birthday card before we left.

Since I knew we'd be enjoying the great outdoors with many creatures, birds, and bugs, who live in the forest, I thought it only fair to honored at least one critter on at least one of the birthday cards needed, thus the mother-in-law card received a little birdie and his nest.  Normally, while camping with family and friends, many cameras are present; therefore, her card also has the "Shutter Technique" used to hide and expose the verse inside the card as it is opened and shut.  

Of course, challenges were checked on Splitcoasterstampers, and I used their inspiration to help me decide my card colors, including the blue bird as something that flies, plus a card I have never made before.  In this case, it means it is the first time I've made a birthday card for my daughter's mother-in-law!  Check out the card below, inside and out, that I just finished in the nick of time before leaving.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Tranquil Tide, Daffodil Yellow.  Pattern--Delightful Daisy.  Stamps:  Petal Palette (bird), Designer Tin of Cards (verse-retired)  Ink: Tranquil Tide (verse), Marine Mist (Bird outline). Dies:  Layering Circles, Flourish Thinlits, Swirly Scribbles, Petals & More Thinlits.  Punch: Banner Triple (shutter piece).  Journaling Pen: Black (bird eye).  Other: Copic coloring; Colorbox Chestnut Road distressed edges.   Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2".

A "Warframe Game" Shutter Sentiment for David!

I am always looking for ideas for birthday cards that suit the recipient, such as hobbies, sports favorites, entertainment favorites (movies, Pokemon, video games, etc.), and even food.  My oldest son, David, is a video gaming hobbyist and that should be in capital letters!  He had a birthday this past week, thus, I needed a card for our celebration held this past Sunday.

His current video game favorite is Warframe, so I started my research campaign a few weeks ago to find out what this game was all about.  I Googled it, asked other members of the family who might know, etc., because  I wanted his card to be authentic.  It took a number of hours to gather enough knowledge to begin.  I resorted to downloading colored digital pictures from numerous searches, and then I was ready to begin.

This game takes place in the future on Earth and in outer space with the players as representatives of the Tenno, descendants of an ancient and mystical civilization.  I wanted to make a galaxy night sky in watercolors inks, which I did using Stampin' Up re-inkers and spritzed watered-down metallic sapphire acrylic paint, which give it a pretty, almost silvery blue sheen.  I also wanted to try out the shutter technique for the inside sentiment area.  My card is larger than the typical A2 size, so I had to find my own measurements for the parts to make the shutter panel and lens.

The shutter technique is used with a gatefold card style and has a bellyband sleeve to hold the gatefold closed.  On my card, this bellyband hosts the Warframe game logo, which is an abstract lotus flower...quite pretty, I think.

When the bellyband sleeve is removed, a picture of Earth is visible where the inhabitants of the game reside at some time far into the future.  I added this element so the card front isn't so bare once the sleeve is removed.

The card inside features a picture gallery of a few of the characters one might run into while playing the game.  On the left panel at the top is The Lotus, the advisor of the Tenno, saviors of Earth, and below her is Alad V, who becomes an occasional ally when it best suits his interests.  At the top right is Captain Vor and below him is Vay Hek, who are leaders of the armies that the Tenno must defeat.  When the card is opened, the personalized birthday verse (made by Mom) is revealed as the eye of the shutter lens opens.

Ingredients:  Papers: Stampin' Up cs: Night of Navy, Rose Red; Recollections Seaside Cardstock Pack (Lt. blue); Ranger Watercolor Paper.  Warframe Colored Digital pictures.  Stampin' Up Inks: Night of Navy, Marine Mist, Rose Red.  Folk Art Acrylic Paint watered down for spritzing.  Dies:  Stampin' Up Starburst Framelits; Spellbinders Circles LG and Circles SM.  Recollections Opaque Marker: Snow.  Score-Buddy creasing tool.  Chatterbox verse/ computer prepared.  Size: 5" x 6-1/8"

Happy Birthday to a Lover of Cars & Racing

My daughter's new father-in-law has a fast-moving hobby. . .racing cars, thus the reason, I am sure, that my new son-in-law loves to race as well!  I usually like to do a hobby birthday card at least once, but I was not able to come up with a 1993 Chevy Camaro black and white image to color.  I even had my patterned paper all picked out; so, I did the next best thing.  He is getting a gatefold vintage car card, colored in purples, as I understand his race car is purple.  This color will go nicely with the vintage license plate patterned paper and gears that I had all picked out to use.  Take a peek below at my finished design both inside and out.

Ingredients: SU cardstock: Basic Black, Recollections Cardstock Pack: Cool What (dark purple), Tim Holtz Idea-ology Stash: Lost and Found (pattern + distressed purple solids).  Dies:  Spellbinders-Sprightly Sprockets, QuicKutz Nesting Pinking Rectangles (modified).  Stamp: Stampendous: Birthday Wish.  Vintage Auto: online freebie.  SU Ink: Sahara Sand, Wisteria Wonder (sponging); Memento Ink: Grape Jelly (sentiment).  Copic Markers: coloring.  Wink of Stella: Clear.  Computer-made sentiment/ verse.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

A Bridal Shower for My Daughter

My youngest daughter, Jackie, is getting married in January.  Sister, Michele, and sister-in-law, Ginger, are planning a shower in November.  One of Ginger's tasks was to decide on the invitations.  She thought it might be just the thing to make homemade invitations.  As the cardmaker in the family, I was invited to participate.

Jackie's wedding colors are black and red, and the "daughters" decided they would follow her colors for the shower theme; thus, the invitations would be black and red as well.  Ginger did quite a bit of research on the web looking at different invitation ideas, but as she has not joined Pinterest, she had no idea what she was missing!  She found lots ready-made card ideas that she thought looked nice, and her search helped her decide that she wanted to incorporate  black and white damask paper and perhaps some red glitter paper.  She sent me several pictures of ready-made invitations that she found of both inside and outside designs.  Her favorite had a bouffant wedding dress on the front and she liked a ribbon band under the invite information on the inside.  She had the idea of the card front meeting in the middle with the bride dress opening on one side in order to see the inside invite.  What she described was a gate-fold card, and it would be easy enough to incorporate that idea.  At this point she turned it over to me to come up with some design ideas.

Over the past few years, I had seen several dress cards using a folded doily, and I thought that might be a good idea, so I went searching on line for some cards incorporating that idea to refresh my memory and also to find a tutorial on how to fold the doily for my wedding dress idea.  The tutorial that I settled on is by Angie Gittles: Paper, Paws, Etc. (dated 5/6/12).  I did some modifications to Angie's instructions, because she uses a 4-inch doily for her dress.  I decided that since my dress was a long wedding dress, that a 6.5-inch doily might be better, and I must say it turned out to be perfect.  I also modified my bodice attachment by not leaving the skirt point down, but using it as part of the anchor for the bodice attachment.  I also trimmed my bodice straight on the bottom and placed it on the front of the skirt over the point because I planned to use a red ribbon sash, which would bury any cut edges.  I also drew a template of the finished dress onto white cardstock and fussy-cut it out to be adhered  over the back side of my dress to hide any raw paper edges and the ribbon sash attachment that would show when it was placed on the gate fold, as part of the back side of the dress shows when the card is opened (how much depends on the angle or amount that overlaps on the opening side).

Though I had a few pieces of black and white damask paper, I did not have enough to make 14 invitations...so shopping I did go!  I was truly surprised at how few pieces of black and white damask there were to choose from, but I did finally find a pattern at Michael's that I thought would be okay.  At first I thought the pattern might be too large, but actually, when the card was finished, I decided it was more than okay!

Ginger, Michele, and I spent the following Saturday making our shower card invitations, and we were totally pleased with the outcome.  We all loved the bit of red glitter paper used and also the cute little sentiment, He popped the question!, which was answered on the inside with,  And she said yes! 

This is the finished inside invitation to coordinate with the outside design.  We were very pleased with the outcome!  (Note: for privacy, I have overlaid a substitute inside without the address or email account.)

Recipe:  SU cardstock:  Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White, Red Glimmer.  Recollections: Hollywood & Vine Swing Time.  Recollections 6.5-inch White Doilies.  Offray 1/4" red satin ribbon.  SU punches: Full Heart (retired), Artisan Label (retired). EK punch: Scalloped Scallops Border.

Thinking of You. . .Get Better Everyday!

My brother's wife, and my sister-in-law, recently had surgery.  All reports are that everything went very well.  She is recovering nicely and has even returned to work part-time.  She does have several months of further medical procedures, so it will be awhile before she is totally back to where we would like to see her.

I have to tell you, since Christmas, I have been slow to get back in the cardmaking saddle, and I seem to be running behind with everything.  Just so is Diane's get well card, which will now be a thinking of you and continue on the road to recovery card.  I will try to be better about getting a little card dropped in the mail throughout the coming months as well!

So, I'm sitting here at my craft table and what to do?  I started surfing the Pinterest "network" to see what might inspire me.  I thought I'd like to do a gatefold card or something a bit more interesting.  I remembered seeing ones that used an interlocking closure with nested layers of framelits, but couldn't remember how that was done.  I did a search on various sites for ideas, and found numerous cards and ideas.  I liked the look of using the Stampin' Up Labels framelits better than most other shapes.  My search also jarred a memory, way back when, of seeing a card done with music paper in pinks and blacks. . .a lovely combination.

I made my card using the interlocking Labels framelits as shown on one of the Pinterest cards found.  Away I went, colors and ideas in hand.  When I finished, it looked really great when closed, but was difficult to open.  I felt like I was going to tear the cardstock when trying to open it.  I figured if I felt that way, Diane would be afraid to read the verse inside for fear of ruining it.  Not good!   

I decided the card would look just as good with a flap-type closure, and I have actually made this style in the past several times, but without nested die-cuts.  I did a little cutting on my third pink layer and a little gluing.  It now has two bottom die-cut layers cut through the middle and attached identically on each side of the card front and meeting in the center.  The two smaller top layers are adhered to the cardbase only on the right side and are loose on the left side forming the closure flap over the center gatefold.  

To finished off my card and fussy it up a bit, I added some elegant butterflies using several types and sizes with a vellum overlay on floral stamped butterflies and pearls.  I was pretty pleased with the finished product.

And a peak at the inside complete with verse.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up papers: Pink Pirouette cs, Basic Black cs, Very Vanilla cs, Vellum, Modern Medley dsp.  Stampin' Up Stamps: A Little Greeting (sentiment), Papillon Potpourri (butterfly underlays).  Stampin' Up Ink: Pink Pirouette.  Memento: Tuxedo Black.  Stampin' Up Dies/ Punches:  Labels framelits, Elegant Butterfly.  Martha Stewart Punch: Three Butterflies.  Stampin' Up Pearls.  Inside: EK punch: Victorian Corners.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

Happy Birthday to Sister-in-Law #5

Of my eight sister-in-law birthday that fall between May and October, I am on #5 for the month of August.  This is one of my husband's sisters, and she is the third oldest of the eight brothers and sisters.  As mentioned before, John is the oldest of eight!  Joanie still lives in Kansas where the family was raised, but has retired away from Wichita and out in the "boonies!"  I think sometimes she find this very remote and wishes she was closer to her children and grandchildren, not to mentioned the many, many cousins and in-laws!  I like to send her one of my cards each year to let her know John and I are especially thinking about her on her birthday, along with other times throughout the year as well!  

Fortunately, with John's sibling family reunion in early July, we had a great time visiting with all these relations from five different states!  I made this gate-fold card about a year ago using a card designed by Misty Bradley in May 2013.  I modified a tickets from the paper line's embellishment page by scanning it and dropping it into PaintShop Pro to re-color its background from tan to a soft sage green.  After printing my new ticket, I added it to the front of the card as a closure for the gate-fold.   I re-sized my new ticket to smaller version to include on the inside of the card near the sentiment journaling card.  I also added petite pearls to the peach die-cut doily on the front.  The flavor of the original card design is retained, but I like the little additions and changes I made, as I think it made the final card even better.

I  knew when I added the "LOVE" ticket to the front design that this card would be reserved for a close family member.  It is definitely a feminine card with its soft hues of peaches and pale greens.  I think this little "LOVE" card will fit Joanie just right! 

Recipe: Georgia Pacific-white cs. Bazzill Moss, Justy Peachy cs. Authentique Grace patterns: Humble/ plaid, Delicate/roses/ Foundations/ LOVE Ticket (background changed to Moss)/ Floral journal tag (inside). Sizzix Sizzlits Vintage Doily die. Martha Stewart half-pearls.  LOVE ticket recolored beige background to sage green and added pearls).  (Inspiration thank you: Misty Bradley).

Working on June Birthdays!

I have several birthdays in June, so I am diving into my stash of cards I made during the last month and tweaking them here and there to suit these special birthdays.  One of my signature traits is to always decorate the inside and compose a verse or poem to suit the person who will be receiving the card.  So far, here is what I've come up with. . .

This card will be for John's mother's birthday TODAY!

She IS 97 ...WOW!

This card was taught by Amy Muhly at a Stampin' Up workshop.  

I loved learning this embossed brayer technique...very elegant!

I tweaked my layout a bit and my sentiment ribbon is a birthday, 

but the flavor of Amy's design is retained.  Stampin' Up Beautiful Wings Embosslit (Sizzilit die) die-cuts the butterflies.

And now the inside decorations and a verse for a wonderful lady...

Happy Birthday Alice!

This little girl will be a birthday card for John's aunt...her 91st!
The card's techniques were taught by my sister, Heidi Gonzales (My Lil' Scrap Corner):  tri-fold card design, coloring with woodless-colored pencils and paper-piecing (skirt).  I enlarged the card from its original design.

And now its verse...Happy Birthday, Aunt Joanie!

I think this is the perfect card for my sister-in-law, 

who lives in warm and sunny California.  I'm sure they must be at least 20 degrees warmer than our northwest Washington location!

(Card class by Heidi Gonzales to introduce Stampin' Up Smooch papers.)

And now a verse for my newest sister-in-law...Happy Birthday Thelma!