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.

Woodland Scene (Christmas X10 Card #10)!

I finished all of the Christmas X10 event cards in time for my Christmas mailings.  I was so busy before Christmas that I did not get all my posting completed, so since my daughter is getting married in about two weeks, my cardmaking time is now very limited, so thought I would post a few more of those Christmas cards that I didn't get posted yet.  This card, though a Christmas card because of its sentiment, really doesn't have to be.  It could be a winter birthday or even a thinking of you.  The possibilities seem endless when you actually think about it. . .the sentiment is often the determining factor!

For my card, I stayed pretty true to the Dara and/or Luci's original design, but of course, I did make some changes.  A normal change for me is adding one or more layers, and I certainly did so here.  I added Rose Red cardstock as the bottom layer, which became my new cardbase in lieu of using the Delightful Dijon layer as the original suggests.  I chose to usd a little Impression Obsessions die set that is full of Cardinal birds in different poses and two different sizes instead of stamping a Cardinal onto the vellum and then trying to color it as was featured in the original design.  I did try that method at the event and found it very difficult not to smear the bird or color out of its lines.  My little die-cut Cardinals work super well!  

A trick I learned about vellum is how to adhere it to its underlayer without the adhesive strip showing. . .try to bury it somewhere.  For this card, that was quite easy to do by using my tape runner on the back side of all the trees.  This tape does not show at all!   This is also the first time I have inked the backside of vellum to create color through to the front.  The tree trunks were colored on the backside with a Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker.  Take a peak below at my finished product.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Rose red, Delightful Dijon, Mint Macaron, Whisper White, White Vellum.  Stamps--Among the Branches (2015 Holiday).  Ink--Delightful Dijon.  Punches--2-3/8" Scallop Circle, 2" Circle.  Embossing Folder--Woodland Texture (2015 Holiday).  1-1/4" White Jute.  Stampin' Write Marker--Soft Suede.  Impressin Obsession dies:  Cardinals.  (Thank you Dara Peterson & Luci Kirschbaum for sharing the original card design).

Making Spirits Bright (Totally Lovin' Christmas #2)

I've been finishing this little reindeer Making Spirits Bright card today. . .it's my second card design from Liz Thayer's Totally Lovin' Christmas.  This card is a fun-loving, whimsical card for sure, and it uses some of Stampin' Up's newest products from their 2015 Holiday mini catalog, such as the Reindeer clips and the Holiday Fancy Foil Vellum.  I had to bring this one home from the event to finish, because I had such a terrible time getting the Making Spirits Bright solid sentiment to stamp out correctly.  Now, I know I'm a perfectionist, but believe me, I wasn't even close to the problem!

In looking at the card pieces and then the picture of the card design, I decided that my first step was to tackle and stamp that most difficult sentiment.  I recently bought myself a MISTI stamping tool (MISTI = Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented), and it finally arrived about a week ago.  I knew this sentiment would be quite the test for it, but it was time to see if it could live up to its advertising.  I mounted the stamp onto the MISTI cover, inked it up, gently closed the lid, and pressed firmly and evenly on the cover where the stamp was adhere.  Voila, it worked...it truly lives up to its advertising!

The more I looked at the card's original design, the more I thought I just had to add some red and green foil papers to coordinate with the green foil trees on the vellum.  I replaced all of the red cardstock with red foil and added another layer in green foil underneath, and I also added a white cardbase to start it off.  I thought the card was looking good so far; therefore, it was time to give the little reindeer a look see.  I decided he need a perky little bow under his nose instead of a double-trailed knot, and he definitely need some eyes; Googlies eyes would be just right.  You take a look see and see if I got it right.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Shimmery White cardstock; Holiday Fancy Foil Vellum.  Stamps: Among the Branches.  Ink:  Real Red.  1/8" striped ribbon-green.  Reindeer paper clips.  DCWV Foiled Cardstock Stack.  Darice Googlie Eye.  Recollections Large Rhinestone.  (MISTI by My Petunia).  (Thank you Liz for the original design sample.)

Spooky Inchies Halloween Mini Card Album!

My final card for my youngest son and his wife will be another paper bag mini album card with purple as the color of choice as purple is one of Ginger's favorite colors.  Secretly, I also wanted to use the purple patterned paper with the witch's hats and cauldrons scattered about.  

I so love this retired stamp set, Spooky Bingo Bits, especially the cute little witch, haunted house, and goofy bat, my three favorite images.  These images make such a great inchies card!  This being my fifth paper bag mini album, it went together very quickly, and I was very please with my centerfold witch's shoes and broom acting as her hat hanger.  A little idea I cooked up.  I think Mark and Ginger will like their little Halloween mini album card. . .don't you!

Card Front


Card Center


Card Back

Recipe:  SU cardstocks: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White.  DCWV Halloween & Fall - 2011; Bewitched Mat Stack: stripe/ argyle (pocket).  White paper sack: 9" x 4-3/4" (Michaels).  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.  Stamps:  SU--Spooky Bingo Bits (Annual 2011-12), Wicked Cool (Annual 2011-12),  Tee-Hee-Hee (2014 Holiday); Martha Stewart--Carnival (spooky).  Dies:  Spellbinder--Inverted Scallop Squares #3/#4, Labels 11 (tag); Sizzlits--Halloween Set #2 (beware).  Punch:  Modern Labels.  Stickers: Martha Stewart bats.  Ribbon: Recollections Haunted.  Spider-web netting (JoAnns).  SU 3/8" dotted ribbon (colored with Copics).  Recollections rhinestones.  SU Dazzling Details (adhesive glitter).