Hubby Celebrates Father's Day!

I had a second Father's Day to make, and this one would be for my husband, father of our four children!  I enjoyed trying out the Eclipse technique so much on my son's card, that I thought I should do another for my husband, though I wanted to use a different theme.

I checked out possible SCS challenges for a bit of inspiration on the theme, and I decided on the color navy blue in order to enter another Alphabet challenge, which would also work for a lovely Vera Bradley fabric found for this week's Inspiration Challenge.

After looking through my masculine paper stash, I found some navy, red, and tan paper with a nautical theme, which I thought would be perfect, as my husband has always enjoyed taking the boat out and tooling around the lake near our home.  The dark navy background, reminded me of a dark night on the water, night being the bonus challenge in the Alphabet challenge.  The addition of the red and tan in the nautical print remind me of the Vera Bradley fabric I found in the Inspiration challenge website.  I was stoked and ready to begin.

Take a peek below at my second Eclipse technique card for my hubby's Father's Day.  I have included my inside design and verse below the card front.  Both he and my son loved there Eclipse cards a great deal. . .so I'm grinning from ear to ear!

Ingredients:  ANW Crestwood cardstock: Deep Sea.  Basic Gray Adrift: Ahoy; Waves.  Authentique Pride: Amend (red/white dot).  Stampin' Up: Cardstocks--Whisper White, Real Red.  2013-2015 Background Stack: Crumb Cake pattern.  SU: Burnt Brown Sugar (ink distressing).  Dies: SU--Large Letters Framelits; Top Dog--Stitched Water Die.  Punch: EK Scallop Medium Photo Corners (inside).  Pinking Shears.  Chatterbox computer sentiment/ verse - Font: Shelley.  Size: 5" x 6".

Hello There. . .Seems I Missed Your Birthday!

I must say this traveling does not help me keep up on getting my cards finished and mailed in a timely manner.  Come to think of it, this seems to happen to me now and then, even when I'm not traveling. . .so, guess that excuse doesn't really work too well! 

The card I am in need of is for the principal of the school where I worked before I retired, and my former boss, who has a late May birthday.  I really like to make him a card and get it to him on time to show him that I'm not a total reprobate now that I'm retired.  But, ho-hum, that's not the case this year.  

With the attitude "better late than never, I dove into my "To Do stash" that I brought along with me on my travels to try to get some work done in my spare time.  Surely, there would be the perfect "need to finish" masculine card for me to work on hidden away in the stash.  I found this wonderful Open Seas ship card that was partially made with pieces of paper in its envelope for completion.  The ship and its port hole where already finished, as well as the self-stamped patterned paper made with The Open Seas stamps.  

To finish the card, I, of course, could not seem to follow directions exactly, a problem that seems to plague me frequently.  So, my card is just a bit different than the original by Liz Thayer in that I changed the card base color to a darker gray and made it a belated birthday card rather than just a "hello" card, and I added copper porthole brads all around.  Liz's original card was featured in one of her card classes I took over two years ago!  I am super pleased to say that I have another card finished and out of my "To Do Stash," and I think it is perfect for Scott.

Next up, was finishing my nautical masculine card with an appropriate interior design to compliment the card front.  I wanted my "Hello There" greeting on the front to be the intro into missing Scott's birthday by a few days and sending him belated birthday wishes to exonerate my seemingly reprobate behavior. . .LOL.  

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Basic Gray (cardbase), Bermuda Bay, Very Vanilla, Smokey Slate (porthole).  Pattern paper--self-stamped using The Open Seas stamps w/Crumb Cake).  SU stamps:  The Open Sea (all things nautical-retired 2016); Happy Days (sentiment-retired 2014).   Ink--Crumb Cake.  Die--Deco Label Framelit.  Punch:  2-1/2" Circle.  Essentials Paper Piercing Pack (porthole circle).  Acrylic Clear Sheet.  Staz-on Black Ink (ship).  Memento Tuxedo black (sentiment).  Other:  EK Punch:  Victorian Corners.  Recollections mini copper brads.  Computer verse.  Size:  4-1/2" x 5-3/4".

Birthday Belatedly!

I've been under the weather a bit with mouth and sinus surgery, and my time management skills have flown out the window.  Had I been able to be more organized, I would have this birthday card made and off in the mail before this birthday arrived, as my surgery was actually on the date of the birthday.  Time seemed to get away from me prior to the surgery getting things done (or not), so here I am sending this card off very late.  

With time a limitation, I used a card kit developed by my sister, Heidi Gonzales (My Lil' Scrap Corner blog).  I did manage to almost finish the card front the day before my friends birthday.  I ran out of time to complete the inside decorations and verse, having no idea I was going to be feeling under the weather for as long as I have, thus making the card sent so very late.  I am posting Fran's card on her birthday even though I know she doesn't look at card blogs.  (You get to see it on time, but she does not. . . is that fair?)

Added post: So now that I am feeling better, the debate began, will this be really strange to send a card this late.  I want our friend to know she was thought of before her birthday, during her birthday,  and then after, as her card sat unfinished on my crafting table.  I decided to finish it, send it, and give her that message.  I hope she enjoys her card.  I did check to make sure there was no mold growing on it!

And here is the completed inside with the message of a belated birthday apology and a dash of Iffy humor thrown in, I hope!

Recipe:  Paper:  Stampin' Up-Whisper White cs (card base), Night of Navy cs, Cherry Cobbler cs.  Pinkpaislee-Starlight/ Glow (back).  Paper Loft-Old Towne Tavern/ Franklin (stars).  Magnolia stamp: Tilda Sailor Girl.  Spellbinders dies:  Circles; Scalloped Circles.  Sentiment: handmade.  Progresso Koh-I-Noor Woodless Colored pencils with mineral spirits.  Stash: 5/8" Grograin ribbon, red button, blue netting, twine.  (Size: 5-1/2" square). 

HUGE Congratulations in Order...

This post is bittersweet for sure!  My son-in-law has been promoted to Warrant Officer in the Coast Guard...that is absolute GREAT news!  Now the bittersweet part, they are being transferred from Washington state to West Virginia!!  That is just a bit of a distance...approximately 2,700 miles or 42 hours of driving!  Hmm...right now I drive to Michele's house in 10 minutes...that will be a HUGE change for three years, and who knows after that!

To celebrate and congratulate Don on this GREAT promotion and wonderful milestone in his career, here is my card: 

Ingredients:  Night of Navy/ Cherry Cobbler/ Baja Breeze cardstocks (Minds Eye stripe/ stars unknown).  Embossing Folder:  Square Lattice.  Stamp set:  The Open Seas - gold embossing lightly applied/ heavy to anchor.  Denim/ Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine.  Applied faux patina process to Baja Breeze embossed with Square Lattice, using stamp pads:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Not Quite Navy: sponge daubbing followed by Versamark/ heat-set Gold Embossing powder.  Sentiment: computer-generated; Stampin' Up Modern Labels punch.

July 2011. . .A Sister-in-Law Birthday!

I have a sister-in-law who married into my husband's family about a year after I did, and she and I are very close in age.  We started a friendship many years ago as our husband's (the brothers) were employed by the same company and we both moved to the California Bay Area.  In those early years of our marriage before moving around the country separated us by many states, we had lots of fun and laughs.  

I wanted to send her a little birthday card showing off my new Copic marker coloring talent.  As she is a shipmate by marriage as well as our husband's sharing the same company employment, I thought this little Magnolia stamp of a sailor girl was appropriate.

Birthday 2011: The Boy is Four!

On my spring visit to California, my little nephew always has his birthday.  It gives me a really good excuse to make a little boy card!  Parker loves to go out with his Dad or Grandpa on the huge lake on far from their home.  All the men in that family are huge fishermen.  Dad and Grandpa even travel to entry fishing competitions. . .and since Parker has already started fishing with his junior pole, I have a feeling that he will soon be entering contests as well.  Most of their fishing is "catch and release," but occasion when they'd like a little trout for dinner and it's not a contest, they keep a few.

I didn't have a fishing-type boat, but I thought Parker would enjoy the little sailboat that I could make with my Sizzilit die.  I remembered the paper with the schools of fish and my "Catch a Wave" border die.  I only had a few hours to make this card, because his birthday party was shortly after I arrived.  For such a short time, when my scrapbooking stuff was barely unpacked, it had to be simple, but I think it turned out just fine!  I hope Parker will enjoy his little card with his movies gift certificate.