Thomas the Train Happy Birthday

My grandson celebrated his third birthday today.  His parents planned a "Thomas the Train" party, and I found the perfect chipboard designs with which to make a card.  Even though we had a lot of snow (see photo of our house below), we had a great birthday celebration.

It started snowing around 7:00 p.m. on Christmas and snowed all night and part of the next morning.  We had not had snow on Christmas in North Carolina since 1947!  According to our trusty measuring gauge (a ruler), we had about six inches of snow at our house, enough to cover the lawn, shrubs, trees, and house!

One Last Card!

My daughter bought me some Fancy Pants Christmas paper (which I used for an anniversary card).  I've  finished all of my cards and finally used the Fancy Pants paper to make a Christmas card for my daughter and her husband!  Merry Christmas!
I entered this card in the Wee Memories Challenge #36, Colors of the Season.

Last Minute Christmas Cards

This year I made several different cards for my family and friends.  I used a variety of Christmas papers, stamps, dies, and of course, bling! 

Red and White Christmas

Update:  My card was chosen as one of the winners of Craft Your Passion Challenge Blog Challenge #37!

The challenge this week at The Shabby Tea Room was to create a Scandinavian Christmas card.  I have a huge stash of Christmas papers, stamps, and ribbons and two new toys--a Cricuit cartridge that cuts snowflakes and a Spellbinders poinsettia die.  I decided to make a criss-cross card using a variety of red and white papers, a lot of glitter, rhinestones, and yards of lace and ribbons!  I also found a SU brad in my Valentine's stash that was a perfect topper for my snowflakes.  I then hand delivered the card to a special paper-crafting friend in my neighborhood.  Enjoy!

I also entered this card in the following Christmas challenges:  Craft Your Passion Challenge #37,  Paper Playtime Challenge #30,  Sugar Sweet Paper Treats,  Christmas Card Challenges #3,  Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog #49, and Critter Sketch Challenge #45.

Birthday Blitz

From November 21 to November 28, four of my family members have birthdays; in addition to getting ready for Thanksgiving, I also had to find time to make four cards.
                   For my sister and my daughter, I cased a card from Sandi MacIver.

      For my sister's card,  I used SU's retired DSP Razzleberry Lemonade and accented it with SU's Crushed Curry and Melon Mambo paper.

My daughter graduated from Duke, so I thought a blue and white card would be perfect for her birthday.  I used SU's retired Brilliant Blue DSP and accented it with Brilliant Blue and Whisper White.  I also used a Cuttlebug embossing folder because I thought it complemented the design on the DSP.

I entered both of these cards in Top Tip Tuesday's "Layer upon Layer" challenge.

I also had to make two masculine birthday cards--very hard for me because I can't add lots of ribbon, glitter, or bling!
       For my brother-in-law, I continued my series of map cards.  At our library's recent book sale, I was able to add another atlas to my card-making collection, and I found the perfect map of Illinois.  I cut out one of the cars, added some Crystal Effects, and popped it up with some dimensionals. 

For my son-in-law, I purchased Graphic 45's A Perfect Gentleman papercrafting paper.  It is an absolutely fantastic collection of antique cars, watches,  golf scenes, and patterns that match perfectly!  However, for my background paper, I used SU's Autumn Spice DSP!  I added some buttons and printed out "Happy Birthday" on my computer, cutting it out with Marvy Uchida's scalloped oval punch.

Now that I'm done with these birthday cards, I'm getting ready to begin making Christmas cards!

Pick A Cause--American Heart Association

Update:  My card received an "Honorable Mention Cup of Tea" for The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge #37!

The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge #37 is "Pick A Cause," and I have chosen the American Heart Association for several reasons.  My son-in-law is a cardiologist, and because of his advice, my husband and I are trying to lead a more "heart-healthy" life.  In addition, several of my family members have had heart procedures that have improved their quality of life.  I made this card for a family member who will undergo a heart procedure in early December and plan to give it to her before her operation.  I've also entered this card in Top Tip Tuesday's  "Layer upon Layer" challenge.

The card is a variation on a bi-fold card, and it opens up to reveal the message inside.

Paper:  SU's Sending Love DSP (retired), SU's Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla; Stamp:  SU's Three Little Words; Punches:  Martha Stewart sunburst and lace scalloped heart; Spellbinders Labels 4 and hearts; Ink:  SU's Real Red; Accessories:  Doodlebug boutique brad, ribbon and flowers from AC Moore.

Anniversary--Happiness Always

My daughter and her husband are celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary so I created a criss-cross card for them.  I used some Fancy Pants Designs paper that my daughter gave me.  Even though the paper is designed for Christmas, I thought it made a wonderful fall anniversary card.

Paper:  Fancy Pants Designs, SU's Very Vanilla; Stamp:  SU"s Whimsical Words; Punches:  SU's Round Tab, Scallop Circle, Heart to Heart; Ink:  Tsukinenko Pearlescent Crimson; Accessories:  Button, Fancy Pants Designs; ribbon and brads from Michael's.

Halloween Blitz

Along with a card I entered in The Shabby Tea Room's Week #30 Challenge (and that I gave to my nine-year-old granddaughter), I also made five other Halloween cards for my grandchildren who range in age from one to nine!   Since I have four grandsons, I did not make very many frilly Halloween cards!

This card was for my one-year-old granddaughter.  I modified it from a door hanger that I made in our neighborhood card club.

My (almost) three-year-old grandson does not like scary things, so I thought these laughing pumpkins would be perfect for him!

While I was looking through SU's latest catalog, I got the idea for pumpkin ornaments, so I used SU's ornament punch and several other SU punches to create some ornaments for my three-year-old grandson's card.

My five-year-old grandson loves to trick or treat, so I thought this would be the perfect card for him.

I found this layout for a card in a recent craft magazine, and I added a web and some spiders to make it extra scary for my seven-year-old grandson!

Consider It CASED!

The challenge for Week #33 in The Shabby Tea Room was to CASE a card that one of the design team members posted.  I chose Clare Buswell's card, "Fruity Strawberries."  I changed the color palette to black and white, added a butterfly since I did not have any DSP that had butterflies on it, and gathered some black ribbon to use instead of lace.  I also found a brad to use in place of the button in the bottom right corner.  Although you can't tell by looking at the photo, I added glitter to the butterfly and also the flowers.
I also entered this card in The Paper Players Challenge #22--Anything Goes!

Stamp:  SU's Whimsical Words; Paper:  SU's Night and Day (retired); Punches:  SU's Decorative Label (extra-large), Martha Stewart butterfly punch; Accessories:  Me & My BIG Ideas rhinestone bling; Making Memories brad, and ribbon and flowers from AC Moore.

Happy Halloween

UPDATE:  My card won an "HONORABLE MENTION CUP OF TEA"  for The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge #30!
This week at The Shabby Tea Room,  vintage Halloween cards are the challenge.  I have six Halloween cards to make for my grandchildren, so I thought I would get started by entering my older granddaughter's card in the challenge.  I printed out the poem on my computer and then assembled the card.

Stamps:  SU's Greeting Card Kids, All Holidays; Ink:  SU's Basic Black; Paper:  SU's Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Martha Stewart Holidays mat pad (green patterned paper); Punches:  SU's Decorative Label, Designer Label, Modern Label; Accessories:  Flowers, ribbon, and brads--Michael's, leaves--Wal-Mart, bling--AC Moore.

Sweet Baby

My daughter's sister-in-law recently had a baby, so I made a card to enclose in the gift I sent.  When I checked out The Shabby Tea Room, I found out the theme was "Tag--You're It," so I added a tag to my card in order to be included in this week's challenge!  I printed the words to "Rock-a-Bye Baby" on my computer, sponged the edges,  and then added some embellishments and a "Sweet Baby" tag.

Paper:  SU Green Galore, Pretty in Pink;  Debbie Mumm's Baby Girl patterned paper; Ink:  SU Blushing Bride; Punch:  SU Scallop Edge; Embellishments:  K & Co chipboard tag, dress, flowers, and hearts, gingham ribbon from Michael's, and SU button.

Old Meets New Happy Birthday

The challenge this week on The Shabby Tea Room is "Old Meets New."  I created a birthday card using some new Crate Papers, lace, and scrumpled seam binding. I sponged some Ranger Vintage Photo ink (stash) around the edges and used my Tim Holtz paper distresser (stash) to "shabby" the edges of the card.
I used SU's Well-Scripted birthday stamp for the sentiment and punched it out with my trusty Marvy Uchida scallop oval punch which I seem to used all the time!  I also used SU's Build-A-Brad to create a unique brad to go with the paper!

Stamp:  SU's Well-Scripted; Paper:  SU's Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla, Crate Paper's Prudence Collection; Ink:  Ranger Vintage Photo; Accessories:  SU's Build-A-Brad, Marvy Uchida scallop oval punch, lace from Joann's, and scrumpled seam binding from Deb's Simple Treasures Etsy Shop.

Birthday Bling

UPDATE:  My card won an "HONORABLE MENTION CUP OF TEA"  for The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge #24.

Several months ago, I bought some Wausau Royal Metallic Chalice Silver paper at Office Max, thinking that I could use it when I made Christmas cards.  However, The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge #24, "A Little Bit of Metal," was a perfect use for this paper.

I used SU's Basic Black as my base, and then I added the Chalice Silver.  I used two rub-ons to frame my sentiment, which I embossed using some Ranger silver metallic embossing powder. After embossing and punching out my sentiment, I decided to cut up and then piece together one of my silver foil Wilton cake doilies as a backing for the sentiment.
On the left side of the card, I added some bling as well as several silver metallic flowers (that I took apart and reassembled) and a butterfly that I also embossed.
I am also entering this in Flutterby Wednesday #119 --anything goes as long as there's a butterfly, fairy, or angel on the card.

Stamp:  SU's Well Scripted; Paper:  SU's Basic Black, Wausau Royal Metallic Chalice Silver; Punches:  Martha Stewart butterfly, Marvy Uchida scallop oval; Embellishments:  Wilton silver foil doily, Reflections flowers, Me and My Big Ideas rhinestone bling, Plaid rub-ons; and Ranger Silver metallic embossing powder.

Criss-Cross Card

I absolutely love Cosmo Cricket papers, and when I checked the latest challenge on The Shabby Tea Room (using cream, green, yellow, red, and white), I knew I could use some of my favorite Cosmo Cricket papers for the card.  And since I love to make cards with various folds, etc., I looked at some of the resources on Splitcoaststampers and found a variation on a pocket card, the criss-cross card.  For the finishing touch on my card, I took apart some flowers that I bought at Michael's and reassembled them, once again creating flowers that do not exist in nature (especially with Stickles on them)!

I also entered this card in: Stamp Something weekly challenge--something flowery,  Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge--summertime, Paper Playtime's Flower Power, and CAS-tastic Wednesday Challenge--Inspired by Summer.

Stamp:  SU's A Word for You; Paper:  Cosmo Cricket, SU's Very Vanilla and Old Olive; Ink:  SU's Old Olive; Punch:  SU's Round Tab; Embellishments:  Stickles, ribbon and flowers from Michael's, and brad and button from my stash.

Gift Card "Card"

Recently, I sent my brother-in-law and sister-in-law a gift card, and I did not want to just put it inside the card I made for them. Using my Cricut, I made an envelope and then used it on the front to hold the gift card! I also stamped the top of the card with one of SU's Elements of Style stamps and then embossed the images.

Stamps: SU's A Word for You and Elements of Style; Paper: SU's Basic Black and DSP Day and Night (retired); Ink: StazOn black and white; Accessories: ribbon from Michael's, embossing powder from Joann's, SU's Beautiful Wings Embosslits, and Marvy Uchida oval scallop punch.

Embossed Happy Birthday

I got out all of my embossing folders so I could participate in Challenge #17 at The Shabby Tea Room. After modifying a card based on a video by Dawn Griffith, I found out that none of my embossing folders was large enough to use as a background for the base of the card! So I embossed two sheets of paper, pieced them together, and backed it with SU's Rich Razzleberry CS to form the base. (I think I need a "Huge Shot" with bigger embossing folders!)

Stamp: SU's Whimsical Words; Paper: SU's Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, and Cottage Wall DSP; Punches: SU's Scallop Circle and Two-step Bird punch, EK Success flower punch; Ink: SU's Rich Razzleberry; Accessories: Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy embossing folder, Queen & Company "pearls" and ribbon from Hobby Lobby.

Happy Anniversary

My sister and her husband are celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary this month. I chose some DP from Paper Studio as the basis for my card and then used colors found in the flowers and leaves. I wanted the flowers and leaves to pop, so I painted them with Stickles. I also put a greeting on the inside of the card.

Stamps: SU's Whimsical Words, Hampton Art anniversary stamp; Paper: SU's Old Olive, DP from My Mind's Eye and Paper Studio; Ink: SU's Old Olive and Orchid Opulence; Accessories: Marvy Uchida scalloped oval punches, SU's 3/4" circle punch, Stickles, button from Joanne's, and scrumpled vintage seam binding from Deb's Simple Treasures Etsy shop.

Marquee Birthday Card

Recently one of the new techniques on Splitcoaststampers was a "magical marquee card." Since I enjoy making a variety of cards, I watched Jan Tink's video (several times) and then decided to make a marquee card for one of my grandsons who was celebrating his seventh birthday. Although I had to make some modifications, I think my grandson enjoyed his card.

Stamps: SU's Riveting and Wow Flowers, birthday stamp from Inkadinkado; Paper: Yellow, green, and orange CS and designer paper from ACMoore; Ink: StazOn black; Punches: Fiskars scalloped circles.

Popsicles and Pinwheels

Update: My card received an Honorable Cup of Tea for The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge #16.

The challenge for Week #16 at The Shabby Tea Room is to create a card using hot pink, bright green, and cool turquoise! I decided to make a birthday card with a message that could be pulled out, and instead of a tag or ribbon, I used a flower as the tab!

Stamp: Ordered from The Stamp Pad Company; Paper: SU's Tempting Turquoise and Simply Scrappin' Sunny Day, pink and green paper from Wal-Mart (You never know where you'll find card-making supplies!); Ink: StazOn black; Accessories: Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, pink rhinestones from ACMoore.

Class Reunion

A friend of mine was going to her college reunion, so I thought that I would continue my series of map cards (Check out Ireland and Florida.) and send her off in style! I found a map of Michigan, and to highlight the city where the college is located, I used one of the acrylic bubbles from SU's Build-a-Brad kit. In order to make the easel card stand up, I used dimensionals under the picture instead of brads. She liked the card so much that she is going to case it for the incoming freshmen!

Paper: SU's Brilliant Blue, Whisper White, So Saffron; Punches: SU's Modern Label and Word Window, Marvy Uchida scallop punch; Accessories: ribbon and brads from Michael's.

Blessings

Although I make many A2 cards, my favorite type of card to make involves a lot of scoring, cutting, and folding to achieve the final result. When Debbie asked me to be a guest designer for The Shabby Tea Room's Week #15 challenge, I immediately thought, "What type of folded card can I make? After all, I won TSTR's Week #7 challenge with my step card!" I remembered making a trifold shutter card for my grandson's birthday, so after refreshing my memory with a tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers, I started my card.



Since the challenge was to use stripes or colors found in the inspirational photo above, I searched through all of SU's DSP and found a stripe that was very similar to the comforter in the photo.
My card base was SU's Chocolate Chip, and besides SU's Sweet Pea DSP, I used SU's So Saffron, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White.

Not wanting to put a large sentiment on the front of the card, I noticed that there were fruit and vegetable signs above the bureau, so I found a picture of peaches online and used it as my focal point.



For the rest of the card, I used flowers, butterflies, scrumpled seam binding, and buttons in colors to compliment the striped DSP. In addition to the "For You" sentiment on the front of the card, I chose two other sentiments to reflect the soothing nature of the photo.

I took two additional photos of the card to show the 3-D effect when the card is partially opened.

I always have difficulty finding flowers for my cards, so once again I took apart some flowers that I bought at AC Moore, sponged them with Ranger Vintage Photo ink, and then painted Stickles on them with a small paint brush. I found that by painting Stickles on the petals, I was able to mute the ink and add a dash of subtle glitter to each petal.

Stamps: SU's Elements of Style and Graceful Words, Hero Arts; Paper: SU's Sweet Pea DSP, SU's Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and So Saffron; Ink: SU's Old Olive, Ranger Vintage Photo; Accessories: Spellbinders Nestabilities, SU's Beautiful Wings Embosslits, flowers and brads from ACMoore, image from Vintage Holiday Crafts, Stickles, scrumpled seam binding from Deb's Simple Treasures Etsy shop, and buttons from my stash.

Graduation Card

The son of one of our friends is graduating and going to a college that has orange and black as its colors. While the card that I made for him has a lot of orange and black on it, I softened the "Halloween" impact by using a white card base.

Stamps: SU's Riveting; Paper: SU's basic black, other colors from my stash; Ink: StazOn black; Accessories: Stickers from Paper Studio Stickabilities, SU's Designer Label, circle, and scalloped circle punches, ribbon and star brad (that I painted gold) from Michael's.

Vintage Hearts

I found some doilies at the local dollar store and knew that I could use them on my cards. However, they were rectangular in shape and I needed a square doily. So...I cut a doily apart, matched up the edges and attached it to my card.

The theme for Week #12 at The Shabby Tea Room is "Dear to My Heart." I found a template for a pocket heart valentine at PaperZone and reduced the template several times so the hearts would fit on my card. After attaching the resized doily, I sponged it with Color Box dune ink, created several hearts, added a Prima flower, and used a sentiment from SU's Whimsical Words, which is one of my favorite stamp sets!

Stamps: SU's Whimsical Words; Paper: K&Company; Ink: Color Box Dune, Ranger Vintage Photo; Accessories: EK Success butterfly punch, Prima flower, Marvy Uchida heart punch, doily from the local dollar store, rhinestones from ACMoore, and scrumpled seam binding from Deb's Simple Treasures Etsy shop.

Another pink and green card!

A friend of mine is celebrating her birthday, and since one of her favorite colors is pink, I just had to create another pink and green card!

I made a window with SU's Curly Label punch and then stamped the sentiment, punched it out with the punch, and attached it to the inside of the card.

Stamps: SU's Whimsical Words; Paper: K&Company; Ink: SU's Pink Passion; Accessories: SU's Beautiful Wings Embosslits folder, ribbon, flowers, and pearls from AC Moore.

Polka Dot Happy Birthday

UPDATE: My card was chosen as one of the Top Five for the Scrapmaster's Paradise Color Combo #49.

The challenge this week at The Shabby Tea Room involved polka dots. My granddaughter's favorite color is turquoise, so I thought I would create a birthday card for her that included some polka dots. Besides my turquoise polka dot ribbon, I used SU's retired DSP Rainbow Sherbet and my Cuttlebug Dotted Swiss embossing folder to add a few more "dots" to my card!

I am also entering this card in the Scrapmaster's Paradise Color Combo #49.

Supplies include: SU's Apricot Appeal CS, SU's Rainbow Sherbet DSP, SU's Top Note die, SU's Happy Birthday stamp, SU's Tempting Turquoise ink, EK Success flower punch, SU's Scallop Edge punch, and brads and ribbons from my stash.

Happy Anniversary

Most of my cards seem to be pink and green, so I wanted to use another color combination for an anniversary card. Taking a cue from my blog, I decided to make a black and green card. I entered this card in the Jacksonbelle Tuesday Challenge--using a neutral color, one other color, and black.

Supplies include: SU's Whisper White and Basic Black CS, So Swirly jumbo wheel stamped with StazOn black, Whimsical Words stamp, Day and Night DSP, and Scallop Edge punch, green paper from my stash, Marvy Uchida scallop punches, and brads and ribbon from Michael's.

Red, White, and Blue

UPDATE:  My card was chosen by Pals Paper Arts as one of the Best of the Best for 2010.  Check out the information here, scrolling down to May!  I received this badge to display on my blog.  What an honor!

UPDATE: My card was chosen as one of the three winners of the Pals Paper Arts Theme Challenge--Memorial Day, and I also received an Honorable Cup of Tea for The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge--Week #10.

The challenge this week at The Shabby Tea Room is to use red, white, blue, stripes, and/or stars on a card! I have always wanted to make a card with some "music" on it, so I looked through an old songbook for a patriotic song and found "America." I distressed the card stock, sponged the edges of the "song" and sewed it onto the card, and then added some ribbon, designer paper, and embellishments. I found that I did not have any white star brads for my flowers, so I painted some yellow ones (which took forever to dry)!

I also entered this card in the Just Us Girls Challenge #33 -- Patriotic Colors and in the Pals Paper Arts Theme Challenge--Memorial Day.

Supplies include: SU's Brilliant Blue CS, SU's Real Red CS, SU's Jersey Shore DSP, SU's scallop edge punch, SU's Send a Celebration stamp, Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, and brads and button from my stash.

Always

UPDATE: My card was chosen as one of the Terrific Top Three for The Shabby Tea Room's Week #9 challenge.

Living beyond the edge of the world causes a real problem when I need craft supplies. If I can't find something in my stash, I either have to drive 14 miles to the nearest craft store or figure out what I have that I can use!


This was the case with The Shabby Tea Room's Week #9 challenge: Chipboard Challenge! Well, the only chipboard pieces I have are little bunnies, ducks, and other assorted baby-theme items that I use for my granddaughter's scrapbook. So I drove to the craft store and could not find any chipboard embellishments that I wanted to use!


When I got home, I grabbed an old legal pad, ripped off the back, got out my heart Nestabilities, and created some chipboard hearts! I also punched out the backing for the sentiment with my Marvy Uchida punch, but I would not recommend doing that very often as it was extremely difficult to punch through the faux chipboard.


Supplies include 29th Street Market designer paper, SU's Small Script stamp, SU's Rich Razzleberry ink, FolkArt and Americana acrylic paint, Stampendous pink glitter, flowers from ACMoore, and scrumpled vintage seam binding from Deb's Simple Treasures Etsy shop.