Beach-Inspired Card

It is terribly hot outside today and if you know me, you know that this is NOT my favorite weather, so it might seem odd that I love vacationing at the beach.  Our favorite beaches are on Topsail Island, NC, and although it might be hot, the lovely breeze paired with walking in the surf keeps me perfectly cool.  Topsail is a very non-commercialized island and there is nothing to do there except relax, renew, reconnect, and relish the wonders of the ocean – a true vacation.

Beach-Inspired Card

I made a couple of these cards and knew right away which beach-loving friend I was going to send one to for her birthday.  I used Core’dinations papers for the bottom half and the starfish because it has such great texture, and the sand dollars were cut from a beautiful paper that had a sheen to it.  Of course it needed some sparkle on the coral, and the sequins remind me of the tiny golden shells we have found there in the past.  I’m going to Carolina in my mind . . .

Graduation Cards

One of my favorite challenges is to make a personalized graduation card using parts cut from the school’s graduation announcement.  I also like to keep some general graduation cards on hand just in case I am pressed for time or did not receive an official announcement.  For three of these I used Core’dinations paper, a graduation hat embossing folder, and a sanding block to showcase the background.  I chose the Core’dinations paper to reflect the schools’ colors to make them a little more personal, but the card for Centre College is my favorite of this bunch.

St.J’s Graduation Card

Owl Graduation Card – Hoot, Hoot Hooray!

Core’dinations, General Graduation Card

Centre College Graduation Card

Congratulations, Liz (Sister Mary Elizabeth)!

My goodness, I can’t believe how this summer is flying by! The last post I made was Memorial Day, and it seems like life has been a whirlwind since then but mostly with good things. We took a family vacation to our favorite beach, Topsail Island, NC, and enjoyed it immensely. It is so nice to spend some quality time with our grown children, and a beach vacation is a terrific way to catch up with them. My work has been extremely busy lately too, which is not a bad thing but it makes me not want to spend any extra time at the computer if I don’t have too. Lastly, I’ve always wanted to learn to draw so I have been taking self-taught drawing and coloring lessons on the internet and YouTube. My colored pencils and watercolors are getting a good workout and I will share some of those creations another day.

Today’s card is a special one I made for a friend of the family, Liz. My son and Liz met when they were in first grade and were fast friends. She would play at our house often especially during the summer, and I’ll never forget all the commercials they used to write and tape with our now-ancient video camera. Her path led her to pursue a life as a nun with the Carmelite order in St. Louis, and just last week she made her First Profession of Vows. I was delighted that her sister uploaded some pictures and videos of the Mass and ceremony and posted them on Facebook. Congratulations, Liz – or Sister Mary Elizabeth to be exact!

Cross Congratulations Card

The cross was dry embossed with a Darice “Cross with Words” embossing folder onto Core’dinations paper, which was then lightly sanded to let the words show through.

Happy Father’s Day (a few months early)

It may seem odd that I am posting Father’s Day cards so soon, but the OWH deadline for them is the end of April. I had a personal goal to make an entire box of Father’s Day/Dad cards this year and can honestly say that I enjoyed focusing on less-frilly, manly cards. I tried to cover an array of themes so a serviceperson could pick out just the right one to suit his or her father.

 

Father’s Day Card – Tools

 

The tool stamps are from Technique Tuesday and the Embossing Folder is from Tim Holtz.  I used the three brads at the bottom of the image to look like nail heads.  The word stamps are from Hero Arts.

 

Father’s Day Card – Baseball

The baseball-themed card was appropriately created on Opening Day.  The stamps are from a retired set from Stampin Up called Good Sport. Again, the word stamps are by Hero Arts.

Father’s Day Card – Bowtie in Blue and Green

This card and the next are simply matched papers with the bowties cut from rounded triangles and another little image from my Cricut George cartridge.  I am not sure of the manufacturer of the stamp because I bought it at a used stamp sale many years ago.  I sure have gotten a lot of use out of it over the years.

Father’s Day Card – Bowtie in Orange

 

Father’s Day Card – Bold Colors

The theme of this card, if you can call it a theme, is strong and bold.  All of these papers came in one set and were meant to coordinate and contrast with each other.

 

Father’s Day Card – By the Tide from Stampin Up

 

I like the monochromatic feel of this card.  Even though few colors are used, there is interest in the zigzag embossed paper and vivid blue focal point.  I’m not crazy about the lobster stamp but it surely fits in with the theme.

 

These cards filled up a little over one-half of the box.  I’ll share the others with you later this week.  Happy Monday!

OWH Memorial Day Weekend Bloghop

Beginning of OWH Bloghop 2013

Welcome to my blog! Because I recently started my blog, this is the first time I have been in an OWH Bloghop and am thrilled to participate – so thrilled that I made 2 cards.  I chose sketch #102 first to create this distressed Thank You card for a Hero.  

OWH Sketch 102

Thank You Card, Sketch 102, Core’dinations Paper

Supplies: I used Core’dinations Dark cardstock in red and the Cuttlebug Stars embossing folder. The large star was cut with my Cricut George cartridge and the sentiment is from Stampin Up’s Service and Sacrifice set. The dark blue starred paper and crackle paper underneath are from Hot Off the Press by Paper Pizazz. I finished up by distressing the star with brown ink, adding a little faux stitching with a brown Sharpie, and embellishing with 3 wood veneer stars by Studio Calico. 

I selected sketch #142 for the second Thank You card good for everyday use.  

OWH Sketch 142

Thank You Card, Sketch 142, Patterned Paper

Supplies: I used a Nutmeg My Mind’s Eye Indie Chic 6×6 paper pad for the coordinating papers and a Cricut Elegant Edges cartridge to make the sentiment shape.

Happy Memorial Day.  Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

“Core’dinating” a Birthday Card

Core’dinations Paper Birthday Card

This brightly colored birthday card is made with Core’dinations ColorCore Cardstock.  Maybe you are not familiar with this product so I will explain.  This cardstock has a core color that “coredinates” with the surface color.  You can choose to keep the core hidden or add your own creative touch by sanding, tearing, or antiquing.

I ran three colors of the cardstock through my Texture Boutique Embossing Machine using the Cuttlebug Birds and Swirls embossing folder.  I also embossed a rectangle with the Happy Birthday mini embossing folder.  I used a Sand-It sanding block to lightly sand away the top layer of the cardstock to reveal the lighter color core of the paper.  After sanding I wiped each piece of cardstock with a Dust Buddy tacky cloth to remove any residual paper dust.

Then I cut them vertically into three equal panels and mixed and matched the panels so each card had one of each color.  I learned through trial and error to be careful how I placed the paper in the embossing folder so that the patterns would match up seamlessly.  I mounted the panels on piece of blue cardstock and tied three coordinating pieces of Baker’s twine across the card, and I mounted the Happy Birthday sentiment on yellow.  The assembled card front was placed on a piece of orange cardstock, and I used three paper flowers to add a little embellishment at the sentiment.

This technique was wonderfully messy with lots of paper dust, but I like getting my fingers dirty while crafting.  Somehow, it makes me feel more creative.