We have had lovely changes in weather lately as well as not-so-lovely thunderstorms with a bit of chill in the air, but that is what spring is all about. I pulled out some long-loved Stampin Up stamps and punches to create this little bird card, and it reminds me so much of springtime.
Stampin Up Bird Card
Have a great weekend and try to get out to experience all the blossoms and renewal in your part of the world.
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 . . .
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
Today I am sharing three cards that are white on white. After playing with watercolors for many weeks I got back to card making and wanted to start with a clean look. What could be cleaner than white on white?
White on White-Best Wishes
Embossing folders add texture and only a few ribbons or inky words are needed. The card above features the Stampin Up Bird punch layered on an embossed heart.
White on White – Swirls
White on White – Hearts
The edge punches add to the lacy, crisp, and elegant feel of these cards, which are so versatile and can be used for a multitude of occasions.
You might be surprised to read the title of this post because if you know me at all, you know that my football brain never really developed over the years, and I don’t embrace the football season like most red-blooded Americans. However, football has been extremely good to my sister’s family so I celebrate it for that reason. When she asked me to help her make cards welcoming the incoming college freshman football families (how is that for alliteration?!), I was very happy because that is some football I know something about!
She came up with four sketches for the cards, and I went through my crafty stash and found all things football related. I think the end results were a touchdown! Yes, I know it is corny, but I know how much my nephew likes a corny joke.
Go Pumas! A classic look.
Go Pumas! Textured with a paw embossing folder.
Go Pumas! Cool chalkboard effect.
Go Pumas! The striped embossing folder gives the effect of the field.
I am sure these cards will make the incoming families feel very welcomed! Go Pumas!
Hi Friends! Wow, I can’t believe it has been a whole month since I have posted, but what a whirlwind of a month it was. Christmas is always a busy time, but starting the week before Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas we had construction going on at our house. The end results are beautiful and definitely worth the hassle, and I love our two new upstairs bathrooms. We also got new interior doors throughout the house which meant each closet had to be emptied out in order to remove the old doors and doorjambs, and then once the new doors were in place I cleaned the shelves of all the dust and errant wood particles before putting everything away. Well, not quite everything was put away because I made a vow to get rid of half the stuff from each closet and then put away only what I really wanted to keep. Many things were given to St. Vincent DePaul or recycled. I tried to keep the trash to a very minimum with the paring-down process and think I succeeded overall. All of this was going on while trying to work, Christmas shop, gift wrap, plan, etc., but I have learned to listen to myself as far as limits go so I opted not to put up our regular tree and decorations. Carrie was a little bummed but I did get a teeny, tiny tree and a small Nativity set to put on our TV stand; Christmas is not about the tree anyhow and while I did miss the beautiful sparkle and glow of our regular tree, I knew it would have been filled with dust by the time the construction as over. Anyhow, Christmas was a lovely as always with spending time with family and friends, and that is what counts the most!
When time is short, this card is easy to make and has an excellent layout to use when larger quantities are needed, yet the outcome is simple and elegant. I checked my stock of organza ribbons and matched the colors to my cardstock and inks. A top layer of white was dry embossed with Devine Swirls, Birds and Swirls, or Perfect Paisley, and then the bottom edges were punched with a variety of Martha Stewart edgers. The sentiments are from Stampin Up’s Short and Sweet set.
Black Organza Ribbon Card
Happy New Year Plus 5 Days! I hope 2014 is an extra-special year for you filled with love, health, family, and friends!
Wedding Cake Card
Wedding Cake Card
The 2 wedding cake cards were based on a card I learned in a Stampin Up class. They were simple and quick to make yet have an elegant feel. The cake layers were made with graduating sizes of rectangles embossed with the Devine Swirls embossing folder. Once stacked, the rectangle “layers” were offset by a strand of adhesive pearls. The 3 flowers and bows were just from odds and ends I had in my sticker stash. I tried to use background colors that coordinated with each individual wedding we attended (and we had quite a few in the last year).
Double Heart Love Card
The double-heart card can easily be an anniversary or any type of “love” card. Two hearts and their shadows were cut with the George Cricut cartridge. The hearts were stamped with a flourish design with VersaMark and heat embossed with gold powder. The Perfect Paisley embossing folder was used for the background which was layered on the same gold cardstock as the heart shadows. A pretty gold ribbon finishes the look.
Carol's Creative Papers 