Greatest Mom!

Yes it's another Mother's Day card! I can't help myself! and when there are numerous challenges asking me to do them, how can I resist! I really tried to push through on this one and use accents, cuts, and colors that I normally would not. Of course I spiced it up with things I do normally use but that's ok too!

Die Cuttin Divas Challenge #12 and Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #57 both asked for Mother's Day cards. Scrappy Moms Stamps Terrific Tuesday Challenge wanted us to use the Paisley cartridge. and finally Paper Sundaes Challenge #66 was a sundae bar where the toppings were sparkle, pearls, die cuts and/or the color yellow!

To start out I do not have the Paisley cartridge but I did remember seeing a paisley cut in Stretch Your Imagination so I decided to use that. and to be honest, I've always just passed by that cut, never thinking I'd actually use it. and I think it really added a neat dimension to the card! again, cuts and colors completely out of my comfort zone! To satisfy the Paper Sundaes Challenge I used sparkly paper, the paisley die cut and obviously yellow. I'm kinda sad I don't own any pearls! I would have LOVED to use them! I put some stickles in the holes of the paisley cuts, used the Victorian Photo Punch for the corners and the ribbon is from Celebrate It. I love how the purple just pops on the card! Thanks for looking!

A metallic note!

Good morning! I finished up a little quick card this morning that really took me to a new level. COLORING! I think this is usually my downfall but I'm really happy with how this card turned out! I think I did a pretty good job! I made it for a few challenges. The first is the Peachy Keen Stamps Sketch Challenge #50 w/ a twist, the twist being you had to use metallic accents somewhere on the project. The next 2 challenges, Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays Tagalicious, and Die Cuttin Divas Challenge #11 Tag you're it! both required the use of a tag.

Here is a picture of the sketch I had to follow:
and my card :)

This is a bigger card, 6.5x5 inches. The sunflower stamp is from Rubber Stampede (Sunflower Designs 770F). I've had this stamp for decades, literally. My mom bought it for me during my teenage sunflower craze where literally everything I owned, and lived in and around had to be sunflowers. I can't believe I saved it. Being a pack rat pays off I guess! I colored it in using my Prismacolor pencils. All of the scallop cuts are from Gypsy Wanderings. The sentiment is from Stampendous Personal Notes Mini Quad Cube and I pop dotted the scallop that you can kind of see in the second picture. I used the ek success Victorian Photo Corner punch and used glossy accents and glitter on them. I absolutely love this corner punch! Thanks for looking!

Mother's Day!

I'm having so much fun making these Mother's Day cards! It's only 2 weeks away!!! I made this card tonight for a few challenges. The first is Peachy Keen Stamps Let's Face it Friday Challenge #13 which was to create a Mother's Day Card using Peachy Keen Faces! Cricut Cardz Challenge #71 was also to create a Mother's Day project. And finally More Than Favors CCCC #14 was to create a project using the Indie Art project. Here's my latest Mother's Day card.

I am getting more familiar with my gypsy. I used Indie Art for the flowers and Stretch Your Imagination for the flower pot. The flower pot is the layer part of the image. I used the hide feature on my gypsy to hide the flower so I could weld the shadows of the flowers to the pot. I added some Peachy Keen Everyday Character Faces to the flowers and used the ek success Victorian Photo Corner punch. The sentiment is computer generated. The tag is from Gypsy Wanderings. I added some eyelets from Making Memories and a little ribbon. I have to admit it started out not really being my favorite card but I think it's growing on me :)

Showered with Love!

One card....FOUR challenges! Oh my gosh I'm so excited! This card is nothing how I envisioned (it started out as a seal on a beach LOL) but I'm so glad because I just love it! It came together so easily and it was so fun!

The first challenge is Whimsical Wednesday Challenge #2 April Showers bring May Flowers. The second is over at Paper Playtime where we needed to make a card that had to do with the weather. Next I'm entering it in Paper Sundaes Challenge #65 using texture. Finally over at Die Cuttin Divas their challenge #10 is to use 2 different cuts from 2 different cartridges. Take a look!!
Lots to explain on this one! First I embossed the entire background with the D'Vine Swirl folder and inked the edges. The sun and clouds came from Create a Critter cartridge. The couple and umbrella are from Sweethearts. I used a small punch for the hearts, put glossy accents on them and finished them with glitter. The sentiment is computer generated and printed on vellum. and lastly, I used the Victorian Photo Corner punch by ek success to add some color around the edges! I am really really happy with how this card turned out!

Floral Happy Birthday

I decided tonight to combine a few challenges and try my hand at a new birthday card. The first is at Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays where I needed to use 3 flowers, 3 pattern papers, 3 sparklys and a ribbon. The second is over at Birthday Sundaes where their challenge #5 is anything goes birthday. And lastly I am entering it in Paper Sundaes Challenge #65 which is to use texture/dimension in my creation. Here is what I came up with!



I actually ended up not even using a cricut cut! First time ever I think! The 3 flowers are from Imaginisce and I used jeweled brads from Making Memories to attach them to the card. I inked the edges of all the paper. I used my corner punch by ek success and spiced them up a bit by using glossy accents and Martha Stewart Coarse glitter on them. This was a really fun card to make! It went together really nicely and quickly!

Just a note to say.....

Getting Cricky with K Andrew has her Simply Sunday challenge going on which is called I'll sing you a song. I'm trying really hard to go with the concept 'SIMPLY'! I always seem to add and add and spend hours and hours doing my cards. Then I heard her say that she spent 15 minutes putting one together (turned out GORGEOUS by the way) and it really hit me. Sometimes less is better. So here is my simply take on the challenge.



The card is very simple. Standard A2 size. I had some musical card stock that I've been meaning to use and I thought it was the perfect opportunity! The sentiment is from the Stampendous Personal Notes Mini Quad Cube. The frame is from Lyrical Letters. Added some ribbon and a flower to spice it up a little! I also inked the edges of both sheets of paper. The corner cuts are from ek success and I put some glossy accents on them. Although this card doesn't necessarily scream "I'll sing you a song", I think the sentiment and card stock kind of tie it together! I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Forever Young mommy to be!

What a fun project this was! I'm really proud of myself! I do not have many 'baby' cartridges as my kids are a little bit older and I feel like I would not use them as much. Over at Scrappy Moms Stamps they have a challenge where we are to use the New Arrival cartridge. I don't have that one, nor do I have many with baby-like cuts that I'm crazy about. So I noticed someone on their design team made a project with a pregnant woman. Well I have the Forever Young cart and what's to say I can't make one of my models pregnant! I was also able to enter this into the Paper Cutz Challenge #87 which was to use buttons and bows. So here is my card!


This is an A2 card. I used Forever Young cart and welded a few shapes to the models dress layer to make her look pregnant. Just added some buttons, ribbon and bakers twine to decorate it up a bit. Thanks!

Some more moms day cards

I just had to post these because I think they are gorgeous! I love taking a card that I've done before and just changing the colors around a little to see what I can come up with (that and I have about a half dozen friends asking for Mother's Day cards!) Anyway these cards are very similar to the previous MOM ones. I just used different colors, flowers and models. All of the models are from Forever Young.

Thank Ewe!

I had so much fun making this card! I am able to enter in 2 challenges. Flaunt it Fridays Challenge #18. We were to use the sheep cut from the Country Life cartridge. I don't have that cartridge so I decided to use the sheep cut from Just Because Cards. The second challenge is the Paper Cutz Challenge #86. We were to use an image of a bunny, lamb, chick or Easter egg. and here is what I did :)


The card shape is from Gypsy Wanderings. I just welded 2 shapes together with my gypsy. The inside frame is just a smaller version of the same shape and I inked the edges a bit. The sheep is from Just Because Cards and I embossed him with D'vine Swirl. The sentiment and it's background frame is also from Just Because Cards. I added some of my hemp cording on the side to finish it up. Thanks!

Peachy Keen Stamps Sketch Challenge 49

Wow this card got the best of me! I think I was trying too hard to do it the way I initially envisioned AND to include Peachy Keen Stamps. Problem is I only have 1 set of those fabulous stamps! So I came to the conclusion that I cannot have both. So I went with the card design that first popped in my head w/o stamps. Here is the sketch we were to follow for the Peachy Keen Stamps Sketch Challenge 49.

and here was my take on it :)



LOOK OUT! I found the glitter at the craft store! I am totally in love with this card! I love the sparkle! I love the colors (maybe I should try to break away from pink and brown though!) It may have taken me a few days but I am completely satisfied with the final product!

Here are the details!
I made the card 4x9 so it would fit in a standard business envelope. The girl is from Forever Young (I seem to always revert back to this cartridge when I think Mother's Day). The MOM is from George and Basic Shapes so I could get the shadow layer. I used Glossy Accents and sprinkled Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter on the top layer. The flowers are from Imaginisce. I added some hemp cording and a button to fill in the void on the end. The picture really doesn't do it justice. This card has some sparkle!!! My new favorite I think!

A tower of cupcakes!

I saw this little layout in a magazine and thought it was the cutest thing ever! As tedious as it was, I just had to try it! I was able to enter it into Die Cuttin Divas Challenge #9 which was a sketch challenge. I could also enter it in both challenges over at More Than Favors. The first one, Wacky Wednesday, was to make a birthday card. The second called the Cricut Cartridge Chaos Challenge, was to use the cartridge From My Kitchen. I don't have that particular cartridge but saw some examples where the designer used a cupcake cut. So that's what I chose to do :) Hopefully it qualifies ok. I'm so happy with how this card turned out!

First here is the sketch I was to follow over at Die Cuttin Divas.
The cupcakes and cupcake stand are from Sweet Treats. The frame is from Gypsy Wanderings. I cut the cupcakes SMALL! 0.44 inches and glued them to a circle I also found in Sweet Treats (cut at 0.5 inches). Added different color stickles for the cherries. I cut the different layers of the cupcake stand using a scallop diamond edger punch by ek success. The cupcakes are all pop-dotted. I attached a picture below to show a side view of what it looks like.

I stamped the sentiment using a clear stamp set from Stampendous (happy phrases I think it is called?). Added the necessary ribbon and a button to decorate (with some bakers twine of course). Thanks!!

My inspiration

I decided to work on another challenge over at Getting Cricky with K Andrew. This time her Simply Sunday challenge is called Inspired Hearts....what inspires your heart. Easy....my family! Everything I do each day stems back to my family, immediate, extended, and everyone in between. I decided to use this opportunity to make another photo album card. Well a few actually! I'm really happy with how they turned out.


This first one is my very favorite. I just love the subtle colors. The tree is cut from Just Because Cards at 11 inches. The Family 'banner' is from Plantin Schoolbook cut at 0.7 inches (kind of an odd size but oh well!). I colored the end cap flowers with my prismacolor pencils and added some brads. The flower is from Imaginisce, added a button for dimension and some bakers twine. I just streamed some ribbon I had in my stash across the bottom to finish it off.

Here are a couple more for good measure!


For this last card I made my own flower using a cut from Forever Young. I cut the same flower 6 times with 3 different colored paper. 3 times at 1.5 inches and 3 times at 2.25 inches.

Here is a picture of one opened up displaying the photo inserts.

A little bird told me

I've had my eye on this challenge for 2 weeks now and just couldn't put my mind to what I wanted to create. It was completely out of my comfort zone but I knew I wanted to give it a try. I just love her blog and wanted to enter the Getting Cricky with K Andrew Simply Sunday Challenge which was to create a project using a bird. I had no idea how this card was going to turn out. Fortunately it turned out really really cute! Take a look.


The bird is from Create a Critter cut at 3 inches. I added glossy accents to her flower and a pink little jewel. I couldn't resist putting a googly eye on her either! The nest is also from Create a Critter cut at 1.5 inches. The sentiment is from Just Because Cards cut at 3 inches and the frame from Gypsy Wanderings cut at 2 inches. I added some glitter glue (pretty much like stickles) that I found in the Michaels dollar bin. Added a glittery ribbon and some doodling to finish it off.

I do have to say I love love love the paper! I just purchased the Animal Kingdom paper pack from Recollections and used that for the bird and nest. I have a feeling I'm going to be using a lot from that stack!

Yet another Thank You Card

So as I was doing the 'guy thank you card' a few days ago I had simultaneously started a girly, frilly one! I mean how can you resist right?! Actually it was my 7 year old who thought of the idea. He saw me color the guy flowers blue and recommended I color them pink! and I'm so happy I did! I just love this little card! (well big card actually!) and as an added bonus I could enter it in Paper Sundaes Challenge #63 Spring Blossoms!


First I love love love pink and brown together! The card is 4x9. The floral stamp and sentiment are both from Inkadinkado. I used some prismacolor pencils to color in the flowers. The guy cards had stars and buttons on them but I had to think of something different for this one. The brown flower is from Imaginisce, Bitty Blossoms. I grabbed a button from my stash and some ribbon. The butterflies are from Create a Critter cut at 1.5 inches. I layered them and flared the wings. I'm glad I could finally finish this thing!

Birthday Blessings

I've had these 3 balloons cut and glossed up for a few days now with a loss as to what to do with them. Finally today I decided to sit down and get this baby done! I decided on an easel card (I just love these!!!). I was also able to enter this in Birthday Sundaes Challenge #3 - Anything goes birthday.



The card itself is an odd shape but I wanted to make it to fit an envelope I had. Folded, the card is 5.5x4.25 in. I cut the balloons from Create a Critter at 3 inches. I stamped each of them with a stamp I had in my collection (I have no idea the brand), in the different ink colors. Then I loaded them with some glossy accents and let them dry overnight. Then I just used some bakers twine to tie them together.

I used 4 of my white flower eyelets (from Oriental Trading I believe) in the corners on the front of the card. It's hard to tell but I also added a ribbon to cover up the over lapping pink and blue glitter paper.

The sentiment is from George and Basic Shapes cut at 1.5 in and layered. The gift is from Stretch Your Imagination also cut at 1.5 in. Instead of cutting the bow layer for the present though, I used some blue stickles.

Another Thank You Card

Well the idea for this card was to try to make it as guy-ish as possible. Our Mother's Group is having a speaker come in (a guy) at our next meeting. I was trying so hard to make it simple but as you can see I can never resist 'stuff' all over my cards! I was also able to enter it into Amber's Crafts and Stuff Challenge #3 April Flowers.

I think this was the first time I didn't use a single cricut cut on a card! I decided to do a 9x4 card (or 4x9 if you will). Both the floral and Thank You stamps are from Inkadinkado. I used my prismacolor pencils to color in the flowers. The stars were cut with my Creative Memories star punch, 3 layers. I 'stitched' bakers twine around the buttons and just glued those to the stars. Any feedback would be appreciated.....is this too girly for a guy?!!!!

Let's not forget about Grandma!

I would like to thank my sister for reminding me that Grandmothers are mothers too :) She asked me to create a photo card for her mother in law and the picture inserts would have her grandchildren in them. So this is what I came up with!



Let's see.....the grass is from Create a Critter and welded together with the gypsy. The sunflower, and both greens are from Stretch Your Imagination. I just cut a circle from George and Basic Shapes for the inside of the sunflower since I did not want the face cut that came with the design. I embossed it with Swiss Dots to get the sunflower look. I also added a butterfly from Create a Critter to cover up the grasshopper on the tall grass. I thought the card needed a bit more pink! The sentiment is computer generated and punched with the Fiskars border punch. I added some buttons, ribbon and doodling. The inside of the card has a space for a special message and 4 photo inserts to hold 8 pictures. Any feedback is always appreciated! Happy Sunday :)

A Forever Young Mother's Day

I'm having so much fun making Mother's Day cards! No matter which challenge I try to enter, I find myself making a Mother's Day card to fit it. Same holds true for Paper Sundaes #62 which was a photo inspiration challenge and Two Scraptastic Gals CCCC #11 which was to use the Forever Young cartridge. Oh my gosh this is one of my absolute favorite cartridges! I love each sassy little model and the flowers are gorgeous and so easy to work with. This time I found myself working around this sentiment I found in my stash (I have absolutely no idea where it is from). Here is what I created.



I used Forever Young for both the model and the flower. I welded their shadows together using the gypsy, then just layered the card stock. The model is cut at 4 inches and the flower at 2.5. I used some scrap paper I had lying around, added some ribbon to the center and hung the sentiment with a brad. I tied a bunch of cording that I had around the flower too. I also used Glossy Accents on the LOVE part of the sentiment. Not sure how it came out in the picture. Thanks!!