A Late Merry & an Early Happy

Hi everyone!  Can you believe the holiday season is almost over?  I have to admit that I got a bit overwhelmed the last few days before Christmas and then had a few hectic days after.  Things have quieted down now.  We did get a dusting of snow on Christmas Eve, so I guess that can count for a white Christmas.  The day after Christmas we had a bit more snow but it turned to rain.  Yesterday, we ended up with about an inch and a half of the white stuff.  Made me happy.  I love to cozy up under my afghan with just the Christmas tree lit at night. 

With all the last minute rush, I got behind on doing a blog post--hence the title.  I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas (which is now too late) and a Happy New Year (which is a little early)!  I do have a few cards to share.  Some of them, I'm not quite happy with.  I was in a rush to get some made and they look it.  lol 

First up is a little decorated envelope that I made with bits and pieces from my stash.  I do like the vintage look here.

Back of the envelope.

The next two cards use papers from Little Yellow Bicycle.  The circles were cut with EK punches.  I kept these two cards similar since I wanted to get a few done at once.  The holly leaves were made with a Martha Stewart punch.  Rhinestones are also Martha Stewart.  A bit of Stickles, bells and ribbon finishes them off.

The next two cards are based on a sketch that Romy Veul shared on her blog.  The paper for the first card is from MME.  Flowers and leaves are Prima, doily is Wilton, pearls from Recollections, snowflakes are Jolee and Queen & Co.

The papers for this card are from Little Yellow Bicycle, doily from Wilton, and rhinestones from Recollections.

And last but not least is a New Years' card.  The papers here are from Melissa Frances, holly leaves punch and rhinestones are Martha Stewart, seam binding is from Debbie Marcinkiewicz, and pearl swirl is from Want 2 Scrap.

Well, that's  it for today.  Do you have any New Year's Eve plans?  I must admit that it's not my favorite holiday.  I feel a bit sad putting the Christmas decorations away and losing a bit of that wonderful holiday spirit that everyone has beforehand.  We always stay home.  My parents come over for a dinner featuring Chinese food and pizza--what a combination!  They leave early as they are not night owls.  I have to confess I usually have fallen asleep by the time midnight rolls around!  My wish for the new year is health and happiness for everyone.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you'll continue to visit me in the new year.

Cape May and a Card

Last week, I was able to take a mini vacation to Cape May, New Jersey, with my parents.  We had a wonderful time enjoying the Christmas decorations in this quaint Victorian town.  We took a trolley car ride at night to see the homes all lit with the holiday lights.  So beautiful!  We stayed in a bed and breakfast called the Gingerbread House.  Here are some photos.

The Gingerbread House - Our suite was on the second floor with the porch access.  It was a bit cold to sit out on the wicker furniture, but you could see the ocean from the porch.

The living room filled with many antiques.  The house dates back to 1869.  No reproduction of furniture.

The Christmas tree in the living room was decorated with all gingerbread-themed ornaments.  It was fun to look at each unique ornament.

 

The dining table where we had breakfast which included the most delicious blueberry muffins, banana bread french toast, bacon, homemade granola cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, and ambrosia.

 

 

One of the many beautiful Victorian homes.

 

 

A glimpse of the beach

 

 

I bought these adorable handmade Santa and snowman ornaments in a Scandanavian shop and the little Victorian girl in a Christmas shop.

 

 

And, finally, a birthday card I made for a co-worker.  Her birthday is on Christmas Day and she is very adamant about not having any Christmas-themed birthday cards or gifts.  I used Carta Bella paper, Petaloo flowers, Zva pearl swirl, a Recollections charm and a PTI stamped sentiment. 

 

I am very behind in Christmas cardmaking once again.  I am going to do my best to get a few made before the big day.  I hope you have a very good week ahead and thanks so much for stopping by.  And one last thing, please keep those families devastated by the Sandy Hook tragedy in your prayers.

Christmas Tags

Seriously, I am so far behind as far as making Christmas cards go.  This past weekend was spent finishing up shopping and decorating the house.  I did manage to make two quick tags, but I'm not real happy with them.  Anyway, here goes...

First up is a tag that I inked using Distress Ink in forest moss.  Using that same color, I stamped the design from Recollections onto the tag.  A K&Co layered sticker was placed on top of that.  I glued some bits of ribbon and trim to the bottom of the tag.  The snowflakes were made with a Marvy punch and accented with gold Stickles.  Another bit of ribbon was tied to the top.

The next tag is classified under "where was I going with this."  The picture in my head was totally different from how this turned out.  I lightly inked a Paper Company tag with antique linen Distress Ink.  The Christmas Joy stamp was inked with VersaFine Vintage Sepia.  Now, this is where it really took off on its own.  I found this eyelash yarn in Michael's and thought it would look great as an edging around the tag.  My son asked me what that was supposed to be!  Trying to dress it up some, I put some Recollections pearls across the bottom and a part of a K&Co sticker on the top.  I finished it with a satin bow and a flower button. 

I'll leave it at that!  It was really difficult to try to fix it with all those "eyelash" fibers in the way.  Oh well, live and learn!

As if I'm not pressed for time, I decided to take a trip to Cape May, New Jersey, with my parents for a couple of days this week to see the victorian homes all decked out for the holidays (my husband and son have no interest in this).  However, I have learned that it's important to make the time for some things when the opportunity arises.  Life is too short.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Hopefully, I'll get some cards done when I get back (while I'm baking cookies)!

Christmas Cards

Hi everyone!  I didn't get much crafting done this past week other than decorating an envelope for a Christmas card.  It was kind of an up and down week--some good things and some not so good things.  I did spend most of the day yesterday decorating the Christmas tree but still have the rest of the house to make festive.  Anyway, I have two Christmas cards to share today.

This first card uses papers from Little Yellow Bicycle 6x6 Once Upon a Christmas paper pad.  I decided to make a tag to decorate the card.  I used some white chalk ink from Ingvild Bolme to edge the pattern paper before attaching it to the card base.  I then layered a piece of white lace onto the paper.  A snowflake stamp from Hampton Art was used for the background of the tag.  I cut out some banners from one of the pattern papers and adhered them with foam squares to the tag.  A bit of green trim was glued to the bottom edge of the tag.  A K&Co layered sticker, Recollection gold beads and a bit of red ribbon finished off the tag which was attached to the card with more foam squares by Therm-o-Web.  The snowflakes were made from a Marvy punch.

The next card is made with papers from Melissa Frances.  I cut a piece of Holly paper and attached it to the card base.  I wrapped a piece of cream twill around it and tied it in a bow.  The snow couple was cut from a sheet of Frosty paper and attached to the postage frame that I painted white and made it sparkle with Martha Stewart glitter.  A touch of Stickles was applied to the holly on the snowman's hat and the snowgirl's bouquet.  Then I tied a Melissa France candy cane and little snow-coated bells with baker's twine to the bow.  A PTI sentiment stamped to a tag finished this one off.

I need to get crafting this week so I'll have something to share soon.  I've kept to my one New Year's resolution to craft something at least once a week; and so far, I've managed to do that.  Thanks so much for stopping by and know that I appreciate all your sweet comments.  Have a wonderful week!

Stamping

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful holiday.  We had an enjoyable day, but I was quite worn out by the end of the night.  The weekend was busy even though I didn't participate in the Black Friday shopping marathons.  Can you believe that Christmas will be here in less than a month?!  I actually made two Christmas cards this past weekend.  I'm determined to get more done.

Anyway, I just have a quick post tonight.  It's been awhile since I've focused on stamping.  I needed a thank you card that could be mailed in a regular envelope, so I needed to limit the embellishments.  I'm not sure who made the pattern paper.  I used black marker to highlight the rectangular shapes.  The angel stamp I used here is from Inkadinkado.  I colored it in a bit with Faber-Castel pencils, a touch of Stickles and some Liquid Pearls.  It was hard for me to stop with just that, so I added some Petaloo flowers that I sprayed with several shades of Glimmer Mist.

Well, that's it for now.  I'll be back soon with some Christmas cards.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the States, so I just want you to know how grateful I am for the wonderful friends I've made in the paper craft blog community and the inspiration each of you bring to me.  I've been given many blessings in my life and want you to know that I count you among them.

I meant to share this card last weekend, but time got away from me.  I had to work extra hours, broke a tooth, attended a nephew's birthday dinner, and went to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 (yes, I know I may be a bit old for that but how I loved those books and the movies).  Anyway, I made this card for my sweet friend Audrey's birthday which also happens to fall on Thanksgiving Day this year.

I made the card from scraps of paper I had in my stash.  The butterfly is from Recollections.  I spritzed the Prima flower petals with several shades of Glimmer Mist and added a crocheted flower and fabric brad to the center of the flower.  I attached it to a Recollections tag that I stamped and wrapped a bit of Recollections lace around the bottom.  A couple of buttons and twill were tied to the top of the tag.  The leaves are Prima, doily is Wilton, and the brown pearls are also from Recollections.  I used a Martha Stewart lace punch on the strip of paper across the card. 

That's it for me tonight.  Need to finish a few things tonight in preparation for tomorrow.  Again, I wish a wonderful holiday to all those celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow as well as a great upcoming weekend to all.  Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments!  Happy Birthday, Audrey!

Dream at Melissa Frances

He everyone!  I'm super excited to share that I have a card featured on the Melissa Frances blog today!  Please stop by and take a peek.  I love her products so much I tend to hoard them.  Have a wonderful day!  Mine is off to a great start!

Tag Happy

I have developed a love of tags and artist trading cards.  They are beautiful works of art to me.  I have long admired these little beauties that I've seen created on various blogs that I follow.  I also love distressed items but have had trouble with the blending tool.  I always seemed to get the shape of the tool whenever I used it.  Recently, I was admiring projects on two blogs where the distressing was beautifully done and asked how these girls perfected it.  These sweet girls, ReNae Allen and Gabrielle Pollaco, each referred me to tutorials by Tim Holtz.  Just the instruction I needed!  It was so simple once I saw it done.  Using my new found knowledge (lol), I created these two tags.

This first tag was inspired by one on Gabi's blog that she graciously allowed me to lift.  Using a Recollections tag, I distressed it with Tea Dye ink.  A script and swirl image was stamped on the tag.  I layered two small images from K&Co paper onto the tag.  Then began the rest of the layering.  The vine is Prima as well as the tiny rose.  Everything else is from Recollections.  The lace at the bottom was accented with Liquid Pearls.  A Tim Holtz reinforcer was used at the top with a little twill and a string of pearls.

Next up is a tag I made for a sweet young girl who has faced some challenges in her life.  I used Victorian Velvet ink to distress the tag and to stamp a music sheet on it that you really can't see here.  The flowers and pearl/rhinestone swirl are Prima, the metal sign is Making Memories, the butterfly is from Colorbok, the double pearls are Recollections, lace is from Joann's, and the heart is Jenni Bowlin chipboard painted white and glittered.

I really had a lot of fun making these tags.  Thanks to Gabi and ReNae for your help and inspiration.  If you haven't visited these sweet girls' blogs, please take some time to stop by them.  They are so talented!

I hope your weekend was good.  My parents, son and I went to a holiday festival featuring Eastern European food and crafts.  Delicious!  The dessert table was unbelieveable!  I did pickup a few gifts for Christmas.   Believe it or not, after a cold week and a bit of snow on Wednesday, we are hitting near 70 degrees here today and tomorrow!  Back in the 50s the rest of the week.  Thanks so much for stoppping by.  I appreciate all your sweet comments!  Have a wonderful week!

More Carta Bella

Happy November!  Here in our little SE corner of Pennsylvania, we were blessed to be spared the all out wrath of Hurricane Sandy.  A lot of businesses and schools, although, were closed for two days here, some longer.  In her wake, we were left with crisp, cold autumn air--about 10 degrees colder than normal.  I'm loving the nip in the air!

Today, I have another card using the papers from the Carta Bella line I used in last week's post.  I believe the houndstooth paper is Teresa Collins.  I just layered various papers and stickers onto the houndstooth.  The roses were fussy cut from one of the papers.  A Prima flower and leaves were adhered to the lower left corner.  A Colorbok black pearl accent and Prima stud finished it off.

I spent some time during the storm making a couple of tags which I'll be sharing later.  I hope the week ahead is a good one especially for those who are dealing with the long-term affects of the hurricane.  My thoughts and prayers are with you.

The Calm Before the Storm

Hey friends!  Just popping in tonight with a quick post.  Hurricane Sandy is headed our way beginning tomorrow afternoon or there abouts, so I thought I'd better get my blog post in just in case we lose power.  If you listen to the news reports around here, it has been mostly doom and gloom.  I do hope they are wrong this time.  We are as prepared as we can be at this point and will just have to wait and see and hope for the best. 

My mother-in-law's birthday is tomorrow; and in view of the weather forecast, the family got together tonight to celebrate her birthday.  It was a lot of fun to get out and think about other things for a few hours.  Here is the card I made for her birthday.

I really enjoyed making this card.  All the papers are from Carta Bella 6x6 paper pad Beautiful Moments.  The red paper was adhered to a premade blank card.  I then added the paper with the banner onto it.  Strips of paper were cut to layer onto that.  A Martha Stewart lace punch gave a bit of a fancy look to two of the strips.  A piece of Recollections self-adhesive lace was added to the right side.  The pink flower and leaves are Prima.  I'm not sure who made the other flowers.  To finish it off, I made a bow out of white hemp and added some pink Liquid Pearls to the banner and the punched lace strip.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend; and if you're in the path of the hurricane, be safe.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Fall Tag

I thought I would make a tag, and it would be quick and simple.  Not.  I can't tell you how much inking and shading with distress inks and pastels that I did here!

I started with a Recollections tag.  The background image is a Halloween stamp from Recollections stamped in sepia ink.  It has such cute and tiny vintage Halloween images that are difficult to see here.  Here is where all the coloring came in.  I inked the edges with Distress Ink in antique linen and tea dye.  With my fingertip, I applied orange and brown pastels all over the tag to mute the cream tag.  The pumpkin is also from Recollections which I stamped onto Core'dinations orange cardstock which I sanded first.  The orange was still a bit bright, so I applied some brown pastel over the pumpkin with my fingertip to tone it down.  I used some green glitter ink on the leaves but that didn't show up too well, so I used so a green pastel to emphasize them.  The stem was highlighted with brown pastel.  I attached the pumpkin with foam squares for dimension.  The pie sticker is from Melissa Frances.  The tiny pumpkins that spell out FALL were given a coat of Glossy Accents to make them stand out.  A couple of Crafty Secret leave stickers were added around the pie sticker.  I had a small piece of SEI twill that I inked with antique linen and tied to the tag.  I then glued a button and a hemp bow to the twill.  Finally, I applied some Distress Glitter Ink in antique linen around the edge of the tag.

Just for fun, I set the tag into the center of the wreath on our front door.  Photo isn't that great (sorry for the glare), and I didn't leave the tag there.  The tag was a bit of work, but I thought it could be used up to the Thanksgiving holiday.

I finally switched most of our clothes out for the cooler weather and, as luck  would have it, the temperatures are expected to go above 75 this week.  One last blast of summer, I guess.  I'm probably among the few people who actually prefer colder weather!  I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Get Well Card

Can you believe it is just about mid-October?!  Time is just flying by--at least if you are having fun!  I had a very stressful beginning of the week; but thankfully, the week ended on a better note.  I met two friends from high school for dinner on Thursday night.  We had a great time and enjoyed catching up.  It's nice to know that after all these years, we can still pick up where we left off.  Saturday was the annual fall outing at a local orchard with my SIL and nephew.  My son, even though he is 22, still loves to go but had to work.  We had a fun time.  I came home with fresh apple cider as well as cider donuts.  I'll share photos later.

Today's card was made for a cousin who recently had surgery.  The papers are MME.  I used my EK punches to layer the plain and scalloped circles onto a doily.  I then tied a white ribbon from my stash around the side of the card.  The flowers are a combination of Prima and Recollections.  The leaves are Prima.  The black swirl is from Colorbok.  A Martha Stewart butterfly punch was used on more MME paper and accented with Recollections rhinestones.  A PTI sentiment finishes it off.

A new week is about to begin and I hope it brings the best to you.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I really appreciate your sweet comments!

Once Upon a Halloween

Happy day after World Cardmaking Day!  I enjoyed browsing various blogs and viewing all the beautiful creations.  I hope you had a chance to create a card or two as I did.  One of my birthday gifts was a 6x6 paper pad as well as stickers from Webster's Pages Once Upon a Halloween line.  I had so much fun creating these three cards.

My first card was made by adhering the purple pattern paper onto green cardstock.  The black stitching around the edges is actually a rub-on.  I then attached a Webster's sticker sentiment onto a Recollections diecut.  The leaves, flower, pumpkin and lace are also from Recollections.  I attached a Webster's tag sticker to purple cardstock, cut around it and attached it to the flower with purple hemp.  The owl was cut out from the Webster's paper, attached with foam squares and accented with yellow Stickles.  The purple witch's hat is from Queen and Co. 

My second card was made by using both sides of one sheet of the paper.  I simply cut it apart and flipped it over onto a base of black cardstock.  I then took a strip of another piece of paper and punched the lace edge with a Martha Stewart punch.  I applied Webster's word stickers down the edge of the strip and accented it with rhinestones.  I put a piece of purple adhesive lace from Recollections along the side.  The flower is held together with a Queen and Co cat brad.  The leaves are Prima and the black swirl is Colorbok.  I cut out another owl from the paper as well as the scaredy cat sentiment, attached them with foam squares, and accented them with yellow and green Stickles.  Here is a side view.

Last, but not least, is my favorite.  I love this particular paper.  Two different papers are attached to the card base.  I used the lace punch again on a piece of the green pattern paper and attached a Webster's sticker sentiment.  The owl was cut from the Halloween paper and attached with foam squares.  I accented his eyes with yellow Stickles.  Isn't he the cutest thing?!  I then put some Recollections leaves and flowers with a bit of cream twill around the branch the owl is sitting on.  In the upper left corner, I applied a Colorbok swirl and another Recollections flower. 

Well, that's it for me today.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Thanks so very much for stopping by and for your very sweet comments.  Have a great week!

Hello

Another weekend is winding down.  I hope your's was good.  I had a fairly busy but enjoyable one--lunch with my SIL, family day in our neighborhood, and my parents came for dinner today.  I did make some Halloween cards with the new Webster's Pages line and had intended to share them today but didn't get a chance to edit the photos.  So, I'll save them for another time.  In the meantime, here is what I have for today.

The patterned papers are from K&Co.  I cut a Wilton doiley in half and layered more paper and a Recollections card on top of the doilies.  A Martha Stewart punch was used on the green gingham paper.  A white organza bow was then tied around the papers.  The pretty lavender flower is from Recollections.  The crocheted flowers were made by my friend, Helen Liu at http://helenmade.blogspot.com/; I added some fabric covered brads to them.  The burlap leaves are also from Recollections; I just darkened them a little with some ink.  A tag tied to the bow with lavender hemp, stamped with a PTI sentiment and accented with Recollections pearls finished it off. 

I can hardly believe September is just about over; however, I love the month of October and all the fun fall activities it brings.  Thank you so much for stopping by to visit and also for all your sweet comments.  Have a wonderful week!

More Inspiration

I just finished watching the most wonderful tutorial on the Prima blog by designer Frank Garcia of an altered album.  This prompted me to visit Frank's blog http://www.hausofw.com/.  He is so amazingly talented and is also the editor of PaperHaus Magazine.  He is also giving the album away to one lucky follower.  Stop by and view Frank's fabulous work.

Happy Fall

Fall officially arrived this weekend, and the weather has been beautiful with that little bit of a nip in the air in the mornings.  Love it!  I was a bit under the weather last week but am feeling much better now.  Today, I made a large pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.  The cooler weather makes me crave comfort foods.  Love the wonderful aromas this season brings.

My card this week was made for a 40th birthday party I went to last week.  The papers are from Glitz.  The oval frame is also from Glitz and is transparent.  I just adhered it to some cardstock and cut around it.  The glittered number stickers are from Making Memories, flower is Prima, rhinestones are Recollections, and sentiment is Papertrey Ink.  I dabbed a bit of Stickles onto the flower to give it some sparkle.  The butterfly punch is Martha Stewart.

I know the card isn't what a typical 40th birthday card should look like, but I wanted to give it a fall look.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Thanks so much for stopping by and for all the sweet comments you leave.  I do appreciate them!  Have a great week ahead!

You're Too Kind

I had the most enjoyable past few days!  Even though my birthday was over a month ago, the celebration continues.  My sweet SIL took me to lunch on Friday and gave me a gift card to Michael's as well as some goodies from Webster's Pages.  We ate in the cafe at Whole Foods.  What an amazing choice of food  to choose from!  My son and I picked my parents up at the airport when they got in from their vacation and we all went out for a wonderful seafood dinner that evening.  My parents gave me a beautiful framed print of a young child in a molded glass frame with a burgandy velvet border around the picture which they found in an antique store in Kentucky.  On Saturday, I attended a 40th birthday party that was held outdoors.  And today, my husband and I went to a local town's Super Sunday outdoor flea market/craft sale/food festival.  I bought some beautiful old crocheted doilies, two post cards over 100 years old, and a vintage hanky.  The weather has been incredibly beautiful all week, so I was glad to spend so much time outdoors.

The card I'm sharing today was made to express the kindness I have been blessed with from the people in my life including my blogging friends.  I am so grateful for those of you who have encouraged me with your sweet comments on this blog.  I am so grateful, as well, for my amazing family and friends.

I stamped a Recollections doily in white ink onto the blue cardstock.  The lace strip was from the bargin bin at Joann Fabrics.  The flower is from Prima and the pearl swirl is from Zva.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.  Now, let me tell you a little more about this card.  It was thrown together hastily.  My New Year's resolution was to craft something at least once a week and I have done so faithfully.  However, I was on the go constantly this weekend with little time to spare.  I made myself sit down and whip up something before the day was over and this is it.  I'm not quite sure if I'm satisfied with it as is, but I've kept up with my resolution!

Wishing you a wonder week ahead.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Live Life to the Full

My brother, my only sibling, passed away seven years ago this month from pancreatic cancer after an eight month battle.  He had just turned 50 years old.  We had a conversation one day in which he said, "I don't want to live forever, but I would like to have a few more years."  Sadly, he died just two months later.  

Which brings me to the card I'm sharing today.  I wasn't sure what sentiment I wanted to use when I came across this one from Kaisercraft.  It immediately brought to mind the conversation with my brother.  The base is Recollections cardstock and everything except the tag, stamp and sentiment are from Colorbok's Victorian Parlour and Antique Paperie lines.  The flower is made of punched out flower shapes of different sizes attached to a brad and placed on a doily diecut.  There is a clear sticker with rhinestones that runs across the top.  It is hard to see because of the patterned paper.  A Martha Stewart border punch was used on the green paper.

Here you can see a little bit of the dimension created with some Therm-O-Web foam dots.  I tied some hemp around several times to make the bow.

I'm sorry if this post is a bit on the depressing side.  I just thought it important to be reminded that each day is a privilege and not to take it for granted--something I need to bear in mind myself at times.

On a brighter note, today was a picture perfect day.  We finally were able to turn off the air conditioner and open all the windows.  Looks like it's going to be this way most of the week.  There definitely is a sense of fall in the air.  Makes me feel energized!  Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your sweet comments.  Have a wonderful week and live life to the full! 

Just One More

Just popping in to share one more August birthday card.  This one was for my Dad's 80th birthday a couple of weeks ago.  I started out by making a kraft card base.  The pattern papers are from Colorbok.  I faux stitched in brown ink around the green paper.  The diecuts and tags are from Recollections.  The felt vine is Prima.  I made a bow from hemp and attached a button and tag onto it.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.  I also inked the edges with brown chalk ink except for the card base which is edged with white chalk ink.

I also used some Therm-o-Web foam square to give a bit of dimension.  I struggle with making masculine cards, but I do like how this one turned out.  Hope you do, also!

It's the start of a long Labor Day holiday weekend here in the States, so I hope everyone enjoys it.  And, of course, I wish a fabulous weekend for everyone everywhere!  Thanks for stopping by and leaving such nice comments.  I really appreciate them and you!

More August Birthday Cards

This has been a month filled with birthdays, so I've been creating quite a few cards and have a couple to share today.

This first card features mainly Prima products--papers, flowers, chipboard.  The tag, pearls and trim are from Recollections.  The doily is Martha Stewart, butterfly is K&Co, and the smile charm is Making Memories.  I made this card for a dear friend's granddaughter who I just love to pieces.

 This next card I put together in a hurry for a co-worker's birthday.  I'm not sure if the pattern paper is Prima or maybe Webster's Pages as it was given to me.  I do know the layered flower and butterfly are Prima, the rhinestones are Recollections, and the tag is Martha Stewart.  The brad used for the flower is from Bazzill.  The tag can be removed to use as a bookmark or for something else.

My sweet little Maltese (Jasper) just came over and curled up next to my arm as I'm sitting on the sofa writing this post.  Little things like this just melt my heart!  I'll be back at the end of the week with more birthday cards.  It's been quite awhile since I've done a layout, so I'm kind of getting an urge to try my hand at one again.  We'll see.  Have a wonderful week!

Bloomin' Birthday

Hey there everyone!  I hope your weekend has been good.  Today, my Dad celebrated his 80th birthday.  We had family for dinner at at a local restaurant to celebrate.  I feel blessed to still have both my parents in my life.  I did make a card for his birthday and will share it another time.

August is filled with quite a few birthdays for family and friends.  I've been cardmaking nonstop it seems as it takes me quite awhile until I feel satisfied with the finished product (although there are times that it just doesn't turn out like I pictured it in my head).  This card was made for my sister-in-law who recently celebrated her 50th birthday.  I used mainly all Webster's Pages products here.

Isn't the paper pretty?  I handcut some flowers and attached them to the upper left corner.  I used my Martha Stewart lace punch on the strip of paper that the bloomers are on.  An EK doily punch was used on the pattern paper that I simply flipped over to the other side and accented with Dazzle Me gems around the yellow bloomer.  A PTI stamp sentiment was used on a Martha Stewart tag that I inserted under the border strip and finished off with a little handcut bee.

I really hate to throw out the little scraps of leftover paper, so I used them to decorate the envelope.  The floral circles are simply the centers from the doily shape which I accented with Liquid Pearls.  I then fussy cut the "postage stamp" and added two handcut flowers to it.  To acknowledge my SIL's 50th birthday, I just wrote 50 cents on the flower.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments; and if you would, please keep my mother-in-law in your prayers as she is undergoing surgery tomorrow and also my mother who is having her pacemaker replaced on Tuesday.  Have a wonderful week!