Golf Themed Birthday Card

I have a friend who's birthday is in June and he loves  to golf.  I have this wonderful impression from Art Impressions which I had actually colored quite awhile ago.  I had gessoed some dictionary pages and then heat embossed the image on the paper.  It was colored with distress inks.

Finishing up the card this morning, I found two masculine card challenges I am going to enter the card in.

Wednesday - Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Blog

Sunday - The Paper Players

I am so looking forward to my retirement in July.  I will be able to play with my toys so much more and be able to create to my heart's content.

Here is today's card.

This is a 5.25 inch square card.  The patterned paper is actually a winter collection from Simple Stories but I loved the colors for a masculine card.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your Sunday.

Friday - Time to Challenge Yourself

It is Friday - time to use one of my Unity Stamps and share on Friends With Flair.  It seems I am on a "make Christmas cards" kick.  If you look at last week's post, you will see that I used the same paper for this week's card.  The paper just goes so well with the dark brown embossing powder.

The image was done with Zing dark brown embossing powder.  I colored the tree with some distress paints just to add a little color to the image.  I then layered multiple layers of patterned paper.  Thus my other two challenges.

Addicted to Stamps - Make Your Mark - I colored my tree with distress paints

Virginia's View Challenge - Patterned Paper - lots of patterned paper on this card  The paper is from Simple Stories.

As I was putting my card together this week, I realized I had forgotten to add the beige pindots to my card from last week.  No wonder I kept looking at it wondering what it was missing.  The piece of paper came in handy this week and I made sure to put it on the card.

I must tell you (a peak into next week) that the card will be the same image only stamped in white embossing color.  I am contemplating what wacky colors I can use on it.  Any suggestions.

Enjoy your Friday - I have some fun planned for the week end so my card making will be a little limited plus next week I am staying with my grand dogs for a couple days.  I wonder what mischief we can get into.

Oldie Moldie Monday

A quick post to share a couple cards I made from older supplies.  The 6 x 6 pad is from Simple Stories.  These cards will be going in my next Operation Write Home box.  The sentiments are from Paper Smooches.

Hero Arts, Simple Stories, SRM Stickers and Operation Write Home

The monthly Our Daily Bread Designs challenge for September for Operation Write Home is "wheels"   Our Daily Bread Designs very graciously pay for shipping for a box of cards for each 25 entries - up to 2 boxes.  This is very generous of them because every month we reach a minimum of 50 cards.  My bike has two wheels.

This card could be an anniversary or love card - symbolized by the bike built for two.  I fussy cut out the banners from patterned paper.  The Bike stamp is from Hero Arts.  The "love" stamp is from American Crafts - an Amy Tangerine collection of stamps.  The paper is from Simple Stories and the celebrate is a sticker from SRM Stickers.

Spring Flowers

The midweek challenge on Stars and Stamps is to make floral cards - I did not dig out my flower stamps - I just grabbed some pretty paper and used some floral paper.  The floral paper - one 6 x 6 sheet used on two different cards.  I just used some pieces of other papers to complete the cards.  The sentiments were stamped on two of the little journal cards.

Have a good Thursday.

Stampendous and Retro Sketches

Oh Happy Day - I got a card made for two challenges.  The sketch from Retro Sketches and the monthly challenge from Stampendous for summer cards.

Don't the colors scream summer - gingham, denim, eyelet lace and a cute little bee waving a flag.

The sketch is very simple but fun.

The paper is from Simple Stories.  Stamp is by Stampendous colored with Copics and some bling added to the flowers and bee boppers.  The sticker is from SRM Stickers.  

We have four generation of women in our family with the middle name of Bea.  This card will go to my daughter who is now living in Alaska - it will be her fourth of July card.  I may have to make a couple more especially one for the Queen Bea - my mom.  

I really have a card time putting a card front on a card that entirely covers the card base.  I take it off and put it on and take it off - you get the picture - so I finally get it on and I am happy with how it looks and I have it on backwards - well it is on there - and it is going to stay that way.  Hopefully they will smile when they have to open their card backwards.  I have a neighborhood family that all their cards are made that way because the first card I made I was in a hurry and running out of time so it had to go as it was - so now it is a tradition.  They would be offended if I gave them a card that opened up normal.  

Enjoy your day.  

Simple Stories and Operation Write Home

My goodness - a different look on blogger today - I did not blog one day - oh boy - hopefully it all works so I can post.

I like to start my Sunday morning off with doing the Operation Write Home - Stars and Stamps sketch - gets the creative mojo flowing (mojo is a better work than juice). 

The paper is from Simple Stories - the stamp is from Unity Stamps and I cut the scallops with my Silhouette.

Well I need to get groceries and mow my lawn today.  I do hope the lawn mower starts - first time each year it is a prayer.  Enjoy your day and I hope you get to be creative also.

Simple Stories and Operation Write Home

It is Sunday and Stars and Satmps - Operation Write Home's card blog - has their weekly sketch posted.  I try to hop to it right away on Sunday morning - so then I know I have one more card made for my next box.  The emphasis right now is on mascline cards - the colors are somewhat masculine - they are from the 6 x 6 pad from Simple Stories - Awesome.  Great colors - and I do wish I had a sheet or two of that blue houndstooth.  YUMMY.

As everyone knows - a sketch is a tool and sometimes we alter things a little - my image is not the same size as the rectangle given in the sketch but I like this sweet little image.  I know it will bring smiles to many faces.  Also - I had purchased card bases that are kraft colored and they are 4 x 5.5 - so my other sizes are altered some - and of course - I then matted each piece of paper with dark brown since they are busy prints.  The fearless leader of Operation Write Home - Sandy Allnock - uses this trick - and I have learned from her.

I am frantically working on my own Easter cards so I imagine there will be some other posts today also.  Enjoy your Sunday - now I need another cup of coffee.

Simple Stories Paper and Operation Write Home Cards

It is Sunday - to start my day off with creativity - I went to Stars and Stripes Blog - card blog for Operation Write Home - to get their weekly sketch.  Both cards started with the sketch but the bottom card took a different turn - I have been trying to make masculine cards so dug out my trusty truck stamp from the old Cornish Heritage Farms.  The "UR COOL" is on one of the pieces of paper so thought it worked well for a sentiment. 

The first card stayed pretty much on the sketch track.  I did not like the star as an embellishment after I put it on but when I removed it - alas - I tore paper underneath so the star went back on.  It does pick up the stars in the background paper.  The stamp used is by Hero Arts and is one I have had for years and use it quite often on cards.  I like trees.  Of course, on both cards, the image and sentiment are both pop dotted.

The paper collection is from a 6 x 6 pad from Simple Stories called Awesome.  Don't tell anyone I bought three more 6 x 6 pads yesterday.  Shhhhhh  -   it is our secret.

Well I promised myself I would pick up the garage today because we are in this great stretch of weather in Wisconsin - over a week of 70's and 80's.  Not too hard to take.  Enjoy the remainder of your day.

Unity Stamp Challenge and Simple Stories

Well we all made it through Monday and the first day back to work after the time change.  Springing ahead can be hard on your body.

Unity Stamps has a challenge to use  "winged things" so I knew I had this cute little bear/bee - not quite sure what it is - but I know it does have wings.  and I just love that sentiment. 

As you can see I am enjoying creating with my new 6 x 6 pad from Simple Stories.  The flower paper peeking out is one of their journaling cards - I matted it and used it as the base for my image.  Have you tried creating with orange - I think it is a hot color for this year - I had already been turned onto the color "orange" by one of my students.  Try it you will like it.

So have a Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy day.

New Paper - Yummy

I was able to do some paper shopping yesterday - it felt so good - of course - my addiction came to a head again - you know the 6 x 6 pad addiction - I think I came home with 5 more.  Oh well - the addiction could be something worse.  Shoes maybe or clothes.

This paper is from the collection by Simple Stories - Fabulous.  I thought this label would be perfect on a card for one of our Heroes to send home to a loved one.  The card is based on the weekly sketch as Stars and Stamps - Operation Write Home's card blog. 


Of course, I added more layers - as always.  But love the colors used.  I found the solid aqua at Tuesday Morning - it is in a package for $1.99 - it is American Crafts - this color is in so many collections now days that I know I will get lots of use out of it.

Enjoy your Sunday - are you tired from the time change.

Simple Stories and Operation Write Home

I had this wonderful collection of paper from Simple Stories on the design table (nice name for a messy area) from the card I made on Wednesday - so made a couple more birthday cards for Operation Write Home.  The colors and designs are so beautiful in this grouping.  It is all from a 6 x 6 pad - you know - one of my paper obsessions.

Hope you like it - now I need to do laundry, buy groceries, etc - I don't know for sure - but I may have a cold trying to break through - or that front that came through made my nose run - hopefully that was it.

Have a wonderful day - it is Saturday - I am not working - so it is a good day.

Hump Day - Yeah

Good evening - boy it is hard to get back into the swing of making cards after being on vacation.  Trying to work the rust off the mo jo.  I had seen this sketch site (Freshly Made Sketches) in the last few weeks so today I saw their weekly sketch and decided I would try it out.  It is a very versatile sketch and then comes the hard part - what paper to use, what stamp to use - sometimes that is almost overwhelming.  I finally settled on paper from this 6 x 6 pad from Simple Stories - Happy Day.

The stamp is from my collection - I have used it in the past.  It is by Hero Arts.  I stamped the image in VersaMark and a distress ink and then clear embossed.  It did not all clear emboss.  After the card was assembled I added a little color to the image with Copics. 

I think this will be a great card for my next Operation Write Home box.  Everyone enjoy the remainder of your evening - I suppose I need to figure out what I will wear to work tomorrow and wind things down for the evening.

May Arts Ribbon and Operation Write Home

May Arts  - say that to any cardmaker or scrapbooker and all of a sudden you see their eyes light up, they start drooling - it is a common ailment of people who enjoy working with Ribbon - especially May Arts Ribbon - it is so lovely.  They partnered with Operation Write Home for a challenge - you can find that challenge at this link. 

I had worked with this beautiful grouping of Holiday papers from Simple Stories and it was still on the design table (much nicer description than the messy table I create on) and I knew I had just restocked my supply of this particular May Arts ribbon - beautiful dark red color with a suede finish to it - works great for holiday cards.  I also bought more dark brown.  I found a sentiment and everything in the 6 x 6 pad - all I added was the kraft card base, ribbon and the black base for the stripe inset. 

I have lots of May Arts ribbon but I always want more.  I also love their twine - I buy that in 20 yard lots.  Easy to add to an OWH card because it adds so much but not too much thickness.  You do have to be careful when making cards for OWH that you don't make them too bulky for our Heroes to mail home.  The majority of my personal cards need special mailing because of the huge bows I tie but for OWH I attempt to keep the bulk to a minimum.

Everyone enjoy their evening.

Simple Stories - 25 Days of Christmas

This is a card I made this week for one of the challenges on Stars and Stamps (Operation Write Home's card blog) celebrating OWH's birthday.  The challenge was to use Red and Kraft and Black or Blue.  I chose red, kraft and black.

This is a new paper grouping for Christmas 2011 from Simple Stories - 25 Days of Christmas.  I found the 6 x 6 pad of it.  I have fallen in love with their collections.  I just bought a new 6 x 6 pad yesterday of another collection.  I want to find some big sheets of that houndstooth paper - yummy. 

Everyone have a great day.  I am working on cards using the techniques I am learning in my online class - come back tomorrow to see a couple mini cards using a couple different techniques I learned.  Very happy with the results.

Is it summer already?

We have jumped from winter to summer in Wisconsin - it is in the 80's today. I did manage to get some lawn work done this week end and my body is telling me that I did - but it does look better. I raked up with the assistance of a couple of the neighbor kids 6 bags of yard waste. It only cost me an ice cream cone and a popcicle. The neighbor kids all work for popcicles. I really have them trained right.

My card today is my weekly card of encouragement for a special person. Last week - please don't be ashamed of me - I bought a card and mailed it. The card was even a little lame. The great image comes from The Paper Shelter - it is called Cockatoo Rules. The Paper Shelter blog has a challenge this week - anything goes - so that works for a masculine card.

This great paper comes from a company called Simple Stories - it is a new company to me - I will have to go check out their website.

Well I must go and get some more work done.