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Three Bright and Cheery Cards

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This is the time of year when the gray skies and dirty snow begin to wear me down. Today, though, I’m getting new lights in my studio and I cannot wait. The room faces north and although there are two windows, there’s not a lot of light even on a sunny day. During the winter, there are few of those. So after consultation from the electrician, we’re (he’s) installing three ceiling-flush light fixtures and a long flourescent strip in the closet where I keep a lot of my supplies. I’m going to need the dimmer switch I think until I get used to having real light in here. 

In the meantime, I’ve been gravitating toward bright colors when I’m crafting to make up for the lack of color in the natural world. 

HBRandy

This birthday card for my brother-in-law was made with supplies from the January Studio Calico card kit. I tried it for a couple of months, but decided I much prefer the Simon Says kit.

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I cased this card from Joy’s post here. Our friend in Istanbul has just gotten a job there, and I thought some real mail might be appreciated. Cardstock is Summer Sunrise and Vintage Cream (PTI) and a scrap of Bazzill textured paper from the scrap files. The patterned paper is A Muse. I opened the package that I bought at least three years ago to make this card! (Totally forgot I had it.) The die and stamp are from Simon Says.

Style

This card was for my niece’s birthday last month. All the supplies came from the February Simon Says card kit, and it’s very similar to one by Kristina Werner who sends a sheet of design ideas with each kit.

Two Cards, Two Challenges

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Since LOAD is finally completed, I’ve been busy making the cards I’ll need to send while we’re in Oregon visiting Sarah, Adam, and Caleb.

Two that I made yesterday fit the current CASual Friday challenge which is to create your own wallpaper or background. It’s not something I find particularly easy to do, but the new Simon Says Card Kit has a stamp set that is made for this kind of stamping. I ended up using some images from Papertrey Ink’s Floral Frenzy as well.

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Even though it’s a bit busy for my taste, I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. The second card also meets the current ColorQ challenge.

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ColorQBD

Both cards use sentiments from the Papertrey Ink Stylish Sentiments: Birthday set. This one is a bit more involved, so I added some Studio Calico enamel dots which helped focus on the flowers. I missed the one on the top right corner, but it now has an enamel dot as well. It’s too dark to take another photo now!

We had a nice weekend with Matt. He only made it as far as Chicago tonight. Missed his flight by a few minutes because the plane sat on the runway after landing for nearly half an hour. He gets to spend the night in the airport, and will miss another day of work. He’s not too pleased, but you’re at the mercy of the airlines. I guess there’s a possibility tomorrow morning’s flight might be delayed due to weather. Fortunately, this is the first time it’s happened to him, so I’m hoping it won’t discourage other weekends at home.

 

CASE Study Challenge #129

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I haven’t given up on card making while doing LOAD. In fact, I’ll have quite a few to share next month, but I wanted to get this one up for this week’s CASE challenge. Here’s the card to case:

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I liked the diagonal lines on this card, and needed a thank you note for a friend. Here’s my take on it:

You'reTheBest

I started with a ready-made card by Memory Box, and cut strips of paper from the papers provided in Simon Says Card kit for January. The sentiment comes from a Hero Arts stamp set, “Everyday Sayings,” and the little stars are from A Muse.

Hope your week is off to a good start! I’m anxiously watching the weather as Matt is headed home this weekend from Denver. He’s been off work for two days because of the snow there, and it’s headed our way again. He turns 30 on Thursday, so I’m hoping he gets here for a birthday celebration!

Two Challenges

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2Challenges

I got Matt’s birthday card made yesterday and it meets two challenges. Since he doesn’t read my blog, it’s safe to post it early. I used the latest CAS(e) This Sketch as well as the most recent CAS-ual Friday challenge which is to use black and white plus one. You won’t be surprised that it’s black, white, and red—one of my favorite color combinations. I liked the sketch as it was, so I didn’t vary it at all.

MattBD

I think this is the last of a set of cards I bought from Impress years ago. I added a banner from Boxy Banners (PTI) and the numbers (Memory Box Typewriter die), and stitched it down. The sentiment is from PTI’s Birthday: Inside and Out. How is it possible that my youngest is going to be thirty years old?

Last week I used basically the same supplies to make my friend a thank you card.

ThanksMark

The only addition here is a very old Making Memories brad.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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This was my father’s favorite holiday, and I always think of him. He made a big deal of it—presents for everyone and celebrated before we left for school. So it’s no surpise that I love it too. Tracy and I decided not to exchange gifts, but as always, I got flowers and a beautiful card. 

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I got gifts for the kids and grandchildren and was glad to have a reason to package up the ones for Betsy and Skylar who came to visit yesterday.

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I also made some dark chocolate almond clusters to take to someone who went above and beyond the call of duty last week. I delivered several of these today. (Quite yummy, I must say! We saved a few for ourselves as a treat after dinner tonight.)

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And finally the last of the valentines. A couple of them were made for challenges that, once again, were done on time, but not posted in time. My favorite of the bunch was Matt’s.

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Sarah and Adam got one of the valentines I made earlier for challenges as did Betsy and Tracy. Here’s Skylar’s.

Skylar'sValentine

And finally, one for my mother-in-law.

Ellie'sValentine

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Hope you had a love-filled day!

CAS(e) This Sketch

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It’s early, but I have a busy morning with Bible study followed preparing the study packets for our Church Leadership Development Day on Saturday. I’m just in under the wire for this since the link closes at noon.

Here’s the sketch:

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And like yesterday’s card, I followed it very closely. Another valentine, as well. I love this die and stamp set from Simon Says which arrived just yesterday afternoon. It was perfect for this.

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Cardstock: Vintage Cream (PTI) & Bazzill Prismatic Red; patterned paper “Love You” (MME); dies: You (Simon Says), Countdown Banners (PTI) & Spellbinders Nested Hearts; sentiment: “You” (Simon Says)

I neglected to take photos of the draw for Pass the Book, but the winner is Alexa. I have your address so I’ll get it in the mail in the next day or two. Hope you enjoy it!

Retro Sketch #49

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This is the second week when the Retro Sketch was perfect for a valentine. This time I followed the sketch totally, and I love the love of the punched hearts with the patterned paper behind them.

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Cardstock:  Bazzill; patterned paper: Fancy Pants “The Good Life” and BoBunny “Bold & Bright Double Dots”; heart punch; Double-ended banner (PTI); sentiment: Savvy stamps

Alexa wondered if I made more than one valentine. I think there are seven or eight on the list this year. I have three done now. 

 

Papertrey January Blog Hop Challenge

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Today’s the day of the January Blog Hop at Papertrey Ink. I loved the inspiration photo and knew right away what I wanted to do.

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It turned out pretty much the way I hoped but it took three tries. I embossed the flowers with white embossing powder and colored them with a variety of Smooch paints. They have a luminous quality that I’ve always liked. It took multiple coats to cover the black with the kind of color I wanted.

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Here’s the card:

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I started with True Black cardstock, and embossed the “Stitches and Swirls” with white embossing powder. The sentiment is from Birthday Basics Sentiments. After coloring the flowers and leaves with Smooch, I mounted the focus piece on a card made from Pure Poppy. I added pearls from Queen and Co. to the centers of three small flowers.

Then Fancy Folk Art arrived in the mail, and I had to try another technique I saw on Cristina’s blog during the release. I die cut the focal image from True Black cardstock, colored the main design with Copic markers on X-Press Blend cardstock, and mounted it behind the black card.

FancyFolkArtPTIHop

I like this one even better. The sentiment is also from Fancy Folk Art. You can find more inspiration here.

Two Cards; Two Challenges

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I had two challenges in mind as I sat down to create two birthday cards for upcoming birthdays. The first card uses both the challenge to create a long and short (tall) card at CAS-ual Friday as well as the CAS(e) This Sketch challenge. It turned out to be a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated, so the second card is just for CAS(e) This Sketch.
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Here’s the first card:
SuperAmazing
Cardstock: Bazzill Prismatic; patterned paper: Lime Twist “Out of the Blue” (MME); stamps: “Super Star” (WPlus9); die: Double-ended banner (PTI); white embossing powder; Gelly Roll glitter pen 
And here’s the card just based on the second challenge:
HBStars
Same supplies as above without the patterned paper, and the addition of a star by Jenni Bowlin
So far I’m managing to keep up with the two challenge/two cards a week I set as a goal for this year. I’ll be back on Friday with another card for the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. I know exactly what I hope to do. Let’s hope it works!

Simon Says Challenge with Washi Tape

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The current challenge at Simon Says is to use washi tape on a card. While I was making cards yesterday, I pulled out a little tin of Washi tape I’m using in my History Project notebook, and made a quick thank you note to send to my mother-in-law’s friends who were so kind to us when we were visiting Florida last week.

WashiCard

Most of  my Washi tape has arrived in kits and I’m not sure who the manufacturers are for these. The cute little wood veneer arrow is from Studio Calico. I colored it with Brilliance Rocket Red ink by Bri. The sentiment is a very old one from A Muse that I embossed in white. I may well be back with more Washi cards before the week is out. I still have two more birthday cards to make that must be in the mail by Monday.

Three Cards, One Challenge

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When I first saw Retro Sketch 46 I didn’t think it would be a particularly easy sketch to work with, but I was wrong. I needed a retirement card for a party tomorrow as well as a thank you note and a birthday card. I pulled out a new 6X6 pack of patterned paper by Fancy Pants and some black card stock I picked up at Archiver’s while we were on our trip and got to work. Here’s the sketch:

Rs46

And here are my three cards based on it:

Retro1

Cardstock:  Bazzill Prismatic; patterned paper: Paper Loft; dies: Labels 12 (Spellbinders), Holiday Shapes (Simon Says; sentiment: Framed Out #1 (PTI)


Retro2

Cardstock: Bazzill Prismatic; Patterned Paper: The Good Life paper pack (Fancy Pants); sentiment: Silhouette file; vellum (PTI); two-inch square punch


Retro3

Cardstock: Bazzill Prismatic; Patterned Paper: The Good Life paper pack (Fancy Pants); die: Labels 12 (Spellbinders), Holiday Shapes (Simon Says); Sentiment: “Framed Out #1 (PTI)

It was 82° when we left Florida Wednesday night. Today it was 17° when I met some friends to breakfast. A rude awakening! I’ll be back tomorrow with another challenge. I’m slowly making my way around to read everyone’s blogs and catch up on Storytelling Sunday.

Thanks–Two Challenges

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I managed to eek out a few minutes this afternoon and make a thank you card. I’ll need a couple while we’re away, and this one meets the requirements for two challenges. Completing two challenges a week is a 2013 intention, and although I meant that there would be two cards, this will do under the circumstances.

The first challenge is CASual Friday:  create a Thank You card, and I used the new RetroSketch that was posted this morning. It would have met last week’s CASual Friday’s challenge as well as it took under 10 minutes to make. Love the RetroSketches! Here’s the sketch:

Rs45

And here’s my interpretation:

ThanksRetroCASFri

I started with Neenah White cardstock, used a scrap of Dear Lizzy Neopolitan patterned paper that was laying on my desk and die cut it with Spellbinders Small Labels. Two pieces of Washi tape, a Basic Grey “Small Details” embellishment, and “thanks” (AMuse), and it was complete.

 

Papertrey Ink December Blog Hop Challenge

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It’s time for the December Blog Hop at Papertrey Ink, and the inspiration piece is lovely.

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White on white always appeals to me, and with our first snow cover of the year, and a winter storm watch for tonight and tomorrow, it’s most appropriate. In addition to the white on white, I kept with the snow image as well.

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I started with Select White cardstock, and embossed a background paenel with the Diamonds Impression Plate. For the focal point, I die cut one of the Doily Details, punched two snowflakes with my Marvy punches, and added a Hero Arts pearl. The sentiment is from Happy Trails, a set I don’t use often enough, stamped onto one of the  Double Ended Banner die cuts. There’s sure to be lots of inspiration here!

Silhouette for Christmas

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One of the best perks of having been on a design team was the opportunity to purchase things at wholesale. I know I never would have bought a Silhouette at full price, but I keep it on my desk and love what it can do. Last night I whipped up a couple of Thank You notes (not yet photographed), but earlier I made a couple cards and a little box. The first card is cased from a Silhouette Blog post. It can’t be easily mailed, but it was hand delivered yesterday with a bag of candy.

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I used scraps laying on my desk for red and green (Papertrey Ink New Leaf patterned paper.) The tag is from an office supply store, and the little candy candy with Stickles is from Papertrey’s “Tiny Treats: Christmas.”

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I love this card, but realized that there’s no room for a message or enclosure if you want the brown to show through. I solved the problem by creating an inside flap of the same brown that lifts up to disclose the message.

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And finally, a little box I made to hold one of Sarah’s gifts. More New Leaf patterned paper for the circles, and the tag is from Papertrey’s “Christmas Countdown” set I purchased for my Christmas Journal this year. (Yes, I’m still working on my Christmas Journal in a not very chronological manner, so I may not post the pages until after the holiday. There have been some challenges with the Simple Stories album, though I love the end result.)

Hope you have a great weekend! Hard to believe it’s the last one before Christmas. Matt is scheduled to arrived a little after midnight, and I have my fingers crossed that he’ll make his connection and get here on time. We have friends coming for dinner which should help me stay awake until we need to get to the airport.

Happy Birthday!!

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Today’s my brother’s birthday. Last year, he came up for a visit shortly after his birthday, but this year we had to “celebrate” over the phone. Here’s the birthday card I sent him.

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I “cased” it from this card, with just a few changes. I used one of Papertrey’s Edger dies and added some Washi tape. I sent an almost duplicate card to Tracy’s brother, Greg, earlier this month. The patterned paper is Studio Calico, the star die and stamp from Star Prints (Papertrey), and the sentiment from Paper Smooches. I think this is a pretty good “masculine” design.

Here’s another birthday card I sent my nephew earlier. 

HexagonBD

I made this one from scraps left over after I finished the card here, and I like it almost as much.

It’s been a wild week—lots of volunteer commitments, committee meetings, and events. Today after church, a friend and I took time to visit the Image City Photography Gallery for their Holiday Show, and then the contemporary Native Peoples exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery. Both were well worth our time. Hope you had a good weekend!