Masculine Birthday Card

I needed a masculine card and thought it was the perfect excuse to play with a new (to me) technique.

I used the stencil Burlap from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection along with texture paste to create the kraft cardstock base panel. The sentiment was created using the Straight Talk - Birthday die from Technique Tuesday along with a Spellbinders Nestabilities Large Deckled Rectangles die to create the rectangle onto which I stamped "wishes". I also cut a larger deckled rectangle from patterned kraft paper to place behind the sentiment, added a strip of vintage-looking patterned paper, then tied some jute twine around the entire panel and attached everything to a basic card base.

Thanks for visiting!

Graduation Shaker Card

I created this shaker card for my grand/daughter's middle school graduation. She is now finishing her sophomore year of high school. I'm a bit behind.

(I just realized that could be misconstrued. I'm not two years behind in making the card, just in posting.)

The cute little graduate and sentiment are from the Cricut cartridge Create a Friend. I added a cardinal from the cartridge 50 States to represent the school mascot.  I added lots of gold and red sequins to the shaker along with sky-themed paper for the background.

Now it's time to start working on her high school graduation card if I hope to have it finished by 2020. Look for the post around 2022.

Thanks for visiting!

Soccer Card

It's been a while since I've posted--so long, in fact, that I needed a "how-to" refresher!

No great creative masterpiece here, just a simple card I made for a young man halfway across the world. I love using my Cricut Explore to create cards to let others know that someone is thinking of them. Don't we all need that once in a while???

Images can be found on the following Cricut cartidges:

Soccer Ball - Life's a Party

Cloud - Hello Kitty Greetings

Grass - ZooBalloo

Thanks for visiting!

Jar-Shaped-Shaker Birthday Card

Call it blind trust or whatever, but I habitually stick bulky cards in the mail believing they will reach their destination unscathed. Due to my life experiences I don't have much optimism left, but I was clinging to the hope that mail was somehow different, even sacred (rain, snow, sleet, hail...and all that jazz).

As usual I was wrong. So my cynicism remains intact, even if my cards don't.

I lovingly made this card and sent if off, only to later learn it didn't make it. (I think the recipient eventually got a notice from the post office that it had postage due--whoops! Embarrassment is another constant in my life. And this time it was all on me.)

The cutout and decorative elements were created using a Jillibean Soup die set and matching stamps. I created the shaker pouch with the We R Memory Keepers Fuse tool and filled it with sequins and small beads. The sentiment was stamped onto a banner shape and adhered with dimensional foam. The final touches were a few sequins glued randomly and a cord tied into a bow and adhered to the neck of the "jar".

Thanks for visiting!

Sea Turtle Shaker Card

I had forgotten about this shaker card until last night when I saw the video that inspired me to create it. If you need some crafting inspiration, I suggest you check out Vicky Papaioannou on YouTube for papercrafting ideas and techniques. She's amazing!

I wish I had chosen paper that was a little more vibrant, but I tend to live a 20/20 hindsight sort of life. Oh well. It is what it is. And what it is this time is a cheap knockoff.

To cut the images, I used Cricut Design Space and my Explore machine along with images from the following Cricut cartridges:

Disney/Pixar-Best of Pixar - fish
Children Around the World - sea turtle
Stretch Your Imagination - wave frame  (I made some size adjustments to the wave frame so that it would fit my card base.)

I used my We R Memory Keepers Fuse tool to create the shaker pocket in an attempt to reduce the bulk since I was mailing the card. (Sadly, many of my cards never seem to reach their intended recipients, or come with postage due.) I added tiny beads (I'm sure there's a more specific name for them, but I have no idea what that might be) along with tiny sequins (again, no idea what they're actually called).

Thanks for stopping by!

Gumball Machine Shaker Card

Sometimes my cards reach their intended recipients. Sometimes they don't. And sometimes I just don't know.

This one, I'm told, never made it.

I love shaker cards. They provide a nice, clean way of adding sparkle without messy glitter or time-consuming glitter glue (how many days does that stuff take to dry, anyway???) But quite often they either get destroyed by postal machines (I'm assuming) or, to my horror, sit in the post office with a big, ugly "postage due" notice, waiting for the addressee to come stand in line with money in-hand to retrieve a mystery package that the well-intentioned sender failed to stamp properly.

What a let-down that must be. ("I spent my afternoon in line and paid good money for this????") LOL. The trials of life.

And now, onto the card details.

 ("I spent my valuable time reading nonsense for this??????") Big LOL.

I used a sweets-themed stamp set from Jillibean Soup for the gumball machine and sentiment. The circle was cut from a nesting die set from Darice. And I used my We R Memory Keepers Fuse tool to create the shaker pouch that holds the sparkly bits, thinking that with less bulk my card would make it safely.

It didn't.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thinking of You Card

Sometimes life deals us hardships, and that's when we need someone to remind us we aren't alone. I never want anyone to feel the pain of abandonment on top of whatever else they might be going through, so I like to use my simple cardmaking "talent" whenever possible to help someone through the tough times.

The design on this card was cut on my Cricut Explore using the Lacy Labels cartridge. I added a little twine under the label and put some sparkle in the flowers using glitter glue. It was a simple project, but I hope it reminded the recipient that someone cares.

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Birthday, Teresa

Today my older sister, Teresa, turns 60. It's a bittersweet day because she has been in a vegetative state for 17 years, but as long as she's alive I won't stop asking God for a miracle. And if that isn't His plan, I pray He will give her comfort as long as she's here.

Teresa has loved giraffes since she was a teen, so I try to use them in her cards as much as possible. This giraffe was cut on my Cricut Explore using the cartridge Bits and Pieces, the tree was cut from the Heritage cartridge, and I hand-cut the grass along the bottom.

I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks to create the sunset background (or sunrise, if you prefer). I die cut the sun using my Sizzix Big Shot and a circle die, then backed it with shimmery paper. I used craft foam to create dimension between the sky and sun, but because I used a good bit of liquid glue to attach the front panel to the card base, I inadvertently caused a reaction with the distress oxide inks. (I tried to minimize the damage by adding a little more ink and pretending it was all intentional.)

I wanted to acknowledge Teresa's milestone birthday, but in a subtle way, so I simply stamped "60" in VersaMark ink on the tree trunk and embossed it with clear embossing powder.

As always, I really appreciate that you took a few moments to visit!

Stamped Floral Card

I have a bad habit of wanting to try every craft I come across. YouTube videos created by those who have mad skills and make everything look easy are playing right into that desire. Unfortunately, I haven't yet found my talent. And I'm quickly running out of space to store my crafty tools...and the money to finance my habit. But I'm tenacious and refuse to let that stop me.

This card was created with Tim Holtz stamps and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. Since the stamp set is sort-of a mix-and-match set, I have no idea if I got the parts matched up correctly. And I'm just learning to color (saddest statement ever made by a woman approaching 60). But I had fun anyway, and hopefully the card brightened the recipient's day. After all, aren't those the two most important reasons we craft???

Thanks for stopping by!

Beauty and the Beast Shaker Card

My 4-year-old granddaughter loves Disney princesses. No surprise there. What's actually very surprising (to me, at least) is that my oldest grand/daughter indicated she would be hoping for a similar card for her upcoming 19th birthday. I guess you never outgrow Disney. Or the fantasy of being a princess.

When I made this card I evidently wasn't thinking clearly because the last time I saw my precious young granddaughter she made it perfectly clear that her favorite princess is Sleeping Booty (which is so cute coming out of the mouth of a sweet 3-year-old that nobody in their right mind would correct her pronunciation).  Anyway, the card was already made before that recollection came to me, so Belle (the other "Booty") would have to suffice. In my defense, I am old...and very forgetful. And to my credit, I did remember her birthday.

I thought an interactive card would be fun, so I chose to make a shaker element by altering the rose design from the Cricut cartridge Disney Princess - Dreams Come True. From the same cartridge I cut Belle as large as possible and put her together as best I could (these character images have some tiny pieces!) I also cut several pink shapes to use as rose petals and put them inside the shaker along with sequins and other shiny small things. I then placed everything on a purple background because...well, nothing says "royal" better than the color purple!

Thanks for visiting!

Foiled card with butterfly

I wanted to play around with foiling techniques...and get a much-overdue card made at the same time.

I used a Heidi Swapp art screen and screen ink to apply the floral design, which was then foiled using Minc reactive foil and a laminator. The butterfly is from the 3D Butterflies package of Minc ready-to-foil designs, which I also foiled and then attached to the card with dimensional adhesive squares.

And if you happen to notice an angled edge at the top of my card, I assure you it was straight when I photographed it. Magic, perhaps? Ahhh, the mysteries of life.

Thanks for stopping by!

Beach-Themed Card

I complain a lot about how difficult life can be. But I know two things: 1) I've been incredibly blessed...not because I deserve it but because of God's mercy and grace; and 2) other people have problems, too, and as a Christian I should strive to be like Jesus and show kindness to them.

I have no problem with the first thing on my list. I'll take God's grace anytime, anywhere (and I'm still standing only because of His mercy). But the second one is a struggle. I spend far too much time immersed in self-pity to be much like Jesus (but I hope I never stop trying).

Long story short, I wanted to show love to someone very special by sending an unexpected card.

The recipient loves the beach (as do I, and probably you, too), so the theme was an easy one. I cut the beach chair, flip flops, palm tree and umbrella on my Cricut Explore from the Life is a Beach cartridge, and the clouds were cut from the Sanrio-Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge. I tore pieces of cardstock to create the sand and water, then added some glitter to the blue cardstock to mimic ocean waves (not perfect, but once glitter is glued to paper it isn't easy to tweak if you aren't happy with the effect!) And on that note, I could have stamped the sentiment directly on the sky, but after my regrets about the glitter waves, I thought it would be prudent to stamp separately on vellum...just in case.

Thanks for visiting! 

Graduation Box Card

***Apologies upfront for the poor lighting. I'm still working on my papercrafting skills; once I've mastered those I'll work on my photography. You might want to take a seat while you wait.***

This graduation box card was made for a special girl using my Cricut Explore. (I did hand cut the box base using a template I found on the internet.)

The beauty of using the Cricut Explore machine along with the Design Space software is that I can easily search for the perfect images and utilize several cartridges with ease (which I did with this card). Here's the list of images and phrases I used:

Girl graduate - Paper Dolls Teen Scene

Owl - Recess

Graduation cap - Recess

Diploma - Recess

Congratulations - Lyrical Letters

Way to Go! - 3 Birds on Parade

You Did It! - Cake Basics

2016 - ? (Sorry, I added that last minute and didn't save the info, nor did my aging brain retain it for an entire year)

The other details I added were googly eyes for the owl, a tassel braided from thread and attached to the cap with a brad, and a few thin wires I coiled and added as festive filler.

Thanks for visiting!

Giraffe Birthday Banner Card

This card was made using the Cricut cartridge Creative Everyday Cards. The original design as shown on the cartridge is a love-themed card consisting of two giraffes facing each other with a heart in between. Since this was a birthday card for my sister, I changed it up a bit by giving the giraffes a little space and having them "hold" a banner between them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spooky Halloween Card

This graveyard-themed card was made for my teenage grand/daughters last Halloween. I cut the graveyard scene and the bat from the Cricut cartridge Happy Hauntings.  The bat was mounted on a spring to allow him to "wobble". The background was embossed with a folder from the Cricut Happy Hauntings set, which coordinates with the cartridge.  To dress up the inside of the card, I cut a border of ghosts from a Martha Stewart punch.

As I was reviewing my photos, I discovered an extra-spooky character had photobombed this picture (and evidently cast a spell over my camera rendering it incapable of focusing):

Thanks for stopping by! (To my readers, not my photobombing "guest".)

Elmo Halloween Card

This is the card I made last Halloween for my two youngest grandchildren. I figured it was my last chance to use this cute Ghost Elmo cut from the Cricut cartridge Elmo & Friends Holiday before the kids got too old to appreciate him.

I placed Elmo inside the card on a hidden spring so he could "wobble". I cut through the front of the card to create a window; the window frame is from the Cricut cartridge October 31st. I added a piece of acetate between the window layers, and stamped a small spider on the acetate just below the top left corner (top right if viewing from inside) using StazOn ink.

And finally, inside I stamped and heat embossed the "Happy Halloween" sentiment.

Thanks for visiting!

Simple Thank You Card...plus a story

This card was made from the Cricut cartridge Simple Cards. And it was just that---simple.

I had made several of these for my grand/daughter to send after graduation. I didn't take any pictures because I hadn't done any real "creating" other than choosing paper, and I hadn't planned to post to my blog. Until one card came back to me in my mail...

The story behind the card can be found on "Blessings Before Breakfast" (shameless rerouting to my new blog)

Baby Girl Card

This simple card was made using the Cricut cartridge Baby Steps. And by "simple" I mean there was no designing involved other than choosing which paper to use. The images on this cartridge are some of my favorites because they really don't need anything fancy to turn them into adorable elements for cards or scrapbook layouts.

Thanks for visiting!

Butterfly Birthday Card

I really need to find some energy to get back to crafting instead of trotting out projects from the distant past, if for no other reason than that my aging brain can't remember any details beyond 30 seconds ago. But here's what I've pieced together:

The white background was embossed with a Darice folder, which is appropriately named Butterflies in Corner. I cut a few butterflies in various sizes from pastel cardstock using my Cricut Explore and the Disney - Hannah Montana cartridge, then layered them in sets of two on top of the embossed butterflies to add dimension and color. Looking at the photo, I think I also detect a little glitter glue on the butterfly bodies.  I finished by stamping the sentiment in the open space of the white cardstock (rather poorly, but it was a one-shot deal and it is what it is).

Thanks for visiting!

Simple Cricut Birthday Card

I haven't blogged in over a month. So sad.

This card was made from the Cricut cartridge Simple Everyday Cards. To dress it up just a little I chose a metallic paper to back the sentiment.

Nothing fancy. But that's to be expected when the word "simple" is right there in the title.

Thanks for visiting!