Thank You

I like to make the cards that house my Christmas Thank You notes ahead of time.  That way, I’m encouraged to not dawdle in writing them and sending them out!  Genius, huh? This year’s die design comes from Poppy Stamps new Nordic line . . .

As usual, the camera didn't not pick up much of the frosty glitter I added to the floral background.

I flipped when I saw what blogger Pam Sparks had done with this die, so I gifted myself with an early Christmas present of both the deer and the background.  The deer set comes with a solid background and has right and left-facing deer for layout variety.  The deer bodies are ingeniously designed in two pieces which provides wonderful dimension.  Included are two styles of antlers, lovely “clothing” for the deer, and some greenery.  Poppy Stamps thought of everything and I’ll be using every occasion I can think of to play with this set!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Neenah Desert Storm. Bazzill Splash,

Bazzill Blue. Dark Denim, Admiral       

Inks:             Hero Shadow Soft Brown

Dies:            Poppy Nordic Deer, Savvy “Thank You”           

Doo Dads:    Enchanted Creations glitter Moon Dust  

It's Birthday Time

As my Christmas card has already been posted, I think that Christmas Day is a great one to post a card for my friend who has the perfect holiday name of ‘Noela’. She was indeed a holiday-born baby so a posting in this month is certainly the right place for her.  She has newly moved to Beacon, NY and by all accounts, it’s very much like the card front’s design . . .

The entire card front is one die which is such a charmer, I had to get it the minute I saw it.  Equally charming was the fact that it was on sale at half price!  There’s enough action going on that a simple text strip was all I wanted to add to it.  I confess to copying the color scheme shown on the packaging as I thought it was perfect as is.  But next time, I’ll go for something quite different just to put my own spin on it . . .

 

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Brown Umber, Strathmore

 #140 Watercolor, Scraps Various         

Sentiment:   Typed in Countryhouse font

Inks:             Distress Ground Espresso, Superior India Ink Black,

                     Gelly Roll pen Clear Star

Dies:            Tim Holtz Countryside, Simon Says Sketchy Banners           

Heaven Sings

I fell in love with this extremely simple Christmas tree die and had to use it for my cards this year . . .

 

 . . . it will likely make future appearances as there are several ways to feature this die design.  For now, an ancient music background and a sparkly gold star seemed to mostly complete the layout.  I bought an inexpensive batch of plain check-sized envelopes to hold this Mini Slimline-sized card and have addressed them all.  I’m  pleased to note that at the time of this writing in early November, the yearly Christmas card endeavor is fully under control.  Now it’s on to the rest of the annual mayhem.

               A blessed and very merry Christmas to one and all!

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth, Bazzill Black, Ivy,

American Crafts POW! Gold glitter   

Stamps:       Above the Mark Abbey Music, Memory Box Heaven Sings

Inks:             Superior India Ink Black

Dies:            Gina K Rectangle Small Set, Memory Box Folk Art Tree,

Spellbinders Victorian Tags, Our Daily Bread

                      Sparkling Stars            

Ornaments

Every year, I make ornaments for my grandchildren.  The idea is to provide a collection of ornaments they can take with them when they are grown up and on their own.  Their first Christmas trees will then have ornaments filled with memories of home and happy celebrations from years past. This was my Mother’s idea for her grandchildren and I thought it was a terrific one . . .

 I found the basic idea for this design from a blog and am very grateful to the artist who came up with it.  Scroll down for a look at the presentation boxes . . .

Ornament:

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Red Devil, The Paper Cut Orion: White

Dies:            Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornament, Impression

Obsession Small Flourish Background, La La Land

Pretty Poinsettia, Memory Box Ornament Caps & Hooks                   

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star, Fiber Red/Black    

BOX:

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Red Devil, The Paper Cut Orion: White

Dies:            Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornament, Impression

Obsession Small Flourish Background, Spellbinders

Layered Poinsettia, Tim Holtz Alphanumeric

 

 

You're the Best

In honor of my grandson’s 17^th birthday . . .

  . . . I have almost no sports images so I thought that encouraging words would be fun to use.  And I added seventeen candles to mark the occasion . . . count ‘em!

Happy Birthday, Keaton!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Strathmore Ultimate White         

Stamps:       Judikins Stitched Leaves Background, Fiskars

Sentiments

Inks:             Distress Antique Linen, Superior India Ink Black,

Painters marker Gold

Dies:            Temu Long Candle, Our Daily Bread Sparkling Stars            

Life

I’ve a veggie friend who is celebrating forty years of sobriety, so I thought the following layout would be a good choice . . .

As a fellow veggie, I’ve plenty of fruit and veggie dies and stamps so I’m going to have lots of fun making cards for him in the future . . .

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore #140 Watercolor, Bazzill Parakeet, Ivy,

Bamboo, Scrap Brown, Green Printed Paper

Stamps:       Red Rubber “Life has got to be lived . . .”

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy

Emb Pwdr:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Wplus9 Pears, DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame,

Gina Marie Stitched Rounded Squares, Cheery Lynn

                      BAF #3 Embellishment                   

Cheers

Time to start work on my Christmas cards so this may be my last Bay Window card for awhile . . .

 

 . . . if I can tear myself away, that is.  With my new and ever-sharp paper trimmer, cutting the ten strips for the five panels has been a joy.  A wise investment indeed!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Aloe Vera, Leapfrog, Rain Forest, ARToptions

Spice Collection      

Inks:             Wink of Stella Clear

Dies:            Elizabeth Craft Ribbons 1, Craftsless Branches, Joy

Butterflies, Impression Obsession Medium Butterflies,

                      Simon Says “Cheers”                  

Happy Birthday

This Bay Window card is for a guy . . .

John’s family business is a floral nursery, so I feel free to involve flowers and beautiful leaves for his layouts.  Scroll down for a look at the inside . . .

 Cardstock:   Bazzill Aloe Vera, Leapfrog, ARToptions Spice

Collection         

Dies:            Memory Box Wicker Panel, Temu Words Set:

                    “Happy Birthday”                 

Happy

Having unearthed a printed pack of beautiful florals in soft colors, I thought they’d be perfect on a Bay Window card . . .

A good part of their beauty is the dry embossing that has already been done with the floral images.  In real life, the effect is gorgeous!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Cocoa, Fawn, K&Company Autumn Scrap Pack

Inks:             Distress Pumice Stone

Dies:            Memory Box Eva Stem, Impression Obsession Large

Bow, TKOnline Celebration Set: “Happy”, Joy Butterflies                 

It's Your Day!

This Bay Window card started with a piece of multi-colored printed paper and proceeded wildly on its way . . .

I punched out lots of flowers from colored scraps and sprinkled them all over to add to the fun.  It’s cathartic to go a little chaotic at times, don’t you think?

 Cardstock:   Bazzill Red Devil, Rainforest, Assorted Printed Papers,

Scraps         

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up “It’s Your Day!

Inks:             ColorBox Cream White

Emb Pwdr:   Stamp-n Stuff Ivory Pearl

Dies:            Bottone Stitched Ovals, TEMU Sea Grass, Impression

Obsession Small Bow, Punch Bunch/Carl Flower 

punches                

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star         

Happy Anniversary

My youngest brother and his wife live in the Seattle area of Washington State, an area of the country that always brings blues and greens to mind for me.  Their proximity to the ocean and the abundance of evergreens make for a richly colored scenic joy.  So for their anniversary card, those are the colors I wanted to work with . . .

 

The text would be more visible if larger, but it wouldn’t have fit on that narrow strip.  Next time, I’ll try placing larger letters on the side panels . . . 

Here's an inside view:

Cardstock:   Bazzill Admiral, Parakeet, Fascinating Folds

printed papers

Dies:            TEMU Words Set: “Happy Anniversary”

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star          

Harvest

Triple Treat today, folks, so be sure to scroll down a bit for three photos! 

I decided to dip into my oversized stash of handmade papers as I thought the coarse textures would suit the Thanksgiving mode.  I also need to whittle down the handmade paper collection.

Then I had fun with some alternative color schemes and wanted to share the results.  I did ten different cards for Thanksgiving but thought that three views were enough.

The first sample is a radical departure from the usual fall color palette . . .

The word “Harvest” doesn’t show up as much as I would like and although I tried using white and black letters, the silver glitter paper was the best choice.  Next time, I’ll try backing the text with contrasting cardstock.

The next two pictures show traditional and non-traditional colors.  Both make me happy and in future, I plan to try unusual color schemes just to shake things up a little. 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Neenah #110 Solar White OR Marcos

Jute, Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink cardstock Silver Sparkle   

Dies:            Tim Holtz Tangled Twigs, InLoveArts Pumpkin Leaf,

DieNamics Leafy Flourish, Dies to Die For Pumpkin

Patch, On Air Store Harvest                     

Doo Dads:    Past Time Stamps Gold Ultra Fine Crystal Glitter         

It's Your Day!

As promised, I’ll be posting a number of cards featuring the Bay Window design I recently presented.  Besides the fun I’m having with this layout, I want to show the wide variety of looks it’s possible to get with this basic design.  So here’s a sample for a Guy Card . . .

Along with the warm colors, the dotted end panels and the dry embossed texture help soften the straightforward design.  I’ll be experimenting with both stamping and die cuts to decorate the five panels, but for now, I’m really glad to find ways to help use up my rather obese collection of printed papers . . .

Here's a shot of the inside:

Cardstock:   Bazzill Twig, The Paper Cut Brown Umber, Assorted

printed and solid papers  

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up “It’s Your Day”

Inks:             ColorBox Cream White

Emb Pwdr:   Stamp-N Stuff Ivory Pearl

Emb Fldr:     Darice Wire Fence

Dies:            Gina K Rectangle Small Set Double Stitch                  

Celebrate

On the September 20^th Splitcoast Stampers posting HERE, the following novel card was featured.  I absolutely loved it and will be making scores of these, one of which will be entered in next year’s NJ County Fair . . .

 The design is called Bay Window and that’s exactly what it looks like.  It stands up beautifully on its own but goes easily flat for mailing, as the next picture shows . . .

Once you get the panels cut out*, the card goes together lickety split.  The card is a standard A2 size and fits easily into the envelopes you usually use for that size.  Depending on the papers and embellishments you choose, this design can be used for any occasion, any age, and would also work really well for a Guy card.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Intense Yellow, assorted printed papers

Dies:            FineGood “Scalloped Circle Set”, Memory Box Breezy

Wreath, TKOnline Celebration Set “Celebrate”            

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Clear

*On the otherwise excellent directions accompanying the Bay Window Card posting , I found that the dimensions for Panels #2 and #4 were oversized.  

The sizes posted are:

Patterned Paper: 11/8” x 4”

Cardstock:  13/8” x 41/8”

The sizes I used are:

Patterned Paper:  1” x 4”

Cardstock:   11/8´x 41/8”

Cheers

More fun with matte-finish acetate . . .

 

It does take more time make these because of the sheer window.  That means the back of the design has to be covered with the same die cut in order to give a finished look.  If the die cut image isn’t symmetrical, it’s the front of the second die cut that will need to be glued down in order to match the design.  Coloring the design with wet ink plumps up the edges of the watercolor paper so the back of the die cut no longer looks like the back.

Lastly, the message area will be visible through the window on the card front.  So adding a matching panel that opens to reveal the message is a quick and easy step to do.  Here’s a photo of the inside of my card . . . what looks like glue ooze on the back of the window is actually glitter.

 I don’t mind taking the extra time because I absolutely love making window cards!

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Graffix Acetate Matte, Canson

Montval Watercolor #140       

Inks:             Distress Peeled Paint, Twisted Citron

Dies:            Fitouna New Leaves, Mimgo Leaves, Goodculler

Stitched Rectangles, TK Online Celebration Set:

“Cheers”     

Emb Fldr:     Stampin’ Up Petal Burst 

Beacon Village

My friend Noela recently moved to the historic and very charming town of Beacon, NY and I thought an equally charming card was in order for her . . .

The adorable houses have simple shapes so it was easy to cut out masks in order to stamp the trees “behind” the buildings.  I think the grassy background is a little too high, so the next time I use this image, I’ll bring it down a notch.  The bird was an afterthought and I believe he adds just the right touch . . .

Cardstock    Bazzill Raven, Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth

Stamps:       Stampscapes Prickly Branches, Just For Fun Collaged

Row Houses

Inks:             Superior India Ink Black

Colorants:    Zig Clean Color Deep Red, Bright Yellow, Yellow,

Mid Green, Green Grey, Olive Green, Deep Green,

Shadow Mauve, Light Blue, Persian Blue, Brick Beige,

Deep Brown, Dark Brown

Dies:            DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, Impression

                     Obsession Sea Birds, DieVersions font Hint of Lime               

Dream

My love affair with the Bay Window card design continues this time with soft pinks and some lacy die cut trim . . .

 

 Hope you’re not getting bored with this style – I’ve got lots more ideas to try out!  I’ll take a break and stick in other layout designs from time to time but I plan to keep coming back to the Bay Window as I am having way too much fun with it to quit . . . 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Dark Rosy, Light Rosy, K&Company Autumn

Scrap Pack, Scrap Brown 

Dies:            Tim Holtz Crochet, Memory Box Cascadia Butterfly Trio, 

Elizabeth Small Butterfly (body only), Cheery Lynn Tiny

Flower Kit, YPP Craft Words “Dream” 

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Clear