Independence Day!

It's that time of year again. Time to celebrate the 4th of July with our dear friends, Lissette and Richard. No one knows how to throw a July 4th bash like them! And since Lissette is a dear scrapbooking, cardmaking, stamping friend, I had to make her a card and a gift bag for the hostess gift I got for her. Here's my latest stamping creations:

When I was looking through my stash for patterned paper for the card, the only patriotic paper I found was the star pattern which I used on the bag. That, however, was not the look I was going for on the card. Then I came across this paper from Making Memories Passport line. Even though it had some green in it, I knew it would work. I simply covered the green with the red striped ribbon from my stash and voila, the travel paper became patriotic!

To make the star, I followed the techniques outlined in Jennifer McGuire's Thinking Inking class over at Two Peas in a Bucket. First, I created a mask for my circle and star with the Cricut Graphically Speaking cartridge. Then I filled in the empty space with Ranger's Acrylic Paint Dabbers. I've always hesitated about painting on my craft projects but the Paint Dabbers offer a no mess solution. I also inked my small star stamp with the Paint Dabbers.

Since I used dark card stock, I added cream card stock to the inside of the card.

For the gift bag, I recycled a Hollister shopping bag by using my Leave it to Weaver border punch on patterned paper from my stash and adding ribbon.This gift bag was good for the environment and good for my pocketbook!

Now, if you want to see how much my style has developed and changed, here is a link to the July 4th card I made for Lissette last year: http://eterno-lyyours.blogspot.com/2008/07/4th-and-5th-of-july.html.

Card Ingredients: Stampin' Up! card stock (Night of Navy and Very Vanilla) and DCWV card stock (red); Making Memories patterned paper (Passport); Cricut cartridge (Graphically Speaking); Stampin' Up! ink (Night of Navy); Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabber (Silver); Studio G stamp (Series 12); Making Memories button (Noteworthy) ribbon and twine from my stash.

Bag Ingredients: Hollister shopping bag; paper scrap and ribbon from my stash; Fiskars border punch (Leave It to Weaver).

Embossed Butterfly Cards

I needed to make a lot of cards last week and had very little time to do it. So, inspired by a card a saw in CARD magazine, I created this one. I switched out the sentiment to fit my needs and went to work on a card-making assembly line!

I tried a new technique that I learned from Jennifer McGuire's Thinking Inking class to make the butterfly super shiny. (You can view a video and the pdf at http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&forum_id=52&thread_id=2832083 .) After punching out the butterfly, I stamped the entire surface with VersaMark ink, sprinkled it with embossing powder and set it with my heat gun. Now, here's where the new technique comes in! While the butterfly was still hot, I sprinkled it with more embossing powder and heat set it again. In total, I probably used five or six layers of embossing powder to achieve an acrylic-like look on the butterfly. Here's a close-up of the butterfly.

Ingredients: Stampin' Up! card stock; Basic Grey patterned paper (Romani); Martha Stewart Butterfly punch; Cuttlebug embossing folder (Swiss Dots); Technique Tuesday stamps (Simple Sentiments); EK Success corner rounder; bling from Michael's; black ink; twine from my stash.

UR gr8!

Here's a simple gift card holder I made for Melissa's teacher. Melissa's teacher is a scrapbooker so I wanted to make her card extra special. Here it is:

As you can see, I didn't have a lot of room for the sentiment so I was really happy when I thought of writing "you are great" as I would a text message. Crazy, I know, but it's the little things in life that make me happy!

For the overall design of the card, I used the template from the June 2009 class of Kristina Werner's A Year in Cards class over at Two Peas in a Bucket. You can access a video of her class and a pdf by visiting http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&forum_id=52&thread_id=2828094. Also, be sure to check out Kristina's Make a Card Monday and Finally Friday videos by visiting her blog at: http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/.

Here's a look at the back of the card:

It helps to make this card with two-sided or coordinating patterned paper sso that there is enough visual interest.

And here it is opened:

I've been very crafty over the last week. I made lots of cards to accompany end-of-year gifts and even managed three layouts in a marathon crop with my friend, Lissette. I'll have lots more to share over the next week!

Ingredients: Stampin' Up card stock (kraft); Sassafras Lass (Sunshine Lollipops) patterned paper; Heidi Swapp chipboard alphabet; Technique Tuesday stamp (Swiss Dot); EK Success punches (flowers and corner rounder); Anna Griffin ink (brown); Making Memories buttons; Walmart ribbon.

Pomp and Circumstance

Pomp and Circumstance is the song of the day as Mark graduates middle school and Melissa graduates elementary school. In addition, my niece, Lisa, graduated high school earlier this month and my other niece, Sarah, graduated elementary school. So, in their honor, I have a graduation card to share.

I made this card for my niece, Lisa, so I personalized it by using her school colors. I can't take credit for the design. That goes to the fabulous Carla Percheff. Here's her card which I totally cased: http://moralia.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/good-morning-ladies-cps-116-a-couple-grad-cards/. I hope Carla believes in the old adage that imitation is a sincere form of flattery. If you have time, browse her blog. You will be totally inspired by all of the eye candy! You can also find a tutorial for the Spring Card at Splitcoaststampers.com. Here's the link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/spring_card/.

Congratulations to all of my graduates! I am so proud of each and every one of you.

Ingredients: Bazzill card stock, Basic Grey (Boxer) patterned paper; Making Memories tiny alphas; Cricut Graphically Speaking and Doodlecharms cartridges; Bazzill Polished Pebbles brad; Jolee's By You graduation tassel.

Once Upon A Time

This layout was a happy accident. I was searching for pictures for one of Melissa's class projects when I came across the two I used for this layout. They were both taken behind Cinderella's Castle in Disney World's Magic Kingdom. In both pictures, Mark is wearing green and Melissa is wearing pink. The only difference between the two pictures is about seven years. That's right! The picture on the left was taken during our vacation to Disney in 2000. The one on the right was from our last Disney vacation. I love how the layout shows how some things stay the same (the castle, the colors of their clothes, how Melissa is looking at her big brother), while other things change (their size, their independence and our Disney experience with older kids). Here's the layout:

The journaling is a continuation of the title. It reads: Once upon a time...there was a little prince and a little princess who believed in all of the kingdom's magic. And then one day, in a blink of an eye, they grew up and just pretended to believe. The End.

The flowers are made by layering circle and scallop punches. I roughed up the edges of the plain circles to give them more texture.

I used my Cricut Storybook cartridge to create the title and then I used a black Sharpie to color my rhinestone gems.

For the border on the bottom, I inked up my new Technique Tuesday In Bloom stamps. I love this set. It cost me less than $3 when I bought it on sale at twopeasinabucket.com and I know I am going to use it a lot. I love the versatility of being able to place the various flowers in the set wherever I want them. You can see the full set here: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/shop/technique-tuesday/78066-in-bloom-stamps/?filters=technique-tuesday. Unlike other budget priced stamps, I did not have to condition these before using them for the first time. I just love how Technique Tuesday stamps take ink.

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I love doing layouts using pictures from different years. See another one of my favorites here http://eterno-lyyours.blogspot.com/2008/10/scheming-around.html.

Thanks for looking!

Ingredients: American Crafts card stock; Bo Bunny pattern paper (Alison); Making Memories ribbon (Passport); Cricut Cartridge (Storybook); Stampin' Up! punches; Making Memories tiny alphas; Technique Tuesday stamps (In Bloom, Today You Journaling Frames by Ali Edwards); Ink -- Versa Magic (Tea Leaves), Stampin' Up! (Regal Rose, Taken with Teal): Making Memories buttons (Noteworthy), DMC floss.

Praying for You

I really don't like making sympathy cards. I don't think anyone does. Unfortunately, I needed one today and I didn't have any cards in my stash. I used a Card Positioning Systems sketch (CPS 117 http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/2009/05/reader-ideas-week-of-52409.html). As you can see, I did not use a literal interpretation of the sketch. Instead I tweaked it and turned it. Here's my card:

This card is going to a friend whose 19-year-old nephew passed away. This boy faced many challenges and afflictions during his short life. His family firmly believes that he is in a better place now where he can run with no limitations. I tried to symbolize this rebirth by using butterfly stamps.

I stamped both of the images on the outside of the card as well as the sentiments with Versamark ink and then used the black and white embossing powder. On my first attempt, I embossed the big butterfly on plain card stock and colored it in with chalks. I wasn't crazy about how it turned out so I decided to stamp the image right on the patterned paper. This was just the look I was after.

After I stamped the sentiment on the inside of the card, I felt that it looked a little plain so I pulled out another set of butterflies and used Versamark ink to stamp them across the page.

The sentiment reads: May the peace of God bring you comfort today and hope for tomorrow. That's something I'm sure we all wish for every day.

Ingredients: Stampin' Up! card stock (kraft); Basic Grey patterned paper (Scarlet Letter); stamps -- Amy Butler Lotus Floral (large butterfly and stem), Inkadinkadoo Patterned Bugs (butterfly spray on inside), Stampin' Up! Very Versatile (sentiments); Versamark ink; embossing powder -- Stampin' Stuff (Detail White), Ranger (Black); Spellbinders Nestabilities (Petite Oval -- Small, Petite Classic Oval -- Large); Cuttlebug, Marvy Uchida heat embosser, Stampamajig; Fiskars 5-inch Nonstick Scissors for distressing.

Slow Down

Today is the start of a long weekend and the unofficial start of Summer. It's also World Turtle Day and that seems as good a time as any to make a card that says, "Slow Down."

I used Sketch 116 over at Card Positioning Systems as inspiration for this card. You can see the sketch here: http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/2009/05/cps-116-sponsored-by-stamping-bella.html. I stamped the image twice -- once on the white card stock and once on the patterned paper. Then, I cut out the shell from the image on the patterned paper and paper pieced it onto the first image.

I mailed this card out to my niece Jenn. She LOVES turtles and is the reason why I happen to know that today is World Turtle Day. She is also eight-months pregnant and in need of a reminder to "Slow Down!" Yes, Jenn, your To-Do list can wait. Enjoy these last precious days before my great nephew is born!

Ingredients: Stampin' UP! card stock (Kraft, Whisper White & Soft Sky); Sassafraslass patterned paper (Sunshine Lollipops); stamp -- Inkadinkadoo (Cool Turtle); ink -- Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip); alphabet stickers -- Deja View (Jubilee); tools -- cricut cartridge (George and Basic Shapes), EK Success corner rounder, Nestabilities (Classic Squares Large); twin from my stash.