Fifteen

In less 15 hours, I will be at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Valley Forge, PA, soaking in all sorts of scrappy goodness. With only 15 hours to go until my first class, I thought it fitting to post a card I made for my neighbor's 15th birthday.

As you can see, I seem to be on an embossing kick these days. This time I used my Cuttlebug and Becca Feekan at http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/ inspired me to dig out my chalks to enhance the embossing. If you have a few minutes, check out all of the amazing cards she has made with her Cuttlebug.

I'm bringing my camera to CKC so I'll have pictures to share next week.

Ingredients: The PaperCompany cardstock; DCWV birthday patterned paper, Cuttlebug Number Collage embossing folder; Stampin Up! Birthday Whimsy stamps; Stampin Up! Tempting Turquoise ink; Eyelet Outlet photo corners; The Stencil Collection chalk.

Hasta La Vista, Baby!

No, I'm not going anywhere but my sister and her husband moved 3,000 miles away today to California. This is the card I made for them. I'm not good at "good-byes" (especially saying it to two people I care for so deeply) so instead I used Stampin Up's "Delight in Life" sentiment . I truly hope that this move fills their new life with many delights! And, in the meantime, I will delight in the fact that my sister will be back in New York for Christmas in less than 148 days!

I started my blog one month ago today. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Ingredients: Stamps -- SU! Delight in Life, SU! Friendship Blossoms; Basic Grey Recess patterned paper; DCWV card stock; SU! Bordering Blue ink; Making Memories Brad.

Feeling hot! Hot! Hot!

I finally got a heat embossing tool and immediately had to make a card with it. I'm a little behind on my cardmaking (you know, the ol' shoemaker's children have no shoes syndrome!) so I decided it was time I made a graduation card for my friend's daughter. I used her school colors and heat embossed the initial of her alma mater. The design is from this week's Card Positioning Systems challenge (http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/2008/07/cps-74-brought-to-you-by-just-rite.html). Here it is:

Here's a close-up:

I just loved watching the the dustlike embossing powder turn all slick and shiney. I wish I could do that to the dust that is gathering on my furniture! Anyway, I think I'm going to be playing with this alot in the coming days!!

Ingredients: Valuepack cardstock; K&Company patterned paper; SU! Small Alphabet; SU! Headline Alphabet; SU! Real Red ink; Versamark Watermark stamp pad; Stamp 'N Stuff Clear embossing powder; eyelets from EyeLet OutLet; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder; Dashes Dots & Checks ribbon.

Zero to Sixty

Or should I have called this post What I Did for Love? Anyone who knows me knows that I am deathly afraid of rollercoasters so when Melissa wanted to go on Rock 'n Rollercoaster in Disney last summer, I was hoping that Sal would go. Sal doesn't like corkscrews so I did what all good mothers would do -- I swallowed my fears and went with Melissa and our friends, Amanda and Sandra.

The journaling reads: Melissa wasn't afraid so I had to overcome my fear of going ZERO TO SIXTY in 2.8 seconds. And overcome my fears I did! This is now my favorite ride at Disney! (We did eventually get Sal to go on the ride too.) I really don't do that many scrapbook layouts about myself but I'm glad I did this one.

I wrapped my journaling around the page to mirror the speed of the ride and

went over the swooshes with my white Signo Uni-ball to make them look more like a freehand doodle. This also made the guitar (which was cut from another piece of patterned paper) stand out. Also, for those of you who have seen this layout in person, I felt that it needed a little something extra so I added bling to the guitar.

Ingredients: DCWV cardstock; DCWV Rockstar patterned paper; DCWV Rockstar letters; SU! chocolate chip marker; white Signo Uni-ball pen.

Seems Like Yesterday

It seems like yesterday that my sister, Diane, married Frank, her college sweetheart. Well it's been 25 years! Here's the card I made to mark the occasion:

I didn't have a fancy cake stamp so I made my own with three different stamp sets. First I masked the candles on the cake in the Stampin' Up! Birthday Whimsey set. I wanted the cake plate to sit on a pedestal so I inked up some swirls from the Autumn Leaves Swirls V:I set. I added the numbers by Studio G last. I traced the "25" and pedestal with a shimmer that I bought at a scrapbook show last year. I ran the patterned paper through my Cuttlebug to emboss it and I think it's just the something extra that the card needed.

I've been on a cardmaking kick lately but I promise to post some scrap pages later this week.

Additional Ingredients: Bazzil cardstock; K & Company patterned paper: Stylized Flowers Cuttlebug embossing folder; Colorbox Petal Point ink; Eyelet Outlet photo corners; Heidi Swapp Bling rhinestones; ribbon from my stash.

The 4th (and 5th) of July

Nobody celebrates Independence Day like my friend, Lissette. She and her husband, Richard, host a huge July 4th party. Every year we celebrate with them on the 4th and eat leftovers with them on the 5th. When I won a Studio G Fourth of July stamp set in a RAK, I just knew that I had to make a card for her! Here it is:

At first the card had a solid white band under the ribbon but then I saw Erica Hettwer's card on the Creating Keepsakes message board (http://creatingkeepsakes.com/mb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=99947&sid=e06d85f0c3ae459d991999e48a59683f), and I knew I had to add the stars.

Ingredients: DCWV Cardstock; PP from my stash; Studio G stamp; Stampin Up! Real Red ink; MM brads; Fiskars Threading Water punch, Michael's star punch; Nestabilities, Michael's ribbon.

Thank You, Thank You!

I just wanted to thank you for visiting my blog and thought it would be appropriate to share some thank you cards I made. My inspiration for these were the thank you embellishments which I found on sale at JoAnn's. Since I'm not one to pass up a sale, I planned my card around them. I just love how brown and green look together. And, that color combination always makes me think of a story that Sal tells about his mother. Apparently, when he first started working and had to match his ties to his suits, he asked his mother if his green tie went with his brown suit. She answered, "Look at the trees and tell me if green goes with brown." Thankfully Sal's office switched to business casual several years ago!


Okay, here are the cards:

I just love how inking the edges with brown gives the paper added dimension.

Ingredients: K&Company patterned paper; The Paper Company Heritage Colors card stock; Anna Griffin brown ink; Michael's ribbon; Fiskars circle cutter; Autumn Leaves Scribbles Alphabet Clear Stamps (letter "o"); Stampin Up! Scallop Circle Punch; Martha Stewart Simple Scallop Edge Punch (last card only).

It's a Wrap!

No, I'm not throwing the towel in after writing my blog for only one day! Rather, I want to share the little gift bag I made to wrap the year-end present for Melissa's teacher. I can't take credit for the idea. That goes to Diana Gibbs at Stamping with Di. Her Box in a Bag tutorial can be found here: http://dianagibbs.typepad.com/stampin_with_di/2008/06/box-in-a-bag-tutorial.html. Her other tutorials are worth checking out also. I especially love how she uses a fork (yes, I said fork!) to tie a perfect bow.

Anyway, here's the Box in a Bag I made. I made mine taller and changed the handle since I didn't have a round tab punch.

Here's a close-up of the handle and flowers:

Now, are you wondering what was inside? It was a Vera Bradley apron in the blue and green Daisy Daisy pattern. (See it here:http://www.verabradley.com/Site/Store/ProductDetail.aspx?Sku=10317.) Melissa's teacher loves Vera Bradley and is getting married this summer so I thought it was the perfect gift. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the wrapping coordinate with the gift!

Ingredients: K&Company paper; SU! Delight in Life stamp; SU! Whisper White ink; Fiskars Threading Water border punch; Dashes Dots and Checks ribbon.