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Wanted to post some of my favorite cards that I have made in the last few weeks. I love creating with flowers. Stampin' Up Flower Shop has quickly become one of my favorite sets. Love the matching punch also. These cards are simple but some of my favorites.

The background of this card is a color wash on watercolor paper. Love the end result.

Christmas Gifts--2013

I want to share the gift that I made for the grandkids this past Christmas. They are getting old enough that they usually ask for money. I thought about doing a gift card, writing a check or just putting money in a card. None of these ideas sounded very exciting. While looking on Pinterest, I came across several unique ways to create gifts using money. The one that really caught my interest was one where a square Kleenex box was used to hold the dollars that had been taped together. The recipient would then get to pull the dollars up through the opening. The more dollars the more fun. I didn't have Kleenex boxes, so I had to create my own. For the first two that I made, I used a 12 x 12-inch piece of card stock to create a 4 x 4 x 4-inch box. I made a tag that came out the top to which the dollars were attached. Sarah and Stephen had fun pulling their gift out of the box.

 

The boxes below are the second ones that I made. Again I used a 12 x 12 inch piece of card stock to make my box, but this time I made them only three inches tall. These boxes worked much better. I used the Cricut Craft Room to cut out the names, the top decoration and the up arrows you see on the tags. The gifts were a big hit with all the kids.

 

 

 

Valentines for the Grandkids

My grandkids are getting older. Four of the five are teenagers. I find it harder and harder to make cards like valentines for them. I want them to be fun but not too childish. So I always struggle with what to make. These are the cards that I made for 2014.

Maddie, the youngest, got so excited last year when we went to the Newport Aquarium in Cincinnati, Ohio. She loved the penguins. I thought of the SU set called "Zoo Review". A friend loaned me her stamp set and I got to work. Also, the cold, cold weather made these animals seem very appropriate. I hope that the cards will make the kids smile.

For the two boys

Inside of the above card

For the Girls

Each one turned out just a little bit different



The inside of the girls' cards

The envelope

A Valentine Thank You

I need a thank you card to give to someone on Thursday, February 13. This sketch turned out to be perfect.

The base card stock is SU Rose Red -- one of my favorite colors. The designer paper is from We R Memory Keepers "Crazy For You" 6 x 6-inch pad. I used Spellbinder dies for the heart, 1/2 inch seam binding for the bow and a punch from Martha Stewart. The sentiment is from the SU stamp set "Postage Collection".

2014

I cannot believe that it has been so long since I posted anything to my blog. I have found that it has been hard to get back on track since Christmas. Today I want to post some pictures of Calendars I made. The design is one that I did after looking and seeing many different samples on Pinterest, Splitcoast Stampers and other wonderful blogs. My finished calendar measured 4 1/4 by 4 1/4 inches. I purchased the calendar pad from SkyBluePink.com. They made great little gifts tucked inside other things. The work of so many wonder paper crafters has inspired me over the past years. To you -- I say "Thank you!"

During the past month I have participated in three craft shows. I did not sell as much as I had expected, but I had fun doing it. I learned a lot. Here are a couple of pictures.

This is my table. I made the green table skirt and the black topper from material that I found in a box that had come from my Mom's years ago.

This is a picture of the risers that I made with a little help from my husband. I used foam poster board that I purchased at the Dollar Store. It took three sheets. They were perfect for what I needed.

Mug Rugs

I have taken a little break from cards to do some sewing. Over the week end I spent some time making "mug rugs". They are so much fun. You ask, "What is a mug rug?" It is a small mat, a little larger than a coaster but smaller than a placemat. It is just large enough for a cup of your favorite drink, a spoon and a sweet treat. Mine are about 6 inches by 9 inches.

This Week's Cards

I have been busy making cards for a November Craft Show and not posting very much. I would like to share three cards from this week's work. This card was my first with Stampin' Up's Flower Shop stamp set. I got the stamp set and punch with some birthday money I was given in September.

 

On Thursday night I had a class on "fancy fold" cards, and, in preparation for the class, I made this calendar triangle easel card. It was a big hit.

SC458-Bashful Blue Christmas

Yesterday I was working on Christmas cards. I had pinned a card sometime ago and as I was looking through my pins, I came across a card that I really liked. I liked the layout and it just seemed to say "Christmas". This is the card I made. Here is a link to the card that I case'd--similar and yet different.

 

I inked the embossing folder using a brayer and Memento Sky Blue ink. That worked perfectly with SU Bashful Blue card stock. I was really happy with the results.

This morning I looked at the sketch challenge layout for this week. WOW!  So close to what I did the night before. Here is my card for today's challenge using the same techniques, same basic colors and a very similar layout.

World Card Making Day

I am posting this card, made with Our Daily Bread Designs stamps, for World Card Making Day. This is one of my favorite scripture verses and the stamp is from their "Happy Birthday" stamp set. I think that this was one of the first ODBD stamp sets that I purchased. I always love using it.

 

Here are two more cards made with ODBD Stamps. We stampers are blessed to have a company like Our Daily Bread Designs.