Joy Fold Sympathy Card

Having fun making cards using the "Joy Fold".  As always, I have used several sets to make this card and I love all of them. I used "Colorful Seasons", "Best Birds" and "Flourishing Phrases" -- all by Stampin' Up.

For the card base I used Primrose Petal card stock. The inks I used were Memento Rich Cocoa, Blushing Bride and a touch of Primrose Petals in the centers of each punched flower.

July 16, 2017
This card was mentioned in the "Favorites for the week ending July 16, 2017 at SplitcoastStampers.

By The Sea Shore

When I first saw the "Seasonal Layers" thinlets die set in the new Stampin' Up catalog, I fell in love with it. I began seeing cards with the chair on them. Then one day as I was leaving one of the ladies rooms at church I saw this picture--

At that point I knew that this was a set that would enjoy having and using. The set arrived on Wednesday and this afternoon I made a card with it. I used the picture I had seen as my inspiration.

I created the background first with sponges and ink. Then I added the foliage on the left side. That stamp is from the "Wetlands" set and markers were used to color it before stamping. The chair is from the Stampin' Up "Seasonal Layers" thinlet die set. The sentiment is from one of Our Daily Bread Designs "Mini Tags" set. For the card base I used "Night of Navy" card stock and layered the focal image onto a piece of Brocade Blue card stock before gluing it to the card base.


July 16, 2017 -- This card was mentioned in "Favorites for the week ending July 16, 2017".

"Fancies" to "Die" For

Do you find it hard to make a card without using dies, thinlits, framelits or whatever they are called.

I DO!!!

I love coordinating stamp and die sets.

In preparing for an up coming class on "fancy fold cards", I have found I am going more and more to the beautiful dies and matching stamp sets that I have in my collection. This is the first card I would like to share. I think is called a "joy fold". The card base is cut 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 3". The small card is cut 3" x 8" and scored at 4". Each of the top layers are cut 1/8" smaller than the piece it is going on top of. You can make them any size you like; the small 1/16" border  happens to be my favorite.

I have used a Stampin' Up set  called "Best Birds" with the coordinating set of  "Birds and Blooms" thinlets. The card base is Bermuda Bay card stock accented with Pool Party designer series paper. I colored the branch with my SU watercolor pencils and a blender pen. After stamping and cutting out the flowers, I added some accents to the center of each flower with my Bermuda Bay marker.

In order to make the accent piece in the lower left corner, I cut several 1" black circles with a punch. Glued them together, one on top of the other. The leaves were stamped (tip of the branch), colored and cut out. On top of the leaves, I added three little flowers. The last one was popped up using a dimensional.

I am not sure what I will use this card for so I added a sentiment that will allow the card to be used for many different occasions.

50 Years

2017 has had many 50 year anniversaries.

1. 50 years since I did my student teaching in home economics at a high school in Nashville, Tennessee.
2. 50 years since I graduated from Belmont University, also in Nashville.
3. 50 years since Don and I were married on June 10.
4. 50 years since we arrived on Bonaire (July 10) to begin our time of service with Trans World Radio as a couple. Don had already been serving with Trans World Radio for three years.

Many things have taken place in those following 50 years. I made a mini album for Don's anniversary card highlighting many events leading up to our marriage and the following years. I hope to share that mini album in another post very soon.

Today I would like to share the cards Don and I received from friends in one of my stamping groups. Each was so unique and beautiful. Pictures do not do them justice.

made by Carol

made by Sandra

made by Jan S.

made by Margaret

made by Judie

from Janice

made by Cris

made by Jan E.

made by Bess

made by GiGi

Maddie's Birthday

On July 4 Maddie will celebrate her 12th birthday. Time is going so fast. I have often made her birthday card around the 4th of July theme. I wanted this year's card to be different.

So--- I made a Dutch Fold card. So cool and easy too. Maddie loves animals. I don't have many animal stamps so I decided to use dies that coordinate with the SU set "Best Birds". The card base is Crisp Cantaloupe card stock. Found a piece of the designer paper in the same color. The bottom squares are the reverse of the top piece. And black became my accent color.

I found two different instructions for making this card. I chose to use this set of instructions--Beyond Beaches and Blessings. Lynn did a great job in explaining how to make the card base for this fold.

Stephen Graduates

On June 15, our grandson, Stephen, graduated from Jones College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois. He finished high school well. This summer he is a life guard at one of the beaches along Lake Michigan there in Chicago. His plans are to go to Marion Military Institute in Marion, Alabama. He reports on August 8. We are proud of what Stephen has accomplished and will be praying for him as he begins this new season of his life. This picture was taken in August of 2016. I haven't been too good at taking pictures the last few times we have been together.

This is the graduation card that I made for him. It is a full sheet of Brocade Blue SU card stock folded in half making the card 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". I think most stamps are made for the smaller A2 size card so it becomes a challenge to make a focal image that looks appropriate on the larger card. 

My inspiration -- Stephen's school colors were blue and white, and the school mascot was "The Eagles". Earlier this week as I was thinking about making his card, the verse of Isaiah 40:31 came to mind. As I looked at some cards on the blog  of "Word Art Wesdnesday", I started to come up with some ideas. I made the inside left panel first, then the front. After the card was together, I had to work at finishing the inside right panel. Finally! it is finished and ready to be mailed.

. . .those who hope in the

LORD will renew their

strength. They will soar

on wings like eagles;

they will run and not

grow weary, they will

walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

July 3, 2017 

I feel honored that this card was chosen as one of the "Favorites for the week ending July 2" at SplitcoasterStampers.

Pretty Blue Flowers

This was a card I made just because I wanted to. I had been working on cards for my class. There were some things I wanted to try and this is the card I created. I love sponging. It is pretty cool to be able to create a shape onto plain card stock with a mask, ink and sponge dauber. The flower stamp is from the set "Touches of Texture", stamped with Memento Gray Flannel ink and colored with the new watercolor pencils from Stampin' Up.

Sponging and Masking

These are two of my favorite techniques. That was the topic for our June Create, Challenge, Encourage Stamp class. We made three cards using three different types of sponging and some masking.

This card was made using on oval mask to sponge the colors onto plain white card stock. I used blue and green ink and a large sponge dauber. After the sponging is complete you can add the stamped image and sentiment .

The steps for this second card were a little more involved. I first stamped my images onto plain white card stock and cut into the oval shape using a Spellbinders Nestabilities die. Without removing the paper from the die, I turned it upside down and embossed using my silicone rubber mat. Still leaving the oval in the die, I turned it right side up and lightly sponged over the die onto the card stock. The result is a small white edge to the image which creates the appearance of an additional layer.

I posted this third card a few days ago on the blog. With just a few stokes of ink over some masked lines, I created the illusion of a landscape. Very simple way to add depth to your stamping.

New Dies

This is my first card using the new die set from Stampin' Up called "Eastern Medallions Thinlets". I used a white card base and the top layer is Lost Lagoon card stock from Stampin' Up. I am already convinced that these are going to be fun and interesting dies to use.

Touches of Texture

Yesterday, I needed a birthday card. I wanted to make a new card. I chose one of my new stamp sets from Stampin' Up called "Touches of Texture". This is the card that I made. The image was stamped with Memento Gray Flannel ink. Then I used my SU watercolor pencils and a blender pen to add color to the flowers and leaves. I used a Rich Razzleberry card base and Rich Razzleberry ink to finish the card. The birthday greeting is from the set "Express Yourself" and the butterfly is from the set "Papillon Potpourri" stamped on pink card stock in Rich Razzleberry ink. Using a glue pen I added Dazzling Diamonds glitter around the edges.

I used the layout on the front to decorate the inside of the card. I used my laptop to create the greeting and printed it on  white card stock. Then added the stamping.

This card was mentioned in the "Weekly Favorites for week ending July 2" at SplitcoastStampers.
Thank you!