Giving a "Gift Card"

So often when I am giving a "gift card", I struggle with what type of card to make or use. While searching for some inspiration online one day, I came across a card that really stood out to me. The more I studied the picture, the more I fell in love with the card. I even found a blog post with a great picture tutorial on how to make the card.

Here is the link -- Easiest Gift Card Holder Ever

I went down to my craft room and started working on the card (from memory). This is the card I created. The card is a Z-fold except the piece on the right side is folded to the inside of the card and glued at the top and bottom to form a pocket which will hold a gift card.

When I went back to my computer, I discovered that my memory had gotten all mixed up. It should have been a landscape card and I had made mine the opposite way. So it was back to the drawing board.

For the second card I chose blue and yellow -- the University of Michigan colors. All of the sentiment stamps I used were from the Our Daily Bread Designs set called "As You Graduate". The cap and diploma stamp was from another stamp set that I purchased somewhere else. Use school colors and you will have a great graduation card. Use pretty papers and stamps and you have a lovely birthday card.

A Couple of Special Cards

I was just looking over some of my pictures taken in March. I found two cards that I had not posted. The first one was for my daughter's birthday. We had been traveling the first of March and got back home the day before her birthday. It took me about a week to get her card made. It was a little too late to say "Happy Birthday"; I had talked with her by phone on her special day. When I saw this sentiment, I knew that it was what I wanted to add to her card. Purple was always her favorite color when she was in high school. I came across the purple card base and the white embossed panel. I heat embossed the sentiment using white detailed embossing powder. After cutting the leaves with one of my dies, I used some punches to make the flowers. I am truly thankful for Angela; she is a very special daughter.

This was a thank you card even though it does not have any "words" on the front. I made the front panel a long time ago when I was doing some watercolored background washes. It had been in a scrap box for many months just waiting to be used. The rose is a Penny Black stamp that I had colored with markers, spritzed with water and stamped. It made the perfect card when I was in a hurry and needed to get the card done. What do you have lying in your scrap box just waiting to be used?

Tunnel Cards

I set out a few weeks ago wanting to learn how to make a new fold card when a friend had showed me her card. She had a die for making the card, but I did not. I searched the internet and searched Pinterest until I found instructions on the SplitcoastStampers site  -- Tunnel Card Tutorial.

The piece of designer paper (which I found in the scrap box) became my inspiration for this card. I loved the colors and I had the card stock to go with it. The "Happy Birthday" is from the Stampin' Up retired set "Sassy Salutations". The butterfly is from a Stampin' Up embosslit called "Beautiful Wings", also retired. Lastly, I used a stamp set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called "Sunshine and Flowers". I would encourage you to give this card a try. It was a lot of fun to make.

Experimenting With Embossing Powder

Last week at our Triple A's Stamp Club we talked about the differences in ink pads and embossing powders. This is one of the cards that we did. The first one using blue on a white card base. The second uses white card stock on a blue card base. Both cards were stamped with the same Penny Black stamp and embossed with the same embossing powder. Everyone seemed to enjoy working on their cards.

We also did this card. It was a case of one of my cards that I made back in 2012 entitled From My Desk. It was perfect for what we were doing. Of course I love using the color black with many other colors.

Color Challenge

In our card class last Saturday at Altered Art Addicts, I gave the gals a color challenge. It was an old combination from the Splitcoast Stampers weekly color challenge. I didn't write down the challenge number and then I could not find it again when I tried. The challenge was to use cherry cobbler, pool party and mossy meadow colors. There were some really pretty cards. I am now sorry that I did not take pictures of the cards.

This was my card. The base is pool party.  I stamped my image on watercolor paper and colored it using raspberry ripple, pool party and always artichoke inks. The sentiment was stamped on vellum and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. The scalloped layer is cherry cobbler card stock. I have so much trouble getting everything straight, I just placed the focal image on an angle. It made it a lot easier. The flower is from the Simply Sketched set and the birthday greeting is from the retired set Happiest Birthday Wishes.

New Toys Versus Old Toys

I just received a shipment from Stampin' Up last week. One item in the shipment was the Flourish Thinlets. I love the dainty look of these dies. I started out to see what the dies looked like. I found a small strip of Wild Wasabi card stock and cut the leaves. I ended up getting at least five cuts from that one piece of paper. Secondly, I wanted to see what the little decorative border looked like. I found a small piece of Strawberry Slush paper that the die would fit on. Perfect. I looked at the die cuts. Now, what kind of card could I make using what I had just cut?

 Here is the card I came up with. The flower is from the stamp set called "Secret Garden". It was stamped on Strawberry Slush card stock and heat embossed using white detailed embossing powder. The sentiment was from the set called "Watercolor Trio". To add  some dimension to the flower, I added a little rose red ink at the base of each petal using a blender pen.

I then decided that I wanted to use this card in an upcoming class at the end of April. I made a second card because I wanted to show that the card could be made without the dies. I have been made aware in the past months that not everyone is able to purchase new stamp sets with coordinating dies all the time. So, my question was, "Can I make this card using only stamps?" I used the greenery stamp from the set "Kinda Eclectic", stamped it on the white card stock using Pear Pizzazz ink and then embossed the piece.The flower was from the "Secret Garden" stamp set. I stamped it on white card stock with Primrose Petal ink. (Don't have the Strawberry Slush ink pad.) It was  stamped again on Strawberry Slush card stock because I wanted to use just the center part for an accent piece. Even though I have the die, I cut these pieces out by hand. Any  flower stamp would have worked on this card. I stamped the sentiment on a piece of scrap card stock, made it into a banner and sponged the edges with the Primrose Petal ink to give it some definition.

It's fun to have new toys, but beautiful cards can be created with things already in our craft rooms.

Creating My Own Unique Designer Paper

I wanted to try creating a sheet of my own designer paper using inks and stamps from my craft room. I thought that the result was fairly good. Some of you create such lovely papers. I started out by sponging different colored distress inks onto plain, white card stock.Took out a few stamp sets and started stamping, covering the entire sheet. I thought I did a pretty good job on that part. Of course the paper shows my favorite colors and images.

I got two cards made using the paper. I hope to get some more made with what I have left someday.

Going Back to "One Sheet Wonder"

I was going to try the "one sheet wonder" pattern that I have using a different designer paper. I cut my 6" x 6" piece. Looked at the pattern, made a cut, looked again at the pattern -- it was all wrong. Now what? Well, I will just use these pieces and see what I can make. After playing with different solid colored card stocks and different layouts, I made three cards (instead of four).

Here are the cards all together.

Now, individually. 

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When I saw this paper by Graphic 45, I fell in love with it. Loved the small design, the strips on the back side, the colors and the flowers. I took the pieces that I had cut incorrectly and made three cards that I was very happy with. I used different stamp sets, a number of different dies and different color card stock. They are not what I started out to make, but that is OK. I love the finished cards.

There was one little piece left, so I used it on the inside of the middle card. So often I forget about doing anything to the inside when I am working on a card, but I always love the finished look when I do. Even just a little piece of the designer paper gives that completed look.

Another Day -- Another Card

Some weeks ago, I had done a class on making this card. Then I sent the instructions to my cousin in Tennessee. She was overwhelmed with all the parts and my instructions. So I wanted to show her how to make the card while I was there. I had used my last sample card so I needed to make another one. I used some of the Graphic 45 designer paper that I had. I used a birthday sentiment to complete the card.

As it turned out, I needed a birthday card while I was there. So this card turned out to be perfect. I guess I need to make a few more of this design to have on hand.

Grandson's Birthday

February 21, our grandson, Alex, turned 21. I ask myself, "Where has the time gone?" It doesn't seem that many years ago that we were rejoicing over his birth. Even now at 21, he still brings joy, and laughter, to our lives.

There is now a very special person in his life, Danielle. They love the Lord and want to serve him with their lives.

 Because we where hoping to see him in person, I decided to hold his birthday card until we were able to do that. On our way home from Tennessee last Saturday night, March 11, we were able to stop in Florence, Kentucky and meet the grandkids for supper at the Cracker Barrel restaurant.  We had such a good time visiting with everyone, and I was able to give Alex his birthday card "in person".

I was a very simple card. I was pleased with the way it turned out.