Friday, April 29, 2011

Variation on a theme


My dear Auntie Lou, who is 90, just had heart surgery. I want to send her a card to wish her well and let her know she's in my prayers. I do love the black butterflies card but I just don't think it is really appropriate for a get well card. I already had the French script background prepared for the black card, and I thought I'd try it with white butterflies instead. The white layer brings out the script nicely and even though they don't show up well on the photo, the pearls add a nice accent. I know she'll enjoy receiving this card!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Inspiration for Afternoon Tea


I came across this fabulous card made by Andrea Walford - her blog at www.andreawalford.com is one of my favorites. She's got great style and does some very nice videos showcasing interesting techniques. Anyway, I shamelessly copied this card, substiting my retired French script background and using pearls instead of rhinestones. I never would have thought to use black butterflies - I'm usually too literal. But the exciting thing is that, partway through constructing this, inspiration fluttered by...





I've had a couple of stamps that I've been wanting to use, to incorporate into my teacup series (once it is actually a series!) I had a vague idea kicking around in my head, and I looked at the stamps again this past week, but no particular idea came to mind. Tonight, though, the colors of the black butterfly card just jumped out at me and I had my design:





I hope you're not too sick of black and green. I can't wait to send this to my pal! Now I just have to get busy finishing my oft-mentioned teacup series.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!

I usually share Easter dinner with my sisters and extended family.
This year, I am spending Easter near home, with some dear friends. I wanted my sisters to know I will miss them and I sent them these cards to remind them that even if we're not together, they're always in my heart.




The background of the floral card is shiny with a technique called mother-of-pearl. It's really pretty though I don't know if it shows in the photo. The bottom card is a hodgepodge of elements but I know my sister will share it with her little grandsons, so I thought they'd enjoy all the texture, along with the bunny and the eggs. I wanted some sunshine in this card, but I didn't have a stamp, so I made my sun by twisting some saffron grosgrain ribbon.

I hope you're enjoying Easter Sunday with your family!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Birthday treats

I have several nieces and nephews who have had birthdays recently and these cards were perfect to accompany a gift.

I keep wanting to bling these up but I always tend to stay simple in a lot of the cards I make. I will go all out on a few of these soon, when the next wave of birthdays rolls around.

What flavor would you like?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Bold Blossom

I love this bright and cheery card. I copied the design from Natalie Decker (http://stampinat.blogspot.com) and changed it just a little. I used Daffodil taffeta ribbon and pulled a middle thread to gather it - I love this look. I also embossed the petals of the top flower for some texture and used a little flower punch for the center.

This will be one of my teachers' thank-you gift cards for this year. I love that it is simple to make but brings a big smile to my face when I see it. I hope they will feel the same!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Telescoping circles



I copied this cute little card from Barb Mullikin - her template, my stamped design.

(There's a video how-to in her March 13, 2011 post on www.BarbStamps.com.)

I just love interactive cards and this one is easy to make, and will impress! This was a quickie first attempt but I will make more when I think up a good design. In particular, I want to figure out a good border around the center circle because the edge shows when it's closed. I'll get a-round to it one of these days...

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Tea Time

Do you enjoy a good cup of tea? I've been a tea drinker for most of my life and I love to share a cup of tea with a good friend.
This is one of a series of tea cup cards I'm working on; I have three designs made and a few more in mind. One of these days I'll post them all together.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Spin it


This is a fun birthday card for kids of all ages - everyone will enjoy flicking the spinner until it lands on each message! I like the odd color combination (I had a grown man in mind) but I want to try inking it up in some more traditional primary colors for kids and maybe use the polka dots embossing folder for a slightly different look. I'll let you see when I get around to it!

Monday, April 4, 2011

The greatest gift

This is a thank-you card I made last year for my children's teachers. It's so simple but elegant (in Eggplant) and the sentiment is very appropriate for teachers who give so much of themselves. The inside reads "Thanks for ALL you do!" I like the symmetry of the three squares and I think the embossed background is a good match.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

I have been trying to take better photos of my cards but I'm far from happy with the results. At least I have succeeded in getting them in focus, but even though the background looks white on the camera, when I get them into my computer, the background becomes very gray and the colors are a bit off. I have been working on getting a copyright watermark on the photos as well, but it's not very pretty and it involves resizing the photos I have taken... very time-consuming. The learning curve is a little steep! I hope eventually to present my work in the best light but for now, it's still fun to share.

Happy Hello



Happy is right! I have been trying for the past two evenings to figure out how to put a watermark on my photos since it is required by Stampin' Up! when photographing their artwork. I hope this will suffice; now to copy it onto the rest of my photos. It involves resizing my photos, too, which will take time...

Anyway, I think this card is really cheery and it makes me happy to look at it. The inside reads "You're never more than a thought away!"

Friday, April 1, 2011

Cheerful

Again, this is more summery than spring-like, but hey, it's snowing again and I'd rather think flowers and butterflies!