Happy Birthday, Max!

I can't believe my great-nephew Max is 10 years old today! Here's the card I sent to him:

Last week's Papertrey Make It Monday technique challenge was glittered die cuts.  You want glitter?  You got glitter!

I'm not a real big fan of glitter (hate when it gets all over everything) but I'll agree it can add just the right touch of bling to spice up a card. I used Heather Nichols' tip to run my diecuts through my Xyron sticker maker (which has been sitting, new in the box, for months now).  It really works great for adhering glitter and keeps it from falling off your project.  (I still ended up with a sparkly shirt when I was finished, though!)

I used Martha Stewart tinsel glitter on the clouds - love this! - and SU Dazzling Diamonds on the stamped balloons from PTI's Up, Up and Away.  (I certainly have gotten my money's worth from this set, especially for challenges!)

I enjoyed using PTI's alphabet die to cut out the letters from some Bashful Blue Designer Series Paper.  This die comes with all the letters attached, but they're easy to separate, so I was able to cut just the letters I wanted.

Another fun element on this card is the secret compartment hidden by the zipper diecut under the Lucky Limeade DSP.  After the cash treat is removed, a message appears in the open strip:

 

I hope Max found his treat hidden under the zipper element... Happy Birthday, Max!

Happy Birthday, Ellen!

I made an interesting card for my friend, Ellen, who celebrated her birthday recently. This flip card design used the Framelits Labels die collection and the Apothecary Art stamp set.  I colored the flowers and leaves using SU markers in Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz.  The Blushing Bride card base was stamped with the (retired) French Script background stamp using PTI's Fresh Snow ink.

When you open the card, the main image flips around to reveal the inside.

The butterflies were cut from some (long-retired) pink vellum with the Beautiful Wings embosslit.

It's fun to try out new card designs, especially interactive ones.  I'm always so grateful to those creative people who share their clever ideas.  Thanks to Cristy Butzen for her flip card video tutorial, which she shared on the Stampin' Up! demonstrators-only Stampin' Connection website.

Easter Blessings

For the first time in several years, my children and I will be spending Easter with my sisters, nieces and nephews and I am so grateful! Toots cooks a wonderful dinner and also organizes a fun Easter egg hunt for the kids. It will be so nice to spend some time with my loved ones.

I will miss a few of my favorite people, so I created a card to send each of them:

I began with the sentiment, which is from Fabulous Florets, inked in Wisteria Wonder. The lovely tulip is from a long-retired set called Watercolor Garden II, inked in Barely Banana, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive. The focal point was cut with a Framelits Label die and the mat layer was embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder; I added a little ruffled ribbon as an accent (I know it looks crooked in the photo, but I straightened it out.)

I've also been a busy little bunny making some favors for our table tomorrow (as well as my coworkers, some neighbors, and a niece and nephew who live locally). I made about 40 of these little baskets, all cut by hand and punched with various punches. I stamped the Easter egg images in white using a (retired) Stampin' Around wheel called Easter Fun. I even made the grass inside the baskets by hand - kinda nuts, I know, but I didn't find any shredded paper in a color I liked... I made a larger version for each of my kids, too. Good thing I started them last month, since I only just finished them tonight!

I wish you and your loved ones a basket full of Easter blessings.

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

Reach for the sky

Here's my entry to PTI's Make It Monday challenge this week. The idea is to stamp an image more than once without reinking to produce graduated color for your images. It's a great way to stretch your palette and get matching hues.

I like the balloons from Papertrey Ink's Up, Up and Away for this effect because the lighter balloons at the top give the suggestion of being farther away. I used Island Indigo, Concord Crush, Calypso Coral and Sahara Sand (for the baskets) on PTI Aqua Mist card stock and masked the balloons (with die cuts) to stamp the clouds in Fresh Snow Ink (PTI). The mat and the baker's twine are Island Indigo and the polka dot brad is Pool Party.

It's a simple but cheery card; I think I'll stamp "Congratulations" on the inside and give it to a graduate later this spring.