Monday, May 28, 2012

Giddy gingham



Did I say that I love Flower Fusion?? These little posies from PTI's Flower Fusion #12 make me positively giddy! They're just so bright and bold and fun.

Do you like the delicate little stems? Pear Pizzazz baker's twine makes much softer foliage than the stamped leaves (which I used on a previous card with the tulip Flower Fusion) on this busy little design. The flowers are stamped in Island Indigo with Peach Parfait centers. The sky is Pool Party and the grass is Lucky Limeade, both stamped with PTI's Background Basics: Gingham. I really like the combination of Island Indigo and Pool Party in this card, much more so than when I stamped the darker blue on the light in this previous card.  I cut the grass with a Martha Stewart punch and used the little strips that were left over to fill in the grass in the front; a small detail, but one that pops.


The cute little sentiments are from SU's Petite Pairs and the tiny butterfly is from the Beautiful Wings embosslit.


Cards like this really make me happy and are the real reason I love paper crafting so much. I smile each time I look at this card!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Happy Birthday, Marjie!



  My step-mother Marjie has a collection of porcelain teacups I always admired and that was my inspiration for her birthday card.  I first stamped the big tea cup from Tea Shoppe with Marina Mist, then I removed the color from the violets with a blender pen before coloring them in with my markers (Wisteria Wonder, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight) - same colors in the little violets.  The sentiment is from Petite Pairs and an Antique brad clasps the Marina Mist taffeta ribbon bow.  The lace doily edges were made with PTI's Edgers #2 die.

 


The inner white panel, also with the lace edge treatment, has this sentiment from PTI's Wildflower Garden stamp set and another little sprig of violets.  I love what it expresses and wish lovely dreams come true for my dear Marje.


Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere - even if she lives only in your heart, like mine...

I sent two Mother's Day cards this year, to my stepmother, Marjie, and my mother-in-law, Irma, but I forgot to take photos before I put them in the mail. I thought this pretty purple butterfly could stand in...

Such a gorgeous butterfly stamp, from Strength and Hope.

I stamped it in Wisteria Wonder and made a mat of the same. The square scallop mat, in Almost Amethyst, is embossed using Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, and I added a small detail with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch. Four tiny pearls make the butterfly's body.  

The sentiment is from Faith in Nature. The small flowers were stamped using Punch Potpourri (a retired hostess set) and punched out with the Boho Blossoms punch. Looking at the inside right now, I can see that it just might need a tiny butterfly to balance these blooms; I think I'll do that before I send it out.

It's funny how a photo sometimes distorts certain elements of a design.  The white circle is matted perfectly on the Wisteria Wonder circle, but probably due to the angle I took the photo, it looks off-center.  Perhaps I need to compose my photos as carefully as I do my cards!


I hope you enjoy a lovely Mother's Day!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Funky flowers

I haven't had much of a chance to sit down and really play with this set, Botanical Silhouettes, which I've craved since I first laid eyes on it. It was Papertrey Ink's 2011 anniversary set (which I didn't earn - didn't even know about the anniversary promotion until Linda got it).  I recently found it for sale on the PTI Forum and was so happy when it arrived in my mail box last week.  I love everything about this set - the flowers, the foliage, and especially the beautiful sentiments.  I wondered what Island Indigo would look like stamped on Pool Party; as it turns out, not my favorite color combo, but the Lucky Limeade grass and ribbon add enough balance to satisfy me.  Originally, the centers were stamped with Daffodil Delight but it didn't delight me and instead I covered the centers with some ivory Flower Soft (which looks pretty thick in the photo but in real life looks okay, although I may scratch off a little more...)



A pretty PTI Aqua Mist button with a baker's twine bow is just the right accent to complete the card.


My neighbor Toni keeps asking me to make more birthday cards.  She is in the habit of popping in to buy a few cards now and then, mostly birthday cards.  My supply has dwindled this year, so I've been trying to add some new birthday cards to my basket.  Funny thing is, tonight she needed a Mother's Day card to mail in the morning!  I changed out a sentiment on another card to satisfy her need, but I guess I should have anticipated her request.  Now to make some for my own use!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Happy 40th, Shawn!

My niece Shawn just celebrated her 40th birthday. Her mother and step-mother organized a surprise party for her today and we traveled to New Hampshire to share in the celebration. While making a card for Shawn, I decided to try and incorporate some colors from Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge. I chose this selection:

Since I don't have many PTI colors, I substituted similar colors from Stampin' Up!'s palette:  I used Naturals Ivory, Kiwi Kiss, Aqua Mist (PTI), Tempting Turquoise and Cameo Coral.  

I love Garden Variety II, particularly the vintage quality of the images.  I didn't do justice to the lovely terracotta pot, as I finished up this card late last night and redid the cut-out pot a couple times trying to find a good match for Berry Sorbet.  It looks okay in real life but the camera didn't pick up the nice texture on the image.  "Birthday wishes" is from Tea for Two; the twill ribbon is PTI and the little butterfly brad is from SU!'s latest SAB offering.

The mat and frame were cut using the Labels Embosslits and by popping the panel up, it created an interesting little shadow-box effect.


I'm sorry to say I didn't really like these colors together.  I think the turquoise and the green are a little too harsh with the Aqua Mist mat.  (Granted, Hawaiian Shores is a little softer than Tempting Turquoise.)  So I decided to remake the card using colors I find more pleasing in combination.  I love Pear Pizzazz and Marina Mist together (you might have noticed it's one of my favorite combos!) and the pot is stamped in Cajun Craze, which shows the texture much more clearly.  A bow of Scallop Dots ribbon accented with an Antique brad finishes off the new version.


I selectively inked "celebrate" from Think Big Favorites #9 for the interior sentiment.


I'm so thankful that I was able to join my niece and her family and friends to wish her joy and happiness on this milestone birthday!