Flower Burst

I saw this in Cardmaker magazine for Spring 2013made by Carolyn King and knew I had what I needed to CASE it. Love the way this flower is cut into four pieces but still looks like a fantastic flower!

Materials used to create this card include stamps from Gina K Design's Lean on Me. Sentiment is from Tami Mayberry's stamp set called All Occasion Tags, also found at Gina K Designs.

Teachers

I was asked to create cards for a Fifth Grade teacher along with the Pre-School teachers. Like I said, it's been a while (long while!) since I was in an environment with young children. Creating these cards gave me the opportunity to remember and appreciate the hard work these professionals put into their days.

The crayons, arrows, hearts and flowers were created with stamps from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life, but since I was limited on stamps for the older age group, I used other resources, such as items from Jolee's Boutique, Mrs. Grossman's image stickers and borders, and other stickers from my stash.

Pre-School Teachers

I was asked to make a Thank You cards for two Pre-School teachers.  Since my "kids" are now in their late 30s, it's been a long time since I was in an environment with those ages. While creating, I had fun reminiscing such a good time in my life.

Stamps used came from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life.

Pop!

This card was for a challenge at Gina K Design. We could use black, white, Kraft or neutrals for basic background but were to add one other color to make the design "pop." I chose one of my favorite colors, turquoise. The card is layered with black and white cardstock, has ribbon from Gina K Designs, and the images are also layered with Gina K Design's turquoise paper. The images are from Theresa Momber's Whimsical Wishes and the sentiment is from Gina K's Lean on Me stamp sets.  As always, please ignore the date stamp on this picture. (My mom's camera, & I don't know how to get it off!)

Simple Flowers

I enjoy this stamp set from Stampin Up! The three flowers and one butterfly make a very clean and simple card, which is my favorite. Thanks for looking! I would love for you to leave a comment so I know you've been here. Have a good day!

Sunset

This is another card created by Theresa Momber's By the Sea 2 stamp set from Gina K Designs. Love it! I inked a masked circle with Hero Arts Butter Bar Shadow Ink and then added orange from Stephanie Barnard's ink collection. The two together created this fantastic sun. Two black images (one bird and one tall grass) were then stamped on top, with a little grey underneath for some shadow, created this incredible image. Theresa's tutorial took me through this process, step by step. Check out her blog for more, craftingtheweb.blogspot.com/.

Card No. 2

These were cards created from the basic design of a formerly posted card. I added butterflies and a blue flower to direct the eye. No bling on this one, just several die cuts. Hope you like it! Please feel free to comment so I know you've been here. Appreciate it!

Thanks to You!

These cards were designed with stamps from Gina K Designs. The background was created using Pebbles chalk. I enjoy using this technique sometimes in lieu of inks. The butterflies are cut from an Anna Griffin punch. I used a glitter pen in the center and added a bit of silver Stickles to add sparkle.

I plan on sending these to folks who have helped me during my recuperation from surgery for a broken ankle--a very long 12 weeks, total.

Happy Birthday!

-This card was created from die cuts sent to me by a dear friend. She spent hours with her Silhouette machine cutting various designs that I might like in my "Get Well" package. Love to you, Anna! Thank you!

Keep Calm and...

Today I've added three cards with the same theme, "Keep Calm...and..."

There are a lot of folks graduating today. Congratulations! You must be excited, nervous, scared, and anxious but happy...overwhelmingly happy. Then, tomorrow, you'll wake up and ask,

"OK, what now?"

For now, keep calm! Keep moving forward and carry on. That's my message to you. Hope it helps!

Stamps are Calm2Keep from Stephanie Bernard's Stamps of Life.

Tiny Buttons

The Outlawz Twisted Challenge this week requires adding a button to the card, so I added three! Hey, why not?

The stamp set used for this card is from Gina K Design's Theresa Momber. She, too, is recovering from ankle surgery and was kind enough to send me the stamp set she created called Vogue Vases 2. Her kindness touched me deeply, so I wanted to create a card with it as soon as possible. Thank you, Theresa!

Color Challenge.LOVE

This week's Outlawz Color Challenge is black, white and silver, with the added twist of lace. I used a lace doily instead of a ribbon of lace and inked a floral image on top, added a butterfly and some bling. Of course, I had to add "LOVE" for the final touch.

Hugs!

This card is for Sunday's Clean & Simple Sunday Challenge--all about animals, pets & hugs. "Hug Your Pet" is the suggestion, but I didn't have any stamps that showed someone hugging their cat, so I made some adjustments. This card is silly & funny, intended to bring a smile to your face this beautiful day.

The animals came from a Stampin Up! set. The "h" in hugs is made of chipboard, and "ugs" are Thicker Letter Stickers in white vinyl. I had lots of fun putting this card together!

His & Hers Design

Below are cards using a technique taught by Jennifer McGuire in His & Hers Online Card Class. I inked a leaf stamp in a variety of colors and stamped in a circle pattern, with the end of the leaf meeting in the center. One reason this design became a favorite was it could be for used any occasion, with different color palettes, and for either male or female.

His & Her Thanks!

Above is feminine card I created for class. This was so much fun! I made a mask with just a circle cut out & stamped flowers & leaves in bright, happy colors inside. When the mask was removed, there was a circle full of flowers! I used my favorite new stamp set from Simon Says Stamps but I don't know the name of it.

Below is a masculine card I created using a Hero Arts hexagon background stamp inked in navy blue. The sentiment is from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life.

Thanks for Everything

This card was entered into Gina K Designs New Release Challenge in honor of May Flowers. I am also entering it into a challenge for Outlawz Monday Greetings Cards.

The image is from Gina K Design's Stipple Nature stamp set by Beth Silaika. I received the stamp in a Gift Bag after winning a challenge in April for Gina K Designs. This has been quite a few months! (Again, please ignore the date on this card. It's wrong.)

His & Hers, Cards One & Two

Hello! I'm back! Thanks for hanging in there with me as I recuperate from surgery for a broken ankle. These cards are my first attempts at crafting while on crutches. The photos could be better, but they are the best I could do while balancing on one foot! Oh, and please do not pay attention to the date printed by the camera on the photos. I cannot seem to control what it does.

This week I have been participating in His & Hers Online Card Classes. Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, and other professional crafters are teaching the classes, and their instruction provides extraordinary learning experiences. This is my second class from them. First time around was for Clean & Simple 2, and cards are posted at the beginning of this blog from that class.

Card One is a card for Her, with the sentiment Just Because. The colors I used are most often related to women, and the flower indicates same. I also have learned script fonts are most often used in cards for females.

Card Two is for a male. I used Kraft cardstock and inked leaves below a straight border across the card. This was a new technique for me. Kraft is often used for cards for men, and green is a good color for Kraft.

Progress

Just wanted to check in to let you know surgery went well & healing is in progress. I have a walker, crutches & a "knee walker" that's like a scooter I can get around on.  That provides some fun during the day as I move from couch to laundry to kitchen with a bag hanging on the handles holding items I need.
If you ever need a knee walker, I highly recommend it.

I was blessed to have my sister here for a week. She worked hard every day, clearing space for me to get around, organizing craft supplies so I could continue my craft, & stocking up the refrigerator with more than I could possibly ever eat.

This week I began the His & Hers online card class, and I'm finding it to be a lot of fun. I've had a hard time creating cards for assignments, but soon I will post what has been created for homework.

Please return soon to see what I've learned from His & Hers. I don't think you'll be disappointed, and I believe you'll learned something new, too!