A Happy Hello

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I've been wanting to do a birdhouse recently, but wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with it. This didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I think my friend will enjoy it.

I used SYI for the house, and HD for the bird, which I cut two at 2" and then cut the darker one apart and placed in areas I thought might enhance the bird. The wreath around the entrance was made with a MS punch. I pop dotted the first layer of the birdhouse and the perch.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Cute Daisy May - anything goes
The Pixie Cottage - green
Fussy and Fancy Challenge - green
Paper Cutz Challenge - anything goes


TFL,

dj1952

Gumballs Anyone?

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I just had to do another gatefold card for this card. These are more images that I reduced from a coloring book. After coloring the boy and girl with my prismacolor pencils I remembered seeing a gumball machine on its own, so I got the idea to use it on the front of the card. I didn't want just a plain back showing on the inside, so I colored two, matted them both, and pop-dotted the top one so the right side of the front would slide inbetween it when closed.

The papers are more from a beautiful stack I purchased for $7.95 by K&Company with 360 pages. (What a deal!) I used the new MS pansy punch. The sentiment is done with Sweethearts and PS. I wanted more of a 3-D effect, so I punched some foamies with my "1/4" hole punch and drew a highlight mark on them for more gumballs. Of course, by now I've run out of room to put my message to my friends, so I did a hidden pocket under the picture and used a gumball as the pull.

I'm entering this card at Polka Doodles Challenge and at
Saturday Challenge

TFL,

dj1952

First Gate-fold Card

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For a while I was only making easel cards, so I decided that I would learn some new designs (new for me). So this is my first, but not last, gate-fold card. I think it is such a nice way to send your message to others.

The floral paper is from K&Company's Best. It is such a beautiful backdrop for my card. The image is from a coloring book that I purchased at Target. I purchased three for $1 each and now I have a stack of new images to color, after printing them at 50% of the full size. I cut the circle on the front from Storybook, as well as the design. I colored the image with my prismacolors and gamsol.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly Challenge (buttons, bows, brads or bling) (I chose bling)
Pollycraft Monday Challenge (distressing)

Cricut Cardz Challenge (gate-fold card)

TFL,

dj1952

First Stairstep Card

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This is my first attempt at the stairstep card. I thought I was doing a different take on it by adding the part on the left, then I see that a couple designers did similar cards. I did come up with my own dimensions, as I hadn't seen this size on the web. The top picture is how it will look when it come out of the envelope. And the bottom is the open version. I really had fun putting the elements together. I'm entering this in four (4) challenges:


The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - folds
Cute Daisy May - bright & cheerful colors
Sketchy Colors - dark green, light green & pink
Polka Doodles - hearts & flowers


The heart is cut from HD, and I used three MS punches. The butterflies are made with one of the new stamp and cut punches, which I really like. I also used the feathered leaf and the new pansy border.

TFL,

dj1952

Ampersand Anniversary Card

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A dear friend likes cards that are not the normal greeting card. She had really liked an ampersand card that I did for another friend's anniversary, so I thought I would do this for her and her husband also. This is not my original design, but from a Cricut member, Tracy Gough.

I cut the ampersand base at 7-1/4" in brown regular shadow and one flipped using Plantin School. I also cut another at this setting, however I cut it in a coordinating aqua for the back. (To cover the back of the hinge.) Then I cut the aqua front, and the tops on the inside in regular at 7" (One has to be flipped for the left inside.) I did my sentiments up with Corel Draw so they would follow the curves of the ampersand. I added flourishes from SYI at 3" & 3-1/2". The flowers are from AE at 1-1/2" and the monogram from MM at 1". I then added lots of bling. I put the cards together with a hinge from FF. I made the top with the holes showing and the back with the holes filled in. I didn't like the way the back looked, so as I said before, I covered the back with another ampersand the same size as the base.

I'm entering this in the challenge over at Simon Says Stamps Challenge. The challenge is about love. I hope that even though this doesn't use the word "love" it will suffice.

Thanks for looking.

dj1952

Happy Anniversary from Antoinette

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I'm so happy to be able to make cards again. My cricut and all my supplies had to be temporarily moved. I never thought it would take over a month. I'm entering this on the challenge at Kraftin Kimmie Stamps. The challenge was to rip something. I find it hard to rip paper, I'm always working hard to cut everything evenly, however, I wanted to use my new stamp I purchased from them. I've always thought she was so cute.

The only thing I used my cricut for was the background and the frame. I used silk flowers and jewels.

Thanks for looking,

dj1952

A Hoppy Hello

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This is a card I made for a dear friend who has had to have his gall bladder removed (the old way) and is not feeling too well. He is a big fan of frogs, and since I've known him and his wife for ages, I try to add to that collection at any occasion. LOL!

I embossed the orange top layer with my cuttlebug, the frog and the mushroom are from my new Paisley cartridge. I'm entering this in the challenge over at Cute Card Thursday. I've also used my punch by Martha Stewart. The papers are by Recollections and Cosmo Crickets. The frog has been printed three times, the mushroom top twice and then both pop-dotted. I still felt the frog needed something, so I did some doodling on him.

TFL,

dj1952

Will she or won't she?

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...turn on the faucet, that is. Knowing my friend, she would. LOL. This is the last of the nine anniversary cards I did for friends. I am really pleased how this one turned out. It's pretty easy to make a nice card when you use the precious moments children; and combine that with an easel card.

I'm not sure what the papers are, as I split up my stacks. The new things I used are the flowers from the wedding area at Michaels, usually used for table confetti, I'll definitely buy more of these. I used my prismacolor pencils and gamsol to color the image. I've used a punch by MS and the mat is cut using Storybook, the ribbon is a semi-transparent white ribbon I also got at Michaels, but have never used. I'm entering this in the challenge at Stamp Something, here.

TFL,

dj1952

We're off to a party...

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Don't you just love the hedgehogs? This is the next to last anniversary card I've been working on. I like to do different things, but I find I really like the easel cards. They are so easy, and they display so well.

I did this card for a challenges over at BasicGrey, here. and The Play Date Cafe here. As usual I used prismacolors and gamsol. I cut the mat from Storybook. The base paper is BasicGrey, which was one of the requirements. (To use something from BasicGrey.) The challenge was a color challenge; the colors to be used were blue, pink and cream. It may be hard to tell from this picture, but all of these colors are here. I distressed the edge of the stamped image with a blue ink. The sentiment was matted and two brads were used, before the whole thing was pop-dotted. At The Play Date Cafe the colors turquoise, brown and dusty pink were to be used.

TFL,

dj1952

The Mice Wish a Happy Anniversary

Click on any image to enlarge.This is one of the cards I was another of the anniversary cards I was working on for my friends. I've really liked the House Mouse stamps when I first saw them. This one I colored with prismacolors and gamsol.

I thought this was quite festive. The paper is from Autumn Leaves and is called Pretty Poppies. The black is the opposite side of the white, and was embossed with little hearts and had an EK border added. I used crystal stickles on all of the hearts. The flowers were cut from Sweethearts and then I added some doodling. I am entering this in the Sketch & Stash challenge here.

TFL,

dj1952