I Wish...

Today I am missing my mom.  Sure, I can talk to her on the telephone almost anytime.  But I want to spend the day with her.

This card is for you, Mom.  I love you!

 

 

I also wish I'd remembered to wipe my fingers before adhering the Colonial white card to the base.  I found three, yes, three, ink smudges on the face of this card.  Part of me is hoping you can't see them.  Then, another part of me is glad for them.  It's a way to say, "Hey!  Learn from my mistakes so you won't have to make them."  :-)

 

 



 

 

Here's a second picture at a slightly different angle so you can see how it opens in the middle.  I know this might not meet CAS (Clean and Simple) requirements to some, but I think it does.  :-)

I couldn't wait to deliver the card, so I thought I'd post the inside so you can read it here, first, Mom.

Friends.  Do you have a special mom or friend that deserves a card today?  Don't delay.  :-)

This card just happens to use Juniper and Creme Brulee--two yummy CTMH colors picked for this Color My Heart Color Dare. 

It also has a "creature" of the air on it--which is a requirement for the Creature Feature at Heart 2 Heart.  I hope these ladies don't mind me combining both challenges for one card.  It just worked, ya know?  :-)


Thanks for stopping by to look!
Keep your fingers clean,
Brenda

Oops!  I forgot to mention that I used CTMH's "A Rainbow" and "Tiny Typewriter Alphabet" stamps and Chocolate ink and cardstock with this card.  :-)

A Candle-Shaped Christmas Card

Christmas card-making in May?  Yes, I say.  And here's a blog challenge with people who agree: Christmas Card Challenges.


The challenge was to create a Christmas card with a "candle" theme.  Here's what I came up with:

I folded some Colonial White (Ecru) cardstock and trimmed away with scissors until I had a candle shape.

Then I cut out holly leaves with the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and stamped the dot pattern in Olive ink using a dotted tree stamp (you'd never guess, right?) over the top of each leaf.  After sponging with a sponge dauber around each leaf, I mounted some on the front of the card and some on the back to create a sort of wreath for the candle to sit in.

Finally, I threaded three buttons and attached them with Liquid Glass as the holly berries.  A little "joy" tag finished off the front of the card.

Here's a close-up of the flame from the inside of the card.  I added Martha Stewart glitter glue in yellow and sugar cube to the flame--after I had shaded it with colored pencils.

Well?  How did I do?  Did I meet the challenge?  You decide.  :-)


Thanks for stopping by to take a look!
Blessings,
Brenda

Tie It Up

Over at Cute Card Thursday the challenge is to interpret the words "Tie It Up."  I stumbled across this card challenge site quite by accident and had thought I'd put together a card for it.  As I was thinking about what I'd do, I thought about all the different ways I could use "Tie It Up."

Well, if your brain is anything remotely like mine, one thought led to another and--before I knew it--a card had led to this album I decided to share with you for the first time today.

 

 

Kraft Envelopes and cardstock, with the help of CTMH supplies, too, create the perfect pockets for this simple mini album.  Don't you just love the hodge podge of ribbon scraps tied to the metal rings?!  If you ever have scraps of ribbon and wonder whether or not their worth keeping, here's a perfect example of why you should.  Just store them ziplock bags by color and see how handy the come in for projects like this.

 

 

 

 

Little finishing touches like, Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" on the heart, first dry embossed and then inked with a rubber brayer, make this little album special and complete.

 

 

 

 

Pockets for journaling and hidden photos make the album fun to look through because it's interactive.

 

 

 

 

Several Colors--Cranberry, Outdoor Denim, and New England Ivy are repeated throughout the album for a consistent and tied-together look.

 

 

 

 

A little help from CTMH's Cricut cartridges and stamps add just the right amount of color to the layouts.

 

 

 

 

Faux stitching with a fine-tipped black marker adds a touch of whimsy and cohesiveness to the album.  Stamping color on color adds depth to the leaves.  (Note: Use any stamp with a pattern big enough to fit the leaf for a personal touch.  This particular pattern with the dots left un-inked reminded me of fabric--something I felt was a great choice for this particular paper project.)

 

 

 

 

Add a touch of something different to each layout to keep it unique and visually interesting.  Here I added inked Kraft Borders and Marth Stewart Glittle Glue.

 

 

 

Here's a close-up of the butterfly.  I first inked the image directly onto the page.  Then, on a separate piece of Colonial White (Ecru) cardstock, I re-stamped the image, cut it out, added some glitter glue, and mounted it over the page.  Why go to the trouble?  I wanted the intenae to show up without the difficulty of trying to cut around it by hand.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another page in the album.  Kept simple on purpose, I really wanted the photos to take center stage.

 

 

 

 

Every page in the album is actually an envelope.  I simply folded the flaps in and mounted more Kraft cardstock over the top of each side.  This added adequate strength to the album--ensuring it will hold up to use.

 

I'm not showing all the pages today.  I've loaded up enough pictures on this post already.  But I will point out the tabs for the inserts (shown upper left in the last photo).  Each tab was made with one scallop punch and two circle punches.

 

 

And now, the album is finally ready to personalize.  Very rarely do I make something for myself to keep.  So this album is going to become "My Story."  I'm going to put favorite pictures of my childhood and life--with personal journaling, quotes, and Bible verses.  What do you think?


Thanks for stopping by to take a look!
Blessings,
Brenda

Fun with Tommy

When I spotted this Mojo Monday challenge, I just knew the sketch would be fun to work up in Kraft and CTMH "Tommy" patterned paper.


But first, let me show you the neat sketch:

And here's my take on it:

Usually I enjoy sewing the stitches on the paper, but today I opted for the gel pen version.

The sentiment comes from CTMH, too.


Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings,
Brenda

Made My Own Scraps

So, I wanted to give the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge a try, but I wanted to do it my way.  What did I do?  Why, I made my own scraps, of course.  All "patterned paper" is actually stamped images from CTMH stamps.


Here's the inspiration:

And here's what I started with on my desk:

 

 

Do you recognize any of these stamps?  A little "Whooos Your Valentine," "American Celebration," "Universal Backgrounds," and "Candlelight."

 

 

And here's the finished card:

 

 



The scraps are adhered only on the left side.  A strip of Outdoor Denim cardstock and length of twine anchors the scraps.  Stitching with DMC Ecru thread and the sentiment from "Thoughtful Tidings" helps balance the card.


Thanks for stopping by to take a look!
Blessings,
Brenda

Buzz and Bumble Birthday Card

Here's a card I made using CTMH Buzz and Bumble paper, kraft paper cardstock, and a CTMH stamp.  The stamp was inked in Cocoa-colored ink.  I briefly debated coloring in the word "birthday," but ended up leaving it alone.  (Do you ever have those little debates running through your head?  Yeah.  Me, too.)  :-)

I wanted to do something kind of offset on the card, so I cut the honeycomb pattern so it was at an angle and then balanced it with the striped banner piece.  Notice how this card is yet another great way to use up scraps?  (It makes me feel good...like I'm doing my part to on Operation U.U.S.--Use Up Scraps).  :-)

Here's a close-up of the embellishments.  The one scalloped circle is mounted on 3-D foam tape and the button rests on that (secured in place with glue dots).  Several-sized pearl opaques (some from CTMH and some from the craft store) arc around the scallop.

 

The button was threaded with a piece of trash--------that's right--------clean trash.  The thread was something I'd cut off a tag the other day.  I liked the look and size of it so I let it rest a few days on my desk.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

Blessings,

Brenda

Sunny Yellow Butterfly Card

On this butterfly card I used Sunny Yellow & Sunset to color the butterflies.  The sentiment was from the CTMH set called Bugs & Hugs, Seasons & Nature.  A spellbinders nestabilities was used for the two ovals.

The sentiment reads:  A butterfly goes wherever it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes. 

Thanks for your visit,  Joanie