Thursday, April 30, 2009

little elephants for baby

How adorable are these little elephants? You can't go wrong when celebrating baby if you use a cute little elephant!

These cards are unique in that they actually use the same piece of paper even though one is for a boy and one is for a girl. This was an exercise in transforming the same supplies for 2 different purposes.

All of the paper used is from Basic Grey Urban Prairie collection. The pink paper in the background is actually the back side of the plaid paper used below in the boy card. Cut the edge with an apron lace punch for the girl, use a plain scallop punch for the boy.

The same elephant stamp was used. Embossed with brown American Crafts Zing over a Versamark stamp for the boy, and stamped in Martha Stewart pink and embossed in glitter for the girl.

The 'wee little one' is a rub on from Basic Grey. Black from one set, and the pink version from Sugared Olio. A little bit of ribbon tops it off. Double-sided foam tape lifts the elephant up off the card.

Using the exact same supplies can reach two different effects. Enjoy the day!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

baby girl card

Today's card is to celebrate a new baby girl. I used some random pink paper with white dots for the background, Basic Grey Urban Praire for the main paper and Basic Grey Sugared Olio rub ons. I used machine stitching on this card, one of my favorite techniques.

Instead of ribbon, I used jewelry-maker's twine. It can be found for about $5 for a pack of six different colors, and it has proven to be very versatile. The 'bébé' is a BG rub on that I put on heavy cardstock, cut out and then raised up with double-sided foam tape.

I hope this card inspires you to try something different or to revisit something you had put aside. Have a good one...

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

a week of new baby cards

It's that time of year when everyone seems to be getting ready for baby. Spring is a time for baby showers. This week I will post some of my fave baby cards for boy, girl and for the parents that are waiting to be surprised.


Today, here is a little-boy-on-the-way card. I used the Cricut New Arrival cartridge to cut the onsie, DCWV Latte cardstock pack for the paper, and a Making Memories white rub on for the wording.
Two green buttons sewn onto a white ribbon add the finishing touch.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

a sunny saturday





It's a nice weekend here, so I had to get out the old Kodak P880 and take pictures of the flowers in the front yard. They bloom and are gone way too quickly. Every year I snap away after I weed the winter out of the garden.

Of course, I had to get some shots of Nate. He's all set for little league. Too bad he's too young, he'd be a great player!

Friday, April 24, 2009

friday fun day

On Fridays (usually because they are pay days) I tend to want to shop. And I shop more for scrap supplies than anything else (yes, more than food)! Today I want to share my new fave splurge.

A few weeks ago I got hooked on Hampton Arts a la mode embossing powders. These things are great! Check out a little snippet of what I did in using them to cover chipboard:
So get out that embossing gun and fall in love with powders all over again! The bright opaque colors are fantastic! These particular powders can be found at Joann's. American Crafts carries Zing powders and they are great, too, if you are shopping online.


Thursday, April 23, 2009

The perfect thank you


When saying thank you with a little notecard isn't enough, doll it up and make your own! These paper flowers are just way too cute. I made them using two different size circle punches, layering them and distressing the edges.

Thread buttons to the layered circles with Bazzill string. Making Memories craft wire make cute stems.

The butterflies are from a Making Memories stamp kit, and the stamp saying is from Hero Arts. For a finishing touch, the apron lace punch from Fiskars for the edging.

Think of someone you want to thank and try this look yourself. Post a comment and share with me your paper flower creations.




Wednesday, April 22, 2009

A sentiment for all to see


Before my son was able to say, "I love you," we encouraged him to say, "I do" after we said, "I love you," to him. It became our family's thing for the longest time. Not satisfied with just scrapping a page about it, I made this picture to hang in our dining room.

The frame was a find in the clearance section of Joann's. It originally had 'KITCHEN' as the artwork, but I cut out the backing and took that out. I used family papers, Making Memories tags, Prima flowers and American Crafts ribbon. The lettering is done with my Cricut, the Platin Schoolbook font. I used a roll of brown packing tape to make a new backing once I was finished.

This is probably my most cherished picture in the house. It captured that brief time when Nate was learning phrases and testing reactions.

Now he says, "I love you" without hesitating, and he never says just, "i do." But when we are in our dining room, he is that little boy again just learning to speak.

This would make a great idea for Mother's Day. Get that phrase outta the book and onto the wall... She'll cherish it always, I promise.


Tuesday, April 21, 2009

make sure to take pictures of everything

I have always been a fan of taking pictures, ever since my Kodak 110 when I was a kid. Today, with my son, I recognize the importance of capturing EVERYTHING! It doesn't matter if he's looking at the camera, smiling, frowning, drooling or crying. In the end, all that matters is that I snapped that picture. Life moves way too fast to hesitate.

In the above layout, I captured my son seeing snow fall for the "first time." Actually, he was already one, but it was his first realization that the snow he'd read about or seen in movies was outside his back door. He's not looking at the camera and the horizon is a little more off balance than I like, but for me, it is the moment that counts.


get out that chipboard!

Chipboard belongs everywhere! (Can you tell I love it?!) This is a card that I made for my brother and his wife congratulating them on their new home.



Chipboard lettering and embellies are popular right now for scrapbooking. And in making cards, chipboard can add some terrific 3-D pizazz!

With this card, I used a Maya Road chipboard house and attached it with a safety pin to a ribbon. A paper piercer was used to make the hole in the chipboard. The lettering was from some old Miss Elizabeth lettering chipboard I had laying around. A rub on heart finishes the look.

If you are wondering about the wonderfully shiny green cardstock I used: DCWV Latte Cardstock Stack. It's turned out to be a very versatile stack for card making.


outside the lines


I am guilty of always thinking I should start with a square or rectangle when making cards. I make a lot of them, so it's an easy and bad habit to get into.

Today I am sharing a card I made for my grandmother. It's a get well card with a twist. The front of the card is a butterfly, the back a rectangle.

I used a piece of cardboard to trace a template for the butterfly and the back. The edges of the butterfly are filed down with an emery board and then inked for definition. A Heidi Grace stamp is used for the Get Well Soon in the bottom corner.

In this picture, the message has already been written, you just can't see it. I lightly traced the outline of the butterfly for guidance, then put a "thinking of you" rub on in the inside followed by a handwritten message that followed the shape of the wings.

Add a little bling, and this card is ready to go.





I finally started MY blog!

Hi all.
I have been wanting to start a scrapbooking, card making and graphic design blog for awhile now. I have my son's blog on his Web site, but it is time to start one for me. So here it is!


On this blog I plan to share tips, tricks, techniques and goodies that I find. Lots of giveaways when I can, and I hope that this becomes a place to share ideas for art and design.

Leave a comment and please sign up to follow this blog. You won't be disappointed!