Fathers day cards

Here are this years father's day cards.  The card at the top is Frank's, he is Brian's step father. The first one on the second row is Dale's, Brian's father and the last one belongs to Donnie, my dad.  For the first one I used Graphic 45's a proper gentleman paper and a piece of a page from a hymnal that my church let me have.  So nice of them.  I used a few distress inks on that page and then sprayed a little water over it to make the water spots.  The second card is made from the Bissette paper line from s.e.i.  I used an Inkadinkadoo stamp and Zing embossing powder from American Crafts in brown. The last card used some black mirrored kind of paper from unknown source and the patterned paper is from DCWV, from the glittered stack.  The stone pieces are from ek success and the rub ons are from the paper studio.  I hope that the guys all enjoyed their cards.  I have always found making cards for men to be a greater challenge than any other type that I make.  Thanks for taking a look and stopping by my blog.  Enjoy, 

Anniversary card for Mom and Dad

My Mom and Dad have been married for 37 years now.  Wow. What a long time to be the same person everyday, right?  Nah, I'm joking around.  I think its a wonderful thing to be married to a person for so many years.  Over the years I've watched my parents as they have shared in happiness and in heartaches.  I've learned thru them what it truly means to be married.  It's not all swans and hearts every day and It's definitely more than I can say in this blog post.  There's a lot to being married and the main thing I've learned in the 3 marriages that I've had. (It just took  me three tries to find mister right;) is that you will stay married for just as long as you want to.  That means as long as you are willing to try your best every day to be good to your partner and to make them happy, to put in the effort to make sure you know how to communicate with them and to understand what it takes for them to be happy and to be willing to go the extra mile to do any thing that it takes to make your marriage work, that's how long you be married. Its when you give up on trying because it got to hard or because you just didn't feel it was worth the effort anymore that you will decide to part way.  For what ever reasons people have for divorce.  I know that I've learned a lot from my parent's marriage.  From watching them never give up on one another no  matter how hard it got.  They have developed a bond that holds fast no mater what heartaches they may endure.  Like all things in life; the reward is sweeter the harder you have to work for it.  Marriage is no different.  So I congratulate Mom and Dad for all the hard work and happiness they have shared and all the memories they have made together.  Thank you, Mom and Dad for teaching me the true meaning of commitment and what happiness a good marriage can bring.  I wish you guys many more happy anniversaries a life time of happiness.

I made this card using Bazzill basics glimmer paper and g.c.d.'s felted paper. The background script paper is from Paper house Productions.  Hand made flower out of Bazzill paper, made by me.  Heart button-source unknown, the charm is made of a fishing swivel and key from Hot off the press, stamps; heart/tree from Hampton art and sentiment from Print works, ink; dark brown chalk ink by clear snap, black trim and the black bling buttons are vintage.   Thanks for stopping by. enjoy!

Derek and Mel's anniversary card

I just made this little card mainly out of a few die cut images from the cricut.  I wanted to make sure that I honored these two on their first anniversary.  For those of you who don't know, Derek is my Brother.  I love him dearly as he is my only sibling.  I also love his wife Mel and their little boy Dylan and soon to be little girl Penelope.   I just wanted to make sure they knew Brian and I had love them and were thinking of  them on this first anniversary.  The die cut of the birds in the nest is from the SweetHearts cart and the label is from the new Sugar and spice lite cartridge from circut and the sentiment stamp is form autumn leaves.  I added some antique linen distress ink to the edges of the paper and then finished it off with the little green trim from Making memories. I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it for them.  These are two very special people in my life and I hope they know it. Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to leave a comment. Enjoy!

Birthday card for Frank

Here's the card I made for Frank's birthday.  I used the Graphic 45, A proper  Gentleman, paper line and the Argyle cuttle bug embossing folder on a piece of thin chipboard and did a technique from Tim Holtz''z new book using paints for the silver and Burgundy piece in the foreground. I used Black magic glimmer mist on a large prima flower and the next to largest flower is a die cut using the cricut out of thin chipboard and then layered with patterned paper, and I finished off the layered flower with some small primas.   I used a fishing swivel for the dangled charm with a fish charm added to the end.  The center piece of the flower is a metal button and the sentiment is a k.i. memories stamp..  i hope you enjoyed this card. Let me know if you have any questions about techniques or if you have something you would like to see.  Thanks for stopping by. Hugs.

another birthday card;)

I made this card last night for my uncle, Harvey.  He always enjoys getting my handmade cards.  I've heard that he has not thrown one of them away.  How bout that!!  I put a little extra effort into this one.  I wanted to try something new and sense I'm currently into stamping and inks this is what my hands made;p  I never know where a project is going when I sit down to make it.  Does anyone, tho?  I guess there are some people who set out to make a project with a clear picture of what it is they would like the end result to be.  I've never been like that.  I set out knowing that I might need a Birthday card but no idea what I am going to do . That's why I say 'this is what my hands made'.  my brain has little to do with my crafting.... Maybe that's why I enjoy it so....

I made this card using a Tim Holtz stamp set and several colors of distress inks.  I embossed the image and sentiment with black embossing powder and I used a stamp set from Autumn Leaves on the card base.  That's about it.  Hope you enjoy

june tag swap.MPG

Memorial Day card for Brian

Wow this must be some kind of record, three post in one day!!! I really should practice making post more often. I know that Memorial Day is really a time to remember our fallen solders of war but I wanted to just make a small token of appreciation for my Hubby, Brian who so bravely fought in the Iraq war.  He has sacrificed so much for this country and I like to tell him that I haven't forgotten what he went thru for our freedom and for us to live at peace, just every chance I get.  I love to honor him for all that he has done.  I want him to know that I am proud of him and altho I missed him terribly and worried about his safety non stop while he was gone, I was at the same time just bursting with pride in him.  so, thank you, Brian, for all you have given to your country and to me.  I love you, Baby.

I made this card from a napkin that I collected one year that Brian and I went to the Marine corp Ball.  The card base is watercolor paper that I stained with coffee. I then used modge podge to adhere the napkin to the watercolor paper and then added a coat on top.  I had never tried this myself before altho I have seen it done with tissue paper.  I like the effect it gave.  It had a texture to it that felt like masking tape does on the surface.   The "Thank You" stamp was one from Making Memories; the cardmaker clear stamp set.  I stamped it with Versa mark and then heat embossed it with gold and I also used the versa mark to emboss the gold around the edges of the piece.  I also used just regular old pigment ink to color the back ground. the red and blue and I used distress inks in Antique Linen for the middle color.  Finally, the America quote is a stamp from Inkadinkado.  I also used Walnut Stain distress ink all around the outer edge. I think this card turned out great and had a great classic look to it.  Hope you enjoyed it!!!

Frank and Judy Owens- anniversary card

I made this card with the Sweet Hearts cart. for the cricut.  I had such fun layering all the pieces for the couple die cut.  I love that Provo Craft has begun making the images much more detailed than previously.  I think it makes for a much nicer image.  The paper and flower stickers are from K and Company's wedding collection.  I  stamped the flourish image at the bottom with Versa Mark and heat embossed it with white.  The stamp is a new one I just got from American Crafts; it's called the Lavish collection.  I also put a layer of glossy accents on the little die cut that says 'Blissfully happy'.  I love the way the glossy accents gives regular paper the look of epoxy.  I guess that's about all for this card.  Hope you enjoy ;)

More Photos of Mother's Day Mini

These are more photo's of the Mother's Day mini album I made for my Mother this year.  It includes some of the handmade flowers that I made and showed you in an earlier blog, some of the new Tim Holtz stamps, glimmer mist, patterned paper by Basic Grey (the porcelain collection), and a few die cuts from the Sentimentals cartridge for the Cricut machine.  One of my favorite techniques was to print the photo of me and mom directly onto a piece of white fabric.  I thought the effect was great.  The pink lollipop flower on that page is also one of my own creations.  I learned the technique from one of the lovely ladies over on you tube.  That one is my first attempt so you may be seeing more of these flowers from me in the future.  One thing that I am really enjoying right now is making my own embellishments. Things like all the different flowers that you have seen me making lately and the embellished buttons and  I am even working on some embellished stick pins right now.  I also have really been working on my stamping and getting much much better at it.  I remember when I used to use stamps on a project almost as an after thought.  It was something that I could do with or without.  Now I am spending my money on stamps every time I go shopping for supplies, that and Inks, of course.  I finally am understanding the different effects that you can get from the different inks on the market.  No more of the cheapest inks on the store shelves.  No, I learned my lesson from making that mistake.  I never can get good coverage from the cheaper inks.  I am really loving the chalk inks from Clear snap right now.  I think that they are more forgiving inks for a beginning stamper.  Hope you enjoyed this post. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  I love hearing from you guys and knowing that someone is out there enjoying what I do.  Let me know if you would like to see me do something, if you have an occasion coming up that you need to make a project for and need an inspiration boost, I would be more than happy to help, or if you would like to see a technique demonstrated; please, just let me know and I will be more than happy to help.  Till next time, enjoy!!!