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!!!