Lotus Blossom Birthday

Hi Everyone!  I'm getting more settled into my new home and crafting space.  One of my dear friends celebrated a birthday recently and this is the card I made for her.  I CASE'd it from this card I saw on Pinterest.  I changed it up a little with the bow, sentiment, and addition of a gem.  I love this design and will be using it again to make thank you cards in different colors.  

Recipe:

Stamps: Lotus Blossom - SU, Birthday Suprise -Verve

Paper:  Blushing Bride, WW

Ink:  Blushing Bride, Rose Red, Blackberry Bliss, Garden Green, Gumball Green

Accessories:  MISTI, Ribbon, Bowdabra, Gem

Happy Cupcake Day

Here is a card I made for a friend's daughter's birthday.  I CASEd this card I found on Pinterest using a stamp set I recently got from My Favorite Things.  I used my Brother Scan n Cut II to make the round edged rectangle and the scallop border, and to cut out the stamped images.  The dress was paper pieced and I pierced the edge of the rectangle.  The images were colored with Chameleon Pens and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Cupcake Day - MFT, Express Yourself - SU

Paper:  Smooth White - MFT, WW, DP

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid - MFT

Accessories:  Brother Scan n Cut II, Chameleon Pens, Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, Sequins, Word Window Punch, MISTI 

Hello Baby Boy

This is a card I made for a friend who just had a baby boy last month.  I found this card on Pinterest and CASEd it.  I used the same stamp set but I changed the colors and papers.  I cut the onsie and bib with my Brother Scan N Cut II so I wouldn't have a white border.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Something for Baby, Teeny Tiny Wishes - SU

Paper:  WW, Lucky Limeade, DP

Ink:  Marina Mist, Midnight Muse, Lucky Limeade

Accessories:  Brother Scan N Cut, Button, Twine, Tag Topper Punch, Ribbon

A CASE for Birthdays

As I am building up my stash of birthday cards I went to Pinterest for inspiration.  There I found this cute birthday card.  I love the simple and clean design that prompts me to use the scraps of designer paper that is overcrowding my craft room.  The flame is created by using the wing from SU's bird builder punch then sponging More Mustard ink over it.  I dusted off my Crop-a-dile and some eyelets to some decoration to the sentiment.  The colors and design are even appropriate for a masculine birthday.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Bring on the Cake - SU
Paper:  Old Olive, So Saffron, WW, DP
Ink:  More Mustard, Tangerine Tango
Accessories:  Bird Builder Punch, Crop-a-dile, Small Circle Punch, Eyelets, Sponge

Close as a Memory

Sympathy cards are my least enjoyable cards to make because it means that someone I know is grieving the lost of a loved one.  Death is something that happens to everyone as Psalm 89:48 says,
"What man can live and not see death?  Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?"
Therefore there will always be a need for sympathy cards.  They are one way to show care to someone who is grieving.  

I made several of these cards to keep on hand as the need arises.  I CASEd the design from this card I found on Pinterest.  It is a simple and beautiful design.  My card is different in that I used slightly different colors, used Dew Drops for the flower centers, and chose butterflies for the embossed background. 

When I see a butterfly I am reminded of what the Bible says about death for those of us who believe in salvation through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.  I love what Romans 6:5-10 says about death for those whose faith is in Jesus Christ,
"5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God."

A loose correlation is like a caterpillar becoming a brand new butterfly by metamorphosis, believers in Christ are transformed from old the rotting mortal bodies to glorified eternal bodies living in heaven because of the work of Christ.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Close as a Memory - SU
Paper:  WW, Perfect Plumb, Mellow Moss
Ink:  Perfect Plumb, Mellow Moss, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Embossing Folder, MISTI, Dew Drops

Daisy Sympathy

This is a sympathy card I CASE'd from this card I found on Pinterest.  I changed the card from the original by using soothing blue tones, and small flower brads instead of ribbon.  I added a butterfly with a sequin to cover up a small smudge.  It was easy to get perfect placement of the stamped images using my MISTI.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Upsy Daisy, Close as a Memory - SU

Paper:  WW, Midnight Muse, DP

Ink:  Midnight Muse, Baja Breeze

Accessories:  MISTI, Butterfly punch, Brads, Sequin

Happy Birthday with a Cherry on Top

Well the cherry is not exactly on top as the title suggest, but it is still a birthday card.  When I saw this card on Pinterest I just knew I needed it for my birthday card stash.  I changed it a little by using the cherry in the stamp set instead of the bow, and I used a different border punch.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Create a Cupcake, Happiest Birthday Wishes - SU
Paper:  WW, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler
Ink:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Handsome Hunter
Accessories:  Red Stickles,, Cupcake Builder Punch, MS Border Punch, Stick on Gem

You'll be Tea-fully Missed

This card was made for a co-worker who left our office to move across the country.  She loves tea, so when I saw this card on Pinterest I just knew that the design would be perfect for her.  I used different colors in my card and a sentiment that expresses that she will be missed by all of us in the office.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Wild about Flowers, Petite Petals - SU
Paper: WW, Handsome Hunter, Lucky Limeade, DP
Ink:  Handsome Hunter, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories:  Flower Punch, Framelits, Bird Builder Punch, Beads

Serene Sympathy

I'm sure that every artist or creative person experiences a mojo-block.  A mojo block is when you want to create but the ideas are not coming.  When I experience mojo blocks I go to Pinterest to jump start the creative flow. This card was made almost a year ago during a block.  I got the inspiration from this card.  At the time I wasn't looking to create a sympathy card but I loved the design and it was easy enough to recreate with the stamps I have and I can change the sentiment for other occasions.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Fine Lace, Secret Garden, Brighter Tomorrow - SU
Paper:  WW, Brocade Blue
Ink:  Brocade Blue - SU, Tea Dye - Tim Holtz
Accessories:  Stick Pearls

Masculine Basic Sympathy

Sympathy cards are my least favorite to make because they represent loss of somebody's loved one.  This card is for a co-worker who recently lost his mother.  I needed to create a card with a masculine but soothing design so I turned to Splitcoast Stampers for inspiration.  This card immediately caught my eye and I knew that it would be perfect to CASE for this occasion.  

I used the same stamp and design as the original card but different shades of green.  The stamped image is created using the reverse image technique that you can learn about here.  It was easy to do and I love how the card came out.  I will be sure to use this technique for future cards.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Butterfly Basics, Beautiful Borders - SU

Paper:  WW, River Rock, Lucky Limeaide, Mossy Meadow, DP

Ink:  River Rock, Lucky Limeaide, Mossy Meadow

Accessories:  Twine, Word Window Punch, Brads, SU Markers

Hello Cupcake

This another card I made for the August birthdays.  I CASE'd it from this card I found on Pinterest.  I used similar papers and colors as I did on the card on my previous post.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Party This Way, Create a Cupcake - SU
Paper:  VV, Soft Suede, River Rock, DP
Ink:  Soft Suede, River Rock, Early Espresso
Accessories:  Embossing Folder, Nestabilities, Ribbon, Label Punch, Cupcake Punch

Emboss Resist Thank You

I got to play with a stamp set that I have had for a while but have never used.  I love the style of this set but wasn't quite sure how to use it so I went to Pinterest for some inspiration.  I found many lovely examples but this one really caught my attention.  I loved the muted colors in this example of the emboss resist technique.  I added a ribbon and used a "thank you" sentiment for my cards.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Postage Due, Thank You Kindly - SU
Paper:  VV, Soft Suede
Ink:  Versamark, Baja Breeze, River Rock, Soft Suede, Mellow Moss
Accessories:  Ribbon, Postage Stamp Punch, Clear EP, Heat Tool, Sponges

Last of the Blizzard of 2016

In the past few days the temperatures here have been above freezing, even a couple of times in the high 50's.  The great amount of snow that was rapidly dumped on us over a week ago is melting into large puddles and streams.  I think this week should be titled "The Great Thaw of 2016".

This is the last card that I made during the Blizzard of 2016.  I CASE'd it from this card.  It was nice having an extended weekend with no where to go and nothing to do except drink coffee, watch Netflix, and make cards.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Scentsational Season, Beautiful Borders, Snowflake Soiree
Paper:  WW, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, DP
Ink:  Rose Red, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso Craft, WW Craft
Accessories:  Framelit Dies, Stick on Gems, Corner Rounder Punch, Heat Tool

A Hug in a Mug

My area got about 3 feet of snow this weekend during the Blizzard of 2016.  I spent a little more than 3 hours shoveling today.  When I came in I made myself a hot cup of coffee poured over a chocolate truffle for a mocha-licious treat.  Tomorrow is another snow day off from work, and I will probably spend it resting sore muscles.

This is one of the cards I made during the blizzard.  It is a CASE of this card that I found on Pinterest; it symbolizes all of the hot drinks many of us have enjoyed this weekend.  For my version of the card I added sequin accents, used DP for the mittens and sprayed the background with Shimmer Spritz for a frost effect.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Scentsational Season - SU
Paper:  WW, DP
Ink:  Bermuda Bay, Smokey Slate
Accessories:  Embossing Folder, Mitten Punch, Framelits, Frost Shimmer Spritz, Sequins

Baby Blocks

This card was made for a co-worker who is due to have her first child soon.  She and her husband are waiting until the baby is born to know whether they have a girl or a boy.  That makes things a little challenging for me to make a card.  I chose a DP that had a rainbow of colors and went from there.  The layout for the blocks was CASEd from this card.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Sophisticated Serifs - SU
Paper:  Marina Mist, Rose Red, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, DP
Ink:  WW Craft Ink
Accessories:  White embossing powder, Heat Tool, Square punch, Postage stamp punch, Gems, Embossing folder

Wedding Birds

Two friends from my church got married recently.  We are all in the same care group at church so I got to watch their relationship grow from friends to dating and now to marriage.  The wedding colors were light pink and white, so I thought that Blushing Bride would be most appropriate for this card.  

I CASEd the card from this one.  I used more color and lace with pearls to dress it up a bit.  The edges of the birds were sponged with Blushing Bride ink to make them pop.  I didn't stamp a sentiment on the front because I think the design speaks for itself.

Recipe:

Stamps:  None!

Paper:  Blushing Bride, VV

Ink:  Blushing Bride

Accessories:  Punches, Nestabilities, Embossing Folders, Craft Sponge, Stick on Pearls, Lace with Pearls

Flower Patch Duo

  

I actually made these cards a few weeks ago for a couple of people who were having some difficult days.  I waited to post these cards because they are a CASE of another card, but I forgot to save the information.  I hope to find the original inspiration piece so that I can give proper credit.

It was fun to make these because I used a mask and color mists for the background.  I used my heat gun to dry the misted backgrounds quickly.  The mists not only have color, but shimmer that the is difficult to see in the photos.  I will be using this technique more, as I love the look.  The inks I used on the flowers are long retired SU favorites, Cameo Coral and Cool Caribbean.  I have had these ink pads for more than 8 years and they still work great.  

Recipe:

Stamps:  Flower Patch - SU, Accent Notes - Verve

Paper:  WW, Basic Black

Ink:  Cameo Coral, Blushing Bride, Cool Caribbean, Bermuda Bay, Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  Perfect Pearls Turquoise Mist, Smooch Spritz Blushing Bride, Bakers Twine, Decorative Mask, Stick on Pearls, Thinlets Dies. 

Keep Calm and Drink COFFEE

 

I love coffee.  If I could have it in IV form I would had a continuous drip going.  These cards are actually a CASE of this one.  I changed the colors, added buttons, used a die for the word "COFFEE".  I got this stamp set and the matching dies just before I moved and this is my first time playing with them.  I just how the word "COFFEE" pops over the cup, it gives it a lot of emphasis.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Coffee - Verve

Paper:  Crumbcake, WW, DP, Ruby Red, Pacific Point

Ink:  Baked Brown Sugar

Accessories:  Buttons, Verve Coffee Die

Wedding Congrats!

These cards were made for some people I know who got married recently.  My creative mojo is still lacking, so I went to Pinterest and found this.  It is such a beautiful card so I decided to CASE it, not only once but twice.  It is a very quick and easy design that I will probably be using again.

Recipe:
Stamps: Wedding - Inkadinkado
Ink:  Tuxedo Black
Paper:  WW, Basic Black, Lavender Lace, Bermuda Bay
Accessories:  Embossing Folder, Stick on Gems, Stick on Pearls, Flower Punch

Welcome Savannah!

This card was made for a family at church that welcomed a new baby into their home.  I CASE'd it from this card I found on Pinterest.  I used the same stamp set, layout and banner idea but I changed the colors and used the onsie to spell out Savannah's name.  This was a cute and fun card to make.

Recipe:
Stamps: Little Additions, Designer Typeset - SU
Paper:  WW, Marina Mist, Basic Grey, Perfect Plum, Pink Pirouette,
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum
Accessories:  Flower Brads, Small Scallop Punch, Buttons, Embossing Folder, Brad, Quilted Bow Applique, Smooch Ink