Masculine Birthday

This is my card for the Seize the Birthday challenge this week to make a masculine card with the following sketch.

Hoping you all have a wonderful day!
Betty

Watercolor Embossing

My card was made using the technique from Make It Monday with Papertrey Ink, which involves watercolor stamping and embossing. The flowers are from a Martha Stewart two step stamping set. The sentiment stamp is from Papertrey Ink, Gracious Vases and the background for the sentiment is a gingham background stamp from PTI. The watercolor technique was a little bit messy but sometimes messy can be fun!

Check out the link and perhaps you'll want to give this technique a try too!

Betty

Alter Something

This is my card for the challenge at Joan's Gardens this week.

Here are the requirements:

• Use a square
• Alter something...even if it is a card
• Use flower paper...you can make it 
• You must use something sold at Joan's Gardens on your card.

My 2 inch square frame has rounded corners. The frame and the flower are a purchased embellishment.

The flowered paper is from an old Colorbok 12x12 paper book designed by Tracy Porter.

The thing I used that is sold at Joan's Gardens is a Cuttlebug folder. The folder that I used (Checkerboard) is no longer produced but Joan has plenty of embossing folders for sale. If you don't see what you want, just let her know and she'll be able to get it for you. One good thing (there are many) about Joan's Gardens is that she only charges you for the actual mailing costs -- no price gouging on shipping!! By the way, this embossing folder also features squares!!

My altered something is a card. Here is a picture of the card that I chose to alter.

Hope you have time to play in this challenge too  -- let's see what you come up with to alter!

Betty

A Challenge at Joan's Gardens

My cardmaking style is layered, clean and simple, but I think I've managed to capture all of the requirements for the challenge at Joan's Gardens, which are:

• Use black and white
• Use an embossing folder
• Use flowers, pearls and lace
• Use something sold at Joan's Gardens

As you can tell right away, I've used black and white. Also used a favorite embossing folder from Stampin' Up, Square Lattice. For many years my favorite has been Swiss Dots; guess now I have two favorites!

Got two requirements done with one swoop -- my Memory Box Prim Poppy die was purchased from Joan's Gardens. I have a flourish of lace and the pearls are quite subtle (meaning you have to hunt to find them!!). I've put a pearl at the center of the flower on the lace and at the left side of the sentiment frame. The stamps are from the set Wedding by Inkadinkado, which I purchased on my last trip to the States in June of last year.

By the way, I won't be traveling back to the States this summer; instead my daughter is coming to see me!! I'm so excited -- I've been here in Mexico for two years (can it really be????) and this will be the first time she's come -- can't wait to show her around "my town"!

Bye for now,
Betty

Coral Bird

Just a quick post today -- I'm off to Bible Study in just a few minutes! Hope you enjoy the bright, pretty bird in Cameo Coral. I found this piece of coral paper with the circle cut out from a previous project and this little tag fit on it perfectly.A scrap piece of white for the mat, stamped with the bird. Yay for scraps! Used the SU Square Lattice embossing folder for the front of the card base.

Betty

Die Cut Window Card

I was playing around with my new dies (Fancy Framed Tags 2) and made a window card. The next picture shows how it looks when it is closed.

I used two different stamp sets. The one on the bottom is from The Craft's Meow, Beautiful Hymns, and the upper stamp is from Gina K. Designs, Fanciful Tags.  Both sets were designed by Nina Brackett.

The piece that was cut out of the card base was sponged and used underneath the lower panel. We may be making window cards at our stamp group next month!

Betty

Vintage Easter

I haven't made anything vintage in a long time and when I saw Linda Payne's post this morning for Sugar Creek Hollow, I knew I wanted to play along and make a vintage Easter card. I got my image from Bumble Button and created the sentiment in MS Word. Couldn't figure out how to change the color (I wish the green were a bit lighter) but I was able to add just a hint of the little girl's dress color to it. I used a bit of a doily distressed with inks on the image and added lace to the background panel from a paper pack by Glitz, French Kiss. The metal butterfly embellishment is sitting on a mother of pearl button that came from my mother's button jar. I added distress inks to the butterfly to tone down the shine of the metal.

I'd also like to enter this card into the Pink Gem challenge to make an Easter/Spring card and into Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge to use green.

We're experiencing quite a bit of wind this afternoon. Wish we had a wind turbine as well as solar panels for generating electricity!!

Betty