CSN Giveaway and a Crossing Guard Card

I love summer nights – and I love the ambiance provided by solar lighting. CSNLighting has a huge variety of lighting options for all needs, but I am especially attracted to their solar light products. I love solar lights along garden paths or in gardens, but I also find them a great way to keep safe while camping. We place the lights near guy-wires and cords and also near the campfire (although not too close!). Solar lights are very portable and can be located where needed – and require no energy source! How perfect is that?!


If you would like to try some solar lights (or any other CSN product), enter my giveaway for a $40 gift certificate to be used at any of CSN’s 200+ stores. Just add a comment below and let me know what type of lighting you would choose if you won. Giveaway ends 12 midnight EST on July 7 and I will draw a random number to choose a winner on July 8.  Be sure to leave me a way to contact you should you be the lucky winner! (Contest open to residents of Canada and the United States only.)

Now for the Crossing Guard Card!

I made this card as a thank you for my youngest son's crossing guard.  Whenever I make her a card, I am sure to add an image of her STOP sign somehow.  For this card, the waves were cut with Zooballoo and layered.  I used my Creative Memories Decorative Trimmer for the sand layer.  All of the little creatures and the sun were cut from Create a Critter.  To make the sign, I used the shadow of the stop sign from Going Places and welded it to a rounded edge rectangle from George and Basic Shapes.  I also hid the contours of the letters.  I then cut a stop sign the same size (without the shadow feature and without hiding the contours of the letters) and simply cut a white bit of paper to go between the layers before attaching them.  I added a few tiny shells (taken from the hundreds I have left over from my Shell Seekers layout).  I also did a lot of inking.  The little crab, seal and sign are all popped.

Remember to come back tomorrow for the Canada Day Bog Hop and another giveaway (open to everybody)!!

24

Reusing Magazines to Create

My daughter has yet another birthday party to attend.  I made this card using an image I found in a magazine.  I thought it captured the look of a teenaged girl quite well!

I used my Creative Memories Cutting System to cut the image and the two mats.  16 was cut with Ashlyn's Alphabet (with a shadow) and run through a Cuttlebug border folder.  I also used my pink gel pen to colour the indented portions of the embossing.  The patterned paper is from a stack of cardstock I purchased at Costco and the solids are from my cardstock stash.  I also cut a 2 inch strip of pink, punched it with a border punch and then added some score lines for just a bit more detail.  Three tiny gems were added to the girl's bracelet and then three larger gems to the pink border.  The image and number 16 are popped.

Don't forget to return on Canada Day (July 1) for the

Canada Day Blog Hop!

Challenges entered:
Cricut Card Thursday ~ Reuse, Renew, Recycle
Practical Scrappers ~ Border Punches and Decorative Edge Scissors

13

Teacher Appreciation Cards

I can hardly believe that the school year has almost finished!  I made these cards for my children to give their teachers.

A few months ago, I bought the patterned TPC Papers at Michaels.   The solids are cardstock from my stash, with the exception of the red which is on the back of some Gartner's patterned paper.  I also used metallic cardstock for the apple stem and letters.

The apple was cut at 2.5 from Doodlecharms.  It is popped.  The inchies were cut from George and Basic Shapes (with a shadow) and I used Pooh Font Set for the letters.  I had to resize them in Design Studio in order to fit the inchies.  I embossed the top layer of the inchies with the centre of one of the flowers in my Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy folder.  I inked everything!

I will enter this card in this week's Cuttlebug Challenge ~ Inchie Projects

Don't forget about the Canada Day Blog Hop on July 1. 

Everybody is invited and there are some giveaways too!

And here's an outtake.  I was taking photos of the cards when our new little kitten jumped up on my table.  I couldn't resist posting the photo!

11

Lunchbox Treats

Each Monday is "lunchbox loveletter lundi" (lundi is French for Monday) at our house, the day I tuck a handmade card into the lunchboxes of my most favourite people in this world.  Tomorrow marks the last Monday of the school year, so I decided to add an extra treat to the tradition.

I made these sour cream containers using papers from DCWV.  The containers are filled with candy-coated chocolates, which we call Smarties.  I'm stingy with the treats around here, so I'm sure the containers will be quite well received!  I cut a sun and popsicle (with shadows) using Doodlecharms.  I ran the sun through my Cuttlebug little hearts folder.  I also added some ink dots and Tim Holtz stickles to the popsicle.  I made a little tag with Tags, Bags, Boxes & More and resized it in Design Studio.  I then cut little one inch letters from paper in my DCWV Spring Stack and glued them to the tags.  (Each letter used is the first initial of somebody's name.) The string used with the tags is from my cross-stitch supply bag of yonder year!

Years ago, I heard some wonderful advice from a friend.  When she was growing up, instead of her mother saying "no" all the time, she would respond to requests for treats and junk food with, "When we go camping."  I do the same thing.  We buy things like Frosted Flakes, bags of potato chips, candies and other treats when we go camping.  We camp every year, and trips to the beach are always part of this.  No trip to the beach is complete without a visit to the concession stand!!  We always enjoy a popsicle or ice cream as we spend time together next to the water.  I can't wait until August - our camping time together!!

Remember to come back on Canada Day (July 1) for our Canada Day Blog Hop.  You are ALL invited!

Challenges entered with my "lunchbox loveletter lundi" treats:
Fantabulous Cricut ~ Summertime at the beach challenge
My Creative Time ~ Throwback Thursday:  Doodlecharms

12

Card with Matching Tag and Bag

My daughter will be attending a party for her friend who is turning 16.  I made this card with matching bag and tag for her to give.

All of the papers used were from my scrap file - and many of them were left-over from the HIGH low layout I did earlier in the week.

For the card, most of the papers were simply cut to size with my paper cutters.  The background paper was embossed with Swiss Dots and the edges were inked with Pumpkin Pie (Stampin' Up) ink.  I ran the turquoise cardstock through my Cuttlebug birthday folder.  The orange cardstock was run through my Cuttlebug numbers folder.  I used a Creative Memories cutting system for the green circle around the number 16.  I also added some white pen dots to highlight the number.  (I have used the numbers folder a few times to make cards for Erin's friends turning 16 this year.  There are other number combinations that this would work for as well.)  The flowered paper was punched with an EK Success border punch.  The little yellow circle was embossed with a Cuttlebug round flower folder, and I then punched out the circle with a little paper punch that I have.  The orange flower was also cut out with a paper punch.  I added a turquoise gem and then arranged the card as planned.

The bag was cut using Tags, Bags, Boxes and More.  I used Design Studio to get the largest bag I could (cutting at 12" across).  I hid the contour of the slot.  After cutting, I embossed the bag with Swiss Dots and then assembled.

(Sorry for the shadows...)

I also used Tags, Bags, Boxes and More for the tag, which was cut at 3".  I embossed the green flower and attached it to the turquoise shadow which I had also cut.  The flowered circle was cut using a round tag with the hole/slot contour hidden and inked the edge with Pumpkin Pie (from Stampin' Up) ink.  I made the center flower as I had done for the card.  I attached the tag to the bag with some waxed jewelry cord.

Challenges entered:

Frosted Designs - Use the colours turquoise, green, orange and yellow

The Cuttlebug Spot - Embossed tag challenge

5

Canada Day Card

With Canada Day (July 1) just around the corner, I've been working hard on a project for next week's Canada Day Blog Hop.  I am delighted that I was asked to join a group of Canadian crafters to be part of the hop.  Of course, we're Canadian so everybody is invited!!  No matter where you are from, be sure to pop back here on Canada Day for all the details and links.  We'll be showcasing our Canada Day work - and some of us (like me!) will even be offering a little giveaway.  Heather at Princess' Paper Projects is putting it all together.  You'll want to start with her blog - but of course I'll have all the links for you here too.  See you then!

In the meantime, I have also been working on some other activities.  I made this Canada Day Card to give as a thank you to my sister and her girls.  We will spend Canada Day with them, enjoying their food, drinks, and company!  Each year is such a delight - and I'm sure that this Canada Day will be no different.

To make this card, I used Plantin' SchoolBook for both of the fonts and Create a Critter for the beaver and maple leaves.  I felt the beaver needed a bit more, so I made him a she-beaver and added a hair bow.  I used a glitter gel pen on the lettering, and embossed the background with my Cuttlebug. Most items on the card are flat, but the "eh!" is partially glued to Madame Beaver and partially popped.  C'est tout!

On a different note, Sammye Jo at 62 Cards has started a new blog called My Insanely Sweet Life.  She's looking for followers - and has a gift certificate to tempt us all!! What's to lose?

Also, Chris at Turned Gypsy is also offering a $50 gift certificate to CSN at her blog.  I'm taking the bait!!

Don't forget to come back on Canada Day (July 1) for our Canada Day Blog Hop!

Challenges entered with my Canada Day card:
Little Red Wagon - Canada Day projects
Made by Momo - Spots and Dots challenge
My Sheri Crafts - Patriotic creations

15

A Round of HIGH low ~ a layout

I am big on family dinners so each night we eat together at the table. We also have a game that we play as we eat: HIGH low. It’s a great way to share the events of the day and to regroup as a family each evening. We go around and list the high points of the day. We can list as many as we wish, but it’s mandatory to have at least one high. Even if we’ve had a bad day, there is something for which we can be thankful. We also have the option of giving a low. We are only permitted to share one low though as mealtimes are not to be grumbling sessions! We enjoy this time together and learn things about each other’s lives that we might have missed out on otherwise.

This week at Serenity Scrappers, the challenge was to create a round layout showcasing the family at mealtimes. All my other layouts are square so I just had to create my round layout on a square background. I incorporated a number of round elements into the layout. The papers are all from We R Memory Keepers. I found them on clearance at Michaels for just 20₵ a sheet – making this the most inexpensive layout I’ve ever created as I did the entire thing using only three sheets of paper. One page had 4 6x6 different coordinating patterns on the back so I was able to have a lot of colour and design choice. I thought the circles on the background paper would be perfect with the round theme and I loved the main round image with the circles at the end of each spoke, an image from Accent Essentials. Using Design Studio, I hid the contour for the inner circle and cut it separately on red. That way, I could shift it up to sit behind the photo, which I did not wish to have in the centre of the page. I also embossed the red circle with Swiss Dots. Most arrows were cut from Accent Essentials but the cornered arrow is from Home Decor. I embossed the inner arrows with my Cuttlebug. The date and HIGH were cut from Plantin SchoolBook and low from Printing 101. I added some white pen dots to the lettering. I printed the rules and just cut the paper with my trimmer and used an EK Success border punch on the left side. I used a Creative Memories corner rounder on the right-side corners. I cut a slightly larger bit of paper for behind the rules and also rounded the corners on the right. I ran the paper through my Cuttlebug with a dot border folder. The bottom centre of the page has paper and dots to represent our family at the table – a father, a mother, two boys and a girl. I punched the circles with a little circle punch.

I had fun with this layout. It came together so easily and I was never worried about messing up with the paper!! It’s bright and fun – just like our mealtimes.

I’ll submit this at Serenity Scrappers. The challenge is open until June 25 so you still have time to enter too! Kel provided a sketch if you need some more inspiration.

15

Press on to Win ~ a layout

In 1948, my father was nine years old when my granddad took him to see the summer olympics in London. As the story goes, my father was so moved by the events that he decided then and there that he would one day compete in the Olympic Games. Already a natural athlete, he worked hard and eventually competed internationally in the 400 meter hurdles for Britain. He was to compete in the 1960 games in Rome, but injury prevented him from realizing his dream. He was never bitter and ever thankful for the experiences that he did have.

With Father’s Day tomorrow, I decided to make something for my father even though he is no longer with us. I wanted to pay tribute to the athlete that he was and scanned some photos of him to create a layout recognizing his athleticism and his faith – both very much a part of who he was.

I used this week’s sketch at Practical Scrappers, but turned it sideways to fit my vision. I knew that I wanted to use pennants for the letters of “PRESS ON” and wasn’t sure how I would make them look as one unit. Ribbon just wasn't the look I wanted.  I was really bothered by what to do and then saw the challenge at Frosted Designs to use something from around the house. I think that I was so focussed on what I knew I wanted that I couldn’t see outside of the box on this until I was encouraged to do so. I immediately thought of a wooden skewer and knew that was it! I painted it silver to match the colour scheme of my layout and am so pleased with the results. Thanks Frosted Designs!!

The pennants were cut using Everyday Paper Dolls and the font used for the pennants was Makin’ the Grade. I used Design Studio to cut the letters right out of the pennants themselves. I used a Clear Star Gelly Roll pen inside the letters. For the large pennant in the top right corner, I used Design Studio to add some stars from Home Decor. I hid some contours to add more than just the image given. I outlined the stars with the Gelly Roll pen. I then took the cut stars and put them in the bottom left corner and the loose stars were placed in the larger border, which I had previously embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The letters for “TO win” were cut using Printing Press. I used my Gelly Roll pen on “TO” and embossed the “win” letters. The photo corners are from Jasmine and were also embossed. The information under the main photo was computer generated. The letter pennants are popped and then glued onto the skewer. The large pennant, the “win” letters and the top layer of the information were all popped as well.

I will submit this layout at Fantabulous Cricut, where this week’s challenge was to create a masculine project to celebrate dear dad. I will also enter it at The Cuttlebug Spot, where we were encouraged to use embossing on our layouts this week. As well, it will be submitted at Practical Scappers (sketch) and Frosted Designs (use something from around the house).

Happy Father's Day Dad!  You were and are a star - in more ways than one. xox

19

Ladybug Hugs

I made this card for a very dear friend of mine.  As soon as I saw the sentiment stamp at Deedee's Digis, I knew I had to use it to make a card for Elsa. 

The sentiment comes as part of a set, and my original plan was to use the main image of the set for the front of the card and put the sentiment inside.  Well, after four attempts at colouring, I admitted defeat and went to plan B!!  I did have success at colouring the little ladybug though, so added some glitter to her and included her on the card.
The papers I used are from DCWV and the cardstock is from Recollections.  I used my heart folder to emboss the cardstock behind the sentiment.  There are two eyelets through which I strung the cord.  Some elements of the card are also popped.  I created this card with this week's sketch at Crafting with Deedee's Digis in mind and will enter it in that challenge.
On a completely different note altogether, we have a new addition to the family!!  Electra (named after the character my daughter played in this year's school production) joined us on Wednesday evening.  She's eight and a half weeks old and is TINY!!  She is the friendliest cat I have met in my life and she's already won us all over.  Here's a photo of Electra with my oldest and youngest.

7

Fish Thanks Card

I was trying to decide if I had enough time to create a special card for my youngest son's swim teacher but decided I would just grab something from my stash.  However, when I learned that this week's challenge at Bitten by the Bug 2 was to create something with a fish (preferably from Camp Out), I just knew it was "a sign" to make a special card for Brittney.

I made the card base by welding (of all things) the chocolate chip cookie from Sesame Street Friends to a rounded corner square from George and Basic Shapes.  I also welded the "thank you" shadow from Alphalicious to the card base.  I cut an extra "cookie" to attach to the base for a complete look on the front.  I then used bubbled patterned paper and cut it a bit smaller than the base.  In Design Studio, I created a frame for the font to be smaller than the cardbase but larger than the patterned paper.  The inner (cut out) circle was smaller than the patterned paper.  I cut this frame with the cardsock that I had used for the base, and ran it through my Cuttlebug to give it the look of pool tiles.  I also coloured a few of the "tiles" in with a purple glitter gel pen.

The fish was cut using Sesame Street Friends.  I cut a couple of layers from a shiny cardstock and then cut the top layer using some fanastic shiny paper that I've had for ages.  (I had no purpose when I bought it, but knew it would be great for something one day!)  I cut the "thank you" from the same cardstock used for the bottom layers of the fish, and then did a bit of doodling on the letters.  I added a black rhinestone for the fish's eye and used my Inkssentials Glossy Accents to create a few more bubbles for the fish.  I also added a frame and mat on the inside of the card.  I tied a coordinating bow to the outside and asked Peter to write a thank you inside.

I'm submitting this card at Bitten by the Bug 2's fish challenge.  After all, they inspired me to make it!!  Thanks BBTB2!  Peter was thrilled with the card to give his swim teacher.

24

Sunshine Award

I have just been awarded the Sunshine Award from Carri (aka abusybee) at Double Click Connections.  I feel so touched that she would pass this along to me as we've just "met" in the past month.  We've been writing back and forth and she always comments on my creations.  Carri has something nice and encouraging to say each and every time. Thanks Carri!

I would like to pass this award on to:

Katie at Creations by K8

Liz at Marigold's Craft Place

Joyce at The Joy of Scrapping

Sheila at GrammaP's Scrapping Room and

Jean at Just Jean's

I know Katie, Liz, and Joyce from piecesofpaper.lefora.com.  We have such a hoot over there!  And Sheila and Jean are wonderful hostesses that I've swapped with through the Cricut message board.  Ladies - I hope you will wear your blog badge with pride and know that I am thankful that each one of you is part of my crafting life!  Perhaps you can even pass the sunshine along!

3

Round card

We were invited to a surprise 40th birthday for a friend and felt I needed something a bit more than a regular card from my stash to mark the occasion.  Although I was short on time, I was able to come up with something I was happy with.

I used Design Studio to weld two 4" circles together.  I cut an extra circle to go on the front of the card, but embossed with with my Cuttlebug birthday folder before attaching.  I then cut a scalloped circle from Mini Monograms.  The patterned paper is from Stampin' Up.  I used George and Basic Shapes to cut another circle from green cardstock and then cut one from white just a bit smaller.  I embossed the white circle using Swiss Dots.  The numbers were cut using Opposites Attract using the same patterned paper that I'd used for the scalloped circle.  I also cut a shadow layer for the numbers.  I attached three tiny silver brads to the scalloped circle.  The 40 was attached using tiny pop dots and then I popped the scalloped circle onto the base.
(I realized after this photo was taken that my numbers were not on straight compared to the base of the card with embossed wording.  I did fix that up - but neglected to take another photo.  Sorry!)

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion Challenges - one designer paper and three brads
Cute Card Thursday - anything but square
Easy Craft Projects - green (my favourite colour!)

11

Shell Seekers ~ Layout

This layout marks my second one of the year.  That's one per season!  I've had this photo since our holiday to England in July 2005 and have wanted to do something with it since.  How embarrassing!  There are a number of photos that I would like to scrap (the crafting way).  Anyway, I'm one ahead now.  This photo was taken as my three children dug in the sand at a beach near Bournemouth.  The Isle of Wight is just outside of the photo's view.  (Sorry about the glare.  It's from the photo of the layout and not the photo used for the layout itself.)

This layout is absolutely nothing like my original design.  I had cut some waves from Zooballoo and had chosen completely different paper for the background.  I just didn't like the look and finally chose a "sand" look for the entire page, with a more vibrant blue to mat the photo.  I am so happy with the way it turned out!  I ran the blue mat through my Cuttlebug, but it made the cardstock rather flimsy.  As I wished to pop the photo and mat, I ended up cutting a thicker piece of cardstock and adhered it to the back of the blue.

The sun was cut with Doodlecharms and I ran the top layer through my Cuttlebug using Swiss Dots.  I used the same paper for both layers.  I like the effect given that the paper colours are uneven.  The shadow is glued flat to the layout mat but I popped the top layer.

The "beach" at the bottom of the page was cut using a Creative Memories decorative trimmer.  I then added a strip of sandpaper just to add a bit of emphasis/division between the "beach" and the photo mat. 

I computer generated the title and date and printed them on vellum.  I had to be quite strategic in my placement of adhesive and added an extra shell to the main title to hide a glue spot.  I like the shell there though so I'm not the least bit disappointed.  I lined the titles up with the edges of the paper for a tidy look as I did not wish to compete with the shells.

As I was attaching the shells, I decided it was the most ridiculous idea I had ever had.  However, I continued on my way and am glad I stuck it out.  After letting things dry, I crossed my fingers, held my breath and said a prayer.  Only one shell moved!  A bit more adhesive and it was secure.  Success!

My the time my husband returned home from his soccer match, I was putting the page into a shadow box.  I did take a picture, but the colours look so dull.  A photographer I am not!

I'm entering this layout at a few blogs.  Canadian Nickel Scrap'n is having a offering "Summer Vacation Seasonal" to the winner of their challenge: a summer inspired project.  Scrap Hut, a Canadian online craft store, is sponsoring the challenge.  I just discovered that they sell A2 envelopes!  I'm so excited.  I usually have to buy cards with envelopes just to get the envelopes.  Bitten By the Bug 2 challenged us to use the sun from Doodlecharms and Peachy Keen Stamps challenged us to create a layout for a shadow box.  At The Sisterhood of Crafters, the challenge was to celebrate our children.  I don't have many candid shots of all three together and knew exactly which photo to use for this challenge!

Just a little aside:  There is a book called "The Shell Seekers" by Rosamunde Pilcher.  If you haven't read it, you should!  Apparently there is a movie out now as well.  I haven't seen it, but usually the book is best.

18

Just Married Card

About 10 years ago, a young girl from China lived with us while she studied in our city.  I used to love our after-dinner walks together.  She would practise her English and I would learn all about her life and her culture.  Canning decided to stay in Canada and continued her studies to become an accountant.  She lives in the "Big City" (Toronto) now and has met a man!  I've made this card for their upcoming wedding next month.

I used Paper Doll Dress Up for the car, and cut two layers, inking both.  The bride and groom were cut from Stretch Your Imagination.  (I had this cartridge for about a year before I opened it last month.  I can't believe all the goodies I've been missing!)  I used Design Studio to flip the groom in order to make the couple look like they're both in the car.  I embossed the bride's dress with a Cuttlebug border folder.  The veil was cut with vellum.  I've also used vellum for the faces of the bride and groom.  I even made a tiny necklace for the bride!  The groom is flat against the card, but the bride is popped a bit and the car is popped even more.

The sentiment frame was cut from Ashlyn's Alphabet.  I cut a green shadow layer and then used the same cardstock as the bride's dress to do the middle layer.  The top layer was cut from vellum and the sentiment is computer generated.  I attached eyelets to the frame and filled each eyelet with a bead to tie in with the beads trailing from the car.  I added buttons to the wheels and a few rhinestones on the right side of the card.  I did have some beads there, but apparently they had other plans and left their positions.  My glue dots were too big and I did not want them visible so opted for the rhinestones.

This card will be entered at the following challenges:
Fantabulous Cricut - For the Bride using something old (I've had the beads forever!)
Practical Scrappers - eyelets

13

Voting at InLinkz - From now until June 11

I have entered my teenager card with a basketball theme in the "Birthday Boy" competition at InLinkz. Voting has just begun and will end this Friday, June 11. If you like my card, please go to http://blog.inlinkz.com/?p=136 and vote for card #75 (teenager basketball card). Be sure to hit the vote button ABOVE the card. You do not need to sign up for anything or enter your email address to vote. Thanks so much!

9

King of Our Jungle

I made another Father's Day card for my husband.  This time, I had a bit of help from my middle guy too.  I was helping him study for a test and he helped me with the card.  It made things much more enjoyable both ways round!  Bonne chance avec ton test de français Jack!

For this card, I followed a sketch designed by Corinne at Craft Your Passion.  This is the second time I've created a card following a sketch.  I need to do it more often as it really does seem to help everything come together quickly.  One corner was supposed to be folded up.  I tried it, but didn't like the look on my card as my paper is not double-sided. 

The patterned paper is from DCWV's Spring Stack and all the cardstock pieces are just bits from my scrap  collection. I used Mickey Font for DAD, Animal Kingdom for the lion, and George and Basic Shapes for the circle which I then embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.  I used my paper cutter for the square and rectangle after checking out the sizes on the Design Studio template I had set up.  The "king of our jungle" sentiment is computer-generated.  I added some ribbon and a "celebrate" brad - and had a card!  DAD, the top layer of the lion, and the sentiment are popped.

I will submit this card at this week's Craft Your Passion challenge, at Cricut Cardz for their challenge #27 - Make a Father's Day card using any cartridges or colours desired, and at Cute Card Thursday where we were challenged to use blue, orange and black.  The blue and orange are the main focus of my card and the lion's eyes are black.  I am also submitting it at Cuttlebug Blog for their Father's Day Challenge.

17

Hippo Birdie Card

I made this shape card for my youngest, who will be turning 8 in August.  Like his mother, he loves jokes and plays on words so I know this will be a hit with him. (I'm trying to get ahead with my card making as I recently learned that I need to take two courses this summer.  I was originally just planning to take one.  Eek!) 

For this card, I used Design Studio to weld the shadows of the hippo (from Animal Kingdom) and bird (from Stretch Your Imagination).  I also copied and pasted the hippo shadow, flipped it, and welded it to the image in order to create my card base.  I then cut the hippo and bird (as well as the bird's tiny feet and beak) without the shadow feature.  I cut the 8 and its shadow from Makin' the Grade.  I inked everything and drew around the inner contours of the hippo.  I attached little black gems for the bird's eyes and wiggle eyes for the hippo.  I also added a little feather to the top of the bird.  Everything was glued flat for this card, with the exception of the top layer of the 8.  It was popped with tiny PopDots.

Using the blackout feature, I cut another image of the hippo for the inside mat of the card.  I computer-generated the sentiment for the inside of the card and used a digi-stamp from OWH Stars and Stamps.  I resized, cropped, and flipped it to go around the sentiment.  As you can see from the photo, the bird's shadow was only used for the front of the card.  It looked a bit silly to have it on the back, so I decided just to use the hippo.

I'm submitting this card at My Creative Time with Emma V. Aguilar.  Episode 46 begins Throwback Thursdays.  This week is all about Animal Kingdom, and the prize is a set of Punny-licious stamps from My Pink Stamper!  Oh, how I LOVE these stamps!!  I don't know if it's my undergrad degree in linguistics or just part of my genetic make-up, but I love words and plays on words.  These stamps were made to complement the Create-a-Critter cartridge which I've just ordered.  My mind is already creating!

5

Teenager Card with a Basketball Theme

I've had this card in mind for a few weeks now.  My middle guy will be 13 this summer and he is so excited to be a teenager.  He's also a huge basketball fan (a dominant gene inherited from his father).  I really wanted to make a card to emphasize the fact that Jack will be a teen, so designed things to make the "TEENAGER" stand out on the card.

I wanted to use the biggest basketball I could.  After playing around a bit, I decided that the best option would be to create a ball too large for the card and just have a portion showing.  Using Design Studio, I positioned the portion I wanted at the top of my mat to avoid wasting paper during cutting.  (I only cut what I needed.)  I used my Basketball cartridge for this.

I also used the Basketball cartridge for the shirt.  As Jack will become a teenager, I put the number 13 on the back of the shirt.  I used Opposites Attract for the number.

I used a few fonts for TEENAGER.  For the shadow, I welded the majority of letters together (all but the T).  The T was cut with George and Basic Shapes.  I also cut the inside portion of the T using the silhouette feature.  As it did not fit the shadow and regular cut letter properly, I did a bit of stretch work in Design Studio.  Most of the other letters were cut with Printing Press, but the G was done with Alphalicious.  The letters were cut at different sizes as well.

I hand cut a couple of little flags and stamped them with sentiments from a banker's stamp set that I have (brand unknown).  I used a star brad from my stash.  I also ran the background paper through my Cuttlebug star folder.  The shirt and letters were attached with PopDots.

I also used the Basketball cartridge to create the sentiment and basketball for the inside of the card.  The inked portion of the sentiment was done with a Hero Arts stamp and ink from Stampin' Up.  I used the same papers as I had used on the front.  To carry the look, I used some of the background paper and punched it with an EK Success border punch.  I ran it through the Cuttlebug star folder as well. 

Patterned papers are all from Stampin' Up.  The card base and green and blue cardstocks are Recollections and the orange is Bazzil.  I had initially planned to use some dark grey (instead of green) with the orange on the basketball but didn't really care for the look with the other papers.  When I saw the InLinkz challenge,  I changed my original plan in order to fit their colour scheme requirements for the challenge.  I'm much happier with the green!

Now to wait until August to give it to my newest teenager!

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Little One Card

I made this card using a transparency technique I learned from my Stampin' Up demonstrator.  Basically, a portion of the front of the card base is cut away and replaced with a piece of transparency.  This way, the inside of the card can been seen from the front.  I used double-sided tape to adhere the transparency to the card base. 

I used New Arrival for the lettering inside the card as well as for the little feet on the outside.  I also used the shadow feature for the feet.

For the front of the card, I simply cut some patterned paper to size and attached.  I then added some ribbon and was finished.  It's a very simple card, but I love the effect with the transparency.

I will submit this card at CAS-tastic Challenges where this week there is a focus on sentiments, at Fantabulous Cricut for Challenge #12 Shower the Baby, and at Practical Scrappers for their acrylic, transparencies, and vellum challenge.

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Graduation Card

I made this card for a friend of mine who will graduate from a Biotechnology Forensics program next week (BTF for short). I'm so proud of her. She worked for years as an electrician, but injury disabled her with respect to her profession so she decided to go back to school.

The "Congrats" with hat is a word art image from Tear Drop.  I used Pooh Font for BTF, but stretched the letters in Design Studio.  The corners were done with Jasmine.  I used Cuttlebug folders to emboss the letters for BTF and the corners.  If I made this card again, I would have chosen embossing folders that complemented each other a bit better than the ones I chose here.  I'm not happy with that aspect of the card.  I also added a brad and some threads for the tassel, and some gems on the corners.

This week at Cricut Cardz Challenge we were asked to use brads or eyelets on our creations.  Dads and Grads is the theme at The Cuttlebug Spot.  I'll post this card at both of those challenges.

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