Sympathy and such

I think I've hinted at having to make too many Sympathy cards lately. Here are a couple:

I don't know if this really counts for decorating the inside...it seems to be a major trend in Blogland to fancy up the inside of the card nearly as much as the outside. Frankly, I'm doing well just to get the outside done but I couldn't resist a few butterflies. This was a card for many people to sign and I thought the charcoal butterflies were a nice touch.

The next was not a sympathy as much as a Thinking of You. This was another one that many people would sign so I did the inside again, just a bit...

(I really like this color combo...) Hoping to have more good news for the rest of 2009!

I know it's short, but I gotta run. I have some fun things made with my cricut that I want to share next time...

In the words of a good friend: 'Til Soon!

The Thank You's

The much promised Thank You's are here. These are the quick cards I made to send out for all the wonderful Christmas gifts we received. I was trying to use some smaller envelopes I have on hand so these cards are approximately 3 1/2 x 4 1/4; give or take.


These two show the value of a little extra effort. The top card is without the Cognac ink sponged around the edge of the yellow patterned paper. Doesn't it make a huge difference?! The patterned paper came from the same SU! designer pad so the yellows are the same shade, but look how much better it shows up on the stripes, I swear it's all due to the edging.

The other thing I really like about these cards is that I colored in the inside of the flower (from Verve's Beautiful You set, I am loving this set!) with a white chalk maker. I love that it is transparent but makes a nice impact. The flower is embossed with red embossing powder then the blue is colored in with a gel marker so it's really shiny and a little raised from the paper as well. Such a pretty image.


And here are two using the Inspired by Nature set from SU! I love these cone flowers. I had the best time. I used my markers to ink up the image. Then, after I stamped it on the paper I went over it with some pencils to fill in any gaps and to do a little extra shading. My favorite is the stickles to make it all sparkle! The sentiment says: "GOOD WORKS are links that form a chain of love" - Mother Teresa. I did go back and rub some blue chalk in the background, I'm not sure how well that shows in the photos. I also did one with a blue coneflower, but that picture was really blurry so use your imagination. It was so pretty, too.

I have uploaded AND edited the photos for 2 or 3 more posts so maybe I'll be back soon with more to share. Today is a snow day so I've been playing a little and might add to the photos for the blog pool. Hope you are staying warm where you are!

More coaster frames...

Here are the remaining frames I made. I do prefer them as magnets, but then again the hanging ones are nice too....
I love this saying! (I think I said as much in the last post...but it's been a while so I don't really remember.) I like the extra touch of sponging the edges of the scalloped frame and the coaster base. Very fun.

Another favorite. I wasn't sure about this one at first, but boy did it grow on me and then it was hard to give it away! Good thing I know where i can get more... What do you think? Knots for the hanging ribbon in the front or should they have been tied in the back? I'm torn...

I am a little late in jumping on the flower band wagon. I am seriously in love with these flowers! I ordered a couple new sets and now have flowers coming out my ears. I will have to take a picture and show you my new supplies. This frame turned out very fresh and bright, love it! I also love this saying, it's an old TAC gift with purchase stamp.

Okay, not my favorite. The ribbon is a littel skimpy and somehow the sentiment is a bit crooked. Oh well, they can't all be perfect (and if all of YOUR creations are perfect, keep it to yourself, would ya)

Ah, a good one to end on. The color combo on this is so good! I love the bold red of the flower and the ribbon actually matches the paper IRL. Again, my photography leaves a bit to be desired in terms of lighting. Trust me that this is one of the better coaster frames.

That's it for now. I have more things to share but have to get them from the camera to the PC to blogger...who knows when that will happen? Unfortunately, I've been making a few too many sympathy cards. Too many folks I know are starting 2009 with a lot of sorrow. Be thankful for all those in your life! Hug someone today!

Coaster Frames

As I was wondering what I was going to do/give to the Sunday Morning Preschool teachers, I came across this great idea at PaperTrey Ink (I'm looking for the original link/tutorial but can't seem to find it, I'll try to update when I do find it....). I thought it looked pretty simple and that I should be able to crank out enough for the teachers (8) plus one or two for me. Here's the first batch:

Paper: Basic Grey 6x6 pad I've had forever, Stamps: PTI

Paper: see above, Stamps: Verve,

Comments: I love the dew drops going all the way around. Those things are so cool. They add dimension, but they are subtle about it. I like to use mini glue dots to adhere them, although recently I've been using Tombow Multi Glue (in the white bottle with a green lid, it's possible I've messed up the name....)

Paper: SU! 6x6 designer pad I won at a crop, Stamps: Verve (sentiment), TAC (butterflies)
Comments: I used Modge Podge to glue this one, thinking it would make it more substantial. It does but it's so messy to work with and too glossy. You can barely see the pretty paper thanks to the glare from my flash. I'll this opportunity to apologize for the poor quality of my photos. I have not been taking the time to provide proper lighting and just try to lighten it up in my photo editing..sorry. It's either that or no photo at all so you get what you get. Even though it's all modged podged and even had some Dr. Pepper sprayed all over it, I still think it's my favorite. I love the colors, that saying is one of my all time faves :

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly" here it gives credit to Richard Bach...I always thought it was just a proverb or Confuscious says or something. Didn't realize there was a person claiming responsibility for it...you learn something everyday!

The above three have magnets on the back (recycled magnets I recieved in the mail, the ones that are business card sized. I ran them through the xryon, putting the sticky stuff on the advertising side of the magnet then adhered them to my frames and all you see is the black magnet and they work great! Strong enough to hold the frame on the fridge and hold a piece of paper or two.) The next one is a wall haning, or it looks nice dangling from a cabinet pull:

Paper: see above, Stamps: TAC (current set! Could be yours for Half Price! I put my order in yesterday, have you made your list of stamps you want at Half price? You know I don't usually push the sales on here, but I am so excited about HALF price stamps!)

The sentiment reads: (in case your blind like me and don't want to have to enlarge the photo)

Be nice and smile to everyone you meet. You don't know what they are going through and they may need that smile. And treasure it. -Christine Huppert

On that note, I'll say "Goodnight!" Have a great week!

The last of 2008

To finish out my 2008 creations, here are the only Christmas cards I made. I made 8 of each for a grand total of 24 cards. Needless to say, I did not mail out hand made cards to everyone on our list. Mostly we sent out a single letter that included pictures of the kids. Maybe next year I will plan better and have fresh made cards ready to go in December. I used left overs from last year and these beauties for the RE Catechists, co-workers and a select few fellow crafty ladies. Please don't be insulted if you didn't get a hand made card!!!! It was very slim pickings this year!

Anyway, here's the three new ones:

This represents my first efforts at faux stitching. I think I need a thicker marker, you can barely see it! But it is a nice effect and actually kind of fun. Patterned paper is from a great stack of Christmas papers, pretty sure it's DCWV. This stack of paper was HUGE with all Christmas prints and then some solid textured cardstock AND some stickers and cut outs. I shouldn't have to buy Christmas paper again for about 5 years....and it was a STEAL at JoAnns. With a coupon and the after Thanksgiving sale it was only about $7 for 3 inches of paper. FUN. The stamp is, of course, retired TAC.

Love the TAC Snowman Nativity set! And it's CURRENT. (You could get it for HALF PRICE). the patterned paper is from DCWV. The card base is burgundy and then stamped with Gold Brilliance ink background stars which are retired TAC. This is my favorite card of the three, I think. It's really pretty elegant.

Very little stamping on this one. I purchased some white and this kraft cardstock from PaperTrey Ink and I must say it is very nice, very sturdy paper. I used white core textured paper in a Cuttlebug embossing folder and sanded the top so more white would show through. I love that look! The sentiment is from Verve, I forget the set...I never notice until I upload my pictures how often things are just a little crooked or smudged or something! IRL you would never notice it! And if you did, that's the beauty of being hand made, the little imperfections add "Personality."

So, that's it. Pretty simple stuff but I was really crunched for time. I admire those stampers that make a few Christmas cards each month and then - low and behold - come Christmas they are ready to roll. Maybe next year...as in 2010...

Have a great week!

2008 Ketchup

Way back, way way back, when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, my teacher would write the day's schedule on the chalk board. (I told you, this is WAY back before smart boards or even dry-erase boards). One day we came in the classroom to see she had written "Ketchup" on the board. Boy, were we stumped! She then explained that Ketchup sounds just like Catch Up and we were going to 'Catch Up' on her lesson plans. Okay, to a 2nd or 3rd grader, it sounded very clever. SOOO today I am going to catch you all up on some very out of season projects so we can close the door on 2008 (until a couple years down the road when I actually get to scrapbooking, but that is a whole other topic!).

First up are some Halloween cards. (I already admitted that we were out of season...):

A couple very important featurs on this card.

1. The hinges are cut using my Cricut and mirrored or metallic silver paper
2. The label with the sentiment was also cut with my Cricut
3. I made this card right after my Cricut arrived
4. The other card that is similar to this one had googly eyes but it was SCARY (but not fun Halloween scary) because the eyes were actually a bit too large for these cute trick-or-treaters. I like the idea though and am now on the lookout for mini googly eyes.
5. There was masking, shading, colored pencils and OMS, corner rounder without the guide scalloped edging, all sorts of fancy technique on this one. Too bad it didn't get finished until AFTER Halloween and so will sit for a year until it can be sent out...Hey, I'm ahead of schedule! ...BTW this is a CURRENT (I know, don't faint) TAC set. Which, if you read the previous post you know you can get for HALF PRICE through the month of January.

Okay, this little fella is not current, he's retired TAC but I LOVE HIM! I pull this set out every Halloween and whenever I am scrapbooking Halloween photos. The polka dots are from PaperTrey Ink. He was also finished after Halloween so - just like that I am two cards ahead of the game for 2009. This is going to be a great year!!!

Moving On...

Then a couple cute little Thanksgiving baskets/place cards:

I saw these cute little baskets over at Poetic Artistry (Julee from Verve Stamps) and fell in love. They are super easy to make and so cute! They hold three Peppermint patties perfectly, so not only did they make cute place cards, they gave everyone after dinner mints too! This Thanksgiving set is also a CURRENT TAC offering (which could be yours for HALF PRICE). I threw these together days before family arrived and really wished I'd spent a little more time choosing paper, ribbon and hardware that coordinated a little better, but I did use up some old stuff so that was a plus. I hope to make these again for Valentine's Day so I can work on my styling a little then... BTW, I made 14 of these baskets and 42 of the peppermint patties...AND cleaned the house AND did the grocery shopping AND all the cooking. I actually really LOVE Thanksgiving!

Finally,

And then there was this card that I like to call "Ladies Who Lunch" (even though it is clear they are just Ladies who go for coffee, but it doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?):

You can see what I was going for, can't you (just nod and say 'yes'). It should immediately hit you that it looks just like a famed print! I know, I need to replace the dew drop in the flower center with a button, I'll get around to it soon. In fact, that could be one of my New Year's Resolutions! Maybe next time I'll revisit the 2008 Resolutions and see how we did...How'd you do?

Amazing TAC Promo

I know I don't often promote my business (stifling a laugh, to call it a business is really very funny!) but TAC is offering a FANTASTIC promotion:

Can you believe it!?! HALF off all the T-coded stamp sets! No minimum, no maximum, HALF OFF! The only restriction is that it applies only to stamps and does not include R coded stamps, of which there really aren't that many. SO! If you are interested leave a comment and I'll email you privately. I've discontinued my personal Angel website, but I will gladly enter your order for you and save you HALF PRICE on your stamps!

Okay, to bed. I hope to post pictures of projects tomorrow. I have a few off-season items from 2008 I want to catch up with. And then you know what time it is...Thank you card season for all the wonderful Christmas presents! A stamper's work is never done...YAY! In the words of a dear friend,

'Til Soon.

Christmas Ribbon Boxes

One of my favorite things to stamp (besides cards) is the Ribbon box, like these: See how the ribbon goes around the outside to keep the lid together? Well, my mom really likes these boxes too and asked me to make some for her. Below are the pictures of three of the boxes, but they are still flat because I had to mail them. You have to use your imagination a little...

Snowman Nativity with Ornamental Snowflakes white embossed on kraft paper

the vellum behind the white scalloped square is embossed with a cuttlebug folder

Basic Grey from last year with gold embossed disc. TAC ornament and sentiment. I used a gold leaf pen around the embossed edge of the oval

Snowman with paper pieced scarf - Vintage TAC

Basic Grey paper from last year

I love them. Making these boxes really kicked me into Christmas mode. I know I won't be able to mail out handmade cards to everyone this year. Mostly we are just doing a family letter that includes pictures of all the kids. I did make a few cards for the volunteers that help teach RE and Sunday Morning Preschool and for my co-workers. I guess now you know who is really special- haha. I'll try to share those next time. I'm sure it will be Next Year though! Our Christmas will be VERY busy with lots of family and no time to post, sooooo

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Happy New Year!!!