Bright Birthday

This card fought me the entire night! Looks simple right? Well, it should have been! I found the DP which was from SU. I liked it with the new Turquoise Sea CS from GinaK and some Chocolate Kiss. The challenge I was creating this card for was for StampTV Friday challenge which was to ink a Cuttlebug folder so I used one of the border ones with a tad bit too much brown ink! Then I had it all laid out, flowers colored, centered nicely and then I got some ink on the upper corner - AGHHH! Okay - move the flowers to the upper corner. Now the tags with the sentiment did not fit right - GRRRR - okay - go down to only one tag, cut the white part out of the one and glued it on the brown. But.... the clock was ticking and I wanted this challenge in! There is a possibility of winning a stamp set if my card is randomly chosen. I HAD to get this in on time! My cutting wasn't the best (in a hurry) so I cut one side a little off. &^$%# - okay - quick - stamp two more flowers, color them, cut them out (carefully!) and covered up that boo-boo. Grab the camera - take the picture - add the watermark ...but wait... what is that I see? YIPES - I have an ink spot in the middle of the DP! Forgive me for the less than perfect card upload but the card is as it is! Call it a scratch and dent card! Sure hope I get a free stamp set out of this! Thanks for putting up with me. Here is the card.

Baptism Card

This upcoming weekend is a busy one for us, but a good kind of busy! We have our granddaughter's first communion (uploaded the card earlier this week) and the next day is our grandson's baptism. When I was making the 1st Communion card I stamped 2 doves, 1 on white CS and the other on vellum since I was not sure which one I would use. So today I had to make this card and really struggled with how to make it. I finally took  the bird bath image from Rupa's Spring Has Sprung (minus the birds), colored it in and then added the dove that I had already stamped. I love it when that happens! Water is a symbol of baptism so I thought it would work well. I also made this card for the sketch challenge on StampTV. Thanks for stopping by!

THANKS

This is one of the 2 cards that I have been struggling with. I like the colors although it would not be my first choice for color combo. I tried to make one of the paper flowers that Nina Bracket taught on her blog - but I failed and will have to tr it again. So I used a store brought flower that I really did like because it has some sparkle to it. It is a simple card that I kept trying to "embellish" more. I finally decided to say okay - stop - accept - upload. So there you have it, my personal conversation with myself. This card used only 2 colors - Lemon Drop (GKD) and Tempting Turquoise (SU). I inked up a Cuttlebug folder and colored a cute butterfly from the GKD stamp set called "Spring has Sprung". This card is for the Card Pattern Sketch61 and for the StampTV April release color challenge. Thanks again for stopping by. I do not think I will be back tonight. Hope to see you tomorrow. Have a good Monday.  

First Communion

My second upload for today. This was a "must make" card because one of my granddaughters is receiving her First Holy Communion next weekend and I had to make her a card. Sometimes the specific religious cards are a bit of a challenge because I am limited in my selection of stamps to use. In this case I used a dove stamp from one of GinaK's sets called "The Magic of Christmas". The DP is from SU. The CS colors are Sahara Sand, Ocean Mist. I used a Cuttlebug folder to make the background. The sketch is the challenge this week from Sketch Girl and the colors were chosen for the StampTV color challenge this week. It is always very exciting when a card comes together. I have 2 others in various stages on my craft table that are just a struggle. I hope to finish one of them tonight, so come back for another peek later. 

Day With Blessings

Happy Sunday! I have been busy at my craft table with not enough time at the computer to get the cards up. I hope to get caught up some today since my housework and yard-work was done yesterday. It was a glorious day here yesterday with lots of sunshine and warm Florida breezes. Today is kind of overcast and rain is moving it - great day to be working in my "Craft Room with a View"! This card was made for the April release sketch challenge on StampTV. I wanted to try to get a vintage look which is not my norm. I found the tutorial on making a tissue paper flower on Splitcoaststampers and it was the perfect card to try it with. I cut out part of the glasses from Timeless Treasures so that it looks like there are actual lenses in it. That came out better than I thought it would. The DP was from Basic Grey's Green at Heart and the CS is Fresh Asparagus from GKD. Thanks for coming by.  

Still Waters

Just a quick upload this morning. This was for a StampTV challenge to use foil. It took me a while to come up with it but here it is. I wanted to get it uploaded last night but it got too late. I was hanging out at the GinaK release party and was just glad to get the card finished. I have several other projects in the works so watch for more uploads this weekend. I will now be stalking the mail-lady every day waiting for the order I just placed. Great new stamp sets this month. Be sure to check them out! Wish I could get them all, guess I am going to have to hope to win some challenges to get the rest! Anyway - this card was made with the stamp set from GinaK called "By your side". I love the sayings in this set and the title of it got me because of a song I dearly love called "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North.

Have a blessed day!

Cherish Life

I love flowers and being outside. This past week or so I have had a cold and those headaches that often go with it. Right now hoping and praying that it does not become one of those dreaded sinus infections. Anyway, I realize that I often do not appreciate or cherish the simple pleasures of feeling good, having energy, and being among God's wonderful world of flowers which was the challenge on SCC this week and also for a StampTV challenge of course! This was a sketch challenge and it did not flow the way that some cards do. It required a lot of playing with and laying out and trying different embellishments. Regardless this is the finished product. I used the Spring Florals and Spring has Sprung stamp sets from Gina K Designs. The card stock was also from her - called Ocean Mist and Lemon Drop. The DP came with the Spring Mix StampTV kit. Love it all! Thanks for stopping by. God Bless!

Sending Smiles

Sending out the cards I make is a challenge in itself! I want to display them, look at them, touch them, and keep them forever so that this admiration society can keep itself going for a while. Selfish - Yup! So Gina from StampTV challenged us to make a card that would create a smile AND to send the card away. OMGoodness, that second part is the hardest! This card is sending smiles to Wisconsin all the way from Florida. I will kiss it goodbye tomorrow. I also created this card for the CPS163 Sketch Challenge and the JUGS29 Color Challenge, and the SSCC Flower Challenge and the Flutter By Wednesday #105 challenge. This is a record for the number of challenges with one card AND I actually like the card! I used the StampTV stamp set called Spring Mix, Copics to color and Pure Luxury card stock from GinaK. Thanks so much for the visit.

Mom's Tulips

My family immigrated to the USA when I was 8 years old. The Dutch is still in my though! This is the card I will give to my mother on Mother's Day. She has had several strokes and is in the early stages of Alzheimer's but does still have the love of tulips. In fact she is remembering more in Dutch than in English. I made this card for the StampTV color challenge which was to use blue, red and yellow. It is also for the Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge #35 which was to use flowers. And, last but not least, it was for the Flutter By Wednesday challenge which I just discovered! The polka dot paper is from the October Afternoon paper pack called Report Card. I cut out some of the tulip petals and popped them up to give them some dimension.  Thanks for stopping by on this rainy day. 

Beautiful

I have been really feeling yucky with a bad cold these past few days and have fallen behind in my postings. This card I made lst  week for the color challenge on StampTV but never did post it on here. I think I was so busy posting all of my cards for the April Story challenge that I forgot to post this one. Anyway - here it is for the faithful few who actually check my blog. This card was made with Melanie's wonderful stamp set called A Beautiful Life. Being Dutch, I just love tulips. It is unfortunate that they do not grow well in Florida. So whenever a tulip image comes out it is the first in my cart! Melanie's are just the most exquisite and she has them in three sets that all coordinate - I have them all and love them. Today we have an all afternoon celebration for my 4 new granddaughters who all became permanent members of our family these past few months. So we will be going to my son's house for that. The weather is beautiful and I am sure that the day will be also. Thanks for stopping by - more tomorrow! 

Glitter Rose

Today I made a glittery rose. Glitter is not something I use very often, so it was a challenge for me. I made this card for the Blast from the Past challenge on StampTV. I used the sketch challenge from CPS #162. The stamps I used are Melanie's Pressed Flowers and A Year of Flowers. Those sets are so versatile that when I am blank on ideas I turn to those. I used Pure Luxury card stock and a little of the striped vellum that I have no idea where I got it from. It is a simple card, and I chose not to put a saying on it so that I can use it for anything. Thanks for the visit - I truly do appreciate it.

Peace

There is something about a hot air balloon floating over the earth that makes me think of peace which is challenge # 34 from Stampin Sisters in Christ. My DH has been on one many years ago and said that it was a wonderfully peaceful experience which is why I chose this image. On Melanie's blog she demonstrated how to make a tie dye image and I also decided to incorporate that into this card. It was not that difficult although it took me a few tries to not get it too wet. I do think that her suggestion of a mini spritzer instead of an empty Windex bottle!  This card is also for the sketch challenge on StampTV. I used GinaK Pure Luxury white and Sea mist. Some brilliant blue and bravo burgundy from SU and the ribbon was from SU. What I really like is the map DP from October Afternoon's "Road Map". I hope you like it and Peace be with you!

Hello Baby

Yeah - I won with this card on StampTV. I did something brand new for me anyway. I wanted the birds to face each other and puzzled over it ever since I saw Gina's Inspire18 challenge. What I did was I stamped the image on a transparency. I had to do it several times because I smeared it, first in the stamping process and then when I went to cut it. I stamped the image on white card stock too. The reverse image one I stamped very wet on the transparency and then while it was still wet I stamped it on the white. I am sure that other people have done this before but it was new to me! I also made this for the Card Patterns Sketch59 challenge. I cuttlebugged the background pink and used some DP from the October Afternoon "Ducks in a Row" pack. Thanks for stopping by!

Rolie

This is a photo taken in 2002 of my son David (now has his Masters from FSU!) reading to my grandson (his nephew) DJ. You will have to bear with me on this one because it is a little harder to write. You see, we have 8 children (all adopted and of different nationalities) and are close to all except one. She has withdrawn from our family along with her husband and their 3 children. I will not go into details but when you say your prayers think of them. We all miss them terribly! DJ will be 10 in a few months and this picture was taken just a few months before they left. My heart still hurts and always will. We love them all dearly. Her leaving is what started me making cards because I always want them to know that our door will always be open to them. My homemade cards is what has made it a little easier because once a month (or more for birthday etc.) I think of them and pray for them as I make the card. Sorry - I am rambling!

The book that DJ loved above all others was Rolie Polie Olie. This book is about a family of bots and they are all round. So my card has a lot of rounds in it. This card is also for GinaK's challenge for a guest designer. I am on a roll of card making and am loving it. For this card I used the set that Nina designed called Nana's Needlework sold on StampTV. I love that set and used a circle theme to to go along with the book and a Welcome Home message that was a message in the book and is always in my heart. I popped up the yarn and used some different colors. Lots of scallops and a Cuttlebugged circle background. I used the shelf as table. Thanks for looking - I do not think there will be another card today----but you never know! 

Kissing Hand

I think that most moms and/or dads read this book to their little ones before that first day of school. I know I did! It is the sweetest story. I had to try to make a card based on that book. I used the colors and layout and even managed to get the kissed hand in there! Once again this card is for the GinaK challenge for a chance to be a center stage designer (crossing my fingers!) for a month. This is my third entry and I may be able to squeeze one more in. There is one more card floating around in my head, if it comes together I will be back before the day is done. I used the stamp set called "Happy Spring". The card stock is from the GinaK pure luxury line - Lemon Drop, In the Navy, and a tad of Passionate Pink. I also used the star Cuttlebug folder for the background and some sparkly flowers. I did a little coloring with my Copics. The most work was masking and cutting all those gloves (hands) to make the border on the bottom. Thanks for the look!

Little Quack

Another book for the GinaK book challenge on StampTV. Here is a little history on this book. We have 13 wonderful grandchildren and there is no way that I can make a "book" card for all of them so I am choosing 1 from each family. This book is for Ella. She and her brothers like spending the night at our house and often times going to sleep is a little difficult. Well, when we first moved into this house on the lake she was a little weary of the new surroundings. I looked through my stash of books and we read several together. One of them was this one. She was only 3 when I first read her this book and to this day it is the book that I have to read to her (she is almost 8) before going to sleep. In fact I also have to read it to her 2 younger brothers when they all are here for the night. It is the story about how the little ducklings fall asleep one at a time after asking about every little sound or sight that they see. Every sound is explained and finally the last one to fall asleep is Little Quack. It is a cute book. I made this card using the GinaK StampTV kit called Spring Mix. The designer paper is from October Afternoon called Ducks in a Row - how perfect was that?!?!  The other card stock is all GinaK pure luxury, Ocean Mist and Moonlit Fog and Lemon Drop for the Mama. I used Copics for the little coloring that I did  and some adhesive bling.

Sweet Butterflies

Gina's StampTV has put out a challenge to create a card based on a children book using the last release of stamps. This book was one I used with one of my granddaughters shortly after she came to live with my son and his wife. She was 4 years old and loved butterflies and sparkly things. So when I found this book I had to get it for her. She loved it. She is going to be 7 in a couple of weeks and her adoption is now finalized. Her birthday cards always have a butterfly and some kind of sparkle. So this card is for Kylie. I used Theresa's Sending Sunshine for the flowers. All the card-stock is GinaK and the sparkle is thanks to Sakuka pens.

Sweet Baby

If you read yesterday's post you will know that I purchased the products necessary for the polished stone technique that was the Friday challenge on StampTV so last night I made this card following the directions that Gina gave us. It was easy and fun to do. It was up in time for the challenge but, alas, I did not win. :-( It is a good thing that I do this for fun! So this is the quick card I made using the Stamp TV stamp set called "Spring Mix". I used the sketch layout from the CPS sketch challenge for this week. Thanks for your visit!

God is!

I made this card for the Friday challenge over at StampTV, it was to use the polished stone technique. I have never done that one so I watched the video - realized I did not have about 3 or the things that I needed but thought (mistakenly) that I could substitute with things I had here. I will leave out all the details but the final result is that they are all in the recycle bin! Then I headed over to Splitcoast to see if there was another way to do this. They had one that called for embossing an image first so that is what I did. I clear embossed the images from Sending Sunshine - then I used paper towels and a couple of reinkers and the rubbing alcohol and whala - there it was. While it was drying and I was at the eye doctors the idea came to put the cute little deer in it. That is how the finished product has the little deer resting on the forest floor. The scene was just so serene to me that I had to find the right saying that conveyed what I wanted to express. I found that stamp in my old SU religious stamp sets. It fit.

PS: After my eye doctor appt. I ran in at Michaels and got the missing supplies so there will be a "correct" polished stone card in my future. Thanks for looking.

Nana's Mom's Day

This was a fun card to make because it just came together. Last night I had a hard time sleeping (brain just won't slow down sometimes) and just started thinking of what cards I wanted to make for challenges. I knew that this sketch challenge was due today on StampTV so I was thinking about that. This card came to me and today I just had to find the colors and work it. I also had to run to JoAnne's today for a quick errand and found the Spellbinder's border die there. What a NICE surprise it was to see that they sell some of them now. I knew that this card needed it. So this is the final. The card base is Gina's Green Apple card stock and the rest is from SU. I added the pearls to give it a little sparkle. There was a bit of cutting but I don't mind that. Thanks for looking! 

Birthday Gateway Card

I really struggled with this challenge for StampTV. The challenge was to make a gateway card. I found the DP from SU and really wanted to use it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to use the adorable birdbath from Sending Spring or the daisies from Spring Florals for the focal image. I went with the daisies and colored them in a non-typical daisy colors. The birdbath still wanted to be a part of the card so it ended up on the inside along with the birthday message. See the inset for the inside of the card. Thanks for stopping by.

Quilted Love

Like the new picture in the header? Yes that is the view from my craft room, I am very lucky! It is on a smallish lake and I get to see the geraniums from up here or when I am in the yard. This card was made for the Monday color challenge on StampTV, my favorite hangout! I can tell you that the card did not turn out the way it was in my head (hate when that happens!). I knew I wanted to paper piece the quilt (took me a while to do I can tell you!) I knew that I needed to use those colors and I knew that I wanted to use Nina's sketch for her anniversary blog and to use the Love theme for the SSCC. I do love the quilt - wish I could hang it up on my wall. Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Girl

This card was made for another upcoming granddaughter birthday card. The stamp is from MFT, I am always looking for new ways to make grandchildren birthday cards so am happy to find a cute one for the little ones. This was a fun card to make. I am also using this card for Nina's Blog Anniversary. Her sketch is really fun so I have made several cards using it. The designer paper that I used on this card was from SU and so was the ribbon. I used some glitter for the balloon. Thanks for stopping by. I have another post for later. So come on back over.

Kissing

This card was made for the Friday challenge on StampTV. The challenge was to use the "kissing" technique. So I used the solid silhouette stamp from Eclectic Summer and then "kissed" it with the doily image from Nana's Needlework, both stamp sets are sold by Gina K Designs. The card stock is Ocean Mist and In the Navy. I found the ribbon and had blue buttons. I was going to put a sentiment on the bottom but it just didn't look right - so there is a sentiment on the inside. It was a simple card to make once I decided on the image. Thanks for stopping by.