Overseas Cards

A good friend of mine, Chantal, recently went on a trip to Paris to see her family. She asked me if I would make a bunch of cards for her to take with her to give to them. I of course was thrilled. I love it when people like my cards, especially enough to take them international! So here are the cards that I made for her. Thanks to Chantal for being such a great friend and supporter! Thanks to you guys for taking a look and have a nice day!

PPA 115

This weeks Pals Paper Arts Challenge used an lovely picture of a front door all dressed up of fall. I love the fall with all of it’s bright and earthy colors. As soon as I saw the picture I knew exactly what I would do. Some nice leaves! The parchment background on the card was scored vertically with Stampin’ Up!’s new Simply Scored scoring board. I have to say that I love to use it and it really is the best one I have used. I have a Martha Stewart Score Board and I never touch it anymore. You can’t really see it in the picture very well but it gives the paper a nice subtle pinstriped look. I also used the EK Tools Triple Layer Maple Leaf punch. I only used two of the layers to keep it a little more simple. The sentiment is from the retired Afterthoughts Clear Mount Set. Thanks for taking a look!

Thanks Folio

To continue on with my 3D project theme I give you Thanks Folio! There are so many resources out there for great project ideas. For some reason I can’t remember where I saw this one. I’m sure that it will come to me! Anyway, this project would make a great gift for someone. It has 4 cards and four envelopes inside this neat folio that matches the cards. I have been in the process of using some of my old stuff to make way for my Stampin’ Up! stuff. I made this project with some leftover paper and card stock and some EK Tools punches. The envelopes were made using my new Simply Scored from Stampin’ Up! I have the Martha Stewart Score board but I will be ebaying that soon as I like the Simply Scored much better. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

Little Square Inspiration.

I was looking around the Stampin Pretty blog (www.stampinpretty.com) and I came across a tutorial on how to make a Pizza Box for 3 x 3 cards. I sat down and made these two set over the weekend. The first one is made with the Stampin’ Up1 Retired Punch Bunch Clear Mount Set. I like the color combination because I think that anything that is black with cream or white tends to have a very elegant look about it. The second set is Holiday theme. I like the red and kraft paper together, I think it gives it a very homey feel. I use an EK Tools Postage Stamp Edger and some old Seasons Greetings stamp that I have had for ages. I also made the envelopes! I’m really happy with the way the projects came out and I can’t wait to make some more. Thanks for the tutorial Mary!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom’s birthday. She is the best mom anyone could ever ask for. I know a lot of people say that about their moms but she really is. I wanted to make her a really special card and I was looking around on the Stampin’ Pretty (http://www.stampinpretty.com/) blog yesterday and I came across a link to Mikki’s Creative Corner (http://mikkiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/) and a tutorial for a Tri Shutter Card. This is one of the coolest cards I have seen in a long time. I love the way it looks and the instructions were nice and easy to follow. I made mine with White Card Stock and a Deep Purple. I used some printed paper that I had (waiting for my DSP from Stampin’ Up!, think how much better it will look when I get that!) and some EK Tools Punches that I have. The sentiment is from the Stampin’ Up! Retired Afterthoughts Set. I’m so happy with the way it come out, I hope mom likes it!

Pals Paper Arts 112

This weeks challenge was to use lace. I am not a lacy kind of guy but I do have the Martha Stewart Crafts Doily Lace Trim Deep Edge Punch from EK Tools which I thought was perfect for this. The stamp is from the Stampin’ Up! Simply Soft Stamp Set. I colored in the leaves with a colored pencil. The Stampin’ Up! For All You Do Set provided the thank you. I love the color combination of red, beige and ivory. Thanks for looking!

Cool Seasons Greetings

And by cool I mean color wise! This is a nice simple card that has a wintry feel about it. I used the new EK Tools Snowflake Layering Punch. I really like the layering punches, they give you a great look with minimal effort. I also used another one of my favorites, the CuttleBug Snowflake Embossing Folder for the background. The stamp I actually found in a box from years ago, still in great shape and very nice. For a final subtle touch, a nice thin natural string bow. I’m looking forward to making many more holiday  cards!

Happy Anniversary

Today is my parent’s wedding anniversary. I think they have been together for 43 years! I like to make cards specific to a persons taste. My mom loves the color purple and butterflies. That made designing this card simple. I used my Butterfly Layering Punch from EK Tools and punched out two different shades of purple. I also used the CuttleBug Swirls Embossing Folder for the background. The stamps are from studio g. Unfortunately I didn’t have a happy anniversary stamp so I used two different ones that convey the same message. My mom loved the card and the fact that I used her favorite color and that I used butterflies which she commented on as soon as she opened it! I hope that they have many more happy years together!

Mojo Monday 207

It seems like forever since the last Mojo Monday, but it’s only been two weeks. I’m glad that they are back and hope they all had a nice vacation! This weeks sketch challenge is a nice one. I love all of the pieces that are on the card. I have been trying to get into the Christmas spirit early this year so I can start making my Christmas cards now. This sketch was a perfect one for a holiday card. I used the CuttleBug Snow Embossing Folder for the background and the red rectangle. I also used the CuttleBug Dots Embossing Folder for the oval. The homemade “designer” paper was made using a Martha Stewart Holiday stamp set that I got from Michael’s in March for $.01! It has bout 14 stamps in it. I also used it for the Season’s Greetings. The Holly and Snowflakes are Mini EK Tools punches. I love all of the texture on the card. I think it gives it a nice warm feeling. Thanks for looking!

Nautical Thinking of You

I made this card a while ago but I didn’t want to post it until I knew the person I sent it to had received it. I think that she reads my blog from time to time! The stamp set if from the Stampin’ Up! Summer Mini Catalog. I love all of the stamps that came with this set but I am particularly fond of the world map. There is so much detail in the stamp it’s amazing! This card is nice and simple, I used the compass stamp from the set to make a nice background paper. The card stock is a nice beep blue, fitting with the theme. The thinking of you stamp is from studio g. It had a flower on it that I did’t want but thanks to my techniques class (given by the talented Sandy!) and a stamp marker I was able to eliminate the flower and just use the part of the stamp that I wanted. I hope that you like the card as much as my friend did.