HAPPY EASTER

Wishing everyone a very Blessed Easter!

BAKING WITH GRANDCHILDREN

 

When the grandchildren come to stay we always have to bake cookies.  Since it was close to Easter, we made cut out Easter cookies.  They love getting to roll them out and cut the designs of their choice.  Tucker did the rolling out part of the time and Taryn got to do it too.

 



 

Here Taryn is cutting a cookie.

 

 

Some of the bunnies were going to be really small to add frosting so I brushed them with a little milk and then the kids sprinkled them with colored sugars.

 

We must have worked them too hard because they were really tired that night.

 

 

Tucker slept on the sofa and Taryn slept in Grandpa's chair.

 

 

The next day we added some icing and sprinkles to the rest of the cookies.  I love this recipe because they remain soft when stored in an air tight container.  They were very proud of the cookies they made.  Later the second day we stirred up chocolate chip cookies because that is something they love to do for Grandpa.  We baked enough of those so they could take some home.

 

I love that they still like to sit on my lap and have stories read to them - usually more than once a day.  And when they are tired.......they are really tired and are out like a light.  They are growing up so fast.  We are taking them home this evening and tomorrow I will need to start getting foods organized for Easter Sunday dinner at one of our daughter's home.

 

Thanks for stopping by..........and in case I don't get anything further posted this week I wish everyone a very Blessed Passover and Happy Easter!!!

GET WELL SOON

The card base for this post is just a plain white.  I cut a black piece of card stock and embossed it with an SU folder (which doesn't show up in this picture).  The image was stamped with the SU Awash with Flowers using the black outlined stamps and then stamping the petals  a second time with Petal Pink ink.  The same pink card stock was used as a narrow layer under the stamped images.  Get Well sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Today is Palm Sunday and yet Mother Nature seems to be sending us an early 2014 Christmas scene outside -- it is snowing here.

I really need to get busy getting our information together and doing our Income Tax Return.  I really did let things go longer this year than I like.  So between getting that accomplished and having two young grandchildren here for a few days this week I can't promise what will be showing up on my blog for a few days.  We will be making Easter cookies, Chocolate Chip cookies for Grandpa and making cards. 

I do hope you will keep checking back.  Thanks for checking in today!

MORE SPELLBINDERS EASTER EGGS

The paper on this egg was from a Basic Grey "Two Scoops" retired paper pad.  Since that piece had such a nice variety of patterns, I didn't piece it with another solid color.  The green distressed paper is also from that same group of papers. 

 

Papers for this card were also from the "Two Scoops" paper pad.

I don't remember if I made this as a top fold or a side fold, but by changing the card to a vertical design it was a little different look.  I do like the horizontal versions the best.

One last card like these to show you (although I made others) is also made using the very pretty pink dp from "Two Scoops" paper pad.  I made a bunch of these cards with the large egg die from Spellbinders since I had so many cards I wanted to get done.  These were very easy to do and yet each one I made was just a little different than the one before.

Thanks for coming by!

SPELLBINDERS EGG DIE

 

This year I have made good use of the Spellbinders egg dies.  I love doing these with the coordinating papers from paper pads.  The "lace" was made with a Martha Stewart punch.  I will post a variety of cards using this die tomorrow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRIS!

Today I am wishing a very Happy Birthday to my friend Kris.  Kris is a member of a Yahoo Group of ladies who also meet once a year in June.  This is the card I sent her for her birthday and there is a little story that goes along with it.

I've been spending a lot of time surfing around on Splitcoast Stampers and Pintrest.  I saw a card that was made with this SU stamp set but it had been retired.  I wrote a message on our group asking if anyone had it.  Kris had it!  I asked if she would be willing to bring it to Des Moines when we meet, or let me borrow it, or let me buy it.  Her answer was she wanted to SELL IT!!!  As luck would have it she wanted to buy some Penny Black stamps so we did a really nice swap of items.  What a way to do business!

The stamp set is called "Awash With Flowers".  First:  I stamped the black outline of the design on the white piece of card stock.  Second:  I stamped the solid petals with Daffodil Delight ink.  Then I decided to take it a step further.  I stamped the solid petals a second time on a piece of card stock, cut them out and attached them with foam dots.

This is a fun stamp set that I'll be using more.  In fact below is a second card I made for a friend of mine who just retired from her job with American Airlines.

VARIATIONS OF SUNDAY'S CARD

I don't think I need to explain anything further with this card since it is basically like the one I posted on Sunday but just using a different combination of papers.  I like the colors on this one better. 

And here is another version:

This is such a fun card to make.  Thank you to whoever posted this idea on Pinterest!   Tomorrow you will get to see three cards so please be sure to come back.

Please take a moment to let me know what you think about my posts.  Your comments always mean so much to me.  Constructive ideas are appreciated too!

"WATERCOLOR" EASTER CARDS

This was a fun but easy card to make.  I'm sure some crafters could take their markers and do something even better but I wasn't sure I could accomplish anything close.  Because time is going to be very busy this week and having grandchildren next week, the crunch was on for getting all the cards made that I wanted to send.  Hopefully I don't get any last minute requests.

This card used two stamps from the "Watercolor Wonder" stamp set from PapertreyInk and I thought rainbow colors would make such a bright cheery background for the cards I want  to send to area residents who are in independent living centers and care centers.  Hopefully the cards will bring some smiles and brighten their days.

Here are two additional cards that I made using the Watercolor Wonder stamps.

Next time I think I might make a design like this on a layer that can be popped up from the main white card base.  I think that might give a nice dimension to it and more character.

 Well we are still waiting on Spring........snow was falling here this morning.  I so hope that by Easter Sunday we will have a beautiful day.

 Thank you for stopping by!

EASTER EGGS

Today is St. Patrick's Day, but I didn't make any cards for this holiday, so the best I could do was to post this one which does have a lot of green......although not Irish Green.

 

I haven't decided as yet whether Pinterest is a good thing or a bad thing. I just know that I find myself spending way too much time there.  But that is where I found the idea for this card.  It's a great way to use some coordinating papers from paper pads - especially if you have some small scraps of the papers. 

 

First  I punched two pieces of "grass" on a scrap piece of the green paper that I had run through the Cuttlebug but didn't use for the orignal project.  Then I found coordinating papers from the Basic Grey "Lily Kate" pad.  The eggs were cut using one of the dies from the Spellbinders Nested Eggs set. The butterfly is from a Martha Stewart punch.  The sentiment is from a Penny Black "Spring Day" clear stamp set.

 

There are a lot of different "egg" dies out there so if you have one, pull out some of your coordinating papers and see what you can create. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

LITTLE LAMB

Something I rarely do is make a shaped card and they are such a fun variety.  I had stamped this cute little lamb a long time ago and coloed it recently.  When I ran across it in my "pieces" I decided it would make a cute Easter card.  I added a piece of green for some grass.

 

To make the card, first I cut an A2 size sidefold card.  I placed the Spellbinders largest Classic Scallop die slightly above the fold.  Then I cut a second full scalloped circle and taped it to the front of the card base.  Another smaller scalloped circle was cut using Pretty in Pink card stock for the background of the little lamb image.

 

A finishing touch was adding the little pink butterfly that was also in with my pieces.  I did add some Icicle Stickles to give it some sparkle.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

IT'S TIME FOR EASTER CARDS

Last year I was able to get this great Stampin' Up set.  I'm not sure if I had it in time for Easter or not but this year I'm making good use of it.  The designer papers I used were purchased from the SU clearance.  I love the colors which go so perfectly with the SU Marina Mist ink and card stock. 

 

I had some scraps of the dp so decided to use them on a second card  The card base was embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.  I like the first one the best - but it just seemed a shame not to use the scraps of the dp as well.

 

I can see these stamps being used with a variety of colors.  It is also a card that I could do in kind of a mass production for the ladies that I send cards to who are in care centers or independent living centers.

 

I'll have more Easter cards for you so keep watching. Thank you for stopping by! 



ANOTHER WEDDING CARD

This is another wedding card I made. It was another quick and easy one but I personally like this one a little better. I ran a white piece of card stock (4 1/4 5 1/2) through the Cuttlebug with the Craft Concepts "Budding Vine" embossing folder and then attached it to the front of a white card base. The sentiment is from My Sentiment's Exactly and was embossed with Egyptian Gold powder. The gold shimmer paper was used for the back layer.

Although this is another simple card, it is more elegant so I am more pleased with it. Thank you so much for stopping by!

SIMPLE WEDDING CARD

My Mother-in-law asked me to make a wedding card for her grandson (our nephew) who got married.  She doesn't always give me a lot of notice on these things so I made a very quick and easy one.    

 

This card was made using a Sizzix embossing folder and thn adding some little flowers.  The flowers were purchased at Michael's in the wedding area.  They were all white and I colored these with my SU Daffodil Delight marker.  Once they were attached the card, I added tiny pearls in the middle of each one.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALLISON!

My niece, Allison, is celebrating her birthday today.  I decided to try making a really "happy" card.  First of all I cut some clouds with a PTI die and attached them to the top layer using temporary tape.  With the clouds in place, I sponged blue ink over the top 2/3 and gren over the bottom 1/3. 

 

The cloud die cut pieces were removed and a tiny Happy Birthday stamped inside one of them.  Flowers and buttons were then added.  To send the card I added some foam material from a package so that the buttons wouldn't punch through the envelope.  I also had the postmaster hand cancel the postage.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

SPRING SPRIGS

 

I stamped the design onto the front of the card base and colored the flowers with SU makers.  I then took a piece of SU Pool Party card stock and cut it to 4 x 5 1/4 inches.  I ran that piece through the Cuttlebug with a Swiss Dots embossing folder and then cut out the window with a die.  The top layer was attached to the card front using foam squares.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

 



QUICK AND EASY

It doesn't take long to put a card together at the last minute if you have some dimensional flowers.  I simply embosssed the front of the card, added a strip of dp and then the K&Company flower.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

SIMPLE SATURDAY

First of all I cut a piece of white card stock 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches and ran it through the Cuttlebug with this SU embossing folder.  Then I attached it to the front of an A2 size card base.  I cut and embossed a label and while it was still in the die, I sponged lavendar lace ink over the label.  A while back I found some beautiful dimensional stickers so I added it and I was done.  This will make a great card for my choice of several occasions.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

SU BORDERING ON ROMANCE

 

I used this stamp several times lately.  For this card I just stamped the design onto a piece of white card stock and cut & embossed it with a Spellbinders Label die.  Other than that I don't think it needs an explanation, but if you have questions please be sure to let me know.

Thank you for stopping by!

FLUTTERBY WEDNESDAY #230

Two friends of mine (Harriet and Lynette) made cards for the FlutterbyWednesday challenge this week using a stamp that had a design with half of a flower and a butterfly.  I didn't have that stamp but was sure I could come up with something similar.  I just made this card a few minutes ago and decided to check out what the challenge was for this week.  The only time I have been posting a card on the challenge is when anythng goes as long as it has a butterfly or fairy.

I created the half flower by stamping petals from the SU "Pick A Petal" stamp set on So Saffron dp and then cut them out.  I arranged the petals and then added the black center which was cut with a Spellbinders die and then run through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder to give it texture.

 

The butterfly was cut with So Saffron card stock using a die from Cheery Lynn Designs. The die cuts both wings of the butterfly but I only wanted half of it.  There is also a solid wing so I cut it using Black card stock.

 

Although the cards from Harriet and Lyntte were my inspiration, my card looks a lot different.  Thank you for stopping by..............won't you take a moment to tell me what you think of this post?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER

Today is my sister Sharon's birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIS!  I doubt she checks out my blog, but wanted to post her card today.  Hopefully by the time this card shows on my blog she will have received it in Ft. Myers FL. 

 

This is an A2 top fold card.  I don't use the top fold very often for some reason and I really like them.  I stamped the sentiment on the top and then added a piece of the pleated ribbon from SU.  The three flower designs were stamped from the SU Simply Soft stamp set and then colored them with the SU markers.  I love the pastel colors.

 

I added the little pink butterfly and after taking the picture I added a tiny white pearl on the center of the butterfly. 

 

Thank you for stopping by!

SPELLBINDERS BACKGROUND DIE

 

 

This beautiful "Butterfly Magic" die from Spellbinders is about all you need on a card.  I ordered this die out of curiosity and am so glad I did.  I love butterfly designs and flowers so this was a natural for me to try.

 

The card base is just a light yellow card stock.  The design is cut on a cream colored card stock.  It was a little tricky attaching it to the front of the card since it is such an open design.  I decided to use Judi Kins Diamond Glaze but had to be very careful to just put small amounts on various portions of the design.  Then I had to carefully add it to the front of the card so it was place exactly where I wanted it.  I didn't want smears of Diamond Glaze showing up on the yellow base.

 

After I got to that point, I wasn't sure how to proceed.  It seemed like it needed something more so I put the question to my friends on our Yahoo Group.  One of the suggestions was to just put a piece like I did........which if I remember correctly it is called a fish tail tag??? 

I have a second background die with a different design that I am going to give a try very soon.  If you are interested in ordering one of these, let me know.

Just a note about the background dies:  I didn't realize this when I purchased them, but they are called Expandable Patterns..........which means that if you want to cover a larger area such as on a scrapbook page, more than one of these can be cut and they fit together kind of like a puzzle.  Mine was cut down slightly but I think you can tell that the design on the left side can be matched with the right side.  (Not sure I'm explaining this very clearly.)  The cut image measures 4 x 6 inches.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

PASTEL FLOWERS

Last Thursday I posted a card using this same stamp and the same colors.  For this card I decided to cut and embosss each of the layers with a Spellbinders die and then mount them on a card base which had been embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder.  As you probably can tell this embossing folder is definitely my go-to folder.  To me it feels like a very delicate, feminine design and since I used the pastel colors it just seemed like the perfect choice.

 

Don't forget, I can get Spellbinders dies for you and at a discounted price.  So let me know if there is ever any you would like to order.  Also if there is an ink pad that you are wanting I have access to a lot of types.......except for SU.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

IDEA FOR EASTER

 

A few days ago I decided it was time to start thinking about making some Easter cards.  I'd like to make enough to send to some of the local residents who are in care centers so I'd better get going. 

 

The card base is just a plain white card stock.  I cut a second white piece that was 5 1/4 x 4 inches so I could cut windows into the top layer.  Using the Swiss Dots embossing folder I ran just the bottom half of the white layer through the Cuttlebug.  I chose the "Happy Easter" sentiment which is from Paper Inspirations and stamped it on the top half of the layer.  The squares were cut into the embossed area with a single die from PapertreyInk.  PTI has four seasonal sets that are perfect to use with the square die and the one for Spring has these cute little bunnies.  Each stamp set has 2 different themes.  In order to get the bunnies stamped in the centers of the openings, I attached the white layer to the card base.  Since the stamps are clear I could easily place them right where I wanted them.

 

Inks used for this project are from the SU 2012-2014 In Colors:  Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit and Gumball Green.  I made two more cards using the same die and stamps but with different colors.  This one is my favorite because it looks so Springy.

 

Since you have stopped by to check out my blog, I'd love it if you would take a moment to leave a comment.  I really do appreciate hearing from you!

STAMPED & DIE CUT FLOWERS

The flowers on this card were also made using the same stamp and die sets that I used for cards posted this past Wednesday.   I believe the leaves are from a Sizzix die.  They have been in a plastic bag of parts for a long time.  The vertical Happy Birthday looks crooked and yet IRL it fit perfectly down the center of the embossed border.  The letters on the actual stamp are a little irregular.

I'm not thrilled with this card partly because I'm not really happy with the color combination on the flowers.  I wish I would have maybe lightly sponged some color around the white card stock.  Even though I'm not happy with it, I decided to still share it with you hoping that you could give me some suggestions for another go at this card.  :)

I have a card for tomorrow that I really like..............so stay tuned!  Thanks for stopping by!

ANOTHER BUTTON BITS CARD

If you yesterday's card this one is made with the same layout and another stamp from the same set.  The card base is Kraft card stock which I really like with the red and green combination.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Thank you for stopping by!

UP, UP AND AWAY

In an effort to use supplies and stamps that I already have and not used enough, I pulled out this cute stamp set from PapertreyInk which uses buttons as part of the design.  The card base is SU Green Galore and was run through the Cuttlebug with a Craft Concepts "Garden of Trees" embossing folder.   I thought the trees were a good choice to go along with the hot air balloons.

I cut a strip of PapertreyInk dp and edged it with a Martha Stewart punch.  The balloon part of the design was stamped with VersaFine Onxy Black ink and the "grass" was stamped with SU Green Galore ink.  I have a variety of buttons so I just chose colors that went well with the card stock I was using.  I chose a black mat for the design which I think really makes the image pop.

Thank you for stopping by!