Spring-y Thinking of You Card

Card donated to Operation Write Home.

Stampin' Up! embossing folder and floral rubber stamp image colored with markers.
Thinking of You stamp image from  ?
Martha Stewart Button paper punch
Thin strips of card stock rather than thread for the button holes.
Paper piercer
Hand cut banner

Not the best photos at all..................

Daffodils are blooming and iris are sprouting,

but we had a COLD snap so they were tucked in for the night.

Some areas very near us saw accumulating snow!

We only had flurries.

Winnie The Pooh Happy Birthday To You Card

I love how this one turned out , 

using a new to me rubber stamp I

found at a flea market recently.

I stamped the image with permanent black ink

onto white card stock then colored it in

with colored pencils.

I used and aquapainter and ink to watercolor the sky.

The decorative background paper is from the

Die Cuts With  A View paper stack I've not used

until the other day. 

The Happy Birthday banners are made with a stamp set from

Stampin' Up! and attached with a staple.

The next cards I make I'll stagger the blue banner just above

the gray one so it is read as happy, happy birthday.

It didn't even dawn on me to do that when I put this

one together until after it was completed.

I'm entering this as my third and final entry into the 

Never Before Used Schtuff challenge #4. 

I still have dozens of cards I've made to donate to

Operation Write Home 

to share here on the blog ! I've been busy.

Thanks for looking =) 

Angel Bunny Card - NBUS

NEW, unused Angel Bunny stamp set - from 1995 !!!!!!

Yes, that is correct, 

this stamp set was bought new in 1995 and never assembled, used. 

I am not the original purchaser of this stamp set.

 I came across it at a yard sale

two years ago and I STILL had not used it myself ! 

Until now.

I stumbled upon this blog challenge

while visiting another blog recently

and saw a link posted there.

 I just had to take part in it,

I have lots of new (old!), unused items myself.

So I whipped up this card for the challenge while

waiting for Crystal effects to dry on another, 

much larger project I am finishing for the challenge. 

Stop by tomorrow to see it.

The card will be donated to Operation Write Home. 

Image was water colored with ink from my ink pads

and an aquapainter.

Decorative papers are from an old paper stack by

Die Cuts With A View.

(I've never used paper from that stack, 

so this project is a two fer of new, unused items!)

The embossed, die cut eyelet borders are

actually pieces trimmed off of premade greeting cards.

I trimmed the eyelet edges off so the cards would be masculine,

turning the cards into Thank You cards for 95 Veterans

that were part of an Honor Flight a few years ago.

(I guess this card could be considered a three fer ,

using three old, unused items!)

Thanks for looking =) 

Four Wheeler Cards

This is one of a set of four cards I made and donated to Operation Write Home.

The stamp image is from the Need For Speed set by Stampin' Up!, stamped with black Stazon ink.

It was colored with ink from my ink pads and an aquapainter.

Textured black card stock, white card stock and caramel colored card stock that I distressed by wrinkling and rubbing on ink in an attempt to create the feel of dirt.

Red eyelet, scrap of twine.

The card is blank so it can be used for any occasion.

I'm going to submit these cards to the 

Cardz4Guys challenge blog that I recently discovered.

They fit this months challenge perfectly !

Challenge # 63

Transport

Any vehicle or form of transport is accepted,

 as long as it is suitable for a MALE person, 

regardless of age.  

If you struggle with masculine cards,

check out this blog full of inspiring ideas !

Tomorrow I will share my third and final post that will be 
entered in the above challenge.
It's a cute card for younger boys -
and a scrapbook page, too !

Thanks for looking =) 

1940 Ford Birthday Card

A family friend is celebrating his 75th birthday this month,

so I made him this custom card today.

I've used all of my Classic Convertibles and Classic Pickups 

rubber stamp images (retired from Stampin' Up!) at one time or another

over the years for his cards. This year I wanted to find a car image

from the year he was born, so hubby found this coloring page image

 online. I cleaned it up a bit then reduced it in size to 

make it fit on the card. I water colored it in with ink from ink pads

and an aquapainter. Chrome accents were created with a silver Signo gel pen.

Crystal Effects was used on the headlights and windows.

I masked off the edges of the paper with removable sticky notes

then sponged on ink to create the sky and asphalt. 

The blue was also sponged over a home made cloud stencil.

If you'd like to see a quick tutorial for a similar technique

that replicates black and white photos, check out my

Faux Black and White Photo post. 

The highway sign was created in Photoshop Elements.

I did a LOT of altering of a digital scrapbook journaling

embellishment to make this sign. Only the shape resembles

the original digital piece I started with. It's come in handy,

having used it twice so far since creating it in January. 

I used dimensionals to attach it to the card front. 

The Diamond Plate embossing folder is from Darice.

Image is attached with old photo mounts.

NOTE: the ink color changed on my card stock.

It started as a burgundy color and is now orange-y.

For some reason the white card stock my sister 

gave me as a gift at Christmas alters red ink colors drastically

(it is made by Georgia Pacific and she bought it at Sam's Club).

I normally would have stamped the image onto water color paper

so that the colors would have stayed true, but since this was an

image that had to be printed off of the computer, 

water color paper was too thick to run through the style of printer I own.

I came across this blog the other day,

so I'm going to enter my card into the challenge:

http://cardz4guyz.blogspot.com/2015/03/challenge-63-transport.html

Challenge # 63 Transport

Any vehicle or form of transport is accepted, as long as it is suitable for a MALE person, 

regardless of age.

If you need inspiration for masculine cards, take a look around this blog !

I'll be sharing more automotive themed cards the next couple of days

that were all made to be donated to Operation Write Home. 

I have dozens of cards already made that need to be shared yet.......

Thanks for looking =) 

Thank You Die Cut Cards

Another set of cards made and donated to 

Operation Write Home

using precut die cut pieces (pink Thank You panel) 

from Me and My Big Ideas.

I added hand cut banners.

Rubber stamp images on one banner and the medallion

are from Stampin' Up!

They were colored with water based markers. 

I really like how this set turned out, too !

I have two more sets made with pieces from the

set of die cut card fronts to share still...........

Thanks for looking =) 

Red, White and Blue Challenge at OWH

The Mid Month Throwdown at

Operation Write Home this month

is to make cards using the colors

red, white and blue!

Both of these cards will be donated to OWH.

Normally I would make a patriotic type card

with stars or flags, 

or use my favorite classic cars stamp sets,

but I wanted to try to make something different.

The first card I made, 

the Bugs and Kisses card,

certainly is different for me !

Red, white and blue, stars and stripes bugs !

Fun little saying I made with Snap Stamps

that I hope some little one will get a giggle out of. 

I've made blue jeans cards before,

so that isn't too different. 

I originally had red flowers I was going to attach

to the jeans as if they were appliques 

and have a tag that pulled out of the pocket.

 I decided against it, going with a more

"neutral" type of card that could be suitable for 

a boy or a girl, even a man or woman for that matter. 

It is blank inside so it could be used for any occasion.

I also decided to not use the removable tag in case there 

is a chance it may get lost. 

SUPPLIES from Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise

Just Jeans background stamp

Paisley background stamp

Pocket Pals stamp set

White card stock

Real Red card stock

Buckaroo Blue ink

Real Red ink

Versamark ink pad and marker

gold embossing powder

copy paper, from my computer printer tray

Stamp the background stamp onto your card front then

reink and stamp the background stamp onto scrap card stock.

Stamp the pocket with Versamark ink, gold heat emboss, cut out.

Draw two rows of dashed lines (stitching) with a Versamarker and ruler

onto a thin strip of card stock.

Gold heat emboss.

Trim to make two belt loops.

Glue just the ends to the "jeans" so you can slide a "belt" underneath. 

Cut a triangle shaped piece of copy paper.

Stamp with the paisley stamp.

Crinkle and glue to the pocket.

TIP: fold the top edge over and slide into the pocket.

Cut a thin strip of card stock to fit under the belt loops.

Slide through and glue ends down.

SUPPLIES from Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise

Bug Builders stamp set

Brilliant Blue, Real Red and Basic Black inks

Aquapainter

Brilliant Blue eyelet

Bakers Twine, dollar spot a Target

Snap Stamps alphabet

White card stock

Red scrap of card stock, unknown

Textured blue card stock, unknown

Thanks for looking =)

Take a moment to peruse the

many wonderful and varied cards

created by others using red, white and blue.

Make and share one of your own, too ! 

Bright HI Card Set

Another set of cards I made and donated to Operation Write Home.

The die cut HI is from Me and My Big Ideas.

It was part of a set of precut die cut card making pieces. 

I created my own photo corners with a Martha Stewart punch.

Chevron and polka dot embossed backgrounds with folders/plates

by Stampin' Up!

Decorative paper scrap, Die Cuts With A View.

Assorted card stock scraps.

Thanks for looking =) 

Hello, Love Card Set

Another set (my favorite set!) of cards I made with

precut, die cut card making pieces by

Me and My Big Ideas. 

I'm donating them to Operation Write Home.

I ran the white background pieces through embossing folders by

Stampin' Up!

Drafting Vellum is layered between the die cut and the card base.

love banner stamp and punch are by Stampin' Up!

and stapled onto the hello piece. 

So simple, so fun ! 

Where's the cat?!??

She is "hidden" among the mess on my work table.

I have been busy working on cards for Operation Write Home

and not doing a very good job of picking up .

She managed to find a large enough spot to lay on the work table. 

Thanks for looking =) 

HI Daughter/Son Cards

Two from a set of four cards I made to donate to Operation Write Home.

There are cards for Daughter as well as Son.

I thought these might work well for the preteen age group. 

The die cut HI portion was store bought, part of a set of 

die cut greeting card pieces from 

Me and My Big Ideas. 

There were six different sets of five die cut pieces in the package. 

I'll be sharing the rest of the cards I made over the next few days. 

SUPPLIES:

Decorative papers, Die Cuts With A View paper stack.

Black textured card stock layered underneath the die cut openings.

Card stock scraps,

Daughter and Son stamps , Stampin' Up!

Hand cut banner/flag.

Flower punches, Stampin' Up!

Brad, unknown.

Thanks for looking =)