I've whipped out a few cards this week!

I am now ready to get started on some Halloween items.  I had quite a few birthdays and one anniversary to make cards for, so the Halloween got put on the back burner. LOL

This first card is for friends of ours 50th anniversary...wow, that makes me feel so old when our friends are celebrating 50's...I had one heck of a time with this one.  I changed my idea so many times that I finally just cased a card that I liked.  It took me a day and a half to complete this.  Course, since I don't have any stamps and next to no dies, I have to create everything.  
This is the original card...Dawn McVey .
Her colors are much prettier than mine.  I had to print out the plain paper from a color swatch by Pink Petticoat and then designed my banner cut in Silhouette Design Studio. Since the fonts I used were on the desktop and I didn't have SDS installed on it, I couldn't do a print and cut and had to revert back to the way I used to do them on the Cricut...cut a template and then lay my printed piece behind the template and cut again.  Whew...print and cut is SO much easier...LOL
I had the flowered piece in my stash from a kit called Sparkling Spring.  Then I cut the flower petals on the Silhouette.  Finding a font was really tough....that took me the longest and if I remember correctly, the main font was called Respective and I used a flourish from the same font at the end of the T.  The plain text font is called Candara.  The flourish at the bottom is by Katie Pertiet called On the Edge. 

  

 

And, again, I used the white gel pen for stitching.  The ribbon and red pearls are from Wal-Mart.  I designed the back of the flower in SDS and you will see it better in the next image.  I'll share the file if you don't mind that its not perfect....I still have a long ways to go before I can get it all symmetrical. 

Ok, this next card was for my baby sister...and it shows the flower that I designed as I designed it...all the same.  I just used it a bit differently above. 

The stripe paper is from The Paper Loft called Easy Breezy. The polka dot is from My Minds Eye called Bloom & Grow and the yellow is from Teresa Collins, Sweet Afternoon.  I got some really good deals at the convention.  The scalloped border was designed by me in SDS as well as the label thing behind the flower. Buttons are from my Wal-mart stash and twine is from PaperTrey Ink. You see one of the only stamps I owe...it was a freebie from my magazine subscription. And yes, I knows its crooked...lol...now you can see why I don't care for stamping.  
I sent this through the US mail.  I put lots of packing tape on the back of the envelope to protect the flower.  Jennifer sent me a message that it arrived intact and beautiful...whew.  I have plans to design a sturdy box to send then in, just haven't got around to it yet.

Ok, I'd better hurry up or you will be bored to death!  This next card is my favorite...I love the color combo.  I ended up making two of these...one for my aunt and one for my SIL...since my aunt lives in Virginian (not WEST), and my SIL lives here, I don't think they will every know that they got the same card...LOL...

The pink paper is from Teresa Collins, Sweet Afternoon. The green and plaid are from Sparkling Spring.  The flower is one I've had forever (always hate to turn loose of some things) and the ribbon...well, I have no idea....but I know I love it and its almost gone now.  :(  The lace came from Michaels and the pink pearls are from the convention.  Yep, I spent a fair amount of money there but the deals were great!  The labels were cut and embossed with Spellbinder dies and the background was a Darcie embossing folder.  

Sorry, this was so long...you know how I like to chatter with my fingers...LOL

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Finally RAIN!

Sorry, no image post today...just wanting to shout out a "Hallelujah" for the much, much needed rain.  We have received almost 2 inches in the last couple of days and its still sprinkling a little right now.  The landscape looks so refreshed!  

I finished up Darby's birthday stuff yesterday and completely forgot to take a shot of the box and necklace I made her.  I delivered it all this morning and was sitting here browsing when it dawned on me that I hadn't posted an image and then it really hit me hard when I realized I hadn't even taken a photo of it.  The box came out really cute....in bright pinks, turquoise and yellows and she loved the necklace.  I had bought a kit from the convention that makes pendants for necklaces and made her a Halloween one.  I told her to come over after Halloween and we would make up some different pendants so she can switch it out.  Etsy is full of  1 inch x 1 inch image files and I've found quite a few I want to make for myself. It's super easy to do and looks great too.  

Anyway, no image post today...just happy for the rain!!

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Halloween Countdown

I made this up for Gavin...the skeleton was a free download from Silhouette and the idea came from here.  I didn't have any 8 x 10 frames but it worked on this 5 x 7 one too.  I used scrapbook paper for the background, cut the wording from paper from Echo Park called Chillingsworth Manor using a font called Feast of Flesh BB and cut the date label out of chalkboard paper that I bought from My Craft Channel. This label was glued to the front of the glass so Gavin can change the numbers with chalk and then I added the Skeleton with glue dots to the outside.  I think he'll like it! 

I had got on quickly to post this and then head out for Gavin's final football game but JA just called and its been cancelled until tomorrow due to rain.  So today, I'll finish up Darby's gifts and work up some more cards.  I hope I'm not boring you with my cards, if so, just tell me and I'll quit posting them.  

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Sympathy Card

 One of my least favorite cards to make but really like how this one turned out.  I had purchased this new die a couple months ago and finally decided to see how she cut...beautiful!  It's a little bit big to be using on cards and I'd love to have some smaller versions of it but really glad I made this purchase.  It's called the Chloe Butterfly die by memorybox.  I think the name was what convinced me that I needed it...LOL....my best friends granddaughter is named Chloe. The embossing folder is a Darcie that I got at the convention, the frilly sentiment die is from Spellbinders called Lacey Ovals.  The fonts are FrancineHMK (a Hallmark font from a card program I have had for years) and Square 721.  All the paper is from Neehah.  

Off to the grocery store and then back here to make a box and bag.

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Bicycle Birthday Card (2nd post today)

If I keep this up, I'd going to HAVE to make me a light box....its too hard taking pictures of the cards with my window light and its always too windy outside. 

Just finished this card up for my future SIL....it has to go in the mail today if she is going to get it by Sat.  I still have to add the saying on the inside but it shouldn't take too long.  I just print it out on a separate sheet of paper and add it will removable tape...that way they can recycle the card if they so desire. Or, they can throw it away and I'll never know!  :~(

All the paper is from the Glitz Happy Travels 6 x 6 pad that I picked up at the convention..the lace and buttons are from my stash.  The book page is from an old book of mine. 

It is SO much prettier in real life!

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Birthday Card for Older Man

This isn't the loveliest card but quite fitting for a 65 year old man.  My BIL turns 65 today (yep, I'm hand delivering this one) and has signed up for SS and Medicare.  He loves Margarita's and this came to me on my walk yesterday morning.  I found the Margarita cut file on the Silhouette site.  I still have trouble visualizing the finished product on these cut files and have a terrible time picking papers.  All of it is paper I printed off from various kits I have. And yes, I smudged the glitter glue when I was taking a picture of it and didn't even notice till I was uploading the image.  It's too late to do a redo, so he will be getting it as is.  I need to learn patience and let things dry! I thought about using Crystal Lacquer on the glass but have ran out of time.
The inside of the card reads, "Makes you want to order the Monster Margarita, doesn't it?  Happy Birthday."  Our local Mexican restaurant has small, medium and monster sizes.  

I still have 2 more cards to make before the weekend....

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Chick Birthday Card

 

I can't believe that Darby is 15 today!  It seems like only yesterday she was lying on our living room floor, encased in a snowsuit that rendered her completely motionlessness.  I got this card from my Pinterest Greeting card board.  This is the original card...Lucy Abrams and it was so adorable that I had to recreate it.  I don't like copying cards but knew I loved this one so much, I had to attempt it.  Darby is a pink girl, through and through.  She is a tomboy with pink roots and this little pink chick just fits her.  But, since I'm  not a stamper and own next to no stamps, I had to recreate it with a pencil.  I drew the musical notes in PS and then did a copy/paste to fill the background and then drew the chick with pencil and paper and scanned it it.  I then printed the base card with the outline of the chick on Kraft stock and then printed the chick two more times on the pink paper that I printed off from Pink Petticoat. It was all layered on Sweet Bohemian paper that I printed again from Pink Petticoat and then layered onto some Classic Linen Cover Stock from Neenah. The ribbon was picked up from Micheal's last weekend off their clearance rack.  I've yet to figure out my sewing machine and using it on cards so had to break out the white gel pen again. I think I need heavier thread when I sew on the paper and a smaller needle.  I'll figure it out someday! 

I had a blast at the CK Scrapbook convention this past weekend.  I took a class on coloring with markers and am now the owner of a basic set of Spectrum Noir markers.  They are a cheaper version of the Copic markers and only come in 168 colors but they are as nice as the Copics.  The basic set only has 72 markers so I will slowly add the other colors as I get better at coloring or see I need them.  I'm a long way from being good at it.  I picked up some good buys on paper and embellishments and did a few make and takes to learn a few more techniques, like making flowers, coloring, using glitters, etc.  I can see right now that I need to get a craft budget started so my billfold will be prepared for next year.  

I've got a ton of cards to make this week, so need to get busy! My folks were here all last week and then with the convention, I got way behind.  It took me all day yesterday to make this card, I'm so SLOW.....

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