French Foliage Fall Card

I could make fall cards all year long... love the colors and I love this new French Foliage stamp set from StampinUp... just can't find the time to do more with it... but I had picked up a couple sheets of this gorgeous dp by K&Company... kind of a swirly wine design... a sheet of it is laying flat in the picture... I used it on the inside of the card and the leaves were stamped with a nice Bordeaux pad and the Fall/Autumn embossing folder was used on the wine colored cardstock piece on the card front.

I stamped an extra leaf that I cut out and popped up and used a leaf border punch on the bottom of the card front. The stamped leaves on the orange cardstock are matted on a medium brown and the corners of both pieces were rounded. Note that I also rounded the top right corner of the card base. The three little jewels in the bottom right corner are an amber color. Here's a little closeup so you can see some of the detail a little bit better.

It's a little difficult to see the embossing in the pic but maybe you can make out the word "Autumn" just to the left of the jewels...

This card was for a recently retired, very good friend in Huntington WV... she'll like it...

Hope you like this one... watch for more ideas using the French Foliage stamp set...
Blessings and happy crafting!
~Kathy

Pink & Brown Card for SCS Swap

This was a card I did for a swap on the SplitCoastStampers (SCS) website (click on this link to learn about swaps)... This particular one was called a "Glitz and Glamour" swap. I started with a brown card base and placed a couple of vertical scored lines down the left side of the front panel. I had this great paper that already had glittered outlines of some of the design and cut out a section with a deckled edged die, then popped up on dimensional on the right side of card front.

The sheer pink ribbon was some I had on hand, as were the small pearls.
 

I thought they were nice for a swap... one that I would be happy to receive anyway...
Have a wonderful day,
Blessings and happy crafting!
~Kathy

Brown Flowers Tri-Shutter Sympathy Card

The verse on the center panel was stamped and embossed and says:
"May God's love heal your sorrow, and may His peace replace your heartache with warm and loving memories."
 

One thing I did differently on this tri-shutter was to run the two long pieces through my crimper before adhering to the card base. Adds a little more textural interest... the gold colored leaves are actually "jewel" leaves, so they're my little bit of bling on this card.

This flowered paper has become one of my favorites... it comes in 12x12 scrapbooking sheets and has a subtle small dot pattern on the back side. The two small round flowers that are glued on top of the crimped panels are self-adhesive 3-D stickers off a sheet I had laying around... K&Company I think.

Added small jewels to the center of several of the blooms...

Hope you like it...

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings an happy crafting,

~Kathy

Butterflies & Blossoms Tri-Shutter

Another tri-shutter... fun colors and coordinating glittered cardstock from a small DCWV stack I believe. The butterfies (#D130) are deeply embossed at the same time they're cut and the Pretty Petal Flowers(#C107) from Cheery Lane Designs are in a couple of different sizes, layered, then held together with flower-shaped brads.

I hope all these tri-shuters are giving you ideas for your own designs...

Have a great weekend,

Blessings and happy crafting!

Truly Thankful

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday whether celebrating your blessings with family, friends, or alone...

We all have so much to be thankful for...

God has been so good to us over the past year in particular... we have a roof over our heads, food, clothing, our health, family, friends, and only the peace and joy that comes from Him... and are able to help others because of His faithfulness to us.

I pray that you have a reflective few weeks now as we close in on the anniversary of the only Christmas...

I pray that you are able to share your joy with others thruogh service to those in ned of basics such as food,shelter, and clothing...

Blessings to you all,
Kathy

Easel Christmas Card

Here's the card I came up with for my Hobby Lobby class last night... one of my regular attendees had asked last week if we could do a Christmas card so what you see below is what I came up with...

I started with a StampinUp package of coordinating designer prints and chose a few to work with... I then went through my extensive stash of solid cardstock to find a few colors that would serve as the card bases.

The panels on the card front were cut and embossed using the Scalloped Coved Rectangle (ST0089) dies from Cheery Lynn Designs...

I generated it from my computer (using either Word or PowerPoint).. duplicated it in the software program so that I was able to print out a sheet of about 12. I then cut the sentiment out with a nice large (2"x3") oval punch that I was fortunate to find on one of my bargain hunting trips to Ross... I then lightly inked the edges of the oval and popped it up on dimensionals and placed it in the center of the two coved rectangles which were glued flat (both to each other and the card front... no dimensionals... BTW, I found the sentiment I used on the front at one of my favorite on-line sources (quotegarden.com) ... It reads, "There has been only one Christmas... the rest are anniversaries." Don't believe I've ever heard that before but I really liked it... so did my students... I'm sure I'll be using it a lot more in the future...

I tied a small bow for everyone from some white sheer ribbon... added a glue dot to the backside of the knot and stuck it to the top left edge of the oval.

Not too easy to see in my picture, but on the inside of the cards are label holders that I cut with my Cuttlebug/Big Shot using a die that has several sizes of labels... I cut it from shimmery, pearlized silver cardstock (Colorbok). I had some very narrow white ribbon that was just threaded through the holes and then folded to the back of the dp that the label holder was attached (label attached with dimensionals). This was so that it could serve as the "stop" for the card front enabling it to stand alone and open.

The inside sentiment (in the label holder) is a stamp I had... but it didn't fit into the "window" opening of the label so I recreated it on my computer ... choosing similar fonts and colors as what was shown on the stamp back but sizing it to fit in the opening. The envelope was lined in pretty typical fashion except that I had this cute little holly punch... two leaves and 3 berries... I punched the left side of the envelope flap and then glued two very small pieces of pearlized red and green to the inside of the flap so that the colors showed through the holly and berry "windows"... THEN lined the envelope as I normally do, which covered those small scraps entirely...

On the lighter sheet of dp used on the inside of the card (which holds the label and still left room for a hand-written sentiment), I used one of my Fiskars corner punch/embosser combinations...

The little treat box you see in the foreground was made using a StampinUp die I recently purchased. It was made using the same dp papers for the "drawers" and a coordinating solid, lightweight cardstock for the outside ("sleeve"). I even stopped at Walgreens before class to get a couple bags of Hersheys nuggets... four fit pretty snugly in the drawer...

That's all for now...
May not post again til Friday... we'll see...
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Blessings and happy crafting,
~Kathy

CAS Sympathy Card

I recently needed two sympathy cards and thought this leaf print paper would be nice... card base is a wine/cranberry color that matches the color in the dp (designer paper).
I decided to do a simple (CAS=clean and simple) card with just a couple of words stamped on the inside (with sincere sympathy)... I used a bordeaux colored ink pad to stamp it on a piece of medium green pearlized cardstock that I ran through my Big Shot with the Stampin'Up Top Note die (one of my all-time favorites)... cut another Top Note from the dp and then ran it through with the new SU textured embossing folder (almost makes it look like tapestry)... the front of the card base is also embossed with one of my favorite floral embossing designs.

Of course, I had to think of something different to do to the envelope besides just lining it with the dp... I embossed the dp before inserting and gluing in place... then I took the entire envelope and fed the left end of it into the Big Shot (with the same embossing folder I used on the card base front) encasing just about 2" of the envelope... Here's what it looks like...

I'm very pleased with the cards... the red button is from a StampinUp set of huge Christmas colored buttons; the sheer ribbon was some I had on hand.

Til the next time,

Blessings and happy crafting!

Sunflower Tri-Shutter

This is a tri-shutter I did several weeks ago for the friend of a friend who was going through a difficult time... she loved it... Sorry my pics aren't more professional... it's trial and error with me...

This one has a few store-bought decorations on it... but my favorite is the large sunflower... I found it at Hobby Lobby in their fall/Thanksgiving decorations aisle... I think there were a few in a package... wish I had bought more of them... it is made of several layers of thick felt with zigzag stitching around the center... it's heavy by comparison to other embellishments so I actually hot-glued it to the card...

It really is striking... oh, the thing on the far right panel with the ribbon streamers is a removable bookmark...

I'll have another one I did with another one of these sunflowers for you tomorrow...

Have a great day!

Blessings and happy crafting!

Tri-Shutter Anniversary Card

Good Morning Friends!
Wanted to share this card with you that I made yesterday for my cousin's 50th anniversary. she lives in Canada so I've got to get it in the mail today and took a couple of hurried pics to share with you...

I used a 12x12 sheet from the Mariposa stack of cardstock from DCWV... these are gorgeous designs... the one I chose has a black background with a lot of gold swirled on it and a couple of beautiful blue butterflies and a gold bird...

I just picked the 5.5" swath through the middle of the sheet that I wanted to use for the card base and used some of the leftover to line the envelope...

This photo shows the card, the lined envelope, and a sheet of the cardstock as it appears straight out of the stack... I do not scrapbook but occasionally find a 12x12 stack of paper or cardstock that I like even though many of the designs seem to large to be used for a card... here is a good example of using such a design for your card base... so don't dismiss those patterns too quickly thinking they'd be too big for a card!

Here's a view where you can see the verses a little bit better... I found them all on quotegarden.com and just copied/pasted them each into a Word file (I believe I found them on the wedding and anniversary sections of the site). I changed the font style and size and printed them off on my printer onto a sheet of pearlized blue cardstock that I cut down from 12x12 to 8.5x11.

I matted a few of them with a gold cardstock... some were trimmed using a pair of Fiskars decorative scissors... here's another view from the side so you can see the largest panel in the middle a bit better. Jazzed it up with a lot of bling... in small doses... tiny pearls and a few rhinestones... gotta have a little bling, right?!

My class at Hobby Lobby last night went very well... everyone made a tri-shutter using fall-ish solid color cardstock and a few coordinating prints. I hope to post pics of some of my students' cards for you to see as well.

Have a great day!
~Kathy

Five Butterflies

This little card is covered in sherbert colors. The patterned cardstock came from one of those 4x6 pads (DCWV I think)... two Stampin'Up dies were used on this card... and one Cuttlebug embossing folder (swirls)...the StampinUp dies are the Top Note and the five butterflies (a small embosslit that cuts and embosses 5 different sized butterflies)... these are two of my very favorites... and ones that' I've used more than any of the others... 

I used a coordinating piece of cardstock (from the same pad as the cs on the front of the card) for the envelope lining. I rounded the corners of the card base and orange and pink colored mats which were run through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dot embossing folder.

Hope this gives you some ideas...

Blessings and happy crafting,

~Kathy

Another Card for Aunt Alice

This is one of the other cards I did for my Aunt Alice's 100th birthday last month... I LOVE House Mouse images, don't you? Put some sparkle on the cupcake icing, colored image with watercolor crayons and aquapen; used my Fiskars corner shapers/embossers for the watercolor paper and the solid pink paper underneath it... a few brads and some ribbon threaded through the front bottom. She really liked this one... I love the bright colors...

Hope you're having a great day!
Blessings and Happy Crafting,
~Kathy

I recently participated in a swap over on the SCS (SplitCoastStampers) website where I had to make cards that were black and white and one other color of my choosing... of course, I chose red... I had just found this cute little stamp from Hobby Lobby and I got carried away one night stamping them and coloring them in... It says "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"... which reminds me, I saw a cute handmade sign in a shop in Cocoa Village a couple of months ago that read "Girls Just Want to Have Funds"... now that's a sentiment I agree with, don't you? 

The black and white paper came from a pad of dp (designer paper, don't remember who makes it), but what's nice is that the thin black lines of the design are actually embossed/raised.
I did put a piece of white cardstock on the inside to write a message on...
The black and white ribbon on the one to the left was very shiny and feels very smooth and silky... love it!

Here's what the inside looks like... I cut the inside piece out with my top note die from StampinUp!, then stamped Live, Laugh, Love, and embossed it in shiny black embossing powder, then added some faceted black jewels for dimension.

Here's one more using that same stamp but this time I used red and blue cardstock. I added some horizontal scored lines on the blue card base front and ran the top piece of red cardstock through my crimper at an angle. A few jewels in the lower right corner for a little bling.

That's it for today...

Blessings and Happy Crafting!
~Kathy



In a hurry? Here's a great idea for a quick card...

This is one of my favorite CAS (clean and simple) cards. It is a pre-made card that came in a box of about 50... 5 each of 10 designs... I get them on sale at JoAnn's and Michael's and use a 40% off coupon... (Reg $10... just $6 with a coupon)... they come with envelopes too so they are a real bargain... nice sturdy stock also...

The really cool thing about this particular card is that I happened to have had some ribbon on hand (I have LOTS of ribbon on hand)... that seems to perfectly match the colors of the polka dots. I used one of my very favorite MS (Martha Stewart) border punches that also embosses, added a couple of bright brads, and voila... a cute quick card! Doesn't get much easier than that, eh?

Blessings and Happy Crafting!
~Kathy

Another House Mouse Birthday Card

Here's another birthday card done with the same House Mouse stamp as the tri-shutter I showed you yesterday. This was for a good friend and neighbor... it has the chocolate quote that I used on my friend Selma's retirement card... A "balanced diet is chocolate in both hands"... and another chocolate quote on the inside which is also visible when the card is propped open... it says "The best things in life are chocolate..."

This card style is called and easel and is quite easy to do... it is a standard A2 size card with a top fold (4.25"x11")... the front of the card is then folded in half (mountain fold) and scored. You then attach another panel (4.25"x5.5") to the bottom half of the front of the card base.
Decorate as desired, chosing a "stop"... some element, whether it be a button, flower, or quote that will keep the card in the standing position once it is opened. Here I used the chocolate quote on a piece of cardstock that is popped up on dimensional foam dots. It's a very easy card but one that the recipient will enjoy displaying for others to admire...
Blessings and Happy Crafting!
~Kathy

One More Baby Shower Tri-Shutter

I'm lovin these tri-shutter cards... this one is my favorite... it's for my daughter's baby shower this afternoon... Claudia is our older daughter... a great wife and mother... she has a 20-yr-old son Lane, an 11-yr-old son Bailey, a sweetie that just turned 3 - Olivia, and come January, she'll add MacKenzie Joy to their brood... I can't wait! It will be such fun to have a baby to cuddle again!

The base of the card is a pearlized green that's gorgeous (I think)... I used 3 designer papers that I felt coordinated well... some of the trims on it are from a package of narrow, self-adhesive, 12-inch strips called Itsy Bitsy Baby Girl adhesive borders (they come 30 to a pkg for about $4) (from K&Company)... They are great! And then there's Maisy KETTO... isn't she cute?

I used the same verse on the large center panel as the other baby tri-shutter I shared with you last week...

As promised, here's another tri-shutter...

I made this one for my Great Aunt Alice who turned 100 last month! She loved it... I actually sent her an envelope with 4 of my cards ... the other three signed by my mother and our two daughters' families... Aunt Alice lives in Peterborough Ontario Canada and I've not seen her many years... she's as sharp as ever and we have great phone conversations!

The cute little fairy person is Maisy KETTO... she is one of the KETTO characters you can find at StampingBella... I bought Kenya KETTO at the same time... I think they're all so cute... I had a hard time deciding which one to get (so of course I got two)... and they are so much fun to color... used some glittery stuff on her wings and some bling on her little crown and the flower center... isn't she cute? Love the hairdo!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

~Kathy

Another Tri-Shutter Card

Ya gotta love these designs... I think the best thing about them is that they stand up and others can enjoy seeing the recipient's card... I would love to display one of these on my desk/workspace (if I had a job)...

This is one I made for a very dear friend who recently retired after 20 years at Marshall University... the over-sized felt sunflower is something I found at my new Hobby Lobby when they first opened... there were several in a package and I wish I had bought all the store had! I've used them on several tri-shutters and think they just make the card so special... I attached them with a glue gun since they are a bit bulkier and heavier than the average embellishment...

The sentiment on the center panel reads "a balanced diet is chocolate in each hand"... don't you just love it... I was hoping it implied that I thought she was gonna retire to her sofa, watch tv, and eat bonbons... ; )

I'll share another tri-shutter with you tomorrow... hope you're having a great day!
Blessings and Happy Crafting!
~Kathy

Another Fun Fold Card

Here's another fun fold card I did after watching a YouTube video showing the technique. This cardstock already had a lot of "bling" to it... The finished card (closed) is shown here in the top right photo, corner detail of the inside panels is in the photo below that, and a closeup of the paper is below that... again I used two of the French Scalloped Flair dies from Cheery Lynn Designs to create the pink "frame" and layered that on top of a piece of pearlized cardstock that's ready for the sentiment or hand-written note. The diamond-shaped piece of pearlized cs on the front was run through my crimper, a small flower-shaped jewel glued on top and a piece of ribbon tied around the whole card. Hope you like it!

There are so many gorgeous papers and cardstocks out there... some already "glitzy"... it's so much fun to take one 12"x12' sheet and turn it into a unique card like this that the recipient will think you spent hours on!

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings and happy crafting!

~Kathy

Folio Card with Two Pockets

I found this cute folio card in one of my cardmaking books... and thought I'd share it with y'all... I've written an instructional sheet with diagrams that you can download to try one yourself.

I created my first one from coordinating MS (Martha Stewart) cardstock I found at my local WalMart last year... This design uses one whole 12"x12" sheet (preferrably two-sided) and then a 3"x6" scrap of coordinating paper for the "spine" that holds the front and back together...

You could really get creative with the closure using buttons and thread, latches, etc. I just used some sheer white ribbon tied around mine. You can also attach the ribbon although I just tied mine around the card and it can be slipped off and then slipped back on without actually untying it.

I did put another piece of coordinating paper on the center inside panel... it is about 5-1/2" square. I used another sheet from the MS pad so that the colors coordinate but this is strictly up to you. I then added another piece of cardstock that I die cut (using French Scalloped Flair - ST010 from Cheery Lynn Designs/Dies Direct). It has a computer-generated Thanksgiving quote from Erma Bombeck printed on it (found here on QuoteGarden.com), so this card had absolutely no stamping on it at all...

The pocket design allows you to include goodies for the recipient... you'll see I've added a CD to the left pocket and a bookmark in the narrow pocket on the right. Hope you like it...

You can get the instructions by clicking here.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

~Kathy

BUSY, BUSY DAY!

Wow! Seven cards...3 baby shower tri-shutters and 4 pastor appreciation fun fold cards... Although I was pretty productive, if I do say so myself, I still need to make several sympathy cards... guess it will be a late night!

The baby shower cards were very similar, the first two almost identical started with a pearlized pink cardstock (ColorBok), used a couple of coordinated patterned designer paper, a little ribbon, a cute brad, some bling and pearls, several strips from a K&Company grouping of baby-themed scrapbooking strips, and one cute sticker.



Here's the straight-on view of the first card... I have two stamps I wanted to use on these... one was too long to fit on any of the card panels. So I put it on the flap of the card, embossed with SU's silver powder, and lined the envelope.

The other stamp has this wonderful sentiment (God sends His love and joy to earth with every newborn baby's birth) -- I'm very pleased with the finished card... What do you think?

Sunday.... What a great Lord's Day!

I hope you've had a wonderful Sunday too... weather was great... finally starting to get a little cooler in the evenings... can't wait til we can turn the AC off again... not quite there yet... supposed to cool off here by this coming weekend... yippee!!!

One of the things I spoke to folks about while chatting with them at Hobby Lobby yesterday... and was received very favorably by many... was that I would be willing to come to their home to do a "private" cardmaking party... great for a girls' night "out" or birthday party... even teenagers' sleepover.... think this would be fun and a no-pressure option for those who are not interested in purchasing a whole bunch of cardmaking "equipment" since I would provide all the necessary materials and tools needed to make the cards they would decide on... I'm thinking they'll choose what type of card they want to make... Get Well, Thinking of You, Sympathy, Baby, general all occasion or just because, etc.

If you think you'd like to do this with a bunch of girlfriends, moms group, Bible study group, or mother-daughter groups, shoot me an email and we'll discuss what you'd like!