It's all about lines...

I hope everyone is staying warm. It looks like the upper eastern states are getting snowed in again. Get out the hot chocolate and marshmallows, light a candle, wrap up in a warm blanket and put in a good movie. Boy I must be getting old if that is a perfect evening.

I'm not at my own computer, but lucky for me I had my flash drive with me that had some of my photos on it so I could get something posted. Today's card is all about lines. I used my score-pal for the simple background around the main image from Stampin' Up. I thought it was simple yet elegant and I liked the look of the clean lines. I would have much preferred the look of the scoring from the backside of the white panel because the lines from the score-pal are more crisp and visual, except in order to achieve that look I would have had to turn the image over and score from the back side. That would have been difficult to see where my image was since I didn't want the score lines to run through the image. I also did some scoring at the bottom. The borders are both Martha Stewart punches and the scallop punch already has the double line which carried my theme for me. The newest one is the pansy border- very cute isn't it? This probably isn't the best photo but I was trying to show the shimmer that I had added to the flowers with a bit of stickles. The blue flower is from the ones I had made and posted on a previous post. I had so much fun making them that I decided this is what our project will be at next month's stamping club. I think we will set up four tables and make different flowers at each table. I guess that means I better get started on some different techniques.

I happened to go through a box of my cards and I noticed the different phases my card making has gone through. Do you find yourself doing the same thing? At times all my cards have pretty bows other times it is the border punches (which I have seemed to be stuck on for awhile now). I guess it mainly depends on what new product I have just purchased. I think I need to spice things up now and then. I have some time off and I plan to do some serious stamping so we will see what the creative juices can muster up. Don't forget- you can still get your JustRite stamps over at The Stamp Castle.

Have fun and enjoy!

Red, White and Black

Ok I know, enough of the Valentine cards already. I promise after today I will move on. I think I like to make Valentine's Day cards because it reminds me of growing up and making the container that would hold that special one from a special somebody at school. Sometimes it was a large milk carton decorated with red and pink hearts, but most of the time is was a large pocket envelope decorated with a paper doily and cupid that hung on the front of our desks. Oh how Innocent those school-day crushes were. Close your eyes for just a moment and go back to a time when you remember that special boy walking into the classroom or coming out to play on the playground. What wonderful memories. I wonder what that boy looks like now forty years later.

As I said in a previous post, there were a few cards that I wanted to post but I was sending them out and they visit my blog regularly so I didn't want to spoil the surprise. The first card was created with the SU stamp Medallion. This stamp looks great with versamark on dark card stock. The border is MS Deco Fan punch and crochet trim on the other side. The heart is also from the Martha Stewart (MS) line. The sentiment is from SU as is the Modern Label punch with the Word Window punch in cream layered on top. The card stock is SU Real Red.

The last two cards are just a different classic color version of each other- Real Red, White and Black. They both were made with the Cuttlebug- Victoria embossing folder. Again the MS Deco Fan punch for the border and hearts. I pulled out my Spellbinders Heart nestabilities for the larger red heart. The sentiment was the same as on my first card.

My latest pleasure is making my own flower embellishments. I have been searching for all different techniques and trying a few and I will show you some in the next few posts. My mind is just a boggle with all the new products that have come out since CHA and I am having a hard time trying to pick my favorites that I can afford to add to my madness. Well I better end here so I can get to work. Gotta be able to pay for all of this somehow.

Have fun and enjoy!

Love is in the air..

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you- Love is in the air (or at least on the tin). I know there are some people who absolutely hate this holiday because if they aren't in a relationship or at least a happy one, it's like a slap in the face. I say to them- just celebrate the love and kindness of friends because where would we be without friends!

Here are two projects I did for the big V day. I found both of them in the dollar bin at Target. Of course they were undecorated, because we all know that if they came as they look in the pictures they would have to be in the (at least) 10$ bin- Ha Ha Ha.

Yes I still can't get away from the MS punches. And I see she is coming out with even more. Just where does she expect me to store all of these. The shoe rack hanging inside the closet door of my stamp studio is busting at the seams as it is and there are several sitting on my desk with no where to go. Don't worry your pretty little head about that Martha, I will find room some where believe me. You just keep thinking of new designs to collect money from me and as long as I have a 40% off coupon I'll be right there in line.

I don't' know if I mentioned it but I received my valentine's day gift 2 weeks ago. I came home from work one night and there were pink roses in a vase on the kitchen island and a pink gift bag. I asked "what's this" and my DH said the roses were on sale and inside the bag was the new M.J. "This Is It" movie that had just come out on DVD. The roses were light pink with a tinge of green on the edge, and soon a bit of brown, but they looked so shabby chic that I would have loved to have been able to put them on a card. Right now they are just a sweet memory.

I have a few more Valentine cards that I made and need to post but I have to wait for the recipients to receive them so I don't spoil it for them. I am thinking I had better get started on some Easter cards since that holiday is early this year and I will be off to Florida again without anything to post. Having my morning coffee on the lanai is exactly what I need.

I am looking forward to returning to the Owl and the Pussy Cat in Fort Myers. The owner always has so many neat and unique ideas. I had better start saving my pennies.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and try not to eat too much chocolate. Did I just say that?

Enjoy!

Going Green...

So today I thought I would go green and I got out some of the punches that I don't use too often and decided to create my own embellishments. The flowers on today's card were created with two sizes of punches from The Paper Studio. I used an old dictionary for my paper and punched out two large and one small flower for each one. I will go into more detail how I made them further down in the post.

I am starting to see the new products from CHA in the stores. It's like Christmas all over again. I did a bit of surfing on some blogs while the lucky ones at CHA sent back pictures. You wonder how there can be that many new products coming out each time. I haven't seen the new Tim Holtz's Sizzix dies yet. Hopefully it won't be long. It looks like Tattered Angels had some new bling spray coming out that looks yummy. I can the possibilities for these flowers.

Today's card is using the new DCWV paper Mariposa. This stack of paper is absolutely beautiful. I bought the 8x8 stack so the images are a better size for my cards. Each sheet will give me at least two full pieces for cards. I used the Martha Stewart Doily Lace Trim punch for the vertical border. The sentiment is from the Loving Thoughts JustRite set which can be purchased at The Stamp Castle and I layered it on Spellbinders Labels Four Nestabilities. The card stock is SU Baja Breeze as is the ink I used for the sentiment. You will notice that the Mariposa paper has a butterfly in the design. I used one of the new embosslits from the Stampin' Up Jan 5-April 30 mini catalog called Beautiful Wings to punch out a few more butterflies. To give the card an overall antique look I sponged everything with Ranger Distress Antique Linen.

Now onto the instructions for my homemade flowers. The blue and teal ones were sponged with Brillance inks Jade and Sky. I did make some of the flowers with printed card stock but I like the shabby look of the dictionary print. I offset the larger petals to make the flower fuller and more dimensional. After I sponged them I misted them with water to get the edges to curl. Once they dried I glued the layers and added the button to the center.

These orange/copper colored flowers I sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist- Tiger Lilly. I also misted them with water and when they were dry I sponged on some Gold Brilliance ink. The pink flower was colored with Pink Brilliance and a bit of Gold on the center petal. I haven't decided if I like the look of the white on the underside of the flower or not. I think they look more homemade that way. Well that's it for today. I have to get ready to watch the new commercials and put up with the football in between.

Have fun and enjoy!