Die cut cards

I decided to make some small gift cards with my Spellbinders nestabilities.  Now I cannot seem to stop coming up with more little treasures.  I have always liked minature sizes, and these tiny cards are just so adorable with animals and baby themed stamps.  Tomorrow I'll go searching for some smaller envelopes to fit these 2-3 inch cards.  I also had to use my Create a Critter cartridge from cricut. 

I think these would make great little gift cards, so I've ordered a new stamp A Gift for you.  I just love the little banana.  I also have a stamp that reads I'm bananas for you.  PERFECT!!  I love when stamps and greetings work together. 

Old stamps - new card

I pulled out a few old stamps that I haven't used in awhile.  When I attended the Allentown PA Stamp convention, I found some great background stamps from Impression Obsession.  I also purchased their Mega Mount which is great for large stamps.  I combined an old background stamp with a new one to give this card a vintage foreign look.  I then stamped the eiffel tower stamp and framed it with a dark chocolate paper.  Finally I stamped the label and found the perfect word to stamp inside - merci. 

I'm eating a cheesesteak and heading to work shortly - multitasking.  I have painted frames upstairs drying and small notebooks ready to be made.  The Burlington County Market is Saturday and I'm trying to make as much as I can.  The market is located on a working farm.  The vendors are inside a small barn structure, and some are outside in front of silos.  No one realizes how much farmland there is in South Jersey.  People picture New Jersey as the opening credits of The Sopranos - turnpike and industrial wasteland.  Ahhh....time to leave for work.  I'll have to post some pictures - I'll take some shots this weekend. 

Where did the month of May go?

I am in the midst of switching jobs, so for the last few weeks I have been working 2 part time jobs, as well as a weekly farmer's market in Moorestown, NJ.  I wake up and have to figure out where I need to be that day!  Fortunately, I will be down to one job soon and the market.  Then I can focus on my Etsy shop which has been depleted with lots of sales at the farmer's market.  I've got so much to make!  I wanted to share a card I made this past Friday.  I worked 10am - 10pm, and I'm still trying to recuperate!  I purchased a Personal Cricut Machine last year on sale with my employee discount.  My favorite cartridge is Create a Critter.  I love owls and just thought a blue owl would be a perfect color to coordinate with my background paper.  I found a company named The Pink Stamper which has stamps made specifically to go with the Critter images.  The stamps are great quality polymer stamps and I love the adorable sayings.

A few rhinestones and glitter add a wonderful look too.  I use my odds and ends of embellishments to add  extra pizazz.  Ever wonder what to do with left over alphabet stickers?  I mixed and matched 2 different sets for the hogs and kisses card.  I hate to waste anything!

I hope to post at least once a week, now that my crazy schedule is getting a little bit better.  I'd like to get out some of the supplies I've purchased and never used.  Another idea I have is to show one stamp used in  different cards or layouts.  The Scottish have a saying about "make do" - use what you have.  What supplies and materials do you have that can be used in a new and fresh way? 

I'm back!!

April was a busy month!  I took a long girls weekend to Chincoteague, Virginia and then I was gone over a week to Morehead City, NC and Wilmington, NC.  After a much needed vacation, I am excited to get back to creating and doing what I love - making cards.  I decided to make a few wedding cards.  I have a few decorative punches and I have always loved the look of mixing different trims. I also love finding speciality paper - on sale of course!!  So I combined punches and paper and came up with a beautiful Bride and Groom card.

Feeling Groovy

I wanted to make a card for a friend of ours who is turning sixty.  Since it is for a guy, I wanted to keep a more masculine theme.  I recently found some great stamps on clearance with a 1960's theme such as peace signs, smiley faces, etc. I thought these would great for baby boomer cards, especially older boomers.

I stamped the peace sign on chipboard, colored it with Ranger Peeled Paint distress ink.  Then I added some Ranger glossy accent.  My fiance suggested the brads for the tires of the beetle. 

An extra touch

I had a cute checkbook cover that I made for anyone who works in the dental field.  With embellishments of floss, a toothbrush and a few teeth the dental theme was there.  But I realized after taking a hard look, I needed to get a little more specific in my details.  So along my white strip of toothpaste, I added some tiny epoxy letters to spell out Dental Hygientist.  I can also add letters to create the word Dentist on another identical cover.  Sometimes all it takes is one small change to make a big difference!! 

Creating a design for a scrapbook

Life has been busy.  In between making cards, checkbook covers and picture frames - I somehow found time to do some scrapbooking.  My youngest grandson's 1st birthday had a sailboat theme, and I decided to design a sailboat since I did not own any boat type embellishments.  I went thru all my cricut cartridges to no avail.  So I drew out a design on paper and started with a large circle which I cut in half for the bottom of the sailboat.  Two triangles and a small flag completed my boat.  I like to think outside of the box, but time constraints don't always allow me the luxury of dreaming.  I realized lately, when I slow down and breathe, I can see what I create in all kinds of new ways.  I also found an old stencil which had a wave on the edge.  I used two different color inks to create the waves so my boat could sail!!