Celebrate Your Day - CR84FN Challenge

Hi!  A quick post tonight to share I card I created for the CR84FN55 Challenge.  When I saw the challenge colors I just had to play along...since purple and green are my favorite colors :)

Take a look at the inspiration photos provided by Leslie.

And, my card.

I focused on the green and lavender, and used a few touches of gray.  I inked my doily stamp in gray.  And used some gray satin ribbon.  I finished off my card with some silver liquid pearls on the doily image.

Well I have a lot to do this evening, so I gotta go!  Thanks so much for stopping by :)

I'll be placing this card in my Etsy shop soon.

Supplies:

card stock: perfect plum, certainly celery, whisper white (SU)

stamps: hello doily (SU), signature greetings (PTI)

ink: basic gray (SU), onyx black (Versafine)

other: basic gray satin ribbon (SU), silver pearl Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

Happy Birthday, Happy New Home

Good morning!  I'm sharing a card that I made for one of our nephews.  He has a birthday coming up...and he recently moved from his parents home, into a rental house.  Wow, they grow up so fast!
Anyway, I wanted to combine the two occasions into one card.
This card is going into the CAS-ual Fridays CFC 54 Challenge.  Here's the challenge details.

Clean and simple masculine cards, using designer paper.

My card ~

I used two patterned papers, both from a retired Stampin' Up! pack called To The Nines.  The sentiment is computer generated in MS Word.  While browsing through my embellishments I found a pack of 7Gypsies keys and thought a tiny key would be the perfect finishing touch.  I'm really pleased with the results.  Our nephew isn't that into cards (but that doesn't stop me from making him one!) but I hope he likes this card.

Thanks for stopping by,

What's in it?

card stock: bashful blue, close to cocoa, very vanilla (SU), white (PTI)

designer series paper: to the nines (SU)

other: key (7Gypsies), townscape die (Tim Holtz/Ellison), chocolate waxy flax (CTMH), white gelly roll pen (Sakura), MS Word generated font for the sentiment

Happy Birthday - The Shabby Tea Room Challenge

Hello!  A quick post this afternoon with a birthday card.  It's been quite while since I've had a chance to play along in one of the challenges at The Shabby Tea Room.  They always have beautiful inspiration photos.  Take a look at this weeks photo for The Shabby Tea Room week #116 "Color Me Pretty".

Ahh...can't you almost feel the breeze and smell the fragrance of those flowers?  Let's sit for a while!

Oh.  Sorry.  I got sidetracked, didn't I?  The instructions for the challenge are to use white/cream, pink and blue...plus flowers and fabric.

This is what I created.

I chose 3 patterned papers from My Mind's Eye, from 3 different pads, and stitched them onto a panel of Pool Party card stock.  I used some cream colored felt for my die cut flower.  Then added a sentiment, a stamped postmark and a little tag, stamped with a few more words.  The crochet trim and all of the buttons are vintage (from an estate auction).  Oh, and I placed a piece of pink tulle behind the flower.
It's been a while since I've created a vintage style card and I love making them, so this was fun!
Thanks so much for stopping in to take a look!  I'll list my supplies below.

* * * * * * * *

What's in it?

card stock: naturals ivory, pool party (SU)

ink: onyx black (Versafine), pool party, crumb cake (SU)

patterned paper: Lost & Found 6 x 6 pads - market street, portobello road, madison avenue (My Mind's Eye)

stamps: communique curves, postmarks, tiny tags (PTI)

other: linen thread (SU), cream felt (PTI), pink tulle (from my stash), crochet trim and buttons (from an estate aution), tiny tags die and notched flower dies (PTI), thread

Shoes with Bling!

Good morning!  It's another warm one in northern Illinois.  The weatherman says only 90 degrees for a high.  Yesterday was 97 humid degrees.  Ick.  But, I see in our 7 day weather forecast that by Wednesday we'll have highs in the upper 60's.  Very crazy weather!

I have another pair of shoes to share with you today.  This is the final pair for an order from a very good customer out East.  She asked for a fancy pair of shoes with lots of bling.  Well...I think I've accomplished that.  And did I have fun!

Take a look, and tell me what you think :)

Happy Shoes!  And, I'm hoping...a happy customer :)

Thanks for taking a look.  I love visitors!

Congrats Grad - retro sketches

Hello.  Since the temp here in northern Illinois is now 97 degrees...I'm staying inside at my craft table!  Actually, that was my plan anyway :)  I have a list of cards/projects to create this weekend and have made a lot of progress.  Yay!

I've made a graduation card that is going into this weeks challenge at retro sketches rs#13.
Here's the sketch ~

My card ~

I was asked to make a black & white card for a high school graduate.  When I came across this black and silver ribbon in my stash, I decided to add in just a smidge of silver.  That silver scallop border peeking out from behind the tag is a piece of Stampin' Up! glitter paper.  I just love how much it sparkles AND the glitter doesn't fall off.  So that makes so easy to work with.
I'll list my supplies below.  Thanks so much for taking a look!

Supplies:
card stock: basic black, silver glimmer (SU), white (PTI)
patterned paper: black orchid 8 x 8 pad (S.E.I.)
ink: onyx black (Versafine)
stamps: communique curves (PTI)
other: tag it #5 die, linen impression plate...used on the strip of black card stock (PTI), black & silver ribbon (Offray), scallop edge punch (SU)

Happy Anniversary - Card and Shoes

Hi!  Once again, I'm creating shoes :)   The same Etsy customer that ordered the shoes in my previous post, ordered this matching Anniversary card and paper crafted shoes set.  She tells me that the color theme for the Anniversary cake is white with black accents.  From the description she gave me it sounds like it will be rather elegant.  So...I tried to go elegant with the card and shoes.  I hope I succeeded!

I went browsing for sketch challenges this morning.  And, of course, found just what I needed at Card Patterns Sketch 167.  Take a look.

This is what I created.

I was browsing the sheets of patterned papers at Hobby Lobby yesterday (50% off!) and found this pretty embossed white paper.  Just right for an Anniversary card, don't you think?

Thanks so much for taking a look today!  I'll list my supplies below.

Supplies:
card stock: white (PTI), basic black (SU)
ink: onyx black (Versafine)
patterned/embossed paper: medallion (The Paper Studio)
stamps: beautiful butterflies (PTI)
other: black braided trim (Hobby Lobby), silver beads (Recollections)

New Shoes!

Hello!  I'm not playing along with any card challenges in this post.  In the past I've made a few paper shoes for friends.  These were made using a template created by Ellen Hutson. I've received requests for custom order paper shoes through my Etsy shop.  So, I've purchased the rights to use Ellen's template for commercial use.  I'm so excited to have unlimited use of the template!

My Etsy "shoe" customer suggested that I post a few photos of some of the items I'm creating for her...here on my blog.  As long as she doesn't mind sharing...I'm in!  By the way, I'll be making 2 more pairs...probably this weekend.  So, you'll probably see a few pics of those also.

First is a wedding card and shoe set.  You've seen the card before.  A couple of posts ago.  But I was asked to create a pair of shoes to coordinate with it.  The white portions of the shoe are made from a Stampin' Up! patterned paper.  It's clear embossed with script text.  In person it's SO pretty.
I had hoped to use the same butterfly die for the shoe, but it was too big.  So I used a MS punch for that butterfly.  I used the same embossed paper for butterflies on the card and the shoes.  I sponged both with blue ink, to bring out the script pattern of the paper.

Then, a pair of shoes with a red sole.  Similar to shoes by a famous designer with the initials C.L.  When my customer asked me to create these shoes, I had no idea who this designer was.  The funny thing is...both my husband and one of my male co-workers had heard of C.L. ! 

I'll be back to participating in card challenges soon.  But, for now...I'm a shoe designer.  And it's fun!

Thanks for taking a look!

Remembering Matthew

On July 7, 1991 our nephew Matthew was born.  The first grandson of Mother-in-law and Father-in-law.  It was wonderful to have a baby boy in the family!  I remember so many things about his childhood.  The back rubs that he would sit in front of Grammy for.  And later, sports.  Lots of sports. In fact, just about anything that involved being outdoors.  Then 4-wheelers and snowmobiles.  Oh yeah.  He loved those!  Speed!  The things he thought of were funny, fun and sometimes scary.  It was wonderful to watch him grow into a young man.  Confident.  Strong in character.  I could see that his sister, brother and cousins looked up to him.

I hold onto those memories tightly, because we lost Matthew on May 16, 2010 after an 18 month battle with leukemia.  During those 18 months Matthew fought hard and never gave up.  I admire Matthew's strength.  He never complained.  I find myself sometimes complaining about something unimportant.  Then I stop myself.  And remember what Matthew fought through.  His motto was "Play hard and never give up".  And that's exactly what he did.  Even on 5/16/10 he didn't give up.  His body could no longer fight, but I believe his spirit was strong.

I didn't write this post to get sympathy from anyone.  That's not what I want.  I want us all to appreciate the people close to us.  Because you never know when they'll be taken away.  Most of us believe that something like this won't happen in our family.  Right?  I certainly never though it would happen within ours.  Never thought it would happen to Matthew's Mom, Dad, sister, brother.

Most of all, I'm writing this for me.  I don't want Matthew (and his impact on the lives of so many people) to ever be forgotten.  Writing this has been emotional for me.  But I want to keep those emotions near the surface.  I don't want to bury them.

I want to keep those memories fresh.  Always.

Thank you for reading this very personal blog post.  I hope that you'll tell your loved ones how important they are to you.

A Wedding card - To The New Couple

Hello!  I hope everyone had a good weekend.  We had beautiful weather yesterday for a birthday party/Mother's Day gathering!

Today I'm sharing a card I'll be placing in my Etsy shop right away.  Wedding cards are moving quickly lately.  So, I think I know what I'll be doing next weekend :)  I enjoy creating wedding cards so that's fine with me!

I'd better get to the card.  The evening is going quickly!

I was in the mood for layering die cuts...can you tell?  Over the paper doily I placed a length of satin ribbon, then a narrow piece of pleated lace.  The I started layering the die cut pieces.  A tag in blue, then 3 notched flower pieces in different sizes and finally a butterfly.  I adhered each layer with foam tape to give them a lot of dimension.  The butterfly was cut from a piece of designer paper that already had script clear-embossed on it.  I sponged it heavily with light blue ink to bring out the script (choosing to include the word "couples" when I die-cut the butterfly).  The main panel of the card uses the same paper.  I lightly sponged blue ink around the edges of that panel, then in from the edges for an inch or so.
The final touches are the sentiment (I love the font!) and a swirl of bling.  Oh, and a piece of silver cord, too!  Done.

I just love how this card turned out.  I hope it finds a good home!

Thanks for looking!

A Wedding card - Card Patterns Sketch 165

Happy Mother's Day!  Just a very quick post before I head out to church this morning.

This Wedding card is going into the Card Patterns Sketch 165 Challenge.  Here's a look at the sketch.

And, my card.

 

I outlined the two hearts with a clear glitter pen.  It's difficult to see in the photos, but very pretty in real life.

I'll be placing this card in my Etsy shop soon.  It seems to be the season for wedding preparations!

Thanks so much for taking a look!

Supplies:

card stock: white (PTI), pool party, blushing bride (SU)

ink: pool party, blushing bride (SU), onyx black (Versafine)

stamps: love & marriage (PTI)

other: stardust clear glitter pen (Sakura), decorative pearl and tulle trim (Hobby Lobby), tulle floral pick (Michaels), pink tulle from my stash, foam tape, glue dot

Bride & Groom

Yes, it's my third (and final) post for today.  What a busy, crafty weekend :)

This card isn't going into any challenges.  I created it to go into my Etsy shop (My Little Bird Studio).  Business in my shop is picking up (yay!) so I need to do some restocking.  And, well, it gives me another excuse to spend time at my craft table.  {grin}

My card ~

The wide lace that you see at the bottom of the card, is vintage lace that I picked up at an estate auction.  If you've followed my blog for a while, you know that I *love* vintage lace and trim.  Sometimes it's hard to let go of it!
I've added several embellishments to the satin bow.  I felt like dressing up this card.  And why not?  It's a formal occasion.  Right?

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

card stock: white (PTI), baja breeze (SU)

ink: onyx black (Versafne)

other: vintage lace and trim (from an auction), rhinestone heart spray, pearl & tulle spray (Michaels wedding aisle), pewter color pearl stickpin (Jenny Bowlin), satin ribbon (Michaels), glue dots (SU), foam tape, scor-tape

Vintage Vogue - A wedding card

Hey, back with my second post for today.
Oh my, Moxie Fab!  That's a quote from Cath over at her blog Moxie Fab World.  BUT it also describes my thoughts when I saw the inspiration photo for her Tuesday Trigger, titled Vintage Vogue.  Oh my.  Lace. Layers. Sheer fabric with golden dots.  It's gorgeous.  And it was the perfect inspiration for the vintage style wedding card that I needed to create.
Well, I could go on and on.  But why don't I just show you the photo instead?

Vintage Vogue

I've already describe, above, what inspired me.  So, I'll just show you my card.

Ahhhhh.  Yes, I love vintage.  It's no secret.
The wide ecru lace that I've used on this card is actually vintage lace.  I purchased it at an estate auction a few years ago.  I've layered on some cream colored satin ribbon.  Then a piece of vintage crochet trim on top of the ribbon.  The sentiment and the border (at the bottom of the card) are embossed in gold.  I added a border of gold ink around the sentiment panel with a marker.  And finally, I placed champagne colored pearls on the gold embossed border, and onto the corners of the sentiment panel.
Well, I've "talked" for long enough :)
Thanks so much for taking a look today,

Supplies:

card stock: naturals ivory (SU)

stamps: eclectic edges (CTMH), love & marriage (PTI)

ink: versamark

other: faux pearls (Michaels), gold metallic marker (Am. Crafts), gold ep (SU), ribbon (Michaels), vintage ecru lace and crochet trim (from an estate auction), scor-tape, foam tape