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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

3/4 Completed Part 2


My thought for today comes from The Complete Pocket Positives:

Learn to get in touch with the silence
within yourself and know
that everything in this life has a purpose.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

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Almost Finished! Second Post ( There are 4 right now)

These are my 3/4 completed cards. I just came up with this easy layout and I complete them 3/4 of the way. The last part will be completed when it's needed. I'm going to show you the card now, and again at some point in the future. When it is needed it will be customized for that occasion whether it is birthday, thinking of you, congratulations or sympathy. Then you can see exactly what I am talking about... Here's the second installment...

I went with deeper, more traditional colors this post. I liked these also.

My friend Helen said they already looked finished, but I will add a greeting (Happy Birthday, Congratulations, With Deepest Sympathy...etc) to complete them- depending on the need.












Same embossing folder...different color inks, different flowers, different ribbons...


Thanks for visiting! I appreciate your comments!

Hugs!,


Monday, May 30, 2011

3/4 Done Leaf cards

My thought for today comes from The Complete Pocket Positives:

And in the sweetness of friendship
let there be laughter,
and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things
the heart finds its morning
and is refreshed.

Kahlil Gibran


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Almost Finished!

These are my 3/4 completed cards. I just came up with this easy layout and I complete them 3/4 of the way. The last part will be completed when it's needed, so yes, I do it purposely. I'm going to show you the card now, and again at some point in the future. When it is needed it will be customized for that occasion whether it is birthday, thinking of you, congratulations or sympathy. Then you can see exactly what I am talking about... Here's the first installment...
I wanted to see how these would look with a pop of color. I liked them.









Thanks for stopping by for a visit. I appreciate the "love",
HUGS!,



Sunday, May 22, 2011

Flashback Friday Challenge First Wedding Card

My thought for today:

Never stay up until 6am blogging when you are supposed to be helping
your sister move at 10. It's just not smart. lol
(Yes, I'm laughing on the outside and crying on the inside...)


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I found a cool challenge blog by way of Jennifer Rzasa's blog, (Thanks, Jennifer) it's called:


This week's challenge is to post your first wedding card. Now they don't specify if it is the first you ever made or the first you ever posted. In my case the first one I ever made I would have no record of because I did not always photograph my cards. So this card is the first one I ever posted. It was very interesting scrolling back through my past original blog entries to look at all of the cards I have posted in the past two years. When I very first started, I didn't even know how to edit my cards so I posted them all sideways. lol (yes, really!) The time has flown by, and I haven't always been consistent, but I started my blog at a very unstable time for me. It was right after the break up of my marriage. So this was like the one thing I did for me. I wanted to make it about the craft to have a happier focus. But from time to time as I reviewed in search of that wedding card, I saw some other life events pop into my blogging. Well, I'm still here, and I think I have grown a lot in this blogging adventure. And the best part is, I have made some great friends... as a whole new world has opened up to me that I certainly never knew existed.

This is the link to the first wedding card I posted on my blog if you want to check out the original post. It was back in 2009 and it appears I was submitting it for a challenge even then. : ) My photography wasn't too great either. If you want to enlarge it, you will be able to do so if you click on the link. I'm not sure why this image won't enlarge, but unfortunately, I'm no technology guru. lol

So here's the card:




Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your visit and your comments. : )





Saturday, May 21, 2011

Mother'Day Designs 2011

One day soon I will not feel rushed to create the cards that are my gifts to friends and family. Right now I don't feel I am at my best because I rush to make something to send out because everyone knows I make cards, and may be offended if they don't get a handmade one for their specific event or occasion. Of course I still enjoy it, but I want to be able to take my time and get more creative, try different fun techniques. Soon, and one day soon... : )


Because this is a post filled with Mother's Day Cards I will post another poem about Mothers.

Mother-Love
The love of a mother is exhausted.
It never changes, it never tires;
It endures all; in good repute, in bad repute,
In the face of the world's condemnation,
A mother's love still lives on.
~Washington Irving


Although many of these cards may look the same at first glance, there are varied subtle changes if I placed them here. With the first two below-the card on the right is missing the silver leaves. It was intentional because I wanted to see how it would look without them. I think I liked it better with the leaves. Also the centers of the felt flowers are different. Can you guess what I used for the centers? I wonder if you can?! lol I LOVE that soft yellow rick rack trim; the soft color and the soft feel of it. I also loved the soft blue felt flowers on this one. I also LOVE this paper stack. It is called Lemon Flower Stack by DCWV. I so love paper! (one day I will show you just how much! Susan, Bethann, Karen and Helen already know!) This card was actually developed because of a challenge on Moxie Fab that I never made the post. But it's all good....





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So you can see these are the very similar design, but a different orientation.
three different centers, again. Did you figure it out yet? lol






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New design. This card was designed around this fabulous paper that I found at Papyrus, where they sell the most fabulous paper and cards! I will be making some more cards using paper from there and The Paper Source! The paper is quite expensive if you think about only making one or two cards. But if you like to make cards in bulk (3,6,12 of a similar design) like I do, you can make a lot of cards from one sheet which sells from $4 to $12 a sheet. When you consider that you can get 48-180 sheets of different papers for about $10-$20. It does seem expensive. But let's face it...the paper makes the card. The nicer it is, the nicer your card has a chance of looking. : ) I usually gage my recipient's response on what my son thinks of a finished project, and he didn't like these- so I was a little worried. But after spending several weeks working on them, of course, I ran out of time and had to send them out. I was pleasantly and happily surprised with my friend's and families responses. So that let me know that I can not always use my son as a judge. You never know sometimes what really appeals to people. Anyway, long story longer...it started with the paper, and went from there...the die cuts are K and Company. I fell in love with the birds and butterflies. So...birds...butterflies...flowers...beauty...Mothers!








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I LOVE how this card turned out. I think it was the color combination. I love that soft blue in the background of this fabulously embossed paper by DCWV (they really know what they are doing when they create these paper stacks!)...
The butterfly is black and felty; wonderfully textured- by Colorbok. Then I punched a butterfly from Martha Stewarts punch out of vellum paper, then added a rhinestone. I think the Thinking of you came from a M.S.E. (My Sentiments Exactly) set. I'm in the process of cataloging all my sets so I can't tell you this moment.




Still can't get the full effect of that butterfly...


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These are the same design as I posted earlier, only I used the wonderful butterflies from that K and Company set.
I did not send all of these cards out for Mother's Day, either. Once I started making them, I just made several so I might have some extra on hand for another occasion.
Again, this is a tip that I use frequently. I make my cards 75 % and I complete them when I need them. That way the design is usually customizable. I think this card could be used for Get Well, birthday or a simple Thinking of you. The inside stays blank, and sometimes there is even room on the front to customize.







Well I must say this is the most I have typed in probably months of blogging. I still have a couple more posts to put together. I have been working on several cards that again may be put to use for multi-purpose. Birthday, congratulations, thinking of you, get well, etc... Sometimes I need a card to send out, and my head isn't in the card making space I need it to be in to get it done. I also have to post my Stamp Camp adventure a month or so ago. I want to show those projects. And last I must say that this is the first time in 5 years that I have missed every single Spring craft convention! It is normally what I do for me, but alas and alack...there has been too many other things going on, and I just haven't made it to any. I am registered for the Valley Forge Scrapbooking Convention that will be here in July, 2011. So at least I know I'll be there!

Thanks for hanging out with me for a spell....I really appreciate you for it!

HUGS!,



Sunday, May 8, 2011

Button, Brad, Balloons and Presents!

Good morning! Happy Mother's Day to all the ladies (and some men) who hold it down in their families. Sometimes there can be a mom and dad, and the mom is STILL the mom and dad (in a manner of speaking). But truly I just wanted to acknowledge and express appreciation to all those moms. What would this world be without us! Chuckle!
ENJOY TODAY!

Here is a Mother's Day poem just for all of you!

She is the guardian angel of the family, the queen,
the tender hand of love.
A mother is the best friend anyone ever has.
A mother is love.
Unknown

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These cards were made from that SAME inspiration photo as the balloon cards, the brad and button cards. I forgot I had made them, and they were not photographed. I still have a couple more sets of cards that were made using that one inspiration photo that will be posted eventually...








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