SpellBound....

....with Spellbinders.  At least lately I have been.  Specifically, the newer Borderability's.  I am just lovin' them!  I have tried two different shapes so far and really am having fun.  Today I tried the 'curved" one and it took me a while to get the card to fit together the way I wanted it to but all in all I am happy witht the results.  I think with more play I will discover a whole slew of different ways to use these dies.  Today's cards were made with the intention of using up scraps of colored cardstock.  I also have lots of oddly cut patterned paper that I wanted to use up and so experimenting with new dies was just the way to go.  I can see this design being used for an elegant anniversary card or wedding card with softer colors or even a monochromatic look.

This first card had some glue schlobbers along the purple die cut.  I find it really hard to properly adhere an intricate die cut with out the glue seeping out.  I current have bee using GA but if anyone has any other suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.  I have also used Zip but find it tends to dry shut between uses.  Anyways, to cover up the schlobbers I used a row of pearls and carefully followed along the seam of the cut.  I love how it turned out!

Both of these cards are a 5" x 5" card base but the die cut is significantly longer than I used.  It has convenient tabs on either side of the "cuts" to help one measure just how much of the die you need to use.    Both cards have dimensionals used to pop up the layers and both flowers have stickles on them although that is pretty hard to see.  The pink flower is one that I made....I am trying to get the hang of making my own flowers and it is not so easy!  I am sticking with it though as store boughts are soooo expensive!  Even on sale!  And I would much rather use my $ to pick up more dies hehehe!

Well, I have finally gone into the doctor for this nasty virus I have been lugging around with me for the last week and yesterday found out that I have an infection raging from my sinuses to my ears to my brochial tubes and back again!  Ugh....not what I need the week before my son's grad party....I so feel unprepared ;-(  I did get good meds though and, crossing my fingers, hope that I will be able to feel 100% by tomorrow so I can tackle what needs to be done!  Thanks so for stopping by.....I always appreciate your comments and if you have any advice at all for adhering small, intricate die cuts without leaving a glossy smudge please let me know!

Be well,

Sheila

Hey-Hey!

Life has been crazy lately....the last few days before my youngest has his high school finals.  The end of senior year is always so busy...fun for sure but very very busy.   We have held all of our kid's graduation party's on the Sunday of Memorial weekend so that also adds to the overall busyness of the school year's end.  Corm doesn't actually graduate until the 9th of June but I alwalys like to have the party done and out of the way so I can sit back and relax the for the rest of the grad festivities.  This year, well, this week however, I have come down with a nasty virus and that has thrown all of my well intentioned planning out the window.  How come illness can never come at a convenient time right?  So, for two of the last three days I have been in bed and today I am up and about albeit slowly.  It gave me the chance to finish up two cards that I had been working on and then realize that the third card, which was to have been mailed out last week, was sitting under a pile of scraps.  Ugh. Fail on my part. Anyways, I saw this card http://myshericards.blogspot.com/2013/03/justrite-papercraft-march-release-day-5.html on the JustRite Stampers site and imeadiately cased it!  I just love this layout and know that I will use it again and again!  The original is by Sheri Holt and above is her blog link....I urge you to checkout her work!  Gorgeous!  And here are my three cards.  One is a birthday card for my daughter's boyfriend Tyler and the other two are graduation cards.

What I like about this particular layout is that it works well for either feminine or masculine cards and also for many different types of cards.  I am just getting into JustRite Stamps and really like them a lot.  I also like that there are so many that  coordinate with Spellbinder dies that I already have making my cards appear a little more "custom".  I want to try a monochromatic wedding card in this style.....I think that whites and beiges would look really elegant.  The final "Grad" card turned out kinda dark....not sure why but the little medallion that hangs below the focal point reads "Breathe"  which I think is good advice for any recent grad.  This card is for a sweetheart of a nephew who graduated last week.  Thank you for stopping by....I promise to get back on track with my visits to your blog soon....soon as this party is planned and over and my son graduates.  Then it will be my time to "Breathe"!

Be well,
Sheila

A Happy Birthday...

...to my oldest child.  My oldest, Bessie, just turned 23 this last Sunday and it is really the first time ever that we haven't seen her on or right around her birthday.  Wow.  What a strange thing to do to hear about how your child celebrated her birthday!  She lives in another state and recently changed jobs so between her work schedule and our life schedule we weren't able to get together.  Well, I guess it will be all the more sweet when she comes home at the end of this month for her little brothers high school graduation.  I did make her a card....I tried a new design and am not really sure how I feel about it.  I really like using these little Samantha Walker/JustRite/Spellbinder Banner and Buntings dies.  I love this little row of flags and have used them before with a colored banner on an all white card and I really liked how that pop of color stood out.  I was looking for a fun, colorful "party" look to this card and I think that I fell more on the colorful but messy side!  Oh well.  I know Bess will love it and the accompanying giftie.  This is a look that I am going to work on though.  I have seen these banners used criss-crossed like this before on other people's cards and have just love the look but here it looks kinda cluttered and bunchy to me.  Any suggestions?

Anyhoo...thanks for stopping by. I have been a bit MIA lately and that is due to a small window of pleasant weather and the need to get my yard into some semblance of order in preparation for the hosting of my son's graduation party.  It seems like the time is just flying recently and there is much more work to do than I have hours to do it!  Isn't it nice to be busy?  Although, I am going to try to get a few moments to myself in the next day or two to try out some new goodies that have been sitting untouched for a few weeks (YES!!!! WEEKS!!!) now.  I can't wait to sit and play a bit!  

Be well,

Sheila

Doing a bit of Watercoloring.....

and....I should do it more often.  It was so relaxing!   I didn't achieve anywhere near the color or shading that I wanted but I am happy with the vibrancy of this card!  I was charged up for water coloring after looking at the Moxie Fab The Wonder of Water Color Challenge.  I decided to use the sketch that Deborah Nolan has for her April card chain and split up a large background stamp by Impression Obsession.  I really, really like this stamp.  It has so much going on and it is one of those background stamps that you can trim it out pretty much anywhere and it will look just fine.  I watercolored with Tombow markers....mainly what you do is make marks on your image with the colors that you want to blend and then you blend them with a waterbrush.  I learned this technique last September at Scrapfest when I took a class from the Northwoods Rubber Stamp Co. people.  It is really a fast and easy way to color an image and even if your image is very detailed, like this one, the final product usually turns out pretty nice!  I then cut a "sash" to go diagonally across the card and stamped it with a Hero Arts sentiment.  I placed the sentiment strip up on foam in the middle of the sentiment and then adhered it at the ends.  This is hard to see in the picture but in real life it gives a nice, gentle dimension to the sentiment.  From there I just "multi -  matted" the card, put in some overhanging  corners and voila!  I hope whoever I am paired up with enjoys this card....I certainly enjoyed making it.  After all the pink from the Relay for Life card sets I was more than ready to make a color change!  So, here is my entry for Moxie's Fab's Wonder of Watercolor!

I love being part of these card challenges.  I enjoy receiving snail from people all over the world.  I especially like it when whomever is sending me a card includes a little letter....telling me about them selves and what their part of the world is like.  I appreciate that Deborah takes the time to organize this exchange and wish I knew of other's to take part in!

I did really enjoy making the cards for my friend who is taking part in the Relay for Life but I am so glad to be done done done with the making of the pink cards.  I can't wait to hear from her to see how she likes them!  I am ready to be involved in other card types though and also want to try some other small crafting projects.  It has been so busy....almost too much so to try "new" techniques or projects.  By that I mean that if I only have a little bit of time it is not enjoyable to me to just spend it "experimenting" rather than creating and producing.  Don't get me wrong...I love to experiment but I think that the time for that is out ahead of me.  Actually, it is getting closer as my time windows will open up more and more as my youngest graduates from HS and then in September will be leaving for college.  While one part of me is freaking out over the last of my three to be leaving the nest another part of me is getting used to the idea of time to and for myself.  Wow....what a concept!  Well, going to sign off as it is actually sunny here today....first time in days! and I want to get outside, put my ipod on and take a walk!  I hope you are enjoying your day too!

Be well,

Sheila

And......three more!

I don't know what happened but I think I totally pinked out and got on a roll.  I made three more sets bringing the total number of card sets to 9!.....That is a lot of cards and I am really surprised at how much I like dong this project.  I would make a set and 1/2 way through it another idea would occur to me.  In fact, I have a pretty simple idea for a 10th set but honestly, if I made another set I'm afraid I would be in danger of never stopping.  And, my friend needs these sets in CA by the end of the week so.....off to the post office I go.  I did want to share the  additional sets with you all though.  Mainly I am sharing these sets because I want to emphasize how fast they came together after I settled on an idea  for each card.  Then, I generally could power die cut.  In fact, I got to the point where I would be cutting out the pieces and parts for several different cards in one "pass through" which made it super fast.  I would basically be cutting two or three cards to be assembled and so really upped my assembly line greatly.  So, here are the cards and please excuse the lighting....it really makes the cards look washed out.  They are various shades of pink though!

I ran out of the same size flowers and the same color ribbon on this first set so it is a set but it does have some slight differences.  I thought I would change up the ribbon and flower differences with different sentiments so the 6 card set would still seem cohesive.  The "background" die cuts are actually two corner dies that I taped together and then glued down to great a background.

This next card finds me running out of the stripped paper so a few of the cards have a different striped background.  Again I thought it would be alright as the sentiments varied from card to card in the set.

This next set used up a lot of little paper scraps from patterns that I used on other cards.  It was so easy to make and really assembled super fast.  The window is popped up on dots for a bit of dimension against the embossed brick background.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to be visiting you all too!

Be well,
Sheila

And then there were 6....

I have two more sets to share with you today.  For those of you who aren't aware, I am sharing the sets of cards that I made for friend who requested pink card sets for a breast cancer auction.  So, I have been immersed in all shades of pink for the last week and have two more sets to show you.  These are the 5th and 6th set and I have one more on the table ready for final assembly and embellishing.  I have really loved doing this project.  Last year I did the 60 mile Susan G Komen walk and this year, besides donations, I have spent time on these sets. And with the count currently at 36 cards (and numberous duds) I have had plenty of time to reflect on all the women in my life who have battled this disease.  And, as an added bonus, my oldest daughter was in town for a visit and she asked to craft with me.  It was wonderful and so great to see her get "her feet wet" in crafting!  She ended up creating a memory board that hopefully I will get to post here later this week.  But on to the cards....

This first set is a small card....only 4" x 4".  I used up lots of pink scraps by "quilting" a standard size piece of cardstock with 1" x 1" squares one night while watching  tv with the family....always a good time to do those time consuming yet brainless aspects of crafting.  Then I cut from that large sheet 6 smaller sections to be laid under the heart frame.  The dies are all Spellbinders.  Then just a ribbon, some bling, a flower and a bit of stickle and voila!  the card was finished!

Add caption

I always do an assembly line with these type of sets and they go so fast!

The next card features the  pink just in the way of the window and the center gem of the flower.  I LOVE this card.  So easy to make but it looks fancy and difficult!  This is note card sized at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2 " and just has simple embossed mats.  I love the look of the brink embossing showing through the window panes.  I believe the embossing folder is Sizzix....Tim Holtz one and the window die is Spellbinders.  The flower, leaves and "pine" are all punches.

And, again, here is the whole finished set!  I would actually keep this card for myself if I had a choice....that's how much I like it!  

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to put the last of the sets up tomorrow.  I am not sure if I will make one or two more....I guess it depends on how much I care about getting housework done today!

Be well,
Sheila

Pink-a Li-cious!

Okay - here is the third and fourth set of cards that I made for my friend.  I really like how these ones look.  Again, I used those domed sentiment stickers on one of the sets and  on the other I used a Penny Black sentiment that I thought was a nice one to use for this particular cause.  While these cards have taken a bit of time to make they haven't taken anywhere near as much as they might look.  I would design the card....some times drawing it out in my scribble and then assembling the die cuts on my cutting board.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I use the Grand Caliber and what I love about this machine is that it is so easy to put many dies on one cutting board.  Often I am able to put all the elements of one card on the board and so cut everything for one card out at one time.  When I make a card that way it is far less "pass throughs" and therefore, far less work than it appears to be.  Simply, it becomes a card making assembly line that really allows me to make a nice card set quickly.  So without further ado....here are the next round of sets!

In this particular set, which was super easy, I used all Spellbinder dies and left the uppermost die cut in the die in order to sponge pink around it and still keep a nice crisp white border.

And here is the full set.

In this next set I went again with the pre-made sentiments mounted on pink paper and just highlighted those sentiments with a whole lot of white texture.  Texture in the way of layers, cuts and embossing.  I like the clean look of this!

This particular set has a little story behind it.  I had this card made without the ribbon, the polkadot paper, the middle scalloped layer or the bling and sentiment.  Instead it had a glittered pink breast cancer ribbon popped up in the center and it was the first set I made.  And, I just couldn't stand it until I finally carefully deconstructed the card, changed it up a bit and ended up with what you see here.  I am glad that I did!  I know look back to the pix of the first take and blech!  So, sometimes it pays to sit on a card and revisit it with new energy later.  I was so "done" with the set the first time around that I couldn't conceive of ripping it apart to make something better.  But, after a day or two passed I was able to dive back in a change it around to something I liked much better.....so the moral of the story???  Never throw away those completed but ugly duckling projects....later they may become a beautiful swan ;-D

I plan to post the final two sets tomorrow and then get them out to my friend in California.  I have had fun with this project and although I was nervous in the beginning about the making of 36 cards it didn't end up being anywhere as hard as I thought it might be.  I am glad that I said yes and would definitely do a project of this size again. It wasn't too hard to come up with 6 different designs either....

Thank you so much for stopping by and I appreciate the lovely comments that have been made on my blog in the past!

Be well,

Sheila