Stretching My Dies!

Today I have some graduation cards and a Father Day's card to share.  I always have lots of graduation cards to make but am really feeling that this year will be my last heavy year.  Since Corm graduated this year we have soooooo many of his friends to give cards to but next year will be less and the year after that even less.  So, while I am getting sick of the black/orange/white color combos I think I will miss these cards when I don't need to make them anymore.  Oftentimes, for the girls that I know really, really well I just do their cards in their favorite color combinations.  These two graduation cards have the same die cuts but in the case of the 5" x 5" card I cut the dies down to fit the card and then just put a ribbon over the "seam"  I love this idea.  I can't remember where I saw it....it might have been the JustRite Stampers site but it would have been a 1000 years before I thought of it on my own!  It allows me to really stretch dies....a rectangle also becomes a "square" when needed.  This way I can frame out my various images the way I want to!  I am going to submit the boy's graduation card and the Father's Day card to the Die Cut Diva's men/boys challenge for the month of June.

The first card is for one of my son's friends who has been around since kindergarden and the next card is for a girl.    You can  see how I used the ribbon to cover the seam that was created when I cut the two different dies down to fit a square.  Easy peasy!

This last card is the card that I made for my husband for Father's day.  This was a craaaazy weekend and Father's day ended prematurely with Joe having to leave for India.  I decided that instead of trying to quickly fit a card into the already busy day I would instead slip it into his luggage for him to come across later ;-D

On this card I cut the white colored mat and "stretched" it to fit over the patterned mat. Then I fit the putty colored mat....which is exactly the same size as the white mat over the white mat to cover the break in white mat and also to keep the layers more uniform.  I like it although the colors look soooo blah here on the blog.  In real life they actually look really smart together!

Well, I am off to purchase tires for my son's car....yuck.  I absolutely hate doing chores like this but I will say that we have been getting our tires lately from Costco and they are a DREAM to work with and the prices are so great!  And, my Costco is across from a Kohl's and a Micheal's sooooo I always have something to do while I am waiting for the tires to be mounted!

Take care and enjoy your day,

Be well,
Sheila

Sending Sunshine and asking a question.

what a lovely prospect.....to be able to "send sunshine" to another!  Actually, that is probably what happens whenever we send snail mail.  At least for me it is like a ray of sunshine peeping out when I see a personal card or letter waiting for me inside my mailbox ;-D

It is the time of graduation parties in my area of the world and we have many, many to go to.  My own son's was Memorial Day weekend and before it we (dad, mom and his sister's) coached him on how to interact with a large group of people...how to go up and greet everyone and thank them for coming....how to make small talk for a 6 hour party etc....and he did very well.  In fact, people called or came up to either myself or my husband over the next few days to remark on Corm's demeanor and how he talked with everyone.  And that makes me very happy as that is how my husband and I were raised.  In fact, had he went off and spent the whole time with his friends my mom in heaven would have reached down and thumped me upside the head for not doing a better job of parenting. And, now his ordered thank you cards have arrived....(yes they are ordered after I saw that he will be writing closed to 80 at this point!)  But one party that we really had to go to (no way not to) the mother invited everybody with a FB message and now has gone on line to send out a casual "Thanks for coming to anyone who has come and thanks for any gifts" message.  Literally, that is it.  And has also put out there the question is it okay to send an e-thanks rather than a handwritten one.  Because she doesn't want to buy the stamps.  This makes me so sad.  The idea that thanking people is a burden.  I really hope she is an exception and not the new normal.  Thoughts?

Now, on to my cards. I have a several people in my life who aren't feeling so great lately and the weather here in SE Wisconsin has not been the cheeriest so I thought that I would send out sunny wishes both in message and in card form!  I had this specific window card idea when I saw the CASology challenge....something yellow but now that I am done with the cards I am not sure that they both are completely  CAS after all!  So, while I won't be submitting both of them as planned I will be submitting the first, non filigreed card.  And, of course, I will be sending them out and hoping they bring a smile to the recipients!

The first card that I am showing you and the one that I will be submitting to CASology was done with the scraps of the filigree card.  It is smaller by an inch on both top and bottom.  For this window, instead of "hanging a curtain" I decided to put in "glass" by way of vellum.  I like both details and will def use them again.  I am not sure that this will be a complete CAS card but I am going to enter it anyway!  I think, even though there are more "elements" to the card the amount of white space along with the fresh colors and clean lines make it CAS to me!  So, this one goes to the CASology challenge YEllOW for week 48!

The second one is a "filigree" card and that is a type of card that I have been wanting to try.  Basically, it is a card with filigree edges all around it and that also goes for the card's "back" page.  I like how this turned out and the filigree assembly wasn't that hard to do at all!  The rest of the card is pretty self explanatory....although I will point out that I stamped and embossed the message after I dry embossed the white brick panel and thought it was super easy to do. The card got a little more cluttered than I originally intended in the lower corner due to ablob of GA that fell and threatened to pull apart the filigree when removed.  So.....I will make this card again but will be hyper vigilient about drippy GA bottles so I can have a "cleaner" look!

Thank you so much for stopping by and as life slowly gets back to normal here I hope to be crafting more, blogging more and visiting more!  

Be well,

Sheila

Here a card, there a card....

My youngest son graduated this past Sunday and I am surprised at how emotional a day/time it was for me.  I always knew that there would be a surge of emotions when Corm, our last child, graduated but wasn't prepared for the tidal wave that hit!  I am just starting to dig out from the the grad party, the events leading to graduation and the ceremony itself.  And, while I have been making a few cards for several kids whose party's we are invited to I have been so busy that I forget to photograph quite of few creations.  Oh well!  I do have two that I did photograph and those I can share with you.  The first is for a friend that I am looooong past due in getting a card out to.  She sent me a wonderfully sweet little pick me up card when I was just heading into this whole graduating time frame a few weeks ago and I still haven't gotten back to her.  I thought I would make her a card and get it sent but days turned into weeks and here I am quite delinquent in letting her know how much her kindness meant to me!  I have been using some of my JustRite Stamps lately and working them my different dies....and totally loving the results.  I still enjoy coloring but these type of cards go together soooo quickly that they are the perfect type of card to turn to when I need something and don't have the latitude to color.  I really had fun with these colors....they are somewhat of a new pairing for me put I love the results and think I am going to shop for more of this yellow-y/gold color!

I also have the card that I made for my son for his graduation.  He is going to attend UW-Madison....home of Bucky the Badger! and I wanted to use the colors of Wisconsin.  I totally LOVE how this turned out!  I used JustRite stamps again along with some of their complimentary dies and my Spellbinder dies and really  played around with the design until I found what I liked best.  I did ffigure out that I could cut apart a die as long as the cut areas were covered so that is what I did with both cards....in the "lovely" card the scalloped pink mat is cut and pulled out to the edge of the white die and the Wisconsin card has the same thing done with the black scalloped mat.  This way I was able to get a little bit of the contrasting color in.

Then, this is inside the top flap of the card.  I wanted to finish it off with a little bit more of Bucky....which is simply a sticker that is matted on a black die cut square.  The Bucky on the front of the card is mounted on white card stock and then fussy cut out.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope to have my house more in order soon (man I hope it is soon!) and also to put together some of the graduation photos to share.  It was a wonderful time and now on to the next stage of life!

Be well,
Sheila

Look What I Made!

A baby's shadowbox to hang on the nursery wall! Yesterday I had the joy of attending my nieces baby shower.  She is due in just over a month and is having her second little boy.  Her husband is HUGE into motorcycles and so somehow I wanted to incorporate a motorcycle into the baby gift.  While we did purchase an adorable bassinet for them I wanted to try and make a personal gift after I found out that friends had taken this gift bag I made them and deconstructed it to frame and hang in their granddaughters room.  I had cut the squares, distressed the edges and embossed them to mimic a quilt and then added the little baby's name in rub on letters.   So, for my nieces my little baby boy I thought what about if I took the bags basic concept but modified it to work inside a shadow box.....hmmm.

I was able to get a nice white 12" by 12" shadow box from Target.  And since I wanted to incorporate motorcycles (not a real "baby - like" motif) and still have the hanging look appropriate for a nursery I decided to go with very soft, baby boy colors.  I then went to Hobby Lobby to look for a pre made motorcycle embellishment that I could work with.  I found the one below that also had a black motorcycle jacket, riding gloves and a black helmet in the package.  The gas tank was a glossy red....all very tough and manly looking and not too little boyish!  I bought the $3.99 package anyways and carefully peeled the gas tank off of the cycle body.  I then adhered some matching paper to the removed tank, carefully cut around it and then covered it with GA.  When dry, I then re-glued it to the body of the motorcycle.  I was going to to do the same with the the jacket, helmet and gloves and then I remembered this  Tim Holtz "gear" die that I got several years ago on clearance at a store that was going out of business.  I have never used it before!  So, I glued silver foil to regular card stock and then ran it thru the die machine and voila!...some homemade embellies!  I added buttons instead of the gear centers to "soften and babify" the hard metal look.  Then, I searched thru my stash, remembering that somewhere I had some hardware themed brads that might work for creating a "frame" for the focal image.  So, then I began to assemble the project....first a brown mat that was 12x12" followed by a blue 11x11" mat followed by an white, embossed 10x10" mat.  On top of the white I used my home made "quilt" and then used three Grande Spellbinder squares to draw the eye in more. For the personalised smallest square I first printed the baby's first and middle name on cardstock.  I then used a versamark pen to emboss the black before centering the Spellbinder square die and cutting.  Then it was a simple matter of of layering two more dies and putting the motorcycle on.  I messed up a bit on the quilt....it is not as even as I would like and for my next one I will have that better arranged!  I also think I needed to drop the largest gear down a bit but before I knew it it was stuck and I couldn't go back and rearrange it  with out ripping the underlying "quilt".    All in all I am very tickled with how this turned out!  It was my first attempt after the bag and I am actually really surprised at how easy and how QUICK this came together.  While the name "Vincent Norton" is somewhat unusual for a baby name it has alot of meaning for the parents as both Vincent and Norton are the names of vintage British motorcycles that the baby's father restores in his free time.  I am not sure the dad appreciates the polka dotted gas tank but oh well!   I had to make it match!  

 I am entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge as well as over at the Die Cut Divas Guys and Boys June Challenge.  And, actually, I just saw the Moxie Fab The Gift Challange and since this is a gift I made I decided to enter it over there too!  I hope that is okay!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  My life should be settling into a more liveable routine now that the BIG graduation party for my son is over  More on that in another post.  Now he just has finals and the actual ceremony but that is no work for his mom!

Be well,
Sheila

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