Happy Birthday, Megan!

Even though the card arrived late to celebrate the birthday of my daughter in law, the blog post is even later!  But then as we get older we are supposed to celebrate the whole month, right??  So I am!  That's my excuse, for today, and I am sticking to it!

I have started experimenting a little more in card making, and I recently added an assortment of coloring cards from Anna Griffin to my "collection" of goodies. So I thought this might be a fun way to make Megan's card. I had a supply of glitter gel pens and they needed to be put to good use. So it was a fun plan that just needed to be implemented.

I underestimated how much time it would take to color in this card because you want to work in small areas and let the gel "set" so you don't smear it.  So I tried to work from the inside out and that was pretty effective. 

As I am sure you know, adult coloring books have been the rage for some time and I even have a few (empty of course!), but after making this card and a few others, I totally understand why it has become a "thing" for so many.  It honestly is relaxing and fun and stress reducing. There are no rigid rules and you can just express yourself however the mood takes you.  You can color every single space or you can leave some white space (as I have chosen to do here) to let the other areas shine.

Closeup of the center of the card with added rhinestone embellishments

The "Happy Birthday" was printed on white satin ribbon with the P-Touch Ribbon printer.

It is really fun to design the greetings with premade frames and so many options available.

If you have not ventured into the coloring book arena, I highly recommend it. You don't need expensive tools or special art mediums - anything works from colored pencils to markers of any kind, watercolor paints, gel pens (plain, metallic, glitter and/or neon), or anything else you can dream up.  I would recommend if you are coloring with markers, get a book that only has art on one side and put a sheet of paper on the back side so the color doesn't bleed through to the next image.  You can also find a wide variety of line art or mandalas online for free. I will have some info on that in a future post.  It's a great way to get in touch with that inner child in all of us!

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A Birthday "Tweet"!

So the title of the post is a little corny, but it got your attention - right?  This was a fun card using images from Birds Cards.

I was able to keep it pretty simple since the background paper added the perfect "setting" and I didn't want to overdo it!  

The greeting was simply printed on vellum with an inkjet printer and embossed. It's one of the easiest ways to get a glossy raised image on any printing - it stays just wet enough to add embossing powder and heat.

A few sequins and pearls finished off the look.  I really had a good time putting this card together!!

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Condo Decorating with the Silver Bullet

So finally...... I can share with you a project that I created about a year and a half ago.  I have been waiting until all of the remodeling and patching and painting - and more patching and painting was finished so I could hang them and really show you the finished product in its new habitat!

The idea for these pictures came from Bed Bath and Beyond a couple of years ago. They had stenciled "art" hanging on the wall of the store and they were selling for about $15 apiece. I thought... "hmmm... I can do that!"  So I did!!  And it probably cost me less than $15 for all four of them. What a deal!!

I hope you enjoy these and that it gives you some ideas for super easy and fun decorating. They really add a nice touch to my beach condo.

The mirrored card stock behind the cut out stenciled image

is amazingly reflective and really looks like expensive mirror glass.

It makes it a very cost effective and fun project.

I love this angelfish (at least that is what I have always called them!

The pelican looks pretty laid back and relaxed to me!

Enjoying the many inhabitants of the ocean and the shore helps me totally unwind.  I can (and do) sit and stare at the beautiful view daily.  And whether I just have a few minutes or longer, I love it!

Finally these are hanging up in my home - two on the left wall of the entry....l

....And two on the right wall of the entry!

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A Special Two Year Old Birthday

My SeaHawk loving neighbors have such a precious grandson.  His name is Merritt and he is about six months younger than my grandson.  He is such an adorable boy and has easily won my heart.  When he comes to visit his grandparents, he goes out on the patio and yells my name - seriously!  There is nothing cuter than hearing this little voice calling "Gigi" as loud as he can.  It's so adorable.

The funny thing is, that when my grandson,Carter, comes to visit, he will go out on my deck and look down and say "Where's John?"    Those two little boys have us all wrapped around their little fingers - and we don't mind in the least!!

Recently, Merritt had his second birthday and his grandma needed a birthday card.  How could I say no??!!??  I was kind of stumped until I remembered a file from Ducky's Designs that I had used many years ago.  (By the way, we have been talking recently and she is slowly redoing all of her files and her website as well.  I am so excited to see what she comes up with so stay tuned!!)  Anyway,  her "Look Who's Turning ___" was perfect for Merritt.

I wanted it to be bright and fun.  He loved it!  (his grandma suggested that I just make all of the numbers and they can just trade the number out each year and keep using the card!!)

I love how the #2 came out - all glittered.  Who says boys can't have a little sparkle in their lives...right??

You can certainly see the sparkling prisms in the number 2!

And I do have a bit of a confession to make. I normally do not go into a lot of detail on the inside of the card. I just don't take the time.  I will often print a greeting on vellum and heat emboss it for the inside, but that's about it.  However..... I wanted to make this card extra special for Merritt, so I used some mirror card stock in the frame so he could see himself when he opened the card.  You can see the reflection of the "Happy Birthday"  on the left side of the card in the mirrored card stock.  Too fun!

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A Special White Rose - to Honor the Loss of a Loved One...

Not too long ago, a dear friend of mine suffered the loss of her husband.  It had been a long well-fought battle against cancer, and unfortunately the cancer just would not give up.  We all know so many people who are fighting this dreaded disease right now and my prayers for strength go out to all of them.

So...how do you send a card to someone who has experienced such an extreme loss.  The words are difficult as are the images to choose.  So I thought about their love and how devoted they were to each other, and felt the white rose was the best image to express the beauty of their love that I know lives on into eternity.

A bit of a closeup of the Power Poppy Rose & Chamomille digi stamp.

I love the detail in the drawing and how delicate it appears...

This is the first part with the large rose sparkle embossed on

platinum vellum. I added a few gold pearls to compliment the gold card base.

 I created the center bud pop out so I could add it to the rose image

and get a dimensional effect.  I think it made it look even more ethereal.

God bless and be with my dear friends who may be physically separated, 

but  forever together in heart and soul.

I love you so.

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A SeaHawk Birthday Card

My neighbor (the same one who got me hooked on the Traeger) is a die-hard SeaHawk fan.  His enthusiasm for the team is only surpassed by that of his wife's.  Oh how they love their team!

So when his birthday rolled around recently, and just happened to coincide with the football season's first game - the theme of his birthday card was a no brainer!

I found a logo online, traced it, tried to duplicate the colors as much as possible - and created this fun card.

The Happy Birthday greeting is a digi stamp from Graciellie Designs, Elegant Greetings.  It is printed on a laser transparency and then foiled.  It's an easy and fun way to 

add an interesting background.

I tried to get the coloring of the foil, but also got the reflection of the transparency.

I had to include a closeup of the mascot!  And yes, there is green shimmer in his eye!

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A Community College Retirement

I don't think I have ever made a retirement card before - and this one was SUCH fun. This special lady devoted her career at our local community college to overseeing the scholarship department.  She was so dedicated to every one of those students and she knew their hopes and dreams and rejoiced in their successes. She touched the heart of everyone who met her.  So I am sad to see her leave, but excited for the adventure ahead of her. She deserves to travel and kick up her heels!

So when I found a this "paradise" image among the stenciled clip art designs that I have, I knew it was the one to use for her card.  I wanted to make a happy, colorful card, and I think I managed that.  It was fun to use up a variety of paper scraps and emboss some of them for detail.

You can see the design in the sand from one embossing folder, and a different

one was used on the tree trunk.  Also used Nuvo Glitter Drops on the layers

of the water.  I sprinkled glitter onto the sun after it was coated in Glossy Accents.

The sky was painted with Distress Oxide inks - those are so much fun to use and they glided and blended easily over the glossy card stock.

I hope she is on an island somewhere...... sipping a cocktail and soaking in the sun...... AND relaxing!

Bon Voyage my friend!

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