Birthday Greetings!

I have been watching some of my friends make some really fun cards with files from SVG CUTS, and since I have amassed quite a collection of those files, it seemed like time to put one to good use!

October has become a busy time for family cards - my daughter in law's birthday, their anniversary, and my oldest granddaughter's birthday right before Halloween.  So I have been busy trying to get them done in time and so far it is looking promising..... well sort of.  Megan won't actually receive her card til next weekend when I see them and can deliver her present as well, but hopefully the thought will make up for the tardiness of the actual greeting.

So there is a theme going on between the card and the present and that is ALL I am saying!  I know - it doesn't take a rocket scientist to fill in the blanks, but such was my inspiration for the card.  I thought the Luxury Purse set from SVG CUTS was so cute and immediately wanted to make the purse card.  It was simple and fun and went together easily.  Love it when it all works!  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The purse base itself is Coredinations cardstock which I embossed with a preppy houndstooth folder.  I really like the added  texture.  The silver pieces are Mica paper from Paper Temptress (who else?!?)

I highly recommend giving these files a try - there are quite a few really interesting purses to create!

Inside was printed on vellum with inkjet printer and heat embossed.

Assembly was a breeze!

The final result - I added the little buckle (Prima embellishment) and the little tag.  

The Happy Birthday greeting is printed gold on silver with a Brother tape labeler.

 Brads were added at the handles to give the purse a little more interest.

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Passion for Purple Cards!!

I have had to really push myself lately to get some cards done. I wanted to be creative, but the ideas just were not coming and I was in a time crunch (ok - when am I NOT in a time crunch?!?)

So I needed to work on a get well card for a dear friend and a birthday card for my granddaughter first. Yes there are still other cards to make, but these come first!

The first one is from an SVG Cuts file - Woodland Fairies. I used Paper Temptress mica to cut the silhouette with my Silver Bullet Professional.  The cardstock is also from Paper Temptress and I used just a bit of washi tape (that is fun to  use!) and rhinetones to add as much bling as possible to brighten her day.  The inside talks about "wishing" her well......

I love the silhouette figure - I used double sided adhesive and glittered the wings with Ritz glitter - I love how that glitter doesn't fall off (except when I knock it over in my craft room!) and it feels like silk when it adheres to any adhesive - it is awesome.

For Haley, my youngest granddaughter, I found a fun file from Birds Cards called 3 Gift Box.  The Silver Bullet made it easy to put all of the pieces together.  Her favorite colors (this week!) are purple, and I was already on a purple kick so that fit right in!!  I used the amethyst mica from Paper Temptress to accent the gift boxes and ran the strips through the Provo Craft Swiss Dots embossing folder to tie it into the patterned paper and give it a little interest!   I printed out an Amazon gift card so she and her Mom can go shopping online and she can get the books (yes she loves them!) or toys that she wants!!  It is so hard to shop long distance when the wish list is vague!  I just hope she isn't disappointed......

Happy Birthday, my precious granddaughter Haley!

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Fabric Flowers

I am not one to make cards in advance and have a stockpile.  It would certainly be easier,but I like to tailor every card to the recipient. It helps inspire me as I usually struggle to figure out in my  head just what the card is going to look like.  It can take me the better part of a day just to know what I want to do - good thing I am not trying to make a living out of card making!  It would be a rough go!!
I have quite a collection of card sketches ; it might be time to put them to work instead of taking up space on my computer - what a concept!!  I think I just challenged myself!  Will see how I do with that one.........stay tuned!!

But for this card, I wanted to make a special card for a friend going through a difficult time.  And I wanted to try something out of the norm for me, so I chose an older cutting file from SVG Cuts from their 3D Flowers, Part 2,  It's called Queen Anne Lace.  I loved how light and airy it appeared and was hoping I could capture that.

I have wanted to try cutting a new material that I had been reading about -- it is a fabric paper made by Nasco and it comes in variety pack of beautiful colors.  It has been sitting in my craft room begging me to try it  -so I did!! Using a new medium is always challenging, but the Silver Bullet Pro does the hard work. I thought I would need the fabric blade, but actually was happiest with the results I got with the 45 degree blade. 

These flowers were VERY tiny (and yes I need to clean my mat!!) and they turned out very well. Teh material feels a bit like interfacing, only softer and thinner.

I turned to Paper Temptress Mica Papers for the card base (lapis lazuli card stock) and the flower stems (fairway text weight).  I love the shimmer of this line and turn to it time and time again.  It gives the cards I make such an elegance.

Here are the stems before the flowers are added

Assembly was simple but time consuming! Gluing all of those flowers on the stems  was a good exercise in patience and I can always improve in that area! Instead of doing a section and waiting, I would just keep going and inadvertently knock off a "not yet adhered flower" in my attempt to glue a new one on.  Did I learn to wait?  Nope....... I am stubborn and refused to be defeated by glue and paper, so I persisted, gluing and regluing and getting more creative with the placement of my fingers so as not to knock off any more!!  I finally succeeded, but it was definitely a learning experience!!

I used the embossing tool pictured above in the center of the stems to get added dimension in the flower.

I really like how this turned out and would happily make it again/  I am excited to do more with this fabric paper again too!   The greeting sticker is a 3D  variety that I have had for a long time. I have a wide variety of these, so you probably be seeing them in cards to come!!

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Tribute to a Special Friend

The weekend was time to make a few cards .  One was particularly difficult for me as it was a sympathy card.  I wanted this one to be extra special -  and struggled as I always do, with what to do.  It seems to take me as long to come up with an idea for a card as it does to make it.  I know that doesn't make sense, but it's my reality.

I knew I wanted a cut file as I was not in the mood to stamp and color.   I hope someday soon I will want to do that again as I have some great stamps.  But not this time.  So I found a beautiful ornate cross from SVG Cuts and knew that was perfect, and that my trusty Silver Bullet would make this task easier.  It's a simple card, but that's how it needed to be.  I wanted the card to say the words that I could not find and somehow mirror the depth of my feelings.

From begining detailed cut file................... to the weeding of that file.............. to the finished card - ready for delivery.

THE STORY BEHIND THE CARD

A few weeks ago I shared a story about two special friends - a mother and a daughter who have left an imprint on my heart and on the hearts of my family.

Little did I know that the seashell card I shared on here would be our last communication.  She left this world last Wednesday - just a week later.  So now I had to make a different card -one that is more final and reflects so many emotions - sadness, loss, hope ... and most importantly, love.

The feelings of sadness and loss are selfish on my part..  It is hard to let go and I long for one more phone call; one more chance to hear her voice; one more opportunity to share a hug.  And I am reminded of how quickly life can change.  I have cried for all that I wish I could have experienced with her.  But time is a great healer.  And  as the days pass, the tears become less frequent and now merely glisten in my eyes.  And much like the miracle of the rainbow when the sun peeks through a rainy day, my mind is  flooded with beautiful vivid memories that fill my heart  with gratitude and joy for having been so blessed to be able to share part of my life with her. 

I am going to keep looking for rainbows.  I hope  you will too.


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