Happy Anniversary

This is for my son and daughter-in-law's 2nd anniversary -- which they are celebrating this Memorial Day weekend.  I've been pondering what kind of card to make for them.  Then I came across these two challenges, and the idea clicked!  They love these colors, and why not change the circles into hearts!

I used the sketch from Happy Little Stampers and the colors from Colour Q :

I'm also linking up to CAS-ology where the theme is Wedding.  While this is  not really a "wedding" card, it does celebrate a wedding.  And it could certainly be changed into a wedding card.  

The stamps are from assorted sets -- mostly Stampin Up and Paper Smooches.  I used dye inks for the hearts; some have Wink of Stella and/or crystal effects over them.  Some of the hearts I inked in one base color and lightly "kissed"  it to another color (yellow and orange).  I embossed lines above and below the xoxo line.  

Thanks so much for looking.  I hope you are having a glorious weekend.

Happy SUPER Birthday

If you've followed my blog a bit, you know I have a grand-nephew, Caleb.  He will be celebrating his first birthday this week!! Caleb was born at only 24 weeks gestation, and only 1 pound 9 ounces.  He spent the first 5 months of his life in the NICU.

Today we are doing the March of Dimes fund-raising walk, on Team Super Caleb.  Caleb's mom and dad refer to him as their "super hero" because of how well he is doing.  So this card is for Caleb's Super Birthday.

Here is the card info -- more on Caleb at the end of the blog.

I totally lifted my idea from Torico's Stamparadise - with her circle-shape shaker card.
The major difference between my card and Torico's is she made her card base a circle.  I made the buildings go across the whole front, then cut out a part of it as the circle.  It gives a really cool effect!

Clear it Out Challenge This week's theme is KIDS, and the challenge is to use Primary Things (paper, embellishments) I knew I had to make a shaker card to use up some of those so-many sequins I have.

I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches as the basis of my card:

I'll also put this into Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  Both are "Anything Goes"  

Card info:  The boy and building are from My Favorite Things.  I colored the boy with watercolors.  The building were embossed with black powder, and I sponged distress ink over them, then used a stencil for the rays.  The sentiment is from another Super Hero set from Sugar Peas - the 1st is from another set.

Here are photos of Caleb when he was born.  That is me with Caleb on the left,  and Caleb in his Daddy's hand on the right.  He was so tiny, but a real fighter.  He breathed on his own for a few days before he needed to be intubated.  Which was a blessing because Mommy and Daddy got to hold him. 

  

And here are photos from today's March of Dimes Walk:

Mom, Dad, Caleb

Super Caleb!

Team Super Caleb - with his cousin walking out of the picture

Caleb's "corrected age" is about 8 months.  And thankfully he is doing the things 8-month old babies do.  He is trying to crawl.  He just got his second tooth.  He reaches for and holds his toys.  He is eating baby food.  All good things.  He is indeed a Super Miracle!

Thanks so much for looking.  Hope everyone in your family is doing well. 

Paper Trey Ink Blog Hop Challenge

This is for one of my best friend's daughter's wedding.  Her shower invitation had a bouquet of flowers in a jar, and I wanted to try to recreate that for her.  The finished size of this card is 5x7.

The jar is from PaperTrey Ink (Friendship Jar) and the stamps are from Stampin Up.  I stamped the flowers in white pigment ink, and then over stamped them with colored dye ink.  I used color pencils to add in a bit more shading.  And a few white dots with Pico Embellisher.

For the jar, I used PTI die from Friendship Jar, layered it with acrylic and a vellum sheet that had the hearts on it.

PaperTrey Ink April Blog Hop  is today.  The inspiration photo is:

I am also putting this into the The Card Concept challenge which is using this inspiration photo:

I love the splash of bright pink color with the grays.  I guess the style of this card would be "classy and elegant"  - for a wedding . . . 

Here is a photo of part of the bride's shower invitation and a close-up of the shaker portion of my card.

I am also putting this into Around the World Stampin Up Challenge - this set is retiring soon (Stippled Blossoms) -- and I am so glad that I have it!  The little yellow flowers are from another stamping up clear set.  

As always, thanks so much for taking a peek.  Hope you are enjoying your day.  I'm off to enjoy a cool, but sunny spring day.  

Bokeh and Friends

We are off from school for Spring Break this week.  So I had some "crafty friends" over for a day to play.  We made cards Bokeh style.  We used the sketch from Sunday Stamps.

I love how everyone's cards came out so different.  My two favorite cards are in the front.  We used both the "watercolor" technique and sponging distress inks to create these cards.  I think the favored technique was using distress inks -- so much easier and definitely faster.  

Here we are with our creations. One friend left early, so she is not in the photo.  

Sunday Stamps - sketch challenge:

We had a great time -- friends, food, card making, and a lot of talking and catching-up.  

Hope you are having a great time too.  Thanks for taking the time to look and comment.  

Into the Sunset

For my husband for our anniversary - 36 years next week.  We are off from work next week -- he's pulling out and swapping an engine on his car, and I'm crafting in my room.  We'll both be happy doing our hobbies -- but we will certainly take some time for a nice ride (not with the top down yet . . . too cold) and go out for dinner.  And of course see our kids too.

Virginia's View - Layers and Dimensions - I colored the image (from Deep Red) with watercolors, and then partially die cut it.  Then cut the scalloped oval from pattern paper (DCWV) and sponged it with some more orangey colors.  These are layered and popped.

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - I flipped this upside down -- I'm not sure if this still qualifies  . . .

Always Playing with Paper - it's their Anniversary too -- Anything Goes

And  for Cardz 4 Guyz  - Something Beginning with S -- Sunset and Steve (that's my husband)

I created the rest of the Sunset with 2 stencils.  I sponged the rays with a Tim Holtz stencil, then shifted it a bit.  Then put a Simon Says Stamp falling hearts over the white space and sponged in the blue hearts.  They look more like flying birds  . . . oh well - up close they are hearts.  

Thanks for looking and commenting.  For those of you celebrating Easter or Passover, I hope you are having a good holiday.

Creme Egg

Just in case you haven't noticed -- shaker cards are quite the rage right now -- and I've fallen head over heals onto this trend!

About once a month, I go to "Stamp Camp" with my local Stampin Up demonstrator.  At the last one, she had sample cards made with "marbled" eggs.  She said the paper was made with the shaving foam technique -- just google "shaving foam marbled paper" and you'll find a bunch of tutorials.  At the As You See It Challenge - it is try something new.  

So this is the new technique I wanted to try and make a giant marbled egg  (and a few small ones).    It was just a bit of a mess to create the paper - but so much fun.  I would suggest doing this in your kitchen --  not your carpeted craft room floor  :)  I used Spellbinder ovals to cut the egg(s), and the "window" of the shaker.  I added some border stamps for interest on the egg.                                                                      

The chicks are from a Lawn Fawn set.  I colored them with a bit of watercolor paints.  The sentiment is from a $1 set. 

I used the sketch from Fusion Challenge

I took the colors from Colour Q  challenge -- so Eastery.

 

I'll also put this into Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes 

And of course onto Darnell's NBUS Challenge - Where you need to use Never Been Used Stuff -- the paper has been in my stash for a while -- along with scissors I used to create the grass border -- both never been used.  

As always -- thanks so much for looking.  I hope you have an enjoyable Easter.  

Wishes come True

My grand-niece, Drea, will be celebrating her 4th birthday next week.  Like many girls her age, she is all into fairies and princesses.

After seeing these 2 cards: Rainbow and this card by JJ Bolton

and 

I was inspired to use Fairy Sweet by Sugar Peas - to create my card for Miss Drea.

It took me quite a while to figure out how to get the divided shaker areas that would also not have a closed covered edge.  I don't have the fuse tool to seal plastic.  So I used lightweight overhead projector transparencies; and scored it 1/8 " apart to make one side.  That made the top fold, then did the same thing to make the side fold.  I used 1/8 " scor-tape to hold it down along the curved "walls".
I'm not sure I'm making any sense -- but my hubby said it took way too long to make!!  It didn't take too long to make . . . but it did take long to figure out HOW to make it -- 3 failed attempts before I was somewhat satisfied.  It didn't get as close to the edge as I wanted, but I'm happy.

Sugar Peas happens to have as their current challenge to Shake That Thing

The colors came from Creative Colors Challenge - a great palette of colors to choose from.  I used Inktense pencils, and watercolored the image. 

Addicted to Stamps has "Anything Goes"

And Jo's Scrap Shack challenge is for "Special Birthday".  Drea is a very special little lady to me.

And the last challenge, but certainly not the least,  I'll put this in, is Darnell's NBUS Challenge #4

The stamp is new and never been used.  The cloud stencil (really a mask set) is from Great Impressions -- I've had it a long time, and also never been used.  But I do like how easy it was to use.  And it is still available here. 

As always, thanks for looking.  Hope you are enjoying your first few days of spring.  I hope Old Man Winter gave his last shot last night.  Woke up to 5 more inches of snow this morning!