Love is in the air...

Wedding season is upon us, I'm certain you have felt it-- the love, the planning, perhaps even the tension? Ha, I find myself entirely too amusing when surely I'm not. ;) Anyhow, here is a card celebrating love, marriage and happily ever after!

Ethereal Bride and Groom 1

 As you know, I am quite the Papertrey Ink fan, though on my blog it may not be readily apparent, I promise I do in fact own stamps from other companies! So this card is a tri-fold, money holder, where the finished -closed- card measures 7 1/4 by 3 1/2. I am currently down with a pesky bug, but perhaps once I recover I could do a mini-tutorial on how to make this fold and the process I followed. The stamp set is *surprise* Love and Marriage and the bride and groom dies, both from Papertrey Ink.











In the close up, you can see the color scheme of purple, soft pink and a tinge of grey a bit better. I used a mixture of Tim Holtz distress inks, namely Seedless Preserves, Shaded Lilac, Broken China, Spun Sugar and Pumice Stone and applied them using the foam applicator from ranger. To give the wedding dress interest and texture, I used the Sizzix Damask embossing folder. To make the focal point pop -literally- I used some dimensional adhesive and backed it with a die cut I ran through my BigShot machine, the Spellbinders beaded oval collection.

 

Ethereal Bride & Groom, close up

Ethereal Bride & Groom, inside 1

 The inside, as mentioned, is configured in order to be able to slip a check or cash. I find the sentiment from the First Kiss mini stamp set, again Papertrey Ink, super cute: "It started with a kiss and now it's come to this!". Very versatile and applicable to quite a few other occasions, even babies, *wink, wink*. :)

The happy couple/recipients of the card are Jewish, so I finished it off with the "Mazel tov!" sentiment from the Mazel Tov stamp set. 

That's all for today, I hope you enjoy the card as much as I enjoyed making it! 

Craft on!

-O

More Easter cards...

 Here are a few more cards that I made for Easter. As with the previous entry, the stamp set I used is from Taylored Expressions but the patterned paper is from Doodlebug's Easter collection, released in February. I adhered purple butterflies, which were punched out with the Martha Stewart Crafts punch and layered with purple rhinestones from Simon Says Stamp.The butterflies add movement and depth, or at least that was my goal! I think this card is versatile enough to also be perfect for babies and any Springtime birthdays!

Close Up #1

Close Up #2

I'm not quite sure what the technical/official name of this fold is but it is easily produced-- simply fold a standard card size, 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 and then cut about two inches off from the top. I then layered the inside piece that shows through to add color and definition. Then, using the We R Memory Keeper's ribbon punch, I created the pattern that then permitted me to thread satin ribbon through. A Sizzix embossing folder was used to create texture on the front, as well as a satin bow layered on a Spellbinders die cut circle.

On this card I used the bunny as a strong focal point, which I die cut using the Polka Dot Parade die that was released in February. I had a few Easter cards left over and so I think I could easily send this as a baby card, especially since I have so many friends that are currently expecting! I wanted a cleaner and simple look, which I think I may have actually achieved-- hooray!

Hope you enjoy these and I promise to keep adding more! 

Have a great weekend and craft on!

-O

Easter came and went...

Easter Bunny 1

Originally, this post  was titled "Easter is nearly here!" and yet somehow when I vacationed in technical difficulties land, Easter _and_ Passover came and went! But perhaps these can still provide you with inspiration for Spring seasonal cards or perhaps for a head start next year?? :) Unless noted otherwise, the stamps and sentiments are all from Taylored Expressions. I gravitated toward their line because 1) they have really refreshing stamp sets at very reasonable prices but also since most of my in-laws are of the Catholic faith, I wanted to send a card that was meaningful and religious! :)

Easter Bunny 2

In this first card, the Easter bunny takes center stage. Oddly enough, nearly all of the supplies used, except for the sentiment are left over from last year... that unfortunately also means that I couldn't tell you the manufacturer of the patterned paper etc. I love the colors of Easter because it sometimes feels as though a light is starting to shine, announcing the arrival of March. I know that's a bit quirky but I absolutely love spring with all its trimmings, plus probably does not hurt that my birthday is the first day of the season either! ;) 

In the card "Easter Bunny 2" I embossed the card base with Sizzix flower embossing folder, taped down the multi-colored ribbon with double sided adhesive, added on a panel for the focal point, which is from a 2012 paper pack, embellished with some Petaloo flowers, lavender rhinestones, a bit of baker's twine, both aqua and lime, and there you go! Okay, I suppose that was a bit more involved than I thought.

In card Easter Floral 1, the supplies used are quite similar to the first card, Easter Bunny 1, in terms of brads, color selection, patterned paper and stamp set. A notable mention though is the flower is a die cut from My Favorite Things and the leaf peaking through is from a Hero Arts stamp that I then fussy cut and added a bit of Tim Holtz Stickles to make it pop!

Easter Floral 1

Easter Lamb 1

This one I set out to simply create a card that had a color scheme matching the focal point, those adorable lambs. But as so often happens, I set out with an an 'agenda' and take a few detours along the way. I then added some lace and embossing to give it a bit more of a vintage feel. I have quite a few more to share and will be posting those in the coming days, along with more Passover cards!

Have a wonderful week and be calm and craft on!

-O