Mothers Day Cards

Just as my incredibly boring but straightforward title 'gave away', today I'll be sharing a couple of Mothers Day cards. As this week is incredibly busy, I unfortunately will simply be posting the pictures up and then jetting back to the myriad of projects I'm currently 'working' on. Hope you enjoy and it provides you with some inspiration!

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

Happy, Healthy Passover to all!

As I am Jewish but I married into a family that is Catholic, this time of year is super busy-- Passover cards for my side of the family and Easter cards for my husband's! Generally, by the time April/May rolls around, nearly all 10 of my fingers have band-aids on them. ;) hehe. So beware, over the next few days I will be uploading quite a few pictures of both Passover and Easter cards, so much so *fingers crossed* that you may overdose!

So let's get started--
This one was created using the Papertrey Ink "Mazal Tov" stamp set, which I am in love with. It is _very difficult_ to find stamp sets for Jewish holidays and generally even if you do, they are custom and quite costly. This stamp set is the exception AND it includes stamps for all major, high holidays... yippy! I did warn you that I loved this stamp set, so... :) For my card base, I used vintage cream heavy weight paper also from Papertrey and then layered with blue that I embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder. Yes, quite vague because for the life of my I cannot currently remember the name! Then, the patterned paper is from American Crafts, I believe. It's actually from my aunt's stash-- she spoils me rotten and sent me home with more paper than my husband would have probably liked. hehe.Finished it off with Pearls from Melissa Frances and  Eggshell Vintage Seam binding. Easy, huh? I created quite a few more that I would like to share with you but unfortunately my Blogger blog is acting like a petulant child and I'm unable to upload additional photos at the moment. I have swiftly contacted the Blogger techies and hopefully it'll shortly be resolved! Until then...

Craft on!
-O

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These past few weeks have been incredibly hectic, between making more St. Patrick's Day cards, Passover cards, Easter cards and wedding invitations I have barely been able to make it out of my craft space, let alone a computer to blog! But, I'm stopping by to add a few pictures of some recent cards I have created! My eldest sister just turned 40 and since I'm evil, I decided it would be fun to send her weekly cards, each reminding her of how old she is getting. :) hehe, This is a quick one I drew by hand with my favorite Pigma Microns and then sponged with Tim Holtz's Squeezed Lemonade and Salty Ocean. I copied the drawing from a picture I found on Pinterest for vintage dresses. I wrote by hand on the front "You're not old...". Inside, I finished it off with "You're totally vintage, which is admittedly a euphemism for old". Yep, my lovely sister is going to kill me and rightfully so!To add even more of a distressed, vintage feel I sponged the edges with Gathered Twigs, also from Tim Holtz,  and  added some mini pearls, and gingham ribbon.

Hope you enjoy and craft on!

-O

Papertrey Ink February Blog Hop- Monograms

This post is for Papertrey Ink's Monogram challenge and indeed a challenge it was. I decided to make mini 4 1/4 squared monogrammed notecards. I stamped and white heat embossed using a Hero Arts background stamp. Then, I attached a white ribbon, heat embossed with Hero Arts Holographic embossing powder using a stamp from the Mazal Tov PTI stamp set and then overlayed my initials. It was a struggle but I hope you nonetheless enjoy!

Craft on!

Luck o' the Irish

A few more St. Patrick's Day Cards today. These were primarily done with patterned paper and my own hand calligraphy using the lovely Pilot Parallel pens, with the exception of the mini Hero Arts shamrock stamp used in the background.
Enjoy and craft on!

Shamrocks and Green!

Chances are if you are not Irish, you probably know many and get swept up in the St. Patrick's Day fun. Here are some deliciously green cards for the little leprechauns in us all!  :)

More to come in the next few days!

Craft on!

Sorry!

I realize Valentine's day is fast approaching and my card series simply halted! I, believe it or not, lost my camera that contained all the pictures, gasp. But now I'm back in business and ready to post a few cards as a peace offering. :-)

The first one is another "Love Monster" easel card, designed with kids or the young at heart in mind. They are a bit whimsical and oh so fun! The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye. Then, the other easel card that has "Mr. And Mrs" on the easel part was designed for my in-laws who are newlyweds. It is their first Valentine's Day as Mr. and Mrs. so I wanted a small card to commemorate that. The last one says "All you need is...chocolate". The chocolate was handwritten with Dong A Miffy popcorn pens. When you heat them up they literally poof up! So much fun. :)

Stay calm and craft on!