Warmest Birthday Wishes

*This is my second post for today. To see the pennant banner tutorial, please scroll down.*



This has to be one of my favorite cards I have ever made. I love all things felt and those fuzzy mittens turned out really cute, didn't they?   I made sure to save the pattern I drew so I can make more of these cheery little mittens later on. The red felt is glittered - hence the little speckles in the photo.



I made the card for my stepmom's birthday a couple of years ago. When I saw the latest Moxie Fab World Challenge: Fabulous Felt, I knew I wanted to repost it.



Another one of my favorite cards with felt is this happy little tree.  (Anyone else remember watching Bob Ross?)



The tree was a ready-made creation by Basic Grey, but I still think it's adorable, especially all dressed up with these papers and ribbon.

Supplies - Warmest Birthday Wishes Card (felt mittens)
Paper: Stampin' Up! (Bashful Blue), Bazzil Basics (white).
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink (Pure Poppy).
Button: Papertrey Ink (Spring Rain).
Other: Stampin' Up! (linen thread), red and light blue felt, white embroidery floss, computer fonts (Honey Script, Times New Roman).

Supplies - Sending Birthday Wishes Card (felt tree)
Paper: Stampin' Up! (Bravo Burgundy, Chocolate Chip, Autumn Vine DSP, Naturals Ivory), Basic Grey (Indian Summer - Acorn.
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Everyday Button Bits).
Ink: Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip).
Ribbon: Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip), rick rack.
Felt Tree: Basic Grey (Indian Summer Woolies).

Super Teacher

Making gifts for men can be so tricky, can't it?  Brighton has a male teacher this year.  I never know what to give as teacher appreciation gifts, Christmas gifts, and such for men.  Food?

Fortunately Brighton's teacher is a big super hero fan.  Or at least that's I assume from the dozen superhero action figures dangling above his desk.  So for a superhero-lovin' teacher, we have the Super Teacher Shirt.  The teacher's last initial is B, hence the Super B.  I'm sure I'll aso be making a Super B shirt for Brighton...and maybe even Ben.

To make the Super B symbol, I first adhered the yellow knit fabric to the t-shirt using Wonder Under.  I added the red fabric on top, also with Wonder Under, then zig zag stitched around the edges.

I also made a Super B card to coordinate with the t-shirt.  I found a diamond shape in my Silhouette library, then welded a capital B to make the symbol.  Paper from Stampin' Up! (Real Red, Pacific Point, Yoyo Yellow).

Thanks for stopping by!

Cards with Gray

Whew, it's been a long time since I posted cards. In honor of Moxie Fab World's Gray is the New Black Challenge, here are a few oldies that never made it to the blog-o. All feature the color gray, of course. Enjoy your day!





Supplies: You Make Me Wild Card
Stamp: You Make Me Happy.
Paper: (Basic Grey, Basic Black, River Rock) Stampin' Up!, pattern paper by HOTP.
Ink: black StazOn.
Accessories: ribbon, Thickers by American Crafts.

Supplies: Celebrate in Style Card
Sentiment printed with computer.
Paper: (Basic Gray, Going Gray, Very Vanilla) Stampin' Up!, Amy Butler Lotus mat pad.
Accessories: gray ribbon, Kiwi ribbon, Amy Butler Lotus Faded China Purse, rhinestone brads.

Supplies: Fly Fishing Card
Based off a template from kaboose.com: http://crafts.kaboose.com/fish-card.html.
All supplies Stampin' Up!
Notes: The fishing line is a paper clip that I reshaped. If you look closely, you'll see that I stitched it onto the card at the top of the "water line" and at the top fold of the card. I made the water waves by wrapping strips of paper around a pencil.

Christmas Ribbon Card

I made this many moons ago and thought I'd post it here on the blog-o. I adhered the ribbons with monoadhesive, but if I were to make the card again, I'd stitch a border to keep everything in place more securely.

Supplies
Stamps: (Cute & Curly) Stampin' Up!.
Ink: (Chocolate Chip) Stampin' Up!.
Paper: (Chocolate Chip textured, Naturals Ivory, Always Artichoke) Stampin' Up!.
Punch: (Curly Label Punch) Stampin' Up!.
Accessories: LOTS of ribbon - all from Stampin' Up!, holly from Making Memories.

I'm Published!

This is one of the three cards published in Holiday Cards & More, a publication of Paper Crafts magazine. A 3 for 3 publication record is unheard of, so I count myself both blessed and lucky.


Hey Mom and Dad, you can pick up a copy of the magazine at places like JoAnn's and Barnes & Noble. My cards are on pages 12, 13, and 21.

In other happy news, I have a project accepted by Simply Handmade for their upcoming December/January issue.

For Molly

My adorable friend Molly lost her mother to breast cancer. I made this card for her two years ago.

Though I tried embossing, flowers, etc., nothing felt right until I decided to make something simple and understated. Sometimes you don't need a bunch of words and frills, you just need a hug. *big hugs, Molly...yesterday and everyday*

Sew Grateful

I got to play today! Aren't those little pig tails cute? Yellow gingham ribbon added just the right touch.

The card was inspired by this super cute collection over at Dannisdoodles. I think I just found a new blog to love. :)

Enjoy your day! Rachel

Supplies
Paper: (Kraft) Stampin' Up!, (Measuring Up, Sew Much More from the Material Girl collection) Cosmo Cricket.
Chipboard: (Ready-Set-Chip from the Material Girl collection) Cosmo Cricket.
Computer Font: Freestyle Script.
Other: (yellow paper flower) Kaiser scrapbook, (scalloped edge scissiors) Provo Craft, yellow gingham ribbon, blue and white buttons.

Caution: Birthday Ahead

I made this card and wanted to tweak it, but couldn't figure out what needed to change.


Lincoln figured it out. Yes, I needed to change the sign. Too large. Should've been a triangle (think: yield). Got it, L. Thanks.

I covered a card with "CAUTION" tape, and my son destroyed it. There's irony in this somewhere.

Supplies
Cardstock: (Basic Gray, Pumkpin Pie, Basic Black) Stampin’ Up!, (Summer Sunrise) Papertrey Ink.
Computer Font: Haettenschweiler.

Make Today A Play Day

I made this a while ago for my super cute kiddo. My boys are my favorite people to craft for. They love anything I make, regardless of how it looks, so there's no stress to impress - I just relax and enjoy creating for them.

I bought several items from this cute monster line by Daisy Bucket Designs to make cards for my boys. Monsters are right up their alley, and I know they'll gladly use any leftover scraps for their own projects.

As for the polka dots, since this critter is just as round as can be, polka dots seemed like the way to go.  This is also my entry for the latest Moxie Fab World Challenge: Finding Inspiration in a Layout.  The featured layout uses various size circles to frame the focal image.  See the connection?  (I hope I made it clear enough - LOL!)

Take care. Hope you do something fun today. :)

Supplies
Cardstock: (Basic Black, Orchid Opulence, Perfect Plum) Stampin' Up!.
Patterned Paper: (Wasabi Dot) Bo Bunny.
Stamp: (Play Day) Daisy Bucket Designs.
Ink: (black) Staz On.
Watercolor crayons: Stampin’ Up!.
Decorative Scissors: Provo Craft.
Punches: (1” and ¾” circles) EK Success.
Other: watercolor paper.

One Paper - Three Cards

My sister-in-law recently welcomed her first child - a baby girl - and asked me to make a card for her to give as a thank you note. It doesn't take much arm twisting for me to get crafty for my nieces or nephews - especially not for a baby girl. :)

As soon as I saw this paper, I knew I'd found it. The it that makes a perfect card. A card covered in irresistibly touchable damask goodness. Yes, it's flocked. The paper is baby pink and baby soft and makes for a simple yet elegant card.





These three cards share the same supplies: one sheet of damask paper, one sheet of pink cardstock, one sheet of ivory cardstock, and pink ribbon.

When I find a paper I love, I want to use every little scrap of it. Here you can see three ways to use one sheet of paper. Pick your card based on whatever scrap you have available.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Paper: (Lush Pink Damask Paper) My Mind's Eye, (Very Vanilla) Stampin' Up!, pink cardstock. Punches: (Scalloped Border Punch, corner rounder) Stampin' Up!.
Other: pink ribbon.

You Used What?

What makes a card masculine? Ribbon? No. Plaid or argyle? Maybe. Duct tape? YES. Dear Granddad, please enjoy your Father's Day card made with blue painter's tape and three colors of duct tape. This is my oh-so-close knock-off of the clever Stuck with You card by Jessice Witty, featured in the May/June issue of Paper Crafts magazine.





To find the focal point for this card, I only needed to step outside my back door. This was my end-of-year card for Brighton's kindergarten teacher. She opened Brighton's eyes to the world print, the foundation of lifelong learning. I am forever grateful to her.

The sticks make sense once you read the sentiment. I love the wisdom in children's books. Life's lessons can be profound and uncomplicated.


I've kept the same Winnie the Pooh mug on my desk since my college days, holding pens and pencils within easy read. It reads, "Some days are more tumbly than others." And that's just the way life is. Here are some other little gems from the beloved author A.A. Milne. Ignore the spoon in the picture. I don't have my camera on hand so I borrowed this pic from the internet.

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."

"Sometimes," said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

"Some people care too much. I think it's called love."

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together...there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them."

"One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries."

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

"It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"So it is"
"And freezing"
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."

Supplies: An A Is Just Three Sticks Card
Paper: Nutmeg mini deck by Cosmo Cricket.
Computer Font: Pooh.
Other: Scalloped border punch, twine, linen thread.

Memory Book

You know all those funny and precious things little children say? My son's preschool teacher has said several times how much she wishes she had a book where she could write them down. As an end-of-year thank you gift, I decorated an empty art journal for her to keep.


This was also my first time making a gathered ribbon flower. Cute, isn't it! Click here to see the video tutorial I followed to make it. (tutorial by Jeniesbarn)


I also made a coordinating card for Lincoln's teacher. I think I got a little rhinestone happy, but that's alright. :)

Supplies: Memory Book & Card
Stamps: (Simple Alphabet) Papertrey Ink.
Ink: (Basic Black) Stampin' Up!, black writing pen.
Paper: (Mary Mary "Wonderful" Fancy Flowers Paper, Mary Mary "Beautiful" Edged Journaling Card, Mary Mary "Happy Birthday" Celebration Paper, Mary Mary "Happy Birthday" Grown Up Paper) from the Quite Contrary collection by My Mind's Eye, (Aqua Mist, Ocean Tides) Papertrey Ink, rosy pink textured cardstock.
Ribbon: (DS Sparkle Satin) Wrights, (green with blue polka dots, Green Solid) American Crafts.
Other: (Leaf Rockabye Thickers, Taffy Vera Thickers) American Crafts, (Blue Lush Rhinestones) My Mind's Eye, (Stitched Brad from the Kioshi collection) BasicGrey, (Old Olive felt flower, Spiral Punch) Stampin' Up!.

Letterpress Chairs

Dusting off the L Letterpress today. I've wanted to try embossing with it for a while. With traditional dry embossing, you can see the image on both the front and back sides of the paper. Using a letterpress plate with letterpress paper, however, means that the debossed image is only visible on the front. The back is still as smooth as ever and could easily be written on.

Aside: I'm sure I'm butchering the lingo on this. When I see what I would call embossing, I see people use the terms blind embossing, dry embossing, impressing, depressed image, etc. If any of you know the correct use of these terms, please share! I'd love to know.


Part of the charm of letterpress is its clean and simple style. When I hold letterpress paper in my hand, I immediately feel the difference. Even a blank sheet is elegant. There's no need to fuss it up with patterned papers and embellishments.


I made today's cards to play along with the latest Moxie Fab World challenge: Three Cheers for Chairs. As always, it's fun to stretch myself and try something new. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies (all from Lifestyle Crafts).
Printing Plate: chair from Damask -> Everyday collection.
Ink: yellow.
Paper: A2 flat white.
Tools: Letterpress starter kit, Big Shot.

You Are My Favorite Thing

These were my Mother's Day cards this year, but they'd be great all occasion cards, too. Hope all you mommies out there enjoy some extra hugs and pampering this weekend!

ETA: This is my entry in the Moxie Fab World Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week All Occasion Card Challenge. Good gravy, that's a mouthful of a title. ;-)

Supplies
Paper: ("How Sweet It Is" Yummy Stripe Paper, "Cute" Engaging Gingham Paper, "Cute" Beautiful Blooms Paper, "Be Happy" Gleeful Paper, "Life Is Good" Serene Spots Paper) by My Mind's Eye -> from the Quite Contrary line -> Jack & Jill collection, (Buttercup Dot) Bo Bunny, (Kraft) Stampin' Up!.
Other: "Favorite Thing" Title by My Mind's Eye - > from the Quite Contrary line -> Jack & Jill collection, sewing machine, ivory thread.

For My Dad

It's my dad's birthday this weekend. Love you, Dad! Happy birthday!

Supplies.
Stamp: (Weathered) Stampin' Up!.
Ink: (Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa) Stampin' Up!.
Paper: (Naturals Ivory) Stampin' Up!, (On the Boulevard, The Sophisticate) from the A Proper Gentleman Collection by Graphic 45.
Other: (Hodpodge Hardware) Stampin' Up!, sewing machine, brown thread.

Kioshi Love + Happy News

Bakerella I am not. I enjoy homemade treats very much. (Very, very much local friends! *hint*) But I often give my friends craft-related treats. My go-to favorite - RIBBON. When it's winter, fill a kraft bag with earth tones, velvet, and felt ribbon. Now that it's spring, a glass jar of fresh greens and pastels seems appropriate.

I don't know about you, but when I receive a gift wrapped with ribbon - real ribbon, not the curl-with-your-scissors kind - it's like two gifts in one. I always save the ribbon in my craft stash.




I also enjoyed playing with some of my Kioshi freebies from BasicGrey. The focal image on this card is a rub-on from the collection.



Now for my happy news - on a whim, I decided to submit some cards for publication. Does anyone ever think they're Big League enough for that? I kindof felt silly. BUT - as luck would have it - all three of my cards were accepted! *squeal* Assuming all goes as planned, look for three of my cards in the upcoming Holidays Cards & More - Vol. 5, a special publication of Paper Crafts magazine. I'm sure I'll be so excited that I'll give a big ol' reminder here on the blog-o when its released. :)

In other news, my husband is taking me country dancing tonight. Bushwhackers here we come! Since this is part of my anniversary present, Ben let me know this is the only time he will ever go. Well, maybe next anniversary if tonight is "halfway tolerable." Though he's acting a bit grumbly, secretly I think he's just as excited as I am. Are any of your husbands like that? If so, what does your man keep a macho cool face about?

Enjoy your night! I know I will. :)

Ribbon Jar Supplies:
Stamp: Stampin' Up! (Cute & Curly).
Ink: Stampin' Up! (Basic Gray).
Paper: BasicGrey (Kioshi collection).
Punches: Stampin' Up! (tag corner punch, curly label punch), Fiskars (1/8" circle punch).
Fibers: Stampin' Up! (linen thread), assorted ribbons.
Embellishments: Kaiser Scrapbook (rhinestones), BasicGrey (adhesive die cuts from Kioshi collection).

You've Been So Kind Card Supplies:
Rub-on: BasicGrey (from the Kioshi collection).
Paper: Papertrey Ink (Spring Moss), BasicGrey (Kioshi collection).
Stamp: Papertrey Ink (Everyday Button Bits).
Ink: Stampin' Up! (Basic Gray).
Fibers: American Crafts (purple ribbon).
Embellishments: Stampin' Up! (rhinestone brad), BasicGrey (adhesive die cut from Kioshi collection).

To My Fabulous Husband

My hottie hubs and I have now been married for nine years. :) Happy anniversary, babe!

This was my first opportunity to play with my new BasicGrey Kioshi supplies. I tell you what...see that plaid paper?...if someone made shorts in that fabric, I'd buy them for my boys in a heartbeat!



Also, see that notebook paper? I made it!


Yes, I, with the graphic design skills of a gnat, made notebook paper. Sure, I had the real stuff on hand, but it was too bright white. Plus the red and blue lines didn't look very good with the colors of my card.

How to make notebook-patterned paper: I don't have graphic design software, so I used MS Word. Starting with a blank page, I inserted several parallel lines and colored them green. Then I inserted a pair of vertical lines and colored them orange. I printed my notebook paper onto cardstock, punched the spiral holes, and voila! Coordinating ruled paper.

Excuse me while I go snuggle on the couch with my husband...American Idol calls.

Supplies
Paper: Stampin' Up! (Apricot Appeal, Naturals White), BasicGrey (Kioshi collection).
Fibers: Stampin' Up! (Old Olive polytwill ribbon, linen thread), Offray (tan twill), hemp twine.
Punch: Stampin' Up! (spiral punch).

Birthday Notepads

Confession: I've been stealing chocolate from my kids' Easter baskets.

Apparently my lack of maternal ethics applies to my friends as well. One mother stole her children's Christmas notepads because - she reasons - they're the perfect size for her daily To Do Lists. tsk, tsk, sneaky mom! ;-) In her defense, she and I have searched high and low for long, skinny, spiral-bound notepads. They're nowhere! I cleared out our local Office Max at Christmas and they've since stopped carrying them.


So for this thieving friend's birthday, I made a set of notepads just for her. I picked patterned papers for the covers and took them, along with a stack of white paper for the insides, to my local FedEx Office. The shop cut and bound the papers, then added protective covers to the front and back of each notepad. You can probably see the glare from the clear covers in the photo, but hopefully it's not too bad.

Happy birthday, my friend! Hope the rest of you have a wonderful day too!

Supplies
Paper: American Crafts (from the Play collection - Ring Around the Rosie, Dominoes).
Computer Font: Futura Bk BT.
Flower: Bazzill Basics Paper (Bitty Blossoms Neutrals).
Brad: American Crafts.
Ribbon: Offray (SideSaddle BlkWht), Stampin' Up! (black hemp twine).

Baby Love Bunny

I brought out this fuzzy felt bunny to make an Easter card, but ended up making a card perfect for a baby girl. The ribbon even has "baby girl" printed on it in chocolate brown and soft pink.



TIP: I also wanted to share a tip for altering the size of your die cuts. I love my scalloped rectangle Nestabilities, but sometimes they don't fit the embellishment I want to use. Here's how I took my rectangle die and adjusted the shape to fit my felt bunny.


First, I used the die to cut my paper into a scalloped rectangle. Then I lined up my paper so that the scallops fit the grooves on the die AND the edge of the die was where I wanted to make a new edge for my paper. The photo above shows a view of the top...


...here's a view of the bottom.


Then I ran the die and paper through my die cut machine a second time. Here's what my die cut looked like coming out of the machine. (Hopefully you can make out the shape through my much-used cutting mat.) I simply tossed the paper remnant into my recycling bin, leaving a scalloped shape custom made for my little bunny. Easy peasy!

We're dying Easter eggs tonight. Hope you're doing something fun, too!

Supplies
Stamps: Stampin' Up! (Noteworthy).
Ink: Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip).
Paper: Stampin' Up! (Kraft, Whisper White), My Mind's Eye (Tiny Dancer "Chasse" Graceful Circles Paper, Tiny Dancer "Ballet" Dancing Circles Paper).
Felt Rabbit: Martha Stewart.
Ribbon: American Crafts.
Punch / Dies: Rectangle Nestabilities, Stampin' Up! (scallop border punch, corner rounder).
Other: white sewing thread.

Celebrate Your Inner Princess

A dear friend recently gave me a gift card to a local craft store. Thank you, dear friend, you know my heart! Well that little gift card was burning a hole in my pocket, so I simply had to go shopping.


I've been eyeing this Martha Stewart crown punch for a while. I thought it might look great with some bling, then when I saw this beautiful card by the talented Krystie Hersch, I was sold.

I used silver cardstock for my card base. Apparently it reflected a lot of light in the photo; it looks much closer to dark grey in real life. The ribbon is also more raspberry. Hmmm...guess I'd better work on my photography skills. ;-)


I cranked out a whole stack of these gems last night. It seems like birthday cards are what I need most often - and I NEVER have any! Now it feels good to be prepared. :)

Hope you're enjoying your day!

Supplies
Paper: Bazzill Basics (Tiara), Stampin' Up! (Whisper White), Recollections (Black Damask).
Computer Font: French Script MT.
Punch: Martha Stewart.
Rhinestones: Jolee's Jewels.
Ribbon: Celebrate It.