Graduation Cards

As you might have noticed I have not been posting a lot lately. The end of the school year is always very busy but when both of your boys graduate there is even more to do, organize, and decide than usual!

My younger son graduated from 8th Grade which is kind of a big deal in his school and I made him this card (I used paint chips for the numbers):

The eight I covered with Wink of Stella and Glossy Accent. Here is a close up so you can see the shimmer better:

And here is the card I made for my older son who graduated from High School. The school colors are the same (purple) since it's a small, private school.

One day while I was walking it came to me that I could make a card for all the High School Seniors since I have known most of them since First Grade, some of them since Pre-School. Once that thought popped into my mind I couldn't let it go even though I had enough other stuff going on. Since it's a small class it was possible (wouldn't have done this with a class of 500 or so, hehe). I made the purple background with Brushos and splattered with gold. (One sheet was lighter than the other.) The two cards in green and blue/green are for some friends who graduated from different schools.

Dies: Memory Box (large numbers), My Favorite Things (words), PTI (larger stars), SSS (small star)


Sending this to Inkspirational where the word prompt is "Power". I think it fits!






And if you have made it this far (thank you), you get to see a picture of my two tall guys (the High Schooler is on the left). I am very proud of them:

Also wanted to let you know that I will be going to Germany to visit my family so this blog will be even more quiet and I probably won't get to commenting. But I shall be back (and hope you will be, too)!

Be well and keep in touch!

Geometric Stencil x Three

I recently got this new stencil from Altenew and played around with it one evening trying out different color combos. The amazing thing is that I already made cards out of three of the backgrounds (usually they sit around here for much longer...). April is one of my biggest birthday month and these backgrounds are great for masculine cards (and geometric design loving girls, hehe). I know that they all look similar but I really loved the font of the STAMPlorations birthday die with the geometric pattern. On the last two cards the birthday die is three deep and covered in Glossy Accents.

Stamps: Altenew (Happy), WPlus9 (wishes)
Dies: STAMPlorations (Birthday)


Challenges:

CUTplorations April Challenge "Focus on the Sentiment"

Inkspirational #159 "Play"
I played with my new stencil...







Seize the Birthday "Vibrant Colors







The Male Room Challenge #83 "Symmetry"
The grey and red card won HM, yay!

Be well and keep in touch!

Baby Girl

It's been a long, long time since I needed a baby card, so I had a lot of fun creating and personalizing this one for a little girl. I got the elephant theme from a quilt the mother and her cousin made that featured an elephant. What a great excuse to finally use this cute one that was a gift from a friend and has been patiently waiting  in my NBUS box for it's moment to shine. Same goes for the welcome die.

I used products from lots of different companies to make this card. It makes me happy when they play nicely together. *wink* The background is watercolored.

Stamps: Inkadinkado (letters)
Dies: Impression Obsession (welcome), Memory Box (tags), SSS (balloon), Cottage Cutz (baby elephant), My Favorite Things (hill)


Challenges:

Inkspirational #153 "Word Prompt: Attachment"
The balloon is attached to the trunk, plus a baby is very attached to it's mother in the first months...







CAS Watercolor February Challenge "Hearts"
Dear Design Team, I am not sure if my card is CAS enough... If it isn't, please delete it.

Be well and keep in touch!

Tissue Paper Circles

And as promised in my last post, here is the other card I made using this glittery tissue paper. It matches the sketch at the current Inkspirational almost perfectly but I have to admit that I made the card before I even saw the sketch. How is that for a coincidence?

Stamps: STAMPlorations (sentiment)
Dies: Nestabilities (circles) 

Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

CAS Mix Up Challenge July







Inkspirational Challenge #139 "Sketch"






And some more photos from our trip. We went to Nuremberg for a day. Beautiful city. Hadn't been there in decades.

Be well,

Happy Easter!

Just hopping by to wish you a Blessed Easter and a Happy Spring full of sunshine, laughter, family, friends, and, of course, chocolate! Here is a chocolate bunny for you:

Stamps: Egg (Michael's $1 bin), happy (W&W)
Dies: Bunny (Impression Obsession), Easter (Cottage Cutz), Scalloped Edge (MFT)


The eggs are white embossed. As they don't have an outline around, the watercoloring looks a bit sloppy or let's call it loosely watercolored or artsy. The word "Easter" is die cut from white glossy paper which makes it a little more interesting.


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries) - graphics at the end:

Happy Little Stamper April Anything Goes with Dies Challenge







Happy Little Stamper April Watercolor Challenge







Inkspirational Challenge #132 Word Prompt "Spring"

Be well,

Two Green Cards

I blame it on snowstorm Stella and the resulting 30 inches of white stuff outside that made me create with the color green in the last few days, hehe...

Stamps: Sentiment (Altenew)

Dies: Stitched Rectangle (SSS), Foliage (Memory Box)

Inks: Distress Inks, Delicata Gold, LuminArte Gold

I had lots of fun smooshing a darker panel (for the foliage) and a lighter panel (for the background) using different shades of Distress Inks.

Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries) - graphics at the end:

CAS Mix Up March Challenge

They are celebrating already one year of fun - Happy Birthday!

My choices are die-cutting, stitching, vellum, gold splatters

This card won "Outstanding Design"!

CAS Watercolor March Challenge "Spring"

INKSPIRATIONAL #130 "Watercolor Smooshing"

This card was "Top Pick"!

CASOLOGY #240 "Foliage"

AAA Cards CAS Game #86 "Die Cuts"


Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Bit O' Green"


Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday "Green"
Can't make banner appear - sorry!

Stamps: Flower and Sentiment (Essentials by Ellen)
Other: Washi Tape (Stampin' Up)


I made this next card in my mind while driving to pick up my kids from school after I saw the gorgeous inspiration board of the current Pin-Sight challenge...

Essentials by Ellen March Pin-Sight Challenge

Be well,

Masculine Retirement Card

Another masculine card - this time for my newly retired brother-in-law!

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (sentiment), unknown (guy)
Dies: Hills (MFT Die-namics), clouds (Sweet 'n' Sassy, Penny Black


That guy is an unmounted stamp that, I believe, I bought at the first Rubber Stamp Convention I went which was almost 18 years ago. Unfortunately I don't remember who made it. Might have been "Stamp Out Cute" that has since closed. I don't think I have ever used him (he had a nice long nap you could say). 

Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

The Male Room Challenge #51 "Anything Goes"







Happy Little Stampers January Anything Goes With Dies







Inkspirational #126 "Flutter"
Hey, a newspaper flutters in the breeze...







Be well,

Celebrate with a Big Flower

Yesterday was World Cardmaking Day. Hope you took time to play. I made a card, but I practically had to force myself.  Sad, huh? There were so many other things I should/could have done... (Aren't there always?) Even sitting in my craft space I was tempted to work on things that were "on my list". But I decided to just play. Then, as is often the case, I was overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. Eventually I tried the Ghosting/Monoprinting Technique that the fabulous Loll used here for the new CAS Mix Up October Challenge.

Stamps: Altenew (sentiment), Stampin' Up (border)
Other: Stencil (Folk Art), gold splatters (LuminArte)


I applied several different Distress Inks on a panel of Bristol paper. Then I got worried that it might not even work for that technique but as you can see it did just fine. I spritzed a NBUS stencil from Folk Art with water and laid it on the panel. After lifting it off I dabbed it with a paper towel. There was no need to wait, the ink reacted immediately with the water. I cut around the blossom, spritzed it with gold. The border is from a very, very old Stampin' Up set (it says 1995 on it) and is gold embossed. The label sentiment is from Altenew. Didn't add anything else to keep it CAS.
Love this technique and want to try it with other stencils!


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration):


CAS Mix Up October Challenge
My choice is heat embossing and/or splattering







Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes"







Inkspirational #118 "Glamour"
Isn't this big rose with the gold splatters glamorous?








Thanks for stopping by and be well,