Triple Play

Hi, everyone!  It's your very delinquent Genie, back with some cards made as guest designer for Beccy's Place Designs.  These were posted on Beccy's site at the time, but I hadn't had a chance to bring them to you here.  (You'll find all these designs on the first page of Beccy's Place.)  Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post for a surprise.  Now, without further delay.....

My first card is from a little set called "Summer Stanley."  I used the original coloring for Stanley and added some background coloring to look like he is in the water.  Using some PSE techniques I added a narrow frame, used the "out-of-bounds" feature at the top and bottom, and blurred the whole image to give a bit more of an underwater effect.  I took the sentiment into Word and used one of the effects there to add coloring to the letters.

The next card is from Beccy's set called "Cattitude."  I decided to make this a simple one-layer card.  So, I took the line design into PSE, colored up the haughty kitty and gave her a background and a vignette.  I added the sentiment and was ready to go.  After I printed the card I gave kitty a little bit of glam with a glitter pen in just a few select areas.  Here she is.....

Finally, my last card, using the "Beautiful Friendship" set, was done in the 'pyramid' technique.'  If you're not familiar with this technique, it's done by printing (or stamping and coloring) several copies of an image, using one copy as a base, and cutting the others into smaller sections to be layered one atop the other.  You'll see what I mean in the photos.  I printed the images on white and layered the flower pieces and a couple of the leaves using foam tape.  I added some dashed lines to create a border, and mounted the main image onto a pretty glittery design paper base.  I split the sentiment to better fit on the card, and applied it with foam tape as well.

And that's it, my friends!  OH, but I did mention a surprise, didn't I?  I need you leave me a comment with 2 (two) bits of information.  First, I'd like to know what is your favorite technique from those used on these cards.  Second, click on over to Beccy's Place, take a good look around, and then tell me what your favorite design (or set of designs) is.  I need a minimum of 8 (eight) readers to respond, and I will choose a random winner for a prize.  Winner will be chosen on or about September 30th.  Happy browsing at Beccy's Place and GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks for stopping by today.  'Til next time.....

BIG hugs!
CHRISTINE

I'm BACK!!! + Sisters' 10-Minute Challenge

Yes, yes, I know.....It's about time.  I wasn't intending to take quite such a long break, but life was just happening and happening and was totally out of my control.  Well, okay, not really, but I had to give it a shot.  So, I want to thank you so very much for hanging in there with me, and I have a couple of quick little cards to show you.

I was visiting with my sister,  and what do we do best when we're together?  Yes, MAKE STUFF (especially with scraps)!  And she had the idea that we should do a ten-minute challenge.  She pulled out her box of scraps, threw a bunch of card-sized pieces on the table, and we both chose a base color.  Then she pulled a variety of pieces that would coordinate with our bases.  She also had lots of embellishments that she wants to use up, but we limited ourselves to just about three, or maybe four, packages.  And here are the cards we made:

In truth, we forgot to check the time when we started, but we guessed the whole process took 20-25 minutes.  Once we selected all our materials, the cards themselves took only about five minutes to put together.  But that was really very good for us; neither of us is usually that quick in making projects. 

The cards measure about 3 3/4" X 4 1/4" so we needed to make custom envelopes as well.  But that took only a few more minutes.  Here is a photo of one of the cards with an envelope:

Now it's your turn for a challenge.  Most of you have known me for awhile, so the challenge shouldn't be too difficult.  I want you to let me know in the comments section which card you think is my sister's and which is mine.  I will make a random selection from all the correct answers, and the winner will receive a little goody from me.  I will leave this open until 11:59pm (CDT-US) Thursday night; that's August 14, and I'll announce the winner on Friday, the 15th.

AND I have another blog candy opportunity coming up soon.  Do stay tuned!

Good luck everyone!!!  'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!
CHRISTINE

Pretty Pastels Birthday

My Card A Day Blog inspiration for this week is just so sweet and pretty.  EASY, too!

Hi, everyone!  I hope you're having a fantastic day.  It's a great one in the sunny Midwest, U.S.A.  It might get a little hotter than I prefer, but, oh well, it IS almost SUMMER!  And my card has a very light, summery, sun-shiney feel to it.  Naturally, I used mostly scraps, but all the colored pieces came from the same mat pad, and I needed to cut only one new piece.

I started by choosing some edge punches to play with.  Two of them got badly stuck when I was testing, so I had to do a little repair before continuing.  TIP:  If you haven't used your punches in awhile, get out the old waxed paper, and punch through that first to lube them up a bit.  If the punches seem dull, you can sharpen them by punching some aluminum foil.

Once I had chosen my punches (and reconditioned them) I started looking for my paper.  I wanted a sweet look for the card, so the K&Company Brenda Walton 'Small Wonders Girl' was the perfect choice.  I had used this 4x6 mat pad before and had several scraps that were just the right size (with a little trimming here and there).  Here is a nice close pic where you can see the detail of the punches:

I used a peachy plaid mat layer for the base (3 1/2 x 5 1/2).  I had a perfectly sized strip with multi-colored diagonal stripes to use for the lacy edges.  I punched both long sides of the strip, cut it in half, and affixed the pieces to the back of the base letting just the lacy border peek out.  I also used the lacy punch for the bottom edge of the centerpiece.  I don't have a photo, but I cleaned up the back with a plain white piece of card stock, again letting the lacy border show.  This also gives a nice space for a message and signature.

                                     

I punched the side edges of the white layer with a scalloped lattice border punch, and affixed it on top of the base allowing the base to show through the lattice.  I wanted just a little something else to cut some of the white, so I added the layered strips.  Then I needed the sentiment.

I had cut and punched a small card for the front, and stamped 'Happy Birthday' inside using one of my favorite little sets from PAPERTREYink, 'Communique Curves Sentiments.'  The ink is 'Onyx Black' from Versafine.

So, you can see this card was really quite simple, but I think it's a very sweet card for summertime or just anytime!

This was such a fun and quick card to put together.  Change up the colors and the sentiment and it can be made for many different occasions.  I'm thinking fun multiples for Christmas.

The Card A Day Blog will be going on hiatus for awhile at the end of this month, but I'll be sure to let you know when we are planning to return (probably in September) with more daily inspiration and more challenges.  I'll still be right here, though, with more goodies from Beccy's Place coming soon.

'Til then.....I'll be counting down to that blog milestone and some blog candy.  So stay tuned, and thanks so much for visiting.

BIG Hugs!!!
CHRISTINE

For DAD

With one month remaining of what, until now, has been a lovely spring season, summer is definitely pushing its way in.  The temperatures are quickly rising, and this is the last week of school in many areas.  For the Card A Day Blog this week is for 'Father's Day' inspiration, and I decided to go with what is always a challenge for me - CAS - or, as most of you know, Clean and Simple.  My card is the base layer only, with just a bit of dimension.  So this will be a very quick post.

I started with a basic design in mind, but while I was pulling supplies I remembered some inch-square matboard pieces I had purchased a couple of years ago and not yet used.  Knowing I had LOTS of inchie-type stamps I decided exactly how to design my card.

I chose three coordinating inchie stamps as well as a frame stamp for the center.  I played around with several blue inks before selecting the three that I would use, going from light to dark.  I used the lightest ink for the frame as a background for the center image, which I stamped with the darkest ink.  The two side images were stamped with the mid-range tone.  All three images were stamped on the inchie squares, and I used the mid-tone ink on the edges of all the squares to give them more of a framed look.

I liked the tropical feel of the stamps I used, and gave the card a simple sentiment.  Looking closely at all the stamping on the card front, you may notice a kind of water-color effect.  This was not intentional, but I quite like it.  It was merely the result of how the ink reacted on the particular stamps I used, which were all clear polymer from two different companies.

I used a simple "Happy Father's Day" stamp on the inside.  This one was rubber, and gave a nice smooth impression which I really liked for the sentiment.

Here is an angled shot where you can see the dimension of the inchie squares.

Just for fun, I took one photo of my card using a different background color.  I prefer the blue, but the new color gave an interesting contrast.  Which do you like?

That's it!  Here are your details:

     Stamps:  Inkadinkado (EK Success) 'Nautical Inchie' and 'Thoughts for the Day' sets, Stampin' Up 'Best Dad Ever' and Fiskars 'Squarely Sentimental'
     Squares:  Inchie Arts
     Inks:  Stampin' Up 'Bashful Blue,' 'Marina Mist' and 'Island Indigo'
     Cardstock:  Georgia Pacific (I think)
     Adhesive:  Scotch ATG

Sooooo simple!!  Thanks for visiting today.  I'm approaching a milestone in number of hits --- I'm really quite amazed and grateful.  It's so lovely having all of you stopping by to see what I'm doing.  When I get just a bit closer there could very well be some blog candy to celebrate.  Keep watching; I'll let you know when it's coming.

'Til next time.....

BIG Hugs!!!
CHRISTINE

Happy Anniversary

Hi!  My card for today was a special request from my church choir to be given to our pastor who is soon to celebrate his 40th anniversary in the priesthood.  I think it is a very classy masculine card, whose focal point can be changed to suit many occasions.  This card also fits in with our Card A Day Blog theme of 'Use a Sketch.'

I went a little out of my comfort zone with this one by using a 5" x 5" card base rather than my more typical A2 size.  After choosing a sketch, I decided the square shape would be the better choice.  Here is my chosen sketch from Card Positioning Systems:

I wanted a religious image for my card, so I chose a Spellbinders Cross die and cut my focal image from a scrap of a really pretty textured slightly silvery paper.  The paper has a very subtle embossed design.  The same paper was used for the cross strips in the layering.

As soon as I chose the sketch I knew what my embellishments would be, 'Designer Brads' from the Paper Studio.

The card base, as well as two of the smaller layers, was cut from Stampin' Up 'Very Vanilla" stock, and the black layering pieces came from Recollections.

                 

I needed to keep the inside very simple to accommodate lots of well-wishes and signatures.  I decided to use a large stamp, 'Baroque Cross' from Stampendous inked with VersaMark Dazzle Watermark pad in 'Frost.'  It's another very subtle effect, leaving a light shimmery image on top of which I stamped the 'Happy Anniversary' from Hero Arts.

     

Just for fun I added  'Uniquely Handmade' (from Stampabilities) to the back using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in 'Antique Linen.'

All I have left to do is make an envelope.  Now you know why I usually create the A2-sized cards - I don't need to make the envelopes!  (tee-hee)

That's it for today, my lovely friends.  Thanks for visiting!

'Til next time.....
BIG Hugs!!!
CHRISTINE

Thinking of You

Hello, out there!  I have a new card for you today for the theme of "Thinking of You" at the Card A Day Blog .  This card has some layering, but I wanted to keep it nice and flat for mailing.  So, there's no foam tape and no fancy shaping on the flowers.  All of which makes it nice and simple.  Also, I used ALL leftovers - again.

I started out with a butterfly stamp.  I had two from which to choose, so I stamped and colored both of them before deciding which one to use.  My choice of colors on the butterfly determined what my card base and all the other elements would be.

I stamped the butterfly with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' on an old scrap of some kind of art paper.  My daughter had a painting, done by the mom of a friend, that had a huge border which I cut 'for future use.'  After testing the paper, I determined that it wouldn't work too well for watercoloring (which is what I thought I was going to do), so I used some Memento and Tombow markers to make my butterfly bright and cheery.

I knew I wanted to use flowers with my butterfly, so once my coloring was done, I went into my stash of flowers and chose some that I had punched quite some time ago for another project which just happened to be in the right colors.  (I just love when that happens - don't you?)  I also wanted something to layer behind my focal piece, and I found a punched border that was just right.  I used Tim Holtz 'Antique Linen' Distress Ink to give the piece a similar aged look.

I layered the flowers, and added glitter glue for their centers.  I also used the Stickles 'Cotton Candy' to add a little sparkle to parts of the butterfly.  Unfortunately, the sparkle isn't showing up much in the photos, but it is a nice touch.

I chose - well, actually my daughter chose the sentiment from a selection I showed her.  I used a piece of Stampin' Up 'Very Vanilla' to line the inside of the card, and stamped the greeting with the same Memento ink.

I thought it would be a nice touch to bring some color inside with a couple of the tiny flowers.

And that's it!  I hope you've enjoyed your visit today.  I also hope you're enjoying a truly wonderful day.  Come back SOON!!

Other details:
     Stamps: 'Dot Butterfly' from Sweet Stamps and sentiment from Pink by Design
     Also used studio G glitter glue in yellow.
     Various flower punches.  You can use whatever fits the size for your project.
     Card base:  PapertreyInk (I think)

'Til next time...
BIG Hugs!!!
CHRISTINE

Beccy's Place Giveaway Winner!!

Hi everyone!  If you haven't been over to Beccy's Blog to see the full list of winners in the 'Follower Contest' you should go check it out to see if you've won.  The winner chosen here, at Creative Genie-ous, is:

GRANMARGARET

Congratulations!!!  Be sure to let Beccy know which of her sets you would like to have as your prize.

Thanks, everyone, for playing along.

'Til next time.....

BIG Hugs!!!

CHRISTINE

Beccy's Place Giveaway - Last Chance and Card #4

Hi!  Here is my final card for Beccy's April design release.  The set is called 'Serenity' and includes beautiful phrases and sweet blossoms.  Created digitally, I simply added paper layers and three sizes of flat-backed pearls for flower centers to complete this card.

I hope you like this offering.  Remember, this is your final chance to get in on Beccy's Giveaway!  Here's the info one more time:

*Sign up as a follower on my blog between now and the end of April and you will go in the draw to win one full set of Beccy's Place digital stamps.

Want more chances to win?  Just visit all of Beccy's other designers and sign up as a follower on their blogs, too!  On April 30th, a total of 10 followers will be chosen at random from amongst all the DT blogs and each will receive a set of digital stamps of their choice.

In addition, if you comment on any of my posts for my Beccy's Place cards, you will get another chance to win!*  GOOD LUCK!!!

'Til next time.....

BIG Hugs!!!

CHRISTINE

Beccy's Place Giveaway and Card #3

HI!  I'm back with my third card for the Beccy's Place April releases.  Stanley is a recurring character in Beccy's sets, and this one is just really cute as can be!  This set is called 'Happy Stanley,' and I did the main composition digitally, then added die cut leaves and additional paper layers before affixing to the card base.

Here is the info on the giveaway:

*Sign up as a follower on my blog between now and the end of April and you will go in the draw to win one full set of Beccy's Place digital stamps.

Want more chances to win?  Just visit all of Beccy's other designers and sign up as a follower on their blogs, too!  On April 30th, a total of 10 followers will be chosen at random from amongst all the DT blogs and each will receive a set of digital stamps of their choice.

In addition, if you comment on any of my posts for my Beccy's Place cards, you will get another chance to win!  Be on the lookout for those special posts!!*

I'll be back with one more card and one more chance to enter before the end of the month!!

'Til next time.....

BIG Hugs!!!

CHRISTINE

Beccy's Place Giveaway and Card #2

Here is my next card for this month's Beccy's Place designs and giveaway.  This one comes from the 'Garden Silhouette' set.  I really love the images and especially the sentiments in this set.  My card was done digitally with gems and a twine bow added after printing, and mounted on a black card base.

Here is the info on the giveaway:

Sign up as a follower on my blog between now and the end of April and you will go in the draw to win one full set of Beccy's Place digital stamps.

Want more chances to win?  Just visit all of Beccy's other designers and sign up as a follower on their blogs, too!  On April 30th, a total of 10 followers will be chosen at random from amongst all the DT blogs and each will receive a set of digital stamps of their choice.

In addition, if you comment on any of my posts for my Beccy's Place cards, you will get another chance to win!  Be on the lookout for those special posts!!

I'll be back in a couple of days with card #3.

'Til next time.....
BIG Hugs!!!
CHRISTINE

Love for MOM

Hi everyone!  Sorry I've been missing for a little while; life just got in the way a bit.  BUT now I'm back with a lovely little Mother's Day card for this weeks' Card A Day Blog theme.  I had some great fun with Washi Tape on this one, as well as a leftover flower and a butterfly from earlier projects.

I started by pulling several reds from my washi collection and laid a strip of each on a backing paper.  I cut the bottom into a banner 'v' and mounted it on a layer of white with double-sided tape and then on a layer of red with foam tape.  I then added that piece to the card base with the top edges flush to the top of the base.

I stamped the greeting with black ink on white, and then die cut it for a nice shape.  I used the next size nesting die to cut a backing layer in red.  I affixed these pieces together, and then used foam tape for layered mounting.  I colored the flower pieces and lightly colored the butterfly both with Pan Pastels, and gave them some rhinestones for a bit of sparkle.

I wanted to bring just a touch of red to the inside of the card, so I applied a narrow strip to the inside before stamping the sentiment, also in black.  Sorry it looks a little off-kilter; card wouldn't lay flat for the photo.

And that's it; really quite simple.

I hope you've enjoyed my card today; always love a comment!  And don't forget our giveaway at Beccy's Place.  I'll be back tomorrow with another card I created using Beccy's designs -- commenting there, as long as you're a follower of my blog, gives you another chance to win.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope the rest of your day is simply fabulous!!!

'Til next time.....
BIG Hugs!!!
CHRISTINE

Beccy's Place Card and Giveaway!

Happy Saturday, everyone!!  I am very happy to announce a fun giveaway from Beccy's Place.   But first, here is my first card as one of her Guest Designers.

If you've already been to Beccy's site, then you already saw the full collection.  I chose the images I wanted to use, printed them and fussy cut before layering with foam tape for lots of dimension.  I used a die to cut out the cute sentiment.  I just think this little friend is soooo adorable!

Now for the fun:

Sign up as a follower on my blog between now and the end of April and you will go in the draw to win one full set of Beccy's Place digital stamps.

Want more chances to win?  Just visit all of Beccy's other designers and sign up as a follower on their blogs, too!  On April 30th, a total of 10 followers will be chosen at random from amongst all the DT blogs and each will receive a set of digital stamps of their choice.

 

In addition, if you comment on any of my posts for my Beccy's Place cards, you will get another chance to win!  Be on the lookout for those special posts!!

 

'Til next time.....

 

BIG Hugs!!!

CHRISTINE

 

 

In Sympathy

Welcome, friends.  We have a week of those sometimes difficult-to-make Sympathy cards as our inspiration for you at the Card A Day Blog.  I have been enjoying using lots of my dies for my cards recently, and my card today is another example of that.

I used four different die sets, beginning with the medallion.  My initial thought was to have a sympathy sentiment in the center, but that changed when I came across my Inkadinkado inchie set of cross stamps.  I used a scrap of slightly shimmery gold paper to cut the medallion, then stamped the cross on a bit of 'Very Vanilla' Stampin' Up card and heat embossed it with Stammpendous 'Detail Gold' powder.

 

I used the same off-white paper as the circle to die cut the background and the flower.  I used Ranger Distress 'Antique Linen' ink to frame the cross, as well as to edge the flower.  I then shaped the flower petals with a stylus and assembled the pieces using a gold glitter brad from American Crafts.

 

 

Next I die cut the leaves from some coordinating scraps of green papers and formed them with the stylus as well.

 



 

When I was ready for assembly, I ran the background through my Xyron sticker maker and affixed it to the green card which was cut at 5 1/2" x 4 1/4."  I used Matte Accents to attach the leaves and a Glue Dot to add the flower.  I layered the circle and the medallion both with foam tape before affixing them to complete the card.

 



 

I think this is a very elegant and tasteful card to present to a bereaved family member or friend.  I hope it has been a good inspiration for you, and I thank you for your visit today.

 

I'll be back in a couple of days with my first card for my Guest Designer spot at Beccy's Place.  We just might have some goodies in store so I do hope you'll come back and take a peek.

 

'Til next time.....

 

BIG Hugs!!!

CHRISTINE

My News

Hello, out there!  This is NO April Fool joke!!!  I am so pleased to be able to announce that I have been chosen as a Guest Designer for this month for Beccy's Place, Designs by Beccy Muir.

Beccy is the designer of a wide variety of wonderful digital images.  Her designs can be purchased individually or in sets, and are provided in black-and-white as well as in color which makes for very easy use if you're not fond of doing your own coloring.

I will be showing you the cards I designed using Beccy's images during the next few weeks.  In the meanwhile, I hope you will pay Beccy a visit at her online shop as well as at her blog, Beccy's Place, for some great inspiration.

'Til next time...

BIG Hugs!!!

CHRISTINE