Yep, I'm still around!

Hello everyone.  It's been such a very long time since I last visited with you.  I hope things are well in your worlds.  I've had some ups and downs the past several months, but I'm doing well. 

When I first started this blog it was primarily aimed at card making.  But I left it open to other crafty or artistic pursuits as well, and I'm back to show you some of what I've been up to most recently as well as continuing to bring you examples of my cards (or, if you've been with me awhile, you've seen a few of my sister's cards; she is a much more prolific card maker than I am).

Today I've decided to show you one of the projects I've started working on for my church.  We have christenings twice each month, and we like to present each family with a keepsake for their child.  For some time the church was purchasing bibs to give the families.  From what I have been told these bibs were a single layer of not-very-nice fabric with pinked raw edges, and, I think, some kind of generic printing to commemorate the event.  Eventually, someone came up with a much nicer design for our church.  Our keepsake bibs are now machine embroidered with the church logo and event year on a lovely white fabric, and backed with a beautiful soft white flannel.  It's a very simple design, but the quality and look are so much better.  At the family's request the name of the child can be added later.

I am doing just the embroidery of these bibs, while another member of our sewing group is doing the assembly.  The pictures I have are of a bib embroidered by another church member; I forgot to take photos after embroidering several pieces.  I'm glad I remembered to take photos of the sample before returning it to the church.

Let me know what you think of our design.  Maybe you can design something similar for your own church.  Ours is embroidered in our church/school colors, but they could also be done in seasonal colors or designs depending on the time of year of the christening.

I'll be back with you soon to show you some of the other projects I've been working on.  In the meantime, keep crafting and enjoy every day to the fullest!

Hugs,
Christine

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