He Is Risen

It's less than one month until Easter, and  the Card A Day Blog is celebrating with a week of Easter card inspiration.  My contribution to this theme is a clean and simple card with some lacy elegance.  I made this card using a few dies, some larger scraps and a few gems.  I didn't quite get away with no stamping, but I kept it to a bare minimum.

The card started with a fun fold that I've used once before, but this time I used it in reverse.  You can see the other example here.  So, the first step was cutting and folding the base.  Here are two photos of the card from the back where you can clearly see the cuts.

Next, I did the die cuts using  some scraps of gold card stock.  I just love the lace cross and trim.  I used my Xyron sticker makers to affix adhesive to the lacy pieces.  Such a quick and easy way to get those pieces adhered to the base.

I used a pretty gold embossing powder for the sentiment, and then cut that piece with a lacy scallops die before affixing it to the gold lace-edged die cut label using foam tape.  I added foam tape to just half of the gold label, and adhered it to the left front of the card base.

Once I had everything assembled, the card didn't look quite finished.  I took care of that by adding some gems to the cross and label.  That did it!  Quick, yet classy, and a good style for doing multiples.  Also, it fits into a standard A2 envelope.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and thanks so very much for spending part of it with me!

BIG Hugs!!!
CHRISTINE

ALWAYS.....

.....in my heart.  That is how I feel about you, my dear readers.  Welcome back!  This is my first post for 2014 as well as my first post of the year for the Card A Day Blog.  And we're kicking off the CADB year with Valentine's Day.  My inspiration today actually comes from a guest designer, who wishes to remain nameless, but I think most of you can guess who I'm talking about from previous guest appearances.  This isn't your typical splashy red Valentine, but if you look closely you will find a tiny red heart peaking out.

This card is very cute, but it's also easy to make, especially if you like to color, as the featured image was colored with copics.

This little girl and her sentiment are from the My Favorite Things "Pure Innocence" collection.  If you're not familiar with this line you should definitely take a look; they are so adorable.  Two scraps of design paper were used; one for the sentiment and one to create a colorful off set border.

A white mat was embossed, and a piece of twine wrapped and tied on before mounting to the white A2 sized card base.

I really love this sweet card, and thank my 'guest designer' for her contribution.

Thanks so very much for your visit today.  I hope to see you again soon -- and often!!

'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!
CHRISTINE

Shining Star

Welcome!!  For my post this week for the Card A Day Blog I've designed a super quick and easy Christmas card.  Our theme this week is 'Christmas Ornaments.'  Just to be very clear, we're not making actual ornaments, although the card could have an element that can be removed and used as an ornament.  We are definitely featuring cards that include ornaments.  It could be an ornament-shaped card or it can be any shape card featuring one or more ornaments in the design, be they stamped, die cut, sticker or whatever.  So, here is my offering:

I was going through my collection of dies looking for my wreaths and ornaments.  That was my original idea.  I came upon this wintery frame, and knew immediately what my card would look like.  The frame has embossed snowflakes in the design as well as the snowflake-looking cuts around the outside.

I decided to use a pearly white cardstock for the frame, and mount it on a navy blue background.  I used a frosty white ink and an opaque white pen to create a snowy look.  The star ornament was cut from a scrap of sparkly holographic wrapping paper which was first glued to cardstock for stability.

I think the embossing on the frame shows up pretty well in the photos, but not so well in the star which is a star within a star.  I used a bright cherry red embroidery floss to attach the ornament to the frame, tied a double bow and then affixed everything with foam tape.  Here are some angled pics to show the dimension.

                                                 

 I did consider leaving the star free-floating, but I didn't intend for it to be removed so I used the foam tape so keep it stable and show off the bow a bit better.  And that's it!  Really quick.  I haven't done the inside yet, thinking I would wait until I know who will receive the card, but I do believe the greeting will be done directly on the dark card base using white embossing powder.

One of the nice things about this card is that even though there is dimension, it is still very flat for mailing.  The remaining details are few:

           Paper:  Gina K Designs "In the Navy"
           Ink:  Color Box "Frost White" pigment
           Pen:  Inkssentials "Opaque White"

Thanks, as always, for stopping by today.  'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!
CHRISTINE

Fancy Fold Halloween Card

Hi everyone!  It's Halloween time over at the Card A Day Blog, and I have a cute fancy-fold card to show you.  My inspiration for this card came from Splitcoaststampers, but I have modified it slightly and changed the sizing.  I'll give you a look first, then go into the details.

I wanted my card to fit the standard A2 sized envelope, so I started with a card base cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".  This card is actually a modified tri-shutter style, but with the different cuts and folds it features a centerpiece.  Here are the measurements:  make a cut 2 1/8" from each short side starting at 1" from the top and ending 1" from the bottom.  Turn the card and cut 1 1/16" starting at the previous cut and going in toward the center of the card.  Do this on all four corners. 

 

 

This photo of the back of my card should give you an idea of what you will have when you fold.  It works best to score your card (top and bottom) at the 2 1/8 and 3 3/16 points.  The 2 1/8 scores will make 'valley folds' and the 3 3/16 scores will make 'mountain folds.'This will give you the centerpiece of your card which should now measure 3 1/2" x 4 1/4".

In the sample I saw on SCS, the designer cut out two rectangles and then added a centerpiece.  I elected to simply cut around three sides and leave the center intact.

Next I built the centerpiece using an orange dp as a mat and a piece of white cardstock for my background.

I stamped and colored the little witch, the bottom border is a rub-on, and all the rest are stickers.  I used my 1/4" corner rounder for the top of the two layers and did some ink distressing around the edges.

 

 

You can see in the previous three photos that the stickers, themselves, are multi-layered.  Also, they are affixed with foam tape as is the full front piece.

This card can stand alone very nicely, as you will see in the next photo, or use an easel to feature it as I did in most of my photos.

I hope you've enjoyed my fun little card.  It was actually fairly quick to make; especially since I used ready made embellishments.  If you have questions, please leave them in the comments with a way to contact you.  I will answer as quickly as I can.

Here are some details for you:
     Paper:  Making Memories "Spook Alley" pack-card base
     Stamp:  Pink By Design "Guess Who" set
     Inks:  Ranger Distress "Spiced Marmalade" and "Black Soot" and Versamark
     Embossing Powder:  Stampendous "Detail Black"
     Embellishments:  Recollections Layered Accents and Rub-On, Jolee's boutique Spider, Recollections BOO!

Thanks for visiting!  'Til next time...

Big HUGS!
CHRISTINE

3.....2.....1.....BLAST OFF!

Greetings, Earthlings.  Please do not attack -- we come in peace.  Repeat -- we come in PEACE.
YES, it's fun to be silly sometimes, and the silly bug got me for this weeks' Card A Day Blog theme.  It's a full week of 'Kiddie Cards.'  I must warn you that making cards for the kids is not exactly my usual cup of tea, but I did have some fun with this one.

I broke out the old Cricut, some aluminum foil, a few scraps and a new embossing folder that I couldn't wait to use.  It was only after I had all my card elements ready that I decided my card base would be black and cut to 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" to fit the standard A2 envelope.

As I am certain you have guessed, my card has an outer space theme.  I started out by cutting a piece of heavy duty foil and embossing it with my new folder using my Cuttlebug.  Then I used the Cricut Craft Room to prepare my designs for cutting.  Here is your first photo:

 

I wanted the background to have the look of the interior of a space ship -- no I've never been in a space ship, but I used to watch Star Trek.  Anyway, just let your imagination take over for awhile.  I cut all the pieces at 2 1/2" except the rocket, which I cut at 3 1/2".  I used Copics to do the small bits of coloring that were needed.

 



I layered the pieces that needed to be layered, then used some glitter pens to add a little sparkle.  If you look closely, you'll see that the astronaut's helmet shows that he's from the USA.  I didn't want to get too fancy so I just wrote the letters by hand with one of the glitter pens.

 





 The rocket was affixed flat to the background.  The other elements were added using foam tape. 










I haven't added a sentiment, yet, because I think this card could be used for a number of occasions.  However, I did add a layer for writing or stamping to the inside, as well as a few foil stars to bring a bit of the outside in.

If you haven't made any cards for the younger set, go ahead and create a few.  Even if you have no one to send them to personally, there are plenty of organizations who would love to have cards on hand to give to kids who could use a lift.

I hope you've enjoyed my little 'spacey' card today.  Here are a few details:

     Paper:  Recollections and heavy duty aluminum foil
     Dies:  Shapez (for Xyron) "Star" by Spellbinders
     Cartridge:  Cricut "Everyday Paper Dolls"
     Embossing Folder:  Stampin' Up "Honeycomb"

If you're here from the Card A Day Blog then you know about our monthly challenges and prizes, and I thank you for visiting.  If you've never been there, I'd like to invite you over to check us out.  We have several themes each month with the chance to win a nice challenge prize if you enter.

'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!
CHRISTINE

Let Your Light Shine

Hi everyone!  So happy to have you visit today.  We've been having so many bright, sunny days around here in the central U.S.  So, as today's designer for the Card A Day Blog, using the theme of "With Faith"  I decided to go along with the idea of light.  Also, since my ds arrived today for a visit, this card became a little bit of a collaboration.

At the time ds arrived, I already had my basic concept for the card, and had some of the elements prepared as well.  Here is your first look at the card:

I used a blue card stock for the background, and used a border design embossing folder inked with Versamark to give the embossing some extra dimension.  The cross and the sentiment were stamped onto the same blue card, and embossed using Versamark and silver embossing powder.  I used a Versamarker and the same embossing powder to frame the sentiment.  The sentiment piece was die cut and the cross was cut by hand.

A bit of ribbon was attached to the background piece, and the sentiment and cross were both layered using foam tape.

On the inside I simply stamped the cross with the watermark ink for a very subtle look, then stamped and embossed the greeting with the silver powder.

Here is a closer shot of the inside:

Probably the trickiest part in making this card was getting the embossing just right on the background paper.  I had to be sure the paper was cut for a perfectly (almost) symmetrical fit.  I also had to be aware of which side of the folder should be inked.  So if you try this technique, just be sure to consider whether you want to ink the embossed side or the debossed side.

 
When preparing the elements for this design, I started thinking about all the different occasions for which this card might be used.  It seems appropriate for get well, birthday, certainly for Easter, or simply to let someone know you've been thinking about them.  I'm sure you could think of even more ideas.

I truly appreciate having you take time out of your day to visit.  You always put a smile on my face!!

'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!
CHRISTINE

It'll Be Okay

Happy mid-week everyone!  I'm designer of the day over at the CARD A DAY BLOG.  This is a week of using some kind of embossing but without a specific theme.  So, I have a little rainy day card for you using both wet and dry embossing.  It's a cute little card, and really quite easy to make.

I decided to start with an embossing folder, and build my card around whatever design I chose.  In this case, I chose a cloud folder.  I knew I had at least one stamp that was handy that I could use with clouds for a background.  I used my Cuttlebug to emboss a piece of vellum with the clouds, and then picked a dark blue mat to give an overall look of a very gray day.  Just to keep things a bit neutral, I chose kraft card for my base.

I stamped my focal image and my sentiment on white with Versamark ink and embossed with black powder.  The embossing gave a nice outline to color in, which I did very simply using Copics in cheery colors.  I also gave the sentiment a bit of shading with the same blue Copic marker.

I then die cut the two pieces using a slightly fancy die for the label and a die that complemented the look of the clouds for the image.

Not wanting any glue or tape to show behind the vellum I simply used brads to affix the label and vellum to the mat.  I then used foam tape to affix the image piece to the vellum as well as the mat onto the base.

In all this was a relatively quick card to put together.  I got a slightly late start on creating, so quick was a good thing for me today. (heehee)

As always, thanks so much for coming by.  I do hope you enjoyed your visit!

Here are just a few details:
     Paper:  Gina K Designs "In the Navy"
     Brads:  Bo Bunny "Bodacious Brads" in Buttercup
     Embossing Powder:  Stampendous  "Detail Black"
     Stamps:  Pure Innocence for My Favorite Things "My Umbrella"
     Dies:  Spellbinders and Lifestyle Crafts
     Embossing Folder:  Darice "Clouds"
     Markers:  Copics Y04 (Acacia), B24 (Sky), E00 (Skin White), R11 (Pale Cherry Pink)

That's it for now --- see you again soon!!

Big HUGS!
CHRISTINE

Many Thanks

Good day to you, and I hope it's a beautiful one wherever you are!  Over at the Card A Day Blog we're having a week full of 'Designer's Choice' inspiration.  I was at a Stampin' Up card party recently, so I decided to feature one of the cards we made there.  The supplies are all current items from Stampin' Up.  I'm afraid I didn't get the names of everything, but the items shouldn't be difficult to find in their catalog (print or online).

One of the things I really like about this card, aside from the sweet colors, is the fact that it's great for using scraps.  Of course, you can use any color combinations that please you, or even keep it somewhat monotone.  Almost anything would work.

This card uses a standard A2 base which, in this case is a gray cardstock.  The coral-colored mat is cut at 3 1/4", with the white embossed piece cut at 3".  The colored scalloped circles are about  1/4", and the white stamped circles are 1".  The assembled circle pieces are affixed with foam tape.

I used a 'thank you' sentiment, but you can add any small sentiment to the small circle.  You could also put the sentiment piece in a different position on the front.  That would be a fun idea if you're making a set of these, with different sentiments, as a gift.

The final touch is that single rhinestone just below the sentiment.  Nothing splashy, just sweet.

I think this is a great design for using some of those smaller stamps you weren't quite sure how you would use.  So pull out those small stamps and punches, and have some fun!!

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

Big HUGS!
CHRISTINE

FOR YOU...

Hello lovely followers and guests!  I have another Card A Day Blog offering for you today.  I made a card for my sister's birthday.  Yes, it's okay, her birthday was last week!  (Carole, if the post office lost your card, here it is!!!)  I used an adorable stamp set from Crafter's Companion called Angelica.  She's a cute little birthday angel.

I started with a lavender card base.  The image was stamped onto white card and colored with Copics and glitter pens.  I used my ATG to affix the image to the card base.  Then I took another piece of lavender, ran it through my Cuttlebug, and cut out the center with a craft knife making a frame for the image, which I affixed with foam tape.  I inked the frame to bring out the embossed design.

I used the same embossing folder for the inside layer, but I affixed it with the de-bossed side facing up.  I stamped the birthday greeting and was finished.  This card fits a standard A2 envelope.

Unfortunately, the glittering doesn't show up much, if at all, in the photos, but I used it on the wings, the ribbons and the butterflies.

Here are the other details:
     Paper:  Recollections (lavender), Georgia-Pacific (white)
     Ink:  Stampin' Up Wisteria Wonder
     Embossing Folder:  Darice Ornate Frame
     Glitter Pens:  Sakura Gelly Roll, Clear Star and Purple Star

I am also entering this card in the Crafter's Digital Art Center Anything Goes challenge.  These challenges are running for three months, ending June 30th, so there's still plenty of time to enter.  Anyone can join.  Hope to see you there!!

 Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Big HUGS,
CHRISTINE

Chickadee and Holly

Greetings!  I hope everyone had a fun time browsing lots of cardmaking blogs yesterday to celebrate World Cardmaking Day.  There is so much talent out there, isn't there!?!  I have a card for you today to open a week of Christmas and Animals at the Card A Day Blog.  From my title you probably guessed the central images on my card.  Here's your first look:

I used a set from Stampin' Up called 'Beautiful Season.'  I wanted to keep the card fairly simple because it is one of a set of cards I designed for some Girl Scouts to reproduce in a series of workshops.  So the image of the Chickadee in the Holly Branch was stamped with no added coloring, but just a little inking around the edges for a slightly aged look.

In the next photo you can see the sentiment and a close-up of the banner piece which was embossed using a Cuttlebug folder in a design that echoes the holly of the central image.

The banner, as well as the card base and the design papers were inked a bit just like the main image piece.  The inside of the card was left very clean, with only the sentiment stamped.

I love this sentiment.  I think it can be used for many styles of Christmas and other holiday season cards.

In the last photo you can see the full front, with a good look at the design papers I used.  I think it's a good-looking card, but still easy enough to make for inexperienced young card-makers.

Just for the sake of clarification, the red is simply background; it's not part of the card.  (In case you were wondering.)  This card fits a standard A2 sized envelope.

Hope you like today's little card.  Here are (most of) the details:
          Papers:  Stampin' Up, K and Company
          Inks:  Memento 'Rich Cocoa', Tim Holtz Distress 'Antique Linen'
          Stamps:  Stampin' Up set 'Beautiful Season'
          Corner Punch:  Tonic
          Embossing Folder:  Cuttlebug 'Holly Ribbon'

Thanks for visiting!!  See you again soon.

Big Hugs,
CHRISTINE