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

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

Bold Floral Congratulations

Hello all you friendly people out there!  I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful day.  Where I live we have been seeing lots of sunshine and steadily rising temperatures - just beautiful.  My card today, for the Card A Day Blog theme of "Congratulations," has some very bold flowers in bright colors.  I just couldn't help carrying over the happy mood from our celebration of Spring last week, especially since tomorrow is actually the first day of Spring.

My flowers were made with some paper flowers that just needed to be punched out and rolled.  The package comes with three different sizes, but I was able to use only the smallest size on my card.  The larger flowers would be lovely for a home dec project or for making up a pretty package.

Next I went through my green scraps to find some pieces to die cut leaves for the flowers.  There were two dies in the same set that were perfect for the sizes of my scraps.  How lucky!  I love it when I can make good use of those scraps I couldn't bear to part with.

I didn't want my card to be too fussy, but I wasn't happy with the plain white background I had, so I decided to use an embossing folder to add some subtle design and texture.  I rounded opposing corners on both the card base and the background which I mounted to the base with foam tape.

Once I had the leaves and flowers in place, all I needed was the sentiment.  I stamped it in brown ink on paper matching the card base, and cut it into a tag shape.  I affixed it to the card with foam tape.

This was a pretty quick card to pull together, and I am quite pleased with it.  However, it will need to have a box, or at least a boxy envelope for presentation as the flowers are very dimensional.

The little details:
     Flowers:  Imaginisce "Roly Rosies"
     Dies:  Sizzix Sizzliits "Flowers, Branches & Leaves" set
     Embossing Folder:  Darice "Henna"
     Stamp:  Hero Arts
     Ink:  Memento "Rich Cocoa"
     Paper:  Recollections and scraps

As always thank you so very much for your visit.  'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!!
CHRISTINE

A Lovely Day

I am SO HAPPY the spring weather is finally pushing its way in.  And it's just in time for our week of Spring inspiration at the Card A Day Blog.  Spring definitely puts me in mind of lots of greenery and pretty flowers all in bloom.  I guess I'm also feeling a bit of Spring Fever; I'm having all kinds of trouble focusing on writing this for you.  On that note, I will try to keep it short and sweet.

Since  I wanted to color some flowers for this card, I went to my collection of Just Rite Stamps where I knew I had some lovely flowers.  While searching for the flowers I came across some doily stamps that I decided would make a nice frame for the flowers.

Then I found 'just the rite' sentiment in yet another of the sets.

 

The creators of the Just Rite stamps were kind enough to remind me on their packaging that their sets were designed to coordinate with Spellbinders die sets.  Luckily, I had the appropriate sets, as well as a nice edge die and a ribbon tag for my sentiment.

Once I had the coloring done and the elements ready, I needed to find my green papers.  That turned out to be a quick check through a few of my mat stacks.  I thought I was finished, but I decided my card needed just a bit more bling; the shimmer on the ribbon didn't quite do it for me.

So, a few jewels along the bottom and DONE!

 

I hope I kept it short and sweet enough for you.  ; )  Here are the facts as I know them:
     Stamps:  Just Rite sets 'My Garden' 'Grandma's Doilies' and 'Be Happy'
     Paper:  DCWV 'Lemon Flower' matstacks
     Ribbon:  Really Reasonable Ribbon
     Pencils:  Tombow 'Irojiten'
     Dies:  Spellbinders 'Circles' 'Small Scalloped Circles' 'Ribbon Tags Trio Two' and 'Lattice
                Borderabilities Petites'
     Jewels:  Creative Memories 'Enchanted' Epoxy Stickers

Thanks so very much for visiting today, and 'til next time.....
Big HUGS!!!
CHRISTINE

May your joys be bright.....

Hi!   I'm back with you today to show you a very elegant card with a surprise inside.  Our current theme at the Card A Day Blog is WEDDINGS, and for some reason I was inspired to use soft blues for my colorway.  This card has a very special fold for the inside, which you'll see as we go along.

I started this particular project with a paper hunt.  This actually didn't take as long as I thought it might since I already knew the color and the theme, and I knew I wanted to use very subtle prints in coordinating patterned papers if I had them.  I found exactly what I needed in the very first paper pack.  I applied one of the papers to the card front.

Once I had the papers I decided to see if I had any pretty images or punched bits that I might put to good use.  I found a perfectly sized piece with a nice punched lattice edge.  My lovely daughter helped me by finding the perfect sentiment which I printed in a matching blue ink.  I then punched out two flower pieces from the same paper as the card front.  I shaped the pieces, inked on a little extra color and added tiny pearls for the flower center.  I also inked the lattice and the edge of the sentiment piece, and layered them with foam tape.

Here is an angled shot so you can see the dimension:

Then I went to work on the inside of the card.  I cut an 8" square from the second patterned paper, did a bit of fancy folding, and ended up with a lovely insert.  I added a punched floral border to the top, using pearls for the flower centers.  Here is the card before it is fully opened.  As you can see, it is a variation on an accordion fold.

And this is what it looks like when opened up all the way.  The paper is light enough to write on directly without using an insert and covering up the pretty paper.

I don't remember how I came across this particular fold, but here is a link to the directions I used.  It's easy to do and packs quite a punch for the recipient.  Perhaps you'll try it sometime!

This may be one of my favorite cards.  It was so simple and quick to make and does look very elegant.  I made this card a 4 1/4" square so that it will fit into a standard A2 sized envelope, but a custom envelope can be made as well if desired.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in the comments section.

Thanks so much for visiting!  Here are the main supplies used:

     Design Paper:  K and Company
     Punches:  Tonic Studio (flower) and Martha Stewart (lattice edge and lacey floral border)
     Ink:  Stampin 'Up "Bashful Blue"
     Adhesives:  Scotch ATG and Quick Drying Tacky Glue and Tombow Mono Dots
     Pearls:  Recollections and Ruby Rock-It

'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!
CHRISTINE

Letterpress Style Thank You

I don't know about anyone else, but I am so ready for Spring.  This Winter has brought much colder weather than I have seen a quite some time, and I find that I am able to tolerate it much less.  We have been blessed with a mere fraction of the snow that some areas have had; and that's a very good thing as far as I am concerned.  With any blessings should come thanks, and "Thank You" just happens to be our theme at the Card A Day Blog this week.

I was reminded, by something in my wanderings around the web, that I haven't used my Spellbinders' Impressabilities in a long time. So I decided to get them out and use one for today's card.  If you're not familiar with Impressibilities, they are very thin metal templates that can be used in many ways; such as embossing/debossing, as a stencil, cut apart and the pieces used as embellishments.  I have used mine in a 'letterpress' style.  Letterpress is a style of printing where the type is set, ink is applied and the paper is pressed into the type to pick up the ink.  This method also leaves an impression in the paper.  This is, essentially, just what I did with my template.

I used a splatter mat to keep from getting ink on my table and applied ink directly from my stamp pad to the template.  I carefully placed my piece of cardstock on the inked template and put it in the proper sandwich to run through my Cuttlebug.  The result is a lightly embossed inked impression.   I inked the edges of this piece just a bit to help it stand out against the card base.

Once I had my embossed layer prepared, I wrapped three strips of 3/8" satin ribbon around the center.  I then die cut two layers for my sentiment.  These pieces were also inked just a bit on the edges.  I stamped my sentiment, and then layered all three pieces using foam tape.

This was a slightly messy project, but really quite easy to accomplish and is no problem at all to clean up.  I hope you'll decide to try this type of design style.  Even if you don't have the Impressabilities, you can use the same method with an embossing folder, and a deeper impression can be obtained.  You can see an example of that here.

 

Supplies:
     Paper:  Recollections
     Dies:  Spellbinders "Timeless Rectangle"
     Impressabilities:  Spellbinders "Flourish"
     Inks:  Tim Holtz Distress "Dusty Concord" by Ranger and Stampin' Up "Wisteria Wonder"
     Stamp:  Stampin' Up "Blooming with Kindness"
     Ribbons:  Ellen Hutson

'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!!
CHRISTINE

Don't BUG Me!

It is SO still the season for catching all those nasty bugs that keep floating around.  I hope you've been able to avoid being in that situation.  On that note we, at the Card A Day Blog, have some Get Well inspirations to share.  I received some really cute supplies from my dear sister for Christmas, and decided to use some of them for today's card.

My card was a fairly quick one to make once I decided just what I wanted to do.  First I'll show you the main supplies I used.

The two stamp and die sets were part of my Christmas gift.  Now, here's my card:

When I was getting out my supplies I thought I would stamp the 'bug' outline and color it, but there were a few dp scraps sitting next to my new sets and one just caught my eye.  So I lined up the outline stamp where I wanted it on the scrap, and used the die to cut it out.

In the same stack of scraps I found a piece of handmade paper that was perfect for cutting out the clouds.  The handmade paper gave the clouds some nice texture.

I'm not sure you can see the texture in the photos, but it shows up nicely in person.

Next, I cut a scrap of blue for some sky, and I tore a piece of kraft card to use for the ground.  I used two brown-toned inks to color the edges a bit without making the ground too busy-looking.

After stamping the sentiment, I laid the 'sky' down with my ATG, and used foam tape to affix the ground pieces and the car.  I used a double layer of the foam tape to lift the lower ground piece above the car.

My card base, which is sized at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" to fit a standard A2 envelope, is a dark navy blue, so I added a white insert for the message and signature.

The pictures don't really show it off very well, but this card is very cute in person and will certainly help brighten the day for someone who isn't feeling quite up to par.

Details:
     Stamp/Die Sets:  taylored expressions "Wheely Great" set and hampton art "Welcome Home" set by doodlebug design inc. and Sizzix.
     Inks:  VersaMagic "Ocean Depth" Chalk Ink and Memento "Desert Sand" and "Rich Cocoa."
     Cardstock:  Gina K Designs "In the Navy" and Neenah "Kraft."

Thanks, as always, for your visit.  Please know that I truly appreciate the time you take to spend with me.  'Til next time.....

Big HUGS!!!!!
CHRISTINE

Who Loves You

Happy Wednesday, everyone!!  It's a beautifully bright sunny day where I am.  I hope your day is just as lovely.  And speaking of things 'love'ly, I have another Card A Day Blog Valentine inspiration for you.  Just as in my previous Valentine post, this card is definitely not your traditional "Cupid's Holiday" offering.  I do hope you like it, and it inspires you to go out of the usual Valentine zone and try something different for your loved one this year.  I think my card is ideal for one of the male valentines in your life.

This card came about because I was being so indecisive about which card design I wanted to use; I had three different ideas in mind.  So, I decided to pull out some of my bits and pieces of items left over from previous card-making sessions.  We're not talking about just scraps of paper, but you'll see.  I ended up with a totally different design from what I had expected.

In one of my envelopes of previously made, but unused, ephemera I found a large die cut label perfect for a background.  I also found several punched hearts, including a sweet sparkly one.  Another package search revealed a leafy branch and a cuter than cute die cut owl.  With those few pieces, all I needed were a sentiment and a card base.  Well, I found the card base in a stack of cut card stock, and I decided to create my own sentiment.

Okay, okay, enough blather.  Here's my card:

 

I first inked the background label to give the edges more definition so it wouldn't just fade into the kraft card base.  It seemed an ideal backing for an owl on a tree branch.  I mounted the background using foam tape.

 



I next took the leafy branch, which had originally been cut from white paper and colored with markers, and gave the leaves some dimension using a stylus and mouse pad.  I attached the branch with Scotch Quick-Drying Tacky Glue.

 

I then used the foam tape to affix the owl perched on his larger branch so it would look like the smaller branch was growing out of the larger one.

 

Next, I started working on my sentiment.

 



I decided what my owl would say, typed it into a word-processing document and printed it with brown ink onto Stampin' Up 'Very Vanilla' cardstock.  It had taken me awhile to decide on the shape, but I thought it would be cute as a ribbon flying in a breeze.  I tried it out first by writing it on scrap paper and hand cutting to determine whether I would like it and what the sizing should be.  After applying a bit of ink on the edges, I used the foam tape to apply the sentiment piece.

 

All I had left to do was apply the sparkly heart to the owl's chest.  Once the inside of the card is finished, it will, of course, say, "Your Valentine, That's Who."

 

 

I just adore this sweet little card.  I think my hubby will like it, too.  It was such fun putting this card together!  I hope you had fun reading about it.

 

Thanks so much for visiting.  'Til next time.....

 

Big HUGS!

CHRISTINE