Colorful Birthday Wishes

Up to the wee hours (but that's what happens when you don't get started until 11 p.m., eh?) to make this one.

 

I finally cracked into my Amy Tangerine "Sketchbook" 6x6 paper pad for all the color little bits on the left, and used my tiny attacher to fasten them all together.

I stamped a really old little gift stamp in white Palette Hybrid ink and heat embossed with clear powder.  Then I dipped a small stipple brush into some yummy Pretty Pink Mr. Huey and swirled the color over the embossed image, which acted as a color resist. 

Tiny 3mm flat silver sequins and a few tiny drops of Gold Mr. Huey are the finishing touches.

For the envelope, I used sequins (the butterfly is also a sequin - I just used a single strand of turquoise twine for the body) attached with a glue pen and some more washi.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a very blessed day!

Balloons for the Birthday Girl

As noted in the previous post, my Mom's b-day is also this month. I had another stamp set in mind (TGF's Susie Surprise which also features a gal holding balloons) but with my stash still so dissheveled, I couldn't locate it, so I started flipping through my mountain of printed digis. And there she was: Balloon Girl from the Flapper Doodle coloring book. Yes! This image is just perfect for my Mom!  Even though I used the same collection for last year's birthday card, I couldn't resist my beloved (and sadly almost gone) Crate Paper "Pink Plum" papers. I colored up my Flapper with Copics which was a joy, and then flipped through my dies to find just the right one to save me from having to try to trim around the uber thin lines of this image. Wonky Squares was just meant to be, I think. For the front sentiment, I kept it simple with letter stickers from Glitz. Since Mom is learning to text :)  I stuck to just the two.

This card came together quickly and just in time for our little family celebration.

Since I still have time, I'm entering this one into the Paper Playtime Challenge #84: Punches + a Sentiment as well.

Thanks for taking a gander. This will probably be it for me for the next few weeks, but I look forward to seeing you again in October with fall cards and decor. And maybe even a mini album :o

Blessings & Hugs to You!

Who's Birthday Is It?

Greetings! Long time, no posts.  If you've been a blog friend for any length of time, you are awesome :) and you may have noticed that my posts seem to drop off around this time every year. I've gotta pay for all my paper (and stamps, embellishments, etc.) somehow, and autumn is busy season at the day job (which turns into a day and night job for about 3 weeks).
But fall, September in particular, is also busy because there are 2 very important birthdays in my family: Dad and Mom. 
Up first, I have Dad's card to share with you. He turned the big 65 (with no signs of retiring any time soon).  I can hardly believe it since he looks (and acts) so young still. If you met my Dad IRL you'd never believe he just turned 65. And that's where the inspo for my card came from: "Who's 65?!?"

I'm sorry to say that I haven't a clue where the adorable owl paper came from. I know it was gifted to me a year (or so) ago, and that I just love the colors! They coordinated wonderfully with the die cut shapes and Prima letter stickers from my kit stash. I loved the letters so much, I quickly ordered a few more sets in different colors. The texture on them is amazing and they are the perfect size for cards. The only drawback is that I had to make my own punctuation, but other than that, I love 'em!  I was thrilled to re-discover these woodgrain Thickers (I have an almost ridiculous hoard of Thickers), and thought they tied in nicely to my owl/woodland theme.

Then, because we share a strange sense of humor, on the inside of the card I stacked some pearls to mimic the owls eyes, and used them on the centers of my O's in "hoot".  My Dad got it right away.

I'm entering this into the Paper Playtime Challenge #84: Punches + a Sentiment. I just hope my die cuts and letter stickers are in keeping with the rules.

Thanks for looking. I'll be back soon with my Mom's bday card.  Until then, be blessed and enjoy the amazing autumn weather!

((hugs))

Still Breaking for Spring...with Fresh Brewed Designs

Hello! It is a beautiful spring day here in Ohio, and I hope where you are as well. I will be back in a couple days with another installment of my "Going Grey..." series, but today the card I have to share is all about pretty pastels, which just screams spring (either that or ice cream) to me. I made this for a friend from church, whose birthday was yesterday (hanging head in shame), using this super cute, slightly mod Wonky Dot Cake from Fresh Brewed Designs. This is my 2nd entry for this month's Fresh Brewed Challenge #90 "Tie It Up". I colored the image with Copics and everything else is from my stash, including the "matches so perfectly it just about made my day" yummy satin ribbon.

I hope you'll join the lovely ladies at Fresh Brewed Designs for this challenge, and be sure to enter Heather's Birthday Blog Candy!

Have a wonderful weekend, and I pray you'll take the time to worship our Lord this Sunday. God bless you!

Happy B-Day & Just In Time

Wow! It seems like forever since I've posted a card. :(

Well, it's the end of the 1st month of the year. :o And I'm make very little progress with my crafty resolutions of making a stockpile of cards, and organizing my craft-tastrophe. *sigh* However, I am super pleased that I got this card to a special little birthday girl (from my church) right on time! Yay! (Gotta give myself some small semblance of encouragement, eh?)


I'm using a new-to-me Fresh Brewed Designs digi called "Dotty Cupcake" and new washi tape to enter the FBD January Monthly Challenge. I plan to make several versions of this card to have on hand for those "Is it your birthday already?!?" occassions. :) I colored the cupcake image with Copics, trimmed it out, and clear embossed the dots for that shiny hard candy shell look, and then used Rock Candy Stickles on the frosting for a sugary effect.


And, since I managed to do a challenge, and it is still the 1st month, I'm adding to my 2012 crafty resolutions (which, I decided just now to name "Craft-o-lutions") that I will play at least one challenge each month. That should help with keeping the other Craft-o-lutions, I think. ;)

Thanks for visiting & have a blessed day! ((hugs))

Another Belated Birthday Card

Okay, first off: How is it November already??? And how is it that it's been over 30 days since my last post??? Granted, busy season was in there somewhere. Along with its long hours and weekend work. No wonder now that things are back to normal in the office, I find myself obsessively thinking about cardmaking & scrapping. I did manage to keep my crafty muscles in shape (and BTW, those are seriously the only muscles that have gotten a work out lately - yikes!) by restarting and finishing a cross-stitch project (which I will share as soon as I get it framed), and restarting the next in the series (2 down, 2 to go..and are you picking up on the trend of not finishing things when I start them? Yeah, not good.). I think that between that crafty outlet and church (which is such a good anchor), I got through this busy season much more graciously than years past, since historically the equation has been: Stress + Lack of Sleep = Crankiness
But this time around was different/better, and it just goes to show (again) what the Holy Spirit can accomplish when you get out of the way. :) Really, when you start out trusting & obeying the Lord, then you just know everything is going to be okay, no matter what challenges/temptations/obstacles you face. So then, what's to worry about? Or get bent out of shape over? Not a thing. So awesome!

But back to the card... This is for a gal at church whose b-day was mid-October. *hanging head* I just kept forgetting to make the card! Had it in my head. Kept telling myself (always away from my craft area & supplies) that I needed to do it. But... Does this happen to you??? It happens to me too often.

One of my happy-little-mental-vacation-if-I-can't-craft-I'll-buy-things-to-craft-with-shopping-sprees was at Two Peas when they had all of their 6x6 paper pads on sale. I bought my 1st three Jillibean Soups, along with two 12x12 die-cut sheets. And I got over my "but I only have one of these" hoarding habits and went for it. The cupcake image is from The Greeting Farm's "Susie Surprise" set (retired) and I colored with Copics and added a bit of glitz to the candle with a touch of Stickles on the flame. The pattern paper & die-cuts are from the "Sweet & Sour Soup" collection.
I just loved the sentiment around the circle: Make every moment count. Very wise words.

Since I'm all about getting back in the swing of things/stepping it up a notch (just a tiny notch), I'm entering this into the following challenges:
Ribbon Carousel Challenge RCC27 "Anything Goes"

CAS-ual Fridays CFC 26

Thanks for visiting and have a very blessed day! I'll be back in a couple days to share that 1st finished cross-stitch I completed many, many moons ago...and a seasonal card. (((HUGS)))

BIG Birthday Wishes

My mom recently celebrated a "milestone birthday". I won't mention numbers, but I will say that she looks amazing and is routinely guessed to be 10-15 years younger than her actual years. Go, Mom! I just pray those genes kick in for me ;)

Since it was a "BIG" birthday, I just couldn't resist using Some Odd Girl's "Big Pressie Tia" for her card. I seriously can't say enough about how awesome these SOG images are! Total coloring bliss for a Copic addict like me.

I paired it with scrumptious patterns & colors from Crate Paper's "Pink Plum" Collection (12x12), my new obsession - Thickers - and my long-time love - Alpha Stickers (these are from Glitz Design). And of course, a touch of bling never hurts.


This birthday was extra special because not only is it a blessing to celebrate such an amazing lady and mark another year of her life, but also because it's her first birthday as a born-again Christian. And that means that I not only can look back with joy at the years past, but I can confidently look forward to sharing eternity with her in heaven. Praise the Lord for salvation - the biggest and greatest gift ever!

If you haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I'd be humbly honored to share God's plan of salvation with you. Please email me or leave a comment with your contact information.

God bless you today and always. (((hugs)))

Tea Party Birthday

My sister recently had a milestone birthday. We won't mention numbers. The important thing to note is that I am younger! LOL!
My sis is a tea lover and one of the special things we try to do is go to our fave tea house once a month. Yummy! She also has the curliest naturally curly hair I've ever seen. I'm not kidding. Whenever we're out & about someone stops her to tell her how pretty her hair is and ask if it is naturally curly. She beams with pride when she answers sweetly, "Yes, it is. Thank you." [I giggle a bit extra knowing that it is right for her hair to be her glory. 1 Corinthians 11:15] So, needless to say that "HG Classy" from The Greeting Farm is just about the most perfect image for my sis.


She also loves shimmer and sparklies. So, while I'm bummed that I die-cute the sentiment a bit crooked, I am otherwise pleased with it. I colored it with YG91 (Putty) and then went over it with a generous slather of Shimmerz Candlelight. There's also a touch of sparkle on the hat flower, courtesy of a gold Spica pen. The pattern papers are from Basic Grey's Stella Ruby 6x6. I picked up the pearl accented lace from i{heart}papers - prrrrrrr.
This is my entry for today's Mystery Monday at the Farm Fresh Challenge Blog (taking inspiration from the case card's layout), and the Embellishment Challenge on CDAC.

TPS Birthday in a Hurry

Hi there!

So I think it is no secret that I totally *L♥VE* Tickled Pink Stamps. Kellie is one of my fave shop owners and her exclusive images are just to die for awesome! One of my (many) resolutions for 2011 is to use my TPS more! Another one of my resolutions is to have cards on hand ahead of time, but this card unfortunately doesn't reflect any progress in that arena. In my defense, this is actually a card my sister commissioned with less than 24 hours notice, so my guilt/shame factor is fairly low (except as it pertains to the lighting for these photos - blech).

Anywho, knowing the wonderfully sarcastic yet supremely kind and wonderful friend receiving this card, I knew right away that I wanted to use the "Tickled Pink Birthday Set". I know she'll get a kick out of the little skullies on the cake since she is less than thrilled with the number of candles on her cake. LOL! And to further amuse her, I added fangs to the larger skull image (from the "Let It Rock" set) to coordinate with the sentiment I created, which reads, "Another Birthday? That bites."


The layout is thanks to Sunday Sketch & Stamp (a new fave challenge site) and I'm entering this card for Challenge #45. The papers are from the delish and addictive "Be Mine" collection by Echo Park. (If you haven't snagged yourself a set, they are available at Simply Betty Stamps.)


Thanks for stopping by today! Oh, and if you are as in love with TPS as I am, be sure to hurry over to the Tickled Pink Stamps store because there is an amazing sale going on now! Happy shopping and (((HUGS))).

In Other Stamps...Tickled Pink

Oh my stars! I knew my blog was becoming an "I ♥ Simply Betty" fan site, but I actually looked, and it has been almost 3 months since I last posted a non-SBS card (not counting my Inking Pink creation, which you can see HERE and enter to win some blog candy!).

While I don't believe the whole "too much of a good thing" rule applies to Betty's images since they are sooooo diverse, I do think it's good to mix things up. So, it's time to visit another addiction: Tickled Pink Stamps! And what better time, since this month is Tickled Pink's 1-Year Birthday Celebration! Woohoo!


For this card I used one of the fab digi sets designed by Heather Rolin (who also designed my watermark, I'm proud to say), "Tickled Pink Birthday", which I won on the TPS blog. How lucky/blessed am I?!?

Maybe I'm still so thrilled about the great turnout we're having on the Inking Pink hop, but I couldn't resist pinking out the design of this card with pink ribbons to go along with these cherished Sabrina papers from Making Memories...or maybe I'm just a bit literal when creating a birthday card using Tickled Pink Stamps during Tickled Pink's birthday month. ;o Either way, I had a blast coloring the images (R0000 (only because I need to refill my RV0000), RV32, RV34, YR18, Y21, W00, W2). And believe it or not, trimming the banner was a piece of cake! I also used this month's sketch at Tickled Pink Stamps Monthly Challenges for the layout.


Thanks for visiting today. I'll have more TPS creations to share with you soon. I'm also so E*L*A*T*E*D to be a stop on the TPS Birthday Blog Hop at the end of the month, and hope to see you then! {{hugs}}

My kind of Friday - Unity FWF!

Happy Friday! As you read this, I'm probably either still in bed or lounging on the couch in my PJs....ahhhh.....to have a Friday off work. My company is taking a holiday today in celebration/relief that another April 15th (U.S. tax day) is behind us. Not that things at the office will slow down at all...which is fine by me! Busy = Job = Paycheck = Stamps ;) I have seriously missed spending my Fridays with all the fun & fab Unity lovers, and couldn't think of anything better than enjoying my day off with Friends With Flair!

Today's card is doing double-duty as a much belated b-day card to a very dear friend, and since she is a sweetie & a half, I couldn't resist inking up the giant cupcake!

Can't wait to get hopping and see what everyone has in store today. The complete list of participants, click your way to the Unity Blog.

Speaking of friends with FLAIR, check out the lovely & talented ANDREA aka Scrapamum. She is an absolutely AMAZING Scrapbook Artist - my Scrapping IDOL, in fact - and if she reaches 20 followers by April 20th, she will have some Scrap-Tastic BLOG CANDY to give away! National Scrapbooking Day is May 1st. So please pay Andrea a visit, get inspired and get your scrap on! :D

TGIF Hugs,


Image(s): Unity- Big Polka Dot Cupcake; Ippity banner - Love in Return set; SU sentiment
Pattern Papers: K & Company - Carolyn Gavin Designer Mat Pad
Cardstock: local source
Embellishments: toothpick; MFT buttons
Colored with Copics
Layout: SCS - SC276

I've got {Ippity}, yes I do!

What's a Unity addict to do when both her KOM and new {Ippity} arrive on the same day?!?!? On the eve of Friends With Flair, no less?!?!?!? Talk about a dilemma!

In the end, I just couldn't resist using the amazing new {Ippity} set that I won from sweetie-pie and {Ippity} girl, JenMarie! Thanks, JM!

This card is doing double duty as a belated b-day card for a very dear friend who shares my love of green and orange. You know who you are! *wink*


I got a little kick out of the buttons. The purple one has a woodgrain pattern, and the lime green one is shaped like a flower. (Yes, I'm easily amused at 3 a.m. LOL!)

Hope you enjoy bopping along with all the FWF players - you can find them listed on the newly remodeled, I-didn't-think-it-could-get-any-cuter Unity Blog! Have a fab Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Image(s): {Ippity} - Where You Should Be; sentiment from Studio G clear set
Pattern Papers: Basic Grey - Sugar Rush
Cardstock: local source
Embellishments: Bag-O-Buttons - Foof-a-La; PTI twine
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Layout: SC266
Challenge: IHHC12

Oh Boy!

I am totally LOLing at myself. My very first card using an image from The Greeting Farm, and even though I have collected almost a dozen TGF rubber stamps & sets, this is a digital image! Oy vey! I have to admit, having your friends be the creators of some of the most amazing TGF cards is a bit... well, let's just say I had to muster up some courage. And what better occassion than my BIL's birthday, eh? I can totally imagine my BIL as a tot (hence the blonde hair) with this same expression of anticipation and excitement! The shimmer on the ribbons & bows is a nod to my sister, obsessed with ribbon and things that sparkle - what could be better than shimmery sheer ribbon.

I think it's safe to say with my first TGF card done, I'm over the initial hurdle and will be coloring up some more just as soon as my rather hectic schedule allows.

Happy Monday & TFL,

Image(s): The Greeting Farm
Pattern Papers: My Mind's Eye - Magnolia collection
Cardstock: Local source
Embellishments: Dew Drops
Colored with Copics and Gelly Roll Stardust Pen
Tools: Nestabilities, SU punch

Homerun Birthday!

My family is wrapping up a wonderful weekend of laughter and fun as we celebrate my dad's birthday! It started with a very fancy and delicious dinner at a favorite restaurant of ours with the best seafood ever! Yesterday, we enjoyed a rare victory by our beloved but embattled Cleveland Indians and lots of yummy ballpark food and fun. Afterward, it was time to blow out the candles and open cards & prezzies. And that's what I'd like to share with you today - my card for Dad.

I just love this simple baseball player stamp from Amuse. I tried a new-to-me technique with the Copics and love how it turned out! I used circle nesties to highlight the image to prevent it getting lost against the strong pattern paper and to keep with the baseball theme, and added a banner using part of an old SU sentiment. I sponged the edges with Night of Navy ink and think the glue dots and some gently rolling of the paper gives the impression of a banner flitting in the wind. Coordinating brown ribbon and my last 2 antique gold brads (pout & add to shopping list) provide an anchor and tie the banner to the image. Inside, I wished my dad a "birthday that's a real homerun" and just had to add a little baseball embellie that I tried to place so it looked like it was on it's way over the outfield fence. :)

I feel so blessed to have shared such a special life and a special weekend with my dad. I strive to cherish every moment with him and the rest of my family, and I wish you the same opportunity to truly savor every moment with those you love.

Have a joyous Sunday!

TFL & Hugs,

Belated #4

If patience is a virtue, I will surely be nominating dear, sweet, witty Susan for sainthood. Her b-day was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in February. I don't know why, but I had the hardest time with her card. It wasn't a lack of ideas but in actually creating the card - I believe this is attempt #3! But finally, here we have it. I had all kinds of plans for this card - another few layers, another pattern paper, more embellies, ribbon, etc. But in the end, the card demanded simplicity (first it asked nicely, but I wasn't listening - LOL!). And as it turns out, it ended up coordinating fairly well with the wrapping paper and ribbon on the accompanying gifts. (What do I know? I just make the cards. I'm not necessarily in charge...) At any rate, I hope the card conveys my wishes for Susan: a year full of happy days and time to stop and smell the flowers.

TFL,

Belated #3

This one I came close on....only 1 week (and maybe some days) late! (*I'm blogging from the corner*)


Miss Kelly's birthday was in late March. Kelly is a vibrant, fun-loving gal living with her almost too good to be true DH and 4 adorable kiddos is sunny Miami! And she *hearts* Elzy's. So when I came across this image in my stash, I just had to do her up Kelly-style with lovely golden tresses and vibrant colors!


If you've visited Kelly's blog, you know she loves sandcastles. So again to my trusty stash for this Amuse image. Kelly recently endured some remodeling at her casa, and is now settling into her new creative area. I don't know how often she'll secret herself away in there, but thought a little doorhanger would set the tone for any little visitors who come a knockin'. The exact tones of aqua were a complete guess on my part (who knew there were so many shades!), so I went for 2 shades and some shimmer! The sandy background was the real labor of love: 2 layers of pigment and another of Tim Holtz's Distress Ink, some heavy-duty sponging and a lot of heat setting later, but I was so pleased with the result!

It is much belated, my dear friend, but I am wishing you the best of everything and an abundance of blessing on your birthday and everyday. {{{hugs}}}

Belated #2

Why not keep track of all the b-days I'm behind on? Sometimes you just have to admit defeat and laugh, right? Oh, I don't mean to make light of missing someone's b-day (and hurting feelings? oh, I hope not!), I'm just laughing at myself for being so overwhelmed and unorganized. I think I've confessed before - time management and I have yet to be introduced.


This is Kadie's b-day from me card (the first was from group), which she received on Saturday - yay!!!! I had so much fun with this that I also colored up (and stickled) the same image in 2 other color themes, so you'll be seeing the rest of the "series" soon. I used my trusty Copics (love 'em more every time I use 'em), DCWV pattern paper from the Retro stack that sweetie-pie Kelly gave me for my b-day, and of course a little bling! I'm also totally into coloring my own paper flowers. These are from a pack I got at SBS2 buddy Cathy's Paper Garden store. (Btw. If you haven't visited Cathy's blog or the store, I highly recommend both! Cathy's got some serious Copic skills, and I love the deets she provides for items in the store - especially the Copics because she gives recommendations for blending colors - especially wonderful for newer Copic lovers!) I used the same colors that I used for the image. I prefer starting by coloring the back side of the paper flower - especially when using darker or stronger colors. Then, as in this case, if I need to blend colors to match what I've done on the image, I do that on the front - in this case I went over the front in the light color of my combo.

TFL! and hope you're week is off to a great start!
Hugs,

Behind on Birthdays

OMGosh! I started the year out so good with getting Judy's (JAM123 on SCS) b-day card to her on time.....and then I don't know what happened! This is Roxane's (2cutecats on SCS) card, which arrived late by at least a week. :(
On the bright side, she said she really liked it (yeah!).

I used a cupcake image I received in an Amuse swap, colored with Copics, and some yummy Basic Grey paper mixed with Bazzill CS. The turquoise ribbon is American Crafts. And of course, I had fun with my nesties!
I have definitely been stuck on cupcakes lately! Btw. this one, Judy's and the group card for Kadie! I loved the Stamping Bella image so much I just ordered it! And a giant cupcake from Unity! I smell a theme, and it smells like frosting! Heehee!
A month later and I am still playing catch up with b-day cards! *hanging head in shame* But I'm hoping to be caught up by the end of the month. *crossing fingers*
I have finally transferred pics from the digicam to the 'puter, so please stay tuned! Thanks for hanging in there with me! I so enjoy reading all your comments and getting to know you all better!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Hugs,

I think it's safe....

...to post a special friend's b-day card! A few of us went in on a gift, so this is the card I made from the group.


Here's a close-up (hey, not bad for cell phone cam, right???) just to show the effect of the Gelly Roll pen. After coloring and rejecting 3 other images, I have to say, I'm pretty happy with how this one finally turned out.

Have I mentioned that my mojo has gone MIA? It's terrible. And I have swaps galore due. Cross your inky little fingers for me that this weekend my mojo returns and I'm as productive as an elf the week before Christmas!

Hugs to all,

Happy Birthday, Judy!

I'm posting belatedly, but I am happy to report that the card actually made it to Judy (JAM123 on SCS) on time! Woohoo!