Love, love, love how this came out

 This is a customer order and I just love how it came out.  Even better???  I used some printed cardstock from my stash and I'm so happy with how it came out.  I recently acquired these dies on clearance, they are from pinkfresh studios.  I love the detail in the edges.  I had an embossing folder that mimicked the patterned paper.  I love everything about this card.  I hope the client does too.  I highly enjoy customization, whether it be a name, event, or favorite of the recipient.  

I used one of my favorite fonts in cricut DS to create the name and used an SNTB (my preferred alcohol marker, spectrum noir triblend) to give an ombre look to it.  This card gives me Tina Smith vibes over on Cards and Coffee Time on youtube.  She is fabulous and an inspiration to me.  Everything she makes is lovely.  

The flowers are made from a spellbinders die from the cinch and go collection.  I love it when a plan comes together.  

#SUYSJul2023

 I made my version of the show us your sheet load from Call me Crafty Al on youtube.  She puts out a sketch every month for us to use as inspiration.  I used the shee tload this month to make these note cards.  I used a paper pad from hobby lobby and various items in my stash to complete the focal points.  I used Cricut design space to cut the large bees. This sheet load gives you 12 cards if you're looking to build your stash.  Go check her out.  

And another one grows up

 One of my very long-time friend's 2nd daughter graduated from high school.  Although I haven't gotten to know her as an older child, I knew much of her a small child.  I have had the privilege of watching her grow through photos on facebook and celebrate her accomplishments in athletics.  Her parents are dear to me, and I miss the time we used to get to spend together.  I'm thankful social media allows me to keep up a little on their lives.  She is off to college in the fall and I have no doubts she's do amazing! 

Double D fold

 There are some cards that I see that I just have to try immediately.  Being that my hubby would be working 12 hour shifts the following three days I knew I had to give this card a try before my time was solely focused on my family.  I have a friend whose husband passed away today.  I knew he was entering hospice care and made this card for her.  Sadly, he passed before I got it in the mail, but I'll still send it to her.  She's a precious lady and has been a comfort to me for so many years.  

I saw this card on Sam Calcott's youtube channel.  It was quick and easy to create...seriously. It took me longer to choose papers than to make the actual card.  

Happy Anniversary

 I was asked by a friend for an anniversary card for her son and DIL.  I also know the happy couple and really wanted to infuse their personalities into the card. 

I enjoy a fun fold card.  I love fun folds and large cards.  This is a full 8.5 x 11 card side stepper card.  Meaning I used a full sheet of cardstock to create the card base.  

I used a new to me moon stencil and four colors of ink to create the moon.  I cut the sitting couple with my cricut, twice, because I made the first one too big.  I cut the grass (not sure if it can be seen on the second step) from DS as well.

The fencing is a die I have and I cut 5 of those to create the fence line.  I ink blended the night sky background and splattered with shimmer pen for stars.  The pick up truck is the truckin' through the seasons die and add ons from Spellbinders.

The heart shaped wood slice is a Tim Holtz die set that includes a round slice and the letters as well.  I got it on clearance at Hobby Lobby last year and this is my first time using it.  I LOVE how it turned out.  

This card tried to take me down.  I had to make the base twice.  Cut the couple 6 times.  Smeared white paint on the couple.  Cut one of the fence posts with a pair of scissors accidentally. And, I wrinkle the top of the truck so badly I had to cut and piece in another one.  This card took me roughly three hours and it was worth every minute.  I hope they love it!!!

OH Baby

 This is one of my favorite styles of card to make.  I love a shaped or fun fold card and I love building a cute little scene.  This card was an order from a friend for her first grandchild's baby shower.  I just had to wing it with size for the "chest of drawers" and I used brads to create the knobs. I used cricut DS to creat the crib, rug, clothes and stacking toy.  I used a puffy plush sticker for the teddy bear.  I strung letter beads together to create the baby's name at the bottom.  I've made one other card similar to this in the past and I love how cute it is.  I always thing to myself I should just make up several of them for boy, girl, and gender neutral to have on hand and I can add the details later.  The buttons on the dress are acutal teeny tiny buttons I've had for YEARS in my stash, aren't they the cutest??  

When a card goes sideways

 and by that I mean WRONG.  I can't tell you how many layers are under that embossed panel, but I can tell you, it's A LOT.  I just kept cutting wrong, and wrong, and wrong again.  I almost threw it away.  I also can tell you it took me way too long to put together.  I am happy with the final product...but sheesh...

I used spellbinders kaleidoscope flower dies, a butterfly die from Anna Griffin that I purchased at a yard sale several years ago, and the sentiment is a cut apart from a paper rose pre-printed sentiment sheet set. I used gems from my stash to embellish the center of the flowers.I used a stitched circle die from my stash as the landing place for my focal images. Like I said, it took me a long time to finish but I'm pleased, overall, with the turn out.  

Still trying to use up tiny butterflies...

 I really liked the way this card turned out and wanted to take a shot at making it more my own.  I'm not sure I've succeeded, but I do like how it turned out.  I changed the banner up, choosing a different one from Design Space.  I added some twine, and the sentiment is from an old stampin up set in my stash.  I used some 5x7 wonky stitched rectangles to cut the focal patterned paper.  I added stickles to the butterflies to add some sparkle and shine.  It feels so plain, but I really wanted the patterned paper to shine.  

A very special birthday card

 I have a special friend who has a daughter about to celebrate a birthday,  and their entire family is very precious to me.  I was invited to join a card drive to send her daughter 100 birthday cards.  This was my first attempt at a pop up wave card that Sam Calcott recently demonstrated on her mixed up craft youtube channel. She is pretty much a card engineering genius and also has her own line of card making products called made to surprise.  What I love about her, is she keeps bringing great content to her channels even though she has her own line of products.  Go check her out for some unique cards that are stunning!  

Her card features flowers and mine features butterflies.  I used my Spellbinders Bibi's butterfly collection along with the paper rose tiny butterfly dies. This is a 5 X 7 card and is held closed with a belly band.  I used papers from my stash and embellished the tiny butterflies with some gems.  The big birthday sentiment is a die from The Stamps of life. 

I love the colors and think this card turned out beautifully, I know my sweet friend will love it!

Trying to use what's on my desk...

 I can't get enough of these tiny butterfly dies.  The detail in them are just amazing.  Bonus, they are TINY! They have become a little set that I keep handy to use as needed, because you know I love butterflies. 

I was working on a very special birthday card and had these tiny butterflies left over and they just called out to be used.  I also had a 5.5 x 5.5 botched card base, so I cut it down to 5 x 5 and away I went. I also have several sheets of the background paper which is covered in butterflies.  It's just so lovely.  I used my hemstitch square dies from Spellbinders. I added a candy heart from honey bee stamps and pops of color from scrapbook.com to embellish.  The stamp is one I've had for probably 15 years.  Again, these tiny butterflies are a die set by Paper Rose that I purchased at Scrapbook.com.

When I don't love the outcome

 I really dislike working on a project and not being happy with the finished product.  I fiddled futzed with this card forever adding detail after detail. I thought it was going to be something I really loved, but I just don't.  I hope whoever I wind up sending it to enjoys it anyway.  Once again, I was working with a pre-made card base given to me by a friend many, many years ago.  

When it doesn't turn out like you thought, but turns out

 I had this idea of creating an influx of butterflies coming from the bottom of the card and spreading out.  I knew I wanted an embossed background too.  I have a plethora of these green acetate butterflies and I thought I could achieve that.  You know how it goes though, it did not come to fruition in the way that I thought and I spent entirely too much time situating those butterflies, but I was finally ok with the result of the card and I know the recipient loved it.  I made this an A7 card.  The sentiment is from an old Anna Griffin die set that I got at a yard sale a few years ago.  

#3

 This is the final card I made with the first sheet of squares.  I just love how all these cards turned out and I sent them all in the mail the day after I made them.  Hope you enjoyed them and I really hope the recipients enjoy getting them.

#2

 So, I have these square kraft envelopes that I got on clearance many, many years ago.  They didn't come with cards, but when this girl finds a clearance deal on envelopes, I rarely pass it by.  This was card #2 from my last post and those squares that kept teasing me.  Same concept, but different layout and design.

This card has also been sent to a friend the day after I made it.  One of my favorite verses inside.

Those squares just kept staring back at me

 I have been gifted many items over the years as friends and family have learned of my cardmaking therapy, love, obsession, part time hustle.  At me desk, I kept seeing these pre-cut squares just begging to be put into a card.  I pulled them out and got to work. 

There were two identical sets and I just had to pull them apart.  I divided the first sheet into three color groupings.  Although, they all match, I picked ones with colors that were most similar to each other. This is the first card I came up with.

I dry embossed the background panel with a 3D embossing folder from Spellbinders.  I used what could possibly be one of my favorite die sets, those tiny butterflies, for each square.  They are a die set from paper rose and there are six different etched butterflies.  SO detailed and delicate.  I stamped the sentiment from a stamp simply stamp set.  I also added some distress ink to the background panel to be cohesive with the look of the squares.  I love how it turned out.  Scraps but not scraps.  I also added a bible verse inside the card on another one of the squares.  This card has already gone out in the mail!

Come back in a couple days to see Card #2 in this series!