Snap - you're great!

It's always harder to think of something appropriate for a male birthday.  However, as soon as I saw the camera in the "Pun Intended" stamp set, I knew who I would be using it for.  It took a little longer to work out how to use it, but since I had been trying my hand at ink blending, I decided to go for a sunset background..

I was able to use another of the sentiments from the set on the inside of the card - Hope your Birthday is "picture perfect" !

I resisted the No Bones Stamp set for quite some time, but finally gave in, and I am so glad I did.  There have been some very clever cards made with it.  Some of them add sentiments like "old fossil" and "bag of bones", but you'd have to be on good terms with the recipient to get away with those.  

I went with the safer option on this card which was cased from Bibi Cameron. (sorry I am unable to link at the present).

Just Add a new plane

At Just Add Ink the first challenge for the year is to use something new. 

 

There are plenty of new Stampin' Up products - many of which are free during Saleabration, and my first choice was a stamp set called "Sky is the Limit" because I always need lots of cards for the guys in January.  I have already made 8 cards with this set - it is definitely a keeper.

 

This first card was for a neighbour who (obviously) is celebrating his 94th birthday, so I got to use all of the sentiments on his card.

and this is the inside:

I tried using some retired dsp for the next two cards:

 and then used the retired Cloud embossing folder on this one.

and the inside:

That should do it for male cards for now,
Cheers
Mary

Calming challenge

Black and Grey and perhaps even masculine ???  That is the challenge over at Dynamic Duos.  First thoughts were for a sympathy card but that seemed a little too obvious so I decided to work on the masculine part as well.

 

I love the latest look of the blackboard technique, so decided to make a blackboard easel card. 

 

I have always loved the Keep Calm posters and was dreadfully disappointed when Australia did not get the SU Keep Calm stamp set so I had to settle for another brand.

Stamps:  JustRite Just Keep Calm; SU Woodgrain

Card:  SU Basic Gray and Basic Black

DSP:  SU Howlstooth and Scaringbone

Ink:  Versamark; SU Basic black marker

Tools:  White embossing powder

So there we are - I think it will fit into the masculine card genre.
Mary

Thank you Karen for choosing this card as a Dynamic Darling

Seize the cat

The new challenge over at Seize the Birthday is for a masculine birthday.  I don't have much in the way of specifically male stamps but this cat caught my eye and I thought it might suffice:

Stamps:  Annabelle stamps Party Animals; SU Happiest Birthday wishes

Card:  SU Whisper white; basic grey;Tangerine tango

DSP:  SU Howlstooth and Scaringbone

Ink:  Stazon black; SU Peach Parfait marker

Tools:  Big shot; Stripe embossing folder; Basic grey striped ribbon

Meow for now,

Mary

On yer bike !

I have always thought of "on yer bike" as a piece of Aussie slang, but just 'googled' and found that it is, of course, quite probably English in origin, along with 'sling yer hook" no doubt. 
 

Many of the challenges seem to be male oriented at the moment - or maybe it just seems that way because they require a bit more thought.  However, the latest challenge at Seize the Birthday certainly is for a masculine card and this is my entry.

 

I loved the look of the "Feeling Sentimental" stamp set from SU as soon as I saw it and have managed to make quite a few cards for the guys in the last week or so.

 

Stamps:  SU Feeling Sentimental

Card:  Basic Gray

Ink:  Stazon jet black; Gumball Green

DSP:  Howlstooth and Scaringbone; Print Poetry

 

I'm still wondering if the green should have been at the bottom, but too late now because  I am pedalling off.

Mary

Just called to say hello

Hello again hello,
joining in to the The Paper Players challenge at the very last minute.

Stamps:  SU Feeling Sentimental; Pretty Petite; Happiest Birthday Wishes

Card:   SU More Mustard; Pacific Point; Naturals Ivory

Ink:   Pacific Point

Tools:  Honeycomb embossing folder

 

 

Thanks for calling,

Mary

That's the ticket

There is a new challenge at Seize the Day so since I was playing with some new toys I decided to join in.

 

 

I started with one of the great images from SU Feeling Sentimental ( a free set during Saleabration), but got a bit carried away with the ticketing!!

 

Mary 

A final fluttering

of cards to formally farewell the year.

This one was a belated birthday card but it is also very appropriate for today:

The picture was taken from a calendar which has a different picture and thought for each day of the year - they are all far too cute to throw away so I recycle them when I can.

Here are a few more of them:

I find these cards much easier to design - not just because there is little or no stamping, but more because when I am using a stamp set, I have usually seen many cards made with the stamp and in an effort not to copy/case them, I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get something original. 

Here are some of the stamped cards I have sent out in recent months:

This one uses "Jolene" by My Favorite Things.  Is it just me or does she look sad ?

The ice cream cone worked well for twins:

Tilda for a little girl:

and one for the guys - a quick one using Birthday Bash Sentiments from Papertrey!!

and I nearly forgot to add my Christmas card for 2011 - the Ornament was originally to have been very much a 3D item but time beat me and I had to settle for this version.

these were two of the cards I had originally intended to make for Christmas - not sure why I changed my mind as these seem much brighter than the one above.  Oh well ......

and a shoe or two (or three):

Funny, how they are all red - having a love affair with everything red at present.  They actually look great as I covered the red with glass finish and they look so shiny.

And last in this marathon is a teapot ( Papertrey - Tea for Two) in slightly unusual colours.

Well that's it from me.  Maybe 2012 will see me better organised with posting - that's not a resolution, just a vague hope.

Hope you have a very happy New Year and that 2012 is filled with good health and much happiness.

Mary

"If music be the food of love ..."

This card may have just awakened my motivation.  I have been using cards from my stockpile for a while now but this particular birthday required something different.  I sat down to make it on a couple of occasions but nothing happened and then suddenly I only had a couple of hours to get it done and delivered.  I knew that I wanted to try the metal foil in the cuttlebug with the music folder.  I had visualised a long landscape card with the music going across it on an angle, but of course the embossing folder is not the right shape for that ( perhaps I need SU music wheel !!).  I started with a large square card (145cm) and had chosen about six papers with a music theme which I thought would be perfect, but were in fact, too much, but this lovely paper was on the reverse of one of them and was just right.  I did have to cut the embossed image down and had to be careful to put it right way up as I can't read music.(hope I got it right).

I tried to "age" it a bit by sponging the edges, tearing and rolling the corners.  The words are computer generated, and I just had enough of the string left to tie it up.

I was quite happy with it. 

Just lately some card makers have started showing the inside of their cards which are decorated to match the front, but I have always made a conventional insert for all of my cards which I then just add something - maybe just sponging the edges or using a decorative punch on the corners - and this one is no exception.

Although  I recently received my order from the SU Mini, it is mostly untouched.  I do have however, a very large wish list of products in the new catalogue, so I need to get back to making lots of cards so I can justify my purchases.
Cheers,
Mary

Pretty Princess (in triplicate)

Pink, princess and of course, pretty - that was the request for a certain soon-to-be-6 young lady.  How easy is that when you have SU Pretty Princess stamp set?  I have used this set a few times now and wanted to do something a little different so I opted for a different shape of card.  I can't believe how long it took me to work out the final design but here it is:

Having used the scallop punch on the edges I then had to add a layer of the rose red on the inside to show off the scallops and it also required a different insert as well.

By the time I had finished fiddling with this one my patience had worn off so the next two 'spare' princesses got a somewhat basic finish:

 

I have used Pretty in Pink and Rose Red card stock and used the marker pens for colouring the images.

I had a go at making the man's shirt that I saw on "Dawn's Stamping Thoughts" - that was a bit of fun and may be handy for Fathers' Day.  designer paper is "Outlaw" from SU.

Now believe it or not this next card was not for a child !!  If I have a gift for someone I try to make a matching card.  I had a set of measuring cups in the shape of Matryoshka dolls for a friend, so this Hero Arts stamp set was the obvious way to go.

Why could I not see that sticky strip under the ribbon before I gave it away ???

That's about my lot for today - hopefully I will get time to play with my new Top Note die and the Bird Punch today.

Mary

More cards and that rabbit makes another appearance

I've been busy trying to keep up with the birthdays and I have needed quite a few male cards lately and this is what I came up with for some of them - a wine bottle!  I have made it a bit more personal by adding the recipient's name on the label and in some cases I put the year of their birth in on the vintage tag.  A nice easy one to do when you are a bit short on time and a bit different from the usual run of cards.  The insert reads: "Life has many gifts, take time to open them all."

Unfortunately I have also had to make some sympathy cards this last month - not such an enjoyable job, but this is the one I came up with - using the single bloom from the SU Bloomin' with Beauty stamp set.

It is getting harder to think of ideas for the children as they get a bit older especially when they live interstate or overseas and we don't know what they like, so this one is for a ten year old girl.  SU  Happy Moments set and Whimsical Words used here (both free sets).

And I thought I'd pop this in - not a card, but a cake for a little 4 year old fairy. LOL

Last, but not least, my very favourite rabbit makes an appearance:

and as that other rabbit used to say ...... that's all folks !