Masculine Birthday

It's so great to be stamping again... I sure missed it. And I'm so excited to be playing with some new things that just came available, like the Watercolor Pencils that I used to color this guitar. I have always loved watercoloring, and these pencils certainly don't disappoint!

This card was made for my father-in-law using Country Livin' and Guy Greetings. The embossing folder on this one is long retired, but I found this piece of Crumb Cake in my scrap bin, and since it looked so great with this card, I hoped you'd all forgive me. :) Truly, it could be embossed with just about anything and still look great.

Hugs,
Michele

Classic Father's Day

I told you I'd make time to show these to you! I have 4 fathers to make cards for... actually, I could count a couple more that I'd like to send cards to, but these 4 are the highest priority. I pulled out a set that has never seen ink before... Classic Sketches, and made these 4 classic cards!

The Plum one is for Michael... purple is his favorite color.

The Pumpkin one is for my dad because orange is his favorite color.

This Brocade one is for Michael's dad (I don't actually know what his favorite color is, but blue will have to do!).

And this Moss one is for Michael's step-dad (again, have no idea what his favorite color is, but I had to choose something other than purple, orange, or blue!).

As you can see, they are all made basically the same with just some color variations. They are all in the mail and I am happy that they will be on time!! Are yours?!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Sanded Background, Classic Sketches, Teeny Tiny Wishes (NEW! for 2009!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Vintage Brads
Tools: Stamping Sponge, Modern Label Punch (NEW! for 2009!)

Finally!! A New Card...

It may not be one of my best... it's very simple, but it's a new card from me none-the-less. I have so many thank you's to send out - the neighbors up here have been wonderful! I used some cards that I already had made up, but one of my neighbors (Ed) deserved a special masculine version. Ed plowed our driveway twice during the big storm when we first arrived. He was a true lifesaver! So I pulled out whatever supplies I have managed to find so far and whipped this up for him.

You'll notice that I had to use some patterned paper from LONG ago... I'm not even going to look up what it is... it's so old that it's not even double-sided. I haven't yet unearthed my new DSPs (the horror!), so I thought this would do the trick. I was hoping that I could be forgiven given the circumstances. :)

This stamp comes from the new Totally Tool set... I think that's the name of it - it's late and I'm so tired that I haven't the energy to look it up either. Gee, Colorado has made me lazy! Leave me a comment if I got it wrong, please. In any case, I'm glad this one was at the top of the box I opened, otherwise, good ole' Ed might've gotten a thank you card with a big blue bird on it.

Now, just because I've made this one card, please don't expect the floodgates of Michele's creativity to burst open and drown you all... quite the contrary. I began homeschooling the kids on Monday and between teaching them and corralling my 2 year old, it's proving to take up most of my allotted daily energy! I'm ready to hit the bed as soon as I turn out their lights. Ah well, maybe it's the elevation. :)

Hugs to all,

Card Recipe (and no high-altitude instructions necessary):
Stamp Set: Totally Tool
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, and some unknown DSP from L-O-N-G ago... anything will work, just make it match.
Accessories: Linen Thread

Happy Birthday, Iain!

Moving Update: Michael and I went to Denver this weekend and looked at a dozen or so houses... and I think we may have found the one we want. There's still a ways to go before we can make it "ours", but we'll be taking those steps very soon because if things go as currently planned, we need to be out of our current house by the middle of April... Eeeeeeeek!! Needless to say, my posts over the next few weeks will become VERY sparse. Keep us in your prayers that things continue to go smoothly.

Now onto a card... My dear Scottish friend Audrey's husband Iain (did you follow that?!) just had a birthday and here's the card I sent to him...

Iain loves a good beer, and "Cheers" is such a Scottish thing to say... hence, Cheers to You was the perfect set to use!

I'm going to keep this post short because we're headed for Hawaii for Michael's club trip with work. I know I should be excited about that - and I am - but it's our 4th time there (isn't he fantastic?!), and I've got a lot of other things on my mind at the moment! ...namely, a house in Evergreen, Colorado that hopefully has our name written all over it!

Aloha!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Cheers to You, Sanded background
Ink: Black StazOn, Basic Gray
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Summer Sun, Bordering Blue, Whisper White
Accessories: Clips Assortment
Tools: Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Photo Corners punch,Curly Label punch

Michael's Valentine

Since Michael's still out of town, I thought it a good time to get his Valentine done... the heck with the packing, right?! When I saw the Hit the Road set in the new catalog, it was first on my list of things to get. And that's saying a lot when there was about 87 things on my list. (...there was actually more than that, but I don't want to sound greedy).

I knew this one would be perfect for our family since my husband is a cyclist. He's even turned our older boys into cyclists, and Maddox is a pro on the unicycle (just kidding). But since we're going to be "hitting the road" soon... here's his 6" x 6" Valentine:

I have to mention that this whole Colorado move was Michael's idea... and being as how I've kept him here in Texas for 17 years, it's time I take my fingernails out of the porch railing and let him lead the way out. Actually, I don't have a porch railing... maybe the more appropriate phrase would be "it's time I take the padlock off my stamp room door"... In any case, on the inside of this card, I put a note about how "I'd follow you anywhere!" (Those suitcases are filled with stampin' supplies, by the way.)

This is actually 3 different stamps - the truck, the suitcases, and the bicycle. I wanted to get the suitcases AND the bicycle on the top of the truck, so I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig and masked the suitcases so I could get the bike behind them. This means I stamped the suitcases onto the truck first, then stamped them onto some scratch paper, cut them out, and then laid them on the final stamped image so they would be "protected" when I stamped the bicycle. I used my Watercolor Wonder Crayons for the most part, but in spots where I wanted more vibrant color, I grabbed some ink right from the ink pad lids.

And what about that gorgeous Designer Series Paper?! It's from the Rockabilly Specialty pack, and it's gorgeous! The stripes are glossy, so it adds dimension and texture with no effort at all.

Well, folks, I best get back to these boxes... if Michael comes home and sees I've locked myself in here all week, I'll have some splainin' to do.

Card Recipe:Stamp Set: Hit the RoadInk: Black StazOn, Old Olive, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Basic Black, Chocolate ChipCardstock: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Watercolor Paper, Rockabilly DSPAccessories: Riding Hood Red Striped grosgrain ribbonTools: Heart to Heart punch, Cutter Kit, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Dimensionals

Goodbye, Mr. Torres

One of Mason's teachers has resigned and today is his last day. This was sad news for us, as Mason has enjoyed being in his class... his first male teacher! I created a quick card to wish him well... it only took about 15 minutes to make this card - from designing it to actually creating it! That doesn't happen very often, but everything just seemed to fall into place on this one. Love it when that happens. In any case, here's what I made:

I am starting to really like these little Library Clips! Especially for masculine cards. It was so hard to refrain from putting some ribbon on here somewhere, but once I popped that clip on, the need for ribbon just vanished! The tree image was colored lightly with Stampin' Pastels and a dauber. And since the card base is so dark, I attached another piece of Naturals Ivory to the inside so I could write him a note.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Lovely as a Tree, Live Your Dream
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Black StazOn
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Naturals Ivory
Accessories: Library Clip
Tools: The Tearing Edge, Dimensionals, Stampin' Pastels

EJ's Birthday

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm sure several of you are seeing your kids go back to school like me... I am both happy & sad about it. We had a good break, and I actually think I'm going to miss them! Ah, well, I've got the 2-year old to keep me company! :)

Over the weekend, we went to my brother's house to celebrate the birthday of my oldest nephew (EJ) who just turned 19. Here is the card I made for him:

It felt great to sit back down at my stamp table and create something brand new from my own imagination! I know EJ likes purple (college colors), so that's where I started. I also knew I wanted to add some hardware - that always makes for a great masculine card, and I love a good excuse to use an adorable little Library Clip! The rest just fell together, but I made a point to include his name since it was easy. The combination of the Cute & Curly stamp set and the Cute & Curly punch creates a fabulous element! I think he liked it... well, he said, "That's cool, Aunt Miki!", so I guess I did alright.

Have a fabulous week, everyone!!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Classic Stripes background, A Little Birthday Cheer, Cute & Curly, Classic Alphabet (retired)
Ink: Versamark, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive
Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: Linen Thread, Eyelets, Library Clips
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, Curly Label punch, Word Window punch, Stamping Sponge

Another New Beginning!

Happy New Year, everyone! Once again, I find myself re-examining my life, my priorities, my attitudes... you name it, I'm examining it! The good news is that I've made several new discoveries which lead to new decisions about how I want my life in 2009 to look. I won't bore you with the details, but I hope that you, too, have taken some time to reflect on the past and ponder how you'd like to impact the future by what you can do today and throughout 2009!

I have some important masculine birthdays that always creep up on me the first week of the new year... I typically don't get their cards mailed off in time, but I always think about these special men (my father-in-law for one!) on their special day. Here is a card that I made for these guys - and in order to dust off my stamp table from the long holiday sabbatical and ease my way back into card-making, I CASEd this one from my good friend, Marelle:

The photo doesn't do this card justice for some reason, but it really is a rich, beautiful look. It says Happy Birthday on the inside. On the envelope, I also stamped "...and you thought I forgot" from A Little Birthday Cheer just for fun!

Again, Happy New Year, and I hope you're off to a great start!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: En Francais, Upsy Daisy, Sweet Sampler, A Little Birthday Cheer
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze, Naturals Ivory
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Stamping Sponge

Dad's Birthday

September is always a busy month for me... I've got my oldest son's birthay, my brother's birthday, my dad's birthday, and my own anniversary. I guess with all these masculine birthdays, I ought to make Michael a really frilly anniversary card, huh? Yeah, he'd really appreciate that. Not. :) In any case, here is what I made for my dad:

I must begin by telling you that my dad's favorite color is... well, ORANGE! So I made him a very orange card! Pumpkin, actually, but orange none-the-less. I love to send cards that are completely OBVIOUS that they were handmade with that particular person's tastes in mind. I know that when my dad opens this envelope, there will be no doubt in his mind that I made this card specifically for him!

This is a new stamp set called Inspired by Nature, and it's one of the free sets we received at Convention. All of these new silhouette stamps are so neat - and they make for some really simple cards! There is only one color of ink used on this card. Chocolate Chip. Yup, that's it! There's stamping, sponging, and even some smearing on the faux leather strip... all done in Chocolate Chip. Faux leather is one of my favorite masculine looks, and it's super easy to do. Take some Chocolate Chip cardstock and wad it up like you were going to throw it away. Really work it in... the more you "weather" it, the better it looks. Then open it back up and do some direct-to-paper on it to accentuate the creases. This is where you hold the ink pad and rub it over the edges and some of the creases. You'll want to secure it to your card front with Glue Dots instead of Snail since the creases will have an extra "pull" on it. Easy-peasey!

You can also see a smidgen of the inside where I adhered a panel of Confetti Cream so I could write Dad a note. I typically do this when the base color I've chosen is too dark to see any writing... especially for an old guy like my Dad! :)

Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you! -Miki

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Inspired by Nature, A Little Birthday Cheer
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Confetti Cream, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Linen Thread
Tools: Designer Label punch, Stamping Sponge

My Brother's Birthday

My brother Mark's birthday is Friday, and I just love to send him cards because he's not really the "sentimental" kinda guy. But when he sees me, he always smiles and says, "Thanks for the card, Mik" (my childhood name is Miki)... and that twinkle in his eye when he says it tells me that he really does appreciate the personal touch. You may remember the last card I made for him when he got a new job... well, here's his birthday card:

He likes old trucks, so I decided to go ahead and watercolor this one on Whisper White cardstock with an Aquapainter and the Bravo Burgundy ink pad lid. Normally, I don't like a "rough" look like this - the combination of that cardstock with straight ink doesn't allow hardly any play, as it dries almost instantly. But I think it looks simply charming on this old truck! See, there's a time for everything, isn't there?! I will also mention that to get a nice soft shadow, I used my Stampin' Pastels... I used the Basic Black ink pad lid on the tires and didn't want the shadow to be that dark. Here's a closer look at the truck:

I also made a pure knot in the ribbon which looks a bit more masculine than a normal "bow" with tails. You may also notice some of the now retired Print Pattern background on the Night of Navy... I had several of these bases already stamped for an earlier project that never panned out, so I'm still trying to use them up. They make good bases for masculine cards.

So, happy birthday, big brother! --Miki

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Loads of Love, Think Happy Thoughts, Classic Stripes background
Ink: Night of Navy, Black StazOn, Bravo Burgundy, Basic Black, Versamark
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Old Olive, Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White, Parisian Summer DSP
Accessories: Night of Navy Narrow Grosgrain ribbon, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Silver Brads
Tools: Aquapainter, Stampin' Pastels, Photo Corners punch, 1-3/4", 1-3/8", 1-1/4", 3/4" Circle punches

Cheers to Mark!

My brother, Mark, just got a great new job and I wanted to send him a card to congratulate him. Nothing suits the occasion better than a nice, cold mug of beer!!

This card was made with a couple new things - the Classic Stripes background stamp and the new Cheers to You stamp set! Love it! Not only can you make masculine cards like this, you also have some girl-y martini glasses, tropical drink glasses, and some elegant champaign glasses! I can see this for invitations for girls night out, luaus, wedding cards, New Years cards, and more! What a fun set. Just knew I had to have it!

If you notice the old Print Pattern in the background on the Night of Navy, it's only because I stamped like 50 of those a while back for a project that never panned out... I'm still trying to use them up!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Classic Stripes background, Cheers to You
Ink: Black StazOn, Versamark, Night of Navy
Cardstock: Night of Navy, More Mustard, Bordering Blue, Confetti White
Accessories: Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, More Mustard Narrow Grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Designer Label Punch, Photo Corners Punch, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Stamping Sponge

Happy Fathers Day

I hope everyone had a glorious Father's Day! We sure did... the weather was beautiful (HOT, but beautiful), and we were all together. Just me and all my boys (Michael included)! Here is the card I gave to Michael today:

Oh, it felt so good to do some watercoloring! And this is absolutely one of my favorite sets to watercolor... it's called Summer By the Sea, and although it's not currently in the catalog, it IS still available. It costs $28.95 and includes 6 gorgeous stamps. Here's a close-up of the watercoloring:

Now, one of the other stamps I used on this card is the Flannel Plaid background stamp - a wonderful one to use on masculine cards. But I must mention that it is one of the stamps included on the Retiring List that was just posted today. I will be posting that list in just a little bit... but for now, let me give you the full recipe for this card:

Stamp Sets: Summer by the Sea, Flannel Plaid
Ink: Night of Navy Craft, Brocade Blue Classic, Black StazOn
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Brocade Blue, Watercolor Paper
Accessories: Linen Thread, Bravo Burgundy Eyelets, Clear Embossing Powder
Tools Used: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Crop-a-Dile, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer, Heat Tool, Stamping Sponge, Cutter Kit

Now I will post the retirement list... stay tuned!

Girls Club Project #2

Don't forget that my next Girls Club Workshop is this Saturday (May 31st) from 2-4pm! I already showed you the Wallet we will complete... here's another little gift for Dad that we'll be making:

It's quick and simple, and what Dad doesn't like peanuts?! In addition to the two projects I have already shown, we will be making one more thing... I'll share it here on my blog as soon as it's finished.

As a reminder, my Girls Club Workshops are open to girls ages 8-15 and they may attend alone or with their mom (or aunt, sister, grandmother... etc). The cost is $10 per child, or $15 for a mother/daughter pair. I provide all supplies with the exception of basic adhesive. I also recommend the girls bring a pair of straight scissors so they don't have to wait to share mine. If you haven't signed your daughter (and yourself!) up, time is running out! I do still have a few seats left, and I'd love to have you join us!

Girls Club Project!

Yesterday I showed you what the girls did for Mom... here is what we're going to do for Dad! ...but let me start out by saying that this BRILLIANT idea is NOT MINE! I got this pattern from Lorri Heiling over at Dream Big. I knew as soon as I saw this that I would have to CASE it!

Mine looks almost identical to Lorri's on the outside, but because I will be dealing with young girls, I had to simplify her design. Instead of doing the paper piercing and faux stitching, I just used a black marker to make dashed lines. Because of this, I also used Close to Cocoa cardstock instead of Chocolate Chip so you could see the "stitching" better.

The inside of my wallet is very different - again, I simplified it, but I actually prefer the look of this window - complete with transparency film and all! What Dad doesn't want to carry around a picture of his little girl in his wallet?! ...but since I don't have any little girls to use for an example, you'll have to imagine my little hockey player with pig-tails and bows. :o)

I only included one pocket in mine, and the girls can choose to either get Dad a gift card (Home Depot, Starbucks, a movie theatre, his favorite restaurant, a golf pro or tackle shop, etc.) or they can slip in a personal hand-written note. There is even room on the pocket to sign their name.

This is only one of the projects we'll be making this month... I am not finished with the rest. But who can resist coming JUST for this wallet?! The workshop is on Saturday, May 31st from 2-4pm. Girls ages 8-15 are welcome to attend either alone, or with Mom. The cost is $10 per child, or $15 for a Mother/Daughter pair if Mom wants to make the projects too. Contact me right away to save your seat!

EDITED TO ADD: I have completed an Instruction Sheet for this project! Visit my Instruction Sheet Archive to learn more... this project can be found with "My Other Cards".

Another Great Grad

One of Michael's wonderful cousins (who was one of our ring bearers when he was just a little bitty guy!) is now graduating from college, so it was another perfect opportunity to pull out the fun new Great Grads stamp set! Here is the card I made just for him.

I have always loved the masculine color combination of Not Quite Navy and Old Olive, paired up with a little bit of Basic Black. This turned out even better than I expected and I think I like it more each time I look at it. I need to hurry up and make another one so I can have one to keep since this one will be mailed off very soon... and if you like it and would like to make it too, I have added it to my Instruction Sheet Archive. There you will find several of my cards (some recent, some not-so-recent) and each one has an Instruction Sheet which will tell you everything you need to know (dimensions, supplies, step-by-step instructions, etc.) on how to make that card.

For this card, I stamped the Print Pattern background on the Not Quite Navy base using Versamark ink. The Old Olive layer has the words embossed using Versamark and clear powder - what a statement that makes! For the circle emblem, I had to use my Coluzzle since it was too big for any of the Circle punches. Then I did some layering with the 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" Circle punches. The sentiment across the bottom was done in Not Quite Navy ink. I thought I was going to do it in Basic Black, but it didn't look right. None-the-less, while I was playing with the Black, I saw a teaching opportunity, so I snapped a photo and I'll share it with you anyway. Take a look at this:

If I WERE to have used Basic Black for that element, this is a clear picture of which ink I would've used. The one on the top is Basic Black CRAFT ink, while the one on the bottom is Basic Black CLASSIC ink. It's quite obvious that on a solid image like this, that the Basic Black Classic ink can look purple-y. This isn't the case with other colors, of course, but I wanted you to see the difference in case you ever need to stamp something solid using black ink. The trick is to either use StazOn or Craft ink. Basic Black Classic ink is fine for outlines, but not good for solid images such as this.

Okay, back to the card... after stamping that sentiment, I trimmed it with scissors and then I used a couple of Black brads to secure it over some of the wonderful new Old Olive Twill ribbon that is tied all the way around the card. I love that stuff! Hope they'll have more in the new catalog!

Jordan, congratula... Wait a minute. There's absolutely no way he'll be reading this so why am I trying to finish with a comment to him?! Ah well... I'll put it in the card. :o)

Sympathy

A good friend of ours lost his father recently, and I wanted to make a masculine sympathy card. This is what I came up with.

The base is Always Artichoke, with a layer of Chocolate Chip and then Kraft. The Kraft is stamped with the Sanded background and I embossed one of the trees from Lovely As a Tree with Always Artichoke craft ink and clear powder. I chose the "memories" sentiment from Define Your Life as opposed to the more typical "sympathy" saying... I felt it more fitting in this situation as he has a lot of memories with his dad. I added some Chocolate Chip wide Grosgrain ribbon along with a couple pieces from my Hodgepodge Hardware set - something about adding hardware always makes a card more masculine.

I'm Headed Seaside!

Well friends, I'm heading out of town to sink my toes into the beautiful white sand of Hawaii ...so I thought these cards would be a fitting post to leave you with!

I made both of these using the gorgeous new Seaside stamp set - one that begs to be watercolored! I created them for my Watercolor Wonder Club training class I held last Thursday night. The four ladies in the club all came over to practice using their new Watercolor Wonder Crayons. This was among 4 cards we made (you'll be seeing the others in the coming days), and it is a good example of how even masculine cards can be watercolored!

I made this starfish card to send to my dearest friend Audrey's husband for his birthday. (Audrey, you're getting a sneak peek!) One of the things that makes these cards so masculine is, of course, the use of browns, but also the faux leather strip - which is actually just wadded up Chocolate Chip paper that has been flattened back out! The base color on both cards is Chocolate Chip with a layer of Creamy Caramel on top. I randomly stamped a couple of the shells onto the Creamy Caramel piece using Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel ink, and then sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa ink. The sentiments came from All Holidays and Sincere Salutations and were stamped with Chocolate Chip ink. I used the Crop-a-Dile to add a couple of Antique eyelets to the faux leather strip so I could tie on some Linen Thread.

The main image was stamped with black StazOn ink onto Watercolor paper (the BEST paper when you're going to use several different colors since it absorbs the water so nicely). They were colored using the Earth Elements set of Watercolor Wonder Crayons using an Aquapainter. Then the edges were roughed up using the Cutter Kit. Here's a close-up of one of the shells:

It is my intention to find a computer somewhere on the island where I can sneak in and say hello a couple times while I'm away... but I do hope you'll forgive me if the sun and sand and sea keep me away for too long. :o)

Aloha!

Lovely As A Tree

I had two special masculine birthdays to make cards for, so I pulled out my new Lovely as a Tree set (not new to the catalog, but new to me). I've seen so many beautiful cards made with this set and I couldn't wait to give it a go myself. I am not 100% satisfied with these, but after spending too much time staring at them, I had to just call them finished and get them in the mail - they were both late as it was!

This first one uses the Le Jardin DSP on a Mellow Moss base. The trees were stamped with Basic Brown on Naturals Ivory cardstock layered onto Chocolate Chip. Then I used my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter to give them some subtle (hard to see in the photo) color. Masculine cards always beg for hardware, and I welcome the opportunity to pull out my Hodgepodge Hardwarde tin! I've never really used these buckles, but they were a lot of fun to play with... just the touch I was looking for on this wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon. The sentiment comes from Sincere Salutations, inked in Always Artichoke and punched with the large oval punch.

I got a little experimental on this second one. I stamped the trees with black Craft ink onto Watercolor paper and then embossed them with clear powder. Then I lightly brushed some color on with the Aquapainter and Watercolor Wonder Crayons to give the appearance of a sunset. Using watercolor paper is SO much nicer than any of the other natural paper... it gives you a lot more flexibility and allows you to blend the color better. Here's a closer look:

I roughed up the edges of the watercolor paper with my fingernail... I WOULD'VE used my handy Cutter Kit that has a fantastic distressing tool, but it has gone MIA. I miss it... well, my FINGERNAILS miss it most! The base cardstock is Always Artichoke and the sentiment comes from All Holidays. The ribbon on top comes from the Sherbet ribbon originals and I layered that on top of the wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain and secured them both with brads. Again, I added a buckle because a bow just doesn't seem right on a man's card!

Early January birthdays are so hard to be on time for, don't you agree?! After Christmas and New Years, I always feel like I should be done celebrating for awhile... but there's ALWAYS something to celebrate, right?! So there's ALWAYS a reason to create a beatiful card! And better late than never... I suppose.

Father's Day

Have you made your Father's Day card yet? Here's another one I came up with using the "Artifacts" set (it's my favorite masculine set).


Pictured with it is the Navy Organdy ribbon and the two Watercolor Wonder Crayons I used to color the star. Watercoloring is, by far, one of my favorite things to do. If you've never tried it, you really should... it's been described by many as "therapeutic"! Now who among us couldn't use a little watercolor therapy?? (I promise it's way cheaper than the other kinds!) If you're interested in learning to watercolor, let me know so I can send you the information on my watercoloring club.

Supplies used:
"Artifacts" stamp set
"All Year Cheer II" stamp set
Bordering Blue cardstock
Chocolate Chip cardstock and ink
"Sentimental Journey" Designer Series Paper
Night of Navy ink
Stamping Sponges
StazOn ink
VersaMark ink
Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Rich Regals)
Aquapainter
Hodgepodge Hardware - Aged Copper
Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon
Navy Narrow Organdy ribbon
Stampin' Dimensionals
Mini Glue Dots (to adhere the Chocolate ribbon)

Thanks to all who have been visiting my blog regularly! You may not have noticed, but I have added a subscription option down the left side. If you type in your e-mail address and follow the prompts, you will receive an e-mail whenever I add a new entry. Oh, and when you visit, take a moment to leave me a comment - I'd love to hear your thoughts. Now... go get your Father's Day cards made and mailed before it's too late!

Gearing Up For Dad!

Well, the Girls Club was a hit - again! They loved their little books (pictured in the previous entry) and this is the Father's Day card they made (it says "Happy Father's Day" on the inside). What fun! They were full of energy and enthusiasm and did a fantastic job on their projects! The next one will be in early July (date TBA) and they've already given me their requests for what to do next... I'll keep you posted!

And for us big kids... don't you need a Father's Day card too? Well, never fear. We're making one this Tuesday evening (June 5th) at the Stamp-a-Stack along with two other designs for a total of 12 cards! If you haven't been to one, you really should come see what you're missing! Give me a holler to get signed up!

Supplies for this card:
"Artifacts" stamp set
"Genuine Article" stamp set
"Expressive Flexible Phrases" stamp set
"All Year Cheer II" stamp set
Buckaroo Blue cardstock and ink
So Saffron cardstock
Sentimental Journey Designer Series Paper
Chocolate Chip ink
Close to Cocoa ink
Chocolate grosgrain ribbon
Tag punch
Horizontal Slot punch
Stampin' Dimensionals