The Z-Fold Card

This weekend I made cards with a different kind of fold than the traditional fold.   I retrieved a card having a Z-fold from my stash, and I was pleased when I was able to copy the measurements from the stashed away card to make several new cards.   I made some long-needed Get Well cards in addition to the card shown below.   This card is actually a duplicate of the one I pulled from my stash.  I was down to one in the stash, which meant that more needed to be made. 

 

 

Above is the card shown when closed.   Below is the card open.  

I like the quote contained inside this card.  "An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth."  (Bonnie Friedman)   

Today I also made several cards (mostly Thank You) to donate to a local charity which I hope to visit next weekend.   More on that on my next post.  

In the Mood for Spring

Over the weekend I changed my table runner from poinsettias (yes, that would be Christmas) to St. Patrick's Day.   This got me in the mood for making St. Patty's Day cards.   After pouring over several card ideas on Split Coast Stampers, I decided on one design that I wanted to try to duplicate.   My card looks pretty similar with only a couple of changes.   I say "try" to duplicate because nine times out of ten, I lack one or several key items needed to duplicate a particular card design.  

Voila!   I love my finished card!   How about you?  I used gold brads on the right side of the card (intent was to mimic gold coins), and I used a very detailed embossing image (lattice) on the centered green card stock.  I also love the Celtic Knots patterned paper that underlies the embossed image. 

I enjoyed this past weekend, having had the opportunity not only to make cards but also to spend some time with a dear friend.    As I made this set of St. Patrick's Day cards, I pondered how blessed I am to have my pets, friends, & family!   I also learned a valuable lesson.  As I sat down to begin making the cards, I thought to myself, "Ah, I don't need a bone folder.   I'll just use my thumb to fold cards."  Well, not only are the folds not crisp (as they would have been, had I used a bone folder), but also I sustained a cut to my thumb as a result of using it repeatedly to fold and rub the paper!  Lesson learned!  Next time, I will use a bone folder. 

Before I go, you might have noticed the long time span between this and my last post of April 2013.   I will try my best not to allow so much time between future posts.   Thank you for stopping by, and have a safe and Happy St. Patrick's Day on March 17th!

Anniversary & Vintage - Always a Challenge

While I love the look of vintage, I rarely make that style of cards myself.   It just so happened last evening that I needed some anniversary cards for some upcoming celebrations.   So, I came up with the following (very, very simple) vintage-style anniversary card.   This is a first for me.   I combined two challenges into one.   (I am usually challenged at anniversary cards for some reason.)  

 

Below, you see three different card views.   The top view doesn't allow you to appreciate the stamping I did (two-step, meaning that I first stamped the image onto another sheet of paper and then stamped the lower-toned image onto the green card stock), though I think the sponging (done in Old Olive) shows well.   I sponged both the die-cut doily and edges of the green card stock.   I added one of my all-time favorites of Stampin' Up!'s brads (vintage) to the center of the doily.    I then stamped a vintage image onto the bottom part of the card's inside.   So, if you have an anniversary coming soon, you may see this card again - in your mailbox!  

 

This second card image has my nosey cat, Smokey, as the backdrop.    She didn't understand why I wanted her out of the way of my photo-taking.    So, I decided she wins.    Again.  

 

Below is a better shot of Smokey and the card.   Oh, what would I do without my feline companions.    My goodness!   Who (besides you, by blog followers) would show interest in my creations?!

So, there you have it.   My first-ever Jennifer-designed vintage creation.   Vintage can get a lot more complex, but until I become more accustomed to or interested in this style, I'm gonna stay simple! 

No More Cards in the Stash...

Well, I've run out of cards in my stash.  Sure, I have cards for specific occasions, but I have no cards I can send "just because."   So, last evening I pulled out some kits I purchased from Stampin' Up! about two or three years ago when I was a demonstrator.   At the time, I was quite shocked at their contents.   You see.   It was a "mystery bag" kinda thing where I paid a certain amount of money and was surprised with contents (pre-cut) to use to make cards.   I must admit that I wasn't very impressed when they first arrived.   In my time of need, though, they came in handy b/c I didn't feel like thinking a whole lot.   Following is one card I made.   I credit Stampin' Up! for the color combination of Purely Pomegranate, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, and More Mustard.  

While this card is rather basic, I find its color combination quite attractive.   One of my favorite techniques is to use my punch to alter the paper's corners.   I love this look!   I used the stamp set Circle Circus as the images on the card front, and I used an assortment of greetings on the insides of each card.   I used "Best Wishes," "Many Thanks," and "Birthday Wishes," which means I can use the cards for a variety of occasions.   Or just because. 

Swapping, Swapping, Swapping...

Having signed up for some swaps among Stampin' Up! demonstrators, June was the time to hit the ground running with my creations.   Before I share them with you, let me share some other spur-of-the-moment cards I made for various loved ones.

Above is a second Mother's Day card for my mom.  You see...I got to feeling guilty b/c the card I gave her for Mother's Day this year was one I'd gotten in a swap.   There was nothing wrong with it per se, but I couldn't get past the fact that I hadn't made the card myself.   I'm not sure you can see it, but there is sponging of ink on the lighter card stock.   One unique thing about this card is that no one (even me) could discern that the main layer is not purple.   Rather, it is brown!   Is that crazy?   Of course, I knew the difference, having made the card.   Well, this card got me started on a bunch of cards made with my beloved Big Shot machine and my Manhattan Flower embossing folder.   See below for more examples.

Ok.  I must admit that when I first finished this card, I disliked it quite a bit.  I thought "Who in the world am I going to send this card to?"  I know my mom and dad will savor any card I send.   So, they received this card last week.   Check out its inside view.   My latest thing is to stamp up the inside of my cards, too.

The irony in all of this is that after initially disliking my sponging work on the card's front, I later decided that I LOVED the card!!   I had some difficulty parting with it, but after all, the intent of my card-making is to be a blessing to others (not to hoard). 

It is with some hesitation that I share this next one b/c the special occasion is just around the corner.   I'm saying some prayers that the recipients won't have a chance to check out this site until after their special day.  This is an anniversary card (also made with my beloved Manhattan Flower embossing folder).  Love it!!  (I'm sure you hadn't figured that out!)

Keeping on the subject of special occasions, I want to share the card I made for my dad this year.  This stamp set had sat on my shelves for the past year, begging me to pull it out.    So, this is what I came up with.  I need to give credit to fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators Mary Fish and Becky Kittaka, whose cards were my inspiration.

As you may know, I can be quite critical of myself.   So, here goes.  I am less-than-thrilled with my use of the markers to color the individual ties; it would have turned out better if I had colored in the direction of the stamp's grooves.   Regardless, my dad loved the card, and I love the color combination!   While I'd intended to make a banner on both ends of the sentiment, I got it wrong enough times that I had to cut it off square.   My dad loved it just the way it was (without the banner ends)!    Oh, I must point out one thing I really like about this card.  I like how the polka dots embossing on the light blue layer compliments the polka dots in the one tie on the white card stock!

Finally, let's get to my Christmas card swaps.

This card was made from leftover scraps from my experimentation for the actual swaps I mailed.  The patterned paper I used is at least three to four years "old," and I reaallly wanted to use it up.  

 This is the actual swap I mailed to the hostess.   I am disappointed that I didn't think to add the brown ribbon border before I had all the swaps intended for mailing completed.  :(    It would have added soooo much to this card.

 Here is another card I made using scraps.  I've put this one away in my stash for use later this year.

 This was the card I made for my second slot in the same swapping group.   I can't believe I actually ended up using FIVE different shades of blue on the card front's snowflakes!   The beauty of this swap participation is that it required use of retired stamp sets!  I enjoyed pulling out sets I hadn't used for a while.   In case you can't see, there are rhinestones placed in the centers of some snowflakes.

Again, I stamped up the inside of the card, too!   I like this new practice of mine so much that I think it will become standard for me. 

So, these are all of the cards I made last month.  Speaking of which, I cannot believe that we are already halfway through 2012!   Is that unreal or what?!   More cards to come later this month!

Back to Swapping

After having a less than optimal swapping experience in November 2011, I've returned to        swapping this month of May. The first swap I joined was for kids' birthday cards, which it seems I never have enough of. So, I found myself wondering what in the world I would start with, when two things came to mind: a fellow stamper's blog with a series using Stampin' Up!'s Sweet Shop specialty designer series paper and the fact that I'd just ordered plenty of products from that product suite. So, I decided to combine the two. I began by taking a second and third (and so on ) look at Catherine Pooler's blog site (www.catherinepooler.com). I decided (as usual) that I wanted to borrow some of the techniques she used in making my cards for swapping. In addition to Catherine's enthusiasm and passion for card-making, I love her simple yet "wow" style.   So, I will show you below the cards I made using a combination of Catherine's ideas and my own.  I apologize the cards are not properly rotated.   I have been putting off this post for 2-3 weeks now, simply b/c I didn't know how to rotate the pictures.  I finally decided I would post them as they are. 

Initially, I liked the card above better than the one below.   So, I made several of the above card to swap.

After I'd completed the cards, I then decided that the bottom card (with the coral strip along the right side) was so much better!   Too bad I'd already made several of the top one to swap!  And thank goodness I have plenty of product left with which to make as many of the bottom card as my heart desires! 

So, I borrowed from Catherine Pooler her use of the houndstooth embossing folder, the scalloped edge border, and the banner containing the sentiment.  Thank you so kindly, Catherine! 

Then, I was faced with another challenge.  As usual for me when placing an order for stamping products, I forgot to order a necessity:  the coordinating markers to go with the designer series paper.   Of course, I didn't realize this until I sat down with a goal to have the cards made and mailed within 48 hours.   So, what was I going to do to "rescue" my card idea?   I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I actually substituted other Stampin' Up! colors, and I cannot tell the difference here!   At first, I couldn't tell the difference with the actual cards in front of me, but upon a real close glance, it became more apparent (yet not bothersome) to me.     

In the mean time, I've signed up for other card swaps, among them a black-and-white swap (I asked permission to use vanilla and black), a Christmas in July swap with no red or green allowed in their making, and a favorite retired or retiring stamp set swap.    I suppose I'd better get busy. 

For a future post, I am considering sharing some of my very first ever card designs, which at the time I thought were wonderful.    So wonderful that I kept them stashed away in a bag for "keepers" only.   Imagine my surprise when the other evening I was going through the "keepers" and said to myself "....I actually thought these were great?!"  I couldn't believe my eyes.    Stay tuned for more. 

Highlights of April

Mom and dad's Easter visit was the highlight of April for me.   We opted to postpone our Columbus Zoo trip until their next visit, as the temperatures dropped just in time for our originally planned visit this month.   Let's hope we can enjoy the animals more in warmer weather.   I must admit that I felt slightly disappointed that mom and dad didn't want to eat ham for Easter dinner b/c they ate that with my grandmother and grandfather the week prior.   I can't say I blame them for that...just that I couldn't imagine Easter without ham.   So, I decided on a menu of stuffed pork chops, buttery homemade stuffing, and scalloped potatoes, and it did not disappoint!  

Today I had another opportunity to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House located in Columbus.   We make hand-stamped cards for the residents to give to the staff caring for their children, or as occurred today, we had one mom take a card for another mom who was expecting to go home later on this week.   While we enjoy being able to have the residents sit down with us to create their cards, we understand if they need to get back to the hospital (Nationwide Children's Hospital) to see their babies, and we remind them that we will leave any extra cards at the front desk, should they need more later.   I really enjoyed myself today, as did a five-year-old girl who truly stamped up her card and its envelope for her mother!!   Like I told my fellow volunteers, she is definitely a budding stamper! 

Today was my first real test with a new gift, my GPS navigation device, and it came in handy more than once!   I tell ya that it will be a miracle if I ever manage to travel to and from Ronald McDonald House without making at least one wrong turn!  This time I managed the trip there without a hitch, but I made a wrong turn on the way home.   While I normally would have driven several miles out of my way, I had the privilege of the GPS "recalculating" me to my destination, a local mall.   Whew!  I also traveled some "new" roads for me today.   They were the usual rolling farmland of central Ohio, yet I'd not yet explored them in my twelve years here.
Smokey and Butterscotch are doing well, I suppose.  I just found a very sore-looking area on one of Butter's teeth, which I will have checked out, and they continue to claim virtually everything in "my" apartment.   One of the funniest things this month was to see Smokey spend a lot of time on my dad's lap - so much time that I occasionally had to gently nudge her off dad's lap so he could have a break!   This is the first time that either of my cats has taken to any man's lap!   Maybe they are settling down now that they've turned eleven years of age!