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!
