Another Beautiful Card by Lynn

Today's post features a beautiful card that Lynn shared with us at our last Team Meeting.  Enjoy!

This card is a good reminder of Spring, in case we forgot.  We have had a dose of cool weather lately.  This card is also a good example of stamping onto designer papers.  It adds a lot to your card.

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

A Cute Little Card and Our Cute Little Critter

Here's a cute little card that was a lot of fun to make.

This is a 3 X 3" card and fits into our smallest envelopes.
I used summer starfruit for the top layer and a new embossing edgelit across the front of it.
The cute little flower is 3 layers of paper daisies, embossed 3 times each.
The little In Color Dahlia makes a great center for the flower.
Using the bitty banners framelits and coordinating stamps makes it easy to add a sentiment to any card.
A little knotted sprig of In Color stitched satin ribbon adds a nice finishing touch.

And now...
Meet our cute little backyard critter.  He has taken a liking to our bird feeder.  He tore up the first one and threw it on the ground, after chewing through a vinyl coated wire!
My husband, not one to be discouraged, replaced the bird feeder and hung it with a chain.  The squirrel just uses the chain as an easy way to climb down to the bird feeder.  He actually stretches his entire body over the bird feeder, reaches down and pulls seeds out of the hole and flings them onto the ground.  Then, he and the birds enjoy a shared snack.

These are seeds flying to the ground.

It's always fun to enjoy nature right in your own back yard.  The boys are loving it!  Well, I'm off to work in my studio.  I have a lot more to get ready for my Friday night class.  Have a great day!

Look what I got!

My daughter surprised me with these!  I love them!!!

Remember this post?  I first introduced you to our fabulous new framelits and edgelits dies.
Well, my daughter didn't want me to store them in plain and undecorated stamp cases, so she designed inserts using My Digital Studio.  When she had them printed, she ordered a set for each of us.  She is a sweetheart.  If you'd like to see more of her work, click here and enjoy a visit to her blog.

The inserts just slip right under the plastic cover of the stamp cases.
Here's how the fronts look:

These are the backs.  For each one, she made a little guide for the recipe for each 'sandwich' for the Big Shot.  Very handy!!!

close-ups:

This is how they look on the inside of each case.  You may be wondering why there are 2 of each edgelit.  After thinking about it, I ordered another set so I could use both on the same card when I need a unique look.  It's quite handy to store them together.  Remember how I hold them in place?  I cut a section of our magnetic sheets and stuck them into the case.  The sheets are adhesive backed, so it's so easy to place them into the cases.
Tip:
I store my edgelits and framelits with the cutting side down.  It makes it easier for me to pick them up without risking bending them.  (I do not have long nails:)

For more ideas for using the edgelits and framelits dies, go to the search box and you should see some other fun projects I've made using them.  They are super easy and so much fun!!!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go open my beautiful cases and play with my toys!

Another Sympathy Card

Here's a card I made recently for a friend.  Unfortunately, I now need to design several more sympathy cards.  Sympathy cards are so difficult to make.  Not only do you want them to be personal, send love and comfort to the recipient, but also to be especially beautiful.
Sympathy cards take a lot of thought in creating.  I struggle with them at times, but I will continue to make my own because it is my hope that they will show the recipient how much I truly care.

Once the card was finished, I added a touch of shimmer with my Frost White Shimmer Paint / alcohol spritz.  I love how it makes a card have a beautiful, yet delicate, shimmer!
I've added lots and lots of layers and embossing, and used our framelits and edgelits dies.  The stamp sets are Apothecary Art and Loving Thoughts.
The pleated ribbon adds an elegant touch.
Tip:
When attaching a strip of ribbon, lay down a thin line of Liquid Tombow adhesive and gently press the ribbon into it.  It will stick once the glue is dry.
To achieve the soft colors on the image, I used inks and the Aqua Painter.

I used a corner punch to 'fancy up' one of the corners on the inside of the card.  I used the hearts embossing strip on the envelope to fancy it up, too.  I love the look of an embossed envelope.

I hope this might inspire you to create a special card when you need one during a difficult time.  I know it means so much to you when you receive a hand made card - for any occasion.

A Card I DIDN'T Like to Make

After the last couple of days, I'm trying hard to get my blog back on a happier note.  I do have a card to post that you haven't seen yet.  I hope it will help you when you need to create this type of card.  I don't like to make sympathy cards but they are a necessary part of our lives and I'm glad that I'm able to do it for someone special.

If you're like me, sympathy cards are sooooo difficult to create.  You want them to be special, personal and bring comfort to the recipient.  This one took a very long time to create.  I am pleased with the results and wish I didn't have to send it.  I am glad though that I am able to do it and, hopefully, bring some comfort to those grieving.  This one is for a very dear friend.

My card has multiple layers and a spritz of my Frost White Shimmer Paint/alcohol mixture on the front.  I used the Apothecary Art stamp set and cut it with our framelits die.  I added touches of color to the flowers and leaves, using inks and our Aqua Painter.  The sentiment is from the Loving Thoughts stamp set.  As you can see, I've added a lot of layers (my signature:) and cut the lower portion of some of them with the edgelits die.

I added a special layer to the inside, too, to make it easier to stamp a sentiment and write a message. This shape is from the Top Note die.  My color story is Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla.

I embossed the top layer on the front of the card AND the lower portion of the envelope with one of my special embossing 'strips' cut from the Finial Press embossing folder.  Embossing always adds a layer of elegance.

I hope this will be an inspiration to you.  Of course, you can always change the sentiment and create a card for a happier occasion.

Until next time,