You Are Beary Special, Mom!

The vast majority of my cardmaking is for our church card-ministry and my very favorite time of year is Mother's Day.  We have three racks of cards for sale (by donation) and before Mother's Day, we remind everybody that ANY donation is welcome.  This means that our sweet young ones can pick out a card for their mothers and drop their pennies into the donation box.  It is utterly charming!

I made this card thinking that these little charmers would find this a perfect card for their mothers...




I used a simple little Rhubarb set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called Thoughtful Rhubarb.  I added a dot of black enamel accents to the eyes to give them a sparkle!  
The layout comes from Freshly Made Sketches:

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Thoughtful Rhubarb
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Fine Linen, Melon Berry, Simply Chartreuse
• Ink: Memento brown and copics
• Accessories: Sweet 'n Sassy Heart Scallop Border die, PTI Chartreuse ribbon, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Wilton Doily

Daffodils for Mother

This week's colors for the Splitcoast Color Challenge are so bright and cheerful - Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Old Olive - they look like the tulips that I got as an Easter gift.  And the dessert is option is spring flowers...so this card came together easily!!




I stamped the tulips twice, cut out the front-most petals, slightly curled them and glued them back. Then I added a dab or Rock Candy distress stickles on the stamen.
 

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Spring Tulips, Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes (sentiment)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Old Olive, Greenhouse Gala dsp
• Ink: Memento black, copics
• Accessories: Gems colored with Copics, Mandarin Twine from the Twinery, Rock Candy Distress Stickles

FYI: If you have downloaded the Copic charts on my sidebar (matches to

Stampin' Up and Papertrey cardstock), they were revised in February to

reflect better matches using the newest Copic colors!

Wonderful Mother with Scallops

I am getting ready for church cardmaking this week.  We are fairly well set for general cards - birthday, thinking of you, etc.  But I panicked when I realized that we have four occasions coming up for which I had done absolutely nothing - graduation, confirmation, Mother's Day and Father's Day.  So I think you will be seeing a lot of those this week!!

Today's Splitcoast CAS challenge is to use Scallops.  I was thrilled because I had just bookmarked a card over at Stampin' Anne's blog that used the Stampin' Up Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border with the "cross-stitched" accent.  I thought this would all combine for a very simple and sweet Mother's Day card.




I also used the colors from Pals Paper Arts.

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Well-Scripted
• Paper: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery
• Ink: Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch, EK Success border punch, Oval and Lacey Nesetabilities, Martha Stewart butterfly trio, Stampin' Up embossing folder and Pretty in Pink gingham, misc gems colored with Copics to coordinate with Chocolate Chip

FYI: If you have downloaded the Copic charts on my sidebar (matches to

Stampin' Up and Papertrey cardstock), they were revised in February to

reflect better matches using the newest Copic colors!

Mother's Day

As part of a church cardmaking group that meets monthly, we are always working ahead on our holidays to have them available for our church members.  This month we were working on Mother's Day cards.  My posts from the last two days include the other Mom cards.  Here are the last two:

I love the saying on this stamp - my mom started our church cardmaking group and I am thrilled to be following in her footsteps!

When I pulled out the stamp, I knew it would fit perfectly in this week's Techno Stamper sketch challenge.  This is the fun challenge that allows me to show you all the cards that are posted for the challenge so check out the bottom of this post to see the other participants.

The biggest thrill came when I was deciding on colors.  I had just received an order from eclectic Paperie and they had tucked in a little freebie - a tag wrapped with five colors of the baker's twine that they sell.  Lo and behold, three of the colors were exactly Daffodil, Celery and Turqoise (well, actually a little more aqua than turquoise, but I chose to stay excited) - and these were the colors in the Stampin' Royalty challenge!

My second card didn't have quite as many exciting moments - but I had just received my Papertrey order with one of the butterfly dies that I needed to layer up these butterflies:

Have a great Saturday!

Lucky Me!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Eight Great Greetings
• Ink: Memento black, copics
• Paper: Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and Turqoise CS, Daffodil and Blushing Bride dsp
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Button Embosslit, The Twinery twine, Nesties scalloped square

Butterfly Layers

• Stamps: Saltbox Studios (I think they are gone)
• Ink: Stampin' Up Always Artichoke
• Paper: Stampin' Up Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Lavender Lace, Springtime Vintage dsp
• Accessories: Papertrey dies: Mat Stack 1, Butterfly, Signature Series: Butterfly, Love Lives Here (small butterfly with heart), Stampin' Up Scalloped Border Punch, misc ribbon, misc "pearl" buttons

Here are the other participants in the Techno Stamper sketch challenge:

Embossing x 2

I started working on the Splitcoast Free For All Challenge which was embedded embossing (adhering cardstock strips or dies to the base cardstock - then embossing the whole thing.)  In the midst of that card I was pulling out embossing powder and I realized that the Papertrey Make It Monday challenge was heat embossing.  Thus..."Embossing x 2".

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Mother
• Ink: Versamark, Papertrey Chamomile (on edges)
• Paper: Papertrey Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado, Berry Sorbet
• Accessories: Papertrey Buttons in Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado, Berry Sorbet, Creations Unlimited Moss Tinsel Embossing Powder, Tim Holtz Elegant Flourish Sizzix die and embossing folder, Papertrey Butterfly die, American Crafts crochet ribbon

FYI: A few months ago, I did another embedded embossing card found here.  And there's another one found in this post - just scroll down until you find the My Favorite Things Rolled Rose die with the Kraft, blue and yellow card.

New Embossing Folders!!

I totally love embossing folders.  I love that extra little "something" that they give a card.  Or, in some cases, the folder is really the centerpiece of the card.

Sizzix has recently come out with dozens of new folders.  I didn't get ALL of them (although... eventually... maybe!)  Here are four cards that show the "centerpiece" folders vs. the background folders.

This first card is probably the most complicated of the bunch and it only has two stamps and some die cuts!

I like this folder that has the scrolls in the two corners - what a nice way to showcase a sentiment.

The colors on this card come from Pals Paper Arts.

The other things that I was very excited about on this card is the scrolled frame stamp that is sized perfectly to fit into a Spellbinders Labels 10.  The stamps comes from JustRite Stampers.  I have always liked their stamps but they have this unique system where you have to buy their blocks in order to use their stamps - and the blocks are all sized to fit the stamps so you end up with a huge number of blocks to use just a few of their stamps.  BUT...their most recent release includes regular cling stamps!!  There are some absolutely beautiful stamps that you HAVE to check out if you have a collection of Spellbinders Labels dies.

The next three cards are most definitely clean and simple, and show how embossing folders can make be the centerpiece of the card.

Isn't this great bling??  It's
from Michaels.

This last card has another very exciting new item.  If you are a big Spellbinder Nestabilities user you know that you have to get Large and Small sets of the basic shapes (circles, ovals, squares, rectangles) to be able to cut mats that are 1/8" bigger, ie. one set is sized inbetween the dies of the other set.  But...until now, the Spellbinders Labels dies only came in one size so if you used them to mat - your mats were 1/4"+ wide - that's often too big.  Guess what they are starting to come out with?   Those mid-size dies for the Labels!!  So I have a smaller mat on my label die!!

I do so love embossing folders ... followed very closely by my passion for Spellbinder Labels dies.  I am a happy crafter today!

Daffodil Butterfly Mother's Day:

• Stamps: Just Rite Elegant Frames Set, Stampin' Up All Holidays sentiment
• Ink: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight
• Accessories: Sizzix Embossing Folder, Spellbinders Labels 10, Stampin' Up Butterfly Embosslit, Crumb Cake Taffeta, misc brown pearls

You're the Greatest, Mom!

• Stamps: My Sentiments Exactly
• Ink: Stampin' Up Always Artichoke
• Paper: Stampin' Up Regal Rose CS and dsp, Always Artichoke CS
• Accessories: Sizzix Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up Birds and Blooms dies, Michaels Glitter Adhesive Dots

Blue Bird for Wonderful Mother:

• Stamps: Lizzie Anne
• Ink: Stampin' Up Soft Suede, Marina marker
• Paper: Stampin' Up Soft Suede, Marina Mist
• Accessories: Sizzix embossing folder, patterned ribbon from Michaels, white gel pen, Spellbinders label

Saying Goodbye:

• Stamps: Just Rite Thinking of Your Borders and Centers (not a cling set - it's the kind that you have to buy a special block for)
• Ink: Stampin' Up Basic Gray
• Paper: Stampin' Up Vanilla, Basic Gray, So Saffron
• Accessories: Sizzix embossing folder, Spellbinders label dies, misc yellow gem

Less Is More: Touch of Red

This week's Less Is More challenge is to add just a touch of red.

Before I made my card, I decided to relax while I was eating lunch and I browsed all 213(!) cards that have already been posted for this challenge.  Wow!  They are amazing!!  So as I was staring at my supplies wondering what I would do for this challenge, my mind was swirling with all of the beautiful cards that I had just seen.  It made it almost impossible to make a card of my own.  I finally decided to go with a beautiful stamp, a border punch - and call it done!!

The text across the bottom was a last minute addition.  I took my photos of the original card without the text.  I always study the photo and I often find something that isn't quite balanced or quite right.  In this case, the rose was stamped a little too high - it seemed really top heavy...not grounded.  Instead of starting over, I simply pulled out this text stamp to add some weight to the bottom.  Problem solved!!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Stipple Rose, Verve Because of You (sentiment), Papertrey Ink Text Style
• Inks: black, Stampin' Up Going Gray marker (around roses) and pad (on text stamp)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler
• Accessories: Stampin' Up gems (colored with copics), Martha Stewart border punch

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I am so very proud to say that I made last week's Less Is More ShowCASe with this card (details here):

This is the second time that I have made their ShowCASe and both times have been with sympathy cards.  I do make a lot of sympathy cards for church and I think clean and simple cards work perfectly for sympathy.  I actually enjoy coming up with an idea that honors and comforts and (eventually) brings some peace.