Springtime Garden

I am so ready for SPRING and this set sure puts me in the mood. Today we are supposed to have temps near 65 (but how many times has the weatherman been wrong). For my card today I used Springtime Garden which has several images to make you think spring. I also used FREE downloadable digi background paper designed by an angel friend Christine and it worked perfect for my card. I colored the image with copics, put a fluffy white tail on my bunny with white flocking and used the free digi paper to put on my sign - how perfect is this. I stamped my image on the digi bg then cut out, distressed it a bit and glued it on the signboard. Then I used the darling little chickie again colored with copics and cut out, popped up with a bit of foam tape, and the greeting Happy Easter along the bottom. I used More Mimi DP as it went so well with my coloring and a new nestie labels 11 to cut out the focal image and DP. Go check out the free digi papers and see what you can create.

Pea Pickin

These are 2 cards I made with inspiration from The Angel Company the Savvy Blo postings that TAC has had for the month of February. I had this set Pea Pickin and had actually put it in my "for sale" box when the inspiration was posted so I dug the set out and made up 2 cute cards, which I ended up sending both of them to my Chemo Angel patient. The set now has found a home back on my stamp shelf for now!!!

Distressed Color Blocking

Every other month I get a wonderful publication called Technique Junkies - they have some wonderful (and some that I don't care for) new techniques and I try to make at least one if not more of the new techniques. This month I made 2 and used the technique called distressed color blocking. Easy Easy to do and I love the results especially with the Hope Perches card. For the Happy Trails card I used distress ink Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo, DP from a mat stack Pet Stack by DCWV and loved the western feel it had. I punched the bottom of the DP with a "rope" punch . I had a piece of leather so I stamped the horseshoes on it with Staz-On and used it as an embellishment. I used some really tacky glue that my friend Pat gave me. A little scrappers floss and the card is done. I have wanted this set forever and in fact have borrowed,and begged stamped images from this set so I finally decided to go ahead and get it.
The Hope Perches card is from a hostess level B set and it had never seen ink but I am thinking it is going to see more now. I used Crushed Olive and Peeled Paint distress inks along with DP from Me and My Big Idea. I cut the focal image with labels 1, layered on a wine color mat then on the DP, it still needed a bit more so I tied a lt gold satin ribbon to the side and I think it just tied all the colors together. This one is for my cancer patient that I send cards to through Chemo Angels.

February Blog Hop

It is time for our monthly BLOG HOP at Paper Wings - this is a monthly hop and the theme of this months hop is "hostess sets". I chose to use Thanking God which is a level B Hostess Set from the Fall Supplement. Every year I make these cute little calendars and tuck some in Christmas cards, give away at the office, my Chemo Angel patient etc. It takes 1/2 sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cs to make the base and they are so much fun to make. Every year when the new inspiration book comes out I look for a stamp set that will be suitable for this project and when I saw this set I knew this was the one!!! I colored the little birdies with copic markers, added some fun fur to the winter bird, some gold gel pen to the spring and just embellished each up a bit but yet kept it simple. I hope you enjoy hopping around to the other angels blog and seeing what they have created.
Rita
Angela
Laura
Carol
Chelsea
Kerry
Seleise

Cup of Love

This is another Cup of Love card I made - (can you believe I had this set for 3 months and it had never seen ink??). I colored the daisys with copic markers, fussy cut them out and used yellow flower soft in the center. I had some beautiful Daisy DP and I thought it would be perfect for this card. I stamped the cup on Kraft cs and colored the flourishes rim etc with a clear gel pen and love the look, fussy cut it out also and tied a narrow yellow dot ribbon around the handle (maybe to cover up an oops!!) I popped the daisys up on top of the card and used a fancy label nestie for the sentiment.

Months Pages

This will be the last of the posts on my pages for the Watch Me Grow Album - in fact I mailed the baby album and onesie off today. (I did make copies of all my pages so I could make more). I used Toodle Do DP for this album and it just all went together so easy with using the DP and matching Bazzill CS. I have a baby boy one to make here in the next couple of weeks so that will be fun, change it up a bit from the frills and lace. You put a page a month up to 12 months in the album plus the little extras I put in the front and in the back I put the poem Why God Made Little Girls.

Watch Me Grow

Here are 2 more pages in the Watch Me Grow Album - I used a "retired" set called Special Delivery which is just perfect for this album - you can paperpiece or color the images or leave them uncolored but they work very well. I should have made a slideshow (but I don't know how!!!). I will show 2 of the pages in which to post the month pictures on my next post.

Watch Me Grow Baby Gift

This is the baby gift I made to go with the baby card from a day or two ago. I first saw this album at TAC seminar and Rita Holmes had made these to sell at craft shows etc. She then offered the package of poems, months, sayings and the complete idea for a nominal fee. I just had to buy it as I thought it was just too stinkin cute. I changed mine a bit from her and I used a 6 x 6 album (which by the way is hard to find - at least a cute baby one). You give the album and a 12 month onesie and each month Mom puts the baby in the onesie and takes and posts her picture on the month. You can watch the baby grow into/and probably out of the 12 month onesie. I put a page in for each months picture with a cute little animal from Wild about You set. I also added additional pages that I thought were appropriate to the album - making it "mine". I will show you 2 more pages next time. Thank you Rita for this extra special idea and I think Mom is going to be happy with the scrapbook.

Cup of Love

This month at The Angel Company we are featuring a stamp set every week day - how much fun this has been. It has inspired me to ink up some stamps sets that I have never had out of the box yet and some of those that I have forgotten about. This little kitten in the cup was colored with copic markers, as well as the cup - then I punched circles out of the DP Emma and put the dots on the coffee cup. Sort of tied it all together. I am pretty happy with the way my kitten colored up - I think the key with the copics is practice practice. I am sending this to a dear friend who winters in sunny AZ. while here in MO. we got another 3 inches of snow, frigid temps of 12 and wind.

Baby Card

This is a sidestep card that I made following the video tutorial here this is the easiest side step card that I have made and will be using these instructions for future side step cards. This card is for our dear friends daughter who is due the end of Feb. She is having a girl so I made it up in pink. What do you think of the chest complete with drawers even a bit of ruffles hanging out the top drawer. I made her gift to go with the card which will be forth coming soon and the card coordinates with the gift. Keep watching for future posts of my gift!!!

Material Girl

I won blog candy a week ago from Melisa over at Paperlicious Designs and I got the cutest stamp set from Clear Arts Stamps called Material Girl, plus a beautiful pack of 6 x 6 papers from 7 Gypsies. When i saw the stamp set I had this idea already in my mind so down to the draft cave I went. I made a 4 x 8 card stamping the cords of thread in 5 different colors, add a bit of interest with the scissors and needle and the Little Sewing Co. at the top. It still needed something so I used some buttons to match the thread. What a fun card this turned out to be. Thanks so much Melisa for my blog candy.

Shirley Hotop

I just decided this afternoon to play along with the retiform blog hop. I have always loved this technique but this is my first time to try it, this was my third try and I decided to go with it. I used Joy Found from our Inspiration catalog as it had so many different images to play with, and my color palette was burnt umber, jardin moss and ballet blue. I added just a bit of highlight with the gold pen (which you can't really see in this scan. It was a lot of fun and I am sure I will try it again.

Valentine Pail

I am a card angel in Chemo Angels and have been for over 3 years. Every week (or more) I send a card with a note to my assigned patient who has cancer. You go into this with a happy heart and expect nothing in return - your return is that you know you have put a smile on someones face. I got a new assignment in December (after my precious little 8 year old passed away), and I asked for an adult as I just didn't think I was ready to open my heart to another little one yet. I got a 55 year lady with breast cancer, so for Valentines Day I had a clear pail that I filled with pink and red goodies including valentine socks, little red teddybear angel, red tic-tacs, red chewing gum, pink emery board, pink and red nail polish, red notebook, and of course CHOCOLATE. I decorated the lid and the outside of the tin with Valentine images and sent it to her this past weekend. I hope this brings a smile to her face during this difficult time for her.

Mini Valentine class

I attended a "Mini Valentine" class at Archivers with 3 friends a couple of weeks ago and the best part of the class was being with my friends!! None of the cards were difficult and there were a couple that I really loved but again nothing special. They came with little kraft envies (which I bought a pack for myself). These little minis are perfect size to tuck into a co-workers mailbox, or a little gift for the children or grandchildren. Of course you can't go to Archivers without spending some $$$ - I got a new Hero Arts set which I love, so although I can't post now (I am playing in a bookmark swap) and I used the new stamp set for the swap.