Pins, Pearls & Pink Mother's Day Card

I always admire crafters who use Kraft paper in their cards. I’m a bit intimidated by it and am facing my fears head on. I really like how this turned out. The faux stiched flourishes are a bit hard to see in the photos, but they add the perfect extra touch. I drew the ‘thread’ with a spica pen so it’s even sparkly.

This Mother’s Day card is dedicated to Sue (Susan’s mom) and Mary (Amy’s mom). It’s an honor for me to watch my friends parent their daughters in a manner I know their mother’s would be proud of. I am thrilled to be part of all their lives and can’t wait to see the girls develop their own circle of girlfriends.

Sketch Inspiration ~ My Grafico Challenge

Color Inspiration ~ Basic Grey Challenge Week 19 ~ Photo Inspiration

Inspiration
CCEE Stampers Challenge ~ Mother’s Day
Stamp Simply Challenge #138 ~ Mother’s Day
PaperPlay Challenge ~ Digi Image and Bling I hope my pearls and pin can count as 'bling'. I liked them better than rhinestones on the card.
365 Cards Day 55 ~ On Pins and Needles (incorporate pins as a decoration and needles for the purpose of stitching)

My Creation

Image Detail

Can you see the delicate lines creating my faux sewn flourishes? A very subtle feature. If you used a white or black ink for the lines, they'd be more dramatic. I wanted a 'soft' look. I know, kind of silly to think soft when I stuck a sharp pin on the card! LOL

Inside

Envelope

I used my scrap paper and another stamp from the PTI set to make a matching envelope.

Ins & Outs ~ Pins, Pearls & Pink Mother's Day Card
Stamps: Mum (Sarah Paris – My Grafico), Women of Life (PaperTrey Ink)
Paper: Kraft, Basic Grey Two Scoops, DCWV
Ink: Laser printer, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics (R000, 00; G12), Peach Spica
Accessories: Ribbon, Martha Stewart Pearls, Misc Pin & Beads
Techniques: Paper Piercing 

Mother’s Day Card for Grandma

Grandma’s need a little love on Mother’s Day as well. I had fun trying to use ‘boyish’ colors to make a female card. I like the simplicity of it and am becoming addicted to my Cuttlebug. So much easier to use than the Wizard. My Nesties and embossing folders might actually get used more often!

Sketch Inspiration ~  Sketch Saturday #101

Color Inspiration ~ Stamping 411 Color Inspiration #122

Pile it On Challenge #17 ~ Boyish Colors

Inspiration

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #57 ~ A Celebration for Mom’s
The Pink Elephant Challenge #65~ Mother’s Day

My Creation

Image Detail

Inside

Ins & Outs ~ Mother’s Day Card for Grandma
Stamps: Women of Life (PaperTrey Ink)
Paper: DCWV Mediterranean, SU Whisper White
Ink: Memento’s Paris Dusk
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Ribbon, Making Memories Butterfly, Nesties Labels 8

Pastel Sympathy Card

One of my higher up co-workers recently lost his mother. I wanted to make a card a bit larger than the standard so all my office mates would have space to sign. Our company is donating a tree to be planted in his yard in her memory. It was just the 6 month anniversary of my mother’s passing and I know all too well the struggles one can face. I apologize in advance for the photos. I had a difficult time getting true colors with the shimmer pieces.

With Easter approaching and the promise of new life in our hearts, I opted for soft, ‘hopeful’ colors (if there can be any). The butterflies were a last minute addition. As I’ve mentioned they are HUGE in my life as signs from my loved ones in heaven and I always associated them with rebirth. The reason they were last minute, was that I had a HECK of a time adhering the pearl ‘twigs’. Glue dots were too big (even when I tried the roll ‘em up trick) and just didn’t want to stick to the metallic or pearl. I used a thin line of Stickles behind the lower branch hoping the bit of glitter that would show would add to the card. Well, it didn’t stick to the metal either. What the heck is this twig made of? As a last resort I used Diamond Glaze. It worked to adhere the twig, but it spread into a horrible looking blob on the ribbon. In addition the layer I’d added to the cross, bled outside the lines overnight. I awoke this morning to realize I had to try and ‘fix’ the card or start over.

I restamped the cross and added Stickles to a few points. The Diamond Glaze worked the way I’d wanted on the cross (it looked really cool with the Stickle ‘gems’ layered below), but the edges were far from crisp and the big drip really ruined it. I opted to leave the glaze off the cross this time. I was stumped on how to fix the blobby spots on the ribbon and thought I’d have to rip it all apart to replace the ribbon and then start the ‘how do I stick the twigs down without making a mess’ again. I was already late for work and needed a cup of coffee. I found the butterflies in a corner of my desk and gave them a try. They covered up the blobs pretty well and added a bit more hope to the overall theme.

Now that you know the back story, let's get on to the card!

Sketch Inspiration ~ Mojo Monday #131

Color Inspiration

Creative Inspirations #52 ~ White, Yellow, Green

Simon Says Challenge ~ Splash of Green

Flutter By Wednesday #101 ~ Green

Inspiration

Jacksonbelle Embellishments Challenge ~ Easter/Spring I used spring colors.

A Passion for PaperTrey Challenge ~ Spring My theme isn't spring, but I was inspired by spring colors.

365 Cards Day 2 ~ Tuesday’s Trio: Circle, Silver, Pearl I'm a bit of a rebel as the only real circles are the pearls themselves, but they are there!

Hand Full of Stamps #20 ~ Remove the Dust (Use your old supplies) The pearl picks have been in my stash for quite awhile. I found them in the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby in the wedding supplies aisle.

One Stop Craft Challenge #72 ~ Let it Shine I used shimmer white for the image, a few dots of stickles on the cross and the butterflies are all sparkly.

My Creation

Image Detail

INS AND OUTS ~ Pastel Sympathy Card
Stamps: PaperTrey Ink (Everyday Blessings & With Sympathy)
Paper: PTI Shimmer White, SU Designer Paper
Ink: Memento (Bamboo Leaves, Cantaloupe)
Accessories: Diamond Glaze, Pearl Wedding Picks, Nesties, SU Ribbon, Vellum Butterflies (Wedding Supplies)

Butterfly Sympathy Card

I had a good time this weekend at the retreat reconnecting with crafty friends. I spent part of the time coloring and the rest working on my digital photos. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked (some yucky personal stuff keeps affecting me), but so appreciated the chance to escape into the crafty world. Plus I won a few door prizes which is always exciting.

A good friend of my hubby's wife passed away this weekend. I wanted to make a special card for the family and turned to my go to sympathy sets from PaperTrey Ink. I have a huge association with butterflies as our loved ones who have passed on and find them so appropriate for sympathy cards.

Sketch Inspiration ~ My Grafico Sketch #36

Color Inspiration ~ A Passion for PaperTrey ~ Black and White

I meant to stick to black and white, but ivory kind of overtook the white.

Inspiration

Little Red Wagon #16 ~ Ribbon

Simon Says Challenge ~ Recipe (3 types of embellishments, 2 patterned papers, 1 image) My embellishments are 1) Ribbon, 2) Butterfly Punch and 3) Vellum Wedding Favor Butterfly; the 2 papers are the butterfly base and the dotted panel; and I used a verse as my image.

Belli Challenge #85 ~ Butterflies & Dragonflies

Corrosive Challenge #52 ~ Wings

KL Stampin N Scrapin Challenge ~ Go Green We were to recycle an element in our card. The wide grossgrain ribbon was secured on a small bag of candy I received at Christmas time. I've been holding on to it for the perfect card.

 My Creation

I know this is really ivory and black, but when I saw the butterfly paper I knew it was perfect for my card and hope the PT girls will understand. :o)

Image Detail

My butterfly is double layered. The bottom piece is a wedding decoration I picked up at Michael’s and I used my new Martha Stewart Monarch butterfly punch for the top layer.

Inside of Card

I used a verse from PTI’s With Sympathy set and their small butterfly.

INS AND OUTS ~ Butterfly Sympathy Card
Stamps: Through the Trees & With Sympathy (PaperTrey Ink)
Paper: DCWV LaCreme Stack, The Paper Studio Butterfly print, Misc Black, Neenah Classic White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: SU Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Recycled Ribbon, Ivory Chocolate Butterfly (Brides), Monarch Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart)
Challenges:
My Grafico Sketch #36
A Passion for PaperTrey ~ Black and White
Little Red Wagon #16 ~ Ribbon
Simon Says Challenge ~ Recipe
Belli Challenge #85 ~ Butterflies & Dragonflies
Corrosive Challenge #52 ~ Wings
KL Stampin N Scrapin Challenge ~ Go Green

Simple Take on CPS Sketch 154

I’m on a roll with my Through the Trees cards. I should probably ink up one of the other cards in the set, but I’m in love with this ‘window view’ of the bare branches.

I’m attending a craft weekend and am forcing myself to spend most of the time working on my digital photos. I have about 5 years of pictures on my computer that need to be sorted and cleaned up. I kept thinking I could take care of it in my ‘free time’, but that doesn’t seem to happen. So, my laptop is packed and ready to get to work. I did pack a ‘small’ bag of images and my Copics in case I need to get inky. Typically when I attend a weekend crop, my DH has to help me set up (I pretty much bring in most of my craft studio). He called me this morning to see if I was ready and started laughing when I said, “I’m all packed and hardly have anything to bring.” Can you believe he doubted me? I think he was crushed I wasn’t going to plead for his manly muscles to help me out. The down side is that I’ll have spent 22 hours dedicated to crafting (tonight and tomorrow) and won’t have any cards to share. But, I should have my photos all ready for scrapbooking.

Okay, on to my quick and simple card…thanks for hanging in there with my ramblings.

Sketch Inspiration ~ CPS Sketch #154

Inspiration ~ Pals Paper Arts ~ KISS 

KISS stands for Keep it Simple Sweetie, and this card is all about the paper. A few layers, a simple stamped image and flower 'embellishments' cut out from the DP.

My Creation

INS AND OUTS ~ Simple Take on CPS Sketch 154
Stamps: Through the Trees (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: DCWV Cafe Mediterranean
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, SU Marker Taken with Teal
Accessories: None
Challenges:
CPS Sketch #154
Pals Paper Arts ~ KISS

The Spring Through The Trees

In an effort to use up my scraps instead of just tossing them into the 'someday' bucket, I opted to make a few more cards with the papers I had out. I also had a few extra Through The Trees images ready to go so this card came together very quickly.

Sketch Inspiration ~ Friday Sketchers #89

Color Inspiration ~ Spring

Like much of the country we've expirenced our fair share of snow. One of my favorite signs of spring is when the trees start to bud. It seems like one day they are just bare branched, and the next leaves have sprung to life. I used bright colors for my card and added the birds to the bare branches to signify the coming of spring. It will get here, right?

Your Next Stamp Challenge #10 ~ Spring Colours

Inky Impressions Challenge #30 ~ Spring

A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge #91 ~ Spring is in the Air

Inspiration

Cupcake Craft Challenge #78 ~ Keep it Simple

Only ink and paper were used here, no embellisments - egad, not even glitter!

Pile it On Challenge #6 ~ Flowers

I used some fun flowered designer papers. The yellow base actually has a tone on tone flower pattern, but it doesn't show up very clearly.
Our Creative Challenge ~ Something Old that’s New

You are to use something you’ve had in stash for awhile but never used. Well, I just HAD to buy a new set of SU Markers almost 6 months ago (there was a really great promo and I wanted a set that no one else could use) and it's been sitting gathering dust. I broke it in slightly, but just using one of the beautiful markers. I colored the birds with marker before stamping them on the branches.

My Creation

INS AND OUTS ~ The Spring Through The Trees
Stamps: Through the Trees (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: DCWV Cafe Mediterranean
Ink: Memento Summer Sky, SU Marker Taken with Teal
Accessories: None
Challenges:
Friday Sketchers #89
Your Next Stamp Challenge #10 ~ Spring Colours
Inky Impressions Challenge #30 ~ Spring
A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge #91 ~ Spring is in the Air
Cupcake Craft Challenge #78 ~ Keep it Simple
Pile it On Challenge #6 ~ Flowers
Our Creative Challenge

One Card Two Ways

I fell in love with the IA sketch when it was posted and am happy I manged to play with it before the deadline. When I saw the challenge for There She Goes this week I knew exactly what I wanted to do. The challenge is to make 2 cards using identical images, but give one card a masculine feel and the other a feminine feel. Unfortunately I needed a few sympathy cards. I’ve very please with how they turned out and urge you to give the challenges a try. What do you think?

Sketch Inspiration ~ Inspiration in Action Sketch Challenge #119

I used the same sketch for both cards. It was PERFECT for multiples and I’ll be sure to use it again.

Color Inspiration

My Grafico Challenge #36 ~ Plaid out!

My masculine card includes plaid paper.

Stamping 411 Color Inspiration #110

I used the colors from this challenge for my feminine card. I added the pop of pink with the butterfly and bow. The bedding set was the inspiration for the color combo.

Inspiration

There She Goes Challenge #42 ~ He/She Card

Charisma Cardz ~ Male

All Sorts Challenge ~ Recipe 3, 2, 1 (3 of one thing, 2 of another and 1 more)

My masculine card fills this challenge. There are 3 designer papers, 2 forms of ribbon and 1 image.

Hand Full of Stamps #16 ~ Open the Fun Any creation is welcome.

My Creation

Inside of Cards

INS AND OUTS ~ One Card Two Ways
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Through the Trees, With Sympathy)
Paper: DCWV Natural & Café Mediterranean Stacks, Kraft, Neenah Classic Natural White
Ink: Memento (Rich Cocoa, Summer Sky, Bamboo Leaves), SU Positively Pink
Accessories: Shirleys2Girls Velvet Rick Rack Ribbon, Twine, Misc Ribbon, SU Grosgrain Ribbon
Challenges:
Inspiration in Action Sketch Challenge #119
My Grafico Challenge #36 ~ Plaid out!
There She Goes Challenge #42 ~ He/She Card
Charisma Cardz ~ Male
All Sorts Challenge ~ Recipe 3, 2, 1
Stamping 411 Color Inspiration #110
Hand Full of Stamps #16

Flower Fest

Normally I can make about 4 cards in an evening. Last night I only made two and struggled with both of them. Not sure if my MoJo went to bed early or what. As much trouble as the card gave me, I was able to work in several challenges (check out the Ins and Outs for the links).

Color Inspiration IMAGELove these colors; I think I’ll try them with another card. Ugh, I just realized I used a brighter yellow in my card, maybe that's why I don't like it as much.

The Sketch My Card

Inside of Card

Not sure why I’m uneasy about this card. I think it’s because I usually have a single image as the focal point. I’d received my anniversary set from PaperTrey Ink and wanted to use it right away. I thought the flower image was perfect for the flower challenges I wanted to incorporate. INS AND OUTS ~ Flower Fest Challenges: Color Throwdown #42 Card Patterns Sketch 3 Clovers Thursday Challenge – May Flowers 365 Cards #63 ~ Floral Fest (Include 8 flowers) I added the small yellow flower in the corner to meet the challenge goal. Stamps: Everyday Classics (PTI) Paper: DCWV (Citrus Stack), PTI White Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU YoYo Yellow and Tempting Turquiose

Accessories: Cloud 9 Designs Flower, Brads (Doodlebug Designs), Stickles (Yellow and Black), Pop Up Squares