The hardest cards to make.

On Wednesday, April 22nd, some of us were discussing on FB how hard it was to make condolence cards and some had mentioned they seemed to need more lately.  I suggested we could do a swap, and then we'd have some on hand.  I thought I could send 5 to one person, that person could send 5 to the next and so on.  There were about 4 of us, so this is what I have been making this week.

This first one I made a couple of months ago, but I had extras, so I included it in with this group.  I had this ribbon forever and used up the very last of it making these.  I thought it was nice for a condolence card, or even a friendship card.  The inside is blank.

Sentiment - JRL Design Stamps

DP, CS, ribbon, brads - stash

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Inside - "Wishing you Comfort"

Sentiment - Perfectly Clear Stamps / Encouraging Words

Wildflower silhouette - Stacy Stamps Wildflower Box Set

CS, DP, brad - stash

Ink - SU / Chocolate Brown

Inside - "In this time of need"

Sentiment - CTMH / Thinking of You

Images - CTMH / Blossoms Blocks

Inks - SU / Primrose Petals, Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, Rich Razzleberry

Memento - Tuxedo Black

Inside - "I'm praying for you"

Design Sketch - Julia Aston, Saugus, MA / Take Ten Winter '07 Issue

Sentiment - SU / Blessings From Heaven

Flowers - Stacy Stamps / Wildflower Box Set

DP - Penny Black / Purple Wings

CS - stash

Ink - SU / Elegant Eggplant

Inside: "for your loss."

Design/Sketch - Cindy Coutts, Paducah, KY / Take Ten Autumn 2010 Issue

Sentiment - SU / So Sorry

Puffy flower sticker - stash

DP - Graphic 45 / Botanical Tea

Ink - Memento / Tuxedo Black

Inside - "for your loss."

Butterfly - SU punch

DP - stash

And, it HAS been hard.  But I think these turned out nice enough to send out to a friend, and I have several on hand now in my card drawer.  If I'm lucky, I won't need any for a long time.  :)

ODBD April Challenge - Masculine cards.

I've been busy making cards and not blogging.  But I wanted to post pictures of these masculine cards I made recently so I could get one posted on the OWH page.  I love how Our Daily Bread Designs will sponsor the postage on a box (up to 2 boxes a month) for each 25 cards people post for this.  Yay.

The blue design strip is made with duct tape!  Yeah, I have a drawer full of different ones.  :)

The mustache strip is Washi tape on a craft strip.

Joanne's challenge: Use the colors of your meds!

This week Joanne Masury challenged us to use the colors of our medications.  LOL.

I take Tums and these are berry flavored...and a multi-vitamin.

And today I challenged everyone to make a card using eyeglasses, sunglasses, googlie eyes or eye balls!  I had this great Stampendous stamp and added bling!

Hello Girlfriend!

OWH Sketch #238

Image - Stampendous / Rhinestone Eyeglasses

Sentiment - Inkadinkado

Swirl Borders - CTMH / Botanical Borders

Ink:

CTMH - Cherub Pink and Indian Corn Blue

SU - Daffodil Delight

Memento - Tuxedo Black

CS and rhinetones - stash

I kind of like these colors together.  Good thing I don't take kelp or fish oil.  I doubt I have those colors.

Yellow/Gray Challenge and Virgin Stamp Challenge

March 5th, Ann Merkins challenged us to use a stamp that had never seen ink before, so I pulled out Pollen Central.  Then Raeanna Smith challenged us on March 9th to use yellow and gray on a card.  So I thought, I can combine these since I was going to use yellow on the bee image anyway!

I think it turned out darn cute.

The image is a Peddler's Pack Stamp (my fav LSS in Beaverton,OR)

The sentiment is Stampendous

Image colored with Copics, CS from my stash.

Three will go into my OWH box and 4 will go into my card drawer.  Just happy any day or happy birthday.

Thanks for visiting.

March ODBD/OWH Challenge

Every month Our Daily Bread Designs (ODBD) has offered to sponsor the postage on up to 2 boxes of cards for Operation Write Home if card makers post 25 card images per box.  This month the challenge is to make a card using a sentiment as a focal point.  So here is my offering.

I had this lovely ribbon for ages and finally decided to use it.  It was originally wired, but I pulled out the wires, dug through my stash and found papers that coordinated and made this thinking of you card.  I also thought it would make an appropriate condolence card as well. 

Four for my card drawer, and four for my box of cards to OWH.

Thanks for stopping by.  :)

The tag card I sent out to Laurie.

I was sort of stumped with this challenge.  I haven't used tags much on cards and didn't really think I could do one that was mainly centered around a tag.  But, my BFF and I were going out to lunch with two other friends Friday the 6th and she wanted to stop at Craft Warehouse first.  Would I mind?  LOL...

While perusing crafts at Craft Warehouse, I found this large chipboard tag and thought, I could make a card/door knob hanger out of it!  I had already stalked Laurie's page for pics and found her lovely dog, so I stole a copy of that to use on the front.  Then I got a Hero Arts Stencil that just called my name and thought I could use that as well.

When I got home, I let all the ideas percolate for later.  I was out of town Sat/Sun but figured by Monday I HAD to get that tag card going!  Our deadline was in the mail by Tuesday the 10...talk about leaving it to the last minute!  But honestly, my subconscious had been working on this for days, REALLY!   I already had the supplies and the print of the pooch so I sat my butt down and got to work.

I think it turned out really cute.  I took off the rope tie that came with the tag and added some pretty yarns and voila, TAG/Card.   I hope Laurie likes it.  (I like the bling swirl)

Hero Arts Stencil for background dots.  I swirled different Tim Holtz Distress Inks over the stencil.

The grass was made using a scrap of Olive Green SU card stock that I clipped with my scissors.

Stamps:

You Can't Ground Me... Inkadinkado

Always Jump in Puddles - Savvy Stamps

Enjoy - Lockhart Stamp Co.

Smiles - A Muse Artstamps

lots of hugs - Hero Arts

...hello... - Savvy Stamps

to one of my favorite peeps - A Muse Artstamps

Tiny Paw print -CTMH

I finished it off by painting the entire front with Mod Podge to seal the ink.  I see from this photo, it kind of made some of it bleed, oops.  But I think it turned out really cute anyway.  I should have taken a better picture of the fibers that were thread through the hole for a hanger, they were very pretty, red, yellow, gold, and variegated yarns.

I might make another one of these for me!  Of course, mine will have a cat on it.

Tag challenge

Our  challenge this month was to make a tag or a card with a tag on it to send to one person.  I got this lovely one from my Seongsook Stampers friend Mavis in BC Canada on March 2nd.  It came with this lovely note from her:

"Hi TK,

I was going to write in the card but I don't think I would have room so I'll have to type this out.  This will be much easier to read than my handwriting anyway.  :)

The envelope for my tag was made covered with home made paper the I made myself in the blender from paper scraps, then I hand stitched around it.  The pressed flower and leaf I grew myself and then pressed in between pages of my heavy encyclopedias.  (Those books were good for something.)  I had this envie for a long time, I guess I just need wanted to give it up.  :)

The tag was made several years ago...my sister showed me this technique with crackle paint.  As you can see I put one of my favorite graphics on the tag and then added a bit of lace.

Make sure you read the back of the card, because I wouldn't want you to have a sore butt and not know the reason why.

It's been fun teasing each other on facebook.  So glad to have met you TK.

Take care, Mavis"

There is also a pink flower and ferns repeated in a lower corner of the inside of the card as well.

And the following picture shows the tag that came out of the envelope on the front and I posed it on the back of the card so you could see the sticker she added at the bottom.  (giggle)

I just love everything about this.  Hand made paper, hand stitching, her favorite image, the bit of lace, the dried flower and fern on the front tag envelope from her very own garden, dry embossing and red bling in the corners.  This is a very special card and I LOVE it.

Mavis, you rock.

My next post will be the tag I made for my chosen friend Laurie Fleehearty.  

Also from Seongsook's Stampers Group.