Show and Tell

For Ruth

We went out of town for the weekend... and early Saturday morning, before we left, I determined that I needed to make a quick birthday card for a young friend — the maid of honor for my daughter's upcoming wedding. I've known Ruth since she was about 11 or 12 years old and moved to Charlotte when her dad took a pastoral position at our church. She was in the Sunday School class that I was teaching and she and Britt (who is the same age) quickly became fast friends. Anyway, I popped the card into a mailbox in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon, so — {sigh} — she won't receive it today. Oh, well. She'll get a little preview here... and an official and very public on-her-birthday Happy Birthday from us via the blog. :) Happy, happy birthday, Ruth!

SHOW

 
It's just a simple one layer card that looks so much better in real life. You'll just have to take my word on that. The flower centers were made using ornament stamps from the Tree Trimming Trio Christmas set. I just love being able to pull out seasonal sets in the off-season... and I find Tree Trimming Trio to be super versatile that way. 

I decorated the inside to match, not worrying about doing any masking... and I think it still looks fine.

And I'm loving this sentiment for the back of my cards these days. Handmade is not only best... it's also much more fun, in my opinion. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Flower Fusion #1, Make a Wish, Fillable Frames #7, Tree Trimming Trio, Button Boutique, Floral Fusion); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is PTI (New Leaf, Simply Chartreuse, Hibiscus Burst, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate); also used both a Stampin' Up marker (Rose Red) and a white signa marker on the back.

So — our weekend in Raleigh involved a few things. Like...

 
checking out the site for the wedding reception, where we also had a great view of the St. Patrick's Day parade

 
that was going on in the street right outside.

We also got to see...

 
where the ceremony will take place.

And then had a little fun in the evening...

 
at the Carolina Hurricane's hockey game. They lost to Columbus, but I still got some good ol' American event food.

 
Um... no, both of these aren't mine. One was for Britt. Like mother, like daughter, I guess. :)

Ken & I also stayed in the hotel that will be home-base during the wedding festivities this summer.

 
It's lovely and will be perfect. It's about a mile from the chapel and a block from the ballroom where the reception will be. And just down the street from the Capitol building...

 
surrounded by museums and restaurants. Plus there will be a street festival going on, so there will be no shortage of things to do while we're waiting for the weekend's main event to take place.

There is much to do before the end of July, but lots of the big things are taken care of now... so soon it will be on to the fun little details. I'll share as I can. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! As this is the beginning of my Spring Break, I better get busy and get some other things accomplished — hope you have a day full of accomplishment, too! See you again soon. (And, again... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUTH!!)

For Susie

Susie is the sister of my friend Margie, who lives down the street. And, over the years, Susie has become a friend, too. When my social, hang-out-at-the-neighbor's-house husband came home last Friday saying, "Susie's birthday is tomorrow", I knew I had to make her a card. Because she's one of my Facebook friends. And she keeps up with this little ol' blog o' mine, so she always knows what's going on with the Hayes family. :)

And, when I started thinking about making a birthday card for Susie, my mind wandered to cupcakes. But then I remembered that Susie eats a gluten-free diet. And that her passion is frozen yogurt. So I dropped the cupcake idea and ran with the ice cream.

SHOW

 
I did sneak in a bit of my cupcake idea. I used the cupcake wrapper part of Stampin' Up's Build-a-Cupcake punch for the yogurt dish, cutting off the scallops at the top... and I used the sentiment from the new Stampin' Up cupcake set. It has a cute font. :) (Although it's a little blurry and hard to see in the photo...)

Of course, this card was just crying out for a gift card to be included...

 
and, what else could it be besides Pinkberry?!? (Mmmm. Just looking at the photo makes me want to hop in the car and drive over there right now. I can resist. I can resist. I can...) Hope your birthday was an extra, extra happy one, Susie!

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Sweet Scoops, Create a Cupcake) and Papertrey Ink (Mixed Messages); cardstock is SU (Sahara Sand, Real Red) and Papertrey Ink (Kraft); patterned paper is Crate Paper's Snow Day Collection (Mittens); ink is SU (Early Espresso) and PTI (Vintage Cream); rhinestones are Kaiser (orange); baker's twine is The Twinery (Maraschino); also used SU's Build-a-Cupcake and Modern Label punches, PTI's Library Pocket die, a Sizzix embossing folder (Snowballs), and a Tiny Tags die for the Cuttlebug.

So — I feel like it's been forever since we "talked". Here's what I've been up to:

Picking up the doughnuts for the big Doughnuts for Dads gatherings at the preschool. Of course, had to have a hot one. Payment for my efforts, you know. (Ken & I do this together... it's like our little annual doughnut date.)

Helping to welcome dads into their child's world...

 
the world of small chairs, low tables,

 

and dancing in a circle.

 
Suffering with the allergies that come with blooming trees.

 
Enjoying some beautiful blue skies...

 
along with some miserable rain. (So miserable that there's no photo of it...)

Making party food...

 
and hosting a Lia Sophia jewelry party

 
that I somehow booked when I went to a neighbor's party with the intention of buying the cheapest pair of earrings I could find and going home. (Huh?)

Trying to keep leprechauns from getting into the preschool early...

 
quite unsuccessfully, as you can see.

And trying to settle groups of very small children into attractive arrangements for class pictures...

 
and then keep them there until several photos were taken.

Whew... what a week! But, next week is our Spring Break and I'm ready, ready, ready for my stay-at-home vacation! It ought to involve more time for blogging... so see you again soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

Make it Monday #4

Well, I made it. This week's Make it Monday contest expires tomorrow morning, but I finally got a card finished. I had the idea earlier in the week, but this afternoon is the first chance I got to try it out. The challenge this week has been to create with Fun Foam. Fortunately I rarely throw things away, so I happend to have a small stash of the stuff to play around with at home. Here's my card.

SHOW

 
I'm not sure why, but this card looks so much better in real life. Maybe it's the cloudy, rainy day we're having. Anyway, I started out by die cutting Fun Foam using the Beautiful Blooms II #2 dies and inking them like stamps to make the background paper. A picture's worth a thousand words...

 
I must say, that was pretty fun. :) The other Fun Foam touch is the white flower. That one was cut with the new Flower Fusion #1 die. I then snipped the petals to give a little extra dimension and sewed the button on using baker's twine.

The color scheme? It came about as I was looking for two PTI inks that were the newer old formula with the spongy pad. I thought it might work better (although I didn't try any others) — and, while I would probably never have thought of using these two colors together on my own, I really, really like it. And that's one of the fun things about challenges. They encourage you to try things that you might not try left to your own devices. So — thanks PTI for another nudge to try something different!

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Boxes, Bags, and Tags, Blooming Button Bits, Polka Dot Basics, Everyday Classics, Fillable Frames #9); cardstock is PTI (white, Terra Cotta Tile, True Black); ink is PTI (Aqua Mist, Terra Cotta Tile, True Black); ribbon is PTI (Aqua Mist Swiss Dot satin); button is PTI (Terra Cotta Tile); also used PTI dies (Beautiful Blooms II #2, Fillable Frames #9, Edgers #1, Flower Fusion #1), The Twinery baker's twine (Caribbean), and fun foam.

I have a very busy week coming up, so I'm not sure I'll get back here to post anything — although I have plenty of cards photographed and waiting in the wings. Plus, I'll probably try to sneak into the craft room and make one or two new things as the week goes on, just to keep my sanity. But, the good news is, the next week I'm on Spring Break, and then I should have time to come back and visit with you. So, don't worry if I'm quiet for a few days. Sometimes real life just has to take over, you know? 

Have a great rest of your Sunday and a fabulous week ahead! Thanks for spending a bit of time here with me. :) 

50

Every once in awhile someone "commissions" me to make a card for them to give to someone I don't know. I love doing this, but sometimes find it a little scary. I mean, what if I use colors or a theme that the recipient really doesn't like?

So — when Ruth asked me to make a birthday card for a friend's mother, all the information that she really gave me was that the woman was turning 50 and that she lived in Florida so maybe bright colors would be good. We talked about whether or not the actual number should be used on the card and finally decided to go with it. I was originally going to put it on the inside — you know, be a little subtle, but somehow it wound up front and center (and anything but subtle!). 

SHOW

 
This card is all about celebration of life. It absolutely says "party" to me... and that maybe 50 really is the new 30 (or whatever...).

The year before I turned 50, I read a quote in our local newspaper that I ended up tearing out and tacking on our kitchen bulletin board (where it still resides): "You can wake on your 50th birthday with the same forward-looking excitement and interest in life that you enjoyed when you were five." (Dorothy L. Sayers, 1893-1957, British Author) Love that! And since I know many 5 year olds well, including how they have an absolute zest for life, I decided that it would be a great philosophy to adopt. So, that is what I was thinking when I created this card. Looking forward. Being interested. Having fun. Zesty living. :) Hopefully the new 50 year old will appreciate that philosophy, too.

Here's the inside. Still bright. Still fun. Still partying. I added a little shimmer to the candles with a Sakura stardust pen. And at the last minute I decided that the little "Maile style" birdie on the inside needed a birthday crown — so I trimmed down a tiny banner border that I had already cut and added a few small orange rhinestones. After all, every birthday girl deserves a crown, don't you think? (Cicking on the photo will make it a little bigger...)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Banner Builder, Round & Round, Year of Flowers: Violet, Little Bitty Bird, Make a Wish, Big & Bold Wishes); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White) and Stampin' Up (Pink Pirouette); patterned paper is Basic Grey (Green at Heart collection); ink is SU (Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette) and PTI (True Black); baker's twine is from The Twinery (Lilac); bits of ribbon are from my stash; rhinestones are from Kaiser (orange); also used dies from PTI (Mat Stack 1, Little Bitty Bird, Banner Builders, Numbers), a PTI impression plate (woodgrain), an embossing folder from SU (Framed Tulips), a SU marker (Pink Pirouette), and Sakura Stardust pen (clear).

Better quickly show you the packaging, too. Since the card was being hand-delivered this weekend, I used a glassine bag with a tag instead of an envelope. That way if Ruth wanted to add a little something, it would be easy to do... or even if not, it elevated the card from "just a card" to gift status. When creating the tag, I left a little room for her to write the recipient's name if she wanted to — or it could be left plain, making the tag completely reusable. Kind of a gift in itself. :)

That's all for now — but, if I get a chance, I may be back with an entry for this week's Papertrey Ink Make It Monday. Can't let an opportunity pass by to potentially win a free PTI stamp set, you know. As I've said before, if you don't play, you can't win. So — hopefully I'll see you again very soon. Thanks so much for stopping by!

March Stamp Club

 
Yep, it's that day again. Stamp club day. The theme for March is Easter or spring.

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I whipped these out last night in a relatively short period of time. I was originally thinking of making a one layer card, but it was just too flat and plain to take to club. Cutting out the main image didn't take all that long. Probably the trickiest part was another last minute addition — the leaves stamped on the base. Positioning them just where I wanted them so that they poked out from behind the image proved to be challenging (but, fortunately, forgiving). I really wanted the roses to be "on top" of the frame, but the thought of trying to mask those, stamping each card the exact same way, was a little daunting — so I stamped the frame first and then masked it, putting the roses "underneath" instead, and I think it looks fine.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Baby Blossoms, Well Scripted); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is SU (Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz); also used SU's Framed Tulips embossing folder.

Well, I was at a preschool workshop all morning and need to leave the house now to make it to club on time. What a crazy day! I'm thinking that it'll be a good night to go out to dinner. :)

Thanks for coming by today! Tomorrow I plan to post a colorful and fun 50th birthday card. Hope you'll be able to make it back to take a peek. See you then!

celebrate today

This card was made using the colors from Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge #71 as inspiration.

 

 

SHOW

 
I really wasn't sure about those colors — I naturally gravitate toward a brighter palette — but I'm pretty delighted with how this one turned out. The flower was made using various punches on So Saffron cardstock, wrinkling up the shapes, inking them with with More Mustard, stacking them up, piercing the center, and securing them with a brad.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Fillable Frames #3, Mega Mixed Messages, Turning a New Leaf); cardstock is PTI (Kraft, white) and Stampin' Up (Cherry Cobbler, So Saffron); patterned paper is Creative Imaginations; ink is SU (More Mustard, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake); ribbon is PTI (Harvest Gold satin); button twine is PTI (Rustic Jute); doily is Martha Stewart; rhinestone brad is SU (Square Fire); also used  PTI dies (Tag Sale #4, Leaf Prints, Fillable Frames #3), a SU embossing folder (Lattice Square), SU punches (Fancy Flower, Scallop Circle, Boho Blossoms), and an EK Success border punch (small scallop).

This card will be going to one of our preschool staff members. She has worked at the school for about 30 years. In fact, she was our daughter's 4 year old preschool teacher over 20 years ago. Her current job involves keeping our shared storybooks and resources in order. However, she's been having some health problems of late, so we decided to put together a bunch of goodies to cheer her up while she's basically homebound. Staff members brought in puzzle books, notecards, lotions, plus other fun things, and wrote notes of encouragement to her. Since the sentiment on the outside of this card kind of suggests "birthday" I thought I'd clarify on the inside by writing Psalm 118:24 — "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" — along with my personal note to her.

I also used this week's Curtain Call colors and made a little tag album of Bible verses, using a variety of Papertrey Ink dies and Fillable Frames sets paired with nearly all the Verve scripture Plain Janes that I own along with a few from other Verve sets.

 
I put all the tags on a ring from the office supply store and tied a few ribbons around it for decoration.

 
I ended up with a lot of tags...

 
twenty-two in all...

 
if you count the cover tag.

 
My prayer is that

 
she will find them to be a great source of encouragement.

 
I packaged the card and tag album together in a large glassine bag,  
tying one more small tag to the outside of the bag with satin ribbon. No picture of it all packaged up... flat ran out of time!

And the reason I ran out of time for taking papercraft pictures is that I was summoned to the toddler room where I saw this...

 
I just spent a bundle of money on a really nice easel with magnetic surfaces for the toddlers to use (you can see a corner of it in the lower left of the photo) and then guess what was discovered? You got it. The classroom door is magnetic. haha! Oh, well. You can't have too many magnetic surfaces, can you?

Hope you have a great weekend! Mine is pretty busy, but I'm planning to hop back on here both days. I've stuff to show... and tell. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by... see you again tomorrow!