Lovely as a Tree birthday card

This is the card that I am sending to my nephew who lives in Colorado. His birthday is next week.

He enjoys auto racing like his grandfather (my Dad), his father, uncle, and brother.  Quite honestly, though, I am a bit weary of making cards related to auto racing and wanted to do something different. I know my nephew enjoys camping and fishing with his family as well as the mountains in general, so this is what I decided to go with. 

This card is a pretty close CASE of the card found here:  http://fireflyscards.blogspot.com/2013/01/lovely-tree.html   I used the same layout and stampset (Lovely as a Tree). Instead of using an embossing folder for the wood background, I used Stampin’Up’s Hardwood background stamp. I tore scraps of green & light blue papers and sponged the edges rather than brayering in the scene.  I used dies to cut the sentiment. I forgot to note down the brand of the dies, though.

Recipe:
Stamps: Stampin’ Up Lovely as a Tree, Hardwood
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink cream, Stampin’ Up Old Olive, Early Espresso, scraps
Ink: Stampin’Up Early Espresso, unknown blue
Accessories: Dies for the sentiment

Christmas Card

I like how this card turned out!  I design as I go, so it took a couple of hours to complete (not to mention the mess that was on my desk when I was finished! Lol).  I will make more because I like the design, but the next ones will go much quicker!

I am making an attempt to actually use the supplies that I have purchased at least once.  The money is not well-spent if the supplies are never used.  And, if I use something then find I don’t like it after all or I have a difficult time with it (intricate dies, in particular), it is a lot easier for me to put it in the “Let It Go” bin.   I have been purging my supplies, but it has been a very slow process.  It’s more fun to create than to clean, yaknow?   

I am digressing!  Back to the card ….   I used a Stampin” Up embossing folder for the background.  The holly leaves are from a Cuttlebug / Spellbinders die that I found at Joannes Fabrics & Crafts earlier this summer.   The label die is also one of Spellbinders fancy labels dies.  I cut the small piece for the sentiment from white cardstock, stamped the image, and glued it on.  I sued Stickles glitter glue for the berries.

Recipe

Stampset – Stampin' Up! Christmas Blessing (retired)
Ink – Archival Black, Old Olive
Paper – Cherry Cobbler, Gable Green, White
Accessories – Stampin” Up! Embossing folder, Spellbinders dies, Stickles

Stampin' Up! Wetlands

Now that I am back home in Central Florida, I have been getting together with my Stamping Friend every other week.  The cards she makes are more elaborate than what I come up with on my own. She helps me step out of my comfort zone and I am usually always happy with the results.   This card is no exception!

This card was CASE’d from a card that Stamping Friend and I saw at our Stampin’ Up! Demo’s house.  Our Demo made the card at her upline’s meeting. I tried to find the card (or a close proximity of it) online so that I can give proper credit; if it is your card or you know whose it is, please let me know so that I can give credit.

We stamped the sandpiper image onto watercolor paper then sponged in the sky, water, and sand. We then cut out the image with a circle die.It is layered onto a Baja Breeze circle.  We embossed just the card front.  We stamped the wavy line image from Chalk Lines in Baja Blue and trimmed it to fit the card front. The strips in order  below the stamped lines are Baja Breeze, water color paper, Night of Navy.

But the real magic happens when the card is opened!

I love how this card turned out!  We cut the inside piece using a Karen Burniston pop-it-up die from Elizabeth Crafts.  We were going to use the cut in the other direction so that the sentiment would be standing up when the card was opened, but we decided we liked it better this way.

We stamped the sentiment on water color paper and cut it out with a circle die.  We stamped the pelican then fussycut it out, leaving a couple of inches long tail at the bottom. The tail is needed so that the bird can be secured to the card base.  We used a grass die to cut the grasses in front of the pelican.  We sponged in the clouds using a handmade cloud template.  You could also punch out a scalloped circle or oval and  use that as your template.

Recipe:

Stamps:   Stampin’ Up! Wetlands and Chalk Lines.  Unknown sentiment, pelican, and birds

Cardstock: Baja Breese, Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, watercolor paper

Ink: Baja Breeze, Sahara Sand, Stazon Black

Accessories:  Stampin’ Up! Embossing folder, Karen Burniston pop-it-up die by Elizabeth Crafts, Circle dies, Grass die