Thursday, May 28, 2009

Thinking of You card (RAK)


This simple card is a Thinking of You card, done in gate-fold style. I started with a base of this lovely light teal textured cardstock, cut to 12" X 6 5/8", purchased in a multi-pack tablet from WalMart. I folded the two front sections so that the card would still be 5" wide. Then I stamped a floral design from the Inkadinkado set Doodle Flowers onto a left-over piece of white cardstock. (Keep ALL those scraps! I keep mine sorted into gallon size zipper bags by color families. They come in VERY handy when you only need a small piece.) I colored the design with Sharpie markers and RoseArt pencil colors. Then I heat embossed the center of the design, using a Versamark pen and Holographic embossing powder, to add a little sparkly interest. I mounted the floral design on a scrap of Deep Terrific Teal ColorMates cardstock from World Win. I adhered this to the left front of the card in an off-kilter manner. I stamped a simple sentiment inside the card, using a Thinking of You wood-mounted rubber stamp that I have. This was a really quick card to make, simple, but still attractive, I think.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Birthday card for Lin F


This lovely card is winging its way to an online friend, Lin. One of her favorite colors is turquoise. I hope she likes this card; I know I do.

To make Lin's card, I started with a white cardstock base, with rounded corners and inked edges. The background paper with the circles is from ScrapbookScrapbook.com, a printed digital paper. The "corrugated" paper on the left side of the card is from there also. I added a punched white border using my newest Martha Steward border punch. On the corrugated paper, I stamped a design from one of my new stamp sets, Inkadinkados' Ornate Flourish/Arabesque Fine, and then I heat embossed it with the embossing iron my oldest daughter gave me for my birthday back in February. I still haven't perfected the heat embossing technique; try as hard as I can, even using a little paintbrush to sweep away the excess embossing powder, I still get "crumbs" here and there. This one didn't turn out too bad, though, so I went ahead and used it anyway. On top of the circle background, I layered a rectangle of Deep Terrific Teal ColorMates cardstock from World Win and on top of that is a rectangle of a printed digital background paper. Again, I rounded the corners. The flower is made from vellum flower parts, a kit from Cloud 9 Design by Fiskars, another gift from my oldest daughter (this time for Mother's Day). I used white brads to finish off the card.

And there you have it...

Monday, May 25, 2009

Some General Info About My Card-making

I thought I would share some general information with you about my cardmaking.

First, I rarely make cards just for the pleasure of making cards or trying out a technique. Almost every card I make is made with a specific recipient and occasion in mind. The only exception to this is the monthly card swaps I participate in within the cardmaking group, Crazy Card Makers, which I belong to. This is a Yahoo group made up of a bunch of wonderful, talented ladies from all over the globe.

Also, I do NOT make cards for sale. I know that many cardmakers do and more power to them. My own preference is to make cards to give to specific people for a specific reason. I have made cards for someone else to give to someone when requested, but do not do this very often either.

Along with this idea of a handmade card for a specific recipient, I rarely make more than one copy of the same card. I have made doubles of a particular card for the aforementioned swaps, but that's usually the only time that I make duplicates. I have liked a particular layout so much that I repeated it with variations, but each card was still a little different. When I need to make multiples of a card for a holiday, such as for Passover or Hanukkah, I do computer-printed cards for those. Digital designs can be a fun challenge, but are not something I want to do all the time, though I do incorporate a lot of digital elements into my cardmaking.

Almost all the cards I make have the inside sentiment printed on the computer. My computer is an indispensible tool in my cardmaking endeavors. I like having all the different fonts at my fingertips and the formatting. I do have a few stamps with sentiments, but those are mostly the kinds of sentiments you'd put on the front of a card. I like my "inside" sentiments to look more like the cards you pick out at the store. I use Microsoft Greetings 2001 for my digital cardmaking, for making computer-printed cards and for printing the inside sentiments for my handmade cards. I also have ULead Photo Express 5 SE, which I use to make background tiles and teabag tiles into background papers for my cardmaking--works slick! When I want to edit a photo I've put on my computer, I use Microsoft Picture It! Photo 2002. I do have a couple of other print programs for making cards, posters, and the like, but seldom use them.

For printing, I am using a little HP Deskjet 3910 which I bought over 3 years ago at Christmas-time for $25 at WalMart. It's a little workhorse. Mostly I print in the Fast & Economical mode (black only) or the General Purpose mode for colors. I refill my ink cartridges as long as I can so that I don't have to buy as many name-brand cartridges. I get my refill ink from Mr Inkjet. I don't have photo paper and don't print onto that, just regular cardstock and paper. For my background papers, I've started using 24 lb paper to give it more "body." I also use that paper to make my own envelopes. I also have 22 lb paper and the usual 20 lb paper, which can be used for background papers or envelopes, but the 20 lb papers show more through the paper than I like when I am layering things. So far, I've found that the most inexpensive papers are purchased at WalMart and the quality seems fine to me. I did pick up a ream of pastel 8 1/2" x 11" 24 lb paper at Office Depot last week, though, for making envelopes from--pricey, but it'll be nice to have colored envelopes. I also prefer the 8 1/2" X 11" paper and cardstock over the 12" X 12" stuff. The letter-sized papers and cardstocks go through the printer nicely and are easier to store, in my opinion.

A note about storage: I've been having my daughter Lois, who does daycare in her home, save me the cardboard boxes that she gets baby wipes containers in, the kind that hold about 6 containers of baby wipes. These boxes are mostly just the right size to use for magazines or letter-sized paper and cardstock, standing on end. I like to have things visible. These boxes are quite sturdy, too, though I do reinforce them with duct tape around the top, after folding the top flaps down over the outside of the box. Just wrap the tape around the flaps, going all the way around the box, to keep them folded tightly to the box and to reinforce the box.

Almost all of my cards are 5" X 6 5/8" in size. I find that this size gives me a nice area for design. I made my own envelope template and make my own envelopes. I do have different size envelope templates for a couple different sized cards. Even if I were making quarter-fold cards, A-4 I think they call them, I'd still make my own envelopes. I've been doing so for years already.
Well, that's about all I can think of for now. If you have any comments or questions, I'd enjoy hearing them and will do my best to respond. Happy frugal cardmaking!

Birthday Card For My Son


I made this card for my son Isaac, who turned 23 last week. Isaac lives about an hour's drive away from us, with his wife Amber, and their baby son, Alan, who's now 2 months old. We haven't seen them since the baby was born. Isaac decided last month to sever his ties to me because of my faith in Yeshua the Messiah and the fact that I cannot help but mention God, Yeshua, the Bible or something connected to those topics, whether in words or actions. Even though Isaac wants no contact with me in any way, shape or form, he is still my son--in fact, my only son, as well as my youngest child and I will not be forgetting about him any time soon. So I decided that I would set aside a pretty tin and keep all the cards I would otherwise give to him & his family in that tin, for the day when Isaac either changes his mind and returns to fellowship with me or I die and he inherits the tin. I've made sure that at least a couple of his sisters are aware of the tin and know what it contains, so that Isaac will be sure to get it if I am not here to give it to him personally. And just a word of encouragement to anyone who may be facing difficult and heart-breaking circumstances in their life--life is hard, but God is good. I know that the LORD hears my prayers for my son & his family, that He is working in their hears & lives, and that I can trust Him with their welfare.

On to how I made this card...I started with a cardstock base of Light Creamy Cocoa ColorMates by World Win. To the base, I adhered a piece of blue checked wallpaper sample over the entire front. I used my corner-rounder punch to round the corners of the card. Then following a card sketch from the book CardMaker's SketchBook, I cut a larger rectangle from the same Light Creamy Cocoa, topped with a pattern of circles which is a computer-printed scrapbook paper design from ScrapbookScrapbook.com. The long rectangle uses Deep Creamy Cocoa and Dark Creamy Cocoa cardstocks. I rounded all corners. To this rectangle, I added three brown buttons, sewn on with brown embroidery floss. I got the floss at a local liquidator store for about 10 cents a skein; it works great on cards! The buttons came out of my sewing supplies. A hint: save all the buttons off your old clothes that are heading for the rag bin or garbage can. And save them in an empty candle jar (put it in the freezer for a few hours and getting out any leftover wax will be pretty easy). The other rectangle uses a computer-printed tile paper, topped with a giftwrap paper motif.

And there you have it...

Friday, May 22, 2009

Shopping Trip Yesterday--I Could Be In Trouble!

My sweetheart and I went to Eau Claire shopping yesterday, about 55 miles away, the largest shopping center near us. I had some $$$ burning a hole in my pocket so we made the rounds of our usual haunts: Big Lots, Dollar Tree, WalMart, along with Menards (gotta have my carpet tape!). My sweetheart also patiently allowed me to check out the 50/50 Factory Outlet store--got a couple pretty giftwrap papers there, as well as confetti (want to make a shaker card one of these days), some silver doilies, stickers, and some silk flower leis. While there, I overheard someone mention a new scrapbooking store not too far away, and since it was located near the Kia dealership which my sweetheart wanted to check out, he agreed to drop me off while he went to look at cars. The store is called Picture This and is located off of Hwy 93 south of Eau Claire, in case you're ever in the area. They sure have the stuff! I picked up some acrylic stamps, 3 punches, some sheets of the World Win ColorMates cardstock that I like so much (was glad to find a 2nd outlet for it within driving distance!), a Distressed Ink pad, and a sheet of cool 12" x 12" scrapbooking paper. We also checked out another new scrapbooking store in Eau Claire, Down Memory Lane, again full of all sorts of wonderful stamps, papers, etc! It would've taken me HOURS to properly look at everything available in both stores! I picked up some ribbons, a wood-mounted Hanukkah stamp, a sheet of scrapbook paper and some chipboard embellishments that were on clearance, as well as some acrylic stamps and 2 other sheets of scrapbooking paper that weren't on sale. Then my sweetheart let me spend about 45 minutes in Michaels where I picked up a bunch of ribbon, cardstock, brads, a bunch of acrylic stamps-mostly the $1 stamps, and 2 Martha Stewart punches (all MS was 25% off).

I spent more than I probably should have, mostly on stuff that cost $2 or less though, so it looked like I spent more than I had. My sweetheart did have to ask if I didn't think I already had a great plenty of supplies at home and did I really need MORE? He's right, you know. I really don't NEED any more supplies, except when I run out of cardstock, but there's always something that catches the eye that I don't already have that would be SO nice to add to my stash of supplies.

And that's why I could be in big trouble this fall. I am going to be attending the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire starting in September, working towards an elementary education teaching degree with a focus on learning disabilities. The university is just minutes away from all these wonderful stores! How will I ever resist the temptation! There's Michaels, Joanns, these two new scrapbooking stores, Hancock Fabrics, WalMart, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, the 50/50 store, and more! Maybe the fact that we will be living on a very tight budget will help me resist the temptations; I can only hope so and strive to keep my mind on the scriptures that counsel against covetousness and being content with what we have. I think I'd better get those verses out NOW and commit them to memory so that I'm prepared--and to help me right now. Temptation can come at any time from many places, after all.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

A Couple More of My Old Cards

This was a get well card for a male friend of ours who had a heart attack a couple years ago, made in June 07. I started with a cream cardstock base, then added two pieces of wallpaper samples from the same family, and cut the cross piece out of the matching wallpaper border sample. Simple, but attractive.

This card went to an online friend who had a baby boy, made in June 07. The base is a medium blue cardstock. There are two layers of blue striped wallpaper samples, topped with a cute bear giftwrap cut-out.


This birthday card is one of my favorites, made in June 07, for an online friend. The base is a light blue cardstock. The background is a plaid wallpaper sample. I used another giftwrap cutout motif here, a cute little girl with flowers. I cut the sentiment tag out of the same cardstock as the card base using edger scissors, then drew the stitching with pen and added the sentiment.

Sharing Some of My Older Cards


This pretty in purple card was a birthday card for my stepdaughter Paige, made in June 07. I used purple cardstock for the base, then layered with two different wallpaper samples. I used a Crayola marker to highlight the card edge with a darker purple. The floral motif in the center is cut from giftwrap paper, one of my favorite designs--love those violets! I glued on buttons & bows and attached a tag with the sentiment. I had used the same Crayola marker to "paint" the tag purple; it started out white. It's one of those garage sale price tags you can buy in a quantity pack. I've had them sitting here for a long time and never used them, til now.

I made this card for one of my many nephews when he graduated in June 07. I started with a tan cardstock, then added layers of complimentary wallpaper samples. The center picture is a motif cut from giftwrap paper, another of my favorites, particularly for guys.


This sympathy card was made for a young couple who are in-laws to my daughter Holly. They tragically lost their first-born son to SIDS two years ago. The card was made in May 07. I began with a light green cardstock base, added layers of complimentary wallpaper samples, and put a floral motif cut from giftwrap paper in the center. The sentiment tag is cut from a purchased card we'd received when we had a death in our family. To finish, I glued on a pastel blue bow.


Friday, May 15, 2009

Today's Frugal Finds

This morning my sweetheart and I had to run into town (25 miles away) to pick up milk for next week. We like to buy our milk in 1/2 gallon plastic bags at the Kwik Trip store and that's the closest one. I used to work in that town so would pick it up after my workday ended, but my job bit the dust in mid-February (one of the economy's casualties) so now we have to make a special trip into town to buy milk or gas or anything else. That's just one of the down-sides to living out in the country--but I wouldn't change where I live for anything, so we live with the few inconveniences.

Anyway, when we got to town, hubby said he wanted to stop at K-Mart to check on slippers. He didn't find what he was looking for so said we should also stop at WalMart. He did find an acceptable pair of slippers there (he has big feet, which go with his 6 ft 1 in frame). I found a few things, too! WalMart has a section of summer party stuff, with a Hawaiian theme, and these pretty silk flower leis were there for $1 each. I don't know about you, but I like using silk flowers on my cards. The ones that are sold specifically for papercrafting are just a bit pricey most of the time, so when I find a deal like this I grab it. As you can see in the photo, I picked up pink, blue, and yellow leis. I'll take them apart and have lots of silk flowers to use on cards. The flowers are put together in two layers, a bigger one and a smaller one, so when I use them on cards, I'll use the two layers, too. I also like to buy silk flower spikes with small flowers that I can cut off and put on cards.

My other purchase this morning was a 12 ct pack of gold foil 4" doilies by Wilton, the cake decorating people. These packs were on clearance for $2. I love those clearance items! These doilies should be just the thing on wedding cards or anniversary cards--especially 50 wedding anniversaries; I'm thinking ahead here, folks!

And now to get back to work...I'm supposed to be cleaning and getting ready for the Sabbath. We are hosting our Sabbath fellowship here tomorrow and will be babysitting two of our grandchildren, Samuel (5) and Rose (2), so it's going to be an interesting day. Til later...

Thursday, May 14, 2009

One Last Mother's Day Card



I made this card for my daughter-in-law, Amber. She's just 19 and a first-time mom. She gave birth to my grandson, Alan James, on March 24th. Amber is married to my son, Isaac. They'll be celebrating their 2nd anniversary next month. They don't live real close to us so I don't see much of them. Isaac is my only son and the youngest of my 6 children. He'll be 23 years old next week.

To make Amber's card, I started with World Win's Color Mates Medium Pretty Pink cardstock for the base. I added a layer of Deep Pretty Pink cardstock on top of that. The pretty striped layer comes from a 12" x 12" sheet of scrapbooking paper called "Love Lines" by Reminisce; up close it looks pearlized and is just gorgeous! For my central feature, I cut ovals from the previous three papers, layering them also, and adding a left-over piece of light pink doily from Wilton along one edge. The floral motif is a Dover clipart design that I printed out. I added a touch of ribbon, leftover from some that I bought at Dollar Tree. The edges of the card are cut with a scalloped-edge scissors. On the inside edge I added a bit of red foil to jazz things up; the foil comes from a roll of self-sticking book cover that I got for $1 at an outlet store. I have about 6 colors of the foil book covers; the material works really well on cards, though it is a little tricky to work with. The inside is stamped with the following sentiment: Thinking of You with Love on Mother's Day. The stamps are clear vinyl, from a set I bought recently, but neglected to keep the packaging so can't remember who the company is that made the set. I know I bought the set at Creative Hideaway, a cool papercrafting store in Medford, Wisconsin, but that's all I can tell you.

That's also where I buy the World Win's Color Mates cardstock. This cardstock is sold in color-coordinated packs. I buy the 8 1/2" x 11" sheets in packs of 48 sheets for $5; they also have the same color packs in the 12" x 12" size, only 24 sheets to a pack, for the same price. I haven't seen this cardstock anywhere else. It's really nice stuff and the colors are great! I don't know what I'll do if Creative Hideaway goes out of business and I can't buy this cardstock there any more. You can check out their website here: WorldWin Papers. They have projects and free templates--well worth the time to check it out.

So there you have it...

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother's Day Card for My Mom



This card went to my mom, a very special woman in my life. She started out at 17, pregnant with me, and suddenly married. Two years after me, my brother arrived on the scene, and two years after that, my sister was born. I did have a baby brother who was born 3 years after my sister, but he only lived 3 days and died in my mother's arms. My mother persevered through many challenges as we grew up. There wasn't much money, but somehow we always had the things we needed and most of the things we wanted. Dad worked long & hard so Mom was the one who had to deal with most of the day-to-day concerns. She taught me many things--things like how to cook and sew, but also things like caring for those who were less fortunate than us and learning how to do things for myself. No, she isn't perfect and she didn't do everything right, yet somehow all three of us turned out alright. And despite the odds against teenage marriages, especially where the couple is expecting a baby when they marry and both dropped out of high school, my mom loved my dad with all her heart, caring for him right up to the moment of his death 4 years ago from melanoma in his brain. She's definitely been an inspiration to me in many ways. I called her this morning and she loved her card. Of course, blue is her favorite color.

To make her card, I started with a base of World Win's Color Mates Dark Tempting Tanzanite cardstock. I used Deep Tempting Tanzanite to make the triangular pieces. The top triangle has a patterned paper from ScrapbookScrapbook.com--love that paisley! The lower triangle has two patterns: the light print is from ScrapbookScrapbook.com; the darker floral print is a fabric scan that I printed out. For the center focal point, I used a floral tag from GoMakeSomething.com, which I cut in an oval, backed with a scalloped oval cut from Dark Tempting Tanzanite, and mounted on a light green doily by Wilton. To finish, I added two silver spiral brads that I bought from Oriental Trading.

And there you have it...

Friday, May 8, 2009

Four More Mother's Day Cards



This lovely pink & purple card is heading to my second daughter, Lois, who's the mother of 4 of my precious grandchildren: Kyler (9), Alana (7), Easton (5), and Kaylina (3). She's a wonderful mother, as well as a daycare provider. Like my eldest daughter, Lois has been caring for children most of her life.

To make this card, I used World Win's Color Mates Medium & Dark Perfect Plum cardstocks, the medium for the card base and the dark for the smaller rectangles. Layered on top of the dark plum rectangles are two layers of pinks. The solid pink on the bottom is from the digital papers at ScrapbookScrapbook.com. The top patterned layer is made from a background tile. The rectangles are topped by a pink Wilton doily and finally by another of those floral prints from Germany.




This card is on its way to my third daughter Holly, mom to Samuel (5) and Rose (2). Holly has a big heart and would "mother" every needy person she comes across. She & her husband, Levi, have been working their way through the state's foster parent/adoption approval process.

To make Holly's card, I started with a medium blue cardstock base, then layered a darker blue on top of that. The medium blue came in one of those $5 multi-packs at JoAnn Fabric & Crafts or Michaels; the darker blue is from an 8" x 8" multi-pack from WalMart. That pretty blue plaid paper is another of ScrapbookScrapbook.com's digital designs; I love this print! The center strip uses both of the blue cardstocks again and a strip of "corrugated" digital paper from ScrapbookScrapbook.com. The strip is edged with white cardstock that's been punched with my favorite Martha Stewart border punch. The focal point is, again, a floral cut-out from Germany. The last touch is two pink heart brads.




Now this lovely card is going to my fourth daughter, Megan, mother to Derick (8) and Samantha (7). Megan works really hard to provide for her children and just got to buy her first home. She's a good mom and has not had a lot of help from the father of her children.


To make Megan's card, I started with World Win's Color Mates Medium Meri-Gold cardstock, rounding the one corner. The dark green layer is World Win's Color Mates Deep Spring Green. The patterned paper is another design I made using a background tile. The torn layer is a wallpaper sample. The two yellow ovals are World Win's Color Mates Medium and Light Meri-Gold. Again, I used a floral cut-out from Germany. To finish, I added a bow from a piece of ribbon I picked up in an embellishment set from Dollar Tree and a gold heart brad.



This pretty card is for my fifth and youngest daughter, Thea. She's not technically a mother, but is engaged to a man who has two young sons, Ryan (10) and Larry Jr (8). She's determined to be a good stepmom.

To make this card, I started with World Win's Color Mates Light Mostly Mauve as my card base, topped with Dark Mostly Mauve. I rounded the corners of the base card, then punched the lower edge of the next layer with the same Martha Stewart border punch I used on Holly's card. The floral print layer is a wallpaper sample. The green oval is another wallpaper sample, the same one I used on Megan's card. I cut a pink Wilton doily to add the trim behind the green oval. This time I used a butterfly with roses cut-out, another of those pretty cut-outs printed in Germany, that I picked up at the Mennonite bulk food store. I added a gold heart brad and two pink flower brads to complete Thea's card.

Thea happened to stop at our home today so I gave her card to her then. She was very surprised to get a Mother's Day card; she said it was the first one she'd ever gotten. Well, she's only 24 so she still has time. The others went out in today's mail, as I made it to our post office a minute before closing time. Thankfully, I live in a very small community so the post master isn't as particular about locking the door exactly at the stroke of the clock.

I have one more card to share, the one I made for my mom. And I still have one more card to make for my daughter-in-law. I'll share those is separate posts.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Third Mother's Day Card


This Mother's Day card is for my eldest daughter, Venetta, a lovely 32 yr old who is not a mother, but who has been taking care of children almost all of her life. I used to leave her younger siblings in her charge. Then when she grew up, she began babysitting other people's children, going on to doing daycare in her home, and lately being nanny to two little boys that she lost her heart to. Things have changed in the boys' family and Venetta is no longer caring for the boys, a loss that she is grieving. She may not have a child of her own, but she has a mother's heart.
To make this card, I started with a white cardstock base. I covered the whole front of the card with a dark green cardstock (World Win's Color Mates Deep Glorious Green). I used the same piece to make the shaped layer. The multi-colored striped layer is another printed digital paper from the good folks at ScrapbookScrapbook.com. Then we have a dark green print that I made from a background tile and printed it out; I apologize for not remembering which website I got the background tile from. Do a search for "free background tiles" and you'll get a whole ton of sites with some wonderful tiles to choose from; the same goes for "free teabag tiles", which also can be made into lovely papers to print out. The red floral print is a scanned & printed fabric. I used a textured yellow cardstock from a 12" x 12" Colorbok pad purchased at WalMart to make the bottom shaped layer; actually I used a scrap from my scrap stash. I keep all my scraps, as long as they're at least big enough to use with the little punches I have. Sort them by color into large zippered storage bags (like gallon size Ziploc bags) and store; they come in mighty handy when you only need a small piece for a card design. I've already mentioned the dark green shaped layer. The cream-colored oval was cut from a scrap of cardstock. The scalloped light green is actually a digital mulberry paper from ScrapbookScrapbook.com, which I cut with edge-shaped scissors. The floral print which is the card focal point is, again, a cut-out from a sheet of such designs printed in Germany and purchased at our local Mennonite bulk food store. I also added two gold heart brads and two gold square brads set on point.
There you have it and now I am going to get busy on those other cards.

Today's Shopping Trip & Frugal Tips


My sweetheart had an eye doctor appointment this morning, a follow-up to the two cataract surgeries he had at the beginning of March & April (one eye each time). All is well with that, thankfully, but while we were already that far from home, we decided to continue on to the next larger shopping center to pick up some things we needed. Since this town is over 45 miles from our home, we don't go unless we have enough money in the budget to make it worthwhile, with things we need to pick up. When we got there, Tim asked if I wanted to stop at Dollar Tree. Of course, I said Yes! I love looking for cardmaking supplies at Dollar Tree, where everything costs just $1. I found 4 sheets of scrapbooking stickers: a sheet of pink baby girl stickers, a sheet of blue baby boy stickers, and 2 sheets of different flower stickers. They're in the photo above, though you can't see them very well. I also picked up a pair of decorative-edge scissors that I didn't already have. You could say the price was right! I didn't need any of these things immediately, but I like to add to my stash of cardmaking possibilities whenever I come across something I know I would use.

We also stopped at WalMart, where I picked up two 1/2 yd pieces of 100% cotton to make into new scarves for myself, showing in the photo above. I will also scan each piece and possibly print them out on paper to use on a card. Fabric scans print out really cool! You can even see the threads! One of these days I want to make a card with a quilt design, using printed fabric scans. I've already used printed fabric scans on some of my cards, either as a background paper or to make an embellishment, such as the prairie points which I put on this card:


Before we left the town where Tim saw the eye doctor, we stopped at the liquidator store that is there. I picked up another pair of the scissors I like to use. They are a good, sturdy metal 6" pair of scissors made by Eberle. They cost $1.99. You can see them in the first photo. I didn't really need them, either, but wanted to pick up another pair while they still have them just in case I need to replace the pair I'm using. I also picked up a skein of this beautiful fluffy multi-colored blue yarn, Red Heart Kiss, for 69 cents, also in the photo. I know it will look cool on a card! And a skein will last forever!

I know you can buy special fiber collections to use in cardmaking, but I prefer to add to my own fiber stash with deals like this. I have lots of different yarns now, as well as colored & natural hemp cord purchased on clearance at WalMart, ribbons purchased at Hancock Fabrics, JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts & at WalMart, and all the laces, trims, ric-rac, fabrics, & other stuff in my sewing stash. I have the advantage of a sewing room full of stuff that I can now use in cardmaking, as well as lots of embroidery floss from cross-stitch projects, acrylic craft paints from other craft projects, and on goes the list.

I know everyone doesn't have a stash of sewing supplies to snitch from or supplies sitting around from other crafts, but anyone can take advantage of clearance sales and all those stores like Dollar Tree or liquidator stores. I've picked up some great cardmaking supplies at Big Lots, for instance. One of these days I'm going to check out the 50/50 store that sells party supplies; I just know I'll find SOMETHING in there that will be a great addition to my stash of cardmaking stuff.

Another store where I pick up cardmaking supplies is Menards, a home improvement/supply store, similar to Home Depot and Lowes. Menards sells their discontinued wallpaper sample books for $5 each--and that's a LOT of paper for cardmaking for not much money! They also have small cut samples of their in-stock wallpaper rolls that I've taken advantage of, as well as paint chip cards.

But the thing I can't do without, which I buy at Menards, is double-sided carpet tape, shown in the first photo. They sell Duck brand carpet tape for light traffic, 1.88 in x 75 ft, for about $3.49. (Check in the carpet/floor covering area.) Do you know how far that roll of double-sided tape goes? AND it sticks everything, at least paper-wise! Since I love to use wallpaper samples on my cards, this is important. Not all tapes will hold on vinyl wallpaper. The only caution I must give is that it is NOT re-positionable, so be sure you have things lined up right the first time or be prepared to work with whatever way it lines up once you have things stuck together. This light traffic carpet tape is not thick, not much thicker than other double-sided tapes, and doesn't add a lot to the total weight of your card, unless you totally cover all surfaces with it--which I am learning I don't have to do. Besides using it almost exclusively to stick my cards together, I also like to make my own stickers with it. This is something I started doing years ago when my children were still young and we were homeschooling. You can cut designs out of giftwrap paper or use computer-printed graphics that are no wider than your tape; unroll the carpet tape a small section at a time and lay your design on the sticky side, smoothing it out & adhering it to that side. Then cut it out. It works better if you leave some excess paper around your design when you stick it down, then cut it out after it's stuck to the carpet tape. Voila! You've made your own sticker. Just peel off the other side of the double-sided tape to adhere it to whatever surface you like. Here's a card I made using butterfly stickers I made with this method:


This card also uses a paint chip card, a strip of torn cardstock and ribbon.
Well, I think I'll wrap up this post and get my 3rd Mother's Day card posted, then go work on the rest that I need to get done. This shopping trip today messed up my plans for the day, so now I have a time crunch. What is that old saying about the best-laid plans?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

My Second Mother's Day Card

I managed to get this card made this morning; it didn't take as long as the first one. This one is on its way to my stepdaughter Paige. She's stepmomma to two special little people, McKayden and Connor. Now I just have to get cards made for my 5 daughters and my mom; fortunately, they all live fairly close by so I don't have to have them in the mail til Friday.

So here's what I did to put this card together: The card base is a medium purple cardstock, some of that cheap unnamed stuff I have. The multi-colored background paper is a computer printed design based on a free background tile I found on a website offering free background tiles--sorry that I can't remember which website I got it from. Then I cut a rectangle from a dark purple cardstock scrap I had in my stash. On top of that rectangle is another rectangle from a light purple print that I found at PaperCraft Inspirations Magazine (they offer quite a few different free paper designs). I put two gold brads in the corners of the rectangle. I tore squares from a burgundy and a white piece of mulberry paper, layered them in an offset manner, and topped them with another rectangle of the dark purple cardstock. The focal point of the card is a floral bouquet I copied from a Dover Design Sampler and printed out on white cardstock.

There you have it! Now I should get busy with those other 6 cards...

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

My First Mother's Day Card 2009


Well, here it is--my first Mother's Day card for 2009. I like it! It took me long enough to make, though. I had to change direction a couple of times. I started out with some stamped inchie images but just couldn't get the look I wanted so I set them aside and pulled out this floral cutout. From there things started to come together nicely.
Here's what I used: the base is a medium blue cardstock, from one of those budget packs you can buy at Michael's, I think. I don't keep track of the unmarked cardstocks, sorry. I used another piece of the same color for the rectangular layer with the faux stitching. The background paper is from a purchased 12" piece by Bo-Bunny Press copyright 2004 Jan Lanoy called Backyard Flower. Then there's a layer of light blue cardstock, WorldWin Color Mates Light Ocean Blue. The yellow paper doily is next; it's a Wilton doily which I picked up in a pack of 3 colors (yellow, green & pink) off the clearance aisle at WalMart. The packs were really cheap so I took all they had; they're 4" doilies and useful for so many cardmaking projects. The next layer, the shaped dark blue with the sanded edges, started out as an 8" square from a Best Occasions color pack from WalMart. My mom gave me that pack as part of my Christmas gift from her, which contained all sorts of terrific things for cardmaking. I used a nail file purchased at Dollar Tree in a multi-pack to do the edge sanding. Dollar Tree is one of my favorite stores to shop at! They have lots of stuff you can use on cards and the price is definitely right! The light floral print layer is from the digital papers at ScrapbookScrapbook.com; I love their digital papers! They print up really nice and the colors & patterns are great! Just a quick note about printing out papers, I use a little HP Deskjet 3910 that I bought at WalMart for $25 a couple years ago and I refill my own ink cartridges, so I don't spend a fortune on printer ink. Okay, on from there, the oval is the dark blue cardstock again. I use my own stencils, that I cut myself from recycled cardstock. I do not have a die-cut machine, just my trusty scissors and a steady hand. No, my cuts aren't perfect, but that's okay; I'm not trying to make cards that look like they were factory-produced. The cream-colored oval was cut from an old index card that I just found today stick between the pages of an old scrapbook of my grandmother's which is full of cards she'd received--even one that my mom had made for her long before I was born! How cool is that? And the focal point of the whole card, that lovely floral cut-out, is from a cheet of such cut-outs that I picked up at the Mennonite bulk food store near us. These sheets come in a variety of designs and are printed in Germany; sorry, there's no name on the sheets that I can identify to pass along and I have no idea where you can find them. I believe these are intended for decoupage. The oval is "popped" with double-sided foam tape. I buy mine as cheaply as possible; I have a roll of Scotch brand (pricey), a couple rolls of Duck brand (cheaper) and stocked up on several rolls from our local surplus store that cost $1.29 for a 1" x 100" roll (really cheap!). And last but not least, I used two different sized gold heart brads that I bought from CreativeImpressions.com. So there you have it--my first Mother's Day card this year. This one will be going out in tomorrow morning's mail to my online friend who lost her son and is dreading this Mother's Day. Now to make cards for my Mom and my daughters...

Work in Progress

Today I am working on Mother's Day cards. I need to make one for my own mother, of course, but am also working on one for an online sister whose only child passed away nearly 6 yrs ago so Mother's Day is especially difficult for her. I thought a card might make the holiday a little easier for her. I'm also hoping to make cards for each of my daughters, as three of them are moms, my oldest has a mother's heart & is grieving the loss of the two little boys she'd been a nanny to for the past couple years (the family has moved on & her services are no longer needed) and my youngest is a sort-of stepmom as her significant other is a dad with two young sons. With that said, I am going to keep this short and get to work!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Birthday Card For A Friend


This is my most recent card. I started with a pink cardstock base, then added a layer of dark green cardstock (WorldWin ColorMates Deep Gorious Green), a multi-colored striped paper which is a digital scrapbooking design from ScrapbookScrapbook.com, then a smaller rectangle of the dark green cardstock, a piece of green gingham print which is another design from ScrapbookScrapbook.com, a corner punched layer of pink cardstock, a piece of red floral which is a scanned fabric that I've printed onto paper, and lastly, a lovely floral tag from GoMakeSomething.com which I've trimmed. To finish, I added a pink flower brad that I added a center to with Sharpie markers and stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment. The stamp is part of a Happy Birthday set that I bought from So Close To My Heart.