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.

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...

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...

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.

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.

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...

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...

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...