Captain America die cut card.

This is one of the cards I made for my husband's birthday (the irony is he is English).  I hope by now he appreciates my humor.

I can't remember exactly where I saw this idea of inlaying the die cuts to create the shield.  It definitely isn't my idea.

I have to say if I did this card again I would put the shield a little higher on my card but generally like the way it came out.  It looks even lower in the picture.  It is centered on the card but looks low.

Ingredients
Card size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in;
Cardstock - Recollections 110 lb white, 65lb white, blue, red;
Accessories - Spellbinders Nestabilities - circles, stars.

What's Up?

I created this card for High Hopes blog challenge Fall Colors.  I always think of browns, reds, oranges and golds when I think fall and hope this card conveys that.

I have wanted to make this card for a long time, like ever since I bought the stamps!!!  So I thought this was a good opportunity to combine it with the challenge.

The image is stamped with Rich Cocoa and watercolored with Inktense pencils.  I'm still working on my Inktense technique.  I did run into a bit of trouble with the watercolor paper pilling where I was working it too much, but I like the effect it left.

I won't say I'm 100% happy with this card - I like the background and mat, I like the image and idea.  I wanted Henrietta to pop more - maybe some colored pencils would help but I'm a bit worried about introducing them when the paper was already pilling.  Think I better call it a good job done and move on!

Psst - that apostrophe on the "what's" totally had to improvise it from the "!".  I think it worked.

Ingredients
Card size - 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches;
Cardstock - Recollections: kraft, red; Artist Loft: Watercolor;
Stamps - High Hopes: Henriettas backside, chicken prints; Studio G: alphabet;
Ink - Memento: Rich Cocoa;
Color - Derwent Inktense.

Art Journaling - 1st attempt

I'm not really certain that this page is finished but this is where it is so far. I think it needs something else but want to keep the pallet this time to the three colors. I want an image(s) but nothing has clicked yet.  I have decided to date my progress up by the orings, so each day I work on a page I put the date down, which reminds me I need to do that to my second page which I have started. Yippee!

The Post Office Ate My Card

I honestly was having trouble coming up with a title to the post.  Well the Post office solved that.  Yesterday, Friday August 22, 2014 I took this card to the Post Office counter and it and a SASE measured, metered, weighed, assessed, inside leg measurement taken etc.  And then posted it to my eldest to post back in time for my husband's birthday. Now I have good faith in the Post Office to do their job so imagine my surprise when today my husband received an empty SASE in the mail from inside the card. Not a happy camper.  From the condition of the SASE I would say a worker interfered with our post, not a machine, but I am sure a machine will be blamed.  My question is if their machinery couldn't handle it then wasn't that up to the postal worker at the counter to inform me?  Anyway, about the card -

I made the front of the card to look like a peg board.  I took inspiration from Lindsay, the frugalcrafter's card but kept it simple with the tools "pointing" to open the card.

In the inside I made a pop up toolbox.  I wish I could say it was my idea, I knew I wanted a dimensional toolbox but honestly wanted something more interactive than this.  You know, pull out drawers with tools inside interactive.  Yeah, I aim high!

So trying to work out how to do what I want I did an internet search and found this pop up card.  I decided with a few changes it was going to be as close as I was going to get to what I wanted, well.... this year!!!

All the tools are hand stamped and colored and then individually cut out.

And yes - this is a HUGE card with a top hinge thanks to some gorgeous grid paper and YES! paste.  Seriously, with YES! paste all things are adhere-able and nearly all things are possible!

I really loved this card so much that I almost didn't send it to my son to send back.  I nearly sent another but I thought this was the most appropriate one between them.  So here, I share with the world and hope someone in the US Post Office contacts us with what is left of my card (my blog I.D. is on the back) or an explanation for what happened.  I am not hopeful that it is still intact and if it is I am not hopeful that it wasn't deliberately opened.

Ingredients
Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in
Cardstock - Recollections 110 lb - white, 65 lb - red, black; Recollections - Bright & Basic;
Stamps - Little Yellow Bicycle - Birthday; Technique Tuesday - Tool Time;
Ink - Gina K Designs Color Companion Black Onyx;
Color - Memento markers;
Accessories - Swiss Dots embossing folder; silver peel off strips.

Never Frogget!

I think we can agree I just went dotty over the High Hopes blog challenge this week - Polka Dot Mania .

I stamped the Frog Prince stamp and Mushroom Two stamp with Gina K Designs Black Onyx and colored in with Derwent Inktense pencils.  The mushroom is in my eldest's school colors orange and brown.  I then fussy cut the frog, cutting off his crown, and covered in versamark and UTEE and heat embossed him.  Doing this gave him a mottled appearance that I wanted.

Using my Polka Dots folder I dry embossed the base.  And I diecut the mushroom with circles to make them big polka dots.

To be honest I put the card together and then struggled as to where to put the sentiment.  Then I decided to do a half dot under the image and to look out the little $1 Studio G alphabet stamps I picked up at Michaels.  Couldn't believe that I had a circle one in the lot so of course that is the one I HAD to use!  A bit of dotty ribbon added just enough to help anchor the image.

Ingredients
Card size - 4 1/4 in x 5 1/2 in;
Cardstock - Recollections: 110lb (295 gsm) white, 65lb green, kraft;
Stamps - High Hopes Stamps: Frog Prince, Mushroom Two; Studio G: alphabet;
Ink - Gina K Designs Color Companion Black Onyx;
Color - Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils;
Accessories - American Crafts ribbon; UTEE; Dimensionals; Circle diecut.

Oops there goes another rubber tree plant!

I created this card for the High Hopes blog challenge this week - Buggin' Out using their iconic (IMHO) High Hopes Ant.  Isn't he just the cutest.  I played with mixing patterns and I think it worked.  I can't decide whether to send it to my mother as a pick me up or MIL as a moving card!

Ingredients
Card size - 4 1/4 in x 5.5 in
Cardstock - Recollections 110 lbs/ 298 gsm white, 65lb purple, pink, and paperstack.
Stamps - High Hopes Ant
Ink - Archival Ink
Color - Koi watercolors
Accessories - computer printed sentiment; dimensional tape.

21st box card!

A card for our dear niece who turned 21 in July.  I really struggled with this as traditionally in England it is "key to the door" you are an adult now birthday.  To be honest, the world has moved on so I decided to go fun and whimsical and pile it on.

Growing up she absolutely loved pigs so I am hoping that she will see this as a nod to remembering how much she loved pigs, a wee mini trip down her childhood memory lane.   

I wanted to make this card even more over the top than a normal box card so I decided in the great British tradition that she needed some birthday bunting to celebrate her big day.  Now that took a bit of thinking.  In the end I glued together some thick cardstock and patterned paper (both sides) to make them look a bit like carnival poles but keeping them flat for when the card was closed.

I did a few markings and I think I made the pennants 1 in long and 1 in wide.  I marked the bottom of the paper a half inch in and then every inch so I could cut the angles needed and cut enough for the front and back of the banner. Using a small alphabet set I stamped all the letters I needed and found a bit of thin white crochet thread in my stash and glue the pennant together, sandwiching in the thread.

Those "brads/enamel dots" are actually patterned paper scraps that I punched out, and used Versamark and UTEE to make to match!  I may never buy a "real" one again! 

The big problem with a card for an occasion that doesn't open and close is that there is no where to put a gift card/cash so I made a small envelope to match the large one and tucked it inside the box.  I went ahead and put her name on it so she will hopefully thought to pull it out.

 This is the card all closed up.  I was going to start my post with it but realized that if people are reading in readers they probably wouldn't look any further when confronted with such a dull image.  Oh yeah, what about that matching envelope!!!

Ingredients
Card size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in
Cardstock - The Paper Studio: Texture Cardstock, The Classics; 
Stamps - High Hopes: Pig, cake, presents, hat; Justrite Stamps: Curlz;
Ink - Archival Ink: black;
Color - Koi watercolor;
Accessories - Crochet thread;
Tools - UTEE