FIRST BIRTHDAY Card for Hoyt!

There is a story behind the card that I made for my lil grandson, Hoyt.

A couple of weeks before my daughter gave birth to her son, Preston, she and a few other family members were discussing how the cousins, Hoyt and Preston, would grow up together.

Trey, my son and Hoyt's dad, said, "I can see it, NOW. Preston will have his Day Planner and Hoyt will have a frog in his pocket -- and they won't know what to DO with each other!!"

This first photo is of lil Hoyt. He's what our family refers to as "STINKIN' CUTE."

And, this is the Birthday card that I made for him...

The Sizzix pocket was cut twice -- once from a blue & cream plaid wallpaper segment  -- and once from a denim wallpaper segment. The #1 was cut using a PTI numeral die; the leaping frog is a sticky-back foam sticker. The wad of string is from my stash and the sentiment was created using my PrintMaster software. The card background was made using a smallish plaid acrylic stamp -- stamped repeatedly.

This was a FUN one to make!

FINALLY Made the Inside of Grandson's Card

Tomorrow is baby Preston's SHOWER, so the card was completed JUST IN TIME.

Since he arrived EARLY, it's been a hectic week. I had arranged to have OFF from work on the week that he was DUE, not two weeks BEFORE!! So, I had to work full days, then cook, take, and share dinner with Moriah and Chad on their first three nights home, just as we did when Morilee was born. (I'm NO dummy!! We get to help our daughter AND see our grandbabies!!)

Back to Preston's card...I made GOOD USE of more 3-D stickers on the inside. EASY PEASY -- and CUTE, too!! Ready for Grandpa and me to write a SPECIAL message for our lil guy!

I FOUND THE CARD THAT INSPIRED MINE!

I was placing an order with PTI when I noticed that a set of their stamps seemed to be what was used by my "mystery blogger," so I did a lil sleuthing by looking in the PTI Gallery for the stamps. And, EUREKA!! The card had been posted there!!

The blogger is the OH, SO TALENTED Debbie Olson and you can see her card HERE.

I am sure that you will agree that it is LOVELY.

BABY CARD for my soon-to-arrive Grandson!!

First, I have to state that I am totally BUMMED. I arrived home from spending the day with my daughter, Moriah, and granddaughter, Morilee, to find that SOMEONE had used my computer while I was away and had closed-out my Firefox browser that I had minimized. AAAUGH!!!!

The reason for my frustration is that I had been inspired by a baby girl card that I'd seen on a blog and had wanted to give CREDIT on my post -- and now, I can't. Ugh. I looked and looked, in an effort to locate the woman's blog, but had no success. *sigh*

The best I can do is DESCRIBE the card...the sentiment stated, "Thank heaven for little girls" and it featured a clothesline with baby girl clothes hanging from it and, below, two sections of a "white picket fence," which I'm sure were made with a PTI die. There were pretty paper layers, an embossed oval sentiment panel, pink buttons, and lovely stitching. It really WAS inspiring!!

My "Thank heaven for little boys" card ALSO has two sections of a picket fence, though mine was cut from a long 3-D sticker. Instead of a clothesline, my card features a lawn with scattered toys -- and a sign post that I assembled using a paper punch and text made with PrintMaster software. I don't normally use LOTS of layers on my cards, but I decided to give it a whirl -- and it was GREAT FUN!!

I am sure that I will "do a lil decorating" to the inside, but I wanted to upload my work to my blog, tonight. (I can share a photo of the inside, tomorrow, when I complete the card.)

The original version was LOVELY and my version is CUTE, but CUTE WORKS FOR ME!!

Son-In-Law's Birthday card!

Last year, I made Chad a "Fed-Ex" card, but he sold his fleet a few months ago, so I decided to use my new MFT "typewriter" stamp and die on this year's card. The image isn't as clear as I would like -- most likely my OWN lack of stamping expertise -- but, after several tries, I decided it was GOOD ENOUGH.

Unlike last year's card, which was very detailed, I kept THIS year's EASY & SIMPLE. Jer hadn't signed it, yet, when I took the photos, but his "John Henry" doesn't add that much to the finished product, anyway. (grin)

Pretty Envelope!

I mentioned that I wished I'd included a black doily on the lime green and black bridal shower card I made this week. I comforted myself that I could use one on the card envelope -- and I did just that!

Thanks to Paper Trey Ink, I was able to create "special" with just a few papers and three of their FABULOUS steel dies!

TWEAKED THE BRIDAL SHOWER CARD

I just was NOT satisfied with the card I made for Tyree's bridal shower! Her wedding colors are lime green and black, but her card was LACKING in the "black department." Remaking it was NOT an option (I'm not THAT OCD!), but I thought it possible to make some improvements -- and I think that I succeeded!!

Small additions, to be sure -- but, improvements that allow me to SIGN the card and SEAL the envelope!! YESSSS!!!

HERE COMES THE BRIDE!

Next Saturday, I will be attending a bridal shower for the daughter of a dear friend. The bride, Tyree, is in her late 20's...owns a fashion boutique, and has a strong personal sense of "style."

The invitation that I received in the mail revealed that Tyree's wedding colors are lime green and black. (I'm SURE there will be plenty of WHITE, as well. :) The invitation featured dramatic black & white baroque design on a lime green background. Hmmm...how to design a card for her?

I remembered viewing a video tutorial by Becca Feeken, in which she described and demonstrated how she "paper pieced" her card bases from heavy watercolor stock , in order to create a STRONG foundation for her heavily embellished cards. As I considered Tyree's tastes, I thought that my card for her might NEED a strong base, so I searched Becca's blog site, until I FINALLY found and reviewed her video. My card base was made EXACTLY as she taught!

Using a "flourish" stamp, I decorated a panel of lime green card stock, which I layered over a slightly larger panel of black stock, after rounding the bottom right corner of each. I used a Tim Holtz "hanging sign" die to punch a "wrought iron" sign hanger, from a cereal box panel, which I direct-stamped with black Staz-On ink until covered and embossed with vanilla embossing powder (in hopes of achieving an aged appearance). The white card stock sign was stamped with a "Mr. & Mrs." stamp and irregularly edged with lime green and black inks.

Attaching the hanger to the sign presented a problem because my stash does not include jewelry findings, such as are pictured in the illustrations. I tried out a number of alternate products and settled on fine silver cording that I'd purchased, months ago, at Hobby Lobby in their CHRISTmas aisle. I hid the necessary knot behind the "sign" and am satisfied, if not thrilled, with the results.

Atop the lime green card stock, I layered a panel of green & black patterned paper shaped with a Spellbinder's die. A strip of filmy green ribbon served as a "wall" to secure the hanging sign (grin) and a key, rosette, and punched butterfly completed the card front details.

The inside of the card was given a light touch, with a sentiment (stamp purchased for Tyree's card) and a puffy, black flourish sticker.

All-in-all, I am happy with the finished card, but wish that I had included a black die-cut doily behind or atop the pattern paper on the card front, to give a PUNCH of BOLD BLACK. *sigh*

Perhaps, when I purchase Tyree's gift, I can decorate the gift bag or box -- and use a die-cut black doily. (I feel BETTER, now. :)

HUBBY'S BIRTHDAY CARD

Tomorrow is Jer's 60th (WOW!!) birthday and here is the card I made.

On the kraft card stock base, I adhered a bit of plaid wallpaper (donated to me by a local wallpaper business). The Bingo card is from a S.U.! background stamp. The numerals I stamped in the grids have special meaning...

Jer was 15 years old when he first saw me riding the school bus and determined that he would, someday, marry me. (I was 13 years old.) He was 23 years old when we married; was 25 years old when he became a father for the first time -- and the "FREE" grid in the middle represents (to me) when he received the FREE gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, at 27 years of age.

The sentiment was stamped with PTI Vintage Cream ink on S.U.! Close To Cocoa card stock and punched with an ek label punch. The large PTI punched numerals reveal that he is now a man of 60 years! Doesn't seem possible.

BIRTHDAY CARD FOR MOM

My mom (and her mom before her) is a Fourth of July baby! Most of the cards that I have made her through the years have had a patriotic theme, so I wanted to do something DIFFERENT this year.

Making this year's card was a BLAST! I love kraft card stock, so used that as my card base and stamped dots at the top, middle, and bottom with PTI Vintage Cream ink on an Inkadinkadoo stamp.

Coordinating dsp panels were distressed and adhered and a fiber border added. A scrunched flower, made from pages of an old children's book, was adhered at the top of the card. The S.U.! "Happy Birthday" sentiment was stamped with "Bordering Blue" S.U.! ink, punched out, and adhered with S.U.! Dimensionals.

A Nestabilities die was used to cut the frame on the inside of the card, which was wrapped with red and white baker's twine. A shipping tag was trimmed and used as a spot for my personal message, which had to be written before the card could be assembled. (Explains why I didn't photo the inside of the card before writing my mom's message.) Three self-stick chocolate brown "gems" were added on the bottom to complete the inside.

Jer has a birthday on July 03, so I have to "get with the program" and get him a card made right away! And, I must make a baby shower card for my daughter, Moriah...a FIRST birthday card for my grandson, Hoyt...and a requested paper bag mini-album for my soon-to-be-born grandson, Preston! Whew!! Good thing that I do better creating while under pressure!

Be back soon with a masculine card!