Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge #37

Another of my September projects which I didn't get a chance to post was (yet) another birthday card for work. Ronda's birthday snuck under the radar; she's new in the office this year and we didn't KNOW that she had the pleasure(pain) of another birthday until the happy date had passed.

So with my usual (about 1 night) notice I had the pleasure of making another birthday card. And, hey, since MaryJo makes such great sketches, it just seemed serendipitous to use her sketch for the needed birthday card.

I thought that I would post the sketch along with my interpretation of it, because of MaryJo's watermark. Many of her sketches not only have her name on them, but also the butterfly image. (I have to confess the first time that I saw one of her sketches, I thought that the butterfly was PART of the sketch!!)

So, for this card, I decided to VERY faithfully follow the sketch, and I INCLUDED the butterfly as well.

I die cut and embossed the butterfly shape with a new Cuttlebug die set that I had purchased at Roberts in Ogden, when we were out in Utah on vacation in August. The shape is cut out of an Amaco Artemboss sheet of metal. The black circle below the butterfly is also cut out of Artemboss, then run through the Cuttlebug script embossing folder to give it some character.

Here's the whole/completed card. The oval for the sentiment is the first design item that I cut using the (then, new to me) oval Nesties.

Materials: cardstock (Bazzill); designer paper (Basic Grey); metal (Amaco); stamp (Studio G); ink (Colorbox); embossing powder (Stampendous); dies/embossing (Nestabilities, Cuttlebug).

I'm grateful to the online community for all the wonderful inspiration that is made available to share. I'm always so happy when I find a sketch that inspires me to make something that I can share with the people in my life. I know that my friends & co-workers enjoy these cards and I know that I owe a big thanks to the many sketch designers out there in the blogosphere who share so graciously of their talents. Thanks MaryJo specifically for this design.

Thanks to all who take the time to look here.

Bandanna Technique

The challenge at the RangerInkLink group at Yahoo in September was the Bandanna technique. When I first read about it, I wasn't quite sure that this was a challenge in which I would take part.

I didn't think that I had any stamps (NO cute paisley stamps) that would work for the challenge, but as the month went by and as I looked at the various cards that were posted, I decided that I could probably give it a go.

I'm very pleased with the cardstock background that the technique produced. I didn't think that the "free-style" of doodling would appeal to me, but as I played more and more with the products, I found that I REALLY enjoyed making this piece.

Since I made this card almost a month ago, my poor pitiful brain is struggling to remember what products were used!!

I think the background has broken china and weathered wood distress inks. I then stamped the Autumn Leaves flourishes with black ink. After that I doodled with the Signo white pen.

Since I got my first set of Nesties (the ovals), I've been trying to use them as often as I can!!! The sentiment is a Studio G clear stamp.

Materials: cardstock (black - Bazzill; white - Georgia Pacific); inks (distress ink - Ranger; black - Colorbox); stamps (Autumn Leaves & Studio G); white pen (Signo); die (Nestabilities); adhesive (Pioneer mounting tape).

Thanks for taking a look.

Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge #39

As I am prone to type in some of my emails :::emerging from lurk mode:::

I've been AWOL for the better part of the last month. I'm having some health issues and I seem to spend all my energy each day just working and getting the minimal done around the house. I have been crafting, but just get too tired at night to post to the blog. :(

But today is a new day and if nothing else I can at least post this. Hopefully with the next couple of days I can post some of the other projects which I've completed in the last month.

So, having said that, I'd like to post my attempt at Mary-Jo's challenge for this week.

I knew when I saw this sketch that I really wanted to make a card for it. I've been wanting to get some Thanksgiving/Fall cards stockpiled as well, so that's where this card started.

The circle element in Mary-Jo's original sketch kinda got oversized!!! I love the new Cuttlebug die/embossing folder sets and have been wanting to use this fall leaf on something.

I distressed the edges of the orange paper block with the Making Memories distressing tool, then inked the edges with the Tea Dye ink. Otherwise, it's a pretty simple and straightforward card.

Materials: cardstock (Bazzill); designer paper (Basic Grey Mellow); stamp (Inkadinkadoo); ink (Tea Dye distress ink); metal (Amaco Artemboss); die/embossing (Cuttlebug); ribbon (Michaels); adhesives (Pioneer mounting tape & Pop-dots).

As always, thanks for looking.

Happy Birthday, Jenny

In my official capacity as official office card maker
I had the pleasure of making a birthday card for one of our co-workers, Jenny.

Jenny has been a friend to me since I arrived at this job 2 years ago. We both have 6 foot 5 inch (plus) skinny sons named Ryan.

So making a card for Jenny is NEVER a trial. This card is special to me, because I have NO idea where it came from. Talk about inspired.


I didn't plan for a monochrome card; it just happened that way.

I have gotten more comments on the cards where I have used this Happy Birthday sheet music from Flair Designs. It's a truly fun paper that sadly doesn't seem to be available anymore. (Thank goodness for stash!!!)

I distressed the edges of the sheet music paper, then edged with Tim Holtz distress ink (maybe, Tea dye). I distressed the edges of the cardstock before I matted the sheet music to it. Looking through the Die Cuts with a View fall paper pack I found the flourish paper with a cute pumpkin in the bottom corner. Judicious cutting got rid of the unwanted pumpkin. I pulled out my white/cream embellishments drawer and found the cream colored twill ribbon. But felt that the card still needed another embellishment.

Then I remembered the Cuttlebug embossing/die stamp with a birthday present. This was used to cut out a piece of Amaco ArtEmboss copper which was layered to another piece of the brown Bazzill cardstock. Done!!!

I printed a large (60 font) Happy Birthday on the inside of the card, assembled all the pieces on the outside and that was that. Probably one of my favoritist (can I use that word?) cards that I've made lately.


Materials: cardstock base (Georgia Pacific), brown mats (Bazzill); designer paper: sheet music (Flair Designs), flourish base (Die Cuts with a View); ink (Ranger distress ink); copper metal (Amaco); die cut (Cuttlebug); adhesives (Pioneer mounting tape), pop-dots.

Thanks for looking.

Baby shower gift card

One of the supervisor's at work is pregnant with her first child and one of the cards that I made in the last two weeks was a card for her baby shower.

My apologies for the interesting photo at the left. There's an orange shadow just to the right of the little envelope on the front of the card. It definitely WASN'T there in real life. (This card isn't my best work, but I definitely did NOT give a card with that orange on it!!!)

The envelope was made from a template found at this website. The template was enlarged 165% from the original template, so as to be large enough to hold a plastic credit card/gift card.

The envelope was cut from designer paper, assembled with double-sided tape and decorated with the sheer polka-dot ribbon running down the main seam. Just enough of the tape was left uncovered under the top flap of the envelope to slightly hold the flap down.

To make the card background the butterfly was stamped multiple times on the cardstock with Versamark and once with cranberry ink. The welcome baby sentiment was also stamped with the cranberry ink. (Don't look too carefully; it was not my best work stamping letters.)

Materials: cardstock (Bazzill); designer paper (Die Cuts with a View); butterfly stamp (Stampendous), letter stamps (Studio G); ink: watermark (Versamark), cranberry (Colorbox); adhesive (Pioneer mounting tape).

Thanks for looking.

Welcome baby boy

Another week, another baby shower.

This card is for an acquaintance in one of the doctor's offices where I see patients.

Since she knows that she's having a baby boy, I knew my color scheme.

Plus, I seem to be in a rut with the coin change envelope card holders!

I kept this card a little simpler, since it is for a boy. No flighty butterflies for this young man.

Materials: base cardstock (Georgia Pacific); dark blue cardstock (Deja View); designer paper (MAMBI); stamp (Stamp Craft); distress embossing ink (Ranger); opaque white embossing powder (Stampendous); ribbon (Michaels).

Thanks for looking.

WSC #58: Autumn beauty

This is my first challenge card for Beate's Weekend Sketch challenge since she came back from her summer break.

This was a little hard for me. I wasn't quite sure WHAT to do with all those different blocks. But, obviously, it came together in the end.

All of the color blocks are embossed with Cuttlebug folders; all of that cardstock is from my stash. So this was nice in that it was frugal.

The main stamped image is from a new set of Inkadinkadoo stamps that I got this last week. I stamped it with bark ink, then clear embossed it. I inked the edges of the main panel with the bark ink, as well. The sentiment is from a Studio G (Michaels $1) clear stamp set; it was stamped with Versafine Sepia ink.

Materials: base cardstock (Bazzill); colored cardstocks (stash); designer paper (Die Cuts with a View); ink: bark (Versacolor), sepia (Versafine); embossing powder (Stampendous); embossing folders (divine swirls, pumpkin swirls, swiss dots); satin ribbon (Michaels); adhesive (Pioneer mounting tape & pop-dots).

Thanks for looking.