A Special Birthday Card for a special little boy...Dylan! In May I was given the honor of making Dylan's birthday cards for his very first birthday. That's right, One Year Old and cute as any little boy on the planet! Searching through all my stamps and books lead me to the idea of this adorable puppy sipping through a straw. That's it! Dylan also uses a straw (already) and the two were an instant match.    Blue and brown were the perfect color schemes for a boy, so off to the next step.

Designing the layout was fun. I developed a few ideas, but the one that seemed to stand out hands down allowed the puppy to extend over the cards edge on top, and over the brown background on the bottom. A simple Happy Birthday message "popped" by using a brown Stampin-Up felt writer on the inside of a Cuttlebug embossing card, before running it through the Cuttlebug with blue paper. The effect was an "antique" look, finished off with a sheer brown petite dot ribbon. Ultra fine glitter brought a little life and charm to the lemonade.

Personalizing Dylan's big event was done by including a picture of the cutie with his mom...now that is a keepsake memory! I used a Gypsy to cut out the lettering, 20 in all! That was a life saver. Adding the For, Date, Time, Place and RSVP stamp finished the invitations.

Accessories: Gypsy, Cricut, brown & blue paper, sheer dot ribbon, fine glitter & ink pad glue, Wandering Gypsy fonts, RSVP stamp & large puppy stamp, Cuttlebug Birthday embossing set, Stampin brown felt writer & brown stamp pad, Martha Stewart edger.

We are getting close to the most wonderful time of year. It's a time when we lavish our family and friends with holiday cooking, gifts and most of all, our love. Our hearts seem more open to helping others, reaching out to the lonely and forgiving and forgetting past wrongs. You might say it's a bit of Jesus spread out to those around us. My Welcome Christmas Into Your Heart is a way of spreading a little love. The wreath is hand painted using pastel chalk and a blender pen.

This simple card speaks Christmas using traditional colors.  Leftover embossed card stock makes it frugal (spend your money on gifts instead!). Add a little clear gloss and bow to send your love all wrapped up.               May this Christmas fill your heart with the love of Jesus too.

Accessories: Christmas cardstock matstack, Red, Green & White paper, Cuttlebug Christmas Wreath, Stampin' Write Real Red pen, Studio G green ink pad, blender pen, Stampin "Old Olive" ink pad, chalk, green ribbon, clear embossing powder.

Card Making with Children Idea

My two grandaughters love to make cards when they visit. I have a box that stores all my duplicate and left over cut outs....very fun stuff!
Here's an idea...Have ready some pre-cut images to choose from with cards, cordinating color schemes and a few accessories like ribbon, tags or brads. For this project, I picked dragonflys and a theme of "giving".

 The black background makes the white and yellow pop with definition. Use the extra cut outs for additional cards with a slightly different look, like this one. Even make use of the punch-out portions of the designs for embellishments on the inside of the cards and envelopes. This saves a lot of time and money while adding a very coordinated look!                                                            

Paper: Black, White & yellow 

Accessories: Cricut George & Basic Shapes for the wording and Gypsy Wanderings for Dragonflys, Cuddlebug Tiny Mosaic, Fastenater Staple bar, Ribbon

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

My dearest husband and friend, in cahoots with my fabulous sister in law, bought me a surprise Cricut Expression AND a Gypsy!!  How cool is that??? Here is my first project, created during my hands-on lessons from my dear SIL.  This card was created in honor of my mother's 83rd birthday and love of flamingos.  Happy birthday, Mom!!

Stamps:  Priceless by SU
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Rose Red
Ink:  Rose Red
Accessories:  Cricut "Life is a Beach" Cartridge, Cuttlebug Floral Screen Embossing Folder, Black/White Gingham Ribbon, Brads, Marvy Double Scallop Corner Punch, Rhinestone, Dimensionals