Glossy and pretty!
These pretty colors say spring is coming! I was inspired to brighten up some flowers after touring one of my favorite shops...Simple Pleasures. I like the glossy flowers and bright colors on this one.

The centers for these gem like beauties are made with Sizzix's 3D blossom die. Mine didn't quite look like the one on the package...oh well.
Regular card stock paper is stiff, so I switched it out and used colored paper instead. It does wrap up easier, but could also be the difference in my flower and the one Sizzix advertises.

The stems were made from the Field Flower set by StampIn' Up. Green embossing powder was first applied, then the stems cut out...a little tricky since they are very thin. Make two.

Next, cut the centers using the Sizzix die, roll up and secure with glue. I poured glue down the centers, and used glue dots on the back. A sparkle brad was pushed down into the centers...such a pretty way to glitz up these flowers, and they went well with the glossy finish.

Now make the backs to the flowers, using the same colored paper. Clear embossing ink was used on the flower stamp, which let the color shine through. A single cut to the center, then fold the flower slightly over and glue to make it 3D. Use a glue dot to attach the center to the backs, and more glue dots to attach the completed flower to the card.

A double embossed background was made using already embossed card stock, then embossing again. This one is made with Intricate Floral.

The tag is just two layers, with added sparkle brads...of course. And a bow...bows and flowers just naturally go together!


Accessories: Sizzix 3D flower die, Intricate floral embossing folder, Field Flowers Stamp set, flower stamp for the background, sparkle brads, tag punch, ribbon, embossed card stock, colored paper, green and clear embossing powder, purple card stock.

Spring bouquet

Sizzix has a mini flower set which cuts five little flowers all at once. Nice...and so very handy.
I started out just experimenting with the cut shapes using some bright textured card stock.
Why waste the effort I thought to myself!

Once I got started it seemed using black to offset the bright petals worked nicely. So the layering was black, then a colored petal piece, topped with a black center.

The large and medium size flowers are made from punches of the same flower, just different sizes. They worked well with these Sizzix mini flowers.

The tag is clear and 3D, placed over black card stock. Sheer black pok-a-dot ribbon went perfectly with this frilly theme.
And, the bottom edging of scallops looked more like petals to me up against these spring flowers.

Add a few mini daisy flowers around the card, (the same punch used for the flower centers), to fill in any open space.

How could spring be spring without a couple dragon flies! These were cut from bright green sparkle paper. Two sparkling brads matched these flighty critters, and complemented the embossed green background.


Spring time makes bouquets a natural beauty!


Accessories: Sizzix flowers #4, Large and medium flower punches, dragonfly punch, brads, ribbon, scallop edger, bright card stock, sparkle paper, clear tag, Leafy branch embossing folder.

Pretty flowers make a pretty greeting...

And with the new set I received at Christmas, this card came together. It's simple design gives room for the flowers themselves to take center stage.

First I cropped the corners and added the green background. This cute corner punch was a new find, and on sale.

The green stems are stamped directly onto the card. Next time I'll try overlapping the stems.

The field flowers were stamped, then a couple were embossed. A matching blossom was made as background for the two taller flowers.

The tag followed the theme..."simple". A bronze ribbon at the bottom matched the embossing powder..

And with that, the card was complete.




Accessories: Field Flower stamp set, corner punch, Alleluia stamp, tag punch, ribbon, bronze embossing powder, green and white card stock.

Pretty Blue Madness...

My mother in law is in the hospital...still. When things turned a little crazy, and to me a little uncertain, I retreated to my card making room. Getting lost in a creative mode allowed some relaxation for my heart. A little worry, a lot of prayer...then this card. Can you see a little bit of anxiety here?

One cool tool recently was added to my punch drawer...and this card used the "star flower" in two colors.

The star flower is cut in two colors, then the small petals are aligned with the large petals. Once that was in place the top star was given added dimension by bending the petals upward.

The brown embossed background matched the paisley paper, using Cuttlebug's Stylized Flowers. A nice back drop for these flowers.

I used a smaller flower from the Delight in Flower set for the centers. One inked in brownish red, and one in blue. Both are attached with a red brad which compliments the tag.

Additional flowers were added to the card with tiny daisy centers (another punch) accented with red dots instead of a brad.

This little tag was made with another recent addition to my punch drawer. The punch has a triple function. You can actually move the tab on the front of the punch to cut one, two or three tags at one time. Cut different colors, add a brad, a ribbon,  and viola...here is a cute way to send the message to special people in my life.


Accessories: Cuttlebug Stylized Flowers embossing folder, punches for flowers and tags, brads,  ribbon and some fun paisley printed card stock.

I'm seeing RED!

Just the perfect color for February and Valentines Day...Red Red Red! And to finish off my Valentine extravaganza I used some fun stamps and embossing folder with a little extra RED added, of course!

I loved the idea of highlighting the embossed background with a red pen, and then cutting out the edges for the ric-rac effect! The boarder makes the card!

Close up you can see the dots...Red of course. After embossing, I cut the edges out according to the pattern. Then I applied a red Stampin'Up pen and carefully gave each indented diamond a splash of RED.
The Red bow and silver hook added the special effect.

The two flower stamps are from the Flower Fest set.
This larger flower is made with 3 layers and the center was stamped in a lighter pink-red ink for highlights.

I found cute red flower brads for the centers.

This smaller flower has 3 layers too. The larger RED background is easily cut with the large flower punch...it matches the stamp set nicely.

The next two layers are stamped and cut, then fastened with another flower brad.



Add extra dimension to the flowers with foam sticky pads in-between their layers.

                                                                                                                                                                          The tags are finished off with with a quote from Simple Thoughts-Dogs and an extra set of RED hearts.

Accessories: Flower Fest Stampin'Up stamp set, Diamond embossing folder, large flower punch, red ribbon, flower brads and silver hook.

For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  
John 3:16
                                                                                                                                                          


 Ah..the love bestowed by our heavenly Father restores the soul, makes the heart glad, gives light to our paths and makes His glory known. In celebration of His Love, these simple cards are offered.

I've had this LOVE stamp for over 13 years...an oldie goldie to be sure. The Victorian style.with it's  fancy font is perfect for the occasion.

Using red glitter embossing powder is the perfect highlight for it, in my humble opinion anyway.

 I've also maintained a box of DOT heart stamps for a while, and use them every year. I love-love them!
This is my favorite of all, but the others speak the same language. Cutting out the embossed heart made it stand out over the tag layers.

All this fancy smancy lovely work needed an equally fancy background...I choose the ever so elegant embossing folder called YOU. How fitting is that! It fits nicely with the Victorian LOVE stamp and hearts....making the message even more endearing.  One last detail,,,inside the card I slipped a little tag....can't miss the meaning of this card!

May the LOVE from above reach your hearts and restore your souls!

Accessories: YOU embossing folder, Heart & LOVE stamps, red & white card stock, and red ribbon.

Barky Von Schnauzer...woof!
We LOVE our two little 4-legged love-bugs. And when I came across a DOG punch (McGill), well my heart melted & the punch ended up in my shopping bag! Here are two versions using the same colors and embellishments...grrrreat job!

There is a little trick to making the "3D" effect. Punch two of each color card stock to allow for opposites, such as the ears.I used dotted white paper and light brown dotted paper for the dog.

This punch makes 11 cuts...from eyes to tail! So with two cuts of each color, there will be quite an assortment of parts to keep straight.

I assembled the dogs first, deciding the angle of the head, eyes and infamous BONE! Gotta have the bone!
Coincidentally there just happened to be dogie stamps on sale too...a perfect match for a theme card. And great for the pocket book too.

The large and small bones add the perfect finishing touch ...don't ya think!

Place all the card features over an embossed brown card. This one was done in Tiny Mosaic.




Build a tag with several layers and a little dogie talk...Woof!

Don't have the perfect size tag punch? I cut two red punches from the same size as the top white tag. Then I overlapped them to stretch the red tag out, adding another layer of tag to this spiffy little tag.



Accessories: Dogs punch, tag punches, Tiny Mosiac embosser folder, sheer brown ribbon, Cloud 9 Simple Thoughts-Dog.

Paper Blossoms

Every time I get to visit with my VERY talented SIL Wendy Weixler, she teaches me a fun trick...she is full of talent. There are several die cuts & punches which cut the paper for blossoms. But the real fun is making your own, even out of felt. The possibilities are endless.

The process has several steps. Breakdown the stiffness of the card stock by misting with water...lightly! Run it thru a Fiskars corrugator, then press out with a straight-edged tool.

The crochet hook works nicely to help "bend backwards" the petals for a realistic effect...try it on other flowers you make too!

I made up my own spring time flower version to practice with. The flowers have several layers of varying sizes, and colors. Cut to the center of a flower, and fold one petal over the petal next to it & secure with a glue dot. Each layer was made this way and glued on top of the previous layer. Sprinkle extra small centers around the larger petals.

Aren't these just to pretty for words! The cards were given extra pizazz with the butterflies...more on that in a minute.

I really like this easy method, my big fingers are able to manipulate one overlapping petal which gave me a sense of you-can-do-it!

This pink version was my best work so far on making 3D blossoms. The printed paper and varied-sized flowers with alternating card stock all came together.

Now for the fluttering butterflies. I used a punch, and a die cut. I also made two of each cut for a symmetrical effect. How nice is that! Doesn't it just make your little heart flutter...or not...it does mine!

Accessories: Sizzix die Butterflies & Tropical Paisley embosser 656796, Mc Gall Butterfly punch, Martha Stewart edgers, boarder punches, ribbon & various colored card stock, Stampin' Up Fabulous Phrases stamps.

Matching Stamp & Embossing Folder

Now here's a little pretty to give hope to the heart that spring will come after all! This combo stamp & embossing folder (picked out by my famous SIL Wendy Weixler to create my Christmas box of fun stamping tools) was the first new toy I played with this year.

A 'new' rubber stamp doesn't accept it's first inking as older stamps do, but the watercolor effect is wonderful...I really loved the not so perfect lines! If I remember the process, the stamp was done first, using complementing spring colored markers. Remember to "huff" on the stamp before pressing onto card stock, which brings the ink back to life!

Now the stamped card is ready to position into the embossing folder, matching up the design, before running thru the press.

Add a touch of ribbon and a tag to give your bouquet a melt-my-heart-this-is-so-beautiful response from your fav-friends!



Accessories: Sizzix Stamp & Emboss 657772 set, card stock, Stampin' Up markers & stamp, card stock.