Spring is on the way, and summer close behind! Many of my childhood summer vacations were spent at the beach. Just thinking about summer brings back memories of salt air breezes, rolling waves, searching for sea shells and tending our sunburns. And, sand castles we made only to watch them melt away under the sea foam.

Capture your "Summer Destination" as a theme for a card to a dear friend.  I found this Sand Castle stamp on sale at a craft store...don't you love sales!  Brown paper & brads compliment the little brown stripes running through the blue accent paper on the edge.



Pick a favorite message to stamp on the inside of the card. Mine was placed at the right bottom inside flap. Next, design a tag for the front using a word from the same message. Make the first letter for the tag from the same accent paper, or a matching color. This adds a trendy look... nice touch!

Accessories: Stamps from Jo Ann's crafts, brown & cream card stock, Colorbok patterned paper & stickers, brads, SeraTera ink pad from K&Company

I'm on a roll making CD case inserts. It's fun, it's simple and converts a plain CD case into a keepsake.
Take this little pretty created for my sister. She loves pansy's. I just happen to have the picture perfect paper for this project.

Located on the inside of the case top are 4 insert slots; two on the top and two at the bottom. Your design will slip into these 4 slots. On opposite sides are "edges" that keep inserts from slipping out. Use these as measuring guides. Mine is close to a 4 3/4" square.



To add a touch of flair I placed a layered label in the center, designed with a Gypsy. The middle layer of paper is the less prominent color in the pansy design. Using the same color of ink as the middle layer, brings it nicely together.

The double-sided paper adds a "boutique" look when the case is opened...so sassy!

Accessories: Stampin Up Riveting set, Cricut Lacy Labels, K&Company double faced paper, green & white card stock, white ink.

Saving precious pictures onto a CD makes a great gift idea. Here's a simple way to identify the surprise inside!
A box of clear CD cases cost just a few dollars, and can be found at all office supply stores. Don't own a CD label maker, like me?? No problem. Making a insert does the trick.

I chose theme printed card stock paper with contrasting black paper for a nice edging. The overall measurements are 4 3/4 " by 4 11/16", or almost square. Lettering from the Storybook cartridge (use a GYPSY) were perfect for this look. These letters are 1" by 1/2".



There wasn't room on the front side to add specifics about the pictures. Again, no problem! The flip side of the insert gives additional space. Or, print a ledger and picture specific information to include inside. Mine was a simple message written with a white paint marker.

 

Now I'm on a roll to get more pictures onto a CD!







Accessories: Once Upon a Time card stock, black card stock, white paint marker, Cricut Storybook lettering, Provocraft Gypsy Designer, clear CD case.

Spring-break...a perfect time to explore the BIO Park and Zoo.        We struck out excitedly, map in hand, winding our way to board the train linking the zoo and aquarium. Wonderful wispy breezes cooled us and the warm sun lightened our hearts.

Once aboard, we sat back to take in the peaceful scenery and sites at Tinkly Park where fishing for all ages is fun. Any caught fish must be returned into three of the man-made lakes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Once at the aquarium, our minds went, well, a little fishy! Trying to imagine why God made some creatures is a mystery! Like this giant fish...not the most attractive creature to find staring back at us...what could it be thinking?


                                     

The Moon Glow jelly fish gracefully floated around their cylinder world with nothing to hide, Oh My! Literally, they are completely see-through... hundreds of them! These small wonders validated the awesome variety of God's creation.

After exploring the aquatic variety of wonderful underwater creatures, we boarded the train to clank, clank, clank back to the zoo. Week-old double-humped camels, baby hippo's and even young zebra's delighted us. How many stripes are there on a zebra?

There were ducks and fish to be fed, and us too! After four hours of beating through jungles and wet-lands, we called it a day. Smiles,  memories and shared discoveries filled our hearts.

I am so thankful to have such fun grandchildren...Sequoia, Zac and Hannah. God Bless them everyday, and keep their hearts.

Do you dream of wide open spaces and a big sky to freely roam around? Close your eyes and dream a dream...then create your dream! This picture card is a cool Idea for your favorite kids to express their dream. A few simple animal stamps. a little imagination, color and voila!

The landscape is created with a variety of grassy type stamps with varying green & natural colors. Red filler added contrast along with layering partially inked flower stamps. Close your eyes and see where you drift off to.

Accessories: Rubber Stampede Farm Animal stamps, Stampin' Write markers & ink pads, card stock (white, brown & black), embellishment, varying grass & flower stamps.

I love LOVE! Valentine's Day is, well, a day to do the things for loved ones that we should be doing all year long anyway. The price tag means nothing. But the fact you take time to share a thankful heart for those wonderful special people is key. So, go ahead, be the first to say I Love You.
I did just that with a simple little card. Using glitter print paper, embelish with matching ribbon, brads and a special message.

Here is a close up of how the embellishement looked, just making a couple changes from one card to the next.

Here is the second version, with a slight change to the message background. I had so much fun making these...simple, effective and pretty too!

Accessories: Printed glitter paper, brads, cupid confetti, metal labels, white and red card stock.

I love getting pictures from friends and family. Last September our church updated their directory, and we received a few extra pictures.  Here are some finished cards showcasing a few.

There are a couple techniques to help cards "stand". Picture matting was used as one of the background layers. I find inexpensive scraps at the craft stores. Pictures & paper layers were reinforced with "corners". All the corners I used were made with a punch.

Plus, the cards have added card stock on the inside. I added a short piece of matching ribbon before gluing the inside card stock in place. The ribbon, fixed to both the "top" & "bottom" of the card stock prevents the card from opening too far, and "slouching" after time.

Using cut-out scrapes from various corner punches added contrast to corner pieces, coordinating the color scheme.  A variety of embellishments made each card unique. Don't ya love the hanging gold beads!  Recently I discovered elegant "Pearls" paper and loved the pretty effect. The paper is heavy and simmers nicely.

Accessories: papers - Auburn Pearl, Once Upon A Time mat, gold picture frame mat, red, black, blue & white card stock; punches -  Martha Stewart picture corner punch, Friskars corner punch, Nestabilities scalloped die cuts; stamps - Stepin Up 1997 butterflies & flowers stamp set; embellishments - Cloud 9 quotes, ribbon, gold beads, brads,etc.