Birthdays

Good evening, everyone!  I'll be the first to admit that since our first child was born, I've been slipping a bit on getting birthday cards out to people.  I either forget until it's too late, or I'm just tired and busy and have no crafting time.  I'm trying to be better about that!  I guess we will see how long that lasts once baby number two arrives.  Good intentions, at least!

This first card features Stampin' Up's Birthday Celebration stamp set.  I CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) the idea from a similar card on Pinterest, only I didn't have enough gold glitter paper, so I used silver and silver embossing powder as well.  The balloons were stamped on watercolor paper, and then colored with Stampin' Write markers.  I quickly applied water with my Aqua Painters.  This was pretty tricky for me.  I felt without a doubt that I had ruined all of the balloons, as you could see marker lines and it just looked pretty awful.  But the watercolor paper came through and saved the day.  As they dried, the balloons became much more beautiful, and I was very happy that I didn't have to throw out all that precious paper.  Next time I think I will just try the ink pads/refills and paint in the watercolor style, I just really wanted to use Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight and I own neither of those ink pads.  The other colors used here are Pool Party and Rich Razzleberry.

This next card is another Pinterest CASE with a modified sentiment.  I'm ashamed to say that although I love the Lighthearted Leaves set from Stampin' Up, this was the first time I'd actually opened the package.  Something else I need to work on, I suppose!  Anyway, the leaves were stamped with Memento Black ink, and then colored in with Stampin' Write Markers.  I used Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, and the very retired Lucky Limeade.  I will always be sad every time I use that color, as I have the ink pad, but lost the reinker somewhere in the shuffle of moving a few years ago.  I'll probably cry when it dries up for good.  Anyway, the sentiment featured is from the That Thing You Did stamp set that I believe is retiring at the end of May.  

Hope you enjoyed these cards - I'm off to bed! <3 JEM

Cat Butts...

Happy Friday, all!  Tonight I have something totally different for you.  For my sister's birthday, I decided to make her some cat butt coasters.  She had shown me the picture on Pinterest a while back, and I thought they were pretty awesome!  I made 2 in each color, gray and black for the cats she does have, and one variegated for some contrast.  I found a great pattern on Ravelry that explained things perfectly and they turned out great.  Enjoy! <3 JEM

Something New...

Good afternoon, everyone!  I have four cards to share with you today.  This first card accompanied gifts that we gave to our parents for watching our child while we were away performing at a music festival.  It features the Petite Petals stamps and coordinating punch from Stampin' Up, and the sentiment is from the Letterpress Winter set from a few years back.  The paper used is Calypso Coral card stock, and some designer series paper in Crisp Cantaloupe. 

This card was for my sister's birthday.  I was a little bit apprehensive about making it at first, as I don't do a lot of watercoloring, and with stencils at that - but I love how it turned out!  I used the Alphabet Rotary stamp for the sentiment, and the inks Night of Navy and Lost Lagoon.

This next card is a special order from a friend.  It's actually pretty large - 5.5" by 8.5"!  I definitely learned my lesson making this card - always test out your stamps the moment you receive them. I discovered a flaw in one of the stamps in the set, so while I'm waiting for a replacement I had to use my own stamps for the sentiment, which took a lot longer since it's an alphabet set.  So just imagine that all of these stamps are from the Number of Years set and you'll get the idea.  The purple paper is from a booklet of papers my hubby gave me for our first anniversary - it pairs perfectly with Rich Razzleberry ink.  There is also a subtle shimmer on the numbers 75, using the Wink of Stella glitter brush in clear.

And this last card I made just yesterday for my hairdresser.  She's getting married, and since she's been cutting my hair for the past 16 years, I figured I should make her a card!  None of these papers or ribbon is from Stampin' Up, but it features the sets Off the Grid, For the New Two, and the Something Lacy background stamp on the hearts.  I also loved using my sewing machine for this card - especially the slightly rustic look it gives.  Hope she likes it!

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!  <3 JEM