Not Exactly a Christmas Card

Has anyone else been thinking about Christmas cards? I believe I have decided on a design for mine this year. This card is a non-Christmas version of what I hope to do. 

    Among my digital Christmas images from Crafty Secrets is a vintage Santa that I really want to use on the front of my Christmas cards, but since it seems a little early to post Christmas stuff, I decided to try out my design using an image from a Crafty Secrets pre-printed cardstock sheet of vintage photos. (Yes, they have "hard copies" of some of their images, too! They are moving to digital only, so most of the printed items they have left are marked down. A lot! Go check out their Linky party at the Heartwarming Vintage Blog to see if anyone else is thinking about Christmas cards!)

I kept it pretty simple--I don't want anything too complicated since I will need to make so many. 

    

First I cut a brown mat with a deckle rectangle Nestie and adhered the vintage photo. Then I embossed some pearlized paper with these beautiful autumn leaves. 

   

I had planned to put some sort of Thanksgiving sentiment on the card, but then I came across "happy together" from the SU! set A Dozen Thoughts. Perfect! All that's left is wrapping some ribbon and twine around the leaf-embossed paper and layering everything on top of a card. I used Cajun Craze for the card. I know that's not a very Christmas-y color combination, but the dark brown, brick red, and cream looks nice with the Santa image and this photo. 

See?! Nice and easy! So.... What kind of card are you planning for the holidays?

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

Stand-Up Mini Album

Ok. I said I'd be back with a project, didn't I? It took longer than I expected to get fully inspired, but this is a sneak peek at the finished album. It's 5x7, so it will fit in an envelope for mailing (with a couple extra stamps. Mine turned out quite thick.) If you want to see the whole thing, you'll just have to stick around and read the rest of my post. ;)

I started with a plan and even took a picture of my supplies to share with you here. Then I shifted gears just a bit, so instead of the pic, I'll just give you the list of what I actually used:

• Two sheets 12x12 heavy pink cardstock for the body of the album
• Three sheets 12x12 heavy white cardstock for the frames
• Glitter cardstock (a girl has to have her glitter, right?)
• Punches for embellishments--I used flowers, a flourish, and a paisley
• Ribbon and jewels or brads
• An assortment of dies for cutting frames--I started with circles and squares but decided rectangles and ovals were a better fit. 

From one piece of pink I cut a 7x10 strip and scored it down the middle, so I basically had a 5x7 card. From the other piece of pink I cut a 7x12 strip and scored it at 5 inches and 10 inches, so I had a 5x7 card with a little 2 inch flap. That flap will connect the two pieces later. 

But first....

I folded both pieces and ran them through the Cuttlebug in a paisley pattern embossing folder. I used paper with a white core, so I sanded the embossing a little to make it pop. 

Next I adhered the two pieces together using that two inch flap, so I had a four page accordion album. 

Don't worry about the flap--we will cover it up later. 

Now for the frames. Using a variety of rectangular and oval Nesties, I cut frames for each of the four inside pages and the cover, as well as a solid piece of white (not in the picture) to serve as the back of each frame. I used a Dotted Swiss embossing folder on one of the two matching frames and the thinner oval, and I layered the two ovals together to make one frame. 

I adhered a strip of ribbon across the front--long enough to wrap around and tie a pretty bow. Then I placed all the frames. 

Remember that extra two inch flap on the back? I cut two 5x7 pieces from my strips of leftover cs and

adhered them to the back. Then I added a piece of lined paper, die cut to match the frames, for journaling. 

Now for the embellishments! I cut a 'J' for the front because this is going to a new baby whose name starts with 'J.' Then I punched several flowers, flourishes, and paisleys from the glitter paper and some of the scrap pieces of white. I scattered those among the frames, and this is what I ended up with:

I know it's basically just an accordion album, but with the extra layer on the back, it's stable enough to stand up and use as a table top frame. Now I think I'll try one in landscape orientation. Hmmmmm....

    No, I didn't make a horizontal version already. I was so focused on making this stand up that I didn't even consider hanging it on the wall! How cute is that?!

Ok. That's it for now. Time for me to go work outside. 

Thanks for stopping by! See you in a few days with the August calendar!

Happy Anniversary!

My husband and I recently celebrated our 29th anniversary! We don't normally exchange gifts, but I did not even make him a card! Well, not until tonight....

It's time for another Linky Party over at the Heartwarming Vintage blog, so I got into some of the goodies Sandy sent me a few weeks ago. I picked out an image from "Romance," which is a digital printable. These are so easy to use! You just order the item you want and the ladies at Crafty Secrets send you a link to it. Follow the link, save it to your computer or Dropbox, and it's there for you to print whenever you want. 

Are you intrigued? Sandy and the ladies on the design team have tutorials that walk you through the whole process. You can start small and experiment. If you like the way it works you can always get more.  ;)

Ok--so back to the card!

I printed the image I wanted to use ("In Loving You...") and a couple of other images to use as backgrounds. The paper with the handwriting and leaves is one that I have used like crazy! It's on cards, clothespins, and calendars! I also embossed a piece of vellum and inked the edges of all the layers.

Then I started stacking. The hardest part was deciding which heart charm I wanted to use. Here are a few that I have to choose from....

If I find jewelry really cheap--I mean reasonably priced--I'll snatch it up and take it apart to use on cards or mini albums, so I have a few charms.

I put just a dot of adhesive on the back of the heart. It's pretty heavy and I wouldn't want it to fall off.

See? It's THAT simple! It has taken me longer to write this than it did to put the card together! And that's not good--I'm about to run out of time for the Linky Party. Hop on over and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!

Please read this before you get all hyper-active on me about making a politically correct Christmas card. 

First, have you ever known me to be politically correct? Nope. Never have been, never plan to be. 

Next, have you ever known me to do anything in a timely manner? I'll take the fifth on that one.

I have a very sensible reason for putting "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" on my Christmas cards. I never know if I will get my cards done and in the mail in time for my friends and family to receive them by Christmas. This way I have my bases covered! 

Besides, why put all that effort into wishing your loved ones a single day of merriment, when you can send them wishes for a whole season of joy?!

Feel free to save my card and send it to your last-minute Christmas card email list. I added the glitter backgrounds because...well, because it's glitter! I couldn't decide which color I like best, so I just posted all three! Which one do you like best?

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year! 

See you next time!

Evolution and a Linky Party

This morning I set out to decide what to do for the Christmas card exchange at "Stamp Club." *sigh* I really wanted to do something that looked like pergamano. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Go ahead. I'm not going anywhere....

Isn't that beautiful? A lot of the designs remind me of the dainty hankies ladies used to carry. My first attempt gave me this card. 

The tree is embossed on vellum, as are the diagonal lines behind it. Actually the first card was all white, but I decided to go with a little color. The card is Pool Party, the white is parchment cardstock, and the vellum is also cardstock.  

I just couldn't get that tree to suit my fancy, so I filed the pergamano idea away for another day, and went with a tree die cut from pearlized vellum. The shimmer doesn't show up in pictures at all for some reason.

I added the embossed Swiss dots behind the tree and moved the stripes to the frame. 

Then I remembered that it's time for the Heartwarming Vintage Linky Party. I just happen to have some adorable Christmas images that I purchased the other day, so...let's see if we can evolve some more!

This little angel is so sweet! It might sound intimidating if you haven't used digital images before, but it's really easy. Really. Just size, print, cut! Maybe I should do a post on the basics of using digi images sometime. Ok, put that on the list with pergamano. The hardest part of it is all the fussy cutting. Not my favorite thing to do. I put him on some really thin dimensional adhesives so he looks like he's stepping out of the oval. 

I liked him so much that I decided to try some cards that would work for any occasion.

These little girls were separated from their four friends. Yes, there are six little girls in cream colored coats, frilly little hats, and button-up boots. 

And this angel fit the horizontal layout perfectly. I used different embossing folders for the white frames on 

the little girls and this angel, but I kept the Swiss dots on the vellum behind them. I really don't think they need anything else at all! 

Sorry to skip out so fast, but it's late and I have to work the REAL job tomorrow! Click over to Heartwarming Vintage and check out the Linky Party. Have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stitch Trickery

For the past several months I have participated in one, yes, ONE website's Linky Party each month. I skipped the party in September, but I'm back for October's. If the computer will ever finish scanning and updating! I'm typing this on my iPad, but to be totally honest, (my voice drops to a whisper) I don't know how to get the pictures from my iPad onto my blog! Please don't tell anyone. I'm waaaay to cool to be technologically inept. So I'll just keep typing and hope that all the updates finish before the party closes. 

And I'll add "Posting from my iPad" to my list of "Things I Need to Learn About Blogging."

The stitching around the edge of this card really sets if off, doesn't it? I learned this very simple trick about a year ago. You have to know how to adjust the tension on the bobbin thread in your sewing machine. My machine has a metal bobbin case that pulls out of the bottom part, under the needle. 

On one side of it is a tiny little screw with a very shallow slot for a tiny little screwdriver. So...you might want to get your reading glasses.

To put more tension on the thread, I would turn the screw to the right. (Righty-tighty) For less tension, I turn the screw to the left. (Lefty-loosey) To get my thread loose enough, I turned to the left until the screw was about to fall out, then just tightened it up enough to be sure that it would stay in place. 

This is the backside of my stitched card front. See how loose those stitches are? Bad for sewing clothing, good for a cute card!

The front just looks like any old machine stitching.

Grab the ends of the thread that came from the TOP of your machine and pull gently. As you pull the top thread tighter, it will pull the loose bottom thread up through the holes, creating those neat stretched out stitches. Be sure to tie off the ends of both the top and bottom threads.

Pretty cool, huh?! I used a button thread for the top of my machine. It's quite a bit thicker than the thread I normally use, so it shows up a little better. However, I could not make the button thread work in the bobbin. It made nice stitches, but I couldn't loosen the tension enough to get the effect I wanted.

I made this card with a digital image from The Crafty Secrets store. It came in their digital Halloween printables. (I think right now they are offering that as a free gift with a purchase!) I inked the edges, stamped the "Happy Halloween" (from SU! Hand-Penned Holidays), and adhered the almost-orange rectangle to a purple card. Then I printed the image I wanted to use, cut it with a circle Nestie, and cut the purple mat from the next bigger Nestie. 

Stack everything up, stick it all together, and there you go! An adorable little Halloween card! 

This card was made the same way, but instead of using a digital image, I stamped the image of the little girl on the pumpkin and added a little color with some colored pencils. She is in the SU! Greeting Card Kids.

Ok, I guess it's time to go check on the computer. Don't go anywhere--I'll be right back. Really! You won't even know that I'm gone!
Wow. It's STILL updating. Ugh. I am going to go get some sleep and when I wake up in the morning, hopefully it will be done and I can finish up!

**** 9 A.M. ****
The computer is still giving me fits! Ugh! Learning to post from my iPad just jumped to the top of my list of "Things I Need to Learn About Blogging!"

**** 10 A.M. ****
I finally gave up and found a way around the computer that just refused to cooperate! I didn't even throw it out in the yard. (Mostly because the tower is really heavy.) I do believe, however, that my cat learned a few new words!
I apologize if the pictures aren't quite as clear as usual, but at least they are here!
If you have a few minutes, hop over to the Heartwarming Vintage blog and see the rest of the Linky Partiers!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

New Supplies Challenge, Part 3

Way back in February I issued to myself a "New Supplies Challenge." (Part One and Part Two) It's been a while since I made anything from those new items, and to be perfectly honest, I have added to my stockpile supplies. Repeatedly. I know how shocked you must be, and I'm sure that I am the only one among us who has ever done anything like that. Mmm-hmmm....

Chalkboards are as trendy right now as chevrons. (I just don't get all the fuss about chevrons!) My chalkboard-ish stamp is from Stampin' Up! Chalk Talk. The phrase on the oval, "I'm so grateful there's you in the world," ties right in to the World Map background stamp and a Tim Holtz embossing folder called Airmail. My main goal tonight was to play with the new SU! Thinlits Label Card die. 

I started with kraft cardstock, a bit of natural parchment, a scrap of black cardstock, the stamps, embossing folder, dies, and ink. The picture shows white craft ink (to look like chalk on the black paper) and black ink, but I switched out the black for Crumb Cake, which is about the color of my kraft paper.   

 Let's begin now. Ooooh! In my head I sounded like the voice on the old 45's that came with Disney story books. You know the ones: "This is the story of Lady and the Tramp. You can read along with me in your book. You will know it is time to turn the page, when Tinkerbell rings her little bell. *brrrriiiing* Let's begin now...." Have I mentioned I'm sleep-deprived? That's when my nearly-ADD kicks into high gear.

So, the first thing I did was run a piece of 6x6 kraft paper (for the card base) and a piece of 6x6 parchment (for stamping and embossing) through the BigShot with the Label Card Thinlits die. It cuts part of the label shape from the center of the card and scores the fold lines. The fold lines do not go across the label, so do not fold the label. The left score line on the card base will be a mountain fold and the right score line will be a valley fold. When folded properly the card base will measure 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.

Now for the parchment. Trim 1/8 inch off each side of the piece you will stamp and/or emboss. Next, cut along the score lines. You won't need the long strip from the middle or the two pieces of the label. The two pieces you have left are the perfect size to adhere to your card base. AFTER you play with them a little!

I embossed the smaller piece and stamped the larger piece...

then I used Crumb Cake to ink around the edges of both pieces with my fingertip, and slid my ink pad across the embossing to bring it out.

The label die is one of eight smaller dies included with the Label Card die set. I stamped the oval in white craft ink on black cardstock and ran it through the BigShot with the label die. I cut one more black label for inside the card. Then with a paper towel over my finger I smeared just a little white craft ink. (Craft ink is stickier and messier than dye ink.) Go easy on the ink--you can always add more. See how that makes it look chalkboard-ish?

Now it's time to put it all together! When it's laid out flat, you will see both pieces that you decorated and the back side of the label, which I left blank. When I give this to someone I will sign on the blank label with a white gel pen. I had mine all put together when I decided it needed something, so I had to use some Un-Du to remove both black labels. I tied a piece of red seam binding around the kraft paper label, then replaced the black pieces on top of the ribbon so only the bow shows.

If I wanted to add another sentiment I could run it along the strip in the center or, since I used such a light ink for the background stamp, I could stamp on top of it in black.

Here is another look at the front of the finished card....

There you go! It seems like a lot of work, but it's really not. I just wanted my directions to be very clear, since it's a new die that few people are familiar with. 

So, let's see.... 

one new embossing folder (Airmail)

one new background stamp (World Map)

one new stamp set (Chalk Talk)

one new die ( Label Card)

Cool! I used four things from my New Supplies stash! I hope I've inspired you to use some of your stash! Please let me know if I did. I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

Baseball Baby!

I hope you were sitting down when you saw that I had a new post! Three posts in thirteen days?! Crazy!

I am between weddings now, so I'm actually getting close to being caught up with everything else. Well, not that close....

A friend's daughter is having a baby in the fall, so she asked if I could come up with a vintage baseball themed invitation for the baby shower. Being the mother in a baseball-loving family, I had several items on hand that would work very nicely. The best thing was the stamp set I got from Crafty Secrets online store. You know--the store for the Heartwarming Vintage blog--the site that has the linky party that I like to enter every month. So, anyway...I found this adorable little pitcher in the Play Ball stamp set: 

I scrolled through my hundreds of fonts (I'm sure you think that "hundreds" is an exaggeration. ha!) until I found one that reminded me of the lettering on a baseball jersey. I even had a font that makes the swooshes for underneath! Then I typed "You're Invited," printed it, and stamped my little boy above it. Easy peasy! 

I liked the idea of using a diamond shape for his background, but it needed that pop of red behind it. I layered both of those pieces on a blue rectangle and added it to the kraft base.

If she likes it, I will type the shower information on the computer and print it on the cardstock before I cut and fold the card bases.

My friend said she will need around a hundred invitations, so I wanted to keep it pretty simple. If I were using it for a birthday card or only needed a few invitations, I would probably have to add some ribbon or a strip of green or black paper across the bottom, but I love it just the way it is. 

Now I'm heading over to link it to the Heartwarming Vintage Linky Party!

Have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

Easy Peasy Needle Case

How adorable is this little needle card?! My mom saw a picture of it through one of my links to the Heartwarming Vintage Blog and mentioned that she would like for me to print one for her, so...here you go, Mom!

This image is part of the Sewing Ephemera set offered by Crafty Secrets. You can find links to their online store at their blog. I won the whole sewing themed set in a giveaway! Sandy has lots of those! 

I printed two copies of the image on a sheet of 8.5 x 11 heavy white cardstock, then cut them out and scored the fold lines. When it's all closed up it's about 2.75 x 3.5 inches.

Can you see the tiny button in the middle of the bluebird's head on the bottom half? That's a brad that I put there to work as a closure. The little flap up at the top will slide under it. The legs of the brad show right now, but they're about to get covered up....

I cut a piece of kraft paper about 2.5 x 3.25 (just smaller than the folded card) and ran a line of adhesive along the bottom. It will hold the needles, so you only want one edge glued down.

(See--the legs of the brad are under the kraft paper.)

When it's all folded, the little button brad holds the flap very securely. You could also tie it closed with string or use a string and button/brad combination. It might even stay closed just by tucking the flap into the top, but I liked the little brad. :) 

Pretty easy, right?! I'm sure you know a seamstress, quilter, or cross-stitcher who would love to keep her needles in an adorable little case like this. If you're not crazy about the image on this one, you could make one out of any cardstock. But how could you not like this one?! If you print it the same dimensions I did it will be just the right size to hold a gift card to your needle crafter's favorite fabric/craft store! 

That's it for tonight! Now I'm headed over to put this up in the Heartwarming Vintage Linky Party. Have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!