Hippie Birthday

I feel like all I've done is make birthday and sympathy cards all week.  I really wish I could have said all birthday!  This one is for my aging hippie friend :-)  She's gonna love it!

I can't remember what those little fleecy balls are that are attached to a small material tape are called.  I remember them from the 70's and when I looked in my ribbon box, I found these mini ones.  I was looking for ribbon to match and found this gem!  So much better on this card than ribbon.  I used the 3 I cut out from behind the "girl" and attached them like bling at the bottom.  Who says bling has to be shiny?

I'll enter this one in the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers J is for Just Kidding challenge

Hampton Art KI Color Crush Paper
layered on dark brown and hot pink cardstock
Sentiment from SU Words By Wanda
Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

Earth Day Birthday

I have a friend whose birthday is April 22, which is also Earth Day.  I needed to make her a birthday card and this really fits with the challenges at Words to Scrap by and Shopping Our Stash.

I should say that she is a gal from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is in love with the earth in all ways. She also LOVES buttery yellow.  I found this great 6x6 pad of paper called Wanderlust that I've been saving to make her card and this piece of paper is so her. In the stack there was also a small map of the US so I cut a circle around Michigan, and added it so it kinda looks like a moon.  I know you can't see it in the picture, but I put a little tiny black dot right where her town is in the UP.  

It's simple, just some layers, not a whole lot going on in the way of embellishment or embossing, but I wanted it to be a no nonsense kind of card because that is the kind of person Margy is.  But, then, I just couldn't help myself and added two very tiny rhinestones.  You can hardly see them so it will be ok.

I will a note and birthday sentiment inside which always ends with Happy B-EARTHDAY!   I know she is going to love this card!

American Crafts Wanderlust paper layered with
dark gray cardstock in the back and
a small piece of yellow ribbon that I had many challenges with!

Smile

I needed to make several masculine birthday cards for upcoming birthdays and I am also making an assortment of cards to give to a friend for his birthday so he will always have a card to send, no excuses, right?

I saw the challenge for The Male Room (Challenge #7 - Use a metallic Embossing Powder) and decided to try my hand at this one.  This is the first card I came up with.  Nice, a little bit of metallic embossing, but not a whole lot.  Camera and sentiments are heat embossed in silver, but it doesn't show up very well in the pic. It's plenty silvery in person and is masculine as well !

Woodgrain Embossing Folder from The Paper Studio
Sentiment Hampton Arts Vintologie
Small Silver Brads
Recollections Silver Embossing Powder
Spellbinders Labels 23 die cut
Craft Medley Bakers Twine in gray and white

So then I was perusing the entries and saw the one my friend and card mentor Bobbi had entered.  I don't have any background stamps, so I couldn't completely CASe her card, but the camera stamp set I just purchased also included a stencil.  Well, I've never used a stencil before, but thought I'd give it a try.  This is what I came up with.  I completely covered the stencil with silver pigment ink using a marshmallow type thingy because I don't have the proper tools to use a stencil, and then I heat embossed it with Silver Embossing powder.  I also die cut some backgrounds from some silver paper I got from Bobbi. I ran ink and embossing powder around the edges too.  The black looked too stark without it.  It's very shiny!

Sentiment and Stencil Hampton Arts Vintologie

Recollections Silver Embossing Powder

Spellbinders Labels 23 die cut

Bees

For the Just Us Girls Challenge #85 - Use colors BLACK, WHITE and YOUR CHOICE! 

I love black and yellow together, and spring is just around the corner, so dandelions and bees come to mind.

Rubbernecker Dandelion Stem set stamped with Color Box Jelly Beans yellow pigment ink,
dusted with Clear Lemon embossing powder and heat set
"smile" sentiment from Sudio G done the same way
Bazzill Basics Black and yellow paper
Plaid paper from  my favorite mat stack:dots, stripes & plaids
The little bee is from the corner of a sentiment from Pixie Expressions Friendship set.  I've popped it up with a tiny 3D dot
American Crafts Yellow ribbon

Also linking this to NBUS-Never-Before-Used Schtuff  since this is the first time I've used either of the stamps.

I support our troops

Linking this card up to 2 challenges:
Operation Write Home - Mid month challenge - Red White and Blue
Shopping Our Stash #193 - I Made This - Make your own background 

I used the Inka Gold product; red, blue, and platinum and swirled it around on white card stock. I mounted it on blue, added the red tag, blue heat embossed heart with stars from Hero Arts Operation Write Home Year Round Sentiments, added some red/white/blue twine anchored with a blue enamel star, and the sticker is from Sticko. 

I'll use this one for an Any Hero card in my next box that goes to Operation Write Home.

Green Balloons

I've been away and have also been on a mission to make a gift so my card making has suffered.  I went to see my daughter and family in OH and there are some great stores in her area, so I did what any "normal" paper lover would do....I shopped.  Does everyone hit every craft and scrap store when they are on a trip? One of the things I was looking for was a balloon die, and I found this one.  This is my first try using it. 


I am CAS challenged.  I like layers upon layers upon layers.  I love embossing.  So I am challenging myself to keep it clean and simple!  I think it's quite cute.  It's all I can do to not cut some patterned paper and layer the balloons.  :-)  
                              Saw this challenge at Addicted to CAS-Challenge #59 - GREEN 

Taylored expressions Up, Up & Away Cutting Plate layered on plain white cardstock
Hero Arts Operation Write Home "Year Round Sentiments" stamped with SU Wild Wasabi ink
Green paper from my stash
Mambi Stones Bling

 

I think this would make a great spring Birthday card too, so I'm linking it up to Cards in Envy-Spring is in the Air challenge.

Also linking this to a new site my friend Bobbi sent me...Never-Before-Used Schtuff

NBUS Challenge #4! Here We Go!

Spring - In like a lion

Entered into Words 2 scrap by Challenge #15 - In like a lion, out like a lamb because it reminds me of spring!

Hampton Art KI Growing Garden paper
oval cut from some handmade paper I found in my scrap box
Jolee's Vellum Daisy sticker
Jillibean Handwritten Sentiments stamp

Meant to add it here too, Always Playing with Paper Challenge -  Use the colors or the sketch - I did both on this card.....but I missed the noon deadline, so it won't go here!