multi pattern papers for birthday card

Glitz and glam add bling to this 4" x 6" birthday card for my mom this week. The color combos of the pattern papers make it feel vintage but the mixing of patterns certainly makes it feel retro "Moxie Fab"-ulicious!

Thanks to Jolee's All That Bling for the metallic jewel flowers, flourish swirls, and jewel stick-ons. Thanks to Kaisercraft for the pattern papers and DCWV for the adhesive-backed steel gray cardstock.

By using my own stashed supply of shapes templates and French curve stencils, this card was fairly easy to put together in less than an hour (and that includes the fussy-cutting of the flower shapes shown in the inside view).

Hope Mom likes it as much as I do. Happy #72, Mom!

2nd posting of more purchased notecards embellished

This time there are 2 different purchased notecards with butterflies. Color tones are different. One of the cards is shaped.

Again, more challenges to try to match/coordinate with the cover image.

embellished purchased notecards for quick and easy making

Due to all the stresses, I've had only small bits of time to get some thank you cards ready for mailing.

The challenge has been to have the inside coordinate with the cover image.

This first in the series is a sunflower cover image.

World Card Making Day post 2 of 2

My second card made on World Card Making Day has also recycled focal from a pre-printed boxed card.

Like the other, the cardstock colors are from Colorbok, the flower and vine swirl stickers are from Creativity Works, and the two-tone green circle sticker is a dollar discount wall art decal purchase.

World Card Making Day October 1, 2011 post 1 of 2

Many organizations, blogs, and magazines have special events planned for today. I might have time to check out a few blogs, but I've gotten behind on grading due to virus and having to take some sick days.

Due to being in the midst of settling in a new location about 100 miles from where my husband and I have been for the past 6 years, I only have about 5%-10% of my craft supplies moved.

The card creation featured in this posting has parts from a recycled/pre-printed boxed card. The green and orange-yellow cardstock are Colorbok. The vine swirl stickers are Creativity Works. The large pink glitter circle sticker was part of wall art decals found at a dollar discount store. The pink circle helps repeat the circle in the focal image and helps carry the pink from the focal and border to the inside view.

3rd of 3 postings showing some OWH donations

In this post, the focus is masculine outdoorsy theme notecards. I've recycled calendar photos for the card focals.

2nd of 3 postings with some OWH donations

In this posting, the cards all share a light pink paper with large contemporary floral design that were perfect for girlfriend thinking of you cards.

1 of 3 postings showing recent OWH donations

About a week or 2 ago, I finally got some cards I had created sent to one of the OWH (Operation Write Home)shippers. I did sets repeating some of the supplies.

updates and recent card making

Well, this week has wrought lots of changes for my husband and I. We've accepted an offer for our place we've called home since 2005. It's less than our list price but given that it has been on the market for 3 months, we are happy to have it sell. It's in a small rural community and there are houses in town that have been listed for 2 years!

Recent card making attempts have been for a retirement card and for a 50th birthday card. I only have about 5% of my crafting supplies with me at our new location; however that will be changing very soon with 30 days to closing.

Both cards featured patterned papers from Colorbok's Cafe' Au Lait pattern pack. The solid color cardstock is also Colorbok.

*retirement card cover and inside view

*50th birthday card cover
inside the sentiment text says "Have the 'tweetest' year!"

scrapbook layouts for Easter part two

My Paper Wishes crafter buddy, Connie, made 2 different sets of Easter/spring theme embellishments. This posting will feature the 2nd set that has a refined elegance to the colors and designs:

I still have photos to apply to the mats Connie created. Her ensemble of embellishments have the muted beiges/taupes, burgundys, and dark greens with beautiful flowers and crystallized glitter.

scrapbook layouts for Easter

Just before getting ready to move in August, I wanted to get the Easter layouts made with the swapped pieces made by my Paper Wishes crafting buddy Connie. I didn't want the pieces getting bent or ripped. I'd still like to get some journaling written on them and photos included that I'd taken. (Just seems like I couldn't get everything coordinated, though!)

Connie made the bright colored labels/tags for these coordinated layout pages:

My efforts don't do justice to the beauty and brightness of Connie's work. I'm going to have to scrap several and start over.

fall theme cards to be donated to OWH

It's exciting to get started again with crafting after a month or so of moving and getting started in a new teaching position.

It's exciting to see this mix of contemporary papers from Colorbok (Cafe' au Lait pattern pack) with fall theme stickered embellishments. They have whimsy and a quirkiness that has charm.

Personal update: moving day is August 15

Hi! to my crafting friends:

Because I have accepted a teaching position 100 miles east of where my husband and I have been living for the past 5 years, we will be moving next week. I'll be offline for several days as we transition and get utilities turned on.

We are planning on closing on a small home and lot property next Monday morning at 10 am and moving in an 18' long trailer full of furniture and boxes that same day! We are concentrating on what I need to "camp out" initially since I have teacher's meetings starting Wednesday.

We were hoping for an earlier closing date but the loan officer at the bank we are using in our new town took the last 2 weeks of July for vacation! So that caused us to have this incredible time crunch next week.

I'll try to be back on the computer as quickly as possible to follow my favorite blogs and crafting friends! And I've made a personal vow to myself to create a new crafting area and to start crafting again as soon as possible!!!

friendship support card for fellow PW mb crafter

One of the New York crafters involved with the message board through Paper Wishes suggested that several of us send cards to one of our mb crafter friends from Pennsylvania. Her family has been displaced from their home for several months as it gets fixed after an 'act of God'. She's been on a roller coaster of emotions.

So in the spirit of all creations made for the message board swaps and challenges, I have used mostly PW/HOTP items to create this card. They are: denim paper (Paper Pizazz/HOTP),yellow and orange pigment ink pads (Page Craft through PW), large blue floral brad buddy and yellow brad (HOTP), white/yellow daisy stick-ons (PW), 2 yellow patterned papers for small scalloped circles (Paper Pizazz/HOTP), basic white card base, 'possibilities grow' and full quote on the inside as well as the blue flower art images (HOTP).

The rest of the supplies used include: blue felt flower gems; blue jewel stick-on, yellow satin ribbon, and bright yellow paper. The "A special hello" stamp comes from CardMaker kit of the month.

I like the cheeriness of the yellow with the calming blues for this summer-y relaxed looking card. I'm sure it will bring a smile to our "Irish Lady".

Topic: 2 different looks from mixing papers from 3 companies

Last night I experimented with combining analogous colors shown in papers/cardstock from 3 companies and into 2 different layouts.

From Paper Wishes/Hot Off the Press' Paper Pizzaz is the yellow paper with circles. The ruby red mini brads shown on the gate-fold card.

From K & Company's Wild Raspberry double-sided paper pack are: patterns shown in the small 4 x 6 card are in the circle cut-outs (both inside and out) and in the gate-fold card are the folded pieces (reversed for 2).

From CardMaker's Kit of the Month brown patterned cardstock and "best wishes" tag shown in the gate-fold card and more of the brown patterned cardstocks shown on the small 4 x 6 card. Also from different kits of the months are the stamps used for the 4 x 6: "You made my day" and "thanks so much" and the 'floral spiral' (used 3 times with 3 different inks).

From my stash: gold metallic pen, metallic staples, adhesives. silk leaves, plain cardstock, orange satin ribbon, scissors, trimmers, & punch/stencils.

Here's the 4 x 6 thanks/made my day card:

(sorry=scanning has casted shadows)

Here's the gate-fold card: (I was experimenting with the double-sided papers and chose to use the 'arrow points' like tags. Don't think I will do it this way ever again. However I do like the mix of analogous colors!)

(sorry for the skewed point on the front; didn't want to take the extra minutes and re-scan)

Give me some feedback: do you like either card? do you like the mix of colors and papers?....

Moxie Fab Challenge for Tuesday Trigger is Perty and Flirty

Hi! It's late Sunday night and I'm going to make this super quick posting so I might meet the deadline! (We're trying to starting moving 100 miles east so I can take a new teaching position and I had a funeral this week for a great uncle. I haven't had time to create and have artistic fun! (:

Perty and flirty trigger photo had lots of pleated ruffle effects of the fabric. I've tried to re-envision that look with the looped ribbon, the cascading circle shaped papers and the scalloped border.

The "best wishes" and "congratulations" are message ribbons from Martha Stewart Crafts. The background turquoise blue print and striped print papers (as well as the leaf print paper and repeated blue shown inside) are from Kaisercraft's Peachy Keen Paper Pack. The rest of the papers, brown sheer ribbon, brads, brown cardstock/card base are re-used from a CardMaker kit of the month. That also include the stamp used for the "A Special Hello".

card topic= bee hi/hive card

This cute card took me all of about 20 minutes to create from start to finish. (Most have taken me 1-2 hours!!!) Thanks to the coordinating vine papers from Colobok; the Jillibean Atomic button cardstock sticker; the Frances Mayers bright border sticker (striped) purchased through Hobby Lobby; the bee and flower 3-D cut-out embellishments from Creativity Inc; the black letters for "hi" were from my stash; the white and blue tone mod paper is from a computer paper design purchased at a dollar discount store; and the amber color jewel stick-on is from Jolee's Bling (either purchased at Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby).

Anyway, the bee hi-hive theme card turned out cute by sticking to the theme and the main colors of turquoise blue, leaf green, golden yellow, white, and black.

Card is for my 80 yr old great aunt who was in the hospital for a few days last week. Thought this card would cheer her.

card topic= the story of the incredible card journey

Today's post is about an amazing journey for a card created by 5 crafters from 4 spread apart U.S. states and 1 western Canadian province! What unifies them is their participation in the message board activities at Paper Wishes website.

Here's the card's beginning chapter and creation with me in IL, the starter:
I used a PW purchased basic white card form for the base; added PW/HOTP heart patterned paper to front and then used PW purchased Pebbles stencil to create scalloped edging and also reduced the right margin; inked the edges with yellow-orange stamp pad; to the inside I applied the PW/HOTP plaid patterned paper;

Chapter 2: card was sent to West Virginia and Pat added the PW/HOTP silver dazzle dragonflies and small flower;

Chapter 3: card was sent to British Columbia and Rhonda added the HOTP girlfriend definition that she cut into heart shape and inked the edges of it; she also added the PW/HOTP dragonfly brad;

Chapter 4: card was sent to Kentucky and Connie added some more of the PW/HOTP heart patterned paper that she cut into a rectangle; she added the sentiment text box that she had chalked;

Chapter 5: card was sent to Florida and Jennifer added the PW/HOTP peachy-pink grosgrain ribbon bow;

and Chapter 6: card was sent to Illinois, back to me, so that I could have a finished card and also be responsible to post photos on the discussion thread in the mb forum. Viola'!!!! Our finished card story: