Mason Jar Filled with Roses

Happy Friday Everyone!  Hope this finds you happy and healthy.

Today I have another birthday card to share with you. I created this card to enter in the Jars of Joy Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.  I encourage you to enter, too!  The winning entries will be shown on their blog on Wednesday, October 10 and will receive an "I'm Moxie Fab" challenge winner button, as well as something yummy from my moxie magical prize drawer.  Yippee!!  :o)

I LOVE this stamp set from Flourishes! It is called "Garden Picks". I thought the mason jar was so realistic--I just couldn't wait to use it on a card!  :o)  I stamped the image in Memento-Tuxedo Black, and colored the image with my Letraset Markers. Then I did some highlighting here and there with sparkly markers, and finished up with my white gel pen.

As you can see, I added a couple of stickpins.  The cameo pin is from Webster's Pages, but the pearl pin I made myself.  Just for fun I decided to hang these charms from the stickpins.   They are a cute little purse and shoe.  They just lighten the mood a bit, don't you think?

The image was matted, popped up on foam tape and applied to a second mat which was also popped up on foam tape and, finally, added to the card base to give an overall dimensional feel.  Then I added pink pearls on each corner of the image mat.

I goofed up and got a little ahead of myself while putting this card together.  :o(  I added the matted image to the card base before applying my gathered ribbon (big mistake), which means I couldn't wrap the raw edges of the ribbon around to the backside of the mat to hide and secure them properly.  I couldn't pull it apart because it may have ripped the base.  So, to remedy the situation, I folded the raw edges under and glued them to the underside of the ribbon.  It works, but it would have been a more finished, clean look had I done it right in the first place...*sigh*

On the inside, I knew the stamp set I planned to use wouldn't take up much space. So I took advantage of the opportunity to showcase the patterned papers used on the card front and sectioned the card into thirds.

This stamp set is from the Susan Branch collection-Celebrations.  I love this little cake!  I stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it with my Sharpie Markers.  Then, as on the front of the card, I highlighted with sparkly markers and finished with my white gel pen.

The final embellishment was another little purse charm, as well as a tiny little cell phone.  I thought they were so cute!  :o)

One more look...

I hope you enjoyed my card for today!  Thank you for stopping by and I hope to see you next time!

Merilee

Recipe:

Paper:  DCWV-Lemon Flower Stack, Melody Ross Designer Collection-Homespun Chic, Recollections

Markers and Ink: Letraset Markers, Sharpie Markers, Atyou Spica Twinkling Like Stars Pens, Sakura Ice Cream Smooth Gelly Roll Pens, Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Mustard Seed, Memento-Tuxedo Black, Powder Puff Chalk Ink

Ribbon and Embellishments: Wrights Ruffled Trim, Offray Sheerly Yours, Findings-Charms, Websters Pages-Cameo Pushpin, Merilee Lane-Peal Pushpin, Recollections-Pearl Stickers

Stamps: Flourishes-Garden Picks, Susan Branch-Celebrations

Tools: Martha Stewart Score Board, Spellbinders Nestabilities-Large Labels, Big Kick, Fiskars Paper Trimmer, Blending Tool, Stampin' Up Paper Piercing Pack Essentials, ATG gun, Scotch Foam Tape, Mini Glue Dots, Glue Gun

Birthday Card

Hi Everyone!  Happy Sunday!

As promised, today's post is a birthday card featuring my little "Puppy Girl" from the Pure Innocence line by My Favorite Things that I colored various different ways in the last couple of posts.

This card is bright and cheery for a young girl's birthday.  The papers I used are from Mambi Sheets by Me & My Big Ideas and Rue de Fleur by The Paper Studio.  I love these colors together--they just have that extra kick of life in them!  :o)  The background is matted and stitched with my sewing machine.  Across the center is pleated trim, layered with two strips of ribbon and then adhered to the orange card base with my ATG gun.

Here is a closeup of Puppy Girl.  I cropped her using Spellbinders Large Labels S4-168.  The edges are first inked in yellow and then again in pale green.  She is matted first in black to draw the eye in and then in green and yellow.

I always try to incorporate some type of interaction in each of my cards--especially when they are for younger people.  The image is popped up on foam tape with the tape strategically placed only on the top and bottom so a tag would slip diagonally beneath.

The tag is hand cut to fit inside the opening, stamped with two sentiments, and adorned at the top with patterned paper, a tiny flower brad, and a ribbon threaded through.  The tag sentiment is actually from two separate sentiment sets that I put together to form a rhyme:  Top-Clear Stamps VS-4911, Series 23, by Studio G; Bottom-Big Greetings by My Favorite Things.

The final addition is two large, stacked silk daisies topped with a large, yellow button in the center.

For the inside of the card, the background patterned paper is matted and stitched together.  Then a hole punched in one corner to add stacked paper flowers with a tiny flower brad through the center and a bow on back.  The finished mat stack is then adhered to the inside of the card with my ATG gun.

The inside has a mix of stamp sets, as well.  "Woof", "Bark", the puppy paw prints, and the dog bone are all from Inkadinkado, Dogs-97620; "Happy Birthday" is from Big Greetings by My Favorite Things; and "Sending Canine Kisses" is one of the sentiments that goes along with "Puppy Girl" from the Pure Innocence line by My Favorite Things.  I think they all come together quite nicely to make up a happy little card.

 I hope you've enjoyed today's card and you'll be back soon to visit me again.  I will be designing something special in the upcoming days for the Creative Critterz Imaginations blog.  I hope you'll join me.  Until then, thanks for coming by!

Merilee

Masculine 60th Birthday Card

Hi Everyone!  Hope your Sunday has been relaxing and enjoyable.

Today I'd like to share a masculine card made for a 60th birthday celebration.  I made this card using my Cricut Expression and the Wild Card cartridge.  This cartridge has so many fun little cards to make!

For this card I used a craft card base.  If you look closely, you will see that this image appears as though it has a torn edge.  I really liked this edge and took it one step further with my inks to create an edge that appeared to be burned.  

I used the card feature on Page 66 to create this masculine card.  The fish were cut and sketched in with my pencils to add detail.  I then used chalks to add shading and highlights.  The cattails were cut from a sheet of cork for added texture.  I held my breath when I put that cork in my machine, but it cut just perfect!  I used twine from which to hang the fish.

The inside of the card features the window "casing", as well as a pocket holding two stamped tags.  The sentiment stamps used for this card are from Hero Arts, CL148.

The pocket was stitched with my sewing machine and I added a small button for a little extra detail.

The tags were cut from my Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge and have blue ribbon threaded through and secured with a staple at the top.  I used the sentiment stamps for the "celebrate" tag, but for the "you're 60" tag, I carefully hand wrote the words and numbers, trying to duplicate the same font.  I think I got pretty close, all in all.

I try to coordinate my business stamp with the card's overall scheme.






It is always fun to create matching envelopes.  As long as I can remember, I have always been a stickler for coordinating envelopes, lol!  Long before I had my Cricut, my husband used to lose patience with me in the store when I took extra time to find the perfect envelope to match my card--a plain white one would never do, lol!  

     

Didn't this envelope turn out cute with the twine stitched across the back flap?  :o)  The front of the card was finished similar to the tags inside, since I knew it wouldn't be mailed.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my card for today!  I'll be back soon with another creation!

Merilee

Never Ending Card

Hi Everyone!  Today's post features a never ending card.  I found a tutorial on this card on youtube.com here.  It really is quite magical!

This card celebrates the domestic goddess!  It opens from the center and once you get to the inside, it opens from the center again, and again, and continues in that way until you return to the beginning!  

The card features lots of retro inspired paper and embellishments throughout.   I used Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps, Girlfriend Collection for the images and sentiments, and Cosmo Cricket, Material Girl patterned papers.  

              

Although it is very hard to see in these photos, I used Sakura Glitter Pens in various places to highlight many of the images, such as the eyes, shoes, lips, and clothing.  Lots of metal charms were added, as well as ribbons, buttons and pearl accents.

After opening the card, the inside is quite different...

Then, opening again, you see an entirely different card!  It really is quite unique, in that it continues to fold open to reveal yet another card after this...

And here I added some buttons with snipped off shanks in order to get a snug fit against the card.

And another card...

The embellishments are all girlie and cute...

Purses and shoes and all things goddess!

I hope you enjoyed this unique, fun card!  It really was easy to create and even more fun to give!

Thanks for joining me today and I'll be back with yet another creation very soon!

Merilee

Birthday Card

Hi Everyone!  Today I'm posting a birthday card I made for my daughter using my Cricut Imagine.  This was the first project I did using my new machine!  I just love it!  :o)

Using my Cricut Imagine and my Imagine More cartridge, I cut the card out using the layers feature and print/cut each layer out four times, and then twice using the cut only option with plain white cardstock. I chose different patterned papers for each layer.  For the card front, I cut away the leaves and ran the red layer of the flower through my Big Kick using the Regal Flourishes Sizzix embossing folder.  Then I embossed the leaves separately using my Herringbone Cuddlebug folder.  

I inked all of the edges of each layer using various colors from my Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Inks and then began adhering the layers together over top of the plain white flower, front and back.  


On the inside I adhered the red layer and, since I planned to insert a gift card, I cut a small envelope with my Cricut, inked all the edges, and adhered it to the inside panel.

Before adhering the flower center to the inside panel, I stamped the sentiment using Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets, Glamour Girls from the Heartwarming Vintage Collection.  

I decided to add the image of the girl (it reminded me of my daughter) by stamping it onto a piece of vellum and coloring it in with my regular Sharpie markers, shading from the back.  Then I cut the image out and adhered it with mini glue dots in opaque places of the image where the dots wouldn't show.  Isn't she the cutest?!?  :o)

To hinge the card together, I scored the edge of the card front only, secured it to the back using my ATG gun, and punched a hole.  I used a blingy brad from my stash which I pushed through two inked flowers and secured it to the card.

For the back of the card I simply inked the edges and then added my business stamp.  Later I covered the stems from the brad, but I forgot to take a photo of that--sorry!  :o}

I always dress up my business stamp to match the card and this time I added a little birdie I cut with my Martha Stewart punch.  Isn't it cute?  

Call me a perfectionist, but I can never send out a card in a plain white envelope, lol!  This one I cut from scratch using the darling polka dot cardstock from DCWV, Nana's Nursery stack.  I thought it coordinated just great and added that little bit extra to the ensemble.  I added my last flower layers to the front of the envelope using my Xyron machine--it glues things permanently so I don't have to worry about anything falling off once it goes through the post office.  The flower center was a simple circle cut from a Meade lined paper pad--it worked better for the address.  I hand wrote "Happy Birthday" all around the circle.

The back of the envelope had to be special, too!  I added another cut circle, a return address label, and adorned it with little flowers cut with my paper punch.  I then added a kitty-cat (my granddaughters are crazy about kitties, lol!) that I cut with the same cartridge.

That's it--the birthday card is complete and ready to be dropped in the mail.  I hope you enjoyed today's post!  


Have a great day!


Merilee


Recipe Ingredients:  Patterned Paper:  Imagine More Cartridge-Pgs. 38-39, 43-44
Cardstock:  DCWV-Nana's Nursery; Colobok-Textured Cardstock; Vellum-Staples; Lined Paper-Meade
Stamps:  Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps-Glamour Girls, Heartwarming Vintage Collection
Embellishments:  Blingy Brad-my stash; Flowers-my stash
Ink:  Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Various Colors
Tools:  Cricut Imagine; Cricut Imagine Cartridge-Imagine More-Grateful Flower-Pg. 16, Kitty-Cat-Pg. 11, Envelope-Bonus Content-Pg. 29; Big Kick; Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder-Regal Flourishes; Cuddlebug Embossing Folder-Herringbone; Bird Punch-Martha Stewart; Flower Punch-The Paper Studio; ATG gun; Xyron machine