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

Hello and Happy Wednesday!  Today I'm here with a new birthday card to share with you.  This is one of my favorites!

I saw this little girl in the 2012 Annabelle Stamps, Tomorrows Dream Collection, and I just couldn't pass her up.  I thought she had the cutest face!  I paired her with the swirly background paper from K&Company's Citronella paper collection to create the "windy" mood for kiting.  :o)

I colored the image with my Letraset Markers and my Atyou Spica Twinkling Like Stars Pens to add a little sparkle here and there.  For the finishing touch I added a few highlights with my Sakura Ice Cream Smooth Gelly Roll Pen,  The little girl's dress and kite were paper pieced using patterns from the Melody Ross Designer Collection-Homespun Chic.  I love the array of tiny patterns in this particular paper collection.

This darling ticket comes from Whimsy Stamps, Ticket Notes and Ticket Die.  I use these a lot--tickets are so versatile and make a great little added detail to so many different card styles.

The detail across the top of the card was made using several elements:  The embossed floral border is from the Cuddlebug embossing border collection-With Love;  the embossed scallop border is an EK Success border punch-Embossed Curve, and the piercing was done using my Stampin' Up Paper Piercing Pack Essentials.

This card style was very easy to create and was actually an after thought, lol!  I find that the best cards come by allowing myself to create without a lot of preplanning and/or over thinking.  Letting go and allowing the creative process to take on a life of its own always yields the best results for me.

As you can see in this photo, I created the card base and attached my matted image to the inside of flap.  For a bit of added stability, I ran the rickrack and ribbon over top of the image.

For the inside I used some of the same embossed border detail for the upper edge, and I added a butterfly cut with my Martha Stewart punch, as well.  This was actually a practice cut I made to test the punch just after receiving it.  I keep all of those extra cuts in a box for future use.  Curling the edges and adding simple rhinestones made it come alive, don't you think?

The pretty, stamped greeting is one of my favorite stamp collections from Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps-Glamour Girls.  I've used this particular stamp set many times on other projects and I just can't get enough of it!  For a touch of elegance, I stamped the greeting, immediately sprinkled embossing powder over top, and heat set it.  I really like the finished effect.

I hope you enjoyed today's project.  It was a joy for me to create!  Please come back and visit again soon!

Merilee

Recipe:

Paper: Melody Ross Designer Collection-Homespun Chic, K&Company-Citronella, Recollections (yellow gingham, Blue card base)

Markers and Ink: Letraset Markers, Atyou Spica Twinkling Like Stars Pens, Sakura Ice Cream Smooth Gelly Roll Pens, Tim Holtz Distress Ink 

Ribbon and Embellishments: Offray Straight 'N' Narrow, Martha Stewart Create-Playful Ribbon, Rhinestones, Flowers and Brad from my stash

Stamps: Annabelle Stamps, Tomorrows Dream Collection, Whimsy Stamps, Ticket Notes and Ticket Die, Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps-Glamour Girls 

Tools: Martha Stewart Score Board, Martha Stewart Punch-Butterfly, Whimsy Stamp Collection-Ticket Die, Big Kick, Blending Tool, Stampin' Up Paper Piercing Pack Essentials, Scallop Scissors, ATG gun, Mini Glue Dots

911 Tribute and Birthday Card Ensemble

Hi Friends!  First of all, today is 911, a very special day in history.  Before continuing, I would like to bow my head in silence in tribute to those who have lost their lives. This day reminds me of how special our loved ones are to us, so I have decided to post a very special birthday ensemble remembering those dear ones who remain with us today.  For me, this day is a day to send our love to others.

This card is cheery and friendly, made using a paper pad I've been hoarding for quite some time: DCWV - Lemon Flower Stack.  I absolutely love each of the papers and I waited to find a special occasion on which to use them.

Even though this card is a quite simple in design, the papers and special embellishments add an elegance and sophistication to the occasion.  Each element stands out on its own to make a statement.  The large fabric flower is cut from Petaloo 18" fabric trim.  The small white flowers are from the Recollections Bridal Collection; the pleated satin ribbon can be found by the spool at Hobby Lobby - Decorative Trim #976167; the Satin yellow ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon - Spring Collection; and, finally, the thin yellow ribbon from Offray, Straight 'N' Narrow.

For this card I used Whimsy Tab Die 1 with coordinating Vintage Birthday Tabs 1, as well as Ticket Die and  Ticket Notes to make these cute little goodies on the front of the card.

The inside of the card is simple and to the point.  The birthday greeting is from My Favorite Things, Big Greetings, as well as the tag from a separate set, Studio G-VS4911, Series 61, which you can purchase either at Michaels or at Walmart.

To go along with this card, I made a coordinating gift box, as well as the gift bag below...

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this special gift ensemble.  On a solemn day like today, where honoring our loved ones and remembering those who have passed is so very important, I hope this set will help make this day special for those who remain.

Please take the time to honor and love those special people in your lives, whether here with us or passed, and remember that love is a gift best shared with others.

Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you again soon.

Merilee

Recipe

Paper:  DCW-Lemon Flower Stack; Recollections
Markers and Inks:   Tim Holtz Distress Ink;  Atyou Spica Twinkling Like Stars Pens
Ribbon and Embellishments: White Satin Pleated Trim - Hobby Lobby-Decorative Trim #976167; Satin yellow ribbon - Really Reasonable Ribbon-Spring Collection;  Thin Yellow Ribbon - Offray Straight 'N' Narrow; Large fabric flower - Petaloo 18" fabric trim; Small white flowers - Recollections Bridal Collection
Stamps and Dies:  Whimsy Tab Die 1 with coordinating Vintage Birthday Tabs 1;  Ticket Die and coordinating Ticket Notes; My Favorite Things-Big Greetings; Tag Stamp from Michaels Studio G-VS4911, Series 61
Tools: Martha Stewart Score Board, Big Kick, Blending Tool, ATG gun, Foam Tape, Mini Glue Dots, Hot Glue Gun
 

Nontraditional Anniversary Card

Hi again!  This is my second post for today. 

My daughter and her husband recently celebrated their wedding anniversary and I made a special card for the occasion.  I wanted to create a card specifically suited to them, so I did something a bit nontraditional.  They love to go bike riding as a family and when I saw this darling bicycle stamp, I knew just what I'd use it for!  :o)

This image is from Flourishes Clear Art Stamps, Bike Ride, and features this adorable bicycle.  I thought it perfectly represented my daughter and her family's interests.





I used my Letraset Markers to color this image.  They blend so perfectly and really make coloring a breeze!  Once I finished, I got out my Atyou Spica Twinkling Like Stars Pens and added a little sparkle here and there. I'm sorry you can't see it in this picture--it was impossible to photograph. I love the sparkle from these pens.  It is very subtle and only shows when the light hits it just right.  For the finishing touches I added a few highlights with my Sakura Ice Cream Smooth Gelly Roll Pen, along with a little bow on the basket.

Once I cropped my image, I scored it very simply with two lines all around the image.  Then I took my emery board and scuffed up the edges a bit to add a vintage feel.  To finish it off I added three tiny brads to the left side.

Along the bottom edge I used my Martha Stewart Sunburst Punch to create a double border--one cut in yellow polka dot and one cut in solid blue to create a shadow effect.  I then inked the edge of the blue shadow to make it stand out from the card base and offset them from one another.

 

This pretty little tag is from the Whimsy Stamp Collection Tab Die 1 and Vintage Birthday Tabs 1 sets.  I thought it was perfect for the occasion and dressed up my image a bit with a vintage feel.

For the inside of the card I used two of the sentiments from the Bike Ride set (upper left and lower right) and then mixed and matched an additional stamp set by Glitz Clear Stamps, Happy Travels, which I picked up at Peachy Cheap.  I couldn't believe it had a small bicycle to go along with my theme--that was a happy accident!  :o)  I also added another Whimsy stamp from the Magical Mini Letter Seals Collection.  I thought all of the elements blended together perfectly to create this card.

I hope you enjoyed my card for today.  It's great to get back to my card making again!  I hope you come back to share another creation soon!

 

Have a happy day!

Merilee

 

Recipe: 

Paper:  Melody Ross Designer Collection-Homespun Chic (blue and white pattern), AC Pattern Paper-Everyday (yellow polka dot), Recollections

Markers and Ink:  Letraset Markers, Atyou Spica Twinkling Like Stars Pens, Sakura Ice Cream Smooth Gelly Roll Pens, Tim Holtz Distress Ink

Ribbon and Embellishments:  Offray Straight 'N' Narrow, Tiny brads from my stash

Stamps:  Flourishes Clear Art Stamps, Bike Ride, Whimsy Stamp Collection, Tab 1 Sentiment Sets, Glitz Clear Stamps, Happy Travels, Whimsy stamp from the Magical Mini Letter Seals Collection

Tools:  Martha Stewart Score Board, Martha Stewart Punch-Sunburst, Whimsy Stamp Collection, Tab Die 1, Big Kick, Blending Tool, ATG gun, Foam Tape, Mini Glue Dots

 

 

 

Hello Again!!

Hello again everyone!  I hope this finds you all doing great!

As you have undoubtedly noticed, I took a little break from blogging to recuperate from surgery, as well as have each one of my grandchildren for their big girl/big boy vacations (one week per child x 3), and even do a bit of traveling myself.  We enjoyed our summer very much.

We also have some other changes taking place in our lives.  Our house is on the market for sale and we are currently faced with a transfer we're hoping not to make.  We live in Atlanta, Georgia, and my husband's company hopes to transfer us to Nashville, Tennessee.  While I know Nashville is a wonderful town, we've made a life for ourselves here in Georgia and will certainly be sorry to go.  We're hoping against hope that something will happen to allow us to stay, but it is in God's hands.  We will bloom wherever we are planted, as we always do.

In the meantime, my beloved art studio has been moved from the formal dining room to the unfinished basement while the house is on the market.  :o(  I dearly loved my art studio, but we thought it would be better to stage the formal dining room as an office while in the midst of all of this transition.  So that means I find myself carrying my things upstairs to the kitchen, one at a time, while creating.  It is daunting, to say the least, and really limits my creative time.  :o( 

Hopefully all of this will be over soon--one way or the other.  My husband and I really don't like living in limbo as we are at the present time.  However, life presents challenges and changes all the time, and with each one we learn and grow in positive ways.  Transition isn't always easy, but I know that no matter what happens, we will be okay--home is where we are together.  God is leading us and He has a good reason for everything, so I feel confident in knowing that His plan is the best plan for us.

Thanks for visiting today and sharing in my life.  I will be back in just a little bit with a new project to share.

Sincerely,
Merilee