July Projects

Here are some cards I did in July. I didn't have a chance to post back then, so I figured I get them posted now. This first card I made for my son to take to his girlfriends grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. Since I couldn't see him going with just a card, I made a "bag" using the fancy favor bigz die and the Elizabeth stamp and put chocolates in it. Everything is better with chocolate!


This next card, I made for my mil birthday. I used the greenhouse garden stamp set. I love this set. I cased this from Kathy Schweinfurth. I changed the colors around a bit. I also made this a pop up. Here's the inside.

August Technique Class

Here are my samples from August technique class. We had a fun time making these. I just couldn't wait to use some the new products in the upcoming Holiday Mini (starts September 1). The first card uses the Gently Falling 2 step stamp set. We only used the outline portion of the set and daubers to color the leaf. Then used the 2-way glue and added gold glitter to the edge of the leaf. I embossed the main base of the card with the dot embossing folder and used the white gel pen to make the dots pop more. The DSP is also from this "suite". I got this idea from Erika Clark.

The next card is my spooky Halloween card. We used a brayer to color this card. We started with Whisper White cardstock. I punched a 1 3/4" circle and attched it to the card and brayered pumpkin pie ink first. After a pass or 2 with the brayer I removed the circle and had a light touch of the pumpkin pie fill in the moon. I then replaced the circle and used tango tangerine to add a bit more color. I then stamped the trees (from Lovely as a Tree), tore a piece of scratch paper and brayered basic black on the bottom. I then used the web embossing folder and embossed the spider's web onto the cardstock and then sanded the color off the raised area to let the white show through. This idea came from Charlotte Hollingsworth. These two are also Stampin' Up! demonstrators. Thanks for sharing!

This last project, seemed to just come to me. I've seen this die used similarly. I used the petal cone Bigz die. I also wanted to use the new Simply Score tool and the new big buttons worked perfectly with this project. I thought this would make a perfect table setting! To make the rosette, I started with a 1.5"x12" piece of DSP and then punched the scallop border punch on one side. I then scored every other scallop using the simply score board. Flipped it over and scored the opposite scallops. Doing this, it made it much easier to accordion fold the paper. I also used the multi purpose liquid glue to attach the ends. I also used the 1 3/4" punch to punch a piece of scrap card stock for a base and also used the same glue to attach the rosette. I layered the button on another piece of coordinating piece of cardstock. I found the multi purpose glue seemed to work the best in adhering everything. I tried the glue dots and sticky strip, but they would come apart after awhile.

Well I hope you enjoyed these projects. Maybe you'll make it to the next technique class and make the projects in person!

Happy Mother's Day

Well I hope all the moms out there had a nice Mother's Day. I was busy this morning making my mother-in-law a card for today. I wanted to do something special and this is what I came up with (card on left). I used a retired set called Toile Blossoms. I got the idea from several different cards and combined them. The DSP was in the last mini, Occasions. I got this gorgeous card from a friend of mine for my birthday and used a few of her ideas here too.

The tissue box I made for my physical therapist. She is getting married and moving to OK. I thought this would be something she could use at the wedding or in her new home. I love the way it turned out. The directions are on splitcoaststampers.com. I lifted ideas from several different boxes and came up with this. I used Shimmery White for the base.

Well I wanted to get this post out on Mother's Day. I'll have to get a picture of the birthday card and put her blog link on the site. She does beautiful work. Cyndy

Spring has arrived!

Well FINALLY! It's warm out, it's not raining all the time and I had time to work in the garden. My husband, John, has been helping and got about a third of it weeded and even planted some tomato plants and corn! Some of my asparagus came up. Maybe next year I'll be able to harvestsome. My rhubarb is really coming along well. Will be freezing a bunch of that this year.

Here are some pictures

of what I've been doing. I have some bird feeders outside my kitchen windows and Buddy enjoys watching them

eat. I'm sure he would love to be out there with them. The picture above is a box I made with the scallop envelope Bigz die. I made it for regional up in CT. I brought along some chocolate for us to nibble on while doing out projects. This fish picture is of our salt water tank. My daughter started it about a year ago and didn't stay on top of it so guess who has taken over. It is finally doing good and doesn't require the amount of work I initially had to do. It really pays to have the right equipment and stuff for the tank so it's not a whole lot of work. Well I hope to be posting again soon, but one never knows for sure! Cyndy

February Update

Well, yes, it's been a long time since my last post. I feel every time I turn around, something else happens and just can't stay on top of things. December was just trying to stay on top of things with the holidays and all. We get together with my in laws a week before Christmas so that makes it even more crazy then usual. January I just couldn't take the pain in my neck and shoulder and started phyical therapy. John and I also went on a cruise for the first time in January. We left right after a snow storm. Good thing we were leaving from NY. The storm came up the coast and if we had to fly down to FL we may not have been able to land the day before! So just before we left, our dryer broke. The day we were leaving, our snow plow truck broke. When we got back the truck had been fixed but then the plow on the truck broke! Then shortly after that the microwave broke. One of my dogs also needed surgery for a tumor. He is recovering nicely and go back for a follow up next week. Hopefully the news will be good.

To top it all off John broke his ankle! Then he had to have surgery, a plate and screws put in to hold it all together. I hope we are done with anything else braking. We are now into February and the bills for this year are getting out of control with everything breaking! My neck and shoulder are still bothering me. I went to a chiroprator and got a lot of relief in my neck, but my shoulder still has pain, almost constantly, so I'm finally going to see an orthopedic doctor. Hopefully that won't be too bad. I'll keep ya posted.

I had wanted to take pictures of the things I did for my shoebox swap at Tina's along with the items I made as well, but with everything breaking, I just haven't had a chance.

That's all for now! Cyndy

Christmas House

Here is my latest edition! I do have to look up who I copied this one from. As a demonstrator Stampin' Up! sends us a monthly newsletter and there are also contests for us to do. Well this is one very talented demonstrator. I did change this a bit but love this house. The house is from our Holiday mini (page 37) and if you want to recreate this, let me know asap and I can put a class together. You can only purpose the house until January 2, 2011. I'll be ordering a few more of these to make for the other major holidays. The roof is a little bleached but I used the DSP from the Holiday Mini along with the buttons that coordinate with it. I used the Bells & Boughs set (love this set) and accented it with the crochet trim and cherry cobbler cardstock. Those are the antique brads on the peaks of the roof. Oh, the house also comes with that very cute door knob! I hope you enjoyed this creation also and will post again soon, I promise! Cyndy

November Technique Class

Well I'm again a little behind but getting there. Here are samples from my technique class this past November. Since it was so close to Thanksgiving, I was already in the Christmas mode. This first card is the Crimped Diamond. I saw this technique on Splitcoast done by Lee Conrey. I also used the multipurpose adhesive sheets for the ornament. It just isn't the holidays without glitter! This second card is something I haven't done in awhile and saw it recently and thought it was time to do it again. This is something like emboss resist with a twist. I've heard it called a few things, but I call it Emerging Colors. You take a light colored cardstock and stamp several images in different colors, then take a solid image and stamp it with Versamark and use clear embossing powder. Then brayer over the whole thing with a dark ink and then wipe away the excess ink with a tissue. I used snowflakes for the background in case you couldn't tell and kept with the cool colors of the winter season. Hope you like it.

This last card was a bit of a challenge but with awesome results. I really like the DSP in the Holiday Mini catalog and the Bells & Boughs set. It has a very vintage look to it. It's a pop up card and I love to make pop up cards! They do take some time and of course the receiver needs to be someone very special. I also used the clear tinsel from the mini and the gold pearlized smooch in the main catalog.

Here is a picture of the inside of the card. Oops I forgot to turn the card, it's sideways below, but I'm sure you get it. It's also a bit bulky to mail, but again it has to be someone very special to receive this card! Well I hope you've enjoyed my samples. Cyndy