Loving You in Blue

This card is huge - a whopping 7 x 9 with 2 flaps.  The challenge on MFP's Sketch with a Twist is to make an anniversary card I really wanted to use the sentiment from their Swans set.  I really like the mix of fonts on the "I love you."  I used my favourite technique of using strips.  One flap has the hotel gift receipt for a surprise holiday and the other for his gift with lots of space to write why I love him on the inside.

Anniversaries Are For More Than Weddings

This week's Simple Salutations is to make a stamped background.  I enjoyed making this card to celebrate a friend who will be cancer free for two years soon.  Anniversaries can mark more than just weddings.  The stamp for this is from Dogwood Blossoms.  The sentiment is from Winter Crocuses.  The base was cut 4.25 x 11 inches so that I could put the ribbon on the top of the card.  This confused me for a few minutes.  Don't laugh, I was tired when trying to figure it out.

I Love You A Latte More!

I was still inspired by Alica's baby cards from yesterday but needed to do something simpler.  I really liked the Unscripted Sketches layout but I just couldn't bring myself to put the sentiment down the side. I hate reading sideways sentiments;  I always have to tilt my head ninety degrees.  So I took some creative liberties and put my sentiment on the top.

This card uses the second image from the coffee cup I rescued from DH's car.  The DP also came from a card kit swap I did several years ago but from another person.  Everything else came from my scraps pile.  I really like the clean lines on this one.

Challenges this Card Meets:
Unscripted Sketches
Speedy TV's Simple Salutations - Coffee or Tea

I Love You A Latte

I really wanted to use this coffee image which I found on a cup rolling around on the floor of my husband's car.  I also had to use it right away since DH wanted to throw it out as soon as it hit the dining room table (my craft room).  Why it can stay in his car for weeks but can't last a day on my crafting table, I cannot understand.  The image is a not a proper rectangle, but more a  trapezoid which adds a bit of interest.

Anyways, I starting trolling for layouts and was totally inspired by Alica's baby cards.  This layout comes from this week's Sketch Saturday's Challenge.  And for me it really was a challenge.  It's far more detailed than I often go.  I don't think I've ever done floating pearls before.  I was starting to hyperventilate by the time I was doing the corner details.

The DP came from scraps of a card swap I did years ago.  The sentiment is the only coffee one I could find.  It came from Stampin' Up's retired Pun Fun set.  The plaid background is the packaging from a set of Waltzing Mouse stamps that I received as a gift.  All other paper and ribbon were from my scraps pile.

Stay posted for tomorrow's card.  It uses the second image from the same cup.  I really wish I knew where he got this coffee.  I love this image.

Challenges this Card Meets:
Sketch Saturday's Challenge.
Speedy TV's Simple Salutations - Coffee or Tea
The Craft Room Challenge - Use Your Scraps

This Day Shall Be A Love Day.

I love cleaning my cupboards.  I found this faux leather heart I'd made months ago.  I love the look of this technique.  I decided to "use it up" as part of the many red, white and blue challenges on right now.  The blue was a base I found when hunting for some blue scraps.  I was originally going to make the scallops blue but this was serendipitous.  I found the corners when looking for a small tag for a sentiment and liked how they filled in the "white" space.  Then sentiment actually fell on the card when I was shuffling papers around.  Normally I don't have scrapbooking stuff out when making cards so I know it was just calling to be used.  I can assure you, it wouldn't be used in my scrapbooks - that particular sentiment is not my style.  It came in a Creative Memories pack that I loved.  Now I just really wish I had a casual, backyard wedding this summer so I could use this card.

Challenges this Card Meets:
Friends of Speedy TV - Red, White and Blue
Creatalicious - Anything Goes
Critter Sketch - Sparkly - used Glitter embossing powder on the heart.
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
The Crafty Bloggers' Network - Anything Goes

Total Eclipse of the Heart

I know that the grid layout idea is a common one but I'm still playing with my scraps.  I have lots of little pieces that are taking up space.  I used my smallest Heart Nesties on white for this and then sponged them with my TH distress inks.  I am so going to use this technique again.  I love how the colours all seem to go so well together.  The orange is a bit bright but I don't care.  Each heart is popped up on some recycled foam - another scrap to be used up.  I used my quilting ruler to get them all evenly spaced.  The card is 5 x 5 inches and I love how it turned out.  This is another card that you will definitely be seeing the layout again.  Cars perhaps?  Snowflakes?  Flowers?

Challenges this card meets:
Charisma Cards - No flowers allowed
Crafty Cardz - Card for a Man - Talk about a non-mushy valentine!
Creative Card Crew - Dimension
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
MilkCoffee - Use those Diecuts - Are 16 enough?

Je t'aime

I know this looks almost like a closeup of the card I posted yesterday. While I was playing with my scalloped hearts the other day, I thought about taking the same idea and focusing on just the two hearts. I then remembered that I had this lovely scrolled sentiment from Paper Makeup Stamps that seemed to fit just perfectly beneath the heart so it was framed. I am tempted to try pulling out some of my other diecuts and seeing if I can get similar effects using apples, snowflakes or pumpkins. Maple leaves anyone?

Challenges this Card Meets:

Cards For Men - Anything Goes

Challenge Up Your Life - No Patterned Paper

Fab and Funky - Monochromatic

Papertake Weekly - Use Die Cuts

Truly Scrumptious - Use Pink

Falling In Love

Here's a card that was a happy accident. I used my smallest scalloped heart Nestie, thinking I'd do a grid pattern and they slide to the side of the card stock when I brushed the card by accident. I liked the idea of the cascading hearts and then rearranged them a bit more artistically. What a great way to used up some of my never ending raspberry Brazzil paper. The sentiment is from Gina K's Fanciful Tags set. It seems to be my go to set for sentiments these days. The base is Gina K's luxury white. It will make a nice card for DH.

Challenges This Card Meets:

Cards For Men - Anything Goes

Challenge Up Your Life - No Patterned Paper

Fab and Funky - Monochromatic

One Stop Craft - Bold and Bright

Papertake Weekly - Use Die Cuts

Truly Scrumptious - Use Pink

Truly, Madly, Deeply - For Fun Challenges DT Card

Our challenge this week at For Fun Challenges is to make either a Saint Patrick's Day card or a monochromatic green card. I chose green. I wanted a card for DH, just because I think he needs a pick-me-up. Given St. Patrick's Day this week I chose green instead of red. I kind of like the change. The hearts are water-coloured to give them that country, not too perfect look. The top heart is popped up just to give the card some visual interest. I wish I could have softened the image to the same grey as the sentiment but couldn't figure it out. The song by Savage Garden came out the same year we got together.

Challenges This Card Meets:

Creative Card Crew - No Flowers

Critter Sketch - Monochromatic Green

Marks Finest Paper - Grey, Lime Green and only one layer beyond the base

Meljen's - Green

Moving Along with the Times - Card for a Guy

One Stop Craft - Clean and Simple

Paper Sundaes - Keep it Simple

Sentimental Sundays - Go Green

DH's First Car

The second I saw this stamp, I just had to have it. DH's first car was a bright, baby pink Volkswagen bug that he drove in university. Needless to say, he gets lots of ribbing about this. He's been working very hard recently, so I thought he needed a pick me up.

The paper and the paper ribbon are all Creative Memories. Thanks, Lynn! The whole package is gorgeous! The image is Stamping Bella's Love Beetle Hugbug. I coloured the image with Prismacolour pencils and baby oil. I added a bit of Stickles to give it some bling. I love glitter - it must be the primary teacher in me.

Wish me luck. This is last week for Stamping Bella's design team trial run.

Other Challenges this card meets:
Charisma Cards - Die Cuts
Creative Card Crew - Sparkle and Shine
Moving Along with the Times - Glitter
Totally Papercrafts - Summer Fun (Road Trip!!!!)

5 Years Today!

My five year wedding anniversary is today and I wanted a special card for DH. I have been saving this image to use for an anniversary card. I love the peaceful feel - of taking a moment, that it's the little time spent together that's important. Can you tell we aren't "Grand Gesture" people?

While I love the image, I really struggled with this card. I had so much trouble balancing this image. I did not want to put a flower on the card. Hubbies should be able to display their cards with pride at work and don't need really girlie cards. However, I couldn't find anything that would balance my image. The flower is coloured with copics and I need to find a more swede or creamy colour. I also like the sentiment but would put it a touch lower if I was making this again. The image is coloured with a mixture of Copics and Prismacolours. I prefer the soft effects of the Prismas but wanted the Copics for the sky and skin. I like how blending them together work. I want to try layering them next.

I did start with the layout from Papertake Weekly but I admit I butchered, I mean, altered it, for my purposes.

Other Challenges this card meets:
Delightful Challenges - the great outdoors, 2 (sheets of) papers (used both sides of one) and 3 (layered) embellishments
Simon Says - Going Dotty
Cards for Men - one image, 2 (sheets of) papers (used both sides of one) and 3 (layered) embellishments
Crafty Catz Weekly - Summertime
Crafty Creations - Summer Lovin'
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
Pile it On - Stretch That Plastic

Victorian Valentine

I completed several of this card for a technique swap using watercolouring. I love the variations in the roses depending on the amount of ink used. All the roses were coloured with SU's Bravo Burgandy and Certainly Celery ink.

I thought this card could be very versatile. While I was originally thinking Valentine's Day, it might make a better wedding or anniversary card. I can't see DH putting this one up in his office as much as he likes my cards!

I am submitting it for the Simon Says Challenge this week which is Shabby Chic. The lace background feels like a good fit with the watercolouring. It also fits My Time to Craft's Challenge #75 of Damask Delights. Finally it works with the Creative Card Crew Challenge to Punch It.