Friday, March 30, 2012

Easter Blessings

I have gone a little bit crazy this year decorating for spring and Easter. I actually have gotten out almost every single Easter decoration that I own. I can't find a few, which is bugging me, but I am sure they will turn up; maybe around Halloween or Christmas! LOL! Even with all of the bunnies, chicks and Easter eggs, I haven't forgotten what Easter is really all about!
I needed a couple of cards to send out this week, so I made 3 so I could have an extra on hand. I was talking to a friend while I was getting them made and she mentioned that she was in need of a card so I gave her the extra. I used all of the same supplies that I had used on my Easter banner which you can see below so it made it easy. As you can tell, I am still using my old slab of My Mind's Eye paper. I promise the next project will not be using that! LOL!

The stamp set that I used for both of these projects is "Tags for Spring" from PTI. It is one of my favorites, but really only gets used once a year. Everything is pretty straightforward, but I did use some of my yummy new bakers twine that I picked up at the cooking store last month.
I realize that these photos are a little hard to see, but I made them as big as I could. I had someone comment on my St. Patty's banner that the photos are hard to see, but this (photo above) is the largest that I can make them; to my knowledge. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know.
This is the first banner that I made that isn't a word or a phrase, if that makes sense. Each panel is just a little bit of Spring or Easter.

You will notice on the Easter cards that I used distress ink on all of the edges, but for my banner, I kept it all clean. Sometimes it is hard for me just to leave well enough alone, but I resisted for this project!








I have a few more projects that I have made but haven't posted. I will share them soon! Thanks for fluttering by!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Three cards, three ways, one day!


Yesterday I sat down and got to work on three cards that I needed. I pulled out an older slab of "My Mind's Eye" paper and got started. I needed to make a card for a 3 year old, a 12 year old and a brand-new baby!

For card #1, I kept it simple since it was for the 3 year old (pictured to the right). I knew that I would be using "Just the Ticket" from PTI because the invitation that my son got for the 12 year old's party, was in the shape of a ticket. Of course you all know how much I love to follow a theme. So...I decided to use the same supplies on all three cards. I'm a little bit obsessed with the ticket stamp set lately anyway, if you haven't noticed. I also paired it with the PTI star set as well.

When I first bought "Just the Ticket" I couldn't figure out why I didn't like what I was making and how things were turning out until I realized that I was trying to stamp it all onto white paper. If you look at any kind of ticket like this, they are all printed onto colored paper; usually pink, blue or brown. Since I have been doing it like this, I have really liked the results. The finishing touch is a die-cut ric-rac border and a bit of baker's twine.



Card #2 is very similar to card #1 so I won't go into much detail. In fact, it is very similar to the St. Patrick's day card I made a few posts down.

I did stamp a few black stars at the bottom and then added a bit of glossy crackle accent glue to each of the three circles.









Card #3 is just a tiny little card. I needed something simple and quick to tuck into a baby gift. I was kindof "done" making cards at this point, especially since I was trying to do it off the kitchen table which meant making it in my bedroom so I had stuff strewn all over my bed. All I really wanted to do was go to bed, which wasn't an option at that point.
Again, pretty straightforward, but it is kind of fun to see how easy it is to change the look and still use the same stamp set. Of course, this particular card uses all of the same elements as the others, but they really do make it feel different. I still have some other projects that I have made but haven't share yet, so stay tuned. Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I hope you are all enjoying the arrival of spring. I know I am.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Lucky Me Banner

I thought I better get this posted before St. Patrick's Day comes and goes. I decided to make a new banner this year; one for upstairs and one for the entry way.I really wanted my banner longer than the one from last year, but I was really scratching my head trying to figure something out. We aren't Irish, so I couldn't do "Kiss me, I'm Irish" or anything like that. I decided just to go with "Lucky Me" and call it good. I used the PTI St. Patty's day set and another $1 stamp set I bought last year. The image that separates the two words is from Crafty Secrets.


I used my new crackle glossy accent stuff to coat the tiny stamps that I used at the top of each banner piece. I really like how it turned out even though it is hard to see in the photos. I also used the tag die-cut and coordinating stamp set "Just the Ticket" from PTI for some of the accents. I had used it in the card I made a post or two down and really wanted to incorporate it into the banner as well. I purchased all of the paper at Hobby Lobby and while it isn't St. Patricksy at all, I really like the feel. I also sewed up a little bench runner to tie everything together which you can see in the photo at the end of the post.

I decided to add a little circle of tulle to each of the accordion medallions. I had added them to a project that I did a week or so ago, which I will share later. I thought that adding a little more green couldn't hurt! I hope you all have a fun and green St. Patrick's Day. Don't get pinched! Thanks for fluttering by!