Lavender Kisses

Hello friends! Happy Mother's Day! And Happy Birthday to my mom in Heaven. I miss you every single day.

The card below was posted on the Memory Box "Outside the Box" blog on 3/28/17, This was such a fun card to make and I hope it will bring some joy.




My A2 card base was cut from a pale gray card stock. I cut a frame from white card stock using two of the dies from the Rectangle Basics set. I also cut a frame from the Petite Doily Frames, and snipped off one long side. I sponged Milled Lavender on this piece, and edged it with a touch of Dusty Concord. I adhered this along the right side of the white frame. I added the tiny sentiment to the bottom right corner of the frame.

I cut one Antilles Floral Border from white card stock and snipped away the two flowers on the left. I cut the border again, but this time positioned the die so that only the three flowers on the right were cut. I sponged my fav … Peeled Paint … on the stems and leaves, and sponged Seedless Grapes on all of the flowers, varying the pressure to get different shades. To add some dimension, I shaped the top flowers and adhered them over the other flowers, offsetting them just a bit. I then adhered this to the bottom of the frame, snipping off the excess from the bottom.



I cut two of the Lavender Bunch from white card stock, and added Peeled Paint to the leaves and stems of one. I sponged Milled Lavender on all of the flowers, and shaded them with Dusty Concord. I snipped off the flowers from one die cut, shaped them, and added them over the top of the corresponding flower, again offsetting them just a bit. I also sponged a small area of white card stock with Dusty Concord, and die cut the Mini Butterflies from that area.

Now for the assembly. I added foam tape to the back of the frame, but before I adhered it to the card base, I held it over the base, and positioned the lavender flowers where I wanted them, adhering them in place, then adhered the frame. The three tiny butterflies were adhered where shown, and I decided to add some white dots with a gel pen to finish off the card.

Here are links to the dies I used:

Antilles Floral Border  

Lavender Bunch

So Many Things to Love Clear Set

Rectangle Basics Set

Petite Doily Frames

Mini Butterflies 

Have a peacefully blessed day today!

Whale of a Smile

It's been quite a while, I know ... but I'm back!

Here is a card using some products from the latest Memory Box release! You can find all the details on my post on the Outside the Box blog here.

This is a wonderful ocean-themed duo called "Whale Hello There" clear set and "Whale Hello There" matching dies. I've also used the Sheer Circle Trimming die for the background. This die can be used in so many ways. Check out the Memory Box blog for this week's blog blitz!

More posts to come! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Paper Pumpkin Thank You

Hi everyone! I thought I'd share an autumn card with you today. I'm sure ready for Fall, aren't you?


This card features all Memory Box dies and stamps. For details, you can visit the Outside the Box blog on the Memory Box website HERE.  Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

 

Thankful!

Hi everyone! Here is a light and happy card featuring one of my Memory Box go-to flowers, Sketch Daisy. I love the versatility of this die, and have used it so many ways. I hope you like this die as much as I do!

It's almost impossible for me do a one layer card, and this one is no exception! I first cut a white piece of card stock to 3-3/4" x 5", softly sponged Spun Sugar Distress Ink where shown, and splattered Peeled Paint Distress Ink over that. I die cut three of the Sketch Daisy from a medium green card stock, and snipped off the flowers. I cut three of only the flower in white card stock.  I sponged a fairly heavy layer of Spun Sugar through the Peony Blossoms stencil onto a piece of white card stock, and cut three of the solid petals out of that.



I offset the patterned petals onto the white open petals and glued them together. I adhered the stems and leaves first, then mounted the solid leaves with glue at the bottom tips and a small piece of foam tape towards the top of each leaf before adding them to the open leaves, again offsetting them slightly. I did the same with the flowers, adding a small piece of foam tape towards the top of two petals, and adhered them to the top of the stems using glue at the bottoms. This was worth the effort as I wanted the flowers and leaves to be three-dimensional.
The sentiment was stamped using Versamark Onyx Black ink. I added dew drops to the flower centers and scattered a few more. That assembled piece was then added to the card base with foam tape.  Thanks for stopping by, as always!

Believe!

Good Morning! The weekend is finally here!

Here is a card that is posted today on the Memory Box Outside the Box blog as part of the new release blog blitz going on.  Be sure to check out the blog ... if you leave comments on the posts, you will be entered to win the featured die in each post.

This Poinsettia Flourish die is beautiful and so delicate, with lots of possibilities. This is a fairly clean and simple card, and you can see all the particulars on the Memory Box blog. Here's the link:  http://davebrethauer.typepad.com/outsidethebox/

Thanks for stopping by!

Nothing "Beets" Love!

Today's card once again features the Garden Variety set of stamps and dies from Memory Box. I must be loving the beet die from this set because this is the second card I've done with this cute little veggie! I'm thinking this would make an unusual but cute anniversary card! You can also see this card on the Memory Box Outside the Box blog, dated Saturday, June 25th.

I stamped and die cut two of the beets, then sponged Peeled Paint Distress Ink on the leaves, Worn Lipstick on one beet, and Dried Marigold on the other.  The faces were stamped next, and as you can see, I added brows to the boy beet and lashes to the girl. I had to add a touch of Worn Lipstick to the girl because a girl beet in love surely must be blushing! I then set the beets aside to add later.


I next sponged Peeled Paint through the Distress Grid stencil on the bottom half of a white card base. I took another quarter sheet of white card stock, positioned one of the Stitched Border dies about two thirds of the way down, and die cut that. Using the same die, I cut another border from a narrow strip of green card stock, and adhered that below the edge of the white piece, offsetting it just a bit for a more interesting border.  I lightly sponged Dried Marigold onto the center of the white piece, and used the negative of a circle die cut to sponge a little green at the bottom. I then splattered Forest Moss Distress Ink onto the entire piece before adhering it to the card base.

I die cut the Sketchbook Love from black card stock and added it to the bottom right of the card. I had to get a little creative with the rest of the sentiment. I snipped the word "happy" from the Springtime Bunnies set, and the word "in" from the Birthday Bunnies set, put them together on an acrylic block and stamped as shown with Versamark Onyx Black ink.


 
I adhered the smitten little beets with foam tape to the card front. The hearts were cut from white card stock using one of the dies from the Banner Parade set and I sponged Worn Lipstick onto the ones that I used, adding them where shown. I topped off the hearts and the beet faces with clear Wink of Stella.  And they lived happily ever after! Thanks for stopping by, and stay cool this weekend!

Can't Be Beet!!

Well, it’s day three of Memory Box's blog blitz showcasing the new release of adorable stamps and matching dies. My card today features the Garden Variety stamps and dies … oh what fun for summer cards!  Check out the Memory Box blog here.  If you’d like a chance to win a new stamp set of your choice, be sure to leave comments on any or all of the designer posts on the blog this week. Five random winners will be drawn from the comments, and you could  be one of the lucky ones!!



I cut a piece of white card stock 5” x 3.75”, and splattered it with Forest Moss Distress Ink. I die cut the Honeycomb Background and snipped out a pleasing pattern of hexagons. I sponged Dried Marigold Distress Ink over the top and adhered that to the white piece as shown. I saved a few of the little hexagons and placed them randomly back into the honeycomb.  I die cut three of the beets from the set, sponged two of them with Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks, and one with Dried Marigold and Wild Honey Distress Inks. The leaves were sponged with Peeled Paint and Forest Moss Distress Inks, and I added a little highlight on each beet with a white gel pen.



I stamped a face onto the Marigold beet, and added some Wink of Stella over the leaves, then arranged and adhered the beets as shown. The Marigold beet was popped with foam tape. I added the sentiment from the clear stamp set, then adhered the assembled piece with foam tape to the card base.




Don't forget to check out the Memory Box blog and leave lots of comments there! You can see links to the products used there as well. Thanks for stopping by!

A Simple Merry

Merry almost Christmas!  Here is a simple holiday card that's fast and easy to put together.

I cut a 5" x 3.75" piece of cream card stock, and lightly sponged Peeled Paint Distress Ink onto this piece through one of my go-to stencils, Adornment ... love this stencil!  I went very lightly on the pouncing.  I cut the heart frame using the second and third largest hearts in the Glorious Hearts set from cream card stock and inked it with Peeled Paint.  From cream card stock, I cut the three separate snowflakes that come in the bundle, and then cut the Wintry Snowflake from dark green card stock.  I arranged this on top of and through the opening of the heart as shown.

I absolutely love how this die perfectly hugs this heart.  It perfectly hugs other shapes as well, and it's one of my favorites.  I cut another one from a rich red card stock, snipped off one of the red snowflakes, and added it to the heart center just for a pop of color.  I'll save the rest of the die cut for another card.  From the Moose Crossing stamp set, I snipped the "Merry" from the "Merry Christmoose" stamp, inked it in Fired Brick Distress Ink and stamped it as shown.  I added mounting tape to the back of the stenciled piece and adhered it to the card front.  I added mounting tape to the back of the assembled heart as well and adhered that to the top of the stenciled piece.  I added some glitter to the cream snowflakes for a little shimmer.  Easy peasy!!!

So glad you topped by.  I wish everyone the merriest Christmas and and a very Happy New Year!

Peaceful Birds

Oh my gosh, Christmas is coming so fast!  With that in mind, peace is the focus of my card today!

Clean and simple cards are my favorite style, with a little glimmer to top it off.  For the ornament frame, I used the third largest ornament from the Drop Ornament Layers set and the second smallest stitched circle from the Stitched Circle Layers set.  This circle fit perfectly inside the ornament, and I was able to cut them together from cream card stock.  I cut three of the Sketchbook Peace die, glued them on top of each other, and layered that over the frame opening.  I die cut the "fluffiest" of the three sprigs from the Floral Sprigs set, added red gemstones for the berries, and adhered that to the ornament as shown.  I added two of the birds from the Birds of a Feather Die.

I mounted the assembled ornament to a piece of light sand colored card stock that was embossed with a wood grain embossing folder, and then used foam tape to adhere it to the cream colored A2 card base.  With a few gemstones scattered around and a little Wink of Stella on the birds, this completed the card. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

Shimmery Shaker Ornament

Hello everyone!  Sherry here with a fun shaker card for you today!  Shaker cards are such a blast to make, and this one comes with lots of glitter and glam!



I wanted a shimmery background for this card, so I decided to use the Starry Night Background die.  I cut a piece of card stock to 5" x 3.75", die cut the background, and then layered it onto a piece of double sided tape, which exposed the "sticky" on the open stars.  I poured light blue Glitter Ritz on the openings, achieving the shimmer I was looking for.  I then die cut the second largest ornament from the Drop Ornament Layers from the glittered piece.  The ornament that is cut out can be used for another card.



I adhered a piece of acetate to the back of the glitter piece, then die cut another ornament from fun foam that was cut to slightly smaller than the glittered piece, and adhered that to the back of the that piece.  I gathered my sprinkles of beads, glass glitter and sequins, into the center of the card base, and then adhered the assembled front over the sprinkles to create the shaker portion.  I die cut all three of the Shimmering Snowflakes, plus one extra of the small one, from double sided tape, peeled off the top later, and covered the flakes with dark blue and gold glitter.  I did the same with the "Joy", and positioned them as shown.  



I had fun with this one, and hope you enjoyed it too!  Thanks for stopping by!

Starry Night Background

Shimmering Snowflakes

Drop Ornament Layers

Happy Fall!

Well, I'm back after a long hiatus.  During the intervening months, my mom suffered a stroke, and passed away a month later.  It's been tough for my family to accept that she's gone, and it's taken a while to get so many things taken care of, both during and afterwards. But she always encouraged us to keep on going ... in  her words, "Buck up and get over it!"  Miss her so much.

In the meantime, I've kept up with my Memory Box posts (except for a leave during the month of July), and have managed to teach a couple of classes ... I will post those cards in the days to come.  Today, I'd like to share a card featuring the Drifting Oak Leaves background stamp from Memory Box, along with a couple of other Memory Box dies and stamps.  This card can also be seen on today's Memory Box Outside the Box blog. 

A little side story … I completed the FIRST version of this card, and was about to photograph it when I noticed that something didn’t look quite right.  It finally dawned on me that I had the background upside down!  There was no way to salvage it without damage, so of course I had to make another one.  It wasn’t obvious at first, but there was no way I was going to post such a boo-boo!   

   

So on to the card.  I stamped the background using Distress Shabby Shutters on a piece of cream card stock cut slightly smaller than the base.  I cut the Autumn Border from cream card stock.  I wanted the leaves to hang down, so I trimmed the border down to two pieces of equal width, and one shorter than the other as shown.  I used daubers to color the leaves with Distress Peeled Paint, Dried Marigold, Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany.  I shaded the open area starting at the bottom with Frayed Burlap, then Rusty Hinge and then Dried Marigold, blending each into the other. I added some Wink of Stella glitter brush to all of the leaves. 

I stamped “Happy Fall” from the Autumn Birdie Set with Versamark Black Onyx ink, and the three little leaves from the same set with Peeled Paint.  I then mounted the shorter piece to the longer one with foam tape. 

I die cut the Tippington Vine from a dark green card stock, snipped it apart at the middle curly-cue and glued it behind the leaves piece, then glued the whole thing onto the Drifting Oak Leaves background.  I mounted the assembled piece to the card base front with foam tape, added a few gem stones, and that was it. 

To those who have checked my blog from time to time, thank you so much.  It means a lot that you haven't given up on me!  Have a wonderful day!

Memory Box Evershan Branch

My design today features the beautiful and elegant Evershan Branch die, and I decided to make it a monochromatic card just for fun. 

The top fold card base is from a light tan card stock.  I cut the Bengal Background die from ivory card stock, then used one of the dies from the Open Studio Rectangle Layers set to cut out the center to leave a window.  (I will be sure to use the cut out piece on a different card.) I cut a frame of the same size from the Open Studio Rectangle Frames set, adhered that over the opening to create a frame and then added that to the card base.  I cut the Evershan Branch from the same ivory card stock, and adhered that with foam tape as shown.  I punched several tan and ivory circles using a 1/4" circle punch and used a stylus to cup them.  I adhered some of them on the flowers and scattered the rest, then added pearls to all of the centers.  

When I showed this card to my friend and fellow teacher, Nance, she just happened to pick the card up and hold it so that the Evershan Branch was positioned at the top, different from the way I had oriented the card originally.  We both said, "Ohhh, that works!"

Then we turned the card 180 degrees so that the branch was at the bottom, and said, "Oh, THAT works too!"  It was one of those "happy accidents".

This card could be used for any occasion, any way you'd like to look at it!

Be sure to visit the Memory Box Outside the Box blog starting Monday, April 13th through Friday, April 17th, for some great inspiration using the latest release of dies, stamps and stencils!

Thanks for stopping by!