Butterfly Birthday

I made this card for my sister's recent birthday, and can finally share it with you.

I used papers from a Jenni Bowlin set I've had in my stash, and added a JB butterfly and chipboard buttons.

I ran black cardstock along with a Swiss dot texture plate through my embossing machine, then lightly brushed it with white ink to really make the dots pop.

I cut some of the coordinating papers into flags, and typed "happy birthday" using my vintage typewriter.

PS - If you haven't seen them yet, I have several projects in the new Create: Vintage magazine that's available now, and I also have projects in the January issue of Cards magazine, and Simply Handmade: Paper Crafting.
 
 

I'm Here for the Party

What a busy week! I had meetings all week and was so tired by the time I got home each night that I didn't even eat dinner. I did however relax with a strawberry daquiri! We went to Houston last weekend for a little celebration for my MIL's birthday. Here's the card that I made.

I was inspired by my friend Julie's beautiful cards that she makes with vintage dress pattern girls. I used a piece of patterned paper for the card base and added a piece of wide eyelet trim on one side. I added some "wonky" stitching to create a border and then glued on my pattern girl and a title.

We spent the weekend playing with our niece and nephew.

And we went to the butterfly exhibit at the science museum. It was warm and humid, but the fluttering beauties were everywhere!

Recent Projects

I've been working on a few things here and there. Some with a purpose, others not so much. Recently, all of my design teams came to an abrupt end. So, I've started applying for some new teams. This is one of the layouts that I made to showcase "Creativity."

For this layout, I used several things from the August Swirlydoos kit. The background and diecut paper and journaling sticker is from Creative Imaginations. The cardboard alphas ("create") are jillibean. To make the diecut paper stand out a little more, I applied gesso and Grammie Berrie Shimmerz paint around the border. I added masking tape here and there to look like I "tacked up" the diecut. I added some paper scraps in the top-right with a typed message "Create something new every day. No one can do it for you."

Here's a closeup of the journaling, which I also typed. I used old ledger paper to fill in the "void" and a few pattern tissue flowers.

Next up is a layout I did with a photo from my parents' wedding, using more Creative Imaginations paper from the Swirlydooes August kit. I simply cut out the photo frame on the paper and mounted the photo under the paper. Then I layered on flowers and butterflies, including one beautiful Prima sparkler and one I made using a Martha Stewart stamp and Glimmer Mist.

I added stick-on pearls and vintage buttons here and there for an elegant look. Here's a closeup of those flowers.

And finally, I just found out that a friend is having a baby! She and her husband live in Philly, so I don't get to them often. I'm sending her a little card to let her know I'm thinking of her.

I hope I get more time to create soon. My work schedule this month is pretty hectic. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a new design team - they really keep me motivated because I have to create for deadlines.