Baby Banner Cards...

ETA: For my dear friend Michelle and anyone else who might be interested, the letters on the banner are from the Storybook-Cricut Cartridge. I found mine on clearance at Wal-mart several months back...I'm not sure if they even carry it anymore? Punch on the card is UPPER CREST by Fiskars.


It's been a while since I've had a request for a banner, but this one is for a baby shower and then will later be displayed in the baby's room. The only requirement for the banner is that it be in a black/bubblegum pink/lime green combo.
Once I had my design determined, I just started an assembly line with stamping and embellishments. Each card matte measures 5x7 and then each top matte is a 1/4 inch smaller to allow for each border to pop in color. The background here is Damask Designs with hot pink dot accents.
I used my Cricut Expressions to cut the letters out in pink and black. Now, I had all this put together but something felt like it was missing. The black letters just weren't as defined as I'd liked them to be, so I got this crazy idea to hand draw a dotted border! Tedious?!! YES!! But so worth it! I LOVE IT! I also received my new Tag Die from Papertrey Ink that was "die-ing" to be used! Also dusted off A Little Argyle for the background.

Simple Love...

A simple love to share. These are still a spin-off from last weeks sketch...see what I mean by not always sticking to the exact sketch? You can come up with a dozen more sketches from the original. I'm trying to keep in mind that wives will drag their hubbies to the craft show, and I might, just *might* have a man buy a card! These are 2 separate cards, all I added was the black upper crest strip. The black strip really allowed for the "I love U" to pop out! I did add stickles glitter glue to the heart and boy is SHE sparkly! There is also a subtle glitter sparkle on the patterned paper. I would definitely say these cards are gender neutral ;).

Happily Ever After...

Another fun card with the PTI-flower die! I used the same Julee Tilman sketch from last week, but left off the 3 circles on the bottom. I could have added something more to the bottom, but I think it would have been too much. The sentiment is also from the PTI-2nd anniversary set. If your feeling extra crafty and generous enough to share your creations, come on over the my FB page and upload your pics. It can be anything crafty, not just paper crafts! I will have the contest go through Monday, once all pics are uploaded, you will then be able to vote on the submissions. To play fair, I will not be voting, however I will make the pot sweeter by giving away a free notebook:) Just click on the link below and HAVE FUN!

JadeMingmei Designs

B.F.F.

Speaking of "BFF's", we went to a birthday party this weekend for a sweet little gal who was turning 9. I had my girls make the birthday cards and was really impressed with both of them, but my 6 year olds really stood out. Gracie showed her Daddy the card she had created...she drew the girls jumping in the bounce house and then a picture of 2 little girls (Gracie and her friend) with jersey shirts and matching party hats. Above the girls was "BFF" and her Daddy asked, "Boyfriends for Forever?" to which Gracie replied, "No Dad, it's BEST FRIENDS FOREVER, besides you said boys have cooties and I cannot date until I'm 62!" Nough said!

Speaking of BEST FRIENDS, I created a few "girlfriend" cards last week. Simple layout, but with an elegant touch. The flower die is from Papertrey ink and I can't seem to put it down!
Just flip-flopped the layout here.

I cut my cards down a little bit, so even with the overhang on the flower here, it will still fit in a standard A2 envelope.

For all you cyber girlfriends who follow my blog and for those blogs I follow for inspiration, here is a BIG THANK YOU to all of you! I enjoy your comments and some of you are quite witty and keep me in stitches...especially Lynn...a recent comment on a card said it was the "BEST EVER!"...seriously, because I've seen some "BEST EVER" cards and they are NOT mine! I may have mentioned this before, but I did work at Hallmark about 10 years ago while I was in college. While on the clock, I'd go sneak off and look at all the pretty cards and crafty stuff the store carried. Unfortunately, I never really took home a paycheck because I recycled it back into the store!

Wreath Project...

ps...there is a new post, just scroll on down!

While I was on this wreath kick, I wanted to share this link from Jen del Muro...who would have thought (besides Martha!) you could make something so fabulous from cup cake wrappers?!

Check THIS out!

Time To Hang That Wreath...

Hanging up my new Fall wreath has me all inspired to make a few cards with PTI's-A Wreath for All Seasons. I also think this set would work nicely for a "new baby" card. I can see some baby birds nestled in the wreath ;) Next week I will have some more "girlfriend" cards with this same patterned paper. The paper is pretty and shiny AND difficult to photograph! I tried my best, but that glare takes away the beauty in the paper. The sentiment is from PTI's--2nd Anniversary Set *I think*.

Julee Tilman Sketchbook...

Knocking out a few more cards with a little help from Julee Tilman! If your not familiar with Julee's work, she will easily help inspire you with her printable card sketches. I spent last week printing out some new sketches and I keep them in a binder with clear sleeves. I keep the binder close at hand for when I get stumped on how to start my cards. You can find the printable PDF files HERE to start your own book! Look on the right hand side and you will see the links for the monthly sketchbooks. I made several cards using the above sketch...some exactly as the sketch, some loosely based on the sketch.
Verve Stamps-hundred hearts along with PTI's-trajan monogram edition. The heart is from my Martha Stewart punch and then I added some Crystal Effects for a nice, glossy finish.
I left off the bottom 3 dots of the sketch and came up with fun "crafty friend" card. Studio Style is a set I've had for a while, but just now getting around to using. Sound familiar ladies?! To create the red frame around the jar, I used the bracket from Take Note and just connected the ends...perfect for "closing in" my jar. A little more Crystal Effects make the button jar appear real!

What Would I Do Without You?!

I'm all for change in every aspect of my life, but when it comes to electronics (i.e. cell phones, computers etc.) I really dispise learning new equipment! Last weekend my hubby decided he wanted to take over the old laptop and purchased a new netbook for me. I really didn't care to switch over because I knew where everything was already and I was just getting comfortable with some new photo editing software he had just showed me 2 weeks ago. Well, with the switchover I DID get all my photos transferred but lost my editing software along with my watermark for posting pics on the blog. Needless to say, I'm warming up to this new netbook (it's smaller then a normal laptop, cramping my fingers a bit) and my sweet hubby set me up with a brand new watermark!

Soooo, enough chat about the netbook, how about a new notebook?! I had other projects I was going to post, but I just finished this up today and I was getting ansy to post it for my gf (for her daughter's teacher) in TN. Patterned paper is from October Afternoon. Doesn't it almost make you long for Summer again? I love the bright colors! I did a little airbrushing with my copic markers and also used them for coloring in my image. This little doll comes with not only a shiny red apple, but also patent leather shoes, courtesy of Crystal Effects!
This was also the first time I had a chance to use my new PTI-star die. These dies cut very nicely and leave a subtle rounded edge on the cardstock.

HO HO HO!

The grass...front and back...is DONE dude. Thank goodness for a riding lawn mower. Don't tell my hubby, but I often drive the mower like I stole it! I love that thing.

Anyhoo, I know you didn't come here to know my lawn is mowed, but I did manage to squeeze in some more cute cards! I took out an oldie, but a goodie, PTI's-Holiday Button Bits. I started with my Kraft CS, and only changed up the backgrounds, big polka dots, little dots, and woodgrain.3-D Santa. I stamped a single Santa image, then did a duplicate for the head. Used a little foam tape under the head and it sits nicely above the red button. It looks like my black ink bled out here, but it is actually a dark grey copic that I mixed roughly with my colorless blender. Santa's beard is not pure white...especially after all the kids tug away at it ;).

Christmas On My Mind...

Quicky post today, I'm in the midst of mowing 3 weeks worth of grass and squeezing in a lunch break before we head down to the bus stop! Monday, Mondays...

Spooky Sweets...

Going simple and easy on the spooky sweets this year! I'm always looking for an inexpensive treat that Gracie can share with her classmates, and this snack sack is picture perfect!I cut all the shapes out with my nesty dies and the stamps are a mix of Papertrey Ink and My Favorite Things (spider). To keep the contents inexpensive and healthy, I opted for bags of Halloween shaped pretzels and new shiny new Halloween pencil!

Little Star, Cup Of Joe...

In the midst of drying out here NC, it also hampered my intentions of getting my morning post up! I take my photos in natural light and the light has been lacking immensely this week! We ended up receiving 20 inches of rain since Sunday and it did not let up until yesterday evening! Being a homeowner makes me appreciate the rain, but I certainly wasn't expecting this much. School has been out for the last 2 days and the surrounding roads are still under water. We are very thankful that all the homes in our subdivision are built on higher ground. I made good use of my down-time to catch up on this simple sketch from the Sept./Oct. of Paper Crafts Magazine.I saw this sketch on page 24 and got this wild and crazy idea that I'd be able to get about 25 cards out of this design! I was a little overzealous and think I ended up with 12 in 2 different concepts. Honestly, I think 24 would have bored me to death! I don't like to mass produce often, but when I do, it's got to be a simple layout!A glittery mix of MFT's-Coffee? Tea? and Sweet Shoppe paper. The cup o' joe is 3-D with crystal effects and very, very fine glitter from Martha Stewart. I see a little spilled on the outer edges here, but it will easily brush off! This is what I get for trying to rush this post!Same sketch, but changed it up a bit! This card is very versatile in that you can either use it as a "new baby" card or for a little girls "birthday" card.