Beachy Thank You

I wanted to create a simple Thank you card for my son's birthday.

Because I had my watercolor crayons out...

I decided to use them in creating his card.

As you can see, the beach was my inspiration in this card.

Hope you like it!

Thanks for visiting!  

~Doris

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Supplies: 
Stamps: Life's a Breeze stamp and Hand Scripted sets from A Muse Studio
Paper: Strathmore Watercolor paper
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa and Teal Zeal ink
Extras: Karat Aquarell Watercolor Crayons

Watercoloring...

There is a technique that I have not used in ages.

Wanna know what it is?

Watercoloring!

My daugher is having a birthday soon, and I wanted to create a card

and use a technique that I haven't done in years.

And this is what I created...

It is simple and elegant...

...and I like it.

Have a great day!

~Doris

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Supplies: 
Stamps: Poppy Stems from Stampendous; Thank You from A Muse Studio (retired)
Paper: Strathmore Watercolor paper
Ink: Staz-On Black ink
Extras: Karat Aquarell Watercolor Crayons

Floral Birthday

Flowers do not always have to be positioned on a card vertically.  

I wanted to "shake up" my card design and position this stamp horizontally, 

and add the sentiment within the stems.

I loved how it turned out, but

thought that the flowers needed a little bit

of sparkle...

so I added a bit of stickles on the peach flowers

to make the card just a little bit more fun.

Here is what it looks like...

Did you also notice something?  

This is a single layer card.

Yep, and even though I did not add extra papers, 

embellishments, or ribbons...

the card is pretty striking.

Have a great day...

~Doris

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Supplies: 
Stamps: Tall Flowers stamp from Hero Arts ; Handwritten Sentiments from Simon Says Stamp
Paper: Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Extras: Copic Markers: R32 Peach, R14 Light Rouge, YG67 Moss, BG13 Mint Green, BG10 Cool Shadow, C1 Cool Gray; Stickles in Stardust

Loving Tree

We have quite a few friends celebrating Anniversaries over the next several months, 

thus I decided to create a simple card 

to express our congratulations.

And this is what I came up with...

In order to add a bit of interest and dimension

to the card I decided to cut out the heart

and adhere it to the tree using 3D foam adhesive.

For an added bit of sparkle, 

I used stickles on the heart...

...it was a great way to make the

card a little extra special.

Don't you just "love it"?  

Have a great day!  

~Doris

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Supplies: 
Stamps: Good Gab by Paper Smooches; Tweet Heart by A Muse Studio
Paper: Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Kraft cardstock from Stampin Up
Ink: Memento Ink in Cottage Ivy, and Lady Bug
Extras: Stickles in Christmas Red; 3D foam adhesive; Washi Tape

Father's Day

Well my husband is a father.

And this year I decided to make a quick and easy card 

that was really quite simple in design, 

but looked great.

So this is what I created for him...

The Alphadots stamp set, in which I created the word "Father" is a set

that I purchased from Stampin' Up years ago...

I love it because it is so versatile, and with a punch

really allows you to create a fun 

element within your card design. 

Hope you enjoy it!  I know he did!!

~Doris

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Supplies: My Guy from Paper Smooches; Brief Notes and Hey Man from A Muse Studio (retired); Alphadots from Stampin' Up (retired)
Stamps: Paper: Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Ink: Memento Inks in Tangelo, Pear Tart, Lady Bug, Bahama Blue, Cottage Ivy, London Fog, and Rich Cocoa
Extras: Circle Punch and 3D foam adhesive 

Embossing...

I have to admit that I haven't embossed a card in years.  

In crafting, everything goes in spurts, and fads come and go....

but sometimes it is nice to revisit something you did years ago.

What is embossing?  

It is stamping your image in versamark ink, then sprinkling a fine 
embossing powder over the stamped image, 
and heat setting (or melting) the embossing powder into 
the card using an embossing gun.  It looks like this...

What is great about embossing is that your stamped imaged is raised, 

and has a shiny finish...

It is not something I do on many cards....

but in this case, because the sympathy card I designed was so simple....

it needed something to make it stand out.

The pearl embellishments, added a lot too.

So try something new today in your crafting.

You just might love the results!

Have a great day!

~Doris

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Supplies: 
Stamps: Say Hello stamp set from Hero Arts (retired); Handwritten Sentiments from Simon Says Stamp
Paper: Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Ink: Versamark Ink
Extras: Superfine black embossing powder; Hero Arts Embossing Gun; Pretty Pearls stickers from A Muse Studio; Enamel Accents in black; Copic Markers: Y17 Golden Yellow, RV14 Begonia Pink, RV13 Tender Pink, R00 Pinkish White, YG23 New Leaf, YG25 Celadon Green, YG 67 Moss, R29 Lipstick Red, YR68 Orange, E37 Sepia

Hubby & Wifey

I love to make Anniversary cards.  A marriage is a wonderful reason to celebrate.

So this weekend this is what I created...

The stamp set that I used to create this card is by Paper Smooches, 

and what I love about it is that you can design the cake 

to be as simple or

as elegant as you wish. 

The designer papers added a nice touch too.

I don't use these papers much, but I decided to step

out of my comfort zone, and do something different.

I like it.

I hope you do too.

~Doris 

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Supplies:
Stamps: Hubby & Wifey stamp set from Paper Smooches
Paper:  Shimmer and Bermuda cardstock from A Muse Studio; Lucille papers from Basic Grey 
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Extras:  Copic: BG10 Cool Shadow, R20 Blush; Organdy sheer vanilla ribbon from A Muse Studio; Tombow Mono Muli Liquid glue

Celebrate!

Do you get Papercrafts magazine?

 I do, and I love it because it inspires me in my cardmaking.

  

This past weekend I was inspired by a card I had seen in a past issue

and I created this special birthday card 

to express the feeling of celebration that birthday's 

should give us...

rather than a feeling of dread of being another year older....

These tropical cocktails, are just a fun way to celebrate a special day

and I thought they worked perfectly for this card creation.

Of course, I had to add a bit of "bling" too...

So don't forget to look for inspiration in creating your cards.

You may create something worth celebrating!

Have a great day!  

~ Doris  

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Supplies:
Stamps: Word Salad, He Said, She Said, Get Outta Town, Sugar Rush, and Word Up all from Paper Smooches
Paper:  Neenah classic crest solar white cardstock (from Ellen Hutson); and Gumball Green from Stampin' Up
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Extras:  Copic: BG10 Cool Shadow, E37 Sepia, E33 Sand, RV14 Begonia Pink, YR68 Orange, Y17 Golden Yellow, R29 Lipstick Red, YG23 New Leaf; 3D foam adhesive; and A Muse Studio Twinkle Stickers

Simple, Easy, Sympathy

Unfortunately I have been sending quite a few sympathy cards out lately.  

I guess that comes with the fact that as I get older, 

friends and relatives get older as well...

and some pass away.  

Thus I like to have cards created, to let those I love know that I care, 

and that our family is thinking of them.

In this card I used the Hero Arts "Garden Flowers" stamp set, which also

has matching dies for each individual flower.

I   it!

This stamp set has so many uses, and is so easy.  

I wanted to add a bit of sparkle to the card, so I used a bit of

stickles on the wings of the bee, and within the flower.

It goes so nicely with the background paper...

don't ya think?  

Have a wonderful day, and remember to create something beautiful today.

~Doris    

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Supplies: 
Stamps:  Remember, Bee Mine, and Garden Flowers from Hero Arts(Ellen Hutson)
Paper: Neenah Solar White Cardstock from Ellen Hutson
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Perfection

Another neat gadget to share....

 ...a T-square ruler.

I honestly don't know how I have crafted so many years without one.
This tool is wonderful for making sure that your images on your cards are perfectly straight.

And sometimes it's just gotta be straight...ya know?  



Enjoy your day!



~Doris  

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Supplies: C-Thru Junior T-Square Ruler

A "cool" trick...

...for a "cool" chick!  

This past weekend I was creating cards, and decided to make one for a little girl I know who is having a birthday soon.  This is the card that I created..

First, I have discovered that kids love google eyes, that is why I decided to add them to this card.  I though it would make her smile.  Second, I did something cool to create the "talk bubble" ....I saved the the plastic sheets that come with my clear stamp sets and used a die, to cut the shape of the talk bubble.  Then I used a sponge dauber to fill in the color within the bubble.  

Cool huh?  

Dies are not just for cutting paper.  You can use them for many things, and this is just one example.  

Thanks for visiting!  

~Doris  

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Supplies: 
Stamps: My Peeps from Paper Smooches, Sushi (retired) from A Muse Studio
Paper: Sugar and Orange cardstock from A Muse Studio.
Ink: Tuxedo black and Rich Cocoa ink from Memento (Ellen Hutson) 
Extras:  Copic YR04 Chrome Orange, Y17 Golden Yellow, E33 Sand, YG23 New Leaf; Stickles waterfall (within the flowers on the branch; Talk Bubbles dies from Simon Says Stamp; sponge daubers.

New Product

Have you see this yet?

It is called Shape 'n Tape....

It is basically washi tape, but in sheet form.
You can punch out images with your dies and punches with this product, and stick it to your crafting project.  The best part, is it is repositionable.

So if you make mistakes in placement, like I do...
...and frequently....
...you can remove your tape, without tearing your paper.

It comes in many colors...black, red, silver, gold, navy, pink, orange, yellow...

You're gonna love it!  



~ Doris

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Supplies: Shape 'n Tape

Single-layer card

In February I participated in an on-line class specifically for single layer cards thru Ellen Hutson's website.  I have been creating cards for over ten years, and for some reason I like to add layers of cardstock to my cards, so this class really was good for me creatively, and got me thinking.  Can I make a card with only one layer?  And can it have the "wow" factor of a card with many layers of textured and colored cardstock?

I was up for the challenge.  And this is the single-layer card that I created....

Even though this card is pretty simple in its design, I added a few embellishments to make it a little extra special.   Like this...

The blue pearls in the center of the flowers, make the card interesting, even though the card is quite simple. 

I hope that I inspired you to try something new today.  Enjoy your day!  

        

~Doris

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Supplies:
Stamps: Crusing Thru Life, Handwritten Sentiments
Paper:  Neenah Solar White cardstock.
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Extras:  Copic: B02 Robin's Egg Blue, BG10 Cool Shadow, R29 Lipstick Red, T5 Toner Gray, Y02 Canery Yellow, Y17 Golden Yellow, E31 Brick Beige; Divine Twine; Pretty Pearls in Sky Blue from A Muse Studio 

Craft Scissors...

In crafting everyone has their favorite scissors that they turn to.  Personally I have two scissors that I use the most...

The first one I use is the Tonic Micro Serrated Scissors.....

The second one, that I use is this...

                 

...it is the Friskars Softouch Micro-tip scissors.  I love these because they are great for cutting ribbon, cutting around small images precisely, are lightweight, and best of all, don't make your hand hurt when you are using them.  Great stuff for sure!  

Have a wonderful crafty day!

~ Doris  

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Supplies: Friskars Softouch Micro-tip Scissors, and Non-stick Micro Serrated Scissors

Happy Easter!

"Do not abandon yourselves to dispair.

We are an Easter people and hallelujah is our song."

~ Pope John Paul II

Every year, I send out Easter cards to help share the joy in the 

celebration of Easter.

This year this is what our friends will be receiving...

...and some will be receiving this one...

~Doris

Missing you...

I purchased the stamp set Metropolis from Paper Smooches a few months ago, 

and wanted to do something fun with it. 

So this is what I created....

In this card the gray cityscape "pops out" in front of the buildings behind it.

I decided to use glossy accents in the windows of the building as well.....

It gives it a nice affect, don't ya think?

The paper airplane I decided to highlight with a copic marker too...

just for fun.  Enjoy!

...and thanks for visiting!  

~Doris 

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Supplies: 
Stamps: Metropolis from Paper Smooches, Flyin' By from Lawn Fawn
Paper: Brazil Gray, Onyx and Blueberry cardstock (from A Muse Studio)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Extras: Copic B21 Baby Blue, Glossy Accents, and 3D foam adhesive.