Monday, April 9, 2012

Christmas ...in April??




Happy, ur...Easter!? I decided to make Cristmas cards:) I still will try to make 5 cards for the CCAYR even thought they changed the rules and one only has to make 1 card. They used a photo inspiration which were Ukranian eggs. I used to make them and I love them! Every colour and image has a meaning behind it. The first card also goes with ABC Christmas. I have this stamp which reminded me of the design on some of the eggs and I used a hint of green sparkle embossing powder and Egyptian Gold embosiing powder on basic white cardstock. I cut it into an oval shape and placed it on this beautiful gold paper. I trimmed it in green ribbon. The second and 4th cards are my favourite colours and combinations. I used a stamp that reminded me of hearts and swirls on the eggs but also reminded me of the turkish tiles found on the Titanic ( I am a Titanic nut and LOVE the 1958 film version-A Night To Remember- which much better illustrates what happened on the ship than the 1997 blockbuster where the kids just kept going back into freezing water so many times...and never froze...well he did but I saw that coming..oops I digress). I coloured everything with my tombow markers. On the 4th card I cut out the center and have a peek-a-boo to the inside where it says Merry Christmas which I embossed with a gold hue. I also added tiny crystlas on the outside of that one card. The centre that I cut out I further cut the squares and used them on the 2nd card. I used a beautiful mirror blue cardstock for the backing and highlighted everything with silver stickers and the stars I painted purple. Stars are often used on the Ukranian eggs as are hearts, and swirls and never-ending ribbons/belts.
The red card I saw this pure red and black egg on the picture and loved it so I tried to replicate this using a black sparkle embossing powder and 2 different red cardstock and used pop up dots to highlight the red card and mounted a gold emblem at the centre. The final card, I call it my M.A.S.H. card due to the hue of that green....which turned out army looking...Oh well. I stamped the snowflakes in white on white glossy cardstock. I took my roller and rolled yellow on top. I stamped the stars on it and then used my green dye ink thinking it would turn out a beautiful green instead of , well ca-ca colour but I kept it. I wanted to try my hand at how the eggs are actually done. They start with what they want white first and then go to yellow, green, blue, etc... each time they cover what they want to remain that colour, in wax, to ensure the design. I tried this on this card. This card turned out to be a headache. I used vellum for the centre and I like the look of it. I used the December flower for the centre and embossed it in gold. Through another mistake I ended up putting glitter around the edges. I also ended up cutting the centre 3 times I think. In the end it is done:) What a card...It is more for a man even though there is a flower.
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Saturday, April 7, 2012

Butterfly Galore




The cuddlebug is becoming one of my favourite tools because I can emboss and cut and I love this butterfly! Both can go for the Anything goes challenges. The first card I used purple and bright green and cream. The cream card I embossed and there is this neat sparkly green paper that I used for the butterfly wings but you can see the sparkle too much. I also had this fabric, sheer, that was used for flowers and I cover the purple paper in it for this neat sheen effect. I coloured the peel off in green and added these fabric flowers to the corners. The 2nd card I used a variety of greens and found this stamp that I haven't really used but I thought it was perfect for Wedding/Love since, in this day and age of entertainment crappola where weddings seem to last as long as a sneeze I thought the word "Sincerity" was appropriate. I used different strips of paper left around(don't we al have those) and created the stripes and the end pieces have polka-dots. I glued all these down with the sticky tape and the background of the butterfly wings I used vellum! I have not used that in ages and I coloured it with tombow markers and I wish I had a light behind the butterfly because it turned out really neat...if I do say so myself. I added peel offs for borders which I love using also and I used scizzors (another fav) for the border around the stamp which I then poked little dots with another of my favourite tools to have the delicate look. I placed some pastels colouring around the edges to finish it off. Everyone have a very Happy Easter!!
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Sunday, March 25, 2012

4 Christmas cards done!



I finally made all 5 cards for CCAYR and this was difficult for me since I rarely work with patterend paper...I know...I am a freak!:) The first card i combines it with Simon says and The Stampman Challenge because each had a bingo card recipe and it seemed to fit all together so i hope this works for the challenges since I combined them. I used a nestibilities cut out of a poinsettia to make a flower and used 2 different patterned papers for that. I also used glitter paper for the swirlies and brads and glitter which I love always. The squirrel card does have 2 patterned papers but they were from the same bag, sort of speak, so I combined them. I stamped the squirrel and coloured them with tombows for a little definition. The 3rd card I love that patterned paper and didn't want to cover it up much because of the birdie and cage. I used a strip from another patterned paper near the top and then I placed "Merry Christmas" from my peel offs which I almost always use. The last card has the fun snowmen. The stamped image was painted slightly to reflect the same colours in the background snowmen and then I used a tacky sheer double paste to cover the snowman so I could use my ultra fine glitter to cover him with. I hope that made sense. I can not believe I am in the top 10 for make It Monday either-Wowzers! I am usually in the 200's:) Everyone have a great day!

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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Green Christmas

http://christmascardsallyearround.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-challenge.html -use green and 2 patterend paper
http://sparklesforumchristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2012/03/ch-14-to-use-peel-offs.html -use peel offs

True to form even my picture is crooked. It is a wonder I don't walk with a permanent slant. I also am not centred with the card which also is so true to my form. This will drive my hubby crazy......so it was well worth making it crooked:) I can sit for hours trying to make it straight and it still will turn out crooked. I used a ruler on this damm card too. I am true to my calling which is not a true artist as a true artist would have thrown this card away because they are freakishly wanting perfectionism. My mom is one and my hubby is another which is why I can say they are true artists. I rarely work with patterned paper. I just can't wrap my mind around it(sorry for the pun, you know-wrap-chuckle, chuckle). I will be making 4 more but this is my first one. I used the stars papers and coloured it green with tombow marker and paint that gives this pretty sheen. I used a second patterned paper in 4 strips to set it off. The middle is a peel off showing a town. I coloured it all in green tombow markers and I tried-the word meaning TRY to evoke the Currier and Ives feeling but using green instead of blue. I took a very pale green shimmer paper and used the cuddlebug for the background added a jewel and a peel off star and-Voila! my card for March..the first of 5.

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springtime and Yellow







OK so I am finally trying to get my cards uploaded and my dinner is getting cold...waaay. Anyhoo I made a bookmark and a cute card for springtime. The cutie card is for someone who recently had a baby boy. I love the colour challenge so I made 2 cards and I hope the one fits the vintage theme since mideival is quite old. At least I hope it meets the challenge. I used alot of the pencil crayons and tombow markers and layered and cut. Now off to have some food!


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Monday, February 20, 2012

Some Christmas Cards











So I am pleased to say that I completed the Christmas challenge for this month:) All the cards have hearts on them and I stuck with stickers! The first card has Lilac, Blue and white. I used this glitsy background paper that i used the cuddlebug on for a snowflake design and used the stickers of the cherub holding a bird (dove). I colured almost all with tombow markers and added stickles as well. I also used the cuddlebug to cut out the design of the border in lilac for the first card. The second card, I embossed the background paper with some gold and silver. The thrid card-the background was done with perfect pearls. The fourth-I cut out Mr. Cupid and used a nice dark blue background paper that I then added some sticker borders in a bit of sparkle and I used stickles to add write the words. The last card I simply used a heart that I coloured in twinkling H20's. Happy card-making every one








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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Insecure Writer's Support Group February



I am quite happy that I am back creating cards and I am loving that! I thought, as well, about this group and how many wonderful writers are out there and people like Alex who lets everyone have a voice on anything! I am blown away how there are over 200 people who participate on this website and I try to visit as many as I can but I fail at visiting as many as I want to. I am happy that I am doing the best I can at present and I thank everyone who looked at my blog and not tear down my horrible grammar etc... I have a tendency to write the way I speak and can leave errors in my hurried manner:) I thought I would write in the next few months about my mom whom I believe has led an extraordinary life. I will also try to do some highlights from the good to the bad and to the ugly (I can't tear myself away from film).


My mom was born February 10, 1928. Her name...Elfriede (elf-free-de) Ruth Ortmann. Her grandmother-her mother's mother, found my mom to be special and named her. Her name "Elfriede" is special. "Elf" means 11-for the 11th month of the 11th day of the 11th hour when the First World War ended. "Friede", in German, means freedom and this word my mom took strongly to her heart. She was baptized in the Lutherstadt church where Martin Luther nailed the 95 thesis to the door. She grew up in Germany before the wall, when Germany was changing into something horrible. She had a wonderful childhood in the country side near Wittenberg. Her love for her grandmother was strong and loyal. As for the other grandmother, her father's mother, ...not so much. This grandmother, who had 17 children with only 4 reaching adulthood, was one tough cookie who did not care for my mom and once walked across the street to just slap my mom on the ear. If you saw a picture of this lady you would see why my mother would distance herself from her. The funny thing is that the artistic side and the love for the finer things came from the bad Oma, as I used to call her. The grandfathers? Her grandfather on her father's side never spoke a word and just sat in a chair and would sleep. Her mother's father was the kindest man who owned a farm and bought a small carousel and would never charge the children to ride the carousel. He was kind and thoughtful and my mom always was fond of her mom's parents. How sweet the days of school, playing in the snow in winter and swimming at the local old quarry that filled up with cold spring water. Who knew that she would be taken from her home, watch her brother die and her other brother die of his wounds(so did 176 others that day). Who knew that she would be in Hamburg and Dresden when the bombings started or that she would suffer at the hands of the Russian soldiers....who knew. Throughout it all her love for freedom and her loyalty to family drove her on and created one strong woman.
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