More French Foliage

You know that I can't resist using this stamp set.  I just love the leaves in it.  For this sample, I used Marina Mist for the card itself and layered So Saffron under the vanilla top layer.  On half of the top layer, I stamped the one leaf in three colors on the right side (Marina Mist, So Saffron, and Crumb Cake).  I topped that with the stamp that has french wording from this same set.  On the left side, I stamped the little "splatter" stamp from the set in Crumb Cake--with a few of those splatters on the right side, too. 

I added a Marina Mist satin ribbon down the center to show all the pretty blue color.

Here is a close-up of the sentiment tag on the card.  I stamped the sentiment from the Grateful Greetings set--I have used that one so many times!  I put some leaves in the same three colors around the sentiment.  I punched some tabs using the Word Window punch to add some dimension and shine to the card.  You can see I put a gold brad through the two tabs I added. 

This card would be suitable for many occasions.  Who wouldn't like these colors--man or woman!! 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Smiles, Laura

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Happy Thanksgiiving to you!! 

Aren't we all so blessed to live in the USA and enjoy all the many, many blessings we have!  It was no doing on our part--where we were born.  I am continually thankful that I live where I live.  I wanted to share with you this bountiful altar display I put in our church on Sunday.  The Worship Committee asked me to fix a table to reflect our blessings for Thanksgiving. 

The gold scarf under the display was my mothers and the Bible was one she carried every Sunday and taught her Sunday School class from.  She died in 1981, so it was sort of like she was with me on Sunday.  On the display, I included canned good my husband and I put up and some things from our garden   You know, we have to really think about our greatest blessing--the blessing of ENOUGH.  We sometimes want more and more when we really should be thankful for having ENOUGH of everything and be content with that.

It just so happened the my grandson (age 12) was the acolyte on Sunday, so he got to light the candles on the altar.  My husband turned the candle sticks for me years ago, so it was nice ot have Dillon lighting the candles.

May today be a happy and blessed one for you and your family.  I appreciarte so many of you visiting my blog and following my work and hobbies!

Smiles, Laura

Chickadee Birthday....

I've gone bird crazy, I think you'll agree.  My husband's birthday was the other day and I wanted to make him a birthday card with a winter Chickadee on it.  He really likes those little birds.  After I made the Cardinal for my November classes, I decided I had to try some other birds; hence the chickadee was born.

The card itself is Wild Wasabi green (I seem to be using the color alot lately!) with black and a designer paper over that. 

Here is a close-up for the bird.  I used the 1-3/8' circle punch from the retired Going Grey cardstock for  him and cut off a slash of it on one side.  I rounded the top a bit to give him a more "slick" head like a chickadee has.  The black and white on his head are cut from cardstock and just cut to fit.  His wing is from the Two-Step Bird punch in Basic Grey cardstock.  I just colored on some white and black lines with the markers and gel pen. And his beak is also grey.  The little nest of branches he is sitting on is cut from Certainly Celery and Wild Wasabi green punched with a Martha Stewart punch.

I used the Decorative Label punch from Wasabi and Celery greens for the backing behind the Birthday Wishes sentiment.  I thought a green brad for the "i's" dot would be a nice touch!

I'll have more of these 1-3/8" circle birds to share later---I've made 8 different birds in all.  I just need to get them on cards!  So keep stopping by and I'll post them as I have time!  Smiles, Laura

Wren in a pine tree....

After coming up with the cardinal samples I shared with you this week, I decided I wanted to make MORE birds.  They are so much fun!  So here is a wren I made for a Christmas card.  Isn't he cute!!

This card is Wild Wasabi, layered with Soft Suede and them covered with a designer paper that retired a year or so ago.  I love the snowflakes on this paper and wish we still carried it!!

 I punched the bird from Crumb Cake cardstock using the 1-3/8" circle punch.  His tail and wing are from Soft Suede.  His tail and beak are the smallest heart in the Heart to Heart punch.  I just cut a notch in it for the beak, so it looks like the little fellow is singing.  His wing is punched with the Two-step Bird punch.

 For the tree branches, I cut out a snowflake using the Snowflake punch and then cut pieces off of it and glued them onto the branch I freehand cut.

I stamped the Winter Wonderland sentiment from the Bright Christmas stamp set in the Holiday mini.  It is popped up with dimensionals to give it some height. 

This is a fairly quick card to make but such a cute one, don't you think?  Thanks for visiting me today!!  More birds to follow in coming days......
Smiles, Laura

Christmas cacti....

I have many plants in my house, but the oldest one I have is a Christmas Cactus I got when my son was a year old.  He is now 41, so this cactus has been in my home for 40 years--having moved around with me everywhere I've moved.  No, it is not one of the ones shown here.  It isn't blooming yet.  But I did want to share some that are blooming.  Now, mind you, I've sorely neglected my cacti last year and this year!  They look pitiful to how they usually look.  But still they are blooming their hearts out!  This first one I call a Thanksgiving cactus, because it always blooms first before the others and is a lovely orange color.  I designed a place in my sunroom just for my cacti to sit, so they get morning sun which they love.

                             

 This next one is my white one.  It is blooming early this year (well, they all are) and is loaded with blooms. 

 Look at this picture--here's something interesting.  We have inside screens and our windows crank out.  Well, the plant was against the screen, so two branches and blooms just grew THROUGH the tiny holes in the screen to form between the screen and the window!  Can you tell it in this picture?  I think you can tell there the limb is clear and then where it looks like it has grid over it--that's where it went through the screen!  I've never had one do this nor seen one do it.  I have to break it off to turn the plant around.

This one is my pink one, and is probably a baby off my OLD 40-year old mother plant.  No telling how many plants I've started over the years from that one old plant.  I've given away tons of them!!

I also have a purple one that is not blooming yet and one I call a "red star" because its blooms look different from the others.  Most of these have the two "double" blooms, but the red star does not. 

Well, thanks for indulging me today, looking at my cacti!  More stamping later.....

Smiles, Laura

Cardinal lantern....

I've seen birdhouses and so many cute little things made using the Milk Carton Die.  The other day I got the idea to make a lantern with the die.  I rushed to the stamp room to make sure one of the little flameless tea lights would fit inside and it would, so this little lantern was born to go along with the cardinal card and goodie box shared earlier.

 

 I am so pleased with the outcome and my customers just love it.    The lantern itself is cut from Soft Suede cardstone using the milk carton die.  Fold and score all the lines really well before punching the windows.  I used the 1-1/4" square punch to cut out the windows.  You have to cut the two outer ones first--the ones near the open sides of the carton.  Then fold those two sides in and punch another window on each side, punching THROUGH the first windows and  making sure to line them all up. 

Inside I put tape along the edges of the windows and between each window.  Then put in a strip of vellum cardstock, 1-3/4" wide by about 7" long (you will trim off the end you don't need).  Now fold on the lines again and score really well, so  the vellum is scored as well as the cardstock.  Put sticky tape on the sides of the milk carton and fold it up to make the lantern.  Fold up and glue the bottom, too.

The top of the lantern is made from Crumb Cake cardstock, cut 2" x 4".  I attached the roof to the front of the lantern using sticky tape.  You want to be able to open the lantern for the light, so I used a Velcro dot on the back of the roof to hold it closed but also allow for opening. 

I punched holes using the Crop-a-dile on the sides of the top of the carton/lantern (under the roof) to run the 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon through.  This is for hanging it on the tree.  Insert the tea light and you are finished with the lantern itself.  I did use the Scallop Trim Border Punch to add a red border to the front and back edge of the roof.
                                             
 To decorate the lantern., make a cardinal and holly leaves and berries and attach to the front of the lantern.  Shown below are three lanterns, with the back of one showing.  I just put holly leaves and berries on the back roof  to decorate it.

Can't you just see a small tree full of these cute lanterns on a foyer table or in a guest bath? They would also be great at each place on a holiday table.   I think they'd be the hit of the season!

Thanks for letting me share!  Email me if you have any questions.  Smiles, Laura

More Cardinals---Goodie Box....

This little goodie box or "rorw"  goes along with the card I shared yesterday.  It has the same little cardinal on it. Instructions for making the cardinal are given in yesterday's post--I just turned this one facing left, rather than the right. 

For this box, I have the instructions below so I will address decorating it first.  The red backing the white is 2-3/4" x 3-1/4"; the white is 2-1/2" x 3".  I ran the white through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder to add those neat little dots which look like snow onto it.  The slot for the ribbon is punched using the Word Window punch.  On subsequent boxes, I used the circle punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and like the circle better.

  I freehand cut the branch for the bird from Soft Suede cardstock.  I punched out the sentiment backing from Always Artichoke using the Scalloped Square punch.  The sentiment is from the Tags Till Christmas stamp set in the Holiday mini.  It is stamped in Real Red and cut out and mounted onto the scalloped square.

 OK, now for the box itself.  This box was originally shared with my by my friend Rose Kerry last Valentines when she sent me a larger box with a bag of M&M candy in it.  For this one, I cut the pattern down and have tried to show you on the diagram below how to cut and score it. I do not think I can add any insruction to this to help you more.  But if you have problems with it, email me and I'll try to help.

Below is a side view of the box.  I cut some red strips using the Dotted Scalloped Ribbon Border Punch.  As you can see, this box is large enough to hold many small gifts you may be giving--a bag of mints or candlies, a bag with a couple of homemade cookies, a jewelry box with some shiny treasure inside (then you'd want to change the sentiment on the front), well, you can think of others yourself. 

If you made this box for a Christmas gift and wanted to include yesterday's card, you'd want to change the "Thank you" to a "Merry Christmas" tag.

Come back tomorrow to see the darling lantern we are making to go with these two cardinal items!   Thanks for stopping by.  Smiles, Laura

Cardinals.....

I have been waiting for some time to post today's card and the projects I'm going to be sharing the next couple of days.  I had to wait until my class made them; I wanted it to be a surprise for mt ladies.  The three projects will all use the same little cardinal made with the 1-3/8" circle punch and holly leaves. 

I originally designed this card for an After Christmas Thank You Card Swap.  That's why I used the Thank U on the front.  The card itself is Always Artichoke, which is layered with Whisper White that I've run through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.  I tied 5/8" Real Red satin ribbon around it and hung the tag on it with linen thread.  The sentiment is from the Cute by the Inch Level 2 Hostess set.  I stamped it first in Real Red and then stamped it again in Always Artichoke and cut out just the "thank" word to put over the red "U".

Here is a close up of that tag.  The sentiment is backed with an Always Artichoke tag.

To make the cardinal, I punched out a 1-3/8" circle and cut off a flat place on one side.  I added a tail made from one of the hearts in the Heart to Heart punch.  The wing is the wing from the Two-Step Bird punch. I sponged around the bird and wing to give him some depth.   The eye and the beak are both made from the smallest heart in the Heart to Heart punch. 

For the Holly leaves, I cut out rectangles and folded them in half, lengthwise.  I snipped out circles using the 3/4" and 1" circle punches.  I smudged color along the edges and down the center.  The berries are punched using the circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch pack.  I used the white gel pen to add some "reflection" to the bird, leaves and berries. 

Come back tomorrow to see the goodie box that goes with this card.   Smiles, Laura

I see a star!

My ladies asked for a penguin so I thought we'd better make one this year in class.  Here is a little lone fellow, looking up at a very special star.  To start, I sponged white cardstock with Night of Navy, Pacific Point and Bashful Blue ink to get the sky look.  I tore a piece of cardstock to look like piled snow and matted the bottom of the card as I sponged.  Then I stamped snowflakes from the Serene Snowflakes stamp set onto the "sky" with white ink.  I stamped NOEL from Many Merry Messages onto the snow with black ink.  The star in the sky is from the Come to Bethlehem set.  It was stamped in Daffodil Delight ink on Daffodil Delight CS and then cut out.  I put a rhinestone "jewel" in the center of the star.

To make the little penguin, I used the wide oval punch for the body, the 1-3/8" circle for his head and the large oval for the white part of his face.  His beak is part of the flower punched in Pumpkin Pie with the Five Petal Flower punch.  His feel are the small oval punch, with some trimming done on them.  His eye is drawn on.

To finish him off, I tied a square knot from Real Red 1/8" taffeta ribbon and used a glue dot to mount it onto his neck..  I love that little finishing touch!

I hope I've given you enough information for you to be able to make your own little fellow.  He's fun!
Thanks for visiting me today.  Smiles, Laura

French Foliage.....

Here is another birthday card I made recently for my friend Sandy. She is another of the girls who celebrated her birthday this month.  I used Marina Mist and Crumb Cake for this card.  I stamped the oak leaf from the French Foliage stamp set (from the Holiday mini) in both Marina Mist and Crumb Cake and cut them out.  I embossed the Crumb Cake background using the Finial Press embossing folder.  I mounted the leaves onto a piece of vanilla cardstock backed with Marina Mist.  I stamped a few "splatters" on the vanilla, too, and stamped the sentiment from the Sincere Salutations.

                           

 Here is a close-up of the leaves.  I used  the 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon in Marina Mist (see an earlier post about how much I LOVE this ribbon) at the base of the leaves.  I put one of the Glimmer Brads in the center of the ribbon.  I love that effect.

Of the birthday cards I've made this month, this is one of my very favorites!  Hope you like it, too!

Smiles, Laura

Great Friend....

Here is a card I made for my friend Linda's birthday.  We had a lunch last week celebrating her birthday along with two other of our friends.  It was so much fun to celebrate three girls' birthday at one luncheon!!  I used Sahara Sand for the card.  I stamped the butterfly from the Great Friend set in Marina Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz  And I backed each one with the same color cardstock.   Those are mounted on a piece of white cardstock that I embossed with the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder.

                                   

Because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Stampin' Up! 1-1/4" striped ribbon, I just HAD to use it on this card in Marina Mist.  I put a a Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad in the center of the ribbon.  Then I stamped the sentiment from the Birthday Greetings set in Pear Pizzazz.

I think Linda enjoyed this card.  It was fun to make!  Smiles, Laura

Contempo Christmas....

Here is a card I made recently to send my friend Carol.  I used the ornament stamp from the Contempo Christmas stamp set.  I stamped two in Cherry Cobbler and one in Old Olive. And the nice thing is you can punch them out using the Ornament punch, so no cutting!  I used the Jolly Holiday designer series paper behind them, using two patterns of it.  And the card itself is Cherry Cobbler.

                                       

I used the Very Vanilla 3/8: taffeta ribbon tied around each ornament.  I love those bows!  There is no sentiment on the front of this card.  I think the images says it all!  Happy Holidays!

Thanks for stopping by!  Smiles, Laura

Black and White....

Hello!  Today I wanted to share with you a card I made for a stamp club swap.  The only parameters for the swap were that you use black and white for it---only those two colors.  At first I was at a loss, becuase I rarely use those two colors together.  Then I remember the Come to Bethlehem set and decided it woudl be perfect for the swap.  Here is my card.

I cut the oval using the Frame, Oval Scallop die ith my Big Shot machine, just leaving off the scallop edging.  I don't have a close up shot, but I put one of the SU "rhinestore jewels" in the center of the star.  It shows up really well on the card. 

This is a really quick Christmas card and you could turn out a few of them really quickly.

I appreciate your visit today.  Smiles, Laura

More Northern Frost snowflakes....

I've been away awhile, I know.  It's been a busy week.  Some days, posting to my blog just has to take backseat to other work.  I wanted to share this card with you today.  It is another one using the Northern Frost die and my Big Shot.  What did we do before the days of Big Shots?  ha!  This card is made using Marina Mist for the card and the Patterns Pack designer series paper in Marina Mist.  The sentiment is from the  Bright Christmas stamp set in the Holiday mini.  The white cardstock that's on is backed with Blushing Bride cardstock. 

Here is a close-up of the snowflakes.  I smudged just a little Marina Mist onto the edges so they'd show up better.  And I put the pearls "Jewels" in the center of each snowflake to make them look neat!

This is a quick and easy card to make but would also make a great "winter" card for someone with a January birthday.  Or just a great winter "thinking of you" card.

Thanks for stopping in today.  I"ll try not to be gone so long next time.  Smiles, Laura

Trendy Trees....

I think this is a happy fall card!  I guess it's because I LOVE the 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon Stampin' Up! sells.  They have it in so many beautiful colors and you would not believe how soft and piable it is, unless you touched it!  So to me it MAKES this card.

The colors used on this one are Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron and Cajun Craze.  The tree is from the Trendy Trees stamp set and the top of each tree is stamped in the color of the scalloped square behind it (punched using the Scallop Square Punch).  I stamped the tree trunks with Soft Suede.  The Very Vanilla square that the trees are stamped on are punched with the 1-1/4" punch.

The sentiment is from the Grateful Greetings stamp set and is stamped in Soft Suede.  I love the layers on this card.  My ladies will tell you that in class I stress all the time that the more layers,used, the better the card looks.  Layers just make a card look richer!

This one is fairly easy today, but again, this is a layout that you could make in other colors for other seasons!  I love having layouts I like to try in many colors and with many stamp sets. 

Have a great day!!   Smiles, Laura