Male birthdays......

I had two important birthdays this month--my husband Frank's and my brother-in-law Monte's.  I wanted to make a card quickly,  but you know how hard it is to come up with masculine cards!!  Well, I decided these squares would be perfect for these two men. 

I used Soft Suede, Certainly Celery, and Tempting Turquoise for the squares.  I cut 3 of each color in each of 3 sizes--1-3/8", 1-1/4" and 1".  To layer them, I used dimensionals on the 4 corners and center for the bottom layer and on the top, bottom and 2 sides on the top layer.  I like the looks of different heights on the different layers.

 Here is another card I made, this one using Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, and Daffodil Delight.  I like it, too, but it isn't quite as masculine. 

I think the two fellows like the card.  At least they both had good birthdays!!  Happy Birthday, guys!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Smiles, Laura

Neat Inside fold.....

Here is a card I mde recently that uses the Gently Falling stamp set.  I started with a 4-1/4" x 8-1/2" piece of white cardstock.  I cut a River Rock piece to 4" x 4", used the Labels Collection Framelit to cut out the center, then embossed the River Rock using the Chevron embossing folder.  I rounded the corners for effect.

I stamped the leaves using the Gently Falling stamp set and colored them with Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, and Marina Mist inks using my aqua painter, then cut them out.  They are popped up with dimensionals.

For the inside of this card, I cut a white piece of cardstock 6" x 6".  I folded it in half both ways, so it made a 3" square.  Then I unfolded it and folded it diagonally only one way.  These because mountain folds so it would fold up to go inside the card.  I stamped more leaves all around the outside of this piece and colored them. 

I stamped the sentiment from the One In A Million stamp set. 

This makes a neat Thank You card, but this layout could be used for so many occasions and the recipient would get a neat surprise when they open it.  Go try this one out!!

Thanks for stopping in!  Smiles, Laura

Quilting layouts and swaps....

Recently I participated in a swap that required us to make a Fall sample. I decided to combine that theme with a quilting pattern I'd been wanting to try.  Here is the card I made for the swap:  I used Cajun Craze and More Mustard for the card and matting.  The front is Whisper white that's been run throug the embossing folder.

Here is a close-up of the "quilt" part:

I used the 1-1/4" square punch to punch these out of the Orchard Harvest designer paper.  This I folded them in half each way to crease them, then folded each of the 4 corners to the center, and then glued them on.

I also stamped the apples from the Perfectly Preserved stamp set and die-cut them using the Cannery set dies.  I stamped the sentiment from the Perfect Punches stamp set and punched it out using the extra-large oval punch.

Here are the other two samples from the swap.  We only had three of us to participate. 

This one is by Selene Kempton.

This one was made by Jeanne Nielsen.

Aren't they great!!

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Smiles, Laura

Happy Thanksgiving, a couple of days late...

I missed getting this posted before Thanksgiving, but I did want to share it and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

This is the altar display that I arranged at our church last Sunday.  It was in gratitude for the bountiful harvest we have had this year.   I do a display like this every other year, but many of our congregation wish I did it each year.  In this shot, you can see the table and also the basket of pumpkins and gourds on the floor under it.

 Here is a close-up of the table.  Friend Marion Smith helped me with it this year.  Yes, we had a big "spread" but then there are so many things I just feel I have to add.

The Bible in this one was my mother's---she died in 1981.  She carried this Bible every Sunday and made notes all through it of the sermons being preached. The shawl under the display was also my mother's.  My husband Frank turned the blue pot that holds the rye and millet stems and he turned the two candle sticks.  The wooden bowl on the right was turned for us by a now deceased friend.  I included lots of canned goods Frank and I put up.  So the table is very touching for me, with the memories of my blessings that it hold for me.

I hope you all had a wonderful family time on Thanksgiving and that you survived the Black Friday shopping!  I'll share stamping samples later.....
Smiles, Laura

Fold-back card....

Today I want to share a couple of cards I made recently.  On Pinterest I've seen alot of these cards "folded back" but from the left side toward the right.    I thought it was a neat look, but wanted mind folded back from the right side to the left.  So I made this Christmas one, using the Cherry Cobbler cardstock for the card with vanilla on the front of it.  I used designer paper from the Festival of Prints DSP stack.  But any double-sided designer paper would do.  You simply tear the designer paper in the middle and fold it back.  It's so easy!   I stamped the tree from the Scentsational Season stamp set, and cut it with the Holiday Collection die.  I then applied red sparkle to the tree using the Dazzling Detail in Cherry Cobbler.

 I made alot of cards like this one for our church shut-ins.  I used retired designer paper.  I think this was called Apple Cider but am not sure.  The leaves are punched using non-Stampin' Up! dies.

The uses of this layout are endless.  You could make a birthday card and have a cupcake on the part folded back.  Or for Easter, you could put a bunny or egg.  Need I go on?? 

I guess I'm hooked on finding layouts and trying them with lots of themes.  Thanks for stopping in today!! Come back soon!!
Smiles, Laura

For Dad....

I saw a similar card to this on the front of Paper Crafts magazine recently and decided I wanted to make one for my dad for Veterans Day!  

Dad is 92 and a wonderfully patriotic veteran!   He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service during WWII.  He was wounded trying to pull one of his men in his platoon to safety.  His nose was shot off (yes, he came that close to dying himself) and because they could not airlift him out because of heavy fire, Dad tied a bandanna around his face and kept fighting all night until he could be airlifted the next day.  What a hero he is and yet he never talks about it or brags.  To him, he was just doing what had to be done.  I had the honor of visiting the World War II memorial in Washington DC with him in September and am so very glad I got to experience that.  Here he is there:

 Here is day with another WWII "hero" who was on the tour with us.

 And here is me and Dad together at the memorial.

 I always try to send Dad a card for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.  So I have had this one ready ahead of time. 

I used Soft Suede and Always Artichoke for the card and layer.  I have Very Vanilla on the front, with the star and sentiment stamped on it.  

I stamped the words, Freedom, Service, and Brave, from the Words of Courage stamp set in black on silver cardstock.

The "Thanks a Million" sentiment is from the Word Play set.

I added the chain so it would look like dog tags.    I hope Dad likes this one!!

Be sure to call and say "Thank You" to all the veterans you know on Sunday.  So many have given so much for us to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.  I am so proud of my dad!!

Come back soon!! Smiles, Laura

Top Note Dogs and Cats

Our church has a Blessing of the Animals at the Manger event each December and it is so moving and still alot of fun.  The event is a non-threatening time to tell the Christmas story to unchurched people.  We have children dressed as Mary, Joseph and an angel and our pastor tells of how the animals in the stable were blessed to be the first to see baby Jesus as he was born.  They in turn bless us and our homes.  Then as each animal is brought to her, our pastor blesses the pet and the home where it brings so much joy.  We always have a big turnout and hold the event in our amphitheater. We have mostly dogs and cats, but have had a hamster, a guinea pig, and our pastor says she even blessed a pig and a baby goat once!

I always do a bulletin board reminding our congregation about the event and announcing the date to anyone who visits in our church.  This year, I decided I wanted to make cats and dogs (that's MOSTLY the pets brought to the event) using the Stampin' Up! Top Note die.  Here are the cats and dogs I made this year:
                                     

 

 

The Schnauzer is my Gabby, of course. She even has her pink heart name tag around her neck.  The yellow cat is my sister Cynthia's cat, Bo, and the white wire-haired Fox Terrier is my sister Becky's dog, Winston.  I was pleased with how they turned out and they were so much fun to make.  I could have gone on and on making other breeds of dogs and cats, but of course the bulletin board only had so much room available.

Here is the bulletin board I decorated this morning:

I cut little bony fish from vanilla card stock to go on there and also punched some paw prints.  I decided to put the wording on bone-shaped pieces.   I'm afraid I got the font on the wording alittle small but oh, well.

I hope this will catch people's eye and they will want to attend our event.  We had about 35 pets last year; let's hope for even more this year!!

Leave me a comment and let me know how you like these little fellows!
Smiles, Laura

Hoedown Scarecrow....

Our church recently planned a chili supper to invite the public in to enjoy free food, fellowship and fun and to get to know our church members better.  We had a local band come and play bluegrass music, had games, pumpkin decorating, etc.  We decided to call this a Harvest Hoedown and decorated with corn shocks, bales of hay, bandannas on the tables, etc.  What a fun occasion.  I needed to decorate a bulletin board at church advertising the supper, so I had seen this scarecrow made using the top note Pinterest and decided he'd be perfect for the bulletin board.  In fact, I made 6 of them, all with different hats.  I think they turned out so cute. 

They were such a hit that I decided to have my class make some, too, only they'd be a fall CARD rather than just a scarecrow face. 

For those, we cut the Naturals Ivory cardstock 4-1/4" x 11" and folded it in half.  We positioned the fold at the top and laid that just inside of the top of the Top Note Die, so that the folded part would not be cut.  That made the card.  We cut the TOP of the hat by laying a piece of designer paper at the top of the Top Note and cutting it out.  The brim of the hat was made by laying a piece of designer paper on the LONG side of the Top Note die and cutting.  The nose is punched using the Petite Pennant Builder punch.  I had some raffia on hand that we used for the hair.  And of course for the bird, we used the Bird Builder punch. 

For this fellow, I put a BLACK bird on it, because of course scarecrows are mostly used to keep blackbirds away from one's garden!  Ha!

Aren't these the cutest!  I'm so glad I saw that first one on Pinterest! Great idea for a hoedown bulletin board and for a card!!
Smiles, Laura