One more Easel Butterfly....

OK, one more butterfly easel today--this one more suitable for a man.  I just love making these and can't seem to stop myself.  I hope you are not bored yet!

This card is Marina Mist with a mat of Pear Pizzazz and a layer of stripe designer paper from the Sale-a-bration Ice Cream Parlor pack.  I just love the stripes on this one.

Not too much to tell you on this one, if you've visited my blog recently.  This butterfly is made just like the last two I shared.    Here is another shot of it opened up ("fluffed out").

As you can see, the layers are Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, and Bashful Blue and all are run through a couple of embossing folders to give that butterfly texture.  And of course I sponged color around the edges to add interest.  One more close up of the butterfly, sitting up.  I sent this one to my stamping friend Holly so she could enjoy it sitting on her desk.

I did add some photo corners to two edges of this one, because I was not putting the strip or ribbon across it.  I guess you might say it's a bit drab, but I love the green and blue on this butterfly.

Thanks for stopping in today!! Smiles, Laura

Eastern Blooms

Here is a card I made recently that I wanted to share today.  It uses the Sahara Sand as the card color, with layers of Not Quite Navy and Marina Mist.  I added Rick Razzleberry for interest. 

                                      

The two panels on the front were run through the Square Lattice embossing folder to give it some texture.  Love it!!  I think the 3 little 1/8" ribbons wrapped around the front are a hit, don't you?  If you haven't started using these smaller ribbons, you should try them!!

 Of interest on this card is the flower.  Using my stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the same flower from Eastern Blooms onto three  pieces of vanilla cardstock, add the same size, using Razzleberry, Marina Mist and Not Quite Navy.  Then I tore two of the flowers so that I could layer some of each color onto the Marina Mist one.  I have Razzleberry on two sides.  I think this adds more interest than just having one colored flower.

I want to show you one more thing about the card.  Notice the label I stamped Hello onto?  Well that's one END of the Decorative Label Punch.  Yes, I punched out one Decorative Label, then put one end of it back into the punch just a bit and punched again.  I wish I had taken a shot of it in the punch, but hope you can figure it out.  Makes a neat little label for just one word like this.  (That's "Hello" from the Tiny Teacup set.)              

                                       

Hope this one has inspired you today!!  Thanks for stopping by.  Smiles, Laura

Butterflies.....

Our club theme for swaps this month was "Anything with Wings" and it was interesting to see the cards we all brought.  No one brought a card wtih a bird, nor a dragonfly.  Amazing!  We all brought butterflies (we must REALLY be ready for spring) except one girl who brought a card with an angel.  Great thought!

So here is the card I made for the swap.  It's alot like a card I had saved to my photo file.

The card itself is white and doesn't have my usual full layer on the front.  I layered Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive designer paper on that with a strip of Daffodil Delight cardstock over that.

                          

 The punched out butterflies are run through the Square Lattice embossing folder.  So is the white background my circles are on.  The white circles are 1-3/8" and the daffodil ones are 1" circles.

I put little yellow "rhinestone" jewels on each butterfly. 

I stamp "hello" from the Tiny Cup set on the card.  It would be a good card for almost any occasion.

Thanks for visiting today!  Smiles, Laura

Birthday wishes....

I have several birthdays to acknowledge this month and here is a card I made for two of them. I used three In Colors for this card--the card itself is Peach Parfait, the next layer is Poppy Parade and the top layer is Pear Pizzazz.  I love this color combination.  The designer paper is from the Sunny Garden collection--both the striped piece and the floral piece.   I punched the circle using the new 3-1/2" die from the Occasions Mini.

 I punched two flowers using the new Fun Flowers Bigz L Die from the Occasions Mini. I embossed them with embossing folders--the bottom one with the Perfect Polka Dots folder and the top one with the Vintage Wallpaper one.  I sponged Poppy on both of them to add depth.  Love that pear glimmer grad in the middle of the flower, too.

The Birthday Wishes sentiment is from the Occasional Quotes Level 3 Hostess set.  That will be one I'll use a lot. 

I hope my friends who get this card like it!! I think it will be a hit!  Smiles, Laura

The Key to my Heart....

OK, I'm alittle disappointed there are no comments on my little dragon.  You KNOW he's a doll.  SO, here is another Valentine for you today.  I have several more to share, so I hope you are not bored with Valentines.  Next to Christmas, it's the next single event with so many cards to make and send.  I put all mine in the mail to family and friends today.

This one uses the largest heart on the Heart to Heart punch to punch out the largest and smallest hearts.  They are glued to the center of circles and then raised the circles with dimensionals. 

                                             

Here is a close-up of the hearts and circles.  You will notice that some of the hearts are punched from the Red Glimmer cardstock in the Occasions Mini.  I just LOVE that cardstock!!

I used the Framed Tulips embossing folder around the outside of the pink layer of the card.  That color is Mambo Melon and the card itself is Tango Tangerine.  I stamped "Key to my Heart" from the You're a Gem stamp set, also in the Occasions mini. 

I hope you like this one.  I think it's a hit!!    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

Ornament Acorn....

I made this card recently with a birthday sentiment and liked it so much I revised one of my October classes to include it.  Isnt' he a cute fellow. France Martin showed how to make him on her blog and wanted to try it myself.  The acorn is made using Crumb Cake punched with the Ornament Punch.  The cap and stem are  made using the large oval punch punched from Soft Suede.  I ran the cap through the Square Lattice embossing folder to give it some interest.  I used the small oval punch and Early Espresso CS for his mouth.  And I cut the little fellow some bangs from Soft Suede.

The card itself is Soft Suede and layered with Crumb Cake that I've run through the Square Lattice embossing folder.  The sentiment is from Seasonal Sentiments set in the Holiday Mini. 

I stamped the leaves behind the acorn in Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight using a leaf in the Day of Gratitude set (also in the Holiday mini).  I colored his cheeks with a finger dauber using Regal Rose ink and put a white dot in each using the White Gel Pen.  His eyes are black brads and his nose is a GLimmer brad in Old Olive.  I would never have purchased these cute glimmer brads but Stampin' Up! gave each attendee at Regional a pack of them.  Isn't SU the nicest!  I used them on this acorn fellow and today ordered the Glimmer Brads in all the colors they come in.  I LOVE them!!

I hope he's inspired you!! Thanks for stopping by today.  Smiles, Laura