Grateful....

Here is a card I made the other day using Pear Pizzazz layered with River Rock.  I topped that with this delightful designer paper from the Spice Cake collection. 

For the sentiment, I used the oval from the Designer Frames embossing folder set with Pear and cut around it.  I love how it has those raised dots and WISH we had an oval die or punch that would punch it out.  But I cut it with scissors.  Then I punched out a River Rock oval using the Wide Oval punch.  I inked the "Grateful" word of the "Grateful Greetings" stamp from the Grateful Greetings stamp set (I know, that's alot of GRATEFUL) with my Always Artichoke marker and stamped in.  It is on vanilla cardstock.  Then I punched it with my Decorative Label punch.  I reinserted the cardstock in the punch, just barely in, and punched it again to make a narrow label.  Love it!!

I cut a small snip of Victoria Crochet Trim and attached it to the edge with a Green Circle Ice Rhinestone brad.  Hard to see that green here, but it shows up well in real life.

This isn't a hard or complicated card, but a nice one to send to someone to express your appreciation for them.   And I appreciate your visit to my blog today!!

Smiles, Laura

Diagonal Stripes....

I'm sharing three cards today.  They all use the same layout, but different colors.

This first one uses Real Red and Old Olive from the Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack. 

I cut the strips 1" wide.  I glued them onto a piece of red cardstock. 

The wreath on the cards is from the Bright Hopes set.  I stamped it in Olive.  I punched the red "berries" using the smallest eye punch in the Owl Builder Punch.  I tied the 1/8" red ribbon into a small bow to put on the wreath.  I tied Real Red  5/8" grosgrain ribbon around the card.  I didn't realize until later that this is retired ribbon; but you could use Real Red satin ribbon on it.

For this card (below), I used the dotted and striped BOTH from Old Olive.  It looks nice, too, and you can

use either colors.  The sentiment on this one is from the Grateful Greetings stamp set.

You might remember this card (below).  I shared it with you some time back.  Well, the ones I'm sharing today use this same layout but for Christmas cards.  This is a very good way to use up your old scraps of designer paper.  Since the strips are only 1" wide and about 4" long,  you cna use any scraps left over from card fronts to create this layout.
                                                  

Hope you like these three!  Come back again soon!  Smiles, Laura

Halloween Coffin....

This card will be the Halloween card I am sending to my grandson Dillon.  I saw a coffin box on someone's blog and decided it might be fun to make a coffin card.  He'll like it.  I free-hand cut the pattern.  It's sort of hard because the fold is on an angle on the left side. 

I drew the spider web using the white Signo Gel pen.  Then I stamped the black spider in the center.

I used the Naturally Serif Decorative Strip die to cut the BOO out of white.  I sponged some grey on it.

Here is the inside of the card.  This bat punch by Stampin' Up! was retired last year.  I hate that because it's a great little punch.  Oh, well, I use mine anyway and am so glad I bought it while it was available.

The sentiment is from the Grateful Greetings stamp set.  I hope Dillon likes the card!!  Smiles, Laura

Valentine Dragon...

I hate to share a card before we've made it in class, but I've shared this little fellow on the Stampin' Up! Stampers Connection and so decided to go ahead and post him here.  This little fellow will be my grandson Dillon's Valentine.  I saw a dragon last year on a card made by Kimberly McDaniel (different colors) and thought he was so cute.  I have a customer who has been asking for us to make a dragon, so I decided to try my hand at him for Dillon's card.  Isn't he the cutest!

                                      

 I used Cherry Cobbler for the card itself and designer paper from the Patterns Paper Stack in Subtles for the background.

Here is a close-up of his head and below are the punches used:
Head:  1-3/4" circle
Snout:  Wide Oval
Lower jaw:  Large oval
Eyes and teeth:  Small Oval and retired Slit punch
Nostrils:  Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack
Points on head and back:  Star Punch
Sentiment:  Scallop Circle Punch
"Thought" dots:  Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.
The sentiment is from the Gratefu Greetings stamp set.

He was really pretty easy to make.  I hope Dillon likes him when he gets him!!  And I hope my customers like him when we make him!
Smiles, Laura

Dasher....

You know, I was thinking I haven't posted a card using Dasher all winter.  I used him last year alot for my Christmas cards.  Then I got to checking and realized that Dasher is a retired stamp!  How sad!  I usually don't demonstrate in class nor post cards with retired stamps but I have on occasion.  So I'll post this card.

This one is the same layout I posted yesterday--card, matting and top layer using the Northern Flurry embossing folder.  Again I put the sentiment in the lower right hand corner and the image in a matted circle.  But look how different this one is!  I used Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla for this one. 

There's no limit to what you could do with this layout--any sentiment and any image.  Go try it yourself!
Smiles, Laura

Ed.note:  Thanks to Jennifer and Vicky for reminding me that Dasher is not retired!!  I just missed him in my catalog---I THOUGHT he was current but couldn't find him when I posted this.  Thanks, ladies.