Celebrating Dillon's 12th birthday...

I wanted to share a picture of grandson Dillon as we celebrated his 12th birthday this weekend. (This was before we lit the candles.)  Isn't he a nice looking young man!! He looks alot older than 12!  He's gotten so tall--I think he's about 5'5" now.  I'm so very proud of him and just had to post his picture. 

We had a good time with the grandchildren---like we always do!!  I'm so glad they live close enough to come visit us.

Now, let's see a card sample.

This sample uses the little stampset, Cheers to You, for the main image.  To get the glasses to shine like real champaign, I unscrewed the top on my new Smooch Spritz Gold Glow and poured alittle into a small paint pot and used my aqua painter to paint the "liquid" in the glass.  I love how it shines. 

I wanted something to go at the top and bottom of the oval, so I punched out corners with my scallop trim corner, cut it to fit behind my oval and look, it made a great top and bottom of the oval.  I like this effect.

My customers have been wanting to do a card using vellum, so we are making this one (below) in our May class.  I ran the vellum through my Finial Press embossing folder to make this background.  I used the retiring Bordering Blue CS for this card.  I used a card by Sandi MacIver as my inspiration.  Thanks, Sandi!! Again, I colored the "champagne" with the Gold Glow Smooch Spritz.  I know, I know, you are supposed to spray with it, but I love painting with it. 

I also painted the flowers in Best Wishes (from Ovals All set) with the gold.  I used the Scallop Trim Corner and Border punches on this card, too. 

Thanks for visiting today!!  Have a wonderful day!  Smiles, Laura

More Side Steps

Thought I'd share more of my side steps samples today. I hope you are enjoying these!! This one is a fun one for the upcoming July 4 holiday weekend and was inspired by a sample by card-maker extraordinare Connie Babbert. I hope it looks like fireworks in the night sky to you because that's what it is supposed to look like. I used the Sizzix Daisies #2 die to punch out these "fireworks bursts" using white, Real Red and Brilliant Blue CS. I decided I wanted mine in the night sky, so I used black for my background. It's hard to see the black and the side steps here with the dark background. (I'm going to have to find a better place/way to photograph my samples!) I think this sample has a 2" left (un-folded) side. Remember, you can make the steps on either side of these cards and can leave the un-scored portion as wide as you'd like.

Here is another one. This sample uses Almost Amethyst, Bashful Blue and Orchid Opulence cardstock. It uses the flower from the Embrace Life set. I love the delicate colors on this one. It also uses the Floating Re-inker technique.

And one last one I just have to share. I LOVE the butterfly from the Flores suaves set (from the SU Spanish language catalog). If you don't have that catalog, you are missing out on this beautiful set because it isn't in the regular SU catalog. For this one, I used Tangerine Tango and Summer Sun cardstock. I embossed the butterflies with gold on the Shimmery white CS and then used the Floating Re-Inker technique to color them. Aren't they GREAT!!! The quote on this one is from the Full of Life stamp set. It was in the Occasions 2008 mini catalog and will be in the new 2009-2010 catalog.

Well, thanks for looking today! I hope you are inspired to create!! Smiles, Laura

Note: I have seen these side-step cards (which are a variation of the Stair Step card layout) on many blogs and other sources, so I hestiate to give credit for the layout--for fear of leaving someone out. But I know I have instructions for it from Yvonne Metz and Cathy Seals. (I did draw my own instructions shared yesterday.) I understand that Yvonne was inspired by Kim Wilson and Jackie Topa, but I've seen lots of great samples by other wonderful stampers. This is one concern I have with a blog--once a layout or technique has been shared, you see it in alot of places and it is very hard to give proper credit to the real originator! Thanks to everyone who shares!!