Back to school....

My two sweet grandchildren started back to school on Tuesday. Dillon will be in 6th grade and Jessica will be in 3rd. They are in different schools and both do well in class, so they didn't mind starting back--except that it means the end of summer and long visits to our house!

I wanted to make them each a card wishing them good luck this year and just to let them know I was thinking of them. Here are the cards I made each of them. Dillon's is blue and yellow and used some retired SU stamps, current SU punches, and non-SU paper and punches. Jessica's looks more girly and uses Spellbinder dies and non-SU designer paper. But it had numbers and alphabets on the stars so I thought it was perfect for her.
Since both kids love getting their own mail, I hope they like the mail they get today! And I hope they both have a wonderful school year! Smiles, Laura

Butterflies and blue skies....

Butterflies and blue skies---don't you LOVE that title! I love seeing butterflies in the summer. These blue and black butterfies come in our area in late summer and they sure enjoy my husband's zinneas in his garden. He has some beautiful flowers in all colors and sweetly brings me bouquets to the house for our table. I could not resist capturing pictures of these butterflies.

I don't show it here, but one little fellow was near the end of his life cycle, had torn wings and yet still was flitting about enjoying the flowers. We should be like that--enjoying life in spite of our age or infirmaties! What a beautiful blessing from God!!

I did see my first monarch butterfly of the fall yesterday, too, but of course did not get a picture. The monarch butterflies migrate across the Blue Ridge Parkway near us and we oftentimes see a few down our way. I guess they are starting their trip home for the winter. Butterflies are my personal symbol, so I particularly enjoy them---all kinds and colors of them!! Smiles, Laura

A box for tags.....

Here is a neat little tag box I made yseterday, using the Level 2 hostess set Christmas Punch and the Christmas Lounge DSP. I got the instructions from Valerie Stangle and the pattern for the cut-outs on the front from Bev Victory. Thanks to both ladies!! I used the SU thick window sheets to line the cut-out squares. This is a neat little box for tags or any other small pieces. Thanks for looking. Smiles, Laura

Subtle Difference....

This first card is one I made for a Christmas in August swap I am participating in. I'm not sure if you can tell it, but the ornament if covered with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I used the two way glue pen to adher it. The sets used on this card are Tree Trimmings and Christmas Greetings. The colors are Taken with Teal and Sahara Sand. The designer paper used is Holiday Lounge. I hope the swap participants like it. Then I decided to use some of the darker sheets from the Holiday Lounge paper on one and I added another ornament. I think I liked this even better, but of course all my swaps were in the mail already. I guess any time you keep working on a card, you will always find ways to change and sometime improve it. Thanks for looking!! Smiles, Laura

Here comes fall....

OK, I promised to try a fall card in the "mountainscape" technique. I could not wait!! I just had to go to my stamp room and make one--before the mood passed. Didn't it turn out well---and it makes me WANT fall here! (It's been a hot summer for us. ) I used Crushed Curry for the top mountain range, More Mustard for the second range and Dusty Durango for the closest mountain range. I sponged on some Soft Suede in the foreground and wish I had added just a touch to the highest mountain range. And I added Dusty Durango in the valleys to give it that autumn glow. I hope you will try some of these "mountainscapes" yourself. They are so fun and honestly, I couldn't find anywhere to put any words on them because it covers up the wonderful "view". Smiles, Laura

Mountainscapes....

Everyone is making these landscape-vista-type cards right now. I've seen them on several blogs and other demonstrators have shared their samples in some of my groups. I made my first one in 2005 using a Sell-a-bration set. Here is that one. These look just like the mountains we see around our home--we live in the NC mountains. My friend Regina has named these cards "mountainscapes" and I like that name and will use it for mine.

This technique is made by tearing cardstock to resemble mountain shapes. You want to start about 1/3 way down the card and sponge on color BELOW the torn cardstock. Ones tendancy is to put color ABOVE the tear, but that's not right. Some people sponge on the color and some use the rubber brayer to applying it. I could not get my brayer to add color without lines in it and found the sponge worked much better for me (I had more control). Add your highest mountain range, then drop down with a different piece of torn cardstock--so the mountains have different peaks and valleys--and add your second range of mountains. Then drop to the third range, adding your green color, and finish off with a lighter green for the close up "ground" color. I say it's kind of like looking off into the distance and then slowly dropping your eyes to your feet.

For the top card, I started with Bordering Blue, then added Ballet Blue. then Always Artichoke, and finally Celery Green. To add the sun, punch a 3/4" circle in a piece of cardstock. Apply Barely Banana inside that circle until you have it dark enough. Remove the cardstock with the circle and add more yellow around the sun, for that afternoon glow. Finally sponge in some Bashful Blue in the sky and also between the different mountain ranges to look like our "Blue Ridge Mountains" or "Great Smoky Mountains"--like fog in the valleys.

You can stamp whatever grasses/flowers/weeds you'd like in the foreground and you can add some "tree leaves" at the top, as if you are viewing the mountainscape between some trees. I've seen views just like this from the Blue Ridge Parkway!!

I have one more to show--an "evening" mountainscape. I love this one, too. I used the same torn templates, but the colors I used are Almost Amethyst for the sky, Lavender Lace for the highest mountain range, Orchid Opulence for the next range and Rich Razzleberry for the bottom color.

To get the moon, you want to punch a 3/4" circle from a "sticky note" and tack the moon onto the sky, and apply Amethyst around it so the moon stays white.

Well, I hope these have inspired you. They are so fun to make. What's so great is that no two are alike--just as no two mountain ranges are the same. I want to make one with golds, reds and brown--a FALL mountainscape. I'll share it when I get it made. Thanks for patiently waiting for me to return to my blog. I've had a busy month with the grandchildren!! Smiles, Laura

Celebreate July 4th with Uncle Sam...

I've shared this little Uncle Sam I made with several yahoo groups (some other demonstators have even made variations of him) but I haven't shared him on my blog, so I decided to do so for the July 4th weekend. He's made using the Top Note die (several colors of CS) and several punches. I asked around, thinking surely someone else had made one, but none turned up so I had to make one myself! I love how he turned out. I made this fellow, attached him to Blue CS and put him on a little white bag, for a cute July 4th "treat bag". I sent that one to SU! Hope you all have a happy 4th of July! I'm heading to my sisters, so you'll hear from me Thursday! Be safe!! Smiles, Laura