A card for Linda....

Recently my BFF Linda moved to Chapel Hill.  This was while I was going through all the health issues with hubby, so I really didn't get to spend any last days with her nor get to attend a dinner our church had for her and her husband, both great friends of ours.   But I did take a moment to make Linda this card.   

 I love the colors, Cherry Cobbler and white.  This little heart border punch is by Martha Steward and I like it for cards "of the heart".  This sentiment on the front is from the new Blessings from Heaven set.  I liked it for my front of the card.

 Here are the hearts.  I punched some from the Cherry Cobler paper and sponged the edges.  The others I punched from the Red sparkling paper.  I strung them all onto bakers twine, to look like they are hanging on a line.

 Another shot of the hearts.

 Inside, I used this sentiment from the Friendly Words jumbo wheel.  I think I've told you before I bought a second wheel, peeled off the rubber,  and cut it into different stamps so I could use the words in and on my cards.

I thought this sentiment inside was perfect for Linda.  I hope we each have time to stay in touch!!  I'll sure miss her here!
Smiles, Laura

French Foliage...

The card I have for you today uses the French Foliage stampset.  The card is Always Artichoke, layered with Riding Hood Red and More Mustard on top of that.  I used some striped designer paper with these colors (not Stampin' Up! designer paper). (Sorry the lighting isn't really great on these pictures; I took them in the dimmed hospital room on hubby's bed.)

 Here is a close-up shot of the circles at the bottom of the front.  I punched 3/4" circles out of the mustard cardstock.  I layered that onto Artichoke cardstock and punched holes from it using the 1/2" circle punch.  Then I glued the striped paper behind both and layered it all onto Riding Hood Red.

Look at the leaf.  I punched the circle out using a 2-1/4" die.  Onto that I stamped the French words in this set using Olive ink.  Then I stamped the leaf over that with More Mustard.  I sponged the edges using Riding Hood Red.

 I stacked the circle with the leaf onto a circle cut from the striped paper and another cut from Artichoke.  I put dimensionals in between each layer to make them really show up.

Other layers of this card front have sponging, too, because it gives it depth and makes for a better card, I think.

I hope you like this one.  It was just a fun play on circles!  Smiles, Laura

Zoo Review...

Hi!  It's so good to be back to my blog again this week.  I hope to make it a regular thing now.  Things are mucb better at our house.  My husband is home from the hospital and starting to feel more like himself.  He has some residual vision problems and is weak from so many days in the hospital and bed, but he is improving each day.  Praise the Lord!! And thanks all of you who have sent well wishes our way and lifted up prayers for us.  We are still having to give him medication every 4 hours around the clock, but this will pass.  We are just glad to be home and getting back to normal.  I've even gotten to stamp some! 

The sample I'm sharing today is one my friend Judy and I made the day before Frank's hemorrhage.  I just didn't get to share it with you!  This one uses the Zoo Review set.  I love all the animals in this one and can't wait to play with them.

I used Soft Suede for this card, layered with Basic Black cardstock.  The designer paper is not from Stampin' Up.   I stamped the giraffe on white cardstock I had cut with a Spellbinder die and layered that onto a black one that was one size larger.  If left the white paper in the die and sponged around it with mustard ink to give it a little more of a Serengeti look.  I colored the giraffe with my mustard marker and the spots with the Chocolate Chip marker.

 These leaves are from the French Foliage set.  I love to use that set in the fall---and yes, it is about fall.  I stamped one leaf on Mustard cardstock using Soft Suede ink.  I stamped the other two on white cardstock, using Black ink and sponged mustard over them.  I kind of like how they turned out in those colors.  I attached them to the card using linen thread.
                                    

I think this would be a great card for a man.  Judy kidded me because I kept asking what "words" will we put on the front.  She is fine with no sentiment on the front of a card, so I left it blank.  Oh, well, all the sentiment is inside.  Ha!   Thanks for stopping by today!! See you again!! Smiles, Laura

Summer Ice Cream!

Wouldn't a cone of ice cream be great on a hot summer day like today!!  I like to show my customers several ways to use each punch, so for this sample, we used the Petite Pennants Builder punch for the cone.  I stamped it first using Espresso ink on Crumb Cake CS using the Pennant Parade stamp set.  I punched the "scoops" of ice cream using the Cupcake Builder punch.  I used the top of the cupcake image for the "scoop".  That particular one looks like clouds in the sky, too.  So many ways to use that punch, also.

Here is a close-up of those scoops.   They are popped up from the card using dimensionals.  Notice I sponged around the end of the scoops to give it dimension, too.  For the cherry, I punched one cherry from Real Red CS and one from Wild Wasabi CS.  I but the stem off the red cherry and glued it over the green cherry.  Great way to attach them.  This circle the cone is on was punched using the 2-1/2" circle punch.  I sponged it's edges, also.

 The sentiment on this card is from the You're Cherished set.  I like it saying, "You're sweet."  I'll be using this stamp alot!

The designer paper on this card is from the Just Add Cake series.  I used the Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon for this one, too.

Thanks for coming by today.  Have a good one!!
Smiles, Laura

Let's party!

No, hubby isn't being released from the hospital yet!  I wish we could be partying about that.  But this card is great for a birthday party, complete with party hats.  And best of all, it shows another way to use the Petite Pennant Builder punch and Pennant Builder stamp set--for the party hat.  I stamped the pompoms from the set and punched them with the flower-like punch in the  Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  The card itself is Real Red and I embossed a piece of white with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  The striped paper is from the Just Add Cake collection. 

 Here is a close-up of the hats.  I stamped "wish big" from the same set and then punched it with the Jewelry Tag punch.  It's not hung on like a tag, but just stuck under the party hat.

The sentiment on this card is from the Petite Pairs stamp set.  That's one you will see me using alot because it has alot of great sentiments in it.

I appreciate your continued prayers for my husband as he heals.  Keep coming by to visit, OK!!
Smiles, Laura

I'm sharing, I'm sharing!

I'm sitting with my husband at the hospital and now have time to share a sample with you!! I am so glad to be able to.  This is a card my class is making this month.    It uses the Up, Up And Away stamp set.  It's a cute set for so many occasions.

This card is Daffodil Delight with Tempting Turquoise.  I used the Big Top Birthday designer paper with it.    I like these bright colors! 

 Here is  a close-up of the balloons and the red and yellow background.  The red was embossed with the new Stripes embossing folder and the yellow with the Houndstooth embossing folder.  I hope you can see the effect in this shot.  I colored the top balloon with markers to use all three colors on it. 

 This stamp set is so versatile because it has four sentiments in it, so it can be used for several occasions. 

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope things are calm enough that I can share with you for several days---until I get to stamp again.  Thanks so much to those of you leaving comments of well wishes for my husband.  He is holding his own but not making alot of progress yet.  He'll get there; time and prayers always help!!  I appreciate all of you!!
Smiles, Laura

Family situation...

Yes, I know it's been a LOOONNNGGG time since I posted to my blog.  I finished up the house repairs and then my grandchildren came to enjoy some time with us before school starts.  I finally got to stamp some last week and made new cards to show you..  But before I could photograph and post them, my husband had an serious health issue.  Thursday evening he had super bad migraine which I knew wasn't normal (ended up it was a brain hemmorage) and passed out while I was trying to get him in the car to go to the ER.  I had the ambulance come to the house to get him and our small local hospital did a CTA scan and ended up airlifting him to the larger hospital in Asheville (30 miles from us) where they had the facilities to handle something this serious.  I've been up here at the hospital with him almost every waking moment since then.  It was blood vein in the middle of the back of his head (at the brain stem) that exploded.  It was not an aneurysm so thankfully, no surgery was required.  It could have been much worse and we are so grateful that he is improving daily.  He is having really bad headaches until the brain absorbs the blood, and he's seeing double right now.  They assure us this will all clear up and he'll be back to normal.  I sure hope so!!  His doctors want to keep him until at least Friday, which is a LONG hospital stay to me.  So  please remember us in your prayers and just bear with me--don't desert my blog!!

I will try to photograph my cards and post some this week.  I will be back to you; I enjoy my stamping and sharing on the blog  so much!!  Thanks for stopping by!!
Smiles, Laura