So sorry, again...

I don't know what happened to my blog but today it sent out an OLD entry from Easter to those who receive my blog in their inboxes. Sorry to fill up your inbox with that. And it wasn't even a card entry. Ha! I hope the blog gets back to normal by tomorrow! Thanks for bearing with me...
Smiles, Laura

So Sorry....

I made this card the other day for a some friends who recently lost their dog.  I was sending a donation to the local animal shelter in his memory and wanted to let the family know.  Sorry I didn't have a dog stamp handy but I hope this one conveyed my sympathy.

The card is Calypso Coral with Lucky Limeade behind the designer paper, which is from the Floral District set.  What a versatile family of designer paper that is!  I stamped the flowers from the Summer Silhouettes set--I love how you can 2-step stamp, so the stem and flowers can be different colors very quickly.  The sentiment is from the So Sorry set, of course.

My class also made this card recently and they really liked it.  I hope you do, too!
Smiles, Laura

Pinwheels are HUGE.....

Right now I'm seeing pinwheels everywhere.  I even decorated a gift I took to a recent wedding shower with a large pinwheel I made.  So for a challenge I hosted recently, I decided we'd have pinwheels as the challenge topic.  

For these pinwheels, I cut 2" squares of designer paper.  From each of the 4 corners, I cut almost to the center, but NOT to the center.  I'd say I left 1/2" in the center between the two corner cuts.  Then I folded into the center the left-hand corner of each of the 4 sides and glued them down with a glue dot.

I added a button in the center of each pinwheel.  I put a Daffodil Delight "stick" on the card to glue the pinwheels to.

I was pleased with how these turned out.  Of course I had to "build" a 3D "envelope" box to mail them in, but I wanted them to arrive un-creased.

Thanks for stopping by!  Smiles, Laura

Did you notice my new blog banner?  My wonderful friend Regina Andari designed it for me using the Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio program.  I LOVE it!! It was so sweet of her to do this for me.  I hope to one day be proficient in MDS myself, so I can make my own blog headings.  Just need time to play around with the program; Regina tells me it is very simple.

I just purchased more "memory" for my pictures on my blog, so that should make it easier for me to add pictures.

Well, no new card sample today, but I did want to publicly thank Regina for the heading!!  Love it!!!
Smiles, Laura

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's 92nd birthday and my sisters and our husbands celebrated with him yesterday.  Rather than cake, we opted for my sister's delicious Nutty Chocolate Delight, which is cool and summery.  Here is my dad with the candle numbers 9 and 2 on this "cake".  Doesn't he look GREAT!! He's in wonderful shape for his age!!

 Here's Dad singing, "Happy Birthday to me" with us!  He sure seemed to enjoy the day!

 So you ask, "what kind of card did I make him?"  Well, this is a layout I shared in my last entry--a box card.  But I put these cute little owls on it.  These owls are on designer paper that just retired, but I thought it looked masculine and wanted to use it!  I cut out the owls to use.  Here is the front of the card.

 Here's how it looks when you open up the card.  I used the SU Labels Collection Framelits to cut out the opening in the inside (and for the front).  Since we were getting together on Sunday, a day early, I used the "lets party all week" stamp for the inside.

 Here is the end of the card, so you can see how the "box" stands up when you open the card.  It lays flat for mailing.  See my early June entry for the "how-tos" on this card.

I apologize for being away from my blog for so long!  It's been a busy summer so far.  I did go on a week-long trip with Dad to Key West and enjoyed that.  And then I came home with pneumonia (we both did) so it took me awhile to recover.  I hope to post more frequently now!

Thank you for continuing to follow my blog!  Smiles, Laura

Update on Gabby's Birthday Gift.....

Thought I'd give you an update on Gabby's birthday.  I did go to Pet Smart for a toy and my, my, did she realize it was new and for her!! She met me at the door and was SO DELIGHTED with the new toy.  (Do dogs really KNOW things like they appear to??)  I gave her this green "gator" that squeaks two ways--one tone when she bites down on it and another different tone when she lets it go.  Well, let me tell you, she has not let this toy out of her sight nor out of her mouth.  We have just had to put up with all the squeaking!  I bought it Thursday and she's brought it to bed with her every night, she has it with her on the couch, and will go get it if it's left in the bedroom.  My husband keeps trying to take it from her and she will not let it go.  I'm thrilled she is so happy with it.  Believe me, I won't let another birthday go by without a new toy!! Ha!

Gabby sends her thanks to her Schnauzer friends like Mr. Darcy and Emmitt who sent well wishes to her via their "moms".   Wish they could have a play day!!

How can we be so silly about our dogs, but then I guess we just are!!  Just had to "close the loop" on this birthday thing since I dropped the ball so badly with no gift this year!!!
Smiles, Laura

Dimensional Card....

Today I'm sharing a card with a neat fold.  My friend Judy brought this one over to our "play day" so I'm not sure where she got the instructions, to give credit.  But I think we modified them a bit anyway. 

Here is the card front:

 

When you open the card, it is three-dimensional,  See here:

I'm sure you will want to try one of these, so I'm going to give you the directions.   Start with a piece of CS that is 5.5" x 12" (or designer paper).  Score at 4", 7.5", 8", and 11.5"

 Put sticky tape on the 1/2" side.

 Layer a 5.25" x 3.25" piece of contrasting cardstock on the inside of the card.  Using a die, cut out the shape you want on the designer paper.  I also traced around the outside of the die and using scissors cut that out, so that I had a larger opening.

 I sponged around the opening I cut out and used the piece I cut from there inside my card.

 Pull the cover off the sticky tape and glue the 1/2" edge down to the inside of the front of the card, making sure your edge in right up next to the score/fold line.

I'm sure you will want to try one of these, so I'm going to give you the directions.

I hope by scrolling back through the pictures, you can tell how this goes together.  When you fold it up, it collapses to the right as a flat card.

Try one and see how it works for you!! I hope you like this new dimensional card.
Thanks for stopping in!! Smiles, Laura