Bowl full of Apples!

     For my project in Crafter's Digital Art Center's (CDAC) Progressive Challenge round 3, I used Glitterbabes's image "apple bowl." I colored the image digitally in PhotoShop Elements. I thought a friend of mine, who is a librarian, could use note cards with this image, for volunteers and teachers. I matted the image with peach and black Core'dinations cardstock. I didn't have a punch or Cricut cart with an apple border so I used the A Child's Year cart and took the apple icon and made it a border with my Gypsy by welding multiple apples, until I had enough to cover the 4 inches of my base. The note cards, BTW, are 4inches by 4 inches. I then highlighted the apples on the border with a white gel pen.

     On the inside, I used apple pattern paper, that I'd gotten at Hobby Lobby, but I'm afraid I forgot to write down whose it is, before  using it all >.< I then digitally made a place for her to write that is 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches. I used a free brush set called School Dayz Sketches Brushes by redheadstock which I found on devionArt Here.

     I still need to make envelopes and a box to hold them, but I needed to post this, because the project needed to be posted before the end of the month. Check out the other images and projects here and you can join us for the next round for only $1,which gets you the next set of images (they are free as long as you continue with the challenges.) You can find the info on how the Challenge works at the link above as well.

     Thanks for stopping by today. Please leave a comment or ask any questions you might have. The nice thing about coloring an image digitally is that you can easily make multiple copies quickly (and correct mistakes ;- ) Have a weekend filled with special moments.

Fishing Card

     Well, the centerpieces are done, finis!  I wanted to post a picture of the teens with finished product, but I forgot to get permissions, so here is a fun photo of some of the vases.

     So, moving on, today I made a card for a friend's father, in his 90's. He is in a Nursing Home and enjoys getting cards and since he use to like to fish, I decided to make a nostalgic fishing card. It's an A2 card (5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches), which I matted with a 5 1/4 x 4 inches piece of maroon card stock, that I embossed with the Sizzix Texturz Texture (I know it sounds redundant to me too) Plates Kit #2, design Diamonds after rounding the corners on the bottoms of both pieces. I then used the Expression with Accent Essentials cart to cut the Label shape at 3 3/4 inches. It's titled Shape #48 in the handbook and you use the shift key to get the filled in shape. The paper is Gartner Studios, BonVoyage - World Map, available from Hobby Lobby.  I made sure I featured the midwest, because that was where he lived. I did this by test cutting with typing paper and then just removing the cut image, without removing the mat, I had the blade return to the next line, and putting the piece I wanted to cut in place of the cut image with the area I wanted to be sure to showcase, showing through the hole. You should remove the typing paper at this point. I then moved the blade horizontally to the right and had it repeat last. The fishing boy is from  the Cricut cart, A Child's Year and is cut at 3 1/4 inches form Recollections Neutral card stock collection with a black shadow. I added the buttons, tied with doubled thread, since I couldn't find my black floss and the twine color I have doesn't go with the card.

     On the inside I matted it with black cut at 5 1/4 x 4 inches and patterned card stock from Recollections called Time Frame Second Hand Argyle Dark, cut at 5 x 3 3/4inches. I did the sentiment digitally using Lettering Delights's Shelly Script. The font is sized at a large 36 to help him read it. That piece is cut at 4 3/4 X 3 1/2. I stamped the 2 candles with a stamp from Hero Arts's set Cupcakes. The flames are colored with a yellow glitter Starlightz pen and a pinkish-red Gelly Roll pen at the center of the flame. The stripes on the candles are a peach colored watercolor pencil by Staedler. I used it just like a colored pencil though. It was the only thing I had to lightly color the candle in the colors of the card.

     What I would change? I'd remember to round the corners of the  black mat and the diamonds paper before gluing them together on the inside ;- )  I'm not sure about the buttons. They looked needed when I laid it out, but after everything was glued on I wondered if I shifted things and did I really need them. I do like the pattern on the big button, which is hard to see (maybe if you enlarge it.) It kind of matches the diamonds. I should have used card stock instead of printer paper on the inside, because I can see the pattern through it. I'll need to remember that next time. Well, thanks for looking and spending your limited time her. Let me know what you think!

Valentine from the past

     Well, I worked on my friends card today, so I can't post that. It didn't go as easily as I thought, but what does. That's a story for when a post the card, after her birthday though.  I keep seeing all these postings of Valentines. People have been showing them for weeks now. I haven't had time to think about what I'm doing for Valentine's Day yet, because there is so much to do in-between now and then. Do some of you find that too? I'm happy to get my cards done just in time to mail them ;- ) I really don't do many Valentine's though, fortunately. My DH, DS and one friend who sends one to me. I will mail to the college students in Feb. but Valentine's don't really seem appropriate to friends of my son, so I'll just go with a winter theme. So I decided to show you the Valentine card, I made for my friend last year. 

     I used my favorite, A Child's Year. Looks like it was cut at about 3 inches and has a shadow. I liked a vintage feel with the black and white in every thing except the actual Valentine images. I got the  background paper as single sheets at Hobby Lobby. I don't remember now where I got the heart image cut out. The ones on A Child's Year are much fancier. It might have been Plantin Schoolbook. I stamped and embossed the sentiment with metallic embossing powder. Here is a closer look, but it's a bit blurry. I'm afraid even though I used the close-up setting, I was still too close. 

     The papers inside also came from Hobby Lobby and the words and heart were printed from my computer. The heart stamp on the bottom is actually a Photo Shop brush that I got from a site that had freebies. I don't remember which one now, but if you're interested leave me a comment and I'll try to find it. They had a number of very nice free brushes for Valentine's Day available and they were all free! Thanks for spending your precious time here. Let me know what you think.

Thinking cap time.

     Well, I went up to my craft room and put on that thinking cap. It's harder to make a special card for someone you don't know for something as momentous as a 100th birthday, then I thought. Plus, I don't know if your head changes shape as you get older and the cap doesn't connect right or if the cap just gets old and doesn't work as well. I thought about when she was born and about what styles might interest her. Her is a collection of some of the supplies I put together.

     The patterned paper is reflective in the centers of the flowers and the other darker green spots, but it doesn't show up here. Ignore the odd green color on the paper near the bottom. It was some green flocking I thought about trying on the leaves, but it is too blue. The paper reminded me of vintage cards, so I thought she might like it.

     Then I got out a Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page punch and tried that for the first time on scrap paper. It reminds me of an old-fashioned hankie. I would probably make it in a very light green. I found an image on the Cricut cart "A Child's Year" (my favorite), that was a silhouette of of similar roses that I could use on the inside of the card. Here is a photo of all the assembled supplies, except for the Cricut booklet.

     Now, I started to second guess myself. If she was born in 1911, she could love the Art Deco style and not that flowery style. Time to send photos to my friend Linda and ask for a consult, since the card is for her to give. Hope to get started on it tomorrow, but I do have errands to run too.

     We're expecting very cold weather here. At least it's just overnight and tomorrow. Should be better for the Bears's game, though I wouldn't want to be out in it. DH and I will be entertaining High School teens for the afternoon, in what we call Youth Lounge at Church, which will include the football game on TV for those interested.