Graduation Cards to very Special kids

Every year there is a need for a fresh batch of cute, sassy, male and female graduation cards, right?  This year, it seems like I have a special connection with each graduate.  Proud of each Facebook Graduation photo that comes across my screen like they were my own.  Kids I have known since birth or were in my ministry from early days.  Kids who were in Sunday School classes or small groups I taught, or children's choirs I lead.  This makes each card very special. Here are the stories behind each card.

For Kevin:  a talented, funny, charming young man who is going to go far in life.  I love his mom and dad and siblings .. and Him, like they were FAMILY.  They've been there for me through thick and thin.  I loved having Kevin in several musicals I directed, and then as a Jr. Higher and High Schooler, I snagged him several times to play drama parts in our KidStuf productions at 1BL.  Oh how I miss him!  Way to Go Kevin!   You indeed ROCK! (Stampin Up stamps and paper)

For Mollie.... Mollie lives in Georgia and I don't know her as well as I'd like because I moved away from that area when she was just a 5 year old, but her parents are very special people to me.  In fact, if it wasn't for her parents, Dave and Liz, I would not have Stephen as my son!  Long amazing story for another day!  Mollie is extremely bright and right now is in Paris celebrating her graduation with her dad!  So I would say she has much to rejoice about!  Congratulations Mollie!  (Stampin up paper and Taylored Expressions stamps)

For Caroline:  Caroline's mom is one of my best friends, and has been an integral part of my ministry since 2000, so I've watch Caroline grow up pretty close up.  She was in a small group of 6th grade girls that I discipled on a weekly basis and that was such a privilege!  This gal is amazing!  Her parents have taught her to be a servant.  She has overcome obstacles that most of us will never experience.  She is off to Wheaton College in Chicago and for a SoCal kid that is a big deal.  Did I mention how smart she is?  This card means:  wow, you really stand out !!!  You are one of a kind!  You are amazing!  (Stampin Up paper and Michaels $1.00 stamp!)

For Katie:  Katie's mom and I have been friends since BEFORE Katie was born!  Katie's older brother was in the very first preschool class that I ever taught, and now he is in his mid 20's!  Katie's older sister, Breanna is one of my daughter's very good friends when we lived in Atlanta.  I have loved staying at Katie's house when going back to Atlanta for a visit.  She's a spitfire ball of energy, beauty, poise, and talent.  Her parents are amazing godly people who have done a great job of raising 3 very unique kids and pointing them in the direction God has intended for them.  So this card represents the amazing places Katie will head to in her future.  I'd like to think that book is the Word of God, and from it, the places we are headed are nothing short of adventurous and exciting! Happy trails Katie! (Stampin up paper and Taylored Expressions stamp and trim)

Thanks for looking!  Blessings to each of my young friends graduating from High School, Middle School, and College this month! Wow, I wish I didn't feel so old! :)

Congratulations Jenny

An egagement congratulations card for a young lady I've known for 30 years... in fact her mom & dad were in my wedding many years ago! I'm so excited for Jenny and Randy. This card was made with Purely Pomegranite paper (SU) and the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set and embossing folder. (also from Stampin Up!) The large rose image is stamped on the Pomegranite paper repeatedly, and then a piece of vellum is run through the "Big Shot" machine and layered onto the top of the cardstock, with ribbon added along the edge to cover the area where the vellum was attached. (This card is CASED from a card made at Jami's house a while back at one of her club nights.)

Catching up on Birthdays

You can never have enough Birthday Cards, right? I'm filling up my stash, plus making some to give to a family member, so here's what I've been working on. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this beautiful paper and the colors. The designer paper is from "American Crafts" and it's called "Amplified." I used SU Lavender Lace, Melon Mambo, Cool Carribean, and Purely Pomegranite for the cardstock and colored the images with both Copic markers and SU markers.




Stamp Set: Crazy for Cupcakes (SU!)



Stamp Set: Pun Fun (SU!)



Stamp Set: Time for You (SU!)

TESC131 Halloween Kitty Card

Here's this week's contribution to the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge... something I almost always MAKE but hardly ever get uploaded in time! Love this little pumpkin/ kitty image, even though I have no idea where it came from. It was given to me in a big box of stamps that someone was getting rid of (can you even imagine!?)
It is colored with Copic Markers and it features the "Paper Tole" technique. The pumpkin is stamped 3 times, and them "bumped up" twice... once for the whole pumpkin and once just for the lid of the pumpkin. Hopefully you can see that in the image below. The paper is from Imaginesence. Love the bright colors!

Discover Your Wings Dear Friends!

For my dear Friends Mike & Kim who just left California a few days ago to move to Texas. We've been friends for more than 25 years, and it just won't ever be the same without them here as a part of our church and my life. They were such amazing servants of God over the years, but mostly, they were and always will be forever friends. I can't wait to go visit them in Wylie and see where God has placed them for the next part of their journey. Missing you guys so much! Praying you are getting settled and are already seeing God's faithfulness in your new home.


Card (for Taylor's Challenge #TESC118) uses Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Vellum Cardstock (SU!) Chocolate Chip and So Saffron Ink, the paper piercer and matt pack, DCWV Retro Prints paper, the Big Shot Top Note Die from SU!, and the Fiskars Border Punch. The stamp set is called "Discover Your Wings" from Taylored Expressions. The lace trim is also from TE. LOVE THAT TRIM! Reminds me of all the little dresses my mom made for all my sisters and I when we were growing up.

Graduation Card Mania

Because my daughter is graduating from High School this year, that means so are many of her friends. And also, because I have been the children's pastor at FBCOL for 10+ years now, I've known this group of kids since 2nd grade, so they are "my kids" too! I've enjoyed praying for them and watching them grow up to love and serve Christ, and I'm super excited to see them move into the big, scary, crazy world to impact the Kingdom of God is amazing ways!
Here are some of the cards I've been working on this week for this group of kids.

This card is for Taylor's sketch challenge, TESC116; It uses the Stampin Up Set "Fun and Fast Notes" which I still LOVE. I wish you could see the ribbon loopy thing made with the black grossgrain ribbon. It turned out really cool. The paper used is Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, and Black (Because it's for a Lakewood High Graduate, duh!) The scalloped circle is cut with nestabilities, and the image is colored with copic markers, and a silver metallic pen. The circle/ star images are punches with rhinestone brads in the center of each one. This one is for a guy at our church/ Emily's school, so I was pleased with the masculine look, in spite of the little bling... because after all, every graduate is a STAR, right?



The next three cards all use Taylored Expressions stamps, "Oh the Places You Go!" I knew I was going to need a ton of Graduation Stamps this year, so it was a wise investment for me.

I Love It When This Happens!

I've had some good stamping time the past week or so.... and I even had time t straighten up my desk area. After grabbing up some fun new items at CHA, it was fun to get some stamping time. Here are a few things to share with you. The Sewing card was made for a very sweet family at church, the Streelmans, who are sadly moving to Portland. I am in LOVE with their 2 little girls Becca and Natalie and am so sad to see them go. Karen was one of our brand new helpers in Children's Choir and it was so fun getting to know their family and getting to serve alongside of them at church. The good news is, it's always good to have friends who live in fun places so we can go visit them! Card Details: Kraft card base, retired designer paper, sewing machine, buttons, Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Puns from the Past SU Stamp Set (stamped in Chocolate Chip Ink), Twill ribbon, twine from Paper Trey Ink, Pirourette Pink SU cardstock for the scalloped oval and some old buttons from my stash.

The Polka Dot Thank You card was super easy but super fun. It's just a bunch of "Bold Bright" circles punched with my various circle punches, and glued to white cardstock. The bottom of the front panel was cut with wiggley scissors, and then the words "Thank You" from the retired SU stamp set called "Wonderful Words" was stamped on the back inside of the card so it shows when you close the card. I made a bunch of these to keep on hand because they were so fun and so easy.

Thanks for looking!

So Very Blessed

Made this card yesterday for a very special guy. My daughter has been shopping for her first car for a while, and 2 people at our church helped us in the search. First our pastor found a great car on Craig's List (a 2001 Accura Integra) and then my friend Dave went with us to take a look at it, drive it around, look under the hood, etc. He said it was a good deal. After we scraped together our money, we went back and got the car! Her very first car. She is on cloud nine. (She's 17 1/2 and has had her license for 6 months and during that time, she and I have been sharing my van and I've been driving her to school and work.) After we got the car home, Dave (he collects and restores antique cars) decided to bless Emily by going one step further... taking the car home with him for 2 days and sanding and repainting the scratched up bumpers. They look brand new and now the car that we paid $3350 for, looks like we should have paid $5500 for it! So obviously, Dave needed a special card to know how much we appreciate him.

This old SU set, called "So Very" did the trick. The paper is from a brand new matt stack from DCWV that I got for my birthday (thanks Michelle) called Glitter Sweet Stack. It also uses Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel paper, same colors of ink, and a little snippet of ribbon, button and twine (copied from PaperTreyInk website); with some distressing around the edges of the paper layers. Oval punches and bronze colored brads finish the little details.

Thanks for looking. Pictures of Emily in her new car will be coming soon!!!!!

A couple of cards that have been hiding in my camera

What happens when it's too hot to go into your stamp room and then you also can't find the cord that you use to upload pictures from your camera to your blog? It means you don't post anything for a very long time. I finally found my camera cord yesterday, (darn those kids!) so here are a few cards from the past few months.

This card is for my new friend Lilly, who just turned 4. Her dad is my "boss" and one of our new pastors at church, and Lilly's mom is a new friend that I really love hanging out with! Lilly is fun and smart and adorable, has blond hair and loves looking cute, so I made this card with my brand new "Cricuit" machine for her for her birthday. :)

This card was made for Karra and Craig for their engagement. I've known Karra for 10 years, and have watched her grow up from high schooler, to college student to young adult, from being my kids first babysitter here in California, to one of my day camp counselors, then one of my day camp directors, to now having her own classroom as a teacher.... and now I get to help celebrate her marriage to a great guy named Craig! This card is made on Basic Gray cardstock, with printed vellum on top of it. The black strip is punched with the Martha Stewart eyelet punch, then I added some rhinestones,buttons, and a few different kinds of ribbon. Congratulations you two! I am so happy for you!

And finally, this card is for my friend Chuck that lives in Atlanta. He and his wife (Pam my very best friend!) share the same birthday!!! I didn't have a guy card that looked like Chuck's personality, so I thought this goofy pair of monkeys said it all. The DP is called "East Coast Prep" from Stampin up! and the cardstock is More Mustard, Riding Hood Red, and Tempting Turquoise. The sentiment is a separate stamp, but made to coordinate. Cool huh! I think I'll get lots of use out of these 2 stamps. (From Stampendous!)

Happy STamping... hope you don't lose your camera card anytime soon. It's not a good thing!

TECC70

A fun layout for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #70! Uses one of my standby favorite sets: All About U and one of the newer sets from saleabration. Colors are Bashful Blue and Celery. Twine is from PaperTreyInk.

Parisian Quilt Card

First of all, let me share something with you that was NOT made by me... a beautiful gorgeous, quilt given to me by a wonderful family at my church.

This was a thank you gift for working these past few years with their son in my children's choir program, our Wed. night club program, etc. They wanted to express their appreciation for my time and love. Wow! I was/am overwhelmed! I have made one quilt in my life, when I was in my 20's, and it didn't turn out too well. I was proud of it, but it was far from perfection. So I know how much time and energy this took. When I make cards for people, or small handmade paper-crafting gifts like photo frames, candy tins, etc, they might take 1-2 hours per item... 3 at the most, but a QUILT? Seriously? I can't even imagine how much time this took. Here's another view... every square is DIFFERENT! How amazing is that?

So now, here's my card, made with the Quilter's Sampler set from PaperTreyInk , which has been on my wish list for a very long time. I kept wavering back and forth, waiting for the wallet to cooperate. Well, obviously, when I received this quilt, I knew I had to have this set to make a thank you card, right? I know quite a few quilters, so I know I will get a lot of use out of this set. I also got the additional phrases, called "Quilters Sampler Sentiments," and boy, oh boy, are there a ton of sentiments in these 2 sets.

The base of the card is Kraft cardstock from Stampin Up, then a layer of Parisian Breeze designer paper. The quilt images are stamped on Vanilla paper, and then layered onto Baja Breeze, and colored with a combination of Copic makers and SU markers. Some piercing, some faux stitching, and a button (tied with PaperTreyInk's new rustic twine!) completes the project. I'm anxious to get this into the mail to this sweet family... and even though my card didn't take as many hours to make as their wonderful gift to me, it is still filled with love and appreciation!

Dearest Friend

Here's a simple card using the new SU set "Forest Friends" from the Spring Mini. The deer is stamped with Sahara Sand, (I think the first time I've used this stamp pad) and one of the individual stamps from the back of the caty! It says, "So Glad You Are One of My Dearest Friends." A special family just recently got laid off (the dad) and I am really hurting for them, so this is just to give them a little extra encouragement. Thanks for stopping by!

Fabulous Riding Rood Friend! TECC65

Another Cupcake Challenge from Taylored Expessions (TECC65) using Riding Hood Red, and Pink Pirouette. What are we gonna do when those colors retire in a few short months? I love them paired with the Bella Rose paper. This card also used the "Friendly Words" jumbo wheel, and the new set "Oval All" and scalloped oval punch. There is a double layer of the scallop border, the one underneath is "Riding Hood Red" and the one on top with the "Friendly Words" wheel using R.H.R. ink. The final touches: Pink Pirouette ribbon, and some paper piercing in the corners. Thanks for another fabulous sketch Taylor! This week was so full of birthday celebrations, preparation for our children's choir musical at church (which happens next Sunday, May 3, which I direct), and a potluck dinner for single moms, that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to squeeze in some stamping time or not..... Yeah for stamping! A weekend without stamping is never a good weekend! I just wish the weekend could be longer, don't you???

Happy Birthday Sweet Emily

Yesterday was my daughter Emily's 17th Birthday! For those of you who know Emily, you know what a delight she is. She is beautiful both inside and out, she is helpful, kind, passionate about life, music, theater, dance, math :) Spanish, coffee, Chipotle, Jesus, her friends, her friends, and her friends! I had a blast planning some special surprises for her birthday, and loved making her this card. She LOVES the beach, just learned to surf over spring break, has a teal and beach "theme" in her bedroom, so I loved how all this came together. (Starting with the scrapbook sticker from Tall Mouse.) The base of the card is a full sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 "Lovely Lilac", then layered with Tempting Turquoise, and Whisper White. The blue hawaiin paper is called "Aloha Chic" from Star Fish & Dreams. The Happy Birthday sticker is from "Me & My Big Ideas" and it is layered on top of an oval cut from Yo Yo Yellow, and then layered on Lovely Lilac. This is the first time I've tried putting gems all around an oval scallop like this, but I've seen Taylor and Jami do it all the time, so I had to try it.

Not fun! I tried both self stick jewels and tiny taylor twinkles, but not having really good tweezers made it quite a challenge! Three flowers were stamped with the flower from "Do The Hula" (retired SU!) using Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise, and Cool Caribbean Ink, cut out and mounted with dimentionals, and highlighted with a stardust pen. Some bright turquoise ribbon adds the finishing touch!

Here are a few more birthday pictures... I surprised her at school at lunch time with pizza for her and her friends and some giant balloons. She was pretty surprised at the balloons, and because she got to carry them around with her the rest of the afternoon at school, she said everyone wished her a happy birthday for the rest of the day, even people she didn't know! Bonus happiness!

This picture needs a tiny bit of explanation. No, she doesn't still play with dolls, but next week, she is starring as "Sharpay" in High School Musical at her school, Lakewood High School. (May 1,2,7,9 if you're interested!) So my little neice Grace, who is 4 years old, thought Emily should have a SHARPAY DOLL, complete with a singing microphone. Of course, I agree! That's my mom next to Emily last night at PF Changs, where we had a very yummy dinner before rushing over to Disneyland for a quick visit. It was a full, and very fun day. Happy Birthday Sweet Em! You are an amazing young lady, and I couldn't be more proud to be your mom!

A Word From Romans 12

This is my card for this week's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge. This is a great layout for so many images. I had this sheet of flowers already water colored with the set "In Full Bloom" (on Very Vanilla paper... which turns out YUMMY!) The colors used are Saffron, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla cardstock (SU!) and Regal Rose DP. The flowers and bees are outlined in glaze pen, the edges of the Bible Verse are distressed with the edge of my scissors, and then a piece of Saffron ribbon is attached with a silver swirl clip. This is such a simple, yet profound verse of Scripture. I've had my share of hardships and afflictions in life, but nothing compared to many other friends I know. And obviously nothing compared to the people Paul was writing this letter to when he penned these words through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But this verse gives such basic instructions... by JOYFUL in hope, PATIENT in affliction, and FAITHFUL in prayer. If we did those 3 simple things each day, I think our lives would be transormed! :)

Pomegranate Wish

This is probably the quickest easiest card I've ever made... or at least in a very long time. It helps when you are provide with the sketch, (Thanks to Taylor and her weekly Cupcake Sketch Challenge!) and helps even more when you are using a little bit (or a lot) of designer paper. I've had this beautiful "Making Memories" paper, called "Maddi Paisley" for a very long time because I'm always drawn to peaches and corals... I loved the fact that it looked so great with Purly Pomegranate (an 08 in-color from SU!), plus it looked like it was MADE to go with Groovy Guava. The "Whimsey" wheel is wheeled with Groovy Guava ink onto the G.G. layer, and then the designer paper is mounted onto P.P. squares. Isn't that yummy?

The butterfly from "Garden Whimsey" is stamped twice, cut out once with a coluzzle, and then just the butterfly is cut out with scissors and mounted on top of the first butterfly with the wings bent up just a tiny little bit. I also tried something new for the scallops around the butterfly circle. I refuse to buy "nestabilities" and other big "wish list" items until I'm out of debt for a large expense I had to make last year, so I keep playing around with things I already have to get the same look. This is the corner rounder punch used to go all the way around the pomegranate layer to get the scalloped look. A little time consuming, and not "perfect" but hey, it's a handmade one of a kind piece of art, right???

Final details: Star Dust Stickles, white brads, "Small Script" stamp in the corner, paper pierceing "swirly thing" in the upper right hand corner (I drew it on a piece of paper and then pierced on top of that as my pattern onto the Groovy Guava layer), and glaze pen on the butterfly antaenna.

Here's one more card that doesn't need much explanation... just that is uses DCWV "Nana's Kids" Paper that I am in love with!

Lovin Me Some Baja Breeze

Baja Breeze (from SU!) is such a peaceful, warm, relaxing color... and since I can't go to Baja in person, I'll just have to stick to using it on my cards! Cardstock is Baja Breeze and Basic Gray. This flower stamp is from Stampendous; and it is water colored with an aquapainter using Baja Breeze stamp pad. The circles are cut with a coluzzle, and the scalloped edge around the flower image and the oval image at the bottom are cut by hand with scalloped fiskars scissons. The thank you image (rub on) and the designer paper are both from the SU "Hand Drawn Bundle." And for the finishing touches: 2 prima flowers, a rhinestone brad, some basic gray ribbon (from Fabric Barn) some paper piercing around the edge of the cirlce image, and some Taylor's Tiny Twinkles in the middle of the flower. (Click here for a link to Taylor's Store.) Thanks for stopping by today for a look. My son just arrived this morning for his Spring Break visit, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with him this week (not to mention a few days off work!) I'm sure I'll get some stamping in somehow! Have a great weekend!

Boatloads of Love

I've been having a lot of fun with "Boatloads of Love" the past few days. I started out with the smaller (one boat) image and then when I went to put it on the card, I wanted to use the sentiment "I'm pulling for you." to send to my friend Mike who just lost his job after 10+ years at Disneyland, and I realized that that sentiment didn't make much sense with just the one boat, so I started over with the 2 boats hooked together. That obviously led to a much bigger card/ layout so that card grew to a full size 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 size card (1 piece of cardstock folded in half.

The one image card turned into Taylor's Cupcake Sketch: TECC61, (www.tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com) using Real Red and Bordering Blue and Bordering Blue designer paper from the Saleabration Set. The main image is stamped with black craft ink and embossed with black embossing powder (both cards) which made coloring so much easier and makes it really POP when you see it. This card is also part of the Stamp Simply #80 challenge "Let's Forget the Rules" http://notimetostamp.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ Take a close look and you'll notice: white gel pen dots around the red cardstock, white gel pen doodles on the scalloped circle punch, black faux stitching on the main image, crystal effects on the water and the life preservers, silver pen on the anchor, and a stipe of white ribbon to add to the "nautical" look. I love that bordering blue color. I don't use it nearly enough and I love the way it looks with red and white!

The larger card uses Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, and More Mustard Cardstock, East Coast Prep designer paper. The "I'm pulling for you" sentiment is punched out with the circle punch, and mounted on the round tab punch on the side of the stamped image. There is also paper piercing around the turquoise layer, silver brads in the corners, and some red and turquoise ribbon. The main image has crystal effects on the water and life savers on the side of the boat, some silver pen on the anchor, paper piecing on the heart inside the 2nd boat and the puffs of smoke coming out of the smokestack are double stamped and mounted on tiny little pieces of dimentionals. I don't think I've ever worked so long on 2 cards as I did these, but I had so much FUN!

Cards for Kristin

A few weeks ago, our very sweet, wonderful, talented pastor's wife, and friend, Kristin, took some amazing photos of my daughter Emily for her headshots she needed for an audition. Here is a link to Kristin's blog and the post with Emily's pictures. (Look for the Feb. 22 and the Feb. 24 posts... several amazing pictures of Emily in both posts) http://kristineldridge.com/blog/?p=1043

I've been wanting to do something extra special for Kristin, so I decided to make her a set of notecards that she can hopefully use when corresponding with her clients. There are 6 cards and even though they all use Wild Wasabi and Not Quite Navy Cardstock, along with Porcelain Prints Designer Series Paper, they are each individually unique. Each card also uses the monogram from "Just Right Stampers."

Now I just need to go out and find some ivory colored envelopes before packaging up the whole set so I can give them to her on Sunday. I'll be back tomorrow to share some fun cards I made with "Boatloads of Love." I've had a bad sore throat for a few days, and have missed a lot of work, but I sure have enjoyed my stamping time!

Here's What Happens

.... when you combine a sore throat, a few sick days home from work, and a big box of brand new supplies from Stamp Club (I'm in Jami's once a month Stamp Club and it was my turn to earn the hostess rewards... can you say SCORE!?!?) All that equals a bunch of new cards!

Here's what I've been working on..

Card #1: from the Level 3 Hostess set called "Hand Drawn Bundle" which comes with adorable paper, 4 stamps, and 2 huge sheets of rub-ons. I love it! Super easy to create! I think this would be something good to pack when you're going on a trip and want to take some stamping fun with you, since the paper and stamps and rubons already match. Just throw in a few stamp pads and some Riding Hood Red and Baja Breeze and White cardstock, and you've got yourself a party!.

Card #2 also uses Riding Hood Red cardstock and the Designer Paper: "Bella Rose." Another new toy I got in my order was the Jumbo Wheel called "Friendly Words." Isn't it cool? The little Thank You stamp is a single stamp from page 208 of the caty, which you can actually get for FREE right now if you spend $40 from the new occassions mini. I used my Marvy Square Scalloped punch, and since I didn't have multiple sizes of this punch, I just layered the Kiwi square's underneath the Riding Hood Red Square.

Card #3 uses a set I've been craving for a long time: Garden Whimsey. The card is CASED from a card we did at Jami's Club last year and I've been hanging on to it ever since. Here's Jami's original: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/648273?cat=500&ppuser=5896&perpage=96

Mine uses Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, and Wild Wasabi paper as well as some More Mustard Ink, and East Coast Prep Paper (retired) and Wild Wasabi striped ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by.... time to go back and dig a little deeper in that magical box. Stop back tomorrow for a look at a beautiful set of cards I made for a wonderful friend. Have a great day!