At Ease, Son

I've been looking at the cute monogrammed cards that people have posted on their blogs.....someday, when I have the funds and when I can decide which font I like, I'll get a monogram stamp. But until then, I'll just have to make due with what I have.

For a test-run, I decided to make Sophia a monogrammed card using my Hero Arts alphabet set. She likes pink & brown and owls, so I thought Sassafras Lass' "Owl Pals" would be perfect. Okay, this is a lousy photo, because trust me, it really is cuter IRL...
SUPPLIES: Paper...Dark Chocolate, Stamper's Select (PTI), Owl Pals (Sassafras Lass); Stamps...Small Variety Alphabet (Hero Arts), Boxes Bags & Tags (PTI); Misc...dimensionals, classic circles nesties

After I made Sophia's card, Peter was all bummed, because "they don't really make monograms for boys." Partly true, but think about how many boys would really use a set of monogrammed cards for something other than things-that-get-stuffed-under-your-bed-when-mom-says-"clean your room" and that's not a huge market for boy-appropriate monograms.

But since Peter is my youngest, I didn't want to short-change him on a monogrammed card or miss the opportunity develop his hidden talent for letter writing. Peter loves all things military. And how cool is it to be 9 years old and your favorite color is Camo?
I actually had some camo DP in my stash. I found a cute font online (USAAFCStencil) that looks army-ish. I just printed his initials on to cardstock, then cut them out with my nesties. To give it an aged look, I sponged on some distress ink (I really need some practice with this stuff, because my results looked dirty instead of aged...the kids really like the look, so I'll probably have to do more of it).

SUPPLIES: Paper...Kraft (PTI), Georgia-Pacific 110# white, Green Camo (creative imaginations); Font...USAAFCSTENCIL (dafont.com)

A big Thank-You to Peter for loaning me his comforter and his room for this photo! I wish photos could capture the wonderful 9 year-old boy aroma, too...he uses this quilt year-round, and it is awesome!

Kidspiration #7

Seems like my girls have been more inspired than me lately. Sophia got up one morning, and started making a card ("No reason, just felt like it"). Of course, this inspired Anastasia to be inspired...so, here are the latest from my Ladies:

Sophia's card began by cutting the green paper into blades of grass, then she found the ladybug stamp and voila!

Anastasia noticed that our new clock stamp matched some printed paper bags that someone gave us. She stamped and cut out the clock and put it on the clock image (with dimensionals) on the background paper:

Thank you, Ladies! Maybe I'll get inspired soon, too....

Sarah & Sierra's Birthday

My kids have several dolls, and every few months, I am informed that it is one of their birthdays. I usually make something for the doll (after all, I am it's Grandma). Sometimes we make a dessert (something small, because dolls are small). And usually all the dolls show up on my kitchen counter for the entire Birthday: kind of fun.

Anyways, a few weeks ago, it was Sarah & Sierra's Birthday. I think they're twins. One likes pink and the other likes green. I'm a lousy grandma, because I can't tell them apart.

I didn't have time to make them a gift, so I made some quick cards. These are small cards...I used my Marvy scalloped square punch to make the base, and used a birthday sentiment from PTI's Mixed Messages for the inside of the card...For their birthday "cake", I sliced up a Little Debbie Swiss Roll (like a Hostess Ho-Ho) and put them on tiny plates for all the dolls; it was quite the party!
Happy Birthday, Sarah & Sierra!!!

SUPPLIES: Stamps...Birthday Cupcake (Inkadinkado), Mixed Messages (PTI); Ink...Palette Noir; Paper...pink & green (The Paper Company), Berry Sweet designer mat pad (K&Company); Misc...Marvy Scallop punch, Square (Whale-of-A Punch), prismacolor pencils, sakura glitter pen.

Easy Thank-Yous

Looks like it's been a few weeks since I posted...we went to visit my parents a few weeks ago, and I feel like I've been playing "catch up" just to get things back to normal (whatever "normal" is).

Anyways, here are a couple of incredibly easy thank-yous I did for my aunts, who put together a really nice family reunion...I really should have made them fancier, but I was in a hurry, and my stamping "space" is a joke right now (so I'm making my cards on the floor now)...I used my favorite, old stand-by layout: Image on the left, sentiment lower right.

Note to self: I used clear EP on the image and gold on the sentiment...still don't know if I really needed to emboss the image, but it did make the card a little more fancy. Organdy ribbon could have been cute, but I didn't have any, and needed to get these in the mail.
SUPPLIES for Aunt Annette's card: Stamps...tulip (Anna Griffin), thank you (CHF); Ink...chianti, evergreen (Colorbox), versamark; Paper...Vintage Cream (PTI), DP & dark green (Basic Grey "Sugared"); Misc...gold EP, clear EP, dimensionals

SUPPLIES for Aunt Bea's card: Stamps...tulip (Anna Griffin), thank you (CHF); Ink...chianti, moss green (Colorbox), versamark; Paper...Vintage Cream, Spring Moss (PTI), DP & burgundy (Basic Grey "Mellow"); Misc...gold EP, clear EP, dimensionals.j
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Kidspiration #6

The other day, Anastasia said that she just felt like she needed to make a card. A few days after she made the card, she informed me that I needed to post another Kidspiration entry. The next day, she displayed her cards on my desk, with the inks that she used, next to each card...guess I'd better post her cards:


First one has sentiment embossed (she likes doing that):SUPPLIES: Stamps...Green Thumb (PTI); Ink...Aloe Vera (VersaMagic chalk); Paper...Stamper's Select, Lemon Tart (PTI); Misc...ribbon (Joann's generic), EP

This next one she combined Out on a Limb with a bird I found at Michael's...The stamp shows the bird colored as a robin, but she colored it to be a finch (our state bird):

SUPPLIES: Stamps...Out on a Limb (PTI), robin (All Night Media); Ink...Spanish Olive, Jumbo Java (VersaMagic chalk); Paper...Spring Moss (PTI), leftover braille paper; Misc...Prismacolors, rub-on


Hey, Anastasia: I posted your cards!

All Thumbs

ETA: The second card in this post received Honorable Mention for Papertrey Ink's July contest. I am so humbled; my card is so plain, but Nicole was kind enough to display it on her blog...very sweet!

Here are a couple of cards I did a few weeks ago, after I received my Green Thumb set from PTI...I really like this set, and it's versatile enough to do birthdays, thank-yous, and just-because cards.

This first one is because it rains so much here in the Northwest, that you might as well walk around in style. I made it in my two favorite bright colors, Berry Sorbet and Summer Sunrise...
SUPPLIES: Stamps...Green Thumb (PTI), Polka Dot BG (CHF); Ink...Berry Sorbet , palette Noir (PTI), Mango Madness (VersaMagic Chalk ink); Paper...Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Stamper's Select (PTI); Pencils (for shoe heel)...Spanish Orange, Carmine Red (Prismacolor pencils); Misc...Berry Sorbet Satin ribbon (PTI), dimensionals; OMS & blending stumps

This next card was inspired by one of the pots on my front porch...I have 5 pots, and 4 of them are happily growing flowers or tomatoes. The seeds just will not sprout in the 5th pot. If I ever see any sprout in that pot, it will be a joyous day, indeed!

I wanted this card to look really plain, except for the pop of color on the flower. This card was so much fun to make. The watering can was cut out and adhered to the card because that was the safest way to get a totally gray can: I stamped it, cut it out, sponged the image with the stamp pad (to get a solid color). I also made the top of the can curved by stamping a piece of flower stem, curved to match the bottom of the can.

SUPPLIES: Stamps...Green Thumb (PTI); Ink...Pallete Noir, Berry Sorbet (PTI), Moss Green, Antique Pewter (Color Box); Paper...Kraft (unknown source), Vintage Cream, Stampers Select (PTI); Misc...paper piercer, dimensionals, corner-rounder punch (EK).

Hiking and Birds

Just a couple of bird cards I did for Mom...need to post them, so if she needs more, I'll have an idea of what I did. The first one is pretty much designed after this one by Tammy Hershberger (I showed Mom the photo of Tammy's card, and she wanted me to make a set for her...I did this one without the flowers, though. I'll make her a black one with red flowers as soon as I get my Nesties).

SUPPLIES: Stamps...Birds Galore (Inkadinkado), Boxes, Bags & Tags (PTI), Thank You (Fiskars); Paper...Bohemian Memories & My Journey (My Mind's Eye); Ink...Coffee Bean (Tsukineko Brillance); Misc...brown ribbon from Mom's thrift store.

This one is the same layout, but with old buttons (from a thrift store) instead of ribbon. This one was fun, because Mom volunteers in a thrift store, and the name of the patterned paper is "Thrift Store." The paper is adhesive, so it was really quick to put together. Steve said it's "too busy", but I wanted it to look eclectic, like a thrift store :)

SUPPLIES: Stamps...Birds Galore (Inkadinkado); Paper...Thrift Store adhesive mats (Autumn Leaves); Ink...coffee bean (Tsukineko Brillance); Misc...clear EP, Martha Stewart border punch, old buttons.

Steve was on another business trip, and I needed to do something with the kids, so we decided to go on a little hike to Wahlclella Falls, which is about 40 miles from home. What fun! Ziggy was a little nervous at first, but decided that if Erik Weinmeyer could climb Mt. Everest, then he could manage this 2 mile hike. It was a bit tricky, since most of the trail is just wide enough for one person, so it was hard to guide Ziggy, but we managed. Another hiker (and her dog) offered to take a group photo of us at the end of the trail (have to laugh at this one since I'm standing on low ground I look short...I'm actually 5'7", but it's kind of neat not being the tallest in a photo)...What a fun day!!!