I think this is my last Easter basket for 2011. I love making them because they are so easy to do. Check out my earlier post on directions from Stamp TV.
I put a small flower in this one for Elaine. She has been such a good friend to me that I wanted to show my appreciation by adding to her garden.
I used the new paper I purchase from Mind's Eye. Great paper.. I think I've said that before, but it's a heavier quality paper than other cardstock I've used. I plan on getting more.
I used Just Rite's new stamp set called "Kindness". I bought the Spellbinder's die cut that matches the stamp. Way cool!!
I punched the butterflies with Martha Stewart's punch. Then distressed them with Vintage Photo from Tim Holtz.
The handle is also embellished with Martha's scalloped border punch.
The brilliant blue flowers are from a McGill punch I have. I dotted the centers with white enamel accents.
I lined the basket with a baggie to protect the paper. I think Elaine is gonna love this Spring basket.
The weather has taken a turn for the best. It's finally looking and feeling like spring. I plan on working in my garden this morning, especially after visiting Skillin's Garden Center and seeing these beautiful flowers. I wanted to buy everything I saw. My mom held me back by telling me it was a tad too early. Whew! That was close. Here are some more pics of flowers that I loved. Anyway it inspired me to work on an Easter card to celebrate the time of year of rebirth....
Where did that fly come from?
I wanted to use a Cuttlebug embossing folder that I have not used yet. It was a perfect choice since I love Spellbinders oval nesties. The dotted paper is from Minds Eye. The background stamp is from Penny Black.
I used Stampin Up's Sage Shadow ink to match the oval paper. The sentiment is from SU's All Holidays Stamp set. I used a McGill punch to get the pink little flowers and added white Enamel Accents for the center. Ribbons are from Tate's in Bath, Maine.
I am loving the touch of pink....
By the way, I am really pleased at how my photos have been coming out lately. That's because I bought an Ott light. I got it for half price at JoAnn's Fabric Store. What a sale! It give my photos a more brightened look. Much better than trying to find the light somewhere around the house. Saves me alot of time.
The inside of the card is a verse from Psalm 35:9.
I really think this is a great message for Easter. I just love Easter as our reminder of Christ's sacrifice for us. The beauty of the earth at this time of year is a message of his resurrection and salvation. Amen.
The lily is from Fifth Avenue Floral set.
I hope you have a Joyous Easter with your family and friends. Thanks for looking.
I just finished this retirement card for a good friend of ours. We are so happy for him. His wife is already retired, so I think they will be traveling in their "new life". I designed this card with that in mind.
I used watercolor paper and a wet paint brush to give the "little" picture the look of a watercolor painting. The palm tree stamp is from Stampcraft I borrowed it from my sister, who lives just down the road. I used SU ink to give the picture a beach look at sunset.
A Tropical Theme
I used two Sizzix die cuts to make the coat tree: Decorative Accents #2 and Dress & Accessories. I just connected the top part of one to the bottom part of the other with a thin strip of the same color.
I just bought this great paper from Mind's Eye at Jeannette's in Dover. It's really quality paper. I used it for the wall paper in the room and for the wainscoting below. I just drew lines with a brown marker to give the wainscoting a painted wood look.
My oval Nesties helped me with the sentiment. I used my Just Rite alphabet stamps to print out the message. The little Prima flowers help it to look a little tropical. I found these great sandal buttons that I just cut off the little shank on the back. I thought it was a great touch.
Spellbinder"s fancy tags helped me to add the sign at the top. I just cut part of it off to make it look more like a sign.
The shirt was wicked fun to make. This was the first time I had done a shirt. I wanted it to look tropical, so I used a colorful piece of designer paper. Here is a video I found to help me with directions. I am a very visual learner.
The hanger for the shirt was the toughest part. I've seen tiny ones in the craft stores, but I didn't have any, so I made my out of wire. I believe I will purchase some now that I know how hard they are to make.
The inside of the card has more of a message for Don. I found the Irish Blessing on line. The palm tree and monkey are from Sizzix. The water picture is a picture I took when we went to Popham Beach. I faded it a bit to give it a lighter look.
I hope Don likes his retirement card. I know he will enjoy his retirement. Russ and I love being retired.
I had a great day today with my family. We went to Dover, New Hampshire to visit my favorite craft store: Stamped Designs run by Jennette. It has everything you need for crafting. She had just gotten in the new items from her trip to this year's CHA convention. It was hard to decide what to purchase, but somehow I muddled through. I had to have the new Just Rite stamps and Spellbinders Labels Twenty since I saw a project my sister did with these materials. Can't wait to try them out.
I finished this card today after viewing a blog that showed how to make this flower. My sister, Chris, had showed me how to make them a while ago,but I had forgotten all about these beauties. This blog refreshed my memory with very accurate directions. http://whimsicalworldoflaurabird.blogspot.com/2011/03/paper-flower-tutorial.html
The color looks a little off. It has a reddish /pink hue.
Loved making this one. I plan on making more with different colors. I used Spellbinders spiky circle to give the flower a bigger effect. The white stars came from Martha Stewart's star border punch. Since I hadn't used it yet, thought this would be a perfect time. I used Cuttlebug"s basket embossing folder to high- light the flower medallion.
"Happiness Always" is from Stampin Up's Whimsical Words and the other sentiment is from Studio G.
I could use this card for a birthday, or just a keeping in touch card.Love that it has "multi-use".
What do you think?
After we had a great lunch at Warren's in Kittery, we headed to Scarborough to check out Cliff's, which is an indoor flea market. It is really a fabulous place to find all kinds of interesting things. The prices are great. I was thinking of buying this bowl, which goes with some other bowls I own, but couldn't decide. It was $18.00, but had a couple of nicks inside and a nick on the bottom. I took this picture to help me decide.
I can't wait to go back to Dover and to Cliff's. It was a long day, but really well worth the trip. Don't you just love the weekends?
I made this smaller Easter basket today after I saw the ones my sister made for her staff at work. Wicked cute.to her baskets. couldn't help myself. I had to make one,too. I had already made a larger one for my son,but I am not sure which one I am going to give him. He informed me he wanted less candy this year.. Oh well, he didn't mention anything about homemade cookies..
Anyway, the idea for this basket came from a gal on Stamp TV. This is the link to help you get the template. It is wicked easy. http://stamptv.ning.com/video/gift-basket-part-1
Other side...
I used the stuffed bunny Sizzlet from Sizzix's collection. The ribbon I got from Tate's in Bath, Maine. Great place to get really good deals on crafting "stuff". The flowers are from Prima. I used the clear stamps from JoAnn's Fabric store. They were in the dollar bin. Love that bin...
The other side was pretty simple. I found these cloth cally lilies at Tate's, too. I used the tiny ribbon to accent the flower. I typed the words "He lives" and cut out the paper using Spellbinder's Nesties.
In the video on Stamp TV, she suggests these baskets are good for small potted flowers. It does look very elegant when you see the video. There is a part 1 and a part 2. If you want to see some more examples of these baskets, check out my sister's blog: www.callalilystudio.blogspot.com
Well, I think I might do one more of these just 'cause I love making these baskets. Now who can I give one to for Easter or maybe just for Spring.. Oh, I'll think of someone.
I have been working on an Easter card for a twelve year old boy in our area that is having treatment for stage 4 cancer. A friend on Facebook has asked for everyone to send him a card, so this is the one I am sending him. I plan to put a small bag of jellybeans inside the envelope I send him. I cannot image, as a parent, having to deal with your child being this sick...
Inside the card
This is the inside of the card. I included a personal note on the inside front cover.
I used my balloon punch for the face and then I used Sizzix sizzlet stuffed bunny die cut for the ears only.The jellybean prayer came from a bin of discounted clear stamps at JoAnn's Fabric Store. The jellybeans were included in the stamp set.
The little boy is a Matilda stamp that I colored with Copic Markers.
The "Easter Wishes" is from Stampin Up's All Holdays stamp set. The border punch is from Martha Stewart's collection.
The bag with the jellybeans in it is from Stampin Up's All Wrapped Up set.
I took one of my flower pictures and used it as the background for the inside sentiment. I wrote the sentiment on the computer.
My husband and I will be praying for this boy every day. I hope all the cards he receives will put a smile on his face for a moment and let him know that other care about him.
I have just come back from visiting my sister, Chris. She has the blog: "Calla Lily Studio". She had surgery on her knee yesterday and is feeling a little bored. So I brought her a few old card magazines and showed her the card that I had just finished. Her studio is in her basement, so she can't be creative for awhile. Her computer is on the second floor, so she can't get to her blog. So I can see why she's a little bored.
Fun to make...!!
Anyway, this is the card that I have been working on. It's a take on the bargello technique that is on Splitcoast Gallery Wednesday's Challenge. It is a really great idea, since you use a lot of your scraps to make the design. It's like quilting with paper.
I used my Cuttlebug's dry embossing folder that has leaves on it. I distressed the raised part of the leaves with Tim Holtz's vintage photo ink pad. I punched little flowers from McGill's collection of punches and distressed them with the same ink. I added the gold beads to match the tone of the paper.
For the sentiment I used the Bargello technique. I've included the video on this technique on my blog, so that you can see how easy it is to do. Beate does a great job with this tutorial. You will really enjoy learning this new technique.
I used my lacy square Nestie on the Bargello paper technique. You must make sure you glue all the strips down really well or they will lift if you pan to cut out a shape. I thought the square was too big, so I used the lacy die cut to make it smaller. I liked it better.
I stamped the sentiment from Inkadinkadoo's collection . I really like this message. The brown ferns came from a stamp by Ann-ticipation. I picked it up in my travels. The flowers are Prima and the fern leaves are a McGill punch.
I used Stampin Up's border punch and Martha Stewart's doily punch for the bottom edge. I liked the pairing of the two. The ribbon seemed to be a good color and I liked how it balanced the whole design.
I had fun with this card, but changed the design many times 'til I liked it..Hope you enjoy making the Bargello technique, too.
