Merry Christmas 2010!

Amazingly, I got the "kids" to cooperate for photos. I had picked up some of the Post-It note photo cards in a 4x8 size a couple of years ago on clearance. Not bad for 20 cards with envelopes. They also have double-adhesive post-it strips on the back so receipients can peel them off and stick them wherever - if they're those type of people.

These card kits also come with software, but it was a little too restrictive for me. I ended up finding another software by Hallmark that had the 4x8 printing structure - sometimes hard to find, but I always check for. I was able to score the software on a serious clearance at a Ross' in NC over the summer. I scoured the internet saving any image that I liked that I thought I could possibly use for the background of the card. I also didn't want something that took away from the photos especially knowing I was going to have to cram four of them on there. Admittedly, I did hit some snags and learned to print off in grayscale and on plain paper before loading up the good stuff. Every software and printer has some quirks!

It ended up being one of the more popular cards that I've sent out. The greatest thing was only having to print off the amount of cards I needed and then I could zip off one more when I suddenly remembered someone else. For those that I didn't have mailing addresses on, I had created an electronic card that I simply emailed off or posted like this! Update: Just recently scored some more 20-packs of the cards and envelopes for $1.00! I went back to the store a week or two later and they'd already sold out of them. Great sale!

Card - Happy Birthday (Girl)

Supply list:

• Paper - Embassy Black Cardstock, Embassy Dark Green & Light Green
• "Happy Birthday" - Microsoft Word cut with Martha Stewart Circle Cutter
• Flower - Cricut - George & Basic Shapes cart
  

Card - You've Got Me Hook, Line & Sinker

I finally completed cards for the March MCPT Challenge over on the Cricut message board. I will still post them all as individual blog posts just so they will have their own labels and such. I made a discovery since my first stab at the Challenge from February. I was working and working and working and it was hard to get my colored pencils to blend. I knew there was something wrong. I went searching on the internet and found another site that specified wax-based pencils instead of water-soluble (which is possibly what I was using). After doing a little shopping, and working with the new March images, it was all better and oh so much easier!

Supply list:

• Papers - all construction paper this time
• Texture - Fiskars and Chizzel-It tool
• Phrase - Microsoft Word punched with Martha Stewart Scalloped Circle Punch (did take a little work to get the size of the words down to fit the size of the punch)
• Hearts - Martha Stewart Love Punch (paper for hearts were paint samples)

Card - Girl w basket of Valentine's

Another one of the five MCPT February 2009 Card Challenge designs. Played up the wind effect embossing the card using various parts of a stencil. Added in a few little purple confetti hearts that I figured could've blown out of her basket. Left the card blank, so it could be used as a note card around the holiday.

Card - Way To Go / It's Your Day

Another for the MCPT February card challenge with another little 3D effect for the balloons from the George & Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge. The phrases "Way To Go" & "It's Your Day" were also both from the George cartridge.

Card - Showering You With Love

I thought about this being for Valentine's Day but I guess it could be for anything, even just a thinking of you. This is one of the images being used this month in a monthly card challenge, hosted by a nice lady named Aprile, over on the Cricut Message Board. I've got a few more to do, but I wanted to at least have one up for Valentine's Day.

There are about four layers of plastic (from a plastic cover that came off of some packaging for a paper cutter) to make up the "jar" of glitter hearts (which Taylor made into a frisbee and slung across the room and under tables and chairs...much to my dismay!). In between each one is a layer of foam sheet scraps and confetti hearts in a shimmering color. The mouse on top of the jar has the same number of foam sheet pieces together so he could sit on the jar properly. The smaller mouse and the umbrella only have one layer of foam sheet. Basically everything on the card is raised with the exception of the scattered hearts and the phrase. I just realized that I forgot to replace the shadowing under the mice and the jar, but I guess it does it somewhat naturally. Maybe I should just say I meant to do that?! The reason for the two photos is to display the dimension - top with flash (see the shimmer?), bottom without (see the shadows?).

I started out with this thing on pink cardstock and then I changed my mine and went to lavender instead with a pink lace accent (thanks for the scissors Keith!). Now I'm not sure that it will fit in an envelope very well, but I probably should send it to my Grandmother...she's used to getting things late from me! Happy Valentine's Day!

Card - Grandmother - Flowers Have Sun

I remember seeing this saying somewhere a few months back and thought it was a nice sentiment. I can't recall if it was actually for a Grandmother or not, but that's how I opted to use it. It was also helpful that I had photos of flowers from the flower beds over the past year and the new Cricut with an also new Alphalicious cartridge. I took some Astrobrights paper and just let it cut various flowers from fully covered mat boards for an afternoon and just divided them by size into clear containers until time to create the card last night. It allowed the process to go a lot faster.

Supplies list:

• Cricut - George cart - flowers (1", 1.25", 1.5")
• Cricut - Alphalicious cart - lettering (1")
• Paper trimmer for square background papers (1.5")
• Marvy Clever Level Craft Punch LV-SJCP42 Square for photos (2" diagonal cut)
• Card base - 8.5x11 - Royal Crafts Sonburn II Cover Stock Earthtones collection
• Adhesives: Xyron (photos, colored squares, lettering); Glue Stick (center of cut flowers)
• Brads (only used on two front cut flowers)
• Making Memories Mini Square Tropic Item #26112 key lime
• Making Memories Flower Pastel Item #30182 larger green of two sizes

Front:

Inside: