PAO December 2014 Sketch Card

I've taken over the challenge of creating a monthly card sketch on PaperArtistsOnline for my friend Jen who is focusing on the monthly layout sketch over there.  Jen will be a hard act to follow.  Her card sketches have been fabulous, challenging and so much fun.

So for my first sketch I actually created one of my typical stream-of-consciousness cards and then made the sketch.  Is that cheating?


Though going backwards here this is my sketch:

This is the original card I made the sketch above from.  Large die cut tag from PTI, fern stamp JudiKin's, little tag and stamp TSOL/Stephanie Barnard and matting from assorted MFT Blueprint sets.  Paper from assorted stash.

Finally, I actually made a card FROM the sketch.  I just wish the shimmery appearance of this card showed up better in the photo.  Card base and blue/green panel are from Club Scrap collections, tree is a die from Elizabeth Crafts and sentiment die is PTI.

Thanks for looking.

Unity FWF Easy Embossed Card

This was so easy it's embarrassing.  Embossing folders really are an easy, quick and terrific way to make a fast card.   The sentiment is a Unity stamp which fits nicely into the blank area of this embossing folder.  A few buttons with enamel dots, some baker's twine and Bob's your Uncle as my friend Jen says.

Thanks for looking.

Card Making Frenzy

The long awaited day of attending Stephanie Barnard's card class arrived.  What a fun and intense day it was.  Two, 2 hour classes of 3 cards each.  I'm proud that I finished the first 5 and nearly completed the 6th.  Maybe my energy will return tonight or tomorrow and I will finish it.

Meanwhile here is what I did finish.


Morning class

Afternoon class

Stand up card with suspended flower

Shaker flip it card

Step card

Hidden flap card

Gate fold card

My good friend Jennifer, Stephanie Barnard and me.

Thanksgiving Cards for the Grandkids

Doodlebug card stock and stickers made this a no-brainer for making cards for my nearly 1 year old granddaughter and nearly 3 year old grandson.  Paper and stickers are from the Friendly Forest Collection.  I just love the colors and darling animals and owls.  The card base is TSOL's Triple Cricle Flip-It die.  I think the children will love the interactive style card.

For my granddaughter...

For my grandson...

Thanks for looking:)

Unity FWF Friday - Masking Play

I couldn't wait to play with two new sets of stamps tonight.  I didn't give a lot of thought for a card.  Merely a chance to play with 3 stamps and some masking.  I don't feel that cards always need a sentiment.  Simple note cards are often just the ticket for a nice note to someone without a specific theme.

The flight of birds background is from Vintage Era Background and the two tags are from The Garden (What-not) Collection.  I bought the Vintage set mainly for the birds but all the stamps will be fun to be creative with.  But those birds really got me.

I stamped the tags first onto card stock and then masked them with Eclipse paper before over stamping with the bird stamp.  So simple.  The background for the tag with the glasses was easily done with JudiKins Dusters (short stubby brushes that look like shaving brushes) and Distress Inks.

The birds on the second card were stamped in my homemade pad of multi-Distress Inks.

Thanks for looking and your comments.

PAO Tag Spoiler...Beware!

I am in a Holiday Tag Swap with my friends at PAO.  I've already received many from my swap group so I needed to get busy.  I finished them last night and they'll go out in the mail on Monday.  So if by chance you are in my swap group...don't look! LOL.

I was pleased with myself for using embossing folders, stamps and dies in my stash!

This first tag is for our organizer.  I'll be giving her this one plus one of the others as well since we are both in two groups.  Tag was die cut from an MFT tag die on Club Scrap black sparkly card stock from "Cruisin'" kit.  Houses are stamps and die from Stampin' Up!

And now for my embossing folder tags.  I found this a great way to make them with some speed.  Emboss and then just swipe with Distress Ink Mini Ink Pads.  And of course I had to put a bird on it.

Thanks for looking and I hope I didn't spoil it for anyone.

A Departure From the Usual

I use this blog for sharing my crafting interests but today I want to share another interest of mine...birding.  I began birding about 4 1/2 years ago.  I went on my first bird walk with a local expert and that was all it took.  I can proudly say that I am a bird geek.

Today I had a fascinating day right in my own yard and I wanted to show just a few of the 100+ photos I took today.

My first set of photos is of a Song Sparrow.  What made me excited to see him is that I've never seen one at my home.  I see them frequently out in rural areas that I bird but never in the suburbs.  I do keep a number of seed feeders and this guy must have liked what he saw.  He fed with the other regulars but stuck around when the others moved off.  (More why they moved off below:)

He liked hiding in my neighbor's hedge for safety but when I "pished" at him (literally making that sound) he would pop up for a few seconds allowing me these photos.   In the Spring his song is beautiful.  During the non-nesting time like now they make a soft "bark" call.

The reason that all the other birds disappeared quickly was our resident Cooper's Hawk.  She (or he) is a beauty and quite amusing to watch.  The little birds however are rightfully afraid.  A Cooper's Hawk's main diet is small birds and they know to hang out at bird feeders, like ours.  She seems to like my husband's roof rack on his car.  She then dove into a shrub knowing that numerous House Sparrows were hiding in there.  Finally she gave up and went to the top of a sycamore tree to preen and groom.  Or perhaps to sulk because she did not succeed in finding a munchie to enjoy.

Today was the second day in a row for her to appear.  I wonder if she will show up again tomorrow?

Unity FWF Friday...Thank You

I had a lot of Thank You cards to send out recently after a wonderful birthday.  This is just one of them.  I loved coloring this stamp customizing the colors with my Copics to go with the cute patterned paper and sent it to a friend who recently took an online Copic Card Coloring class with me.

Happy Friday and thanks for looking:)