Flying High Birthday Card

It's spring, and I think of flying kites.  So when I saw this tutorial at splitcoaststampers, I knew I had to create a project with this kite-shaped explosion card.  As cute as the kite was by itself, I wanted to make a "scene" for it with clouds in the sky - but needed to create a 5X7 card to have enough room for everything!  I even added a tail from embroidery floss with ribbon ties on it.

You can see how the card opens up to reveal the message on the inside.  There is a small hook & loop dot at the bottom of both pieces to keep the kite closed. 

I'm entering this card in the Seize the Birthday Challenge this week.  It's an "anything goes" challenge with the option of using a water theme.  Instead, I'm using wind!  Pop over there and check out the other birthday greetings.

This is also the technique card for April's Stamp Club classes.  More information about the class will be posted soon!

Here's a list of materials I used - all are from CTMH unless noted:
Stamps:
Live, Laugh, Love (C1636) front frame - available until April 30
Sending Love (B1504) front sentiment
Floral Banners (D1663) inside sentiment
La Vie En Rose Workshop stamp set (G1100) flower & leaves
Windy Day (retired) clouds inside and out
Papers:
Blossom patterned paper (retired)
Glacier, white daisy, sorbet, and pear cardstock
Inks:
Black
Crystal Blue
Other:
Confetti embossing powder (Z3118)
Hook & Loop Dots (Z1805)
Cricut Artistry cartridge (Z3167) front sentiment shape
Brad from my stash
Embroidery floss and ribbon from my stash

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my work!

Gift Card Holder from a Paper Bag!

I love the nautical stamp set "My Anchor."  The fact that it has a coordinating set of thin dies makes it even better - no cutting required for this great look!  I used one of Close to My Heart's paper bags to create this little gift card holder - and with graduations and birthdays on the horizon, thought it could work for a variety of occasions.  The photo inspiration for the challenge over at the Just Us Girls blog this week was nautical, so decided to enter it into that challenge.

The tutorial for this gift bag holder came from Splitcoaststampers.com.  They used a plain kraft bag and had to add more detail to the band, but I used the patterned bag and was happy with the nautical scene created. 

You can see how the gift card has a band around it so you can easily pull it out, and the tag in the back gives you room to add your greeting.  When all of these are tucked into the holder, it actually fits into a standard A2 envelope!

This will be one of the projects we will make in my April Stamp Club classes.  Participants will be able to choose from four different colors of bags and four stamp sets/dies to create the gift card holder that fits their needs.

Here is the list of what I used to create the card -
all materials are from CTMH:
Stamps:
My Anchor (C1642)
Say it All (C1632) 
Papers:
White Daisy and Pacifica cardstock
Inks:
Ruby
Pacifica
Glacier
Canary
Other:
My Anchor Thin Cut Dies (Z3202)
Designer Creations Paper Bags - Ruby (Z2038)

Be sure to check out the other great nautical or cake creations over at Just Us Girls.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another "Clean" Card for Freshly Made Sketches #229

I loved the sketch for this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  I thought it had a lot of possibilities.  I decided to keep it really clean with white on white.  The pop of color from the new Regatta papers from CTMH was just enough!

I matted the diamond-shaped pieces with white, then stamped the sentiment and added the flowers directly to the shape.  The bright blues and reds really stand out.  The blue striped strip on the left is very subdued, but it keeps it from competing with the rest of the images, while still adding interest.

This card will be a part of my April Stamp Club classes.  Here is some more information about it!  All materials used are from CTMH

Stamps:
Flowers - Friend in Me (C1640) available only until the end of April!
Sentiment - Finding the Words (D1646)
Papers:
Regatta paper pack (X7206B) available only until the end of April!
White Daisy cardstock
Inks:
Black
Pomegranate
Sapphire
Other:
colored pencils to highlight the centers of the flowers

For class participants, you can see all of the options that "Finding the Words" provides for personalizing this card.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to stop over at the Freshly Made Sketches blog and see the great creations made with this sketch.

Clean and Simple Card for Paper Players Challenge #287

I love the elegance of cards created with the "clean and simple" look.  The clean and simple challenge at the Paper Players this week suggested celebrating spring.  The soft colors of new flowers is what I think of with spring - and that's what I tried to create with this card.

The image and sentiment are from the "Take Heart" stamp set (C1639), and they are stamped in Hollyhock ink.   I used Colonial White and Canary cardstock and the Floral embossing folder (Z1994).  All of these products are from Close to My Heart.

I used a circle slightly larger than my yellow "ring" to stamp the flower.  I then snipped the ends of the leaf so they would fall over the edge of the outer ring to give some added dimension, then trimmed the edge of the larger circle to match the ring.

The inside sentiment is shown on the left.

This card will be one of the projects for my April Stamp Club classes.  More information about the class will be posted soon.

Be sure to check out the other clean and simple cards over at The Paper Players Challenge Blog.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy a beautiful spring weekend.  Well - I guess that will depend on where you are, now won't it?!