A Spring Birthday and Tutorial

This is not a birthday for Spring.  It is a birthday card made WITH a spring, as in "boing" type spring.

It was very fun to make this card.  I wanted to depict the Happy Birthday song and thus the musical notes stamp by Gina K Designs.  I stamped it with my spectrum pad .  The sentiment is Verve.  It is  has a spring under it.  When you touch it, it wiggles.  I made one for my DIL and loved it so much, I made several more to send to OWH.Great for mailing - dimension but not bulk.

I know you can buy these springs but this is how I made mine:

Use a very fine wire, 26 or 28.

Wrap it around something that is 1/2 inch in diameter one and a half times.

Cut. Remove from dowel. Using a piece of tape, tape down one end of wire to a circle of cardstock (this one is 1 1/4 inches in diameter)

Now put another piece of tape on the other end  with the glue side facing up.

Carefully put the second circle of the top so they are glued together like a sandwich.

For the final step, I use Scoretape on both outer sides of circles but you could use any double sided tape or maybe even glue.

Glue it to the image that you want to spring off the page.  Very fun for frogs, dragonflies, balloons, or anything that you want some movement to.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  I would LOVE to see what you create with this technique!  You can email me a pic at my email account  mkdrain at gmail dot com.

Challenges:
Partytime Tuesday - anything
Bearly Mine - anything
Aud Sentiments - birthday
Sister Act - anything
CASual Fridays - birthday

April Showers Have Brought May Flowers

Just a couple more days til May.  Loving the flowers.  The trees are in bloom, the lilacs are making me heady when I step outside my door, the Rhodies are popping out in profusion, Irises are shooting up  Now if the April rains would stop so the flowers would stay nice !
I'm not sure these flowers on the card look like May flowers because my flowers tend to be in the pink and purple family but the patterned paper was so cheery, I went with that color scheme.

I used the sketch at MFT

All the stamping is done with Verve stamps - several sets.  The sentiment piece is created with various thank you stamps that I put on an acrylic block, rearranging until I was happy with the placement. I used my Fiskar's placement block - I love it.  It is the one with sponge feet. Just lined things up the way I wanted them and then stamped. It really helps get sentiments straight.

(Sorry about the small image.)

Let's see, what else?  Nothing much.  I used Sakura Clear Star in the centers of the flowers before adding the brads. Base is SU Pumpkin Pie.

Enjoy your weather, whatever it may be because it is the only weather you will get today!  LOL

Challenges:
Simon Says - anything
Sister Act - anything
Pile It On - May Flowers
Critter Sketch - flowers
Wags and Whiskers - flowers
Verve
Get Inky - flowers

Tut, Tut, It Looks Like Rain

We have had such a beautiful week of sunshine and warm temps but now it is back to rain. We knew it would happen .  We get some warm, dry weather and are fooled into thinking Spring is finally here and Summer is on its way.  Well, that is true, but for us in the Pacific N.W., it is only a teaser.  Now back to the cold and the wet for awhile. 

The image is Designed2Delight and the sketch is found at  Tuesday Morning Sketches

I colored the image with Prismas Pencils.  The yellow "ribbon" behind the twine is seam binding.

Hope you are having a wonderful, sunny, dry day while we keep singing, "the sun will come out tomorrow".

Thanks to those who comments.  It is nice to know you are peeking at my blog.



Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp and Show - color
Stamp and Create - use a die
Ribbon Carousel - showers/flowers
Party Time Tuesday - tic tac toe  (ribbon, twine, die cut)
Simon Says - anything
Sister Act - anything

English Countryside Birthday

This digital image reminds me of what I think an English country cottage would look like or maybe the cottage that Snow White and the seven dwarfs lived in.

I have had this image stored in my computer for so many years.  I have it listed as Marion's, but unfortunately, that doesn't tell me much.  I am doing better saving the artist's name with the image.  When I first started saving digital images, I didn't know what I was doing.  (There are many areas where that is still true!!!)
Just used a little bit of Koh-i-noor pencils to color this.  Distressed front panel is on distressed Kraft panel and the base is SU Garden Green.

Challenges:
Simon Stamp and Show - color
Digital Tuesday - birthday
Simon Says - anything
Sister Act - anything
CASual Fridays - birthday 
Aud Sentiments - birthday

For The Happy Couple

For the anniversary cards I send to my five married children, I try to make "cute" ones.  Beautiful cards are not favorites among the sons.

Doesn't this digital image by Designed2Delight just make you smile?.
Base is light Kraft.  Background paper is a scrap I had cut out for some other card about 3 years ago and never used. One corner was cut off so I did that to the rest.  The pearl necklace is from a card I received a few years ago and I saved the pearls.  Hearts are cut out with SU punch.  The image was colored with Prisma Pencils with some blending with the help of OMS. Just a touch of distressing around the oval. 

Challenges:
Kraft Journal - reuse/recycle
Stamp and Create - use die
Created with Love - call of the wild
Bearly Mine - use digi
Pink Gem - distress
Simon Says - anything
Simon Stamp and Show - color

Masculine Birthday Card

A short break from making Father's Day cards but still in the line of masculine cards, I came up with this one.

All stamps are Unity from the sets "Authentic Man" and January 2012 Kit of the Month.

Kept it simple.  Instead of coloring the whole car, I just used some Gelly Roll silver for some of the chrome.  I was too lazy to do fussy cutting so I just stamped the card right onto the light Kraft piece that I had already stamped with the frame. It just fits!  So then I decided to stamp the zigzag on the Kraft and use it as is.  Really like that stamp - it looks like it is stitched on.

The sketch is Unity :

Don't you love that embossing folder for cars, motorcycles, trucks?  And the screw brad - hope I can find some more when these are gone.

Challenges:
Pile It One - emboss
Kraft Journal - CAS
Whoopsi Daisy - not square
Timeless Tuesday - frame it
Crafty Creations - no squares
Frosted Designs - travel
Totally Papercrafts - use Kraft
Sister Act - anything

My Obsession With Office Supplies

There are certain places I know not to visit - office supplies stores, school supply aisles in August, dollar bins at Target, etc.  It is as if I have over-riding compulsion that pulls me into those places and a voice that says, "You need a few more pencils.  Oh, look at this cute stapler.  How about some more paper tablets?"
So, you can imagine how excited I was with Laurie's new mid-month release when I saw pencils and paper, pens and ink !!!  Look at all these colors and options and paper clips galore (Yes, I have two containers of colored clips).

Look at these:

You can check out some more of her new release at Doodle Pantry.
AND if you hurry, there is a 45% off sale but only through the 17th.

So here is the card I made, super-imposing one pencil on top of another and putting them in a jar (also a set you can find at Doodle Pantry).

 It was fun to make this and it won't be the last time I do it.  I like the results.
Whoopsie Daisy - not square
Crafty Creations - no squares
Sister Act - anything
CDAC - anything goes
PartyTime Tuesdays - colors

What's With The Pink?

If asked what my favorite color is, I would not say pink but have I ever made a lot of cards with pink and green lately.  Maybe it will become my favorite color after all.  I had the greatest intentions of making these flowers yellow or orange but then the "pink" urge came over me and I was helpless!  They had to be pink. It must be the influence of my five granddaughters.  (They all love pink.)

I used the sketch at Pink Gem  

The digital is Designed2Delight

Challenges:
Stamp and Create - at least 1 die
Ribbon Carousel - flowers
Clear it Out - Spring flowers
Sister Act - anything
Great Impressions - pastels and dots
Critter Sketch - washi tape or ribbon
Simon Says - spring flowers

My Catch of Fish

My dad loved to fish but he was never very successful  (I take after him).  He would come home from a fishing trip and say, "I couldn't catch a fish in a bathtub!"  I miss my dad, especially when I am making Father's Day cards for OWH.
 These pre-colored digital images are by Doodle Pantry and I used some of the digital papers that come with the set. You can find them at the shop and check out the free with purchase as well as the challenge.  For the first two views, I used a sketch at Seems a Little Sketchy

 On the first card, I added  a little Sakura Clear Star ink to the water and the fish.  Second card, I used some Crystal Effects on the water and Sakura Clear Star ink to the fish.

For my third card, I used a sketch at Delightful Inspiration From the Heart

I like the Crystal effects on the water so I put it on this card too.

Challenges:
Critter Sketch - washi tape   I don't own any yet so I used ribbon
Craft Your Passion - water
Stamp and Create - die
Craft 4 Eternity - spring colors
Sister Act - anything

Little Girls and Pink

Several of my granddaughters LOVE pink so I usually put pink on the images of the cards I am giving to them.  We just came back from a road trip - the purpose being to see a few grandchildren who live 1200 miles away.  This cute digi by Deariedolls reminds me of the granddaughter we just visited.  She recently had her hair cut like this and she wore pink for Easter Sunday.  Thought this would make a perfect card to send to her.

Here is the sketch I used found at From the Heart Digital Stamps

I loved the idea of piercing down the side and inside the oval so I did it too!
Thank goodness for my BowEasy - making those little bows.
I stacked the ribbon - satin on top of organza.  I haven't done that for awhile but that was the challenge at Timeless Tuesdays
It is a little hard to see, but I put touches of Sakura Cear Star ink in the blossoms and used Liquid Pearls for her buttons and buttons on her shoes. 
Sentiment is Verve.

Challenges:
Whoopsie Daisy - bling
Ribbon Carousel - flowers and showers
Crafty Creations - flowers
Frosted Designs - scallops
Sister Act Cards - anything
Totally Papercrafts - girl in pink
Party Time Tuesday - blooms and ribbon

In The Pink

Years ago, my daughters broke into their piggy banks in order to buy me a pink Dogwood tree for Mother's Day.  It was small but I loved it.  Unfortunately, the neighbor's cows broke through the fence one day and ate my little tree.  Seriously !  They also did about $1500 other damage.  The neighbors would not reimburse us for any of the damage done to our flower beds, lawn, patio, etc which made me very upset.  But I was most upset to loose that little tree.  I love Dogwood so I am really excited that one of the new images for this month's release at  Doodle Pantry  is the Texas Dogwood.
Here is the set:

And here are the cards I made, playing with this new set:

Isn't that a beautiful image?
Laurie has all the images showcased at Doodle Pantry and also has a SALE going on but only for a few days so check it out today.

Challenges:
Crafty Catz - anything
Crafty Creations - flowers
Party Time Tuesday - flowers and ribbon
Ribbon Carousel - flowers
Marks Speedy TV - anything
Clear It Out - Spring