Going Over-Seas... to buy or make?... that is the question!

I have way too many family and friends with birthdays in January! This year I planned to make my Dad a nice card. So I went to the local card shop to look at some there for ideas and inspiration. Well I found one that I liked the look of and had a sentiment that was perfect! So I decided to just buy it and send it rather than making one. After all my Dad lives in Portugal so I wanted to get it in the post sooner than later.

Well my Mom and her hubby live in Australia and his birthday is in January too. So I went looking for an appropriate card to buy and send... again wanting to mail it as early as possible so it would arrive on time. Well I could not find anything suitable that I was happy with... so I decided to make him one!

Funny how things work out.

I spent forever working to make this just right, (even though it may look simple). I used my Cricut (Everyday Paper Dolls) to cut the tree, the landscape and the kangaroo. I used my Big Shot Express with a Cuttlebug folder (Swiss Dots) to dry-emboss the tree top. The balloon and party hat I made by hand. The fuzzy on the hat is a tip of Chenille that I cut and shaped. I used a clear epoxy sticker to accent the balloon and real string too. The "Happy Birthday" was computer created and then gone over with (Stickles) glitter-glue to make it pop better. The tree and the bottom edge of the card were embellished using "Flower Soft". I used (Tattered Angels) Glimmer Mist and (Tsukineko) Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution to distress the landscape. Stampin' Up cardstock was used, along with their chalks (to give the kangaroo some dimension), and their markers (to accent the kangaroo and the tree trunk). Oh, and the edge of the landscape layers were distressed using the (Close To My Heart) distressing tool.

I know, I know... could I used any other products, tools and techniques? The variety is what makes this simple looking project take time to create. Well we crafters see all these cool supplies and all the newest tools come out on the market, we buy them, collect every kind of everything that's out there... at least now I am beginning to use my stash!!

Anne, who I used to refer to as "my Friend's Mom", is really my friend. I miss her being around since she moved to Nova Scotia not too long ago... it seems like forever ago, and yet as though it was only yesterday that she left. She is a fellow paper-crafter and she is also a florist. It was her birthday this January so I made this card to mail away to her.

I used Stampin' Up (Elegant Eggplant) cardstock as the base, and their (Brushed Gold) cardstock for the spine of the card as well as the mat in the center on the inside. I cut up and used an old greeting card, that I got in the mail ages ago from some charitable organization, to do my card front and the inside.

You'll notice a flower boarder and a pot of flowers that I embellished using "Flower Soft". This was interesting to learn to use... I liked the effect I had when I only used a small amount to just highlight the flower boarder on the front. Once I filled it out further I wished I hadn't added so much... but it was still nice.

I used a pale lavender Mulberry paper as a mat on the front of the card and tore out the window to let the inside design of the card show. Over all I liked the elegant and soft look of this card.

One of my closest friends, and fellow paper-crafter, was having a birthday this January. Naturally I felt making a card was a requirement... although we have both slipped into the ease of just picking one up at the local dollar store, or where ever, some years... I know... shocking to think we would.

Well this year I felt her birthday was a perfect opportunity to make a card trying various tools and techniques that I have access to, but may not have played with yet, or not for some time anyway. It took me a while to put this together with so much variety of fun to be had... so I told her she better keep it till she dies!... which I hope is far into old, old, old age. Boy, she'll have quite a stack of cards from me by then if this trend keeps up.

So I used Stampin' Up (Tempting Turquoise) cardstock for my card base and a mat on the front, along with their (Lavender Lace) cardstock for my center background (which was dry-embossed using the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirl Embossing Folder with my Big Shot Express), and also for the embellishment that was made using a (Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page) shell design boarder punch. The Flower Stamp is also from SU.

I used a Patterned paper from K&Company for the bigger background and for the cake which was cut out using the Cricut (Everyday Paper Dolls - LOVE this one!). I used Versamark Dazzles and clear embossing powder to make the cake's icing look yummy! The Big paper flower is from BBP and the smaller green one is Imaginisce. The other two flowers are punched or cut. "Happy Birthday" is computer generated, while I hand cut the candles and accented with SU marker. The jeweled candle flames and jeweled flowers are (Forever in Time) from Michael's Craft Store. The mini lavender fabric flowers on the cake are cut from of "ribbon" of these that I picked up years ago, somewhere, on my many travels.

Good thing I only used these few varied techniques and tools or I'd still be writing out my descriptive info... lol.

So Happy Together

My Step-daughter is building her own little family now. She has the sweetest baby boy and has recently found a wonderful guy to help raise my darling step-grand baby. They are so happy together, when I saw this photo I just had to do something special with it. So for Christmas I made up this layout and gave it as a gift to her new fella, welcoming him to the clan, and letting him know that he is in a place of love... on many levels. Being this was a gift to a guy, again I went for that rough, masculine style that comes so beautifully from a little distressing and the right color combinations. (Sorry the photo of this layout is a little out of focus). The verse is an original of my own reflections that reads:
Love is the Truth of who we really are.

Yet we must choose to express this Truth.

When we choose to spend time with
others living as love each moment becomes a great gift.

Moments become memories through which we feel togetherness.

Together we become FAMILY.

Family love is a great gift that anyone can choose to share with another... but most of all it is the greatest gift we give to ourselves.

Family Framed

To add to my husband's wall of photos in his "home away from home" for work, I thought he might like this 5x7 photo of his parents, siblings and their children. So I did up this simple layout and put it in a 8x10 black frame. I wanted it to be somewhat masculine for him but added a little glitz with a rhinestone embellishment and some foiled adhesive rub-ons. I love rub-ons!... and was thrilled to find the perfect title and verse for this layout. The already uneven looking background paper was distressed a bit more using Tsukinek Walnut Ink Antiquing spray.

Boyz 2 Men

My boys love to challenge each other and show off... all three of them! So I decided to do up a Scrapbook Layout and frame it for my husband to put up in his apartment in Alberta, where he is working away from home. I figured he would enjoy seeing a display of the fun he and the boys have together in the love and play they share when they get the chance. I highlighted the colors they wore in the photos to do the layout; (black, blue,red); and put the finished product in a black wood frame. I distressed the photos by sanding the edges and tore the background paper to give the layout a more rugged, masculine look. The playful title was made up of sanded paper covered chipboard and painted Grungeboard for the "b" and the "m". I also added clear embossing to the raised textured stripes on the Grungeboard to show off the dimension better.