Random Cards

Yesterday was my due date, but still no baby.  People didn't believe me when I said there was no way she would be on time!  I'm treating myself to a pedicure this afternoon though, and maybe the massage around the ankles will trigger something.  Hahaha. 

On to the cards...most of these are from the scraps in my scrap drawer.  Which is still on the verge of overflowing.  It's amazing considering that I've made 20 plus cards from scraps alone. 

New Craft Toys!

I went to the craft store this morning to pick up a few things...and there was a sale!  Yay!  I picked up a few more things than originally intended, but I rarely shop so it's all okay.  It will keep me busy for the next few days until baby arrives (and it looks like she is going to be late).

 This didn't use any new stamps/toys.  Just one I made because I saw this color scheme on Pinterest and thought "Hey, that would make an awesome card!"  The leaf and sentiment are SU stamps.  All colors are SU inks - So Saffron, Summer Sun, More Mustard, and Ruby Red.

 This one does use a couple new toys.  :)  Hard to believe that, before today, I didn't own a butterfly stamp.  My mom was always nice enough to loan me hers, but I really needed to invest in one.  Well, this is from a set of five.  Variety is good.  The alphabet stamp is also new.  Love the clear mount stamps - so much easier to line up than the ones on wood.  I also invested in a new cutting system.  This one does circles, ovals, squares, and a couple different edges (in this case the scallop edge around the butterfly).  The background is the result of me just running the inkpad up and down my card.  I wanted a gray background, but evidently gray isn't all that in style at the moment and I couldn't find gray card stock that I liked!

 Card three uses two new stamps from the Martha Stewart stamp around the page set that I bought.  The concept is that you can make borders easily, but I think it works out this way too.  :)  The color scheme is from yet another pinterest post - yellow, white, and gray was super cute.  The ferns and butterflies came from two different sets.  The yellow paper is actually white, smeared with SU Summer Sun to match the butterflies.  The "gray" paper was the result of me setting paper on the ink and pressing it down with my fingers.  It came out really well!

This is the final card of the day (for now).  I have always wanted to do something with the scalloped layers, but not having a border punch or edge made it difficult.  For this, I took four shades of blue and went to town with a large scalloped edger, and then layered from lightest to darkest.  The boat is SU Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, and Creamy Caramel inks smeared across the paper.  I used a craft marker to make definitive "boards" for the boat and then cut the shape.  The fishing rod, line, and hook are hand-drawn directly onto the card.  Since the card is about fishing, I put a little red fish in the pond for the fisherman.  (He is napping in the boat, that's why you don't see him.  Yeah.) 

Random Cards

These are just a couple of random cards that I have made in the past 24 hours.  I decided to focus on the color red, just because I could.  They will go in the Operation Write Home box for soldiers deployed overseas.

This is a simple thank you card.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!  Add a little ribbon and an accent flower and you are done.

I thought the snail idea was really cute.  You can't tell from the photo, but his shell actually has a very pretty pattern.  It's stamped slightly darker than the background.  I promise it looks good in person.  You'll just have to believe me.  The snail's body was cut free-handed.

This is my elegant card for the day.  The red and white papers have a slight shimmer to them.  The stamp is from Michael's, I just stamped it from a couple different angles.

April/May

Remember that saying from elementary school?  "April showers bring May flowers, what do Mayflowers bring?"  The first time it would stump your friends, but then it spread like wildfire - Mayflowers bring pilgrims!  That little saying was the inspiration for my April card.  I've never had a pair of rain boots, but I do remember having the cutest yellow and white checkered raincoat in elementary school.

April

All items were hand-cut and decorated.  I thought the hearts would be much cuter than just circles for the buttons.  The background was lightly/randomly brushed with a darker blue ink for a little contrast.  Mount it all together and you have the card for April!














May is the busiest time of year for me (well, maybe it's tied with late August).  It's the end of school and everything has to be wrapped up - this involves at least one evening concerts and two competitions in addition to the "normal" school stuff like grades, discipline, uniforms, and inventory.  That being said, I try to keep vibrant colors around me in May to keep me going.  I found the green paisley-patterned background piece in my scrap drawer and just loved it.  Then I thought bright pink and yellows would compliment it perfectly.  And according to my elementary school saying above, May means flowers!

May

I'm not gonna lie here, the flowers are glittery stickers that I inherited somewhere along the way.  I knew my green background scrap wasn't big enough, so I supplemented with the yellow.  Stickers added, card complete.  :)

March

The March card is probably my favorite so far.  I just love the lemon/lime color scheme.  It was super simple to make, too!  The lettering is done by hand, so it's not perfect, but that's what makes it unique.  The buttons are just buttons that came with a random set of something.  I've had them for years and finally put them to use.  :)

Summer Scheme

I was inspired today by a friend's Facebook post of some flip flops she crocheted.  The base was a bright green and she added a cute white flower with a yellow center.  The color scheme was so vibrant and summery I had to put it on a card!  It became a thank you card for the OWH box.

The flower and sentiment are SU! stamps from the A Greeting for All Reasons set.  The fancy border is a Martha Stewart punch I picked up on sale (love it!).

Enjoy!