The Turquoise Card

I partially made this card, while camping in the rain this past long weekend, by stamping, coloring and cutting out the "Doodle This" flowers. After we got home I assembled the Cool Caribbean cardstock by scoring and folding back half the front and using the corner punch to scallop the edge. I added a piece of designer paper first and hole-punched the scallops before adhering it to the front. I stuck the flowers on with dimensionals and raised the petals to give them more of a three-dimensional look. Then I used "Doodle This" again to add swirls to the inside right of the card. I stamped them with Taken with Teal and outlined them with a white gel pen. I haven't decided what sentiment to add but I think happy birthday, thank you, or thinking of you would all be suitable. All in all it was a little tedious but it sure helped to pass the time while it rained!

Iris Fold Birthday Card

Here is a birthday card I made with the Iris Fold technique, something that looks a lot more difficult than it is. There is a template that is numbered and basically all you do is lay the folded strips down according to the layout. It's all done from the back so of course it looks messy but once you turn it over it's a real "wow" effect. I used Sarah designer paper because there are five different patterns, which I needed for this layout, and just because it's so feminine and pretty.

I used Noteworthy for the centre flower (with a little bling added to the centre) and for the corners. The cs is Almost Amethyst and Barely Banana. There's a webside you can go to, www.irisfolding.circleofcrafters.com where you can find lots of patterns and templates, copying them to your heart's content. They don't mind you printing them off as long as you aren't selling them, which is fair. I'm going to transpose mine to vellum cs so they last longer since I'd really like to try a few more. Give it a try and if you need a hand let me know. It really is a snap.

Doodle This Thank You card

This is a card I put together yesterday. It took so long I couldn't believe why I kept working on it and didn't just throw it all out. I wanted to use my two ladybugs on a thank you card but couldn't come up with a knockout color scheme. Many thanks to Charmaine from Oodabug Alley for the ladybug idea. I tweaked her design, put them together a bit differently and covered them with crystal effects but otherwise the idea is all hers. Anyway, I stamped my Really Red cs with the Soft Swirl bg stamp and covered the left end with black/white gingham ribbon where the bg stamp didn't quite cover the cs. Then I cut out a piece of black cs, stamped it with Doodle This in craft white, attached a scalloped edge with 1/2 " circles out of whisper white cs and doodled around the edge with white gel pen. I hole-punched each scallop with my smallest hand punch to make it look more lacy and less solid. Then I covered two ribbon holders from Hodgepodge Hardward with black Stazon and let them dry. While waiting I made a scalloped oval using Coluzzle and the corner rounder punch. I also hole punched all around the edge and doodled with a black marker. Then I cut a ribbon slot in each end, threaded more black gingham ribbon through the slots, pulled the ribbon fairly tight and secured it with glue dots. Also, I attached the ladybugs with dimensionals and added gel pen antennae. The oval is sponged around the edge with Real Red.

Getting Some Expert Help

My upline, Kerry Schwenneker, is going to show me how to upload photos, etc. so maybe things won't look so blank after that! Keep standing by......

Brand New

So this is my first effort but with any luck, not my last. I'm basically stumbling around in the dark here since I'm new to blogging and such, but once I figure it out, and learn how to post pictures from the digital camera then I'll be away. Stand by for now and bear with me!