It Was Small

This pretty little flower was blooming at the motel where we stayed in CA.  I think it measured maybe 3" across and grew with tall, spiked leaves.  It reminded me of an iris so maybe it's part of that family.  In any event it was nice to see.

All That Glitters

This card didn't photograph well but it's really pretty when you see the "real" thing.  I covered white cardstock with Stardust Glitter Ritz which is a micro fine glitter.  I used my bone folder to be sure it was well adhered.  The flower was stamped with Memento ink and then I colored it with markers.  I embellished with satin ribbon and a Martha Stewart border punch.

This Card Has A Hangover!

I made this card after seeing something similar that Jennifer McGuire made in the "Stretch Your Stamps" online class.  It's a partial die cut for the window and the left flower appears on the inside.  I added the paper strips prior to doing the cutting.  Other flowers were stamped and die cut and the leaves were punched.  The text is embossed and I added faux jewels for a little sparkle.  Oh, you have to cut the right-hand side of the card to compensate for the overhang if you want it to fit in a standard envelope.  Thanks Jennifer!

Canvas Stamping

I have to admit that I made this trading card some time ago but just never got it posted.  The leaf was white embossed on sticky-back canvas and then Distress Ink color was applied.  I finished it with twine, a button and a text flag.  The canvas is fun to work with and I hope to do more of it, especially since I already have the canvas.  The texture of the cloth is quite nice.

Collage Trading Card

This trading card started with the lined background.  I thought the alphabet on the right made it unique.  I mounted it on a larger background and then stamped the ornamental image.  I added Diamond Accents to the circle and adhered a gold coin.  The design was complete with the postage cancellation and I handwrote "explore."

Kids, Water and Ducks

Grand Junction CO has some nice art on Main Street but so does Lake Oswego OR.  I couldn't resist a photo of this one with kids feeding the ducks who were swimming in the pond.  The bright color of the flowers is a nice addition, too (but they are real).

When I'm Not Hiking

I thought this image of flowers in a hiking book was a cute one that begged to be used.  I stamped it on white and colored it with colored pencil.  The flowers and butterflies were punched.  The background was randomly painted and was the basis for my color scheme.

Stripes

The background for this card was leftover from another project.  It had ink on the left edge and I stamped the flowery background on the right side.  I added strips of washi tape, layering them togehter.  The frame is a die cut and I added punched flowers and butterflies.

One Big Cabbage

We expanded our veggie garden this year and hubby has been busy tending to it.  We have two cabbage plants, one purple and one green.  This is the green on and the white dot on the top is a quarter to put it in perspective.  Also, to put it in perspective, it measures 32 inches in circumference.  Let's see - - there's slaw, cooked cabbage, sauerkraut (never made that and don't think I'll start now), cabbage rolls.  How else can we use this up?  The purple one is getting about as big so time is off the essence.

Diamonds In The Rough

This trading card started with some background text that I found online.  I added color with Distress Ink and then stamped it with the diamond collage image in orange.  I stamped the same image on yellow cardstock and then orange cardstock, cutting out just the diamonds.  I blackened some of the collage text, popped up the center diamond and embellished with satin ribbon and some black squares.

Yellow Water Lily

There were also yellow water lilies at the private pond where we fished with the kids.  They were just as pretty as the fuschia colored ones.

Pretty In Purple

I'm way behind in my trading card exchanges so that's what I've been workin on lately.  This one started with the checker board duck tape that was left over from something else.  I added a strip of glittery paper next to it for a little pizzazz.  The flower is stamped and colored with pencil and the butterfly is punched.  I added thin satin ribbon for a bit of texture.

Speedy Recovery

This is a large card that I made for a cousin who recently had extensive back surgery.  I took it to our family reunion so a lot of people could write their greetings to her.

The doily is a die cut, as is the printed and solid frame.  The butterfly is also a die cut.  The flowers were cut using my electronic cutter and the little flowers and leaves were punched.  I added a flag and the extra sheet of paper inside was held in place with ribbon.

It was kinda different to made such a large card but a good opportunity to use some of my larger die cuts.

Fuschia Water Lilies

A local friend gave us permission to fish in her pond while we had kids here for the family reunion.  All nine kids did some fishing and everyone caught more than one fish.  The fish were released so we can go again and catch them.   All kids were quite excited and it was a fun experience.

There are some beautiful water lilies in the pond to provide some color as well as shade for the fish.  I couldn't resist taking some photos of them.

This card was inspired by one I saw on the internet.  I enjoy doing white on occasion and it looks good with little touches of color.

I folder embossed the circle using a diffuser.  The flower is a Hero Arts image and it was due cut.  I cut the flags out of cardstock and punched the butterfly.  Pretty quick and simple.

The pink is just a background color for the photography process.

So Many Blossoms!

Remeber my telling you that the bushes in the Portland, Oregon area are loaded with blossoms?  This is an example.  I don't know what type of bush it is nor do I understand how there can be so many blossoms on one plant but it certainly was beautiful.

The photo was taken on Oswego Lake.

All Squared Away

Sorry for the lapse in my blog last week.  I've had a lot going on and just didn't get caught up.  But things are more quiet for now and I should be back on track.

I saw a card similar to this on Pinterst but unfortunately I didn't keep track of who the creator was.  Sorry about that. I cut two black squares and one red square and matted them with the opposite color in a slightly larger size.  The leafy branch is a die cut and the flower is a punch.  I added a faux jewel for the flower's center.  The design was complete with little dots of  black dimensional paint.  The pink is just the background I used for taking the photo.

Happy Independence Day

Celebrate America!

Fabulous Fuschia

One of the things I miss from Alaska are beautiful, large fuschia blossoms.  Those grown in our area are very small in comparison.  I took this photo in Lake Oswego and although these weren't as big as what is seen in Alaska, they were larger than what I see at home.  Gotta love that color!

Pieced Die Cut

This is pieced die cut.  I cut the stem from both the brown and tan and put the positive tan leaves in to negative space in the brown.  I matted that on darker brown and embellished with a border punch and ribbon.  The white flowers and butterfly are punched.