Hop into Easter!

                                                               

I was busy all this morning making a few more Easter cards.  I used the Sweet Sentiments collection from Graphic 45 for two of the cards, and was inspired by Polly's Paper Studio on the other two.  My personal preference would have been to add embellishments like flowers and bows to these cards, but since I'm mailing them in plain envelopes, I didn't see the practicality in it and was afraid the condition the cards would be in when received. I think I'm going to have to invest in some small boxes for future cards!     
                                                  

                                                  

                                                                

This card and the one below were made from Graphic 45 papers.  My personal touches are the gold sticker corners.                 

                                   

The tiny lace doilies are from a Cherry Designs die cut called French Pastry that is only 2" x 2". I just cut it in half and used one on top and the other on the bottom.

                                                 

I used a combination of Graphic 45 papers and a collage postcard designed by Sally's Studio. I stamped "time to celebrate" on the front of it. 

I wish everyone a very happy Easter!

Spring into Easter

                                                             

It seems that hats are on display during Easter more than any other time of the year, and with this in mind, I decided to use two of Rick St Dennis' hat model designs that I had colored some time ago.  For those that are into hats, I can't think of anyone better than Rick St Dennis, as he has a wide variety of digital stamps, available from his online Zibbet shop.

For the layout of the cards, I was inspired by Polly's Paper Studio, and went for a eclectic collage look that I think works very well no matter the theme.  I like keys, and have an assortment of flat-backed keys that are perfect for cards.  I also used bits of ephemera, flowers, buttons, and ribbons. 
                                             

It's a Girl Thing

                                                                 

Hello everyone and welcome to my new card collection "It's a Girl Thing".  Frankly, I decided on this name after discarding several others.  These are relatively simple cards that can be used for different things, but I think of them as more "just because" cards.  I used Tim Holtz' new stamp collection called "Runway", and then stamped sentiments on each one - most are from his collections, but I had some others that I wanted to use. The background papers are from the Timeless Memories collection by Prima Marketing.  In a sense, each of these cards tells a story. 

I love the above "Short Stroll" card and I think deep down we all have this fantasy of an ordinary day turning into an extraordinary day.
                                                            

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer, and this sentiment is not only about keeping the faith, but also rising above your fears no matter the obstacles in your path.

                                                     

I look at this one as making the best of a bad situation... kind of making lemonade when life gives you lemons.
                                                      

To me, this one is about being flexible and open to something other than what one may have planned. As we all know, not all plans come out the way we may want.
                                   

Here's another one that is also about flexibility and being open minded to new things. It also means redefining what perfection is to each one of us.
                                                  

Life is made up of many little moments that can total a full life... this sentiment says it all.
                                                

This sentiment reminds us to take chances in life and live for the moment.
                                                           

No explanation needed, as this says it all!
                                                    

I love this sentiment.... no matter how old we get, our inner self is always young.  I think this is why romance novels are read by so many women....they help remind us that we really are ageless.

To conclude.... I named these cards "It's a Girl Thing" because each of us has friends, and even sisters and mothers who make us feel better with homilies similar to these sentiments.  In fact, this was the purpose behind these cards, to send to those I think may need a lift and to let them know I am thinking of them.

Happy Heart Day!

                                                   

I didn't make many Valentine cards this year, but I thought you might like to see the ones I did make.  The one above - the round scallop - I made for my sister Anabel, and I was inspired by the work of Arlene Cuevas, as I fell in love with the one she made.  Mine is slightly different of course, as I always like to add my own personal touches to it.  Still, it came out quite nice, even if I say so myself.  I used papers from Graphic 45 and Spellbinder dies.
                                               

This second card I made for my mother, and again I was inspired by the Graphic 45 gallery of cards. 

                                                       

This third and last card is my own design.  I have always been fascinated with keys, so thought I would use one for the body of the butterfly, giving it a surreal look.  I always like thinking outside the box.....

I wish everyone a happy St Valentine's Day!

Cat's Meow

                                                              

I made this little album from a black interactive flip book by Teresa Collins, and decorated it with papers from the Raining Cats & Dogs collection by Graphic 45.  I happened to see the blank book at JoAnn's and the idea came to me that it would make a cute little photo album.  The book was already assembled, so all I had to do was populate it with the papers.  For this album, I only used the cat themed papers, thus the title "Cat's Meow" on the cover.  I added the final touches of rhinestones and a ribbon on the front. This book is for my sister so she can display photos of her two cats Berto and Pascualina.                                                         

Inside of the front cover and the first page

 

 

Following pages

 

 

Another view of the middle pages

 

 

Back cover

 

Christmas 2014

                                                     

I  meant to post this entry last month in December in the midst of the holiday season, but between making cards and getting ready to fly home, the time got away from me.  I recently retired from the Federal government after working more years than I care to remember. I am very happy to be retired, and it happened at the best time, right after Thanksgiving.  I have absolutely no regrets and it's a wonderful feeling to know that every day I wake up is mine to do as I want. For those of you that are still working, your day will come, so hang in there!

Although I made many different types of Christmas cards for 2014, I have only posted those with images designed by Rick St Dennis.  With all the rush and lack of time, I did not take photos of the other cards I made.  The card above is one I made for a Christmas card swap sponsored by Kit & Clowder, and it was mailed all the way to Scotland.  I am pleased to say the recipient was delighted with this card!  The image used is a hat model called 1940 Park Avenue, and I also used it for a second card I made, a variation that I gave to my sister Anabel.
                                                           

The following three cards I made back in August and submitted for publication in Just Cards magazine.  I have not heard anything yet as of this date, but perhaps we will see them in a future holiday issue.                                               
                                     

December Holly

 

                                                                         

 

Iryna

 

 

Starry Night Santa

 

 

Last but not least, I have included Billy Goldenbells, and I hope to use for Christmas 2015!  Better late than never..... I wish everyone a happy new year!

 

 

Rick's Witchy Women

                                                  

Mystique

 

Hello everyone... it's been a while since I posted, but I will be retiring next month, and not only will I have more time for my art projects, but hope to be posting on a more regular basis.  Anyway, Halloween is around the corner and I was able to complete 5 witch images all designed by Rick St Dennis.  Although the colored images have been posted to Facebook within the last month, I wanted to wait until I integrated the images into cards before posting them on this blog.  Not sure if I'll have time to complete the remaining two cards, but I wanted to post these three now, of which I am proud of, as I like how they turned out.
                                                      

Sweet Lil' Witch

The witches have all been colored with Copic markers, and I used papers both by Graphic 45 and Hallow's Eve by Marah Johnson.  I used different ribbons and trims for the finishing touches. 

All designs are by Rick St Dennis and are available from his Zibbet shop at www.zibbet.com/Rick1949 .  Rick has a wide variety of Halloween images, from the glamorous to the cute to the creepy, so I am sure you will find something just right for you. 

                                                  

1950's Vampy Witch

Below is Katie the Pin-Up Witch - my 4th addition to Rick's Witch Women.  Not very "threatening", but looks can deceive, since she is bewitching LOL!
                                                              

                                           Katie the Pin-Up Witch                                             

All my best and a Happy Halloween to each and everyone!