A Child's Garden Birthday

I am so excited! I was asked to have one of my cards posted on the Crafty Secrets Blog!  What an honor. 

This card is also created with Crafty Secrets stamps. I used Garden Girls and Bird Song., There are also a couple of images from Hardware.

I used to be a CTMH consultant, so I have lots of "vintage" paper. The background is from a scrapbook kit...with its roses and stripes, it is the foundation for this card. I started tearing and layering and before I knew it, I had this lovely card.

I used Prismacolor markers and pencils, along with chalks to color the image. The ribbon is "vintage" CTMH...my favorite gingham. I used my heat tool to melt the ribbon a bit...it gives it a nice crimpiness (is that a word?).

If you look at the green oval in the main photo, you will notice some dry embossing which I did the old fashioned way, with a brass stencil of all things!

The little birds up in the right corner are one of my most used stamps...I guess you could say its one of my "go-to" sets. I used a CTMH cloud stencil and chalk to make clouds behind the birds.

The lacy border is a border punch from Martha Stewart. I layered it with more ribbon and a couple of glittery brads I found at Home Goods.

I used Tim Holtz' Distress Inks and glitter also. I little sanding block and sponges, cotton balls and a chalk eraser were important tools. They are so basic to vintage cards, aren't they? At least for me!

Here is my favorite part of this card. I have never done this before. I went out into my backyard and found a twig. I glued it to the card and sat a little chickadee on it. Behind the bird you can spy a little girl from some Melissa Frances paper.

I really had fun making this card. I am entering it into a few challenges...

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog, "It's A Girl Thing"
Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge, Fun Kid's Birthday Card
The Cheerful Stamp Pad, "In the Garden"

I really love creating these cards for challenges. I do better with a deadline. I am always pleasantly surprised when a card is finished...I never know what it will turn out to be!

Thanks for looking...please leave a comment. I value your opinion.

-Bev

My Take on Darlene's 3-Fold Card Design

This card didn't exactly turn out the way I thought it would. Notice I didn't say it didn't turn out the way I PLANNED, because I don't really plan a card. Do any of us, really?

There is oh, so much more color in the card than I thought there would be! And it's cuter, too!

It's my take on Dar's card, and there is a slight problem with mine, although I love the design and wouldn't change it at this point. The problem is, it won't stand up! Oh well...

I used Martha Stewart's punch and fern stamps, and Crafty Secrets Bird Notes set. The brads are from We Are Memory Keepers, the ribbon is organdy ribbon which I distressed with my heat tool. (I do that alot...no ribbon is safe from my heat tool!) I used Prismacolor pencils and Tim Holtz' Distress Ink in frayed burlap. The green ink is SU! Old Olive.

The gingham paper is good ol' CTMH, and so is the cardstock...Naturals. I took a punched out circle, and traced around it, cutting out the birds and leaving a moon shape in the background. Glitter dresses up the birds.

Hope you like it. Make sure to try this folded card. It turns out to be a perfect 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 card.

Happy Stamping!
~Bev

Material Girl

I love a challenge. Trying to fit them in  between doing yardwork and taking care of snowbirds' houses adds to that challenge, but having a terrific and understanding husband helps.

This is for a challenge at craft a scene. It's the May Challenge. It must have a foreground and background image. This scene is also a collage. LOVE collages.

For this card, I used Crafty Secrets stamps...several sets, actually: Material Girl, Garden Girls, and Art Studio. I love distressing organza ribbon with my heat tool. I heat embossed the scissors and window frame, and used a metallic button from American Crafts. The paper is CTMH, and Paper Pizzaz, the chalks I used for the outdoor scene are from Stampin' Up!

Hope you like it...

~ Bev

Black and White Wedding

Another card for a Joan's Garden Challenge. A Black and White Wedding card. I decided to try color blocking, and then did a reverse color blocked heart in the middle. Hope you like it!

  --Bev

Faux Feathers

I don't do crafts...other than stamping, painting, drawing, sewing, and collage. Hmmm...guess I am a crafter, huh? Nevertheless, I had no feathers in the house. (Oh, that's right. A few years ago I made a feather Christmas tree!)

Nevertheless, I didn't have any for the Joan's Garden Challenge...a vintage card with a stamped background, the colors olive and tan plus an accent color, and feathers. 

Then I had a brainstorm! And made my own feathers. 

I used white brads, and sanded and inked them. I used lots of  Crafty Secrets stamps, a Martha Stewart punch to make a vellum lace band, 

and 3 faux feathers. My inks are Tim Holtz Distress. I love distressing.

Life's A Breeze!

Wow. I didn't realize how many people have digital designs for sale on the web.

This is another design that I never sold, so I am using it myself...it belongs to me! I love this window. When I was in high school art class, I drew curtains all the time. We used to have 2 1/2 hours of drawing homework per week, and I would draw my living room, and all the windows had curtains, valances, drapes. This was a fun image to draw, and it's even more fun to use!

The CS is all CTMH. The stamp image in the bottom corner is from Studio G. I used a sentiment from Flourishes, and Prismacolor Markers. Glitter, 

and Versacolor Chalk ink to stamp the small image was all it took to make this simple card. I also creased the shutter, and colored the back of it so it's 3-D. 

Thanks for looking...I hope you are inspired.

~Bev

Jeffy's Birthday Card

I love vintage, so I am a real fan of Crafty Secrets stamps. However, my grandson is only 1, not vintage yet, like me...

I random stamped the background, and embossed the chipboard J with black, backing it with cranberry cs from CTMH (I used to be a consultant...many moons ago, so I have tons of "vintage" cs and b&t paper.)

I also used cranberry b&t for the frame.

I love the cute brads from Queen & Co. They came in a nail polish bottle. I bought them about 3 years ago...

The cricket was really an afterthought, and not part of the original design, but isn't that how it usually goes? You make plans and the card design just happens!

His shadow is his image stamped, then colored in with black Prismacolor marker.

This card isn't very vintage, but the stamps and CTMH paper are!

I hope Jeffrey keeps it forever...one can always dream...lol

Thanks for looking, and have fun!

~Bev