GIRLFRIEND

Here is a cute Changito monkey image from Stampendous that I made up using the "amiga" stamp (friend which ends in a...so it means girlfriend!) Stampendous has a whole bunch of really cute monkey stamps doing different things. Both stamps were from Hobby Lobby in Texas and were in their sale bin! Woohoo! I love their sales when they have good stuff 40% off.

First, I will direct you back a few cards where I told you I had used my Martha Stewart Wild Flower punch on the edge of a card, and then made a stencil by punching it on an extra strip. WELL, what you see at the bottom of this card is that stencil! Card makers are savers and use whatever works to make a card pretty. It looks like the monkey has swooped down over the flowers and picked a bouquet for you!

I ran the darkest green background through my Cuttlebug and dry embossed the Sizzix folder "Vines" on it, used the corner rounder on all four corners. Then I used the Cuttlebug and my new Spellbinders labels 17 to cut the lighter green with one size and the monkey with the next smaller sized die. The monkey image is colored with Copics and I added three white pearls for the centers of the purple flowers. I stamped the "Amiga" stamp with Momento black, used the smallest label 17 die to cut it out and just rubbed the edges with green ink from the green Copic I used on the upper part. It is such a cheerful color combination. Pinks and greens are one of my favorites and this image is perfect for someone living in Costa Rica where they have monkeys in the jungles. This image also can be used for a variety of card types and brings a smile to whomever will receive it. Hope you enjoyed my card creation. Thanks

GET WELL CARD

My card today is a Get Well card. I did not put any sentiment on the front because it was going to our exchange students mother in Costa Rica who had gal bladder surgery this week. They are Spanish speakers and I do not have any Spanish sentiments for them. In side I had to stamp the sentiment in English "Hope you're better soon!"

I used a Penny Black chrysanthemum stamp image. The flowers are pink on the stamp front and even though I don't remember chrysanthemums being pink, I thought the color was pretty and so used it. I used a background that is a dusty pink matted with green and the image is also matted with the same green. I used my Copics to do the coloring. The nice big border is punched with one of my new favorites. Martha Stewarts deep Heart Scroll punch. You will be seeing more of that one for sure. It makes a definite statement on a card and I didn't think it needed much else but added some small square pink tiles up the scroll on either side. You may need to enlarge the picture to see them. Thanks for stopping by.

FOR MY FRIEND

My friend in Kansas has had some really unusual health issues this year. They were in FL for the winter visiting a Marine museum and the wind caught the door she was trying to close and banged her hand so hard it tore the ligament from her center knuckle. She had to have surgery and lots of therapy and it is extremely slow in recovering and being pain free. She also recently had to have a skin cancer removed from her nostril and they had to practically remove most of it and rebuild her a new one using skin and cartilage from her ear. All this makes me feel so concerned about her. I wanted to tell her how special she is to me and that I hope she gets better SOON!

She is a red head and I thought these colors reminded me of her. The flower print was punched with the Stampin Up scallop, and I added a row of white with the same edge. I punched out a slot from the top layer so white could show and wrote "friend" in gold. I layered it on two shades of browns with the opposite corners punched with the corner rounder. I added some gold outlines to the flowers and some fuzzy half pearls in gold to add bling. I then punched a small EK Success butterfly and added bronze glitter glue all over it and popped it up near the word friend. I was afraid the PO would ruin it in the mail sorter machines, so I added a piece of card board inside the envelope with a hole cut out for the butterfly. AND I added a small mini Mr Goodbar and wrapped it to match and made a rectangle hole in the card board for it to fit in. I hope it made it OK and that she starts feeling better soon!

RAK's

Occasionally you run across really nice people who do not mind showing it! I recently bought a stamp set off of Ebay and the seller said it was "gently used" but did not show the rubber side of the stamps in the set. When they arrived, they were all different colors of red down to pink and some were heavily stained and had not been cleaned. The lightest pink ones looked like they had been cleaned with a harsh chemical and the rubber looked dried and not supple. I was disappointed and wrote and told her that I felt she had listed it incorrectly and I would not have bid had I seen the condition of the rubber. She was kind and refunded all the cost and the shipping and said to keep the set. She wanted to make it right and I wrote and told her how kind she was and that she had "good customer service". I also said I would test the stamps and if they did not stamp very well, then I would look for a replacement.

But before I could test the first set, she wrote and said she had found me a good replacement and mailed it to me free of charge. AND she sent another really cute country doll angel stamp with it. That just blew me away, and I told her she had far exceeded anyones expectations. I was most appreciative not to have to hunt myself for it and told her so in an email. I made this card for her, added $5 for the second stamp set and gave her my assurance that I would continue to shop with her and give her good feedback. She was totally surprised by my card and said I did not need to pay for anything. It is nice to deal with nice people in this world and it puts a smile on your face.

The white card base was punched along the front with the Martha Stewart deep punch called Wild Flower border. I punched a second one on a scrap of white and then stenciled the flowers up the front through the holes in that piece onto the card front using markers. I stamped the country doll angel by D.O.T.S on a separate piece of white CS. and colored it with Copics and cut it out. I used purple Spica glitter pen on her shoes, the pattern in her dress and on the heart. I popped her up and added a hand cut heart to write the Thank You on, which I wrote with the purple Spica and outlined with black. I think she turned out pretty cute.

BOY BD CARD

I usually don't get invited to a 12 yr old boys birthday, but the young man I am grooming to take care of our lawn and such came over Tuesday and cleaned out the rocks which were full of leaves, and cleaned out three flower beds and got rid of the old dead flora stems from last year. It looks sooo nice and the shower we had over night gave all my tulips and daffodils a great drink. Anyway, he said he had a surprise for me and he waited until he was done for the day to tell me he was inviting my husband and me to his BD party which was the next night. It was a big family event with grandpas and grandmas, aunts and uncles and cousins. We said we would attend and I gave him a Vikings large drink cup filled with two packages of M&M's and about a dozen fire balls. We also gave him $10 and Bill had enough spare computer parts and put together a desk top computer for him. He was terrifically excited, especially with the "yoke" for airplane simulator games. Bill was about 12 when he became interested in flying and was able to be a Navy pilot and fly off of an aircraft carrier during his career. So Bill is in his element inspiring a young boy with an interest in flying.

The card for Jon was pulled together VERY quickly. I used a soft blue/white striped paper, matted in blue, stamped a polka dot elephant on it using the Penny Black elephant image called Elephant Song. There is a bird sitting on the elephants rump and I used the saying "A little bird told me it was your birthday", from Inkadinkado. Inside I just stamped "Happy Birthday in black Momento ink. I did draw some green grass under the elephants feet and colored his polka dots blue and shaded with my Copics. It was very simple and I think a fun card for a boy.

Thanks for stopping by.

BANANA PAPER

Here is a Mother's Day card I sent to a couple of friends who make cards. I had bought some gorgeous lace on Ebay and added some for them to use on their cards. I hope they like it all. My card uses the banana paper my daughter picked up in Puerto Rico for me. It looks white in the photo but has a gray tint to it. I really like the look of it and stamped the image with purple and pink ink using the Stampabilities floral silhouette stamp and the sentiment is from Impression Obsession. I tore around the image and saying, and the DSP to create some interest and I had a difficult time fitting it all on the front. I added small light purple rhinestones to the flowers and three in the lower right corner. (which are difficult to see in the photo!) Inside it says, "You make each day a little bit brighter". Happy Mother's Day to all who are privileged to be mothers.

MOTHER'S DAY

Here is the card I made for my mother almost a month ago. I had to wait to post it because I was going to TX to visit her, and wanted to give it to her before I posted this. WELL, my 6 day trip turned into a three week trip. Mom had to have carotid artery surgery (she is 89 and had 90% blockage on the right side and the doctor said it was amazing she had not already had a stroke!). So I was there to care for her, feed her good healthy food, clean up the dishes and help with the cat, and be her driver. My trip down was pretty smooth. I was not sure how getting through security would work with my recent hip implant. And because I also have missing cartilage in my shoulders, I had to use a wheelchair and the airport service people were so kind and helpful. So not too bad going down or coming back.

My card uses a large stamp by Carolyn Shores Wright. I stamped it in black Momento ink, colored it mostly using the Copics I had. I did have to buy several greens, and one is a Spica glitter pen to make the hummingbird iridescent. I stamped it again, colored it and cut out the parts that are closest and popped them up over the first image I had colored. The edges of the white and the pink mat are punched with a Martha Stewart floral lace punch and then the whole matted with a darker pink. I could not find a ribbon I liked that was the right shade so matched up the light dotted Swiss ribbon to go with the lighter shades of pink in the flowers. Mom usually prefers cards with blue on them, so this one gets her out of her comfort zone a bit. But she was pleased with it.

Thanks for coming to visit.