Mom Project - Card #11

Life is a kaleidoscope of colors: intricate... unexpected... Beautiful.

I saw this saying on another card and just loved it. I now wich I had done the card in a variety of soft colors, not just my seafoam green quad colors, but I still like the card. Used my Cricut to do the "spellbinders" shapes.

At some point I will put up a tutorial about how I do these --- I use 3 program (PAINT.net, Inkscape and Sure Cuts A Lot 2.0) to capture just about any image and make it inot a cut file for my Cricut (an SVG).

Mom Project - Card #10

This is a really basic card that showcases Stampin' Up!'s products. I used their "Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die," the "Sincere Salutations" stamp set and even added some "Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint" sheen to the card (of course this is not visible in the picture).

To use the shimmer paint as a mist, I took an empty spray bottle, added a mixture of about 30% rubbing alcohol and 70% plain bottled water (maybe 1 Tbs of alcohol and 2 Tbs of water) then shook in about 5 drops of the shimmer paint. Once you shake it REALLY well, it works as a Glimmer Mist very well. Each time you use it you have to shake it - HARD - because the shimmer paint settles. But from one bottle of the shimmer paint, I have a lifetime supply of glimmer mist (unlike Tattered Angels really expensive mists). Any shimmer-y paint can work as a mist using this method --- even acrylic paints! Just remember to add the alcohol so the liquid evaporates on your paper more quickly.

Mom Project - Card #9

This get well soon card is done all in shades of blue --- I absolutely love this swirly ribbon but never think a card is "good enough" or "special enough" to use it on. I realized the insanity of this and have begun to use the ribbons I so enjoy; albeit a little at a time - you will notice I did not make a bow or use a whole lot - just enough for an accent.

My mom loves butterflies, so they keep reappearing on this card project!

Mom Project - Card #8

This another Double Dutch Gatefold card - this one just a note card: no sentiment. The top opens up and the bottom section opens like a double door - It provides a lot of space for writing/decorating.

Mom Project - Card #7

I made this card in two colors because I often think a card is good but then it does not go with the person due to the color combination. So here she had a choice in the color to send.

Personally, I prefer the green one.

Mom Project - Card #6

This is a simply birthday card - green and metallic silver. I used a border punch from Fiskars.

Mom Project - Card #5

For this yellow birthday card, I used a paisley embossing folder and some glitter paper to set it all off.

Mom Project - Card #4

I made this card with 2 real band-aids.

Mom Project - Card #3

This is a small thank you card that makes use of the "Fluttersence" stamp (that I have digitally). My mom really like butterflies and I am not a great color-er, so I like this stamp as it does not require (but can take is one chooses) to be colored.

For my mom's project, I did not use pop-dots between the layers on the front of the card (between the different sized shapes), but for the one I kept, I did. My mom likes to send cards at the $0.44 rate, I do not mind 64 cents and I think the dimensions really add to the card.

Mom Project - Card #2

So here is the second card I made for the project:

This is a double gatefold card - the top (patterned) lifts up and the bottom sections (polka dotted) fold outward. I like these cards, but you really need to use a thin, lightweight patterned paper for it and this paper I used was more cardstock-like, so it did not lay as flat as I would have liked. The problem with the thin paper is that it seems TOO lightweight.

Also, as I look at the picture, I see the central box (with the sentiment) is not as straight as it could be. This stamp is really hard for me because it is not straight itself, the words are a little loopy and twist upward.

Mom Project - Card #1

Ok, here I go - I will show you the 22 cards I gave my mom for this project (yes, the card holder only holds 17 cards, but I gave her a few "extras").

In doing the project, I decided to split up the cards like this:

4 Thank you
3 Birthday
3 Note cards
3 Sympathy
3 Get Well
1 Congratulations - I tried to make it useful for a wedding or a birth


This is a sympathy card made with paper I knew my mom would love:

My blog's name - why?

I named this blog after my cats - Faith and Hope. They are almost 2 years old and are sisters. I completely adore them and NEED them to keep me sane.

Here is Hope (always in any box she can find - this one happens to be my in-box:

And this is her sister, Faith:

They are always showing me how much they love and care for each other:

Mom Project Day 1

I woke up the other night with an idea for a card holder. It holds 17 different cards and envelopes (really 34 because I always give my mom 2 of the same design since she is often reluctant to send on my cards - "too nice" she says). Then the card holder folds up to be just the size of one of the holders (about a 5 1/2 x 6 rectangle), although it is high - about another 6 inches.

Basically it is a grid of 9 rectangles, connected creatively through the use of ribbon. The 9 spaces fold up to 5, then up to one. And, it is double sided. It could hold 18 cards/envelopes but I kept the center space of one side empty so I could decorate it as a gift.

Here is a photo of it all laid out:

It looks like this when it is all folded up:

The individual card holders are made using 2 pieces of chipboard, eventually glued back to back, but they sandwich a section of ribbon. Then I cut 1/4" square balsa wood and put it on 3 sides of each holder. I then placed a piece of a transparency (window sheet) to the top with a notch in it to make removing the cards easier. The balsa wood means it is not heavy, but I had to use 1/4" to make each holder able to hold two cards with their envelopes. This card holder is designed to hold the smaller (A2) 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 cards - and they must be flat.

Both of these conditions were hard for me - I like "lumpy" cards with ribbons and pop-dots - and I usually design in the 5 x 7 size.

Anyway, I will be posting each card over the next 17 days --- and then she asked for some thank you cards as I was putting this project together - so there are "extra" cards that I put on top and then I tied it all up with another length of ribbon.