A French Read

Happy Monday!  Today I have my last Graphic 45 French Country creation to share with you. :)  When I was down at The Cape last week we were talking about reading, 'cause of course teachers LOVE to read, and who reads in a book vs. kindle/iPad app.

All that talk got me thinking about how I need a new bookmark!  I've been tutoring this summer and the books we are reading together are all hardcopy rather than electronic.  Good excuse to whip out my goodies and create this little gem.

When I showed my husband what I made his response was "Wow!  That seems too nice for a book."  Well my response "Nothing is too nice for a book!". *smile*

Grab some goods to make your own page marker:
Graphic 45 French Country- Abundance
Graphic 45 Signature Cardstock- Bon Voyage
Graphic 45 French Country- Flowers
Graphic 45 French Country-Tags

Happy Sunshiny Day!

I'm on a "sun" theme these last couple weeks huh?  Today is a throwback post.  Remember this card I made for my retiring co-worker?  Remember I said I made another version of this card 'cause there were so many people who wanted to write messages?  Remember I said I would share that other card- a MONTH AGO??  Well, finally.  Hope you like it. ;)

I used the same sketch for both cards 'cause I like to see how different colors and patterns can change the feel of a sketch.  Hope you don't mind.  I'm cutting this post short as it is late and I still need to pack for The Cape.  It's our annual girls-mid-week-summer-get-together so I'm trying to get a couple posts ready for y'all while I'm gone. 

Have a fantastic Wednesday!  I'll be back Friday with a *gasp* LAYOUT.  Yup, I finished a scrapbook page!  :D

Happy Birthday with Graphic 45!

Good Morning Everyone!  As you read this I am on my way to enjoy some gal pal time at The Cape.  Have no fear though because I have an easy 'n fun tutorial for you today! :)  It's a birthday themed set which seems appropriate since today is my FIL- Don's birthday and 2 teacher pals birthday's as well!

 Here's another peek at Graphic 45's French Country line that inspired this card set. :) 
 

 I started with cutting some yellow cardstock 4 1/16" X 3 5/16".  Then I cut the Sunflower paper 2 1/2" X 3 7/8", the Deja Vu paper  2 1/4" X 3 7/8", and the Rendezvous paper 1 1/2" X 3 7/8".

 I layered everything leaving a 1/8" yellow border.  In retrospect, I probably didn't need to make the middle layer quite as big because I covered a good chunk of it with the bottom clock paper.  Oh well. :)

Next I cut 4 pieces of burlap ribbon about 4 inches each.  I added score-tape to the back of each one 'cause I've had the best luck with score-tape and burlap ribbon. :)

After adhering the burlap ribbon to the card fronts I set about getting the sentiments ready.  I used a couple of dies to cut more of the yellow paper & some cream, layered them together, added a sentiment, blinged them up, and foam taped them on the cards.  I adhered each one to a cream card base with some score-tape.  Now everything is ready to sign 'n send!!


Goodies used to create this set:
Tim Holtz - Distress Card Stock- Straw
Graphic 45- French Country- Sunflower
Graphic 45- French Country- Deja Vu
Graphic 45- French Country- Rendezvous
My Minds Eye- Sweetest Thing- Enamel Dots
Mon Ami Gabby- Burlap Ribbon- Green


Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Rays of Sunshine

Hiya Peeps!  Happy Monday!  Hope you had a relaxing weekend.  On Saturday I taught a new 5x5 class and had a great time with a wonderful group of gals.  I'm already thinking about another one after seeing all the CHA releases this past week.  Totally crushing on a bunch of the new lines for Halloween and Christmas.  It's gonna be so hard to wait for them to become available for purchase!!!!!  Well, in the meantime I dug into my current stash (gotta make room for the new stuff) to create this ray card.  Have you made one?  They are so fun!

I knew I wanted to make this card have lots of eye candy so I pulled out my chipboard stickers, dies, ribbon, and enamel dots.  These colors make me think of lemonade on the porch on a summer evening.  Ah, the idea of being able to sit outside tonight is exciting!  The humidity has finally broken and we may get the chance to eat dinner outside tonight and enjoy that lemonade too. :)

I'm getting ready to head down to the Cape tomorrow to meet up with friends and get our craft, beach, shopping, and fabulous eats on!  Each summer a group of us get together to catch up and have fun.  Some years we make cards, some times its jewelry and sometimes we just end up looking at ideas for both!  LOL!  This year we are going to make a few Christmas cards for our craft and we get to catch up with a fellow teacher who retired 2 years ago- so we've got lots to catch up on!!

No worries though.  I'm leaving you with a tutorial post for tomorrow and a couple of other fun posts.  Have a great week and stay tuned!

Sunshine

Well, it is hot!  Ridiculous, South Carolina in August with full on humidity that steams the wrinkles out of your face hot.  But I'm not in South Carolina anymore, I'm in Massachusetts!  I moved back to the North to get away from this.  Oh well.  Nothing to be done about it, so I'm gonna enjoy some time in Blogland instead. ;)  Truth be told, this ribbon is helping me cool off.  It reminds me of creamsicles, which also make me think of dream pops.  Have you ever had a dream pop?  Vanilla ice cream covered in fruity popsicle.  Delicious!!!  Perfect for these hot, hot days we've been having.

Hard to believe that only months ago we were buried under snow.  Of course next winter when we are again buried under snow and freezing we won't believe we had 110 degree (with heat index) days.  So should I think of the sparkly bling as ice or water droplets to help with my thinking cool thoughts?  Or maybe they are bits of melted popsicles.  I think the number of times I have mentioned popsicles means I need to go buy some! LOL!
  

 

Eeek!  This card is so stinkin' cute!  It's so happy with a girly sophistication.  This is the first card I've made with a flair.  Gotta say, I understand what all the fuss is about. ;)  They are so much fun to play with, especially when they have fun sayings like this one.  It's great for birthday, thank you, or this one could even be a tongue-and-cheek get well card!

Heading out for popsicles and on the way I'm stopping at these fun places:

Cardabilities- Sketch 79
Creative Inspirations- Inspired by ribbon and bling

Stay Frosty!

Bon Anniversaire

Birthdays & anniversaries in July are very popular with my friends and family.  Pretty much every week there are one or two (sometimes four!)  Sadly, I usually don't remember the birthday until after it has passed!!!!  Sit down folks.  This time I am pleased to say that I have remembered two birthdays that are happening this week and have cards ready to go!

This Graphic 45 French Country Collection is yummy!  I knew right away that these papers would be perfect for the two birthdays on the calendar.  Can't go wrong with sunflowers, roosters, and pears for the folks celebrating their special day this week.  One is for a gal that grew up on a farm and the other is for a gal who started a soup kitchen at her church. 

Each pattern paper is framed with the same shade of burgundy cardstock to help make the patterns less overpowering.  The flower dies that come in this collection made for a fun extra dimension and those bees.  I love 'em.  Had to use them for the centers 'cause they are soooo pretty!!!

My words of wisdom for today- check you calendar.  Who needs a French Country card this week?

Here are some goodies to get you started!
Graphic 45- French Country- Flowers
Graphic 45- French Country- Abundance
Graphic 45- French Country- Deja Vu
Graphic 45- French Country- Provance 
Graphic 45- French Country- Banners

Joyeux Lundi!

Mommy Advice Book

Back in May I made this Mommy Advice Book for a gal who was throwing her sister a baby shower.  She was looking for something that she could give each guest a page for a picture and a spot for advice for the new mom.

The color palette she wanted was so pretty, it made my job soooo easy!  The book was made using card bases and my Zutter.  Then I got to make all the pages happy with pattern papers and just a little embellishment.  I knew she would need space for the photos and that once they were in the book the pages could be too overwhelming if there were lots of embellishments.  Since I used cards they automatically created pockets that could hold tags.

Each pocket could easily hold 2 tags (1 for each guest on either side of the card) for adding words of wisdom.  I made them all different and thought then each guest could pick the one they wanted since everything coordinated with the book pages. 

She also ordered a banner kit to hang at the shower.  I got all the supplies together for her to make the banner to celebrate the arrival of her new niece.  I'm thrilled to say she loved everything.  I hope her sister did too and that the album gives her comfort in the hectic/wonderful/emotional years ahead! :)


Have a great weekend!