#51: Why is it...?

The more stuff I have, the less stuff I create? Sheesh, I don't think my hobby is stamping/card-making anymore....I think it's collecting stamping/cardmaking stuff.

Do I love all my stuff? Yep, unreservedly! Do I use my stuff? Er....not so much. I should be ashamed. Should be, mind you, but I'm not. Every once in a while, I go into a flurry of creating and then I'm so happy with myself, I remember why I started all this!

I've also realized that my favorite creations never make it to the blog because I am a card-carrying crappy photographer. If it doesn't scan, it doesn't appear here. And even if it does appear here, it's a little pathetic. But pathetic can be kinda cute, too! (example follows...)

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Penguin & Happy Birthday stamps from various dollar bins. My expensive stamps are carefully stored and I have a hard time remembering where... which is why I use my dollar stamps, mostly.

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#42: Transparencies

We've been "talking" about transparencies on GW a lot recently and I've been asked about a type I described as a little "cloudy." The type I mean is for highly detailed copies and therefore it has a special coating to help the copier toner adhere better to the transparency. I'm not sure if "cloudy" is the correct term to use. The coating results in a very slight rough feel and perhaps just a touch of dullness, as opposed to a super shiny/slick surface. I kind of like this type, as my inked up stamp is less likely to slide because there's a faint texture from the coating. But that's definitely a personal preference.

Some types of transparencies also have a white strip running the length of them. It's called a "sensing strip" and is there so that certain types of copiers can recognize a clear sheet coming through and can sort of grab onto it. The strip removes cleanly, without residue. Sometimes I pull the strip off and other times I leave it on, incorporating it into my card design.

This is a card I made for the DH. It isn't a great image because I scanned it, but trying to get a photo of a transparency is waaaaay beyond my limited photography skills. The deer is a sticker Mike had admired and looks much better than anything I could color; the zig-zag design is a gold metallic sticker over the sensing strip.

FRONT:

INSIDE/OPEN:

I am absolutely not any kind of an expert on using transparencies in card making-- I know more about using transparencies from the days of overhead projectors and pre-PowerPoint. Now that's showing my age, isn't it??!

#37: Maybe I'm on a roll....

Lots of birthdays in May and June. Here's a quick card made for a friend. The little squares are tiny (2¼") notecards from Michael's, available in a variety of colors. They come with coordinating colored envelopes, so all you need to do is seal the envelope and stick the card to it to have an instant mat.

I love the delicate little gingham and tiny watercolor style hearts and flowers. The best part? I got a TON of different colors on sale for 50¢ per package of 12!

The ribbon is also from Michael's. It was labeled as an Easter ribbon, but I purchased it on sale after the holiday.

#36: Happy Birthday to our baby!

Our daughter, Beth, turns 20 today! Happy Birthday, with all our love, sweetheart! You make us so happy and so proud.

#34: Simple Stamping

I am a very, very simple stamper, but I get a great deal of enjoyment from doing just that. I love embellishments and other types of "add-ons" to make my cards fit the recipient.

One of my aunts has a birthday this week and this card is exactly her style. Luckily, it's mine, too!

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~Flower image is from Lisa Vollrath's 2008 March Countdown (St. Patrick's Day & Easter images; linkware for personal use only. The calendar's images are only available for a very brief time after the countdown ends, so they may not be there when you read this. Sorry!)

~White flowers are from the "Brides" collection at Michael's; a can of about 300 flowers for $4.99-- what a deal! The centers are colored with Copic Atyou Spica Pink Glitter Pen.

~Happy Birthday stamp from My Sentiments Exactly! Stamped in Brilliance Ink (Pearlescent Orchid).

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#20: " The Kitchen Sink" Style Card

Birthday card for a dear co-worker that incorporates a lot of stuff I really liked and wanted to use. Somehow, I pulled it together!

The pretty background "paper" is from the side of a Kleenex tissue box, outlined with a turquoise Glaze pen. Hatpin is from Making Memories scrapbooking supplies. The sentiment ("Eat cake") was stamped with one of those multi-image stamps that looks like a date stamp. This one is from Leisure Arts.

Luckily, I could hand-deliver this one. I can't imagine there's any way I could mail it and have it survive!

#16 Flowers

I never quite got on the Prima bandwagon, although I was tempted. However, for many years my Mom created gorgeous silk flower arrangements-- for our home, as gifts, and occasionally "on commission" for someone who admired her talent. When my parents moved from their big home to a much smaller one, I inherited a lot of Mom's craft items, especially huge boxes of silk flowers and and ribbons.

I finally dug through the attic and found some of the flowers I loved and have been using them for my cards. The fluffiness of the silk flowers (as opposed to the flat Primas) makes the cards more difficult to mail, but since I hand-deliver many to co-workers I still can indulge.

This card was inspired by one I had drooled over at the Paper Crafts magazine "Gallery Idol Challenge," created by Daniela D.

http://www.papercraftsmag.com/gallery/details.ihtml?idx=49898

I, too, made my card long and narrow, to fit in a #10 business envelope.... but not just any business envelope! Lucky me-- I found about six boxes of 50 each vellum business envelopes at the Dollar Store a while back. Hand-delivering a silk flower card in a translucent envelope really is eye-catching.

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Happy Birthday Stamp by Co-Motion Rubber Stamps

(long gone and greatly missed)

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#4 Purple

Although you can't tell it from my blog, I seem to have a tendency to reach for purple when I'm trying to pull together a card that's a spur-of-the-moment creation. It's such a rich, happy color!