Pattern Play Easter Bunny Sighting! (03/19/2013)

Howdy!  I am currently taking an Online Card Class, called Pattern Play, taught by the amazing Kristina Werner and Jennifer McGuire.  These two ladies are amazing, and it has been really fun to learn from them, and the guest designers.

Jennifer recently showed us how to cut pattern paper in descending die cut sizes, and then layer them all back up together and mix-match the pattern paper.  I took her idea and came up with these fun easter bunny cards.  I used the new Happy Easter set from Lawn Fawn for the stamps, and I used oval spellbinders dies and a ribbon spellbinders die to make the banner.  The sentiment is also from Lawn Fawn's Happy Easter set.  And, all the paper came from my stash, some of which no longer had the strip identifying manufacturer, so who knows what paper it was!  Sorry!

Jennifer showed us four different ways to layer the patterned paper, and I did each card using one of her techniques.  Here they are:

1. Mat oval shapes with white cardstock (draw outside edge of die and cut it with scissors to create the perfect shaped mat to frame the die cut paper).  I also layered the ovals with foam adhesive for a LOT of dimension.

This is really subtle, but can you see the little pink blush I put on this bunny's cheeks?

2. Edge each edge with a light gray marker (I used T1 Copic) and traced along the inside and outside edges of all the ovals.  All the ovals are on the same level, no foam adhesive here, although I popped up the bouncin' bunny.

3. Edging the inside and outside ovals edges with Distress Inks.  I used two colors, and alternated them for each oval.  I popped up the bunny on this one too, but the ovals are the same layer.

4. Popped up oval layers.  For this style, Jennifer suggested placing a solid white cardstock die cut oval base under each of the oval rings, which makes it easier to mount on the adhesive.  I did this, and it sure made it easier.

And, here is a close up, side shot of the layers, to help show the actual dimension

These cards were FUN to make, and relatively easy.  And, I really liked using some fun patterned paper that I have been hoarding.  I LOVE patterned paper, but do find it pretty difficult to use, especially on a card.  Jennifer and Kristina are opening up my eyes and broadening my horizons!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Sweet Christmas Thank You (12/17/2012)

I made a fun Christmas Thank You card, and I can't wait to show it to you:

This card is for a dear, sweet friend who hosts an annual holiday cookie & ornament exchange, and is truly one of the highlights of my holiday season each year!  I scraplifted this idea from a recent Lawn Fawn blog post, but changed it up a little to make it into a holiday Thank You!

I used Lawn Fawn's Sweet Christmas set, and stamped out the house, and some decorations, and colored them with copics and fussy cut them.  I also used a sentiment (with candy swirls!) from the Many Thanks set, which was the perfect compliment for this card.  I stamped the sentiment on some white cardstock that I cut out with my favorite Wonky Rectangles spellbinders die, then colored with a Distress Ink pad.

I tied a ribbon around a panel, and then layered up all the images and sentiment, and then added some sparkle.  I covered the gum drop candies with crystal effects and then sprinkled on some glitter. 

I also added some Martha Stewart red glitter glue to the eaves for extra sparkle, and some other random sparkles on the candy swirls.

And, I added in some sweet little gingerbread people inside, framing the sentiment.  I also put on some crystal effects on the sweet little buttons to help make them pop:

I really hope the hostess-with-the-mostest enjoys her card!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Happy Birthday Foxy (12/14/2012)

Birthdays and Foxes do go together :)

A good friend had a birthday, and I just had to make her a PURPLE birthday card with a Fox on it :0  I scraplifted this idea from a Lawn Fawn blog post.  I cut out the frame and label shapes with Spellbinders Labels 18 and my Cuttlebug.  Then, I stamped out the fox and tree limb from Lawn Fawn's Critters in the Forest,  and the hat from Hats Off to You, copic colored and fussy cut them.

I colored the background with Distress Inks and then stamped out the star from Critters Ever After.  I layered everything up, stamped a sentiment from Hats Off to You and used white heat embossing powder to make the sentiment POP.

I also put another sentiment inside the card, from Critters Ever After:

And, I also added some Martha Stewart glitter glue and Stickles to the front to add some sparkle:

I hope the Birthday Girl likes her foxy card!!  It was really fun to make :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Hawaiian Birthday Shirt (12/12/2012)

Today's card is full of sunshine and fun!  Let's say ALOHA!

I used the ol' favorite Lawn Fawn stamp sets for this card ... and did some versa mark inking of a happy birthday wish sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Check This Out set for the background.  I also used the dashes from another set, and I am totally going blank on which one!  OOPS.

I cut out a Hawaiian Shirt die (on card stock covered with double-sided adhesive), and also cut out the same image in adhesive backing, and masked off areas of the shirt and used all sorts of glitter to color in the shirt.

I also decorated the inside, with Happy Birthday in Hawaiian:

Hopefully the birthday boy will enjoy this card.  And, THANKS Terri for helping me with this card :)

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Happy Graduation (12/10/2012)

Today's card is to celebrate a friend's completion of Nurse's school and his Pinning.  I didn't have anything PUNNY to use, so I went with a Graduation-style setup, and I completely scraplifted this idea!  Let's check out the card:

I scraplifted this idea from Lawn Fawn's blog, which I look at every day :)  I love Karin A's card, and when I saw it recently, I knew I would have to try to replicate her card.

I stamped the dragon from Lawn Fawn's Critters Ever After and colored him with Copic markers, then fussy cut him out.  I also cut out two different sizes of Spellbinders Labels 18 dies, and used Distress Inks to color in the smaller one.  Then, I stamped the little star from Critters Ever After all around the background.  And, to "TOP" it off, since I didn't have a Nurses Hat, I used the Mortar Board from Lawn Fawn's Hats Off to You set.

I also used some Stickles and Martha Stewart glitter pens to add a lot of sparkle, to the inside of the stars, the dragon's scales and mortar board tassel:

I stamped out a sentiment on the front (from Critters Ever After), and another one (from Hats Off to You) on the inside and used white embossing powder on both to help make them pop!

Karin's card was so inspirational, and this was a fun card to replicate, and it seemed just the thing to celebrate my friend's accomplishment.

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Thanks FIRST Responders! (11/30/2012)

Today, Guy's Whatcom Community College Communication Club is honoring our brave First Responders!  They are bringing a thank you card and a lot of (healthy!) goodies to one of our local stations to tell the first responders how much they appreciate all the hard work they do to keep us safe.

I was honored to make the card for this venture, and of course, I thought LAWN FAWN to the rescue!  Let's see what I was able to pull together:

I used several Lawn Fawn Critters stamp sets for the critters:Critters in the Burbs for the squirrel, bunny, kitty and doggie; and Critters in the Forest for the pine trees and owl.

I also used Lawn Fawn's Happy Haunting for the house, Bon Voyage for the clouds, and Quinns ABCs and Quinns 123s for the sentiment.   

I stamped out all the images with Memento Black Tuxedo ink on X-Press Blend It white paper, colored them, and fussy cut them.  I stamped out the letters on colored textured cardstock and fussy cut them out too.  I also added some stickles to the "1st" part of the sentiment and the clouds, and crystal effects to the windows of the house:

The house stamp from Happy Haunting was so much fun to color!  It is designed so that it can be SPOOKY or NON-SCARY by the way it is colored.  I kept is plain and simple - which makes it perfect for a normal house, which is perfect for this scene.

I used some Lawn Fawn paper from the Bright Side collection for the ground - I free-hand cut a slope and layered another hill behind it to give it some depth.  I used some distress ink to add a little dimension to the hill edges too.

I layered everything up, and popped-up some of the critters, like this owl:

I added some white gel pen dashes around the edges of the card to help frame the scene as well.

And, I attempted an INSIDE of the card component.  Still working on what to do inside there, but since I knew that all of Guy's students would be signing the card, I wanted something to help frame an additional sentiment.  I used Lawn Fawn's Schoolhouse Backdrops and added in a line across the card, and used Bright Side Alphabet Stickers to spell out the sentiments.  Here is the inside:

I also added a little sparkly pen around "wcc comm club" to add a little pizzazz.

THANK YOU so much our First Responders - and I'm especially proud of Melisa for organizing this, and of Guy for supporting this with his club.  You are all the best!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris

Easter in November! (11/26/2012)

If you can have Christmas in July, then I can have Easter in November!  I realized recently that I forgot to post these Easter cards, so, throwing caution to the wind, I decided I can post them now anyways :)

I used up some old paper and embellishments that I had in my stash, and combined them with Lawn Fawn's Quinn's ABCs, the bunny from Critters in the Burbs and Harold's ABCs.

I just kinda mish-mashed different things together on each card - with the theme of HOPPY EASTER and the bunny on each card.  But the embellishments and the sentiment arrangements were a little different.

A little white gel pen stitching around the edges, a little grass border, and these cards were done.

Hoppy Easter everybody :)  I am either REALLY late, or INCREDIBLY early - you decide!

Thanks for stopping by, have a magical day!

Chris