Triple Treat Thank You - Another Fast & Fabulous Friday

I am so excited to share today's card with you.  Honest to goodness, it only took a few minutes to make.  And that's a good thing since I have 35 of them I am planning on making today!!

I used Concord Crush and stamped the Triple Treat Flower (one of the Sale-A-Bration freebies) on the white card base, and also onto a piece of scrap white card.  The 5-Petal Flower Punch was used to punch out the inner flower and it was mounted onto the card using a dimensional.

The Thank You (from Thank You Kindly) was stamped onto the bottom right of the card.  And here's the really "interesting" part....I used the new scalloped-edged embossing folder (Adorning Accents) to emboss a scalloped strip...but only 2/3 of the way across the card.  Doesn't that just set the whole Triple Treat Flower off and balance it marvelously?!

A few Itty Bitty punched blossoms and the addition of some Basic Rhinestones and my Thank You card is good to go.  It really took no time at all.  But let's face it ladies, we all know that the length of time it takes to create a card is NOT an indication of how much we admire or appreciate the recipient, right?  It really is the thought that counts.   So remember all my fine and wonderful friends - when you receive a hand-stamped card, it was created for you with heartfelt gratitude to say thank you for blessing my life so richly!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!      God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

Bunny Punch Art

If you've never popped over to check her out, you really should take a glance at Lorri Heiling's blog.  The woman is an artist!  And I absolutely loved the bunny card she posted a while back.  I wanted to CASe it for my club ladies with some minor changes, and here is what I came up with.

The outside of the card presents a cute and still-tasteful bunny butt to bring a smile to your face.   Then the inside of the card has Mr. Rabbit peaking thoughtfully through the hole.  How adorable is that?

The card is made using all Stampin' Up! punches (the whiskers are hand cut) with some Beautiful Wings embosslit butterflies thrown in.  If you know me, you know I LOVE those butterflies!.  The sentiment is from Delightful Dozen and the grass, naturally, is from the ever-so-lovely Inspired By Nature set.

My club ladies seemed to enjoy making this Easter Card.  There were a lot of little paper bits flying around the table, and sponging all the white edges with Crumb Cake ink to give them depth took a bit of time - but the end result made everyone smile.  Hope it brings a smile to your face too!  Check back tomorrow.  I have a wonderful Fast and Fabulous Friday card for you!

Enjoy your day and God Bless,     ~Cynthia   <><

Happy Birthday Benjamin !!

My darling son turned 10 years old today (He's my 'baby'.  When did he grown up?!?).  And of course I wanted to make a special birthday card for him.  I remembered that Lorri Heiling had made a super-cute digger and dump truck card a while back so I set about to make one of my own.  Of course, hers was way more sophisticated, but I am still pleased with my simplified version.   The stamped images are all from the I Dig You set.

The arm of the digger was stamped multiple times and the pieces were cut out individually and attached together using brads.  So the arm is completely moveable and is hinged in all the right places!!  All wheels were embossed with black embossing powder so they are just like rubber tires, and the clouds (frosting from the cupcake punch) and the ground were embossed using the Lattice Square embossing folder then lightly sponged to give them extra texture.
It really didn't take long too make this card, but it sure packs a little boy punch.  Best of all, Benjamin loves it too!

Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of their week.    God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

Liebster Blog Award !!

I am blessed.  Unbelievably, undeniably blessed!  The incredibly talented Angie over at My Cricut Closet presented me with a blog award.  My very first blog award.  Maybe the only blog award I will ever receive?  But a blog award nevertheless.  How cool is that?!?!?  She actually awarded it to me while I was away for March Break, but as you know I returned home to find we had NO internet and things are only just now getting back to normal.  So now I finally get to thank Angie for the award and pass it on.

For those of you who want to know:

 "Liebster" is German for "Dearest". The award is a "Share the love arrangement", given to inspirational bloggers with less than 200 followers, to bring attention to their blog, and increase their following!  I got to pick 5 more recipients whose blogs I think you would enjoy.  Pop over to see what they've done...and become a Follower.

Here's the to do list for any of the Liebster Blog Award recipients.

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award.  

Check.  (Thanks again Angie)

2. Link back to the blogger who presented you the award.  

Check  (Find Angie here)

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.  

Check.  (See the pretty award on my sidebar!)

4. Present the Award to 5 other deserving bloggers with less than 200 followers.  

Check.  (Read below)

5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog.  

Check.  (I suggest you visit their sites - you're going to love their blogs)

Ok.  The hardest part of receiving this award was knowing I could only nominate 5 other bloggers to pass it on to.  But I finally narrowed it down.  So here are my picks:

1)  Tina at Time to Ink Up    http://timetoinkup.blogspot.ca/

2)  Mikki at Mikki's Creative Corner   http://www.mikkiscreativecorner.blogspot.ca/
3)  Riley at Stampin With Riley    http://stampinwithriley.blogspot.ca/
4)  Lynda at Lynda's quiet time     http://stampingdoc.blogspot.ca/
5)  Gisele at I SPI   http://istamppaperink.blogspot.ca/
                     

Congratulations to these very talented bloggers! I really enjoy the projects they share on their blogs, and hope you do too!  Now I have to go leave them messages to let them know!    

 Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.   God Bless,    ~Cynthia  <><

I'm Back - Let's Have a Fast and Fabulous Friday!!

It took a Bell telephone repairman almost 4 hours to find the problem but we finally have our internet back again and let me tell you - I am one happy camper.  So without further ado, let's see about a card, shall we.

Today's card is what I call a Fast and Fabulous card.  I was aiming for something that took 10 minutes or less to make.  Honest to goodness, today's card took me just under 5 (!!).  It uses the Greenhouse Garden Stamp set (love this set) and I took my colour inspiration from my daughter's Christmas pyjamas.

Here are her PJs.  There are snowflakes in Melon Mambo, Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral and Regal Rose.  Now it may seem that snowflakes in these colours are just wrong...but I loved the combination so decided to make a flower garden with the same colours.

This is what I came up with and I love it.  Especially for a 5 minute card.  The Sentiment is from Thank You Kindly, stamped in Basic Black.  I used the Greenhouse Garden Stamp set to make all the flowers and used the colurs above, but added Daffodil Delight to give my card bouquet a real Spring feel.  The "lines" within the flowers, giving them definition, are stamps that come with the Greenhouse Garden stamp set.  It is a 2-step stamping technique, and my lines are made just with black again.  Love, love, love this stamp set.

So now it's your turn.  You must have a set of Flower stamps (and if you don't might I suggest Greenhouse Garden.  It is gorgeous!!).  Pick some colours that go well together.  And stamp yourself a garden bouquet in 10 minutes or less!

I can't wait to show you the other project I've made using this stamp set.  All of my club members this month have made it and both the project and the technique have been a real hit.  Using Greenhouse Garden doesn't hurt either.  It is just beautiful.

We have a gorgeous Spring Day waiting for us here in Ottawa.  I hope all of you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend.  I'll be back real soon to make up for lost (internet) time.
God Bless,      ~Cynthia     <><

No internet!!

This is so embarrassing - I have discovered how dependent I am on modern technology!

I left my parents' house and drove back to Ottawa Saturday night to a home without internet.  One of our modem cables fried and we were told by our service provider it would take about 5 business days for them to get a new one to us.  So we have no internet at home.  For an entire week (or more!!)!  Right now I am sitting in my car, in the parking lot of our local library, typing this on my lap-top since the library has free wifi that goes right through the walls.  How pathetic do I sound?!?    :)

I can't believe how difficult it has been to have no internet.  Even my kids are at a loss.  Every morning they go online to check the weather for the day before they head out to the bus-stop - now they look at me wide-eyed and wonder how they will know what to expect from the day's weather.  When did we become so hard-core dependent on modern technology?  It is awfully embarrassing!  My husband and I didn't have internet at all until about 17 yrs ago.  And we only got rid of our very slow but oh-so-inexpensive dial-up internet about 4 yrs ago.  And now....now I can't go a day without driving over to McDonald's (free wifi) or the library (free wifi) or my daughter's orthodontist (free wifi) to respond to all the e-mails that are piling up.  (insert sheepish grin here).

Don't laugh.  I'd like to see how you'd feel if you had to go internet-less for a week.  It's not easy!   :)

So if you send me a message and I don't respond right away, please forgive me.  It must not be time for a drive over to my local wifi-outlet yet.

To all of you WITH internet who are reading this right now....God Bless,    ~Cynthia   <><

Vanilla Doily

At Card Club last month I treated "my ladies" to a wonderful new product that Stampin' Up! is carrying.  SU! came out with 3 scented embossing powders; vanilla, melon and cherry.  And I've got to tell you, the vanilla one is subtle -- yet smells good enough to eat!

We started by stamping the Hello Doily image onto a piece of vanilla cardstock with Versamark, then applied the vanilla-scented embossing powder and heat embossed it.  Soft Suede ink was sponged onto the embossed image (Emboss Resist) and the vanilla piece and a Soft Suede piece were cut simultaneoulsy, using the new Edgelit dies from SU!  Yes friends, you CAN cut 2 pieces of cardstock at the same time with the edgelits.  And use a post-it note (or several) to hold down your cardstock and the edgelits so they don't move while running them through the Big Shot.

We used the corresponding Adorning Accent embossing folder to emboss a matching line on the vanilla/doily piece, then adhered it and the suede piece to a vanilla card base.  The corners were rounded using the SU! Corner Rounder punch, then the card edges were sponged with Soft Suede.  Finally, the Colour Spritzer Tool (a sadly under-used device) and a Soft Suede marker were used to add a splash of dots randomly over the card front

This card is gorgeous to look at, but even more impressive in real life.  And it smells heavenly!  The vanilla embossing powder is very subtle and positively delightful.  And -- cards that I made in December using this product still retain the scent!

My neice may use this card as a wedding card for her friends.  One of my friends will use this as a birthday card for her mother.  And yet another is using it as an anniversary card for her parents.  I just love when the same card design can be used for so many occasions!  Don't you?

Enjoy your weekend.  I know I certainly will!  God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

Let's Fix That. Here's a Fixer-Upper card

Have you ever created a card and right when you thought you had it pretty much done....you did something to "ruin" it??  I have had this happen more times than I care to remember.  So today's post is devoted to "fixing" a mistake and turning lemons into lemonade.

Take this card.  I stamped the Just Believe image in Not Quite Navy onto a piece of Whisper White card stock, then masked a moon and sponged the same NQN ink all over the card.  I had it pretty much the way I liked it, then wouldn't you know it, I dripped a few drops of water onto the card.  Don't ask me how it happened.  It was stupid and does not bear repeating.
Do you see that large "bleached out" spot near the upper left of the card and the one near the centre bottom of the stems?  Man oh man I thought the whole card was ruined.  Then I had an "aha" moment.  A brainstorm.  What if I made it so that the water-droplet bleached spots were intentional?  What if I gave those bleached out spots a lot of buddies? So I flicked more water all over the card and got an assortment of water spots.  Sheer inspiration borne out of an accident! 

This is what I ended up with!  I added an embossed white panel, a little bit of tearing and distressing down the Elegant Eggplant panels, a few pearls and voila!  Not sure about you but I happen to like it.  It could have been sent to the garbage, but now this card is meant for a dear friend!
So what you think?  Was this a decent save or what?  Would you have even known it wasn't intentional if I hadn't told you?  Didn't think so!    :)

I am enjoying my visit home with family - in fact, last night I did a workshop for one of my sisters who is also part of my downline.  It was a small but wonderful group of ladies and I had a terrific time.  I always love to see the 'personal touch' each lady brings to the table.  I am constantly amazed at the way the same card can turn out so differently in different people's hands.  Their creativity often becomes a jumping off point for my own inspiration.  You'll have to check back later to see what they've inspired me to do next!

Have a wonderful week and God Bless!    ~Cynthia     <><

Baptism Card For My Goddaughter

Close friends of ours had a baby girl last summer (their third, actually).  And I have the honour of being her godmother.  Naturally I wanted to have a very special card for her when she was baptized.  So this card was made just for her!

The card base is Pretty in Pink, embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  The rear cross, also Pretty in Pink, was made by trimming a cut-out obtained using the Lattice Die.  The shimmery cross in the foreground is also a trimmed Lattice Die cut out.  I used a 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds to make it sparkle so.  Subtle and ever so effective.

The rose bud petals (Pretty in Pink) were made from the wing of the Bird Builder punch.  Sets of 3 wings/petals were sponged with Pretty in Pink ink and adhered together, with the addition of foliage made by altering the stem & leaves from the same punch.

Did you notice anything different about the background embossing on the white mat?  I embossed the left half of the mat with the Finial Press Embossing Folder.  The right side was de-bossed with the same embossing folder.  It is a subtle difference - but I like to think that it gives some added dimension to the card!

I love the way this card turned out.  And I have to say, my darling little goddaughter is certainly worth all the fuss.  She even accompanies her mother to my home for monthly card clubs (at least while she is still little it works out ok).  My daughters are very helpful, taking turns holding her and keeping her happy so her mother can make the projects.  And mom has gotten very good at being the first to complete her projects each club evening.  It's the motivation of a hungry (and somewhat bored) baby I suspect.
You know - I think sometimes baby leaves with as much glitter on her as the cards have!

Do you have a special someone you need a card for?  Perhaps a wedding or an anticipated baby?   I will be running a Brides and Babies Card class later in the Spring.  Let me know if you want details and I will make certain you have all the information.

Have a lovely week and God Bless,    ~Cynthia     <><

So Very Grateful....

I have to tell you, I have pretty much the best job in the entire world!  I get to stamp and be creative whenever I want.  Better yet, the more creative I get, the better I am at my job.  How awesome is that?!!?  But I have to admit, I wouldn't do any of it if it wasn't for the fantastic friends and acquaintances I have met along the way.  All of the ladies who come to my club nights, my classes, my Open House and my workshops....these are the reasons I keep doing this. 

I am blessed I tell you.  Truly and sincerely blessed to know these women.  And I am thankful for each and every one of them.  So I decided that with every order I send out, I will include a hand-stamped thank you card.  What's more, I have decided to write my personal thank you on a post-it note inside, so that "my ladies" can re-use the card and send it to someone else if they so wish.

 Here is the latest batch of cards, made by stamping the Fresh Vintage image in Island Indigo ink.  The cards are embossed with the Elegant Lines embossing folder, then sponged and adhered to the Island Indigo card base.  The addition of a few butterflies (and/or basic pearls) didn't hurt either!  They are all a little bit different.  And all equally lovely.  And I think "my ladies" will appreciate them too.

March Break has officially started and I will be driving down with my kids to visit Grandma and Grandpa for most of the week.  It is a pretty long drive, but the kids are very good travellers (they will pretty much read for the entire 6 hours) and the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.....getting to see my parents...makes any length of drive worth taking.

Hope everyone else enjoys their March Break too!
God Bless,     ~Cynthia    <><

Happy Birthday Mom!!

What if I told you that I had the best mother in the entire world.  And what if I said it was her birthday today!  Would you join me in wishing her all the best and saying a little prayer for her health and her happiness in the coming year.

I actually created the Butterfly Birthday card for my mother's birthday- but I was so excited that it qualified for the SUO challenge that I posted it right away.  And then I started to feel badly that my mother's card was posted before she even got a chance to see it (not that I think she would have gone to my blog and seen it anyhow, but still).  So I decided she needed a second card that didn't get posted for all the world to see until AFTER she had received it (I hope).  So I CASEd another one of my favourites and came up with this beauty. 

 This is virtually the same as the card I posted on Feb 18, but I used a blender pen to quickly add some pink tones (Regal Rose and Pretty In Pink) to the blossoms.  I think it is quite lovely.  And I am sure my mother will appreciate it.  She will especially appreciate the poem I wrote for her.  I have written my own poems for decades and when I am too busy to write a poem for my card, that's when my mother is disappointed.  So this year she is bound to be happy.  She received 2 cards from me and a poem too.  Lets hope Canada Post got them to her in time for her March 10th celebration!

At any rate - Happy Birthday to the best mother in the world - My Mom.  
I love you lots and lots.
God Bless,   ~Cynthia      <><

Saturday's Card Class

One of my friends (who also happens to be a customer) came to my card class on Saturday but had to leave early.  So she stamped and punched what she needed to then took all of her little "bits" with her and I promised her she could see how to piece them together if she just went to my blog. 

tick  tick  tick

She e-mailed me this week to suggest that perhaps I should post all the cards from Saturday's class - like I said I would - otherwise she would NEVER get her cards put together.  Silly me.  Sorry that I forgot.  In addition to the ones I posted on March 2, here are the other cards we made.

Saturday's class was a lot of fun!  I would like to point out that I was privileged and blessed to get to spend a creative morning with such a spectacular group of ladies!!   I can hardly wait till next time!





But for now.....March Break is only hours away from starting.  For those of you who will be travelling - have a healthy, happy and safe journey.  For those of you who will be staying close to home.....what are you waiting for?  Get stamping!!    :)

God Bless,    ~Cynthia     <><

Birthdays Back in Time

Wow - things got really busy really fast around here and I neglected my blog.  Sorry about that!  But I did want to post a quick picture of a birthday card today.  You see...I have birthdays on my mind right now.  My mother celebrates her birthday on Saturday and 2 of my sisters both celebrate theirs next Monday.  I just got all of the cards in the mail (although I know one of them will be late in arriving.  It has a looooong way to go!).  So while I am in the birthday frame of mind, I thought I would show you the card I made for my husband's birthday last year.

Hubby is an avid golfer and when I saw a punch art version of a golf bag on the internet I knew I wanted to CASE it.  I have tried to find the original of this particular card so I can let you know who the creative genius behind it is, but try as I might, I cannot remember where I found it.  When I do, rest assured I will edit this post to give credit where credit is due!

Editor's note:  I finally found the original that inspired my CASE of this card.  The brilliant creative genius is Lynn Pratt and you can see her gorgeous card here.

In the meantime, here is my hubby's 2011 birthday card.  Lots of little punched pieces, some sponging and a few brads and there you have it.  Tiger Woods -  eat your heart out!

Have a wonderful day and to anyone who is celebrating their birthday - Happy Birthday!
God Bless,     ~Cynthia   <><

CASE for Saturday's Card Class

For card-makers, the term CASE refers to Copy And Share Everywhere.  (And sometimes, Copy And Selectively Edit).  I saw this card by Chat Wszelaki here and LOVED it. 

 I made a version where I pretty much copied it.

And then I decided to alter it ever so slightly to show how easy it would be to create variations of such a gorgeous design. 









 I am holding a card class on Saturday morning (March 3, 2012) and these are two of the cards that the ladies will be making.  Would you like to join us?   We'd love to have you.
Contact me for more details.

Enjoy the upcoming weekend!            God Bless,     ~Cynthia   <><

Babies and Monkeys

I have to say it - I just LOVE the Fox and Friends stamp set and I think the monkeys are my favourite image of all.  Aren't they the absolute cutest thing for a baby card?!  The little smirk on this monkey just makes me want to smile from ear to ear.  You *know* he's got a bit of mischief up his sleeve, don't you?  But loveable all the same.  Just like all my babies were.  And still are I might add!

Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip all fit together wonderfully and the addition of just a little bit of ribbon makes this card complete.  No embossing.  No die-cutting.  Nothing "fancy".  Just some stamping and a punch or two.  What could be simpler?



We're getting more snow today.  Hope you are all able to stay warm and cozy, where ever you are!  Happy stamping and God Bless     ~Cynthia    <><