The Court Goes to School: Day 5

There were lots of terrific photos from the take home library dedication. I selected the best representation for the collage. What a neat thing for this office to be able to remember this program for many years to come!

Supplies used: red cardstock; DCWV - the Grade School stack; misc. cardstock cbackpack; pop dots; MAMBI - boy w/ backpack sticker; Adobe Elements 6; CoffeeShop To the Nines Template; Font - Scrap Kids

The Court Goes to School: Day 4

One of the amazing things this group did last year was begin a take-home library. Why is this amazing? Well, this library is designed to encourage more at-home reading by allowing the kids to select books and take them home - FOR GOOD. The volunteers collected over 350 books to start the library and have continued collecting since its inception, donating more than 500 books in a single school year! They plan to have annual book drives to replenish the library from one school year to the next.

Supplies used: Imagination project - Office Supplied Great Grid Paper Black; white cardstock; DCWV - the Grade School stack; SU - so saffron striped grossgrain; ScorTape; misc. cardstock children w/ book; pop dots

The Court Goes to School: Day 3

Today we're looking at the right-hand page of the photo collage of last year's volunteers. I kept the two-page design very simple. That keeps the focus on the photos of all of those happy kids and mentors.

The stitching is a little better on this side of the layout, but the thread tension gave me some trouble in a few places. So many things to learn!

Supplies used: SU - tangerine tango cardstock; lt. red cardstock; DCWV - the Grade School stack; misc. cardstock globe; corner rounder; pop dots; black pen; Singer Pixie; orange thread; Adobe Elements 6; CoffeeShop Rounded Corners Storyboard Set 5; Font - LDJ Noodge

The Court Goes to School: Day 2

While the office I am scrapping for has not taken tons of photos or retained lots of memorabilia from their volunteer project, there are still plenty of good representations of the work they are doing at the school. For instance, last year, the school counselor took photos of some of the volunteers with their mentees, which made an excellent collage for last year's tutoring work.

Supplies used: SU - tangerine tango cardstock; lt. red cardstock; DCWV - the Grade School stack; misc. cardstock computer; corner rounder; pop dots; black pen; Singer Pixie; orange thread; Adobe Elements 6; CoffeeShop Rounded Corners Storyboard Set 5

NOTE: My scanner and I are not getting along at the moment, so this is not the best scan and thus not the best digital panoramic stitching. But hopefully you get the idea, despite having part of the edge page elements cut off.

I also experimented with machine stitching as a border. I have not had my sewing machine very long and have never been good with one to begin with. Straight lines aren't my strongest suit! But I think the imperfections work in the context of subject matter and thus I did not scrap the layout and start over but embraced the layout - imperfections & all.

The Court Goes to School

I've been hired to complete an album for a business. This particular office has adopted a school as a group volunteer project. They've been documenting bits & pieces of their work since they began, so the scrapbook has come together very easily. For the next several days, we'll look at what's in the book thus far. Today, we start with the title page.

Supplies used: black cardstock; white cardstock; DCWV - the Grade School stack; Singer Pixie; white thread; pop dots; Adobe Photoshop Elements 6; Frame - Sande Krieger A Little Pizzazz Funky Frame; Font - Scrap Kids

20+ Days of Cards: Day 10

I bought this stamp from a fellow blogger but hadn't had the opportunity to ink it. This was the perfect opportunity. It makes the cutest blank notecard, don't you think? I used one of Dawn's color challenges to put the whole thing together.

Cardstock/Paper: SU - sweet always, chocolate chip; watercolor paper
Ink: SO - timber brown
Stamps: WS - Fall Fun Kitty
Misc: SU - watercolor pencils, blender pen, linen thread; misc. buttons; Zots

20+ Days of Cards: Day 9

Simple, understated, elegant. What else is there to say about this design? I simplified it to eliminate some of the intricate cutting. But I think the end product is just as stunning.

Cardstock/Paper: DCWV - Mi Casa stack; SU - chocolate chip, whisper white
Ink: SO - timber brown
Stamps: VV - Fluttering By; SU - Thoughts & Prayers
Misc: pop dots; Recollections - black gems; orange gems; Zots; EK - diamond scallop punch; Sizzix - Texturz

20+ Days of Cards: Day 8

I like having a multipurpose card in the stash. By leaving the inside of this card blank, you are free to celebrate anything from a birthday to a piece of good news to a beautiful day. I saw this card in the Papertrey idea gallery and knew it was the perfect design.

Cardstock/Paper: SU - wintergreen, windsor knot, good morning sunshine, chocolate chip; kraft; watercolor paper
Ink: SO - timber brown
Stamps: PTI - Autumn Abundance
Misc: SU - linen thread, watercolor pencils, blender pen, ticket corner punch; MM - pewter brads; brown pen

20+ Days of Cards: Day 7

Everybody loves a good group birthday card. This Whipper Snapper stamp is always perfect for just such an occasion. I had stamped the image a long while ago but never got around to using it. I was a little heavy-handed when I stamped it so, in order to use it, I would have to cover up some smudges. I colored it up and set to work on covering up the boo-boo. I used the Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #17 for the palette which worked perfectly.

Cardstock/Paper: SU - notebook, candy lane, chocolate chip, whisper white; kraft
Ink: VF - onyx; SU - riding hood red
Stamps: WS - Party Kittens; PTI - Around & About Sentiments
Misc: SU - watercolor pencils, blender pens; pop dots; Recollections - red gems; Fiskars - 1" circle punch

20+ Days of Cards: Day 6

It's nice to have a winter card ready to go right after the holidays. Whether it's for a thank-you note or just to say HI to family for the new year. This card caught my eye and was very easy to replicate. I hope you enjoy.

Cardstock/Paper: SU - real red, always artichoke, wintergreen d/p; watercolor paper; silver paper
Ink: VF - onyx
Stamps: SU - The More the Merrier
Misc: SU - watercolor pencils, blender pen, scallop edge punch; Recollections - silver pearls; Stickles - frosted lace, crystal; Sizzix - snowflakes

20+ Days of Cards: Day 5

It can be difficult to find a sympathy card that isn't too frilly or flowery. Sometimes you just want something simple, perhaps even a bit more masculine. That's what drew me to this design when I first saw it. It adapted very well. Enjoy!

Cardstock: SU - always artichoke, barely banana, real red, very vanilla
Ink: SU - really rust, more mustard, garden green, ruby red, mellow moss, creamy caramel; SO - timber brown
Stamps: SU - Thoughts & Prayers
Misc: MM - square brads; Sizzix - SU Texturz #1 Flourish

20+ Days of Cards: Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of the project parade. Today we're giving thanks. Enjoy!

Cardstock: SU - kiwi kiss, tangerine tango, pumpkin pie, more mustard; watercolor paper
Ink: SO - timber brown
Stamps: SU - The More the Merrier
Misc: SU - Alpine Originals felt ribbon, watercolor pencils, blender pen, scallop circle punch; EK - 1.75" circle punch; Fiskars - 1" circle punch; Sizzix - Texturz #15 Lovely Flourish; pop dots; Zips; Zots
Inspiration card

20+ Days of Cards: Day 3

You may remember this gift set from last year. When I made this for my grandmother, it was with the full intention of refilling it each year. The card showcase you're enjoying is this year's refill set. Five of the designs (2 birthday, 2 sympathy, 1 thanks) were packaged in gift sets for several friends & co-workers. Each recipient was thrilled with their set of cards, and I couldn't have been more pleased! Enjoy today's sample.

Cardstock: DCWV - The Luxury Stack; SU - rose red, creamy vanilla
Ink: SU - rose red, handsome hunter
Stamps: SU - Close as a Memory
Misc: Sizzix - SU Top Notez; gel pen; SU - very vanilla grossgrain; Zips
Inspiration card

20+ Days of Cards: Day 2

Did you enjoy yesterday's card? It's nice to scraplift when you're trying to save time. Adapt the colors & go. That made it easy. Today's card is an original design (as far as I know) but it didn't start out that way. I saw this card but when it came down to it didn't have enough stuff in the stash to make it look right. I had already stamped & colored the main image, so I drew inspiration for paper selection from there. The layout worked itself out. Enjoy!

Cardstock/Paper: SU - real red, barely banana, Windsor Knot dp; black; watercolor paper
Ink: VF - onyx
Stamps: TCP - Smells Like Cake
Misc: SU - watercolor pencils, blender pen; Stickles - Xmas Red; CM - circles

20+ Days of Cards: Day 1

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope yours was as good as mine. Now that all of the gift-giving is through, I can finally show you what I've been up to the last several weeks. I've been a busy bee, I tell ya.

I hope you enjoy 20+ Days of Cards!

Cardstock: Michaels - pre-scored card; SU - taken w/ teal, kiwi kiss; DCWV - Mi Casa stack; white
Ink: VF - onyx
Stamps: TCP - Smells Like Cake
Misc: SU - watercolor pencils, blender pen, tangerine tango brad, kiwi kiss brad; EK - scalloped diamond punch; pop dots; Sizzix - SU Texturz Backgrounds #1, Stars #2
Inspiration card

Everyday Miracle

I sent this card to the daughter of one of my co-workers who has had an ongoing illness. She's been sick since June, so the office has been sending her cards to help keep her spirits up. We're hopeful that this latest treatment is a success. I got this stamp set just recently. This is the first time I've inked it. I would have liked for my sun spot to have been a little less prominent, but sometimes you stop when things are just okay rather than ruining it by trying for perfect!

Cardstock: SU - chocolate chip, pink pirouette, sweet always, very vanilla
Stamps: Peace Within
Ink: SO - timber brown; SU - barely banana, apricot appeal, so saffron, more mustard
Misc: SU - watercolor pencils, blender pen; button; twine; metal flower; Zots; pop dots

4 Baby

This seems to be the year for babies. I have five friends with babies due before the end of the year. Needless to say, there are lots of baby gifts to give & cards to make. I really like the way this one turned out. I based it on this card by TravelingMama. I've had this SU! paper for ages and use it here & there but hadn't yet found a way to incorporate the oh-so-cute birdies into a card. I was pleased as punch when I saw the inspiration card & knew exactly what I was going to do to adapt it. (No stamps/ink required!)

Cardstock/Paper: SU - Good Morning Sunshine, pink pirouette

Misc: Prima - aloha petals; AMM - chipboard 4; Sizzix - Broadway Melody; MM - gem brad; gems; Zots; Xyron; corner rounder; chipboard; Stickles - cotton candy


Did you notice my new floral frog? I've admired Dawn's for a long time and finally happened upon this one in Michael's last week. And it was only $3 - what a steal!

Birthday Star

Monday was my husband's birthday and I made him this card. I found this great card posted on SCS. I liked how the mostly masculine card had a small feminine touch -  with the tiniest bit of pink. So it was a salute to the birthday boy while still having a little touch of "me."

For more dimension on the stars, I recycled the leftover rubber from a new set of SU stamps. Just peel off the rubber & use the double-sided sticky foam. Perfecto!

Cardstock: white; SU - chocolate chip, always artichoke

Stamps: PTI - around & about sentiments

Ink: SU - pink pirouette, always artichoke, chocolate chip; CB - frost white

Misc: SU - scallop border punch; pop dots; corner rounder

Sweet One

I was hired to make this card for a baby shower. The mom-to-be is having a boy, but I didn't want to make the card too masculine so I pulled the softer, more neutral colors. I wanted it to look like a wall with beadboard (though that is really difficult to see in this photo...sorry!), chair rail, textured wall on top with a baby-themed wall hanging. It turned out even better than I'd hoped.

Cardstock: white; SU - barely banana, bashful blue (banner), brocade blue (frame), so saffron (moon)

Stamps: SU - So Many Scallops

Ink: Versamark

Misc: Stampendous - midnight black e.p.; Sizzix - Texturez Tween Stripes; MM - FA Trims (Sidney), silver star brad, thin black wire; Zips; tacky tape; CM - circle cutters; Xyron

Father's Day

This is the card I made for my father-in-law. It's a little variation on yesterday's theme - a little different color scheme, a little truer to the inspiration layout, and a little turn on the stripes. 

Cardstock/paper: SU - windsor knot, baja breeze, chocolate chip; lt. kraft; dk. kraft

Stamps: VV - Father Figure; PTI - Around & About sentiments (small star)

Ink: SO - timber brown

Misc: Sizzix - Stars #2; pop dots; MM - brads; La Plume - dk. brown pen