After Christmas Card (or an early start for next year)

Hi everyone.  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas with family and friends.  However, what do you do when you get a Christmas card from someone after Christmas?  Do you send them one back, or just wait until next year?  Whatever you decide, it is never too late, or too early, to make a card for someone special at Christmas.  So, this is an easy one but looks like a million bucks.  Okay, that's just my opinion, but I hope you agree.

Choose an image from the Vintage Christmas collection and an appropriately sized frame from GSL.  The Flourished Frame Karen works quite nicely for this image.

Trim your image to fit inside the frame opening, then paint frame with pearl nail polish and let dry.

Use your finger to dab the Stickles lime green glitter glue for a delicate application and let dry.

Turn frame over and dab glue over frame, again using finger to apply a light coat.  Lay frame over image and adhere both to front of card, as shown.

Make a couple of rosettes and follow directions that come with the die.

Paint Memories word ribbon and several different sizes of snowflakes with the pearl nail polish and let dry.

Use the flat end of a makeup sponge to dab Romance red paint over the top of the Memories word band.  Add crystal Stickles glitter glue to top of each snowflake for extra sparkle, and edge rosettes with pine needles distress ink.

Adhere all pieces to card front, as shown, and lifting some  of the pieces with foam dots.

Supplies Used:
GSL  Flourished Frame Karen
GSL Word Ribbons 1
GSL Snowflake Shape Set
Vintage Christmas Paper Collection (Authentique)
Olive Green card stock (for 5"x7" folded card)
Rosettes die  (Sizzix/Tim Holtz)
Tokyo Pearl Nail Polish (any pearl nail polish would work)
Romance chalk paint (DecoArt)
Lime Green, Crystal Stickles (Ranger)
Pine Needles Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
Peace metal embellishment

I hope you enjoyed this super quick but oh-so-beautiful Christmas card.  You can make beautiful cards so easily just by choosing an appropriate laser cut frame from Gypsy Soul, and there are so many to choose from, too.  They add dimension without adding bulk, so they go through the mail without extra postage.  Of course, if you add lots more embellishments like the rosettes on my card above, you might want to box it up or hand deliver it.  Of course, if I am sending a gift, this is the perfect card to add inside the box, and yep, no extra postage there either.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I just want to wish you all a very Happy New Year!!!

Barbara

Authentique Father's Day Cards

Hi there, blog friends!  Welcome back to my blog.  Today, I want to share a couple of Father's Day cards I made using the new Authentique Strong collection.  

My first card uses the reverse side of Mighty (crosswords).  I embossed it with the Spellbinders gears embossabilities folder, inked with all three distress inks, and cut around the embossing.  

I glued it to the front of an ivory pre-folded card, added a sentiment from the Foundations paper, metal gears and some square metal stickers.  Voila!  Fast and easy card.  

I carried the theme to the inside using some more of the Foundations phrases to finish it off.  It is now ready to sign and send.

My second card is very similar to my first.  I just changed up the papers a bit.  I embossed the Marvelous CS with the same embossabilities folder, inked with the same three distress inks, trimmed around the embossing and adhered it to a pre-folded ivory card.

I added some metal gears and square metal stickers, and again, another fast and easy card!

More sentiments from the Foundations paper added to the inside to finish off my second card.  

Supplies used:
Authentique Strong Collection (Mighty, Marvelous, is yellow dots, words from Foundations)
Ivory pre-folded card (4-1/2" x 6-1/2") (Hobby Lobby)
Spellbinders 3D Embossabilities (E3D-002)
Distress Inks (Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Antique Linen)
Tim Holtz Ideaology gears
Square metal stickers (Michaels)

I hope you enjoyed my simple, fast and easy cards today.  Just let the paper collection work for you and you can make a card or cards in no time!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and can spend some valuable time with their father on Father's Day.

Barbara

Happy Birthday, Little Brother

Hi everyone, and welcome back.  I am so glad you stopped by today.  I know we are always looking for more masculine cards to make for our guys.  My little brother's birthday was yesterday, 30 April, but I did not want him to see his card, so I am posting it today.

Supplies used:

5" x 6-1/2" ivory pre-folded card
Authentique Strong Collection 12x12 papers
     - Mighty (blue damask design)
     - Marvelous (yellow diamonds)
Spellbinders S5-134 - A2 Fancy Postage Edge die
Bella's Best Stamp Paper - white
Copic Markers
Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad
Distress Frayed Burlap ink pad
Jayne Nestorenko clear stamp set - Apple of My Eye collection

Directions:

I used the new Authentique Strong collection papers for this card.  I covered an ivory card with "Mighty", leaving just a small margin of the base card showing.

I die cut "Marvelous" using Spellbinders frame die and layered that on top.  I always seem to distress ink my edges, and this card was no exception.  So I used frayed burlap to distress them all.

I stamped the boy and girl image using Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a piece of stamping paper, then colored the image with Copic Markers.  Again, I distressed the edges with frayed burlap.

After flattening a bottle cap, I added the "you and me" image from the Strong collection and adhered to the top left.

I then stamped "Best Friends Forever" from the stamp set onto a border piece, and die cut using the same Spellbinders die.

I hope you enjoyed my masculine card project today.  Since Father's Day is just around the corner, maybe this has inspired you to make a really nice masculine card.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you check back on Friday to see the cute mini album I made for Sin City Stamps.

Until next time, happy crafting!

Barbara