Because my friends are awesome... (Paper heart and leaves card)

Can I just say this card makes me happy?... I think it's the colors...
In my previous post I was talking about Bargello, this card uses a tiny bit of the leftover strips from the Bargello background (love those patterns and colors so much, I couldn't throw them away! ;-)) and then I added some of my favorite patterns of the moments (scripture, gingham...), and more of my "Que Sera Sera" paper (for the heart and leaves)... Nope, I am never gonna get sick of it... you might soon though... ;-)

This card is for my evil twin Bee from California, just because she is made of awesome and has a heart of gold and cracks me up. :-D She is my "evil twin" because we have the same nickname and same initials (B.B), and we have a lot in common in the way we see things, but she is the naughty one and I am the sweet one... LOL ;-D (She is so getting back at me for that one...;-))
We often chat on google chat too, even if just for a few minutes here and there, and she always makes me laugh... :-) Plus she is really good at explaining technical things to me (like how to open the LD layers in SCAL) and believe me this is a task that requires lots of patience (and hair...)... ;-)  So there, she gets a card just because she totally deserves one!... :-D

Leafy "Bargello"

After seeing this technique, called "Bargello", posted on one of Splitcoast Stampers' tutorial (you can find it here! :-)) I had to try it for my background on this card. I really love the colorful result of mixing up patterns... (yes, I used some of my beloved "Que Sera Sera" papers...;-))
(You can click on the pic if you want a better view of the detail of the pattern).

Oh and thanks to Wikipedia for enlightening me! :-)  :"Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs. The name originates from a series of chairs found in the Bargello palace in Florence, which have a "flame stitch" pattern."

I made this card for my great friend Thienly. Not only does she wow me with all her crafty creations, but she is also the sweetest person ever. <3 She has a great outlook on life and is always so cheery and nice... Just the kind of people we all need in our life, the ones that always put a smile on your face. :-D I feel lucky to "know" her and really hope to meet her (and all her awesome little family) for real one day! :-D In the meantime, thanks to google chat and the time difference between Canada and Florida, we often chat a little bit at night! Isn't internet incredible?!... I would never have thought growing up that one day I could be in touch with people all over the world thanks to a computer... :-)
But I miss getting cards and letters in the mail... so I am trying to send more cards too, just because... Now if only there were 36 hours in a day!... :-D *sigh*

Birthday Party Favors

I made those little party favors for my son's class, to bring tomorrow along with some brownies, since his birthday will be Saturday.

I kept my design ultra simple since those are 7 or 8 years old autistic kids we are talking about, and this will likely be ripped open before you can say "happy birthday Noah"!... ;-)

I used the "Treat boxes" file from Lettering Delights, and combined it with a little present cut-out on the sides from "3-D Birthday Cards" file from SVGCuts... (What can I say, I love combining LD and SVGCuts together... :-))

I filled those with stickers, a bouncy ball, a gross stretchy lizard and candy... :-)

Birthday Polar Bear

I made this card for my son's 8th birthday (coming up next Saturday), using SVGCuts files. I know it looks more like a card for a 4 years old kid, but my son is autistic so I need to adapt...  :-S He loves polar bears and we are going to Seaworld this week-end to celebrate, so I thought this would be appropriate... I have made cards in the past that he barely looked at, so I am trying to grab his attention with this one... ;-)

I can't believe he'll be 8 already, it is so hard for me to grasp because his bevahior is so not the behavior of a 8 years old, but he is so tall that he looks almost like a 10 years old and his handicap is only getting more noticeable as he gets older... :-( When he was diagnosed (the day after his 2nd birthday) I thought things would get better over time... Some things have gotten better, and I still have high hopes for the future, but at the time I didn't realized (or refused to see) that new challenges would arise as he got older. This past year has been difficult. He managed to escape the house, without us noticing it, to go play by the lake behind our house... He has absolutely no notion of danger and is a constant worry for us. He is also a beautiful and sweet little 8 years old boy that I love to pieces. I wish I could tell you that he is happy and that it's all that counts, unfortunately life is full of frustrations for him and it is heartbreaking to watch him struggle for everything. :-(
I'm sure he will have a good time this week-end with the dolphins, killer whales and polar bears and penguins, and in the hotel pool (I swear he must have been a dolphin in a previous life!! :-)) and in the meantime I hope he enjoys my happy little polar bear card... :-)

Lace rainbow

Since I was on a rainbow and lace kick I decided to try another style with somewhat the same concept...
I think it's a little overkill, but maybe that's why I like it... ;-) I used one of my felt butterfly (remember that post?...) for a bit of texture and a little pop of color, and I had fun inking the edges of my medallion in a rainbow pattern. One of those little details that you can't really see on pics unless you enlarge the pic by clicking on it, LOL). I tried to keep the design as simple as possible since the lace was so overpowering.
I think the end result is fun, I hope my sister-in-law will like it, it's her birthday tomorrow, and as usual my card is late... LOL

OK I promise the next card will not have lace or rainbow on it... I have to make one for my son Noah's birthday, and he already had a rainbow last year... ;-)

A rainbow of thanks

A simple rainbow card made with the strips that come at the base of the colorbok paperpads before your tear up the page. (I love this kind of recycling!... I think Myrna will approve! ;-))... :-)
The punch is Martha stewart and I LOVE it! <3 I added tiny rhinestones in the middle of the "flowers"...
This card just makes me happy, but then again (in case you didn't know) I am obsessed with rainbows and clouds... ;-)

Our family Birdhouse

I finally finished my project for SVGCuts Spring challenge. It took me forever, between spring break and sick kids, but I'm finally done!... Phew! :-)
I started with a wooden frame found at Michael's for $1, the minute I saw it I knew what my project would be... So the frame became my little birhouse... I "mod-podged" some Que Sera Sera paper on the frame.

I then decorated it using files from Spring Birdhouses for the birds and greenery, and Robin's return for the gorgeous lace border. I added Prima flowers, and a little felt to keep my birdies warm and cozy... :-)

 
The stamp I used is from PaperTrey Ink.

Of course it was only when I was finished sewing the button on the bow that I noticed it was off center... LOL I decided to leave it like that and argue that it looks more homemade this way... ;-)

For now, this hangs above my desk, I like to look at it and think about my crazy little family of 5!... :-D

ETA: My entry got 4th place in the challenge! :-D

Papillon birthday card

So I made this card for a friend of mine yesterday, and it might not show at first sight, but it was an "out-of-MY-box" adventure. ;-)
I think sometimes I tend to stick to the same kind of cards' layouts, because that's what I'm comfortable with. I really really like this paper so I decided to approach that card like a scrapbooking page instead, namely putting on embellishments and scraps and whatnots all over it and moving them around and figuring out what I like and what I don't... I used the sewing machine to make a little border around, but it barely shows, and I added some Stickles to the butterfly's wings because who doesn't like sparkle??... :-)
It was fun and the result was a little unexpected for me, busier than usual I think. Although when I look at it now I like it and it doesn't seem so "weird" anymore, LOL. :-)
I do still feel like straightening that mat a little bit though.... ;-)

P.S: I felt like the name should be a little different too... Papillon means butterfly in french... ;-)