Simple Thanks

My mojo took a hike a while back and hasn't returned as of yet... so I was a little nervous when I sat down at my desk to make a card for one of my sons' teachers who is leaving the school system to do private therapy.
I think when you are unsure what direction you are going, it's always a good bet to let the paper do the talking, so that's what I did using my favorite stack Que Sera Sera.
I simply embossed the sentiment (cut an acrylic stamp to use just the part I wanted) and added some twine (the Twinery) and some edging.

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... ;-)

Butterfly Thanks

I'm happily taking a break from the Cricut!... ;-) I made this card for my grandmother using just Nestabilities and a punch...
The papers are from my beloved K&Company "Que sera sera" pack, (-> simply stunning papers!). I added some music notes in brown ink with the "music sheet" stamp from PTI, then distressed my butterflies with gold and chianti inks, and finished it off with tiny pearls on the butterflies' bodies and at the ends of my sentiment tag.
It's a very simple card but I love it.  (as usual, bigger pic by clicking on it)

SVG Blooms

This card was made using my computer, SCAL and Cricut. The SVG file is for 3D flowers (http://www.svgcuts.com/) but I made my design rather flat because it had to be mailed easily to France. The pot is one of their freebie files. :-) I had fun with it, even if it took me forever since I was playing around with the program... ;-) I really love the result and can't wait to try a much bigger size and real 3D blooms this time, like a real paper bouquet!... :-D

Flowers & stripes

Simple Thank You card that gives the paper center stage.... I punched little holes in the top scallop to match the bottom one. The cool paper is by DCWV... :-)

Damask Thank You

A few months ago I was the lucky winner of a stamps set on the Lizzie Anne Designs blog. When I mentioned I already owned that set, Tricia (the "Lizzie part" in Lizzie Anne ;-)...) very nicely offered to send me another set instead. :-D

I chose "Damask", and I thought it was only appropriate that Tricia would be the recipient of the 1st card made with that set, so I made her this Thank You card.

I just love that card. I adore this paper by DCVW, and I thought it was going well with those stamps. The colors are very "spring" to me and it was one of those "put-me-in-a-good-mood-card".

I am pretty confident it will put Tricia in a good mood too! ;-)

(as always by clicking on the pic you'll get a giant version, this will enable you to see the details of that cool paper)...

Simple blooms

This is what I call a "flashcard". As I was putting away the ribbon, I had this flash in my head with this very simple card! It took no time to put together and looks exactly as I envisioned it. I'll send it to my grandmother.

Blue giraffe Thank-You

Unless she is playing the prolongations, today is the last day of Melanie's 1 week blogaversary celebration... So I made a last little card using her sets "So hippy" "So hoppy" and "Hip-hop accessories".

I am really bad at preparing things in advance, I tend to do everything last minute. Believe me, I have tried and am still trying to improve on that point!! My bag for the maternity isn't even ready yet... But I thought I would make the thank-you card for the hospital staff now! My husband can always come back home afterwards to grab my toothbrush if I deliver in an emergency but I doubt he will sit at my desk and make a card for the staff... ;-) ...

For this card I decided to go a little bit out of my comfort zone, by making a somewhat monochromatic card which is something I very rarely do. Since we're having a boy I decided to go all blue, I hope they won't be put off by a white and blue giraffe... ;-) Cutting the hair on the neck of the giraffe image was too time consuming so I made him a little "custom fringe" of my own instead with blue cardstock...

Golden Thank You

I finally got around to make a card for Rae who sent me the huge blog candy. Of course I used some of the supplies she sent me!... :-)

It's hard to see on the pic but I used the metallic rub-on paste again, this time gold.

Happy mail and experimenting... :-)

I made this card for Elizebeth, who is a sweetheart, and sent me a big enveloppe of happy mail that I received yesterday! :-) In it were stamps, ribbon and tons of designer paper (and of course a gorgeous card ;-))... So I had to use some of those goodies to make her a thank you card...

Now that the card is finished and I'm looking at it, I can't decide if I like it or not. I think it is a little weird, which makes me love it, LOL, but if I had to re-do it I think I would do some things differently. I would likely lose the scalloped circle and find another way to place my sentiment.

This is something I like when I papercraft though, I never really know where it is taking me. Sometimes the result is completely different from what I had in mind when I started. Sometimes I don't even have something in mind and I just go with the flow... I think I learn so much about me like that, by experimenting, it helps me discover what I like and what I don't, what feels like me and what doesn't... I'm still looking for my style I think, and I know I tend to always use the same old layout that I am comfortable with but I want to do other things !

What I also like is that there isn't really rules in stamping/card making, and that when there are rules they are made to be broken. ;-) I'm really admirative of the stampers that can think out of the box, but I am not quite there yet!... One day maybe! I already have fun looking at the very 1st cards I made about 10 months ago... :-)

Purple Overdose

This morning my scrap-buddy bailed on me to go shop the spring break sales! *gasp*

I love shopping (and sales) just as anybody else, but shopping instead of stamping?? Unless you are shopping for stamping/papercrafting supplies, then it's an easy choice for me... ;-) And my bank account was screaming at me to just stay home and stamp anyway...

So, after getting over my disappointment, I finally worked on the Thank You card for the generous sender of my happy mail package.... :-) Her favorite color is purple so I used lots of it obviously! And I used the butterfly stamp that was among the goodies she sent me, since she loves butterflies also... ;-)

The colors are a little off (as usual! ;-)), I can't seem to be able to fix it, but I like this card (in real life!) even though it is monochromatic (which is not something I do often or really like).

My only regret is that I didn't have any wire, because I really would have liked to make little antennaes for the butterfly with golden wire!...

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I am especially thankful for all the wonderful people and fellow crafters I met over the internet. You guys are fun and inspirational in a lot of ways...

I am also thankful to have "found myself" through this new hobby of mine. 6 months ago I had no clue I could make cards and just play with paper & colors the way I enjoy doing it now.

This has been a new creative outlet for me and it feels really good!

Also I started my personal blog almost a year ago and have really enjoyed writing (it was always one of my favorite things), I have "met" some pretty awesome people along the way.

So Thank God for a year of self discovery and for bringing those lights into my life.♥

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

PS: For this card, it was the 1st time I was using my watercolors in 10 or 15 years and, boy am I rusted!!! I used to watercolor a little when I was (way!) younger and I think it's time to get back to it! I hope that with some practice it will come back to me!! :-)