A Tweaking Experience.....

Today was a beautiful day with sunny skies, cooler temperatures and beautiful trees. My favorite time of year!

In regard to tweaking, I am trying to get my blog the way I like it and I am experimenting with different layouts; so, please be patient!

Today's card is from the pre-Cardworks files:





"Happy Birthday" x 2

  I found some designer paper in brown with the pink flowers on it and also was able to find matching satin ribbon with the same design, opposite colors.  The ideas took off from there. I did tape the brown DP paper to the pink paper and then ran it through the accordion pleater (sorry, I can't think of the name of that gadget).

The edges of all the papers were done with the large Fiskars Paper Cutter Machine with the extra-large blades. I think the name of it was Victorian if I'm not mistaken. All I know is that it looks like a torn edge to me and it gives the card a look I really like

The envelopes were stamped with the same stamp as the card and embossed.

I hope you enjoyed my blast from the past!!  Remember, if you would like to make these cards just let me know and I will e-mail the directions to you.

Please leave a comment, let me know how I'm doing AND join my group of "Followers."

Remember, please feed the fish---they're hungry!

Happy stamping and creating!

Linda Hasz

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:1

Friends & a Cup of Tea + Bonus Card

This is a card that I made last April for a friend's birthday.  She loves tea and I found a set of stamps that included all kinds of sayings for friends, tea, birthday, etc.  It's done in Stampin' Up raspberry card stock and has a separate "pocket" for the packet of tea to sit in.  I tucked the packet inside the card. Everything was filled in with Copic markers & 3 pink rhinestones attached to the top right side.



"Happy Birthday" Card

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Today you are in luck because it's two-for-the-price-of-one day!!

I have chosen a "Get Well" card because it came about the way that many cards do, at least for me. The process is getting the DP (designer paper) with the intention of making something fabulous and then it is put in my stack of DP.  Later, I go through the stack looking for OTHER kinds of DP paper but then it suddenly hits me.  NOW I know what I can do with that paper!! I quickly picked out the paper with the shells, followed by the paper with the fish & other creatures in little outlined boxes that matched it.  I chose two plain-color card stock colors and I just went on from there.

So now you know how this card came into being.  I had so much fun with the first one that I made five more after it (one of them has already been sent).



"Get Well" Card

That's it for today!  Thanks for stopping to visit and please take a minute to leave a comment.

 

Keep stamping and creating!

 

Linda Hasz

DON'T FORGET TO FEED THE FISH!!! 

 

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10

I WON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to tell you that I won Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp's OCTOBER CHALLENGE!!!!

All of you must have wished me luck because it certainly worked!  A brand-new blog, a new Challenge and I actually won!  I found out on Tuesday but because my computer hasn't been too computer friendly, it's been painful to get out here and blog.  I've been told that I need to do some upgrading in order for things to be functioning properly, which I hope they will soon do.  My husband wanted to know what was for dinner after I won and I told him I was still "basking" in my wonderful win and couldn't cook.  Boy, did he laugh!  Well, we did get carry-out pizza!

In the meantime, I have been walking about an inch off the floor and spent ALL DAY working on cards yesterday & today (I think my back side is a little numb). My card making/sewing/stitching room is a WRECK because sometimes my creative process isn't nearly as neat and tidy as I've seen on Pinterest.

So, now I am looking forward to making more cards with the stamps that I won from Prickley Pear and I will be posting them!  Thank you so much! I appreciate it, I really do!

If you would like to visit Prickley Pear's main site their link is: http://www.prickleypear.com/
and their blog site is: http://prickleypearrubberstamps.blogspot.com/

Happy Stamping!

Linda Hasz

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10

A Wedding Card

Today, I'm going to share something I just made...a wedding card.  I was asked to make this for a family friend, so I went a little overboard.  I tend to take my time when creating cards but this one took a long time, I will admit.  I also decided to make the envelope for the card, since it was a tad bit bigger than usual (5-3/4 x 4-1/2 inches).



Wedding Card



A shiny metallic gray CS was used to support the wedding cake. Cut to fit the front of the card. 

A piece of dark gray from your scrap box can be used next as the base for the cake to sit on.  It is 1/4 inch in width and is approximately 4-1/4 inches in length.  You can use 1/8-inch Scor-Pal DST to adhere this to the gray CS or you can lightly glue it with Aleen's Tacky Glue.

A beautiful pearl shiny white CS was used for the cake. Cut the 8-1/2- x 11-inch CS in half and run it through the Cuttlebug with a swirl-type folder (or whatever you would think is appropriate for a cake). Now cut the cake (pardon the expression) by first trimming the sides, then cut it horizontally into three equal pieces. You should now have three pieces that fit together like a puzzle.

Take the bottom layer of the cake and use a corner round punch to clip off the upper sharp corners.  Adhere to gray CS with double-sided tape.

Take the second layer and trim off 1/2 inch off EACH SIDE. This will keep the pattern even on the cake. Then repeat trimming off the upper sharp corners on each side.  Adhere with DST above first layer, following the embossed pattern.

Take the third layer and trim 1 inch off of EACH SIDE. Trim the sharp corners round.  Tape down with DST, matching the cake pattern. Now you should have what looks like a wedding cake!

At this point, I did something that I consider optional:  I had some 6-inch touille on a roll and cut off about a 10-inch section.  I took some white floss (or thread) and cut off three pieces, long enough that you can tie a knot or two in it.  Gather the touille up with your fingers, taking the first piece of floss, centering it in the middle,wrapping it around the touille and pulling it tight, then tie a knot.  Repeat this process on both ends just shy of where the cake rest sits, securing with a surgeon's knot (right-over-left, left over-right). Place a drop of glue, let it dry, then clip off threads close to the thread.  Use Aleen's Turbo Tacky Glue and at each of the three places, glue down the touille so that it looks like netting around the cake. Cut off excess touille with a sharp pair of scissors.

I took some trim I had in my sewing box and glued them down between the layers of the cake (to cover up the seams) with Aleen's Turbo Tacky Glue. I measured each piece with the good old "eyeball" method. Glue any frayed ends or ends you will think will come apart.  Press the trim down lightly at first but as the glue adheres, press more firmly.  Please let this dry overnight. (I have seen tiny strings of pearls used here instead of trim--it's just that I had the trim & wanted to use it.

While the trim is drying, there are other things you can do while waiting (I hate to wait).  There is a punch that Martha Stewart has that looks like hydrangea blossoms.  This is what I used to punch out flowers in my desired (bridesmaids') color, which was purple.  I take two of the larger flower petals and lay them on top of each other so that the top flower "fills in" the bottom flower.  There is a smaller layer that can be used in the middle. These were "fussy glued" together (well, if you can fussy cut and you can fussy glue, right??).  Here you can take a couple of different paths: (1) Glue a crystal/rhinestone in the middle, or (2) punch a small-hole punch to punch a hole in each flower & use a brad to secure them together.  Set these aside to dry for a few minutes.

While you are waiting (!), it's time to punch out some fern branches to go under the hydrangea flowers. There are quite a few forms of ferns/small leaves that can be found in scrap booking/craft stores these days.  Find out that you like & you will find yourself using it everywhere!  I used two different colors of green for the fern branches.  Use as many or as few as YOU like.  Either glue dots or a fast-drying glue can be used to make them stick.

Now it's time to place the flowers on the cake (LINDA'S HINT: I like to place my flowers FIRST; the ferns/leaves go second). Consult my card for placement.  You could use less/more depending on your taste.  You could also drape some of the smaller flowers by themselves around the cake.  Then adhere ferns/leaves.

I decided to use small flowers to put in a group on the top of the cake.  You could use three large flowers or use wherever your imagination takes you.

I added three small butterflies with a Fiskars punch with Stampin' Up glitter paper in silver.

As a final touch, I put a small white ribbon around the middle of the card & anchored it with a bow on the front.

Remember when I said that I would learn by experience??????

I think I've just learned an important lesson after all of this; that is, my explanations are way too long and because of that, I don't think you understand the joy that card making gives me.  So, if you would like a detailed explanation of a card, just A-S-K!!  I will be more than happy to accommodate you.

For now, I will continue with the joy of card making and with less hot air.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!!

Happy Stamping!

Linda Hasz

"Be still and know that I am God.: Psalms 46:10

Card Creations

Hi Friends!

Today I am going to share more cards with you!

"Happy Birthday"

This teal card is very simple but also elegant at the same time.  The white card stock was embossed with a Victorian-type design. The ribbon was added.  The scalloped circle was punched. The die cut circle (on light teal) from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps was stamped with the rose circle (also from Prickley Pear) and "Happy Birthday."  A Swarovski crystal was added to the rose.  The entire circle was then placed on the card with pop-ups. 

  

"Happy Birthday"



This is a card similar to the above with a twist.  Stampin' Up came out with a bird/branch stamp to match the bird/branches punch they developed.

First, the DP was attached to yellow CS and mounted to the card. A rectangular piece of yellow CS was cut.  A smaller piece of light teal was cut as shown above and a notch was cut in the end. "Happy Birthday" was stamped.  A teal-colored brad was inserted towards the left end, teal strip mounted onto the yellow CS, then secured on the DP.

The Stampin' Up bird and branches were stamped on yellow CS with black ink and embossed with clear powder. The Stampin' Up punch was used to punch the bird and branches out. The branches were positioned and Aleene's Tacky Glue used to secure them. The bird had pop-ups applied and adhered to the circle.  The feet were lightly glued down to the branch. 

That's it for today!  Keep stamping!

Linda

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10









Cards Creations Before Blogging

Hi Friends!

Since I've decided to post some cards that I made before I started the Cardworks blog, I'd just like to put out there that I won't be able to be specific with exact numbers, measurements and brand names of everything because my memory isn't THAT long! So, please, just enjoy them!



"For You"



The background on this card was embossed with a swirl design, then the surface was lightly rubbed with a blue distress ink.  The rest of the card was stamped with the same blue distress ink. The raised flower below the bird was fussy cut and graduated with Copic markers.  The center was filled with yellow Flower Soft material.  The bird & design are from Stampin' Up.

Please leave a comment & thanks for visiting my blog.

Linda

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10

Day Four of my Cardworks Blog!

It's been fun posting my cards and cruising around the other blogs.  Experience will teach me a thing or two!

Here is my next card:


Love, Anniversary or Valentine's Day Card

This is a versatile card and can be used in the above three ways.  The pink heart was die cut & embossed; then a running stitch was placed around the edge with embroidery thread. The card stock is obviously a darker red. The white CS was cut short width-wise in order to accommodate the red round rhinestones. The CS was run through the Cutlebug with a swirl-type embossing folder with enough smooth surface kept in order to paper punch it with the lacy design.  There is also a second piece of white CS that was also paper punched (but not embossed).

Between the two white CS pieces, I took five pieces of designer paper (these were scraps from old valentines) and cut them to fit evenly. The short white piece of CS was adhered first to the surface of the card itself with DST.  The small DP pieces were adhered to the white CS with double-sided tape. Make sure to butt the seams together tightly without any gaps between the pieces of paper.  The embossed white CS was added on top of the designer-paper pieces (covering over the top edges of the DP) with DST.  The pink heart was secured with glue dots.  The rhinestones had adhesive on the backs and were securely placed evenly on the right front side of the card.  The last step was putting the piece of embroidery floss around the card and tying a bow.

The cards from days two, three and four did not have exact measurements given because these cards were mailed, so I don't have them to measure. They were, however, all standard A2 cards.

Day four completed!

Cardworks, Day Three

Today is day three for my blog and so I am posting two pictures of the same card.  This is a good card for sympathy or encouragement. 

The verse is stamped first with VersaMark and then embossed with a green metallic-type powder.  Then I placed the following layers: (1) Spellbinders die (2) Two to three sheets of wax paper, and (3) the paper, carefully centering it.  The wax paper helps the green paper come out of the die more easily.  Carefully remove paper and wax paper from die; reinsert the green oval lightly into the die. I then used a dauber to lightly shade in green the outside of the verse.  If you place two or three sheets of wax paper between the piece of paper and the die, the piece will come out more easily and completely than if you just put the paper and die together.  They will get stuck if it is a complex die pattern!

I then embossed a dark green CS with a Cuttlebug and folder. Using a round punch, I reverse-rounded the corners of the paper. I attached the dark green CS to the light green card with DST.  I added the completed oval to the top of the dark green CS with pop-ups, as needed, to elevate it.

Finally, I used a mint-green satin ribbon for a bow and attached a white rose with a wire base, wrapping it around the middle of the bow.  I tried to use a large glue dot with some smaller ones to anchor the bow/rose combination but that didn't work.  I ended up leaving the glue dots in place (they were semi-sticky) and used Aleene's Quick Drying Super Tacky Glue to attach it.  I used finger pressure for several minutes to make sure it would stick.



"May God who understands..." View 1



"May God who understands each need.." Close-up View 2

I hope you have enoyed this card.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Linda

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10

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Second Day of Cardworks!

Now that the initial setup of the Cardworks blog is (almost) done, it's time to concentrate on what this is all about---cards!!!

I will be posting 1-2 cards every day and give you a brief description of what was done to make the card.  I love embossing and the look that it gives to a card.  I also like to use dies, Cuttlebug folders & Cricut.  I try to give my cards a design that is rich and defining; something that no one else would think to do.  I also like to stamp envelopes to match the cards.  I also am perfecting my method of making my own envelopes.

The supplies for this card were all from Stampin' Up with the exception of the "thinking of You" stamp and border. 

One of the things to note about this card is that it is scored with Scor-Pal horizontally and vertically in evenly-spaced rows on the pink paper after is stamped.  A small flower circle was also stamped and punched out to fit in the middle of the large flower; a small pearl was added.

"Thinking of You" & border were stamped and fussy cut.  I added two small and one medium pearl and placed it on the card with 2 pop-ups.

Enjoy your day

Linda

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Starting out brand new & taking on Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp October Challenge!!!

Welcome to my brand new blog site!!  It's been a LONG time coming but I think I finally have it figured out!

The first thing I would like to do is show you what I have been working on (off & on) for the last couple of days.  Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps (http://www.prickleypearrubberstamps-blogspot.com/) is having a Challenge that I decided to participate in.  So after working hard and being SO frustrated in trying to set up this blog, we will see how this works and I am hopeful that this will actually work.

This is the template we were asked to work with:

Here are my two cards; similar but slightly different:

So, here they are! After surviving Internet interruption in the middle of uploading the second photo, I am happy to finally have the fruit of  my labor out here.

I will be posting some of my previous  work for you to see very soon.

Thanks for taking a look and wish me luck in the Challenge!!!

Linda

"Be still & know that I am God." Psalms 46:10