Learn from my mistake...

Click through from your Reader to a blog post, don't be lazy like me... Apparently reading blog posts in Google Reader instead of clicking through comes with an unmentioned pitfall - whenever the post is updated, Reader updates the date to current, instead of whatever it should be. And then, things like this happen - i made this card for the March SFYTT challenge, thinking I could still link it up, but uh, no. When I saw the post date and time as today at 845 am, i was all excited - still time to play!! but ah well.

Regardless, I quite like what I came up with, even if it is another sympathy card. If you include the pet one from my post on the weekend, that's five sympathy cards in a week or so. About five too many, really. Especially in such a short period.

I followed the sketch fairly closely, except I'm a bit out of proportion with the vertical bits, and you can't really see the button-as-circular element under the seam binding bow.

mftwsc65 rainbow bridge

My friend`s beloved cat Theo died last month, and I wanted to send her a card to show my sympathies... She specifically mentioned the 'rainbow bridge' poem on FB when she updated that he'd died, so I used that theme to make this card for her... I tried to make a rainbow out of my huuuuuge button stash, and i printed the poem & "Waiting for you at Rainbow Bridge" on vanilla CS. The poem is inside the card, and usually I put the sentiment inside as well, but I was also playing with the MFTWSC65 sketch, so used it in place of the small rectangular sentiment on the sketch. I even made the card square like the sketch, instead of adapting it to A2. 

Sorry the pic is fuzzy - it was tiny after uploading from my phone, so i enlarged it a bit...

Under the wire...

again. Maybe THAT should be the title of this blog, bc it seems to happen more often than not that I get my challenge stuff done just before the linkies close... y'know, when I get a chance to play at all.

Anyway, I digress. This week's SOS challenge was buttons and/orbows. I made two cards that fit this requirement - and both use mucho stash paper too (and ribbon! and buttons!)

This is the first card I made tonight.. it's a sympathy card for a coworker. Her partner passed away last week after a very short encounter with that blasted Cancer.

The DSP, button and ribbon have all been in their respective bins for months.. and I don't think I've used the hydrangea stamp in ages either... I think i may FINALLY be out of that baby blue ribbon... time for *gasp* twine? we will see, we will see..

Anyway, I'll be back in a bit with my second UTWSOS card.... please try and contain your excitement :P

two cards, similar but different...

I had a friend mention she needed some sympathy cards earlier this week, so I offered to make up a few for her. She loves the ginko flowers from the Kind & Caring Thoughts set (retired, but a HUGE fave). Wanted them in blues, and "similar, but not the same..." hmmm. dilemma. I usually make the same card with this set. Hey, it's nice & versatile.(see - thinking of you, best wishes, sympathy card)  But I'll try.

So, I stamped the image first, then found some paper, and came up with these cards...













They're Marina Mist & Bashful Blue, both with Marina Mist scalloped ovals for the sentiment. Would you believe I don't have a "With Sympathy"stamp? Must rectify that (unfortunately). I love the split image on the right, but overall love love LOVE the card on teh left. I think I succeeded in making them similar but different enough. Thoughts?

I think I found my mojo!

I made *FIVE* cards last night. FIVE! I think the key was using new sets.  First I made a few cards using a set from a new Stampy company founded by one of the girls I've met through twitter. I won LawnFawn's "Critters in the Burbs" set at hte beginning of the month, and it finally arrived this week (don't get me started on the postal system...). Unfortunately I've had some friends lose beloved pets in the last few weeks, so used it for a not-so-happy reason - pet sympathy cards. Hard cards to make, but this is what I came up with... Love the tree stamp, and the cat & dog are super cute. I used some of the SAB paper for the top of the tree, and sponged a bit of ink in the tree before I put down the paper pierced 'leaves'.  The stamps are clear polymer stamps,a nd they're FABULOUS quality. I really liked how they stamped. way to go, Kelly Marie!!

Then I moved on to make a few baby cards using Fox & Friends ($24.95w/$19.95c in the Occasions Mini). This is a card for a family that just had 2 baby boys... I put the owl there to represent their big brother, and wrote in the "whooo" speech bubble. Inside it says "...are these two cute little monkeys??" tee hee. I slay me.

Then a couple more baby cards, for some babes born earlier this month - a boy & a girl. The cards are essentially the same, I just flipped colors for the base & mat depending on boy or girl. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I cannot believe that I have had this stamp set for a while now and finally inked it up last night. My bad for sure. Many more plans to use this set in the future.

I still have a long list of cards to make, hopefully I'll get to finish off another 'chunk' of cards tomorrow.