More April Birthdays!

 Flowers, flowers and more flowers! This is the time of year for the flowers. In the Northeast it has been an interesting spring but my daffodils are surviving the cold, snow showers and, of course, loving the rain! It is great seeing all the perennials coming up! Love making this variation of a trifold card.  

I call this style card a One-Pillar pop out card. Love how it folds down to be mail and plenty of room for a sentiment on the back.  It has to be a beachy theme card because this guy lives near the ocean. Lots of fun using my dies for this card. Happy Birthday!

Lastly, here in Maine we usually don't get snow in April but time to time we do get it. Here on April 6th we got about an inch of snow to cover the grass but not the roads or driveway which is a blessing. It won't be long before we are complaining about the humidity and hot temperatures, can't wait!

September Birthdays!

Here are a few cards that I was asked to make for my daughter's friends birthdays. This first one is a Z-fold and is for her friend who has horses. The horses are cut from my cricut and I love how they came out. Happy Birthday Erin!

This card is a card in a box style for her friend who just got a new bike! The bike is a Stampin up stamp set.

Lastly, this is a punch art card for a beer lover. I thought it came out pretty cute!

I finished a kimekomi earlier in the summer to sell on Etsy. It has a gnome on one side and a Christmas tree on the other. The stand does come with it but is not attached. Check out Cooksistersdesigns on Etsy for other items that we have for sale.

Happy Valentine's Day

This week has been a busy week making favors for a Valentine's Day dinner tonight at a friend's house.  I made and decorated cookies for these totes to give to the men and I made these little fabric purses for the ladies!  I will link the tutorial I saw on Pinterest for the purses but I made them a little different because I didn't have the die for the purse.  It would have been easier for sure with the die but ....  I made my own templates. 

I used hoop and loop closures for the purses and filled with Lindt chocolates. Check out the tutorial below if you are interested in making them.

                                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmXC8XaO-KA
Lastly, I made this card for my husband. It is a retired Stampin up set - such a beautiful set! I have been die cutting a lot lately and wanted to do some stamping. 

My Valentine!

Halloween Pop up

I made this Halloween card for my son.  Saw a few of these pop up cards on pinterest and really liked how they fold inward when closed.  The square insert measures 6x6 and scored at 3 turn once and score again at 3, then score on one of the diagonals right across.  I really love using my Martha Stewart spider web border, very cool punch!!   Check out the front of the card below...

The stamp that I used is an old stamp set from Stampin up.  It is actually one of the first stamp sets I bought at a Stampin up party.  I colored it a little with copic markers and added sizzix spider, ghost and skeleton!  Spooky!!  Halloween is a fun holiday and even more fun to make cards!!!
Happy  Halloween Eric!!

Birthday for Manya!

Just a quick post on a card I made for my co-worker's daughter!  She loves the cards I make for her mom so I thought I would make a card for her!  Manya loves her little chihuahua, Sweetie!! Here is my take on Manya's sweet little "Sweetie"!!

I used punches from SU.  Modern label punch for the front legs, tab punch for the hind legs, oval and round punches for the head and I used 5 petal punch for the inside of the years and the small oval for the outside of the ears.  The hair between his ears is actually the grass die from Die-namics which you can see in this picture too!  The design paper is from SU.  I wish I had sponged his head and ears with dark brown but I was in a hurry because I just found out it was her birthday.  Oh well!

The card is a stair step card and I used Petaloo flowers to decorate with MS butterfly punch.  It is hard to see but on the stair step is a small gift made with MS bow punch and a little red pearl for a little bling.  The balloons are from Martha Stewart too.

Picture of the card all done!  Hope she gets a kick out of her card! Happy Birthday Manya!!

Wanted to share this picture of my ground phlox!  It has grown so over the past few years.  Pretty soon it will be up to my little bunny!  This is a sure sign that summer is just around the corner when the phlox is in bloom.

Memorial Day was early this year. It seems to surprise us so I am considering this Memorial Week! Thank you for all the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice to our country! Bless the USA!

Easter Bunny Card

Loving this type of stair step card! I made this one for a dear, dear friend who is going have surgery next week and was thinking of her.  I know she will do fine but it can be hard when you are in the hospital over a holiday, no matter what holiday it is.  This is the second card that I have made for Easter and I just love making them.  This type of card is my new favorite one.  The paper is so pretty from Bo Bunny which is so appropriate since I decorated the card with bunnies, bunnies, bunnies!!  The bunny die is from Die-namics as well as the Easter basket.  It is hard to see but the Easter basket has embossing lines in it which makes it a more finished look.  The eggs in the basket are actually the balloon punch from Martha Stewart.  The tulips are punch art with the bird punch from SU.  The link to make this card is on my earlier post to this one.  This is Palm Sunday coming up and then next week is Easter!!  Happy Easter everyone!!

Closed look for mailing

View from the top

August Birthdays

I have made a few of these Prima Doll Tags for birthday cards this summer.  Here is another one. Love the way the red shows up and I think it is a birthday color!  I used a bottle cap for the Birthday Girl sentiment and the big white flower is from Michael's dollar bin.  Cheery Lynn Designs Floral Flourish die is in the background which is a favorite of mine.  It is a wonder it isn't worn out!    I also made the box to put the tag in which I found on pinterest and I put the link to it in a previous post.  If you need it let me know and I will post it for you.  The ribbon at the bottom of the tag is from SU and the border punch is from MS.  I sponged with Tim Holtz distressed inks around the edges of the entire tag.   By the way, I think I have made so many of these because I loved paper dolls as a kid and I don't think I have gotten over them yet.  Love that I can still do it under the guise of creativity!!!

Today would have been my Dad's 87th birthday.  He died in Dec 2010 and my family misses him every day but today is special because of his birthday.  He loved to celebrate with family no matter the occasion but it did like it when it was focused on him.   (and who doesn't)   I can't believe it has been 4 years.  Happy Birthday Dad!! Love you

Graphic 45 Birthday!

I haven't made a center fold/funky fold card in a while and I love Graphic 45 so I combined the two for a card to my brother-in-law!!!  I just got the sailboat die from Die-namics and wanted to use it.  I also used MS punch for the anchor and sizzix dies for the seagull and wave.  

The inside reads "I  sea you have a birthday!"  Love it!  The crab is a MS punch and the lobster and shells are from sizzix both on the front and inside the card.   I think I said in an earlier post that August is a busy month for cards and it really is.  I still have about 3 more to go so I better get busy!!
Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Cardinals in a box!

Fun to make!

Here is another Card in a Box that I made for the Christmas Fair.  The cardinals are from Spellbinders.  My mother loves cardinals so if this doesn't sell she is getting this card for Christmas.  In my previous post, I gave the link to Monica Gale's tutorial in making these cards in a box.  She did a great job explaining, although, she gave it in centimeters-but the measurements are also in my previous post.  The paper is from graphic 45 again, just love their paper.  I used MS punch for the holly and ivy and also for the fern punch.  Memory box die is the beautiful wreath and pretty tiny red pearls for the holly  on the ivy and wreath.  Thanks for stopping by.  My next project is a mini album.

Closer look with added holly & ivy

Summer Babies

First time I used this bootie die

A couple of little girls were born this summer.  One's name is Charlotte Lillian and the other one's name is Julia.  I decorated the bag that the gift was in for Charlotte using the sizzix bootie die.  I used nestabilities to make it into a tag with the circle and scallop die.  So happy I could use pink!

For Baby Charlotte

For Charlotte's card, I found this template on pinterest and added some lace at the collar and around the hem with a white bow at the neck of the dress. You could make it so that it opened but I decided not to
and put the sentiment on the back of the dress.

Pretty dresses, little curls, Oh thank heaven for little girls!

For Baby Julia!

I made a funky fold card for our neighbor's who had a baby about 3 weeks ago and her name is Julia! I love the little sizzix baby head peeking out of the carriage.  The colors are pink and brown which I even used for the cute little outfit that I got for Julia!  I really matched everything for her right down to the curl on her head!
I really love making baby cards so I even made an extra one, which is below, to have on hand!  I saw it on pinterest and thought it was adorable! Thanks for checking this out!

Ready for the next baby!

Summer Birthdays

July and August are big birthday months with family and friends!  Love making birthday cards! Birthday cards for my brother, sister and my bestie, Mary!

Love the pearls on the flowers!

Love my new Gazebo from Spellbinders! I used the mini Tilda with the balloon-she fit perfectly! MS punch fence (which I use a lot) with some cute brads, ladybug, bumble bee and can you see the dragonfly?  Memory  box bird and Savannah border.  The grass is from, I think, Die-namics!  Love the funky fold style of card. Happy Birthday Andrea!

Spells MARY!

I wanted to try a waterfall slide card.  How perfect that my girlfriend's name is Mary!  Just 4 letters and perfect for this kind of card.  Directions for this card was done by Dawn. She does a great video explaining it.

Pull the yellow ribbon!

Back of the card!

Last but not least is my brother, Hal. His passion is baseball but I have done so many baseball cards for him on his birthday that I thought I would do his second passion, golf!  Love this card that I saw on pinterest.  I couldn't find any directions for it so I just winged it.  It is punch art which is a passion of mine. I used the paisley nestabilities die to start and had to cut it down to a club, which I did freehand.  The club was all done freehand. The tee is from SU build a blossom punch and the ball is just the circle nestability.  "Happy Birthday" is a sizzix die.  Check out the inside message-found on the internet.  Happy Birthday Hal!

Love the punch art!

Happy Birthday Hal!

20th Anniversary

Today is my sister's 20th Wedding Anniversary!  I can't believe it has been 20 years!  We are headed to Longhorn Steakhouse to celebrate with Chris and Tom!!  Happy Anniversary to such a wonderful couple!!

I made a fun fold card with memory box's butterfly, Tim Holtz clock die and Dee's Distinctively leaves. The paper is Graphic 45 and the flower is from Prima. I added some pink pearls and a "Little Whimsies" blue heart. Check out the inside below-

Sizzix, MS corner punch and SU punch to finish the inside of the card.  Happy to report that I used my new Envelope Punch Board from We R Memory Keepers for the envelope.  So easy to use, I just love it!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is a special day for all  mothers. I wanted to wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day.  This is a picture of my mother at her 50th Wedding Anniversary Party that all her children gave my Dad and her in1998.  My Mom and Dad had 8 children and were very, very busy as you can imagine.  She is a very special lady!  Love you Mom!

We are celebrating with her today at a luncheon today.  She is a self taught pianist so I thought the card I made for her is appropriate. 

I saw this on pinterest and immediately thought of my mom.  I used Stampin up products such as the tab and label punch, as well as the Top Note die and sentiment.  The fern punch is a Martha Stewart punch and the leaf vine is from Dee's Distinctively (which is my new favorite leaf die).  The flowers are from Prima.

I found this sentiment on the internet.  It is hard to read but I really liked it for my mother.  Hope all of you have a Happy Mother's Day.  Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Pocket Card

After a wonderful vacation last week and now back to work, I needed to make a card for my coworker's birthday. Her last day is today so it doubled as a birthday and going to miss you card.  I saw one of these on pinterest and I think my sisters made made them too.  Tags are a lot of fun to make!  The tutorial for this is on splitcoaststampers under Tutorial and search for Diagonal Double Pocket card. Finally with some nice warm weather in the northeast, I made  this a spring card with flowers, butterflies and birds!

Happy Birthday Marcine and Good Luck with your new adventure of moving to Florida!  It was a pleasure to work with you and I will miss you smiling face each day!

Family Easter Baskets

Time again to make some Easter Baskets for the family.  On pinterest I saw this tutorial which has 2 parts. The first video and then the second for this basket.  It is really very easy but you will need the sizzix scallop envelope die also some ribbon, DP, solid cardstock, decorative brads and decorative border punch.  I also did a purple one which is shown below.  It is a really good size basket which measures 5 1/2-6 inches roundish.

I can't decide whether or not to glue the flaps down or not.  Hope you enjoyed this little basket and try to make one for your family.  Easter will be here before you know it!  Happy Easter  Everyone!!