Another Friday, Another Card

It's been a busy week for me as I prepare for my daughter's 4th birthday party. However, I did manage to find a little time to create a card for today's sketch at 365 Cards - which is good because Sophie's on vacation and I'm filling in!

Here's the sketch:

And my card:

I recently came across that Basic Grey paper when I was going through my stash looking for something else. It was perfect for the design I had in mind. Here's a close-up of the ladybug and flower:

This card came together rather quickly since I stuck very closely to the sketch. I love that button - it was part of a scrapbooking kit I bought a couple of years ago and I've just now found an opportunity to use it.

If you love sketches, then you'll love 7 Sketches Week at 365 Cards. Come on over and join us!!

Happy Friday!

It's Friday, and I am filling in for the lovely Sophie at 365 Cards.

I was first introduced to the woven heart design by my Mother-in-Law, and she was kind enough to create a pattern for me. We hang some fabric versions of these on our Christmas tree every year, but I thought it would make for a fun challenge to create a paper version for our cards.

Here are some photographs of my first attempt at making one out of paper....{I apologize in advance for the grainy photos}

I cut two rectangles out of some October Afternoon (double-sided) paper that are both 2x7 in size.

I scored both pieces, folded them in half and then used a circle/oval cutter to round the corners at the open end.

About 2 1/4" from the folded end, I used a blad to cut two strips (which created 3 equal-sized strips).

Now comes the merging of the two pieces. It's a process of weaving them together by alternately creating a loop with one strip, and sticking a strip from the other piece through that loop.

Here's a look at the heart as it comes together:

Here's the completed heart:

And a peek at the inside:

I learned a couple of things through this process...it works better with a lighter weight paper and be prepared to practice a couple of times. I practiced with a notebook paper pattern that my MIL created for me.

I started over with some Autumn Leaves paper that is perfect for a little girl, and here's my card:

My sweet (and sassy!) little Jamie is going to be FOUR in a couple of weeks. I can hardly believe it! I incorporated a sundress image from Lauretta's Digital Stamps (our sponsor this week) and added a couple of lollipops.

I have to draw attention to that beautiful pink crocheted flower. About a month ago, I asked my MIL if she knew how to make these. She's pretty crafty like that, and I figured if anyone knew how it would be her. She responded by sending me a couple of baggies full of these fabulous things in a variety of colors!! I am so spoiled - thanks, Beverly!

And if you were wondering, the red blossoms are made out of tissue paper.

Whew - I need to head to bed, but I sincerely hope you'll join me on this challenge. Once you get the hang of it, these little hearts are so fun to make.

Fun-filled Weekend

Yesterday (Fri) was a great start to my weekend. I drove up to Puyallup, WA to meet up with the one-and-only Amy Tsuruta at a Scrapbook Expo. You may know her as a DT member of 365 Cards, but it's not the only possibility. Amy is (and has been) on several DT's because she's so darn talented!! Not to mention she is one of the friendliest bloggers out there, always taking the time to hop around and leave sweet comments all over blogland.

Here's a photo of us after the Scrapbook Expo:

Among the goodies we stumbled on there were a couple of amazing lines of Melody Ross (GCD) stuff - and WOW is all I have to say. I had the pleasure of working with elements from the Artsy Urban line last year thanks to SNR magazine. But yesterday, I totally fell in love with the Homespun line. I can't believe I resisted the urge to buy it all up, but it's on my list of must-haves!!

Here's a peek at some of the Artsy Urban embellies I got to work with:

The butterflies were cut out from a piece of patterned paper. I had to save each and every one!

Here are a couple of wall hangings I created using the GCD paper and embellies:

I think the blue button is BG, and the frame was created using some chipboard that I glued the paper to. I sanded down the edges and VOILA - wall hanging!

Here's another:

I have a ton of projects to share with you over the coming weeks. I've really dropped the ball on keeping up with this blog - but I've got so many things that I want to share that it's about time I do it!!

As for the rest of my fun weekend, today my oldest DD has a friend's bday party to attend, and then hubby, the girls and I are heading out to the 2nd birthday party of a sweet little friend of ours. The fine finish to my day is Bunco night with the ladies. I have a glass (or two!) of wine with my name on it ;)

Just one day late...

How about that? I'm only a day late on this post!

This is my card for this week's Sunday sketch at 365 Cards:

The leafy stamps are {ippity}, which happens to be the sponsor this week at 365 Cards. Specifically, Kim Bell from Endless Inkabilities is offering one free {ippity} stamp set! This is a fabulous prize and definitely worth jumping in for - so come on and join us this week!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

I'm sad to say I have not posted in over two weeks - Yikes!! The main reason is that I've been spending a good chunk of that time here in my hometown in Northern Minnesota.

I've had a very relaxing visit with family and friends, and we've been fortunate enough to enjoy warm, sunny weather.

Before I flew east, I made several cards, but this is the only one I can share because the rest were for SNR ;^).

Digi Kitty was our sponsor for the week, and I truly enjoyed working with this little Babushka Doll image:

When playing with digital stamps, I would have to say that paper piecing is my favorite way to "color" in the image. And this one is no exception - this Basic Grey patterned paper was perfect for what I had in mind.

If you are celebrating the 4th of July, have a wonderful time and safe travels (unless you're staying put!).

I'll be heading back to the Pacific Northwest - and the promise of sunshine - in a couple of days, so I intend to make my next post much sooner.