HEAT WAVE!!

Today was blistering, record breaking heat across the state caused for many unhappy students as well as unhappy teachers at school.  As the building I teach in is out of date, unfortunately the amenities such as air conditioning do not exist; and we are left to bake like cookies for Christmas.  Ohh a September snowfall sounds wonderful right about now, minus all the traffic and other issues associated with it (just the cold will do for me).  As if the heat wasn't enough, my fiance made me run in the scorching heat after he got home from work.  Alas nothing a good shower can't wash away, after teaching and running all day I was left burnt not only by the sun but the physical activity today gave me.  A quick simple card was in store, but as you will find from reading this blog, it was more then I had bargained for!

I decided to go with a pre-made card since I am trying to use them up.  I don't really need them when I can custom cut my own, but at the same time I don't want them to go to waste.  After I picked the color of my pre-made card, I picked out the other elements for my card.  I chose three colors that went well together and then found a lighter shade of the colors.  I then punched out six different colored flowers and once they were completed I added rhinestones to the middle.  I then cut out my overlway, when this was completed I embossed it to make it pop more.  Then adding some ribbon to the card,  I thought about adding a bow.  Unfortunately the bow didn't turn out the way I wanted so I decided against it and will save it for another day.  Once the ribbon was in place, I glued the flowers onto the card trying to keep them equally spaced in distance from one another.  I then glued the base onto the overlay and my card was almost complete.  I used the Friendly Phrase set to stamp "WOW you're the best." but just when I thought I was done, it appeared that I had stamped the phrase upside down.  So I had to remove the overlay from the card with extra care so it wouldn't rip.  Finally getting out another I glued the overlay back on.  This time I doubled checked to make sure the stamp was facing the right direction and thus the card was complete.  Until next time, happy carding everyone!

You are simply wonderful!

Today I am trying something new after my friend Chris told me that my blogs have been getting rather wordy with all the dimensions taking up more space then is really necessary.  While I don't believe this to be true, I decided to give it a go and try his advice.  Starting with the card I created for today, I will have a reference sheet/guide at the bottom of each blog.  This will show you (the readers of my blog) the measurements needed for creating your own remarkable creations, without cluttering your mind with lot's of numbers you might forget while reading this fine text.

After spending the day with family and friends to celebrate my dad's birthday, as well as getting more photos taken with our son (aka our dog Bucky); I decided to create an easier card tonight.  Firstly, I cut out the base (a) of my card using a piece of white card stock; I chose this color for it's simplicity and ability to work with all colors.  I then cut out the orange polka dot strip (b) to place on the left-hand side of the card near the main fold in the card.  Once the pieces were cut, I stamped an orange flower from my Mix Bunch Stamp Set.  After stamping the flower, I used my Blossom punch to cut out shape of the flower.  This was a bit of a challenge since I wanted to make sure the border around the flower was even and nothing was cut off.  In reality this is always a challenge for me because it requires a lot attention to detail (which after a long day, I sometimes lack).  Upon completion I stamped "you are simply wonderful" in the lower right-hand corner of the card from the Friendly Phrases Stamp Set.  This card was quite easy to make but after a long weekend it was just what I needed, the school year officially begins in 9 days.  I think I'm ready for it, but only time will tell; as usual until next time everyone, happy carding!

Measurement Guide
(a) Card Base:  10" by 7"
(b) Orange Polka Dot Strip:  1.75" by 7"