Mr Cardmaker is LATE for a Date! 365 of them, to be Precise...

Well, I really got a LATE start on anything to do with a calendar, but I did one anyway. 
Now, a calendar is a WONDERFUL way to get really creative, with twelve creative opportunities for each one!  Sounds fun, right?

LATE is not the way to begin this project.  Nor is the idea to "just make one."  This "just one" thing takes FOREVER to produce, and you (you=ME) will haul out every stamp you ever owned to figure the thing out.

However, I made this--

Ohhhh, this is not a great picture.  So much for the collage function on my Picasa program. Let me add some single shots.....

I 'll keep them small, so your wrist doesn't get tired scrolling down forever. 
The supply list is pretty extensive-
Jan-SU and Studio G stamps, Distress ink, Colorbox ink
Feb-TPC Studio stamps, Distress ink, Delicata gold ink
March- Fiskars stamps, Studio G inks
April- SU and Studio G stamps, Studio G inks
May- SU and GinaK Designs stamps, Studio G inks
June- no stamps, Distress inks, Studio G inks, white gel pen
July- GinaK Designs and SU  stamps, Distress ink, SU ink, Delicata ink
Aug- SU stamp and Ink
Sept- Fiskars stamps, Memento ink, copic markers
Oct- Studio G stamp, Memento ink, copic marker
Nov- SU stamp, Studio G inks
Dec- SU stamp and ink, sakura stardust pen

So, some months are more exciting than others, and there could be so much more done to the edges, AND there could be some dp used as backing or something, but I think I got really overwhelmed after March started.   I do think that's where I got my stride.  By August, I was getting panicky, because the mess was ENORMOUS, and dinner should've been started about 20 minutes before....I decided to do takeout after I did September.  That one was fun.  The Sakura stardust pen did a lot for December; I wish you could see it in this pic.

ANYWAY!  I learned.  I had some creative FUN.  And it doesn't suck or anything, really, so......

I will go at this idea again IN TIME to make some gifts for 2013.  I have a feeling some themes will be revisited! 

Thanks for stopping by!
Hope your 2012 is off to a great start!
All Best-
Richard

Mr Cardmaker's Ski-Crazed Nephew has a Birthday

Nephew Elliot is a ski-all-the-time kinda guy.  The winter he learned to ski, he cried when the family came home from a Florida vacation to find all the snow had melted.  He pretty much hates Florida now.  No snow.

Anyway, he turns 18 this year.  He is co-captain of his soccer team, and a mean dude with a la crosse stick, let me tell you.  He is a great artist (like, OMG) and a really NICE kid.  Wicked smaht, too. That's a New England thing....not a typo.

So, I made him this--

This makes you happy about snow and skiing, right?  That's gotta be some black diamond stuff there....just sayin'. 

This image is from GinaK Designs, the Happy Camper set by Theresa Momber.  All except for the birds.  Those are also GKD, but from the Gifts from the Sea set, by my friend Melanie Meunchinger.  The sky was in need of something....Negative space is my nemesis sometimes, let me tell you...

So, to do this, I stamped the image onto the white card stock I was using, and again onto a scrap of card stock, which I cut out to use as a mask.  I like to use a good, heavy cardstock when I make a mask, so it doesn't get all mashed up when I do my stuff on top of it. I used repositionable tape runner to hold the mask in place.

I then used a foam applicator and applied some Iced Spruce Distress Ink all over the card stock, leaving it somewhat uneven, so I could make a subtle cloud look.  Then I used some Evergreen Bough Distress ink on the lower portion, and around the edges of my shape. 

The shape is a Labels Four die from Spellbinders, btw.  The white piece behind it is also a Spellbinders die, also edged with the evergreen bough.  Each piece is mounted on foam tape to pop it up a bit.

After I was happy with my ink, I removed my mask, and colored my image with copics.  I am NOT a copics expert by ANY means, but I do love the colors and I have a small collection.  I am LEARNING how to use them.  I did not pay much attention to the colors I used, so I can't list them here.  Oh well.  I did concentrate on making the mountain in the back a bit darker, to help it look further away.  I then added some Glossy Accents to almost everything to give it an icy feeling. 

The striped paper is My Mind's Eye, Lost and Found pad, and I punched some snowflakes with a Martha punch.  The base is DCWV, edged with more Rich Cocoa ink.  I did some faux stitching, added some of my dollar bin ribbons, mounted the whole thing on some white PTI card stock and viola!  Card.

I hope that Elliot likes it, and that it makes him want to go skiing.  Like he needs any encouragement from me.....

Thanks for stooping by!  I hope I inspired you, if not to go skiing, then perhaps to make a card!!
All Best-
Richard

Mr Cardmaker is a Quick-on the-Thanks Kinda Guy

Christmas came and went, and, at the moment, my condo is full of the (count them!) 14 storage crates (those 15 gallon babies) and 4 cardboard boxes that it takes to put the whole shebang away.  Oh yeah, we get hosed down with some Christmas around here! 

Christmas day, however, we were so happy to have so many gifts from loved ones around the country.  Needless to say, I wanted to come up with a really nice thank you card for everyone so I could express my gratitude. 

I came up with this--

Here is a really GREAT example of how that word "JUST" allows you to make a lovely, yet not-so-overworked and super-decorated card.  See it there in the sentiment?  Love that!

So, the base here is a 4 1/4" square, from PTI white card stock.  I love the 110# base weight.  I have used 120# in the past, and it is some really nice stuff, but I can never get it to stay folded, it's so thick!  Scor-Pal or not!  I now use my 120# for images I want to use my copics on.  Much better!

The blue cs is Baja Breeze from SU!, and it went through my devoted Cuttlebug with a swiss dot folder.  The designer paper is from My Mind's Eye, the Lost and Found pad.  LOVE this paper!  It has some really nice masculine patterns, and great colors--all very blue and brown and grey based stuff.  Pretty!

The envelope and the clouds were cut form the same collection of dp, and I used the envelope and cloud duo dies from A*Muse Studio. I popped the envelope up a bit with some foam tape.

The sentiment and note stamps are also A*Muse, from the Life is a Song set.  I am getting lots of use from that set!  I stamped them both with Rich Cocoa Memento ink.

I hand cut the tails on the sentiment strip, and edged it with some white ink.  I did the same edging on the piece with the notes.

I made 9 of these puppies, wrote them out and got them in the mail, PRONTO.  'Cause gratitude gets stale pretty quick.  Just sayin'. 

Hey, nephew Elliot's birthday is coming up.  I have a great card coming along for that ski-crazed kid.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by for my first posting of 2012!!!
All Best-
Richard

Mr Cardmaker is a Wishful Guy

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah, and a most prosperous, creative and healthy 2012.  My heart swells to think that you find me important enough to spend your precious time with me for a few moments here and there.  I hope to see more of you!

As always,
Thanks for stopping by!
ALL Best-
Richard

Mr Cardmaker is a Cagey Fellow....

I felt like I was really lucky to get my cards done and out this year.  GIFTS?!  You want me to make GIFTS!???   Ok, so I made those pad thingies, seen HERE, but those were meant to be PRE-Holiday gifts, because they were for Christmas lists.  Get it? 

Anyway, my sister always sends me a lovely gift, even though we were supposed to be done with that years ago....I HAD to make her something, right?

SO I made these things--

This card collection was made with A*Muse Studio stamps, the Life is a Song set.  I liked all the different sentiments, and the cages are pretty, too.  I really wish I had taken a better close up of some of the cards, but I made and sent these babies out in one day, and I barely managed to get the pics I did get. 

The card base is GinaK Designs Pure Luxury Ivory, in the heavy base weight.  I ran it through my Cuttlebug with a Sizzix hounds tooth folder.  The heavy weight paper really makes the embossing pop. 

I then layered on pieces of DP from DCWV.  This paper was amazing for this project.  It was random words with definitions, and I managed to make some of the words work really well with the corresponding sentiments.  I even found the word "reminiscence" for my sympathy card.  I was so happy and amazed at how well it worked.

The image is on more Ivory, done with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and the birds are Distress Ink, Broken China.  I added detail with a gray copic, and a black pen.

I tore the card stock, and edged it with SU More Mustard ink, and backed it with a torn piece of More Mustard paper, which I also edged in the ink.

Because I wanted these cards to be sent with no issue of extra postage, I didn't add any bling.  The only ornamentation is the little bit of paper piercing I did at the top right part of the image, and under some of the sentiments.  Simple. 

I have to admit, I sense a slight balance problem with some of these cards.  Too much on the right side of the image, I think.....but, maybe I am just overly critical.  I tend to do that.

I then grabbed some envelopes and popped the whole shebang into a clear box, also from GinaK Designs.  The medium box easily (but snugly) held all six cards and envelopes.  The box is causing the glare in the pic above.   Sorry about that.

So, that's my ONE Christmas gift.  I have a calendar template on my computer, maybe I can get somethings together to be New Year's gifts.  Wait, those will need cards, too, right?  And then there's that thank you cards I have to make....Hoo BOY!!  I better get to work!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Your continued support is my best Christmas gift!!!
All Best-
Richard

Mr. Cardmaker is Comin' In for a BIG Finish!

I have to post quickly, because I'm working today.  Somebody tell my cold to "buzz off" already!!

I finally came up with a sketch and image that I was happy with, and I pounded out the last of my cards.  Of course, I had to play with different papers and stuff, just to keep it interesting.   I made these--

 This is the one that I made the most of.  I made the DP myself with a speckle background stamp from JoAnn's, and a snowflake stamp from SU!  The Sizzix embossing folder is from SU as well, as and the card stock is actually from The Paper Company (my discount stuff from AC Moore).  I liked the colors, I had plenty of it, and I like the light weight for layering.  The ribbon is from AC Moore's dollar bin.  I ran out of this.  Boo.

 The Image is from SU!, and I have no idea about which set, because this was a gift.  I colored him with copics, and had a BLAST doing it.  I learned about doing white images from CardMaker Mag. and Theresa Momber, who is an amazing colorer and all-around artist.  I had also stamped the card stock with the speckles from the DP I made.  The papers in the card above are from AC Papers, the Dear Lizzie Christmas set, and the snowflake is punched with a SU punch from DCWV paper.
Hey, I forgot to put the rhinestone on this one....oops.

The big change here, other than the DP, is the fact that I did a direct-to-paper rub with white ink over the dry embossed paper.  I think it helps point up the flakes. 

So, the cards are done and out.  I did some others, and I may get to post them, but I have SO much to accomplish before NEXT SATURDAY!!!!  ooooooooh, my heart.  oooooooh, my back.   ooooooh, my goodness!!!

Hope your projects are going well, and that you are not so nuts at this time of year.
Thanks for dropping by!!
All Best, and Happy Holidays-
Richard

Mr. Cardmaker has had his "Thinking Yarmulke" on...

 Progress is a good thing, especially when it comes to my Christmas projects.  I made this little notepad a while back for my SIL.  I made more.  These are them (they?).

These have more good stuff all over them than the original.  I was under a time crunch on that one.  You can see it and what the insides of all of them looked like HERE. 

As you can see, these are multi-denominational.  My SIL Andee will be getting the Hanukkah one.
I also worked hard to keep the snow theme prevalent, but those stickers from K&CO's Life's Little Occasions were too hard to resist.  I made the medalion on the non-Jewish one, with some SU and EK Success punches, and a stamp I found somewhere along the way.

Speaking of things Hanukkah, I also made a card.  It looks like this--

I made this using some candle stamps I got from Ditto.  I have used them primarily as birthday candles, but they dress up really nice for Hanukkah. 

I stamped these with Delicata gold ink.  LET me TELL you how much I love this ink!!!  It is so rich in color, and it looks like it has been embossed all on it's own.  SO pretty.

I tore the edges of my blue card stock, (some of my discount stuff....shh, no one will ever guess!) and inked it with some Night of Navy ink from SU.  Then I sprayed it with some  smooch spritz from SU.I also tore some shimmer paper just a bit larger and did the same inking. 

 I layered them onto a piece of gold Christmas paper (shhhhhh.....)that I edge punched and inked up with an EK Success and some more Delicata. 

I stamped the Star of David onto more of the Xmas paper, punched it with a 1 1/2" circle punch (Fiskars) and I inked the edges of that, too.  The card front is a piece of shimmer paper from DCWV, and the whole thing is on a white card base made with PTI card stock.

Lastly, I added the little gold pearls, and staggered them to help create the idea of a flickering candle. 

I have only one Hanukkah card to make each year, so far, and I love taking some time and making it just right. 

I have finally come up with my perfect sketch and image to finish up my cards for this season.  I'll show you them next time!  To say I am relieved is a HUGE understatement. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Get those cards done!!

All Best-

Richard

Mr. Cardmaker has been a Working Guy

Clearly, I have been conspicuously absent from the blog arena.  I have been a BUSY card maker!

I got some new, fun supplies from Stampin'Up!, and have been trying to put them to work.

I made these--

I ran this one thru the cuttlebug with a SU! Sizzix folder, and I tried to mask off the doily/snowflake.  Big fail!  I almost broke my Cuttlebug.  There is LESS embossing on the doily, but it definitely did NOT do what I wanted....

Let me say how happy I am that I do NOT have to send one person a thousand different cards, because it would surely kill me.  I am very happy to lots of variations on a theme!

These are all made with the Hello Doily stamp from SU!, and some white embossing powder.  I LOVE this stamp, and how much it fills up my card!  I cut around portions of the doily to give some emphasis in areas, but I rough cut them (as usual) because I think the doily would get lost without a tiny bit of framing.

I also did a touch of copic coloring in some of the letters. 

The sentiment is from Studio G in the cards above.  Below is from Stampendous, the Holiday Home set.

Here is where I switched from stamping on Melon Mambo, and instead moved to patterned paper.  I love the combinations!!  These papers are American Crafts, Dear Lizzie set.  The shimmer paper is all DCWV.  The little snowflake punch is Martha Stewart, and the big one is SU!

The Merry Christmas above is punched out with the words window punch from SU.  I use this a LOT this season.  That, and the modern labels punch.  I'll show you those cards soon!

The sentiment above is A*muse Studio.

The tags here are done with GinaK Designs All Occassions Tags set, and Spellbinders grommet tags dies.  The sentiment is SU! Teeny Tiny Wishes.  The tag and the sentiment are both wet embossed to punch them up.  That frame above is one of those happy accident moments, where I used a leftover scrap to make a rectangle and got a fun little frame.  These things make me grateful for my two-way glue pen.

As you can see, my sentiments DO get to floating around just a bit.  Oh well....

I have plenty more cards to go, and more to show you.  Stay tuned. 

Sorry for the brief amount of explanation here, gang, but I gotta get back to work!!! 

More later, as soon as I can get them photographed!!!

I hope your cards are going REALLY well, and that PANIC MODE hasn't settled in at your house.  (I am not QUITE there yet, but I hafta get OFF this computer!)

Thanks for stopping by! 

All Best-

Richard

Mr. Cardmaker had BEST get busy...

So, my DP's sibs had their birthdays.  We met up with SIL Jan and her guy Ronny for Chinese and presents, and the morning before we went, I frantically made this--

(OK, I don't know what I did, but I can't seem to put my pics where I want them.  Please bear with me.)

This is a pocket tissue holder.  I used a template given to me by my friend Amy Corr, and went to town.  The base is some Mostly Mustard cs by SU!, and the dp is from M&MBI.  I used a scalloped square punch and a small circle punch to make the clasp-y thing, and I had some ancient chipboard cut outs that I inked up with some StudioG chalk inks.  The brads are from Michael's.  I love how it perfectly fit the center of the flower.







Here is a view of the inside.  I used the same inks as the ones I used on the flower, and I used some GinaK Designs stamps to make the design on the cs.  This is a cute and easy project.  Jan loved this.  I am making one for niece Jessica, who is coming to spend Thanksgiving with us.  I think I am about 90% done with it, but I need to get on it, since my list of stuff-to-do is about a million miles long.

Then, because the morning wasn't frantic enough, I made this, too--

Inside this puppy is a 2 1/2" by 8" notepad from PTI.  I used a piece of GinaK Designs onxy cs cut at 5 1/4" by 8 1/2", scored in the middle to allow for a depth of 1/8".  I attached the pad with some scor-tape to the inside, and used some snowflake stamps from ScrappyCat (from my Goodwill store, no less) and some K&Co stickers to doll it up a bit.  The whole thing is tied together with some white ribbon.  A red button on top of a white one, tied with some red and white twine finishes it all off. 

The inside---This could CLEARLY get really all jazzed up with some rhinestones and other colors, but I was really pressed for time.  Oh yeah, I also stamped a snowflake in pale blue on each of the pages of the pad.  'Cause I'm decorative that way.  Yes, I am.  I have a pack of ten (I think) of these pads.  I will do more!!!

Then, I have still been struggling to come up with a Christmas card style that I love.  I made a bunch, and I have some ideas, but there's SOOOO much work to do between now and when I have to trot these babies to the post office.  Oh yeah, the cards...

I made these--

Ok, so the skinny on these bad boys---sorry I didn't do individual pics.  I just haven't got the strength...If you click on the pic, you will be able to see it a bit larger.

The base is PTI cs.  I like the weight (110#, I think), and the awesome price!!  $6.00 for 40 sheets.  Anyway, I am using American Crafts dp, shimmer paper from PTI and DCWV, and glitter paper from DCWV.  The sentiments are from A*muse Studio and SU!, with some StudioG thrown in.   The snowflake punch is Martha Stewart, and the label design is from GinaK Designs, cut out with Spellbinders dies.I also did some dry embossing with Sizzix and Cuttlebug folders, and the ribbon and bling are from various dollar bins. 

Notice how there are only nine, count them, NINE cards so far??  I gotta get off this computer and go make some more RIGHT NOW!!!!  

Thanks for stopping by, and have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!  I am very thankful for YOU and your support!!!

All Best--

Richard

Mr Cardmaker is a Thankful Guy...

My time for blogging sure gets awfully short when I have to MAKE things instead of blog!!! 
I have been up to my armpits in Christmas cards, so it has taken me a while to get to these Thanksgiving cards that I want to share with you.

I pumped most of these out in one looooooooooong day.  I really have to train myself to craft while sitting, or at least, perching on a stool at my counter. 
Anyhoo--

I made this--

This was mostly about the DP, as you can see. 
I went a little coocoo with the brads, but it worked out just fine.  The zigzag was done with an ek success punch.  The sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo, the Harvest Expressions set.
The card stock is from SU, DCWV, and the DP is Me & My Big Ideas. Brads and ribbon are AC Moore. 
This card is actually much nicer than the photo, now that I'm looking at both....oh well. 

Kinda simple.  

Then I made this--
This was made on SU River Rock CS, and I stamped it with River Rock ink to make the background with Inkadinadoo's Autumn Foliage set.  Then I used the same image on a piece of white CS (GinaK Designs Pure Luxury 120#) inked with the same River Rock on the greens, but with an orange Tombo pen on the pumpkins.  Then I overstamped that with the sentiment, which was also inked with River Rock, but then I used a crayola green marker over it to get the sentiment to stand out.  die cut the whole thing out with a Spellbinders die and my Cuttlebug, and I inked the edges with some inkbox brown while it was still in the die.  I also edged the cardbase, while I was at it.I added a loop of orange ribbon (AC Moore) and the rhinestones (AC Moore again), and that was that.

This is the same idea with different stamps from the sets.  This background was done with versamark ink on GinaK Designs CS, and the pumpkin was stamped onto some soft yellow scrap and decorated with some orange Stickles.  I just used a corner punch here, instead of dies.

This is another quick one. This is an image from Inkadinkadoo, again....from the dollar bin, this time. The sentiment, I believe, is StudioG, but I may be wrong. (I can't find it to check at the moment. You should see my mess....)

The card stock is SU!, and the DP is M&MBI. Ribbon and bling form AC Moore.

This card also has a homemade background paper, using some StudioG stamps with SU River Rock ink on River Rock CS.  I really like how subtle this effect is.  I added a strip of M&MBI dp to the lower portion, and then added a ribbon (AC Moore dollar bin.  What else?).  The image is GinaK Designs, from the Enjoy the Sunshine set.  I colored this with copics, then cut it out with a labels four die from spellbinders, and used the same river rock ink to edge this while still in the die.  This makes a really pretty frame around the image.  I used brown on the outside edge to further punch it up.  This was mounted with foam tape.  I then stamped the sentiment first in orange, then in brown.  This gives it a shadowed effect.  I kind of like the sentiment put in on the vertical.  Change it up!  The buttons were a gift from my pal Michelle, and I used little strips of paper to make the stitching instead of twine or floss or something.  This seems easier for me for some reason.

Now, this one you may remember from when it was just a pumpkin--I layered up some of the papers I used previously, and added some buttons, and some Jolies leaves.  (Uh, I DID try to hide the "I" again, but things didn't quite work out....sorry about that!!)  This is a HUMOROUS card, not a "poison pen" thing by any means.  Oh PUH-LEASE--Like I would put THIS much work into someone I didn't like.  Riiiiiiiight....... 

SO!

Those are most of my Thanksgiving cards.  The others you've already seen, or they didn't photograph so well.  I liked them, and I think the people who will get them will like them too!

Hope you got some inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by!

All Best--

Richard

Mr. Cardmaker has a Banner Day

I tend to keep to cardmaking.  I don't do a ton of 3-D projects, tags, boxes, what-have-yous.....

HOWEVER!!  I did decide to try my hand at some rosettes, with the use of my VERY-important-to-all-my-projects Scor-Pal. 

Rosettes are pretty easy to make, except for the fact that I consistently burn my fingers with the heat of my hot melt glue. 

This is what I made--

 Actually, I made it way too long, so I made two; one for each side of the doorway.

I used all kinds of papers, mostly scraps from all my Autumn and Halloween cards. 

Now, if I were to do this again, I would definitely be sure to use double-sided paper for the flag parts (the hanging pointy pieces).  Live and learn on that one.  I am going with the idea that the fact that there's two pieces makes it all okay.  You're going there with me, right?  Oh, good.....

I decorated the centers with leaf punch-outs, circles, and crescent moons also made with punches.

I made these by adding punched circle centers to my scored and folded paper with my hot melt glue gun.  I stumbled onto a tutorial at some point, and that's they way they did it.  I understand there are about a hundred ways to do these, some fabulous dies that help you, and all kinds of other ideas.  I definitely think they are worth a look.  I banged this puppy out in two sittings; one to make the rosettes, and one to decorate them and get them hung. 

This is a really terrific way to use up some scraps and those last remaining sheets of Autumn paper that you have hanging around from last year.  The great thing is that all the colors seem to work together, being in a seasonal palette. 

Just mind your fingers when using that hot melt glue, will ya?  That stuff SMARTS!

Hey, I'm entering this project in the Championing Award Medallions Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.          You should play, too!!

Thanks for stopping by!
All Best-
Richard

Mr Cardmaker Has A Different Idea of Christmas "CHEERS" Than Most People...

Prototyping is harder than it looks. Oh yeah, it is.....Just sayin'.

My goal here is to make a design that I can do many multiples of, from my card stock and DP stacks, where I can use different combinations of papers to get the same general effect.  This way, I use some of what I HAVE, instead of making a big investment of cash just to make identical cards.

MEANWHILE, I want to create something that will be beautiful and memorable.  That means, no junky materials.  Inexpensive does not necessarily equal junky.  Flimsy and tacky equals junky.  But, you knew that already.

SO, I already made some prototypes, and they can be seen HERE.  I'm now adding to the choice-making madness.....

I made this one--

So, this is on an Ivory base, which I ran thru the Cuttlebug with another embossing folder.

I made an "asterisk-y" snowflake of sorts with strips of DP, pink and teal and cream glitter paper, as well as red ribbon. Then, I stamped and embossed the sentiment in white embossing powder on the teal plaid and adhered it.

Then I stamped the martini glass and its contents onto white card stock with silver and green ink, respectively, and added the red rhinestone to shine it up. I adhered it with some foam tape.

I think this needs a brighter background, (maybe inked on top of the dry embossing?) and a MUCH brighter ink for the martini. And more bling, somewhere...Otherwise, not too bad.

This one is particularly good for conserving materials, since the expensive stuff is being used only in those tiny strips. I think it's worth a second look, for sure.

Then, I made these--

The photos don't do justice to the papers, I'm afraid.  This is done on a dove grey card body, and the sentiment is stamped on it with silver ink and is embossed with clear embossing powder.

The trees are cut by hand from pink shimmer paper, and run thru the Cuttle bug with Sizzix embossing folders. 

I adhered the "verbage" paper to the card body, adhered the plaid with foam tape, and then applied the trees behind and on top of the plaid.  The tree on top is mounted with foam squares, which are twice the depth of the tape, to cover the difference in distance.  You could do it by doubling the thickness of the foam tape.

The snowflake is done from cream glitter paper, and adhered with a glue dot.  The pearls finish it off.

I did two versions, just slightly different, as you can see. 

In all honestly, while I like this, I think I need to add some ribbon somewhere; maybe on the plaid?

I have to ponder on this one.  Plus I really am not sure what will happen in a different paper background.  I think the words give a lot of action to this card.  We shall see. 

CLEARLY, I have a good bit of work ahead of me.

Anyway, that's me, so far....

Materials-

Martini card-

Papers--the Paper Company, American Crafts Patterned Papers, DCWV, GinaKDesigns

Ink-Studio G, Stampin' Up

Ribbon- The Paper Source

Bling-AC Moore

Tools-Sizzix embossing folder, Scor-pal, EK success punch, Tombo mono-dots, Scotch foam tape.

Pink Trees card-

Same as above, with the addition of pearls from AC Moore, and Martha Stewart snowflake punch.

I have to make a decision on these babies soon, because I really don't want to run out of time.  November starts next week, already!!! 

This is now your time to ofer me some feedback on these, or to tell me to chuck it all and go in a different direction completely.  Seriously, I do well with (constructive) criticism.

Hey, thanks stopping by and checking out my stuff!

All Best-

Richard

Mr. Cardmaker Has More Birthday Stuff to Share

SO, the fall birthdays continue!  I shared George's card with you last time, and today I want to show you Jan's and Sue's cards.  (This is your SECOND SPOILER ALERT, Sue and Jan!!  Go watch some puppy videos or something!)

For Jan, I made this--

This is the first time I've printed out my own sentiments.  I found some fun, FREE fonts at kevinandamanda.com, and I have a feeling I will be using my downloaded fonts frequently!!

I stamped some leaves with lots of color onto the sentiment, and then trimmed and rounded three corners.  I also used my glitter pen to highlight "hey girl" and "two".  The inside has some personal stuff, but ends up saying "Happy Birthday".  Duh.

I layered a strip of teal card stock onto my swiss dot embossed baseto highlight the sentiment a bit, and then added a small piece of striped dp, also with rounded edges to the back of the sentiment.  I added a leaf punched with my leaf punch, and then adhered the whole thing with foam tape to give it some lift.

I cut a small slit in the fold of the card to allow the ribbon to slide through, then added a dry embossed circle on top.  I lined up some leaves and adhered them with foam tape.  Orange rhinestones finish it all up.

For Sue, I did this--

I dry embossed a piece of cream cardstock with my cuttlebug and a sizzix folder, then highlighted the embosing with a direct to paper techinque, using orange ink.  Then I adhered the ribbons and rick-rack.  There was a reall fun, happy accident with this big, chunky rick-rack.  It doesn't CREASE so well, so it pops itself off of the card front in a really charming way.  I could've glued it down flat, but I really like this effect.

I punched some leaves from scraps of DP, creased them down the middle to make them have more movement, and tucked them under the rick-rack, lifting them off the surface with some foam tape.

The sentiment is also popped off the surface, and highlighted with a white brad and some orange rhinestones. 

The pumpkins are in blue ink on some orange dp, and I did my usual cutting thing where I leave some space around the image, rather than "fussy cutting" it. 

Pop the whole thing onto an orange card base, and you're set!
This one is really pretty easy, but the effect is something much more busy and detailed.

So, these are my fall birthday cards.  Hope you found some inspiration!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!
All Best--
Richard

Supplies--
Jan's card-
Paper--DCWV (base and teal strip), SU dsp(leaves), M&MBI (leaves and stiped piece)
Ink- Colorbox
Embellishments- AC Moore (my old pal, the Dollar Bin) 
Tools--Scor-Pal, Fiskars punches, CutterBee snips, Cuttlebug, Sizzix embossing folders
Sue's card
Paper--SU (base, pumpkin pie, leaves, dsp), M&MBI(leaves), The Paper Co.(card front and sentiment strip)
Ink-Studio G, Colorbox
Embellishments-AC Moore (of course)
Tools--Scor-Pal, Fiskars punches, CutterBee snips, Cuttlebug, Sizzix embossing folders, SU piercing tool and Mat pack.

Mr. Cardmaker has LOTS of Fall Birthdays Coming Up!!

My DP has two sisters and a brother, and they all have November birthdays, two days apart.  Jan and George are twins, so (obviously) they are on the same day, and Sue is just two days later (but two years earlier).  Is that confusing enough?

Anyway, I had to make them cards, of course.  Oh, yeah, SPOILER ALERT, Sue, Jan, and George!!!
You should go look at kittens or something unless you want to ruin your surprises....

For George, I made this--

This was made on SU Pumpkin Pie CS and I ran it through the Cuttlebug with my new embossing folder.  I think this is called "distressed stripes", but I got excited about new toys and threw away the package before I could note what it was called.  Boo.
I then inked the edges with some brown ink.  The designer papers I used are all Me & My Big Ideas, with the exception of the bottom green-striped leaf.  That's SU.  Oh wait, that tiny yellow-striped leaf is SU too.  Scraps, I tell you.  Scraps!!!

I cut a strip of leaf paper , layered some ribbon (AC Moore Dollar Bin.  My Home-away-from-home), and adhered it. 
Then on a piece of SU Daffodil Delight, I used a stamp from Inkadinadoo's Autumn Foliage set to make my own DP.  I used tombo and Memento markers, in orange and green, to "thump" ink onto the stamp.  I thumped in several different directions, then "huffed" warm air on the stamp to make sure all the ink was good and moist before stamping.  Then I used a Spellbinder's circle die to cut and emboss my circle on my Cuttlebug.

Can you believe I actually "fussy cut" my image?  I so rarely do that....These pumpkins are in the Harvest Greetings set from Inkadinkadoo.  I stamped them in brown onto some M&MBI designer paper and after cutting them out, I adhered them to my circle, popping the center one up with some foam tape.  Then I cut a scalloped circle from more DP with my cuttlebug and another Spellbinders die and adhered my circle to it. 

I bought a Fiskars leaf punch from AC Moore during a punch sale (I hate to pay retail) and I used it and another teensy leaf punch I've had forever to punch some leaves from scraps.  Some I adhered to the card base, but I adhered a few to the back of my scalloped circle; I then popped the whole thing off the card with some foam tape.

The sentiment is from SU's Teeny Tiny sentiments set, on a scrap of SU dsp, popped up with more foam tape.  The brads and rhinestones are AC Moore.

I think George will appreciate all the layering.  He has an awesome eye for detail.

You know what?  I think I will wait and do the girls' cards in a different posting.  "Always leave them wanting more", PT Barnum used to say. (I think it was PTB.....)
They're really cute though!  Y'All come back here and have a look, y'here?

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope I can help inspire you to do your own fun projects.
All Best-
Richard

Mr. Cardmaker is a Birthday Card Making Guy

My sister, Lisa, has a birthday coming up on the 29th of this month.  Because I value my life, I won't tell you "how many" she's going to be, but she is just 14 months younger than myself, so you can figure it out, pretty much. 

She is a very outgoing, fun girl, with friends and neighbors in and out of her house all the time.  This girl knows how to entertain.  With my reclusive self, it's hard to believe she's my sister.

Anyway, I made her this--

Cute and fun, right?  I think it suits her personality.  I made this card on SU Mostly Mustard card stock, stamped with images from A*muse Studio's "Tini Time" set.  I used Studio G inkpads. 

The circles were cut from scraps of GinaK Designs white, and DCWV green cs with my Fiskars punches, and then inked with some colorbox ink.  I am sorry to say I threw the labels away for several of my colorbox pads, so I can't share the color.  Boo.  Pearls and ribbon from AC Moore (I swear, I LIVE in that dollar bin). 

I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of SU Daffodil Delight, and popped it up with foam tape.  The 'tini image is mounted on SU Pumpkin pie. 

I cut it out with my usual technique of leaving a white border around the image.  I like how it gives it more substance, and a little pop, especially when you back it with another color card stock.  I used Colorbox and Studio G ink on the martini, and crayola markers to do the cherry.  I popped it up higher than the sentiment with foam squares.

On the inside, I stamped "Olive you!" from the same set, and under it, I used SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes "Happy Birthday" stamp.  (No photo, sorry.)

I like the cheery colors, and the bubbly feeling from all the circles.

I hope she likes it, too!!

Thanks for dropping by! 

All Best--

Richard



Mr. Cardmaker is Feeling Scrappy

Boy, fall is taking its sweet time getting to us in Boston. Ready for some color, Yo!! 
I am almost OVER making autumn cards, and am ready to get a move on with my Christmas cards.  ALMOST, I said.  I actually have some autumn stamps that have yet to be inked up.  Mr. Cardmaker would NEVER let a season go by without inking up ALL of his new stamps.

That reminds me, I need to do just a few dozen more Halloween cards to make that a true statement.  DANG YOU, AC Moore Dollar Bin!!!  Dang you, and all of your $1 too-cute-to-pass-up Halloween goodness!!!!

ANYWAY---

I had some scraps all over my floor from the rosette banner project I did (more on that later).  I decided they were just too good to throw away (like most of my scraps).
So, I made this--

This was made on a beige base, cardstock from The Paper Co. I layered some DP from Me & My Big Ideas, then some SU Mostly Mustard cs run thru my Cuttlebug with a Sizzix embossing folder.  I inked that up with some brown ink for some depth.  I popped that off the DP with some foam tape. 

I  gathered up my scrap DP (SU, M&MBI, and some Target "no name")  and arranged and adhered them just as they were; no extra cutting.  Then I cut out, edged, and stamped the sentiment (Studio g).  I stamped it twice, once in brown, and once in white to give it some pop.  I added a swirl from another Studio g set to give it some "somethin'-somethin'.
I added a little loop of ribbon to the back, and attached it with some more foam tape.
Easy-Peasy.

THEN--
StampTV did a "Red and Kraft" challenge for their "Mix-it-up Monday" challenge.  I had just won GinaK Designs' "Garden Fresh" stamp set during a blog hop, so I decided to bust it out and get inky with it. 

I made this--

This could not have been easier or more fun.  I stamped some GinaK Designs Kraft CS with the apple stamp in Versamark, and used some (really old) red embossing powder to get them nice and shiny.  (Gotta love a shiny red apple!)
I then used some crayola markers to re-ink the stamp, and I stamped it on some white CS, and cut it out.  I like to leave a little white area around most images I cut out.  I think it looks good, and it's often MUCH easier to cut.
I stamped the sentiment on another piece of white CS in Memento Tuxedo Black, and used the green marker I used on the apple leaf to hand draw the border.
I attached some Baker's twine to the back, added some foam tape to the back, and adhered it, using my two-way glue pen to attach the twine to the card base.
I added some foam tape to the apple image, and adhered it to the sentiment.
Easy as pie. 
Mmmmmmm, apple pie.   SO glad we went apple picking this weekend!!!

So, that's me for now.  I have some autumn birthday cards to share with you next time. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!
All Best-
Richard