Just one more

I hope that you can bare with one more Valentine card. It is another masculine one that I created on the spur of the moment before picking up all of my love embellishments for the season. Again, I tried sticking with neutral colors such as cream and gray. I added wooden hearts that I stained with Mr. Huey's mist. I distressed the edges of the gray paper for a bit of texture. The only sparkly touch was one glittered heart that I just couldn't resist adding.

This was the first time I blogged a whole week on one holiday. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Hope you have a great weekend!
Dani

I Love You

Happy Valentine's Day to You! I hope that you all have someone special to share it with, even if it is just yourself and a bottle of wine or a box of chocolate. You deserve it!

My daughter is not too fond of today because she says that it sucks to be alone on this day. I wanted to make her feel special, so I made her this card so that she would know that she is loved. I am also going to make her a favorite meal and a special dessert for her to enjoy with her Dad and I, tonight.

 

 

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

For the Man in My Life

I know that sometimes we can get stumped at making cards for the men in our lives. I can easily throw together some pink embellishments and girly ribbon and have a great feminine card, but I always struggle a bit when making something more masculine.

For this card, I started with a kraft base. I find that by using a neutral base such as kraft, it keeps me more focused on using natural elements such as wood and twine, which tend to lend itself better for a manly card. I added some embossed dots for texture. I cut the word Valentine from a long title and added the SC wooden alpha veneers to complete my sentiment. Then with a few quick embellishments, my card was done.

Do you have difficulty creating a certain type of project over another? What tips do you have for getting through it?

Thanks for visiting!
Dani

Valentine's Week continues...

I needed one more card to send to one of the youngest godchildren, so I pulled out the leftover scraps from the Crate Paper Fourteen line, and this is what I came up with.

On Sunday, I decided to make my usual triple chocolate cupcakes, but I wanted something different for the frosting. Instead of just cream cheese and powdered sugar, I added marscapone to the mix. It made for a lighter and fluffier frosting. I always get asked what is the little brown specks in my icing, well, I use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla for a deeper flavor. Plus, it is a bit cheaper than the Madagascar vanilla extract that I use in my other baked goods.

Thanks for visiting!
Dani

Top 5 Valentine's Picks

I am still struggling a bit with this cold, so instead of a new project today, I decided to showcase my favorite 5 4 cards from last year's heart day and a new recipe that quickly became a go to in vanilla cupcakes.

I can say that because she is my only child.

I loved the little vintage picks that I found at Hobby Lobby.

What girl doesn't love a little bling for Valentine's Day?

I love the soft colors of this paper so much.



and lastly...vanilla bean cupcakes with marshmallow frosting. YUM!!!


I hope you enjoyed this quick re-cap. I am working on something that hopefully I can share on Monday.

Thanks for visiting!
Dani

Using up the final pieces

Not often do I end up using the whole lot of one collection, but this time I did. The Nostalgia line from My Minds Eye had me from hello. It is such a soft, vintage-y line, but the colors are so vivid. I have actually considered buying another set, but I have refrained.

On Monday, we celebrated my dh's birthday. While making his card, I decided to use the final pieces on my desk to create two more birthday cards for my stash. I added buttons to the button cards with thin wire to mimic how they look when you buy them. I replaced one button with a stamped birthday greeting. I then stitched around all papers and glued them to the bases.

On the card below, I added another stamped phrase directly on the card to match the one that was already printed on it.

Happy Wednesday!

Dani

Hugs & Kisses

I am so in the mood for Valentines, as if you couldn't tell by my recent projects. I just love all of the red and pink, with the lace and the frillies. Today's card combines shades of pink with the lace of a beautiful heart doily. I know that you can't tell it from the picture, but the doily is fuzzy. It feels so soft. Almost like it was flocked.

Do you find yourself creating red and pink projects at this time of year? 

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

Forever & Always

Today's card is a scraplift from the January 2012 Cardmaker magazine. The card was created by Kate Calvert. I loved her use of the Martha Stewart heart border punch and since I already had it in my collection, I decided to re-create her card.

I love the use of monochromatic colors on this card. I didn't have the same stamp that she used, so I found something in my stash that would work. Simple, yet so elegant...love it!

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

Sweet Love

I have mentioned before that I have 6 godchildren that I send cards to. Sometimes, if I am ambitious, they get cards for a few days in a row. So I have to start my card making early if I want to get them mailed in time. I tend to stick to simple, flat as possible designs because they do have to go through the postal service. If I am sending a box of treats, then I usually make bulkier cards for those occasions. Since I am not sure what I am mailing yet for Valentine's Day, you will see a mixture of cards over the next couple of weeks.

 

Today's card is an attempt to use my Silhouette more. I saw this kissing couple and thought that it would be good for a couple of projects. For the card, I cut the couple out of black cardstock and replaced the heart with a glittered wood veneer from Studio Calico. I then added the stitching and stamped the sentiment on to a hand cut tab. I pop dotted the couple and sentiment for added dimension.

 

Thanks for visiting!

Dani :)

More Play

Today's cards were also made while I was playing with ink. The first card was created with the smoosh technique. I simply splatted, such technical terms, the distress stamper quickly to the card stock and let it dry. Once dry, I added my sticker tags, a quick punched border strip, and some stitching.

Card #13

This next card was stitched around the edge. I then put some distress ink on to a craft sheet, spritzed it with water, then used a fine detail brush to pick up the color. I tapped the brush to let droplets of ink fall on my paper. I pop dotted the Happy sticker for a little dimension. About as simple as it can get.

Card #14

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

Spring has Sprung

After four days of miserable wind and rain, our weekend turned out to be the most gorgeous spring weekend that you could wish for. It was mild and sunny with just a hint of breeze throughout. We worked in the yard all day on Saturday, cutting trees and getting flower beds ready. Then we went to Lowes to pick out some new plants. I wanted to start a new herb garden here, but decided on a couple of herb boxes instead.

Inside the studio, I worked a bit on the Tim Holtz's CC101 class. I played around with alcohol inks and gloss paper. I also printed out a few photos for a new layout that I am starting, hopefully today. My daughter asked for a new photo printer, so I think I am going to order the Picturemate Charm for use to share. She has the Canon Pixma(?), but really wants true 4x6 photos.

I leave you with a card that I made on Sunday to celebrate this beautiful weather we are having.

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

Happy Easter Card

Wow! I am not quite sure what happened to this week. With all of the rain, the days just started blending into each other. Or maybe it was all the ink blending together from Tim Holtz's class that everyone seemed to talk me into. Seriously though, I am surprised how much I am enjoying this class, so thanks all of my fellow WOYWW's. I have been inking and stamping for about 17 years and I can't believe how much I am learning. Knowing how a technique is done rather than guessing, really does make a difference. I love the finished product more.

Anyway, below is another quick and easy card using up those We R Memory Keepers rub-ons. On the inside, the sentiment is also a rub-on that says, "Hoppy Easter".  I forgot to take a photo of it. Oops! I like having quick, relatively flat cards on hand to send to my godchildren, nieces, and nephew when I need.

Well, hope your week went well and your weekend goes even better! See you on Monday!

Dani

WOYWW 146

On the old desk today, okay technically it is still night for me and I plan on getting in some late night scrapping, is some bits and pieces leftover over from Sunday's crafting session. I hate to throw away scraps, but I know that if I put them away, they will never get used. I am a realist. I usually try to use them up by making cards or other small projects while I already have the supplies out.

With these scraps, I decided to get ahead start on making my Mother's Day cards. I know that it is still quite a bit aways, but I felt that this paper would lend itself well for that, and why not be done with it if I can? I love the simple design which was easy to duplicate.

Below is another card from my self-imposed challenge. I bought the We R Memory Keepers Easter 6x6 pad, the rub-ons, and the crocheted doilies a few weeks ago. I wanted to see how much I could make using these supplies. I am not that good at doing whimsical, but since I wanted to use as much as possible, I decided to give it a try. I like how this came out. I used the baby chick and lamb rub-ons on a 6x6 paper that I trimmed the frame off and used the center wood grain part. I added a few letter stickers for my sentiment and it was done. I am all for the quick and easy cards.

Card #11

Thanks for visiting!

And don't forget to hop on over to Julia's and visit other desks from around the world.

Dani

Welcome Baby

Hopefully, as this is posting, I am welcoming in my newborn niece into this world. So, if I am absent a bit this week, you know why. Babies are always so much fun, of course, that is if you aren't the one getting up 3 times a night to feed them. lol...

Welcome, Sophia Jessi!

I hope you have a blessed week!

Dani

Hello Friend

Good Monday morning to you all! We had a really busy family weekend, but I did manage to get some crafty time in last night. I had a couple of requests to see my card sketches, and while I am not sure how to make them look all fancy by designing them on the computer, I am more than willing to share the way I do mine.

I purchased a couple of hardcover, 4x5 inch spiral sketchbooks. I like this size because I can have one on my desk, one in my purse, and one on the coffee table. You can decorate the covers if you would like, but I left mine like I bought them. I told you, nothing fancy. Now, here is where the extremely technical part comes in. I made a 2x3 template and traced it on the front and back of each page. I did this while I was watching a movie with my family. I like having a perfect square or rectangle to work with. It makes the rest of the designing easier to do, at least for me. And that's it. I usually sketch while watching tv or waiting at appts. or other things like that. And I do sketch about 97% of what I create before I start a project. Sometimes the design works and sometimes it doesn't. Can't win them all!

So, below is a look at today's sketch.

And here is the card I made using it. Not quite the same, is it? I had the papers that I wanted to use out on my desk, I sketched what I thought would work, and when I started to put it together, the Polaroid squares were to big to include four, so I improvised. I like the finished card better than the sketch anyway. Funny how that happens.

Well, there you have it. I can share my sketches when I post my cards if you would like. Just leave me a comment letting me know if this is something you would be interested in.

Have a great week!

Dani

Hi Beautiful

I got a little late start on things this morning. My plans for having some me time didn't go, well, as planned yesterday. I ended up spending the better part of the morning at the doctor's office running tests and trying to figure out the sudden pain in my abdomen. Now, I am on medication for the discomfort and scheduled to see a specialist next week. Oh well, I did manage to work on one card sketch yesterday.

Starting with the sketches, I did have a couple of requests regarding sharing my sketches. I am not that technically savvy and even though I have some of the better quality software, I still do mine the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. I usually do this while watching tv with my hubby. I can try to see if I can figure something out and we will see what you think. So, let's get to the card.


I used some older, I think it was Little Yellow Bicycle, paper that I had won. The butterfly is an EK Success punch that I added glitter to. Once dry, I cut and wrapped a toothpick with Divine Twine to create the butterflies body. The banner was also part of the LYB collection that I cut down to the size needed for my card. I simply printed the sentiment on the strip of yellow paper. Once I glued it down, I realized that I should have put the saying further to the left, but oh well. You can still see it in person since the butterflies wings are raised.

Can you tell I am SOOOOOO ready for Spring?

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

A Quick Post

Well, we are off this week with Mardi Gras break, so that means no school. You would think that it would leave more time for crafting, but that is usually not the case when dd is not in school. She is already talking about going shopping and watching movies.

Here is a quick look at her birthday card from this weekend. She turned 18 on Saturday, and yes, I still have to keep her company when they are out of school. I guess it comes from being an only child and not knowing a lot of people in this town we moved to. Hard to have your senior year in a place where you hardly know anyone.

Anyhoo, I have been wanting to use these roses on a card and since this one didn't need to be mailed, I thought it was the perfect time to do so. I love that floral background paper and the pink rose matched perfectly. Three pearls was all of the embellishment I felt it needed. Simple and sweet.

 

Hopefully, I will have something to post later this week.

Thanks for visiting!

Dani

One Last V-Day Card

Just bear with me for one last one. I couldn't post my daughter's card before I gave it to her because she occasionally reads my blog. The card below is one of my most favorite ones that I did this heart season.

I stitched, pop dotted, and added trim all to add texture to the card. The sentiment was the perfect one for her. She is our only child, so we can safely say that she is our favorite. I love this Love Story collection by Fancy Pants. It is bright, colorful, and just the right amount of girly-ness.

This concludes this year's array of Valentine's cards. We now return to our regularly scheduled blog.

Dani

Valentine's Day Post

To start the day, let me wish all of my fellow bloggers, followers, commenters, and readers a Happy Valentine's Day! To celebrate with my family, I am cooking an Italian dinner. Not sure on the dessert yet.

I did make these for my daughter's day care kids. The cupcakes are a really good vanilla cake recipe to have in your recipe box. I didn't use the rose water frosting because it was for kids. I made this marshmallow fluff frosting recipe instead. It is delicious!

1 stick softened butter
1 jar marshmallow fluff
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
2 T milk

Beat butter and fluff together. Add vanilla. Add one cup of sugar at a time, beating well between each addition. Add milk and beat well on medium speed until fluffy. Spread or pipe onto cakes.

I made miniature ones. Seriously, how cute are they?

The card below was made for one of my goddaughters. I know, you are thinking that I sure have a lot of godchildren. Lol... I do. I have 3 girls, one boy, and one niece, and another one due in a couple of weeks. They all call me Nanny or Nanan and are treated all the same.

Back to the card. It was made for a 16 year old. I wanted it to be really girly with ribbons and lace. I love that MS heart doily border punch and lace heart punch. I added a few pins to the bow, along with a cupcake pick that I picked up last year. I really liked the vintage Valentine look.

Hope your day is filled with love!

Dani

Valentine Day Card

Wow! What a busy weekend! I finished all of my Valentine cards, made treat bags, did three photo shoots, along with all of the normal chores that come with running a home. And to top it off, I ended Sunday with a major migraine and had to take meds and call it an early night.

I created this card for my godson, who is 13. I always seem to have trouble making masculine cards. I don't know why, but I think it is because I feel I can't use any girly embellishments such as flowers, glitter, and bling.

For the card below, I simply used pattern paper and punch out cardstock shapes. I used a few sentiment stamps as my embellishments, along with a small, heart button. And Voila! My take on a masculine card.

Do you have difficulty creating masculine projects? If not, any tips?

Hope you have a great week!

Dani