A bunch of BIG cards!

That's what I've been working on all weekend.  I was asked by the social committee at school to make cards for the four members of our staff who are retiring at the end of this school year.  Two are teachers, one is a VP and the fourth is our Office Manager (who totally runs the school!).  All four are wonderful colleagues and will be deeply missed by our staff.  Now the challenge when making cards that more than 60 people have to sign is that they have to be BIG.  Big is hard when most of the products you have to work with are designed for use on a standard 4-1'4" x 5-1/2" card.  I found myself needing to get creative in my designs to that the images weren't lost in the expanse of the large card front.  The first card I did was for a man who is a rocker at heart.  He plays the guitar and is in a band.  So here is the card I designed for him...

Retirement card for a colleague featuring the Extreme Elements, Extreme Guitar, Grunge Rock and Word Play stamp sets.

Inside detail...sentiment is a one I printed in MS Word using RGB codes from MDS so the colours match perfectly!

...not exactly your typical retirement card, eh?  I think it is perfect for the recipient, though!  As I mentioned, this card is big.  It the base is a full sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" card stock folded in half.  I added additional space by making the inner white layers fold out...two 8 1/2" x 11" pieces again.  Hopefully this will be enough space for everyone to sign and wish him well.  I don't think I could have made it any bigger if I'd tried!
Stay tuned for more Plus-sized  cards later this week...

Are you coming...

...to my New Catalogue Open House?  It's going to be a great time!  Today I have one of the two make-n-takes you'll be able to do at my Open House...have a look...

Clean and Cute birthday card featuring the Bright Blossoms and Itty Bitty Banners stamp sets as well as Summer Smooches DSP.

I absolutely love this stamp set and the combination of Island Indigo and the new Gumball Green In-Colours.  They are so crisp and fresh looking.  Paired against Whisper White, they just pop.  Sooo...have I convinced you yet??  Check out the details of my event in the left sidebar and then drop me a line or leave me a comment to let me know you're coming this Saturday!  See you then!!

Pretty Gift Set

Today, over at Craft Project Central, a lovely new project posted.  Designed by Kim Score, this pretty box and coordinating card are perfect for gift giving.  Check it out...

Ornate topped box and card designed by Kim Score.

The ornate top box paired with the beautiful Twitterpated designer paper is the perfect packaging for that special someone.  Adapt the box with other designer papers for great seasonal packaging too!  The end of the school year is quickly approaching and what teacher wouldn’t be impressed with a little something presented in this special box with the matching card?  Substitute the Well Worn masculine designer paper for male teachers!  If you would like the instructions to make Kim's project, just subscribe to May.  You'll get full-colour instructions for this and nine other projects for just $10! 

Colour Blocked Speed

I am certainly on a roll with the man cards these days!  I often have trouble coming up with simple designs for men...I usually end up distressing and sponging and layering like crazy when trying to design something masculine.  Today's project, I'm proud to say, is super simple!  It also is suitable for this week's Masculine challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  Check it out...

Quick and easy Man-card for HSS119 featuring the Need for Speed and Word Play stamp sets

I often forget what great stamps my clear mount blocks make.  For this card I created colour blocks using my A and B blocks.  I then stamped the car using my new basic black ink pad (love it!!)  This is a quick and easy way to add colour to a line-art image without actually having to colour it in.  Super fast!  The DSP is from the Big Top Birthday pack...going to miss that one come June 1st (but I'll get over it in a hurry...there are some GREAT new papers in the upcoming Catty).  I embossed the background with the houndstooth embossing folder and tore away a corner so that the sentiment (from the Word Play set) could peek through.  Fast, easy and cool enough for any teenaged boy.

Happiness for the Monkey and something new from CPC

This week's challenge over at A La Card Monkey is all about Happiness and the things that give us joy.  Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

Happy card for Monkey109 featuring the new Floral District DSP and Betsy's Blossoms stamp set.  Sentiment is from Pursuit of Happiness.

I love this card.  It is so cheerful and bright! For me, the sentiment says it all.  We often forget to just be happy in the present...not someday when we land that big promotion or buy our dream home or meet the perfect mate.  It is so important to just count our blessings and be happy.  Now.  This minute.  I hope this card makes you smile today :)

In other news, there is another great project posted over at Craft Project Central today, designed by fellow Canuck Tara Burgoin. For a child, losing their first tooth can be both exciting and scary!  And for the parents, it’s another passing moment that signifies that their "baby" is growing up.  This Tooth Fairy Door project is intended to help make the arrival of the Tooth Fairy enchanting and memorable for kids and their parents alike!


The Tooth Fairy door sits on the child’s nightstand, alongside the little bed and side table.  On the bed the child lays their tooth, and on the side table, they sign a "thank you" card.  When they go to sleep, the Tooth Fairy has a way to enter quietly into their room, take the tooth and the card, and in place leaves a little gift of money or a small toy.  On her way out, she leaves the door a bit ajar, so there is no mistaking that she has been there!

Today's adorable project designed by Tara Burgoin

 To get the instructions for Tara’s project, head on over to CPC and subscribe to May 2012...then stop by Tara's blog and let her know how much you love her project.

Polka Dots and Flowers

That's the theme for today!  I designed this card as one of the make-n-takes for my New Catalogue launch event coming up on June 2nd.  I wanted something that would feature new products but also be quick and easy to make.  This card fits the bill perfectly!  It also fits this week's challenge over at The Paper Players, which is all about polka dots!  Have a look...

CAS Thank you card for PP96 featuring the Mixed Bunch stamp set with sentiment from Fabulous Phrases

Cute, eh?  This was SO quick and easy to make!  It uses some of my favourite new products:  the Mixed Bunch stamp set and coordinating Blossom punch and the new Floral district DSP.  LOVE the patterns and bright colours in that pack!  I've almost used up the entire pack and I've only had if for two weeks!  Can't wait till June 1st so I can order more!!

Shadow Stamping

Today I have another man card that I designed for my techniques group this month.  It uses the shadow stamping technique (also known as faux embossing) which creates the illusion of a raised image with ink.  It also allowed me to review Masking with them, as a couple of my club members are new.  Have a look...

Father's Day card for my DH featuring the Just Believe and Family Reunion stamp sets

Inside view with sentiments from the Full of Life and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets

Its not terribly visible in the photo, but the floral image is stamped twice, once in crumb cake and again in soft suede ink, with the latter stamped slightly offset from the former.  The result is the illusion of depth.  I created the sun by punching a 1 3/4" circle in a self-adhesive note and using it to mask my image panel.  I used Summer Starfruit and Cajun Craze ink to sponge inside the circle.  The DSP in the background is from the new Comfort Cafe pack...loving the variety in there!  The button is one of the new Naturals buttons from the upcoming Annual Catalogue...I tied using a nifty trick I saw on Pinterest (my newest time-waster!)  The best thing about this card is that I stamped it using my new Soft Suede ink pad...oohhh...how I love these new pads...can't wait to replace ALL of my colours!  The image quality is absolutely perfect!