Fix it Friday

     I knew that when I went to Knollwood this month I wanted to create a card that looked like Santa.  The ladies ask me each year for a Santa card and I have no Santa stamps.  I thought this card was so cute and reminded me of the treat boxes I wanted to give the ladies. Punches and a stamp that's all I needed for such a cute card.

I also thought this card would be a cute card to make in my Christmas Through the Year class but knew I needed to step it up a bit.  Can you see what I did?

1. Used the Fancy Fan embossing folder on Santa's shirt

2. Used the Arrows embossing folder on the belt to give it more texture

3. Finally made holes in the buttons and added some baker's twine to make the buttons look real.

Still a really cute card, but the extra texture makes it even better than the simple version.

Anything But a Card 3-D Thursday

     What would you place inside this cute box?  I love the Curvy Keepsakes box and found this idea for a Santa box.  This was one of the items my stampers made in the Anything But a Card class.  I loved it so much that Linda and I made 12 boxes to take to Knollwood this month as a Christmas gift for the ladies I stamp with.

Template Tuesday Linda's card inspiration

     This was the card base that Linda brought to our Super Snails event.  I like the polka dots don't you?  I usually take cards like this and add them to my pile of things to do later on.  Do you have a pile like that?  Well, lately my mantra I say to myself is finish it up.  So one afternoon I looked at this card base and decided to make it in to a finished card, thinking it might be something I can take to Knollwood the next time I go.

     I wanted the finished card to be simple so I looked at the colors that were already there, Real Red and Old Olive and made this card.  The stamped image was easy because it is from the Tag It set, which has its a matching set of framelits, Chalk Board, to cut it out.  And I found another framelit set, Labels, to cut out an accent piece.  The end product is just what I need for my trip to Knollwood this week.  Thanks Linda for your inspiration.

Christmas for Knollwood

     It's never too early to start on Christmas cards! Right!  So, the ladies at Knollwood agree with that sentiment.  Believe it or not I am still using up some retired paper from last year's Holiday catalog.  I thought this card would make a great simple Christmas card with the 3 banners, and a simple ornament in the middle.  I used the new Christmas Collectible stamp set with the matching Christmas ornament punch. The saying is from the More Merry Messages stamp set which has been carried over from last year.  You can not find it in the catalog, but you can still order it. I think the ladies at Knollwood will like making this card don't you?

Fall Knollwood card

What card should I make this month for my Knollwood ladies?  That is the thought that went through my head this past weekend.  I looked through cards I had already made and found this one.

But when I thought about the needs of the ladies that will be making the card I vetoed it for the following reasons.
1. It would be hard for the ladies to glue down the Thankful.

2. The button would mean extra postage which they would not necessarily have or think of.

I did however like the design and the colors of the designer paper, so this is what I came up with for one of the cards we will be making this month.

Simple cards for Knollwood

 

 

     Designer paper can make a card easy to put together.  The last time I went to Knollwood to make cards with the Senior ladies I took this card.  I had pre-punched all the flowers, and the extra large oval.  Each lady then stamped the words which I then punched out.  This may seem way too easy for you and I but is just right for the ladies that stamp with me.  They have two sides of DSP to choose from so each card can look so very different.  Since they are all on a limited income, and never purchase anything from me, I am able to use up retired supplies I over purchased. Imagine that! over purchasing.

 

    

    I loved the designer paper on this card and thought the saying from the set called Really Good Greetings, had a different way of saying Happy Birthday.  We stamped the words Happy Birthday on the inside.
   I have said it before but going to Knollwood and making cards with the ladies that live there is such a positive experience for me, it makes my day so much brighter.



Cards for the Seniors

     Last Thursday was my day to go to Knollwood and stamp with the seniors.  This is the first card they made.  I had posted a similar card I copied from Mary Fish.  I changed it up for the seniors thinking they would like to vary the colors they placed on each square and I was right. Notice that the saying has been stamped and then punched out.  I learned very quickly that I needed to do that because the ladies often rock the stamp and get unwanted lines.  Nothing like a punch to eliminate unwanted lines.

     I designed this card to help me use up some retired designer paper.  The ladies love using Designer paper and often use the reverse side from what I did.  They placed the pieces on their cards in several different ways which sometimes looked better than mine.

Cards for Senior Citizens

  Yesterday was my day to stamp at a local Assisted Living Facility.  I love going there and this time my granddaughter, Abby, came with me. She was a natural and as you can imagine the ladies loved her.  This is one of the cards I had ready for the ladies to make.  I use up retired supplies when I go.  I thought this card could be used for several different occasions, Father's Day, 4th of July or birthdays.  One lady said she thought it could be used for someone that was in the military.

     This was the second card the ladies made.  I prepunched the butterflies, but had them stamp the saying and then punched that out for them also.  The paper I used was from a retired Designer paper stack.  I loved the ease with which they could be used.  I always feel so good when I leave Knollwood.  Working with the ladies is very rewarding and they are so appreciative of whatever I bring for them to make.

Simple Dress Up Card

Wouldn't you love a dress like this one?

     Did you love paper dolls as a kid?  I think I liked them better than 3-D dolls.  I remember making homes on the living room floor for all my paper dolls.  I think that is why the Dress Up framelit is one of my favorites.  Each time I use it, I can quickly make a new outfit.  This card was the second card we made a Knollwood last month.  And definitely a favorite.

1.  The swirled image from the stamp set, Everything Eleanor can be placed any way on the dress form and look just fine.

2.  The saying is pre-stamped and then punched out.  This eliminates the need to restamp, or even redo the entire card.

3.The designer paper background ties the card together.

4. For the final touch I pre-tied the bow and just used a glue dot to attach it to the card.

    With a little prep at home I was able to create a card that every lady at Knollwood could assemble and have look as good as my sample card.  What colors would you use to make a similar card?

Simple is Good

A simple card that says it all

     Do you love the idea of a simple card?  I think there is as much elegance in a simply made card as there is in one that takes a long time to make.  This is one of the cards I took to Knollwood, an Assisted Living Facility I volunteer at once a month.  I know that the cards I take need to be simple.  But, I want the cards to have a great look that the ladies I stamp with will be proud of. What do I mean by simple?

1.  Use of designer paper gives a great look without lots of stamping. Two sided designs give the person some individual choices.

2. A simple saying that can be stamped and then punched as an accent in case the stamping is a little crooked.

3. Pre-punched shapes that can be placed wherever the person wants on the card.

    I loved how this card turned out and so did my lady friends at Knollwood.  How easy would it be for you to duplicate this simple card?

Simple cards for Knollwood Retirement center

     Yesterday was my day to go to Knollwood and stamp with the ladies that live there.  They wanted Valentine cards when we talked last month, but I thought they might like cards that could be used for multiple reasons.  Here is what I look for in a card I take to Knollwood.

1.  Multiple layers that can be glued together.

2. Simple stamping that is done on a separate piece of paper.(That way if there is a mistake made in the stamping it does not ruin the card.

3.  A WOW design that they will love making.

     You can see how this card meets all my requirements.  All the punching except for the heart was done ahead of time.  I chose the second card they made because of the shimmer paper.  Check it out here.  Can you see why I chose this card?