Sweet Peas Growing in Vines

Not so long ago my Mother needed a sympathy card, so we got PTI's With Sympathy out, and started working with it. I, of course, needed baby cards, not sympathy cards, so here is what my cards looked like, lol!!

Those are older SU felt flowers with little gold half pearls in the center. The sweet pea baby is a Lockhart stamp.

Where to begin?

Oh me, oh my, what a past 10 days I have had! My handicapped nephew was home from school for a week, and my 78 year old mom was his primary caregiver. Except, on Tuesday she had to bow out because she didn't feel so well. Haydn is 24 hour care, and is a bit of work! I was the one who was most free for the week...So we got through the week, and I went to work Saturday night- then at midnight my brother brought my mother is with shortness of breath. Within 24 hours she had had a cardiac echo, a cardiac catheterization, and a double stent placement. Meanwhile, back on the Birthing Unit, one of the night nurses called in- she has mononucleosis, and will be out for 4-6 weeks...and she's full time! Ouch! Honestly, I am carrying around a sheet of paper telling me where I have to be, when, and what I have to do! And, like many of you, we are at 19 straight days of rain...but who's counting???


I did get 2 cards made last night- at 1 am when I was supposed to go to work but they called to tell me I could stay home for the time being! Ok, now that you woke me up, I am going upstairs to make cards!

This is a sympathy card using a piece of alcohol inked background that happens to match Papertrey's new color, Scarlet Jewel. I smooshed the edges of the Scarlet Jewel with Versamark's Champagne to make it into shimmer paper- it looks great! I stamped the sentiment from With Sympathy(Papertrey) in Archival Ink Jet Black (it works the best on alcohol inks) then edged the piece with a gold Pilot pen. The card base is Papertrey's Lavender Moon.

When I put ink on chromkote paper, it gets hard to photograph without glare...sorry!


Here's a closeup of the 'shimmer' I got. I did another piece of Jewel by just pushing the ink pad gently onto the paper, and got a much less pronounced shimmer- coming soon to a card near you, lol!!

Be sure and click onto the photo and blow it up- then you can really see the shimmer better, I think-

Butterfly for a Baby~

I had a request for a card I've never made before; a 'Congratulations on your Pregnancy' card. without an image of a pregnant woman, and not knowing if humor was ok, I came up with this idea... well, that and a new stamp from last weeks shopping spree!

The butterfly image was stamped and embossed with gold on a piece of paper covered with Tattered Angels spray. I must say I have had very little success with this stuff, and am ready to pitch 5 bottles into the trash. I get nothing but blobs, and even blobs that spray a long distance, lol! Well, this little piece does look nice as a butterfly!

The image was then gold embossed on a piece of cream on cream patterned paper. Next layer down is a piece of Kromekote with Copic refills used as 'ink'. I was lucky to have some colors that looked similar enough to the sprayed colors. I edged with a gold pen, and layered on SU's Pink Pirouette textured paper. The little 'It's a Girl!' sentiment on a tag tied to the organdy bow is the only indication of what the card is for.

Inside is a leftover piece of the alcohol inked background, a leftover embossed butterfly, and a sentiment from SU (Full of Life). That and a wheensy piece of fuzz that snuck into the picture!

I used a SU flourish (Doodle This) and a Papertrey butterfly (With Sympathy) to finish off the envelope.

So, ok, I see the butterfly is crooked. I folded the wings up, which left just a bit of body to attach to the card with adhesive. guess I'll go realign it, and put some glue dots on to hold it better!!

CPS 104

Have you ever thought you needed to do something, but kept putting it off? Of course you have! Then there is a nudge of some kind and it's like this ethereal moment where you realize you have to do it? lol, well that was me this week! I have been thinking I should send Nichole Heady some kind of note about how splendid the PapertreyInk anniversary festivities were for me, and how much I appreciate all of the inspiring work she does. But well, you know... it kept falling to the bottom of the to do pile. Then earlier this week there was the CPS challenge... and then there were all of the PTI DT sending Nichole 'Thanks for Your Inspiration' cards... and...ahem... I guess this is the right moment, lol!

Card base is Spring Moss. The DP is Basic Grey Porcelain. I stamped the flourish from With Sympathy in Spring Moss on Stampers Select, then did the flowers in Palette's Belle Rose. I inked up some Stampers Select with Belle Rose, then punched out the Martha Stewart butterfly and bunny. The butterflies also have some Fruit Punch Stickles on them just for some glitter factor. Ribbon is Spring Moss and Berry Sorbet twill. Sentiments come from Mixed Messages and Out On A Limb Sentiments, they are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black. Little brads from Making Memories. Nichole's name in Simple Alphabet, of course!

It's not very often I send a card like this- indeed, maybe this will be the first time I have. Nichole has just been so inspiring to me (as have all of the DT); in the past 3 weeks I have been the most creative I have ever been, I think.

Thanks, Nichole, I appreciate that!