Bunny time!

Hi, all!

Yup, it's getting closer to "Bunny" time every day, isn't it?  I have been enjoying the fact that I'm home now & have time to actually work on my Easter cards during the day without that scramble to work on them after work.  I'm loving retirement!  ha ha

I made this first one with a darling free digi I got at Bugaboo Stamps.  They have a freebie every Friday, and some adorable digi stamps, so check them out!

 I matted this cute bunny with a beautiful doily die that my friend Peggy sent me on my birthday!  She belongs to a die club & she had never seen me use this one, so she cut it out for me & included it with some others I didn't have.  I almost hated to cover it up, the inside is so gorgeous, but it made the perfect frame for this image.  Needless to say, I intend to get this one now!

This card was done with a Stampendous stamp.  I popped the sentiment up with pop dots & matted it with a Lifestyle Nesting Frame 2, which just happened to have the same exact shape!

Well, back to the drawing board!  Hopefully, I've gotten you in the Easter mood! lol

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!  We are supposed to have glorious warm temperatures today!

Sherri

Oops!

Hi again,

As you can see from the title of today's post, I had an "Oops!" moment.  I have been trying to work ahead on some projects & get myself caught up, which explains why I haven't posted every day this past week. I've been making cards like crazy, but they are all for future design team posts.  It was my intention on Wed. to share my garden bench card with you & direct your attention over to the Dies R Us Blog  for the full instructions.  It completely slipped my mind, so I've decided it is always "better late than never" and I'm sharing it now. This is the front of your completed card.  It's pretty simple & not too exciting.....UNTIL you open it up!

 Here is the card that you see when you open it up! A beautiful garden bench appears!

I've listed all the dies I used on this past Wednesday's Dies R Us blog if you are interested.  I love this card & think it would be really fun to send to someone special. 

I'll be back tomorrow with some Easter offerings!  Have a great weekend!!

Sherri

Rain Rain Go Away!

Hi, again!

Hard to believe Friday has come again already!  The weeks are just flying by, and even though we are still getting reminders that Old Man Winter isn't "quite" ready to call it a day, it's easy to see that spring is almost here!  And with spring weather, come April showers!  Today's challenge #81 at QKR Stampede is "Rain Rain Go Away!" and you must show rain, raindrops or water.  I've chosen another cute critter for my card for today, Chicken Little -  digi # 24296.

Don't you love that face! I paper pieced the umbrella and used a Spellbinder A2 Filigree Delight die.  The sentiment is computer generated & cut with a Spellbinder tag die.  I'm hoping this card will put a smile on someone's face when they are having a bad day or going through a rough time.

I hope you will join in the fun & win yourself some free digi stamps in the process! There are tons of cute stamps to choose from!

Have a great weekend!
Sherri

Birthday Bonanza!

Hello everyone!

Today I have several birthday cards to share.  One for a little girl, one for a little boy & one for a BIG boy! (A big boy who hopefully has a sense of humor!)   I'll start with that card first!

 I've had several stamps for years that have both a "front" and a "back" and every now & then I drag them out just because they are so much fun to do & cause such a surprise to the recipient.  I think they were from Inky Antics, but have lost the original packaging.  I added some lines to the front of the card to make it look like a house.

This is the inside.  I smile every time I look at it.  I hope the person who gets it will smile too!

This next card is for a little girl.  It's a Lili of the Valley stamp & I used a Spellbinder die to mat it.

And the last card is for a little boy.  This one is done with a Mo Manning digi image.

Enjoy the weekend!  It looks like our weather is going to be on the cold & wintery side. Darn!

Catch you later!
Sherri

A Little Birdie Told Me....

Hi, everyone!

Can you believe it is already nearing the last days of March?  Spring will be here before we know it, followed by summer, where we will probably all be complaining about the hot weather & wishing it was cold again!

Today's challenge theme at QKR Stampede is "A Little Birdie Told Me" & I want to share this card  using a darling little bird (complete with his aviator's cap) from QKR Stampede. He is digi# 14623 (Flying Birdie) and the sentiment on the top of the card is digi# 14307.  I decided to make him a step card & create a little scene.

I did the grass with a border punch.  The fence is from Die-namics, the cat from Impression Obsession, the clouds from Memory Box, the branch from Impression Obsession & the banner from Spellbinders. Whew, that's a lot of dies for such a small card!

Be sure to hop on over to QKR Stampede's blog  & join this week's challenge for the chance to win some free stamps! I'd love to see you there! I get such a kick out of seeing how creative our blog followers are! Wow!

Back to work for me!  Catch you all again later!
Sherri

Oh, so hectic!

Hi, everyone!

Sorry I haven't been posting the past couple of days, but it has been a busy time for me.  In addition to working on a project, I was out of town this weekend to attend the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for my grandson Josh.  He is now officially an Eagle Scout!  I'm sure a lot of you have already gotten the email (complete with pictures, of course) telling you all about his special day, but for those of you who are new to my blog, I just have to mention it again!  ha ha  Not that I'm bursting with pride or anything!  About to explode with it, would be more accurate!  He is an awesome person and so are his parents! I can't get a photo to post here and the ones I took all have an orange cast from the church lighting, but one of these days I will have a photo for you.

On to today's cards...I have some more kid's birthday cards to share today.  The first is a girl's card done with a digi from Sassy Cheryl.

The paper is from Recollections and she is colored with Prismacolor markers. I used a Spellbinder Decorative Labels One to mat her & the Celebrate sentiment was cut with a Spellbinders tag.

We can't forget the boys, now can we!  This little guy is also from Sassy Cheryl.  Spellbinder A2 Polka Dots die for the sentiment and some ivy from Cheery Lynn Corner Ivy Flourish & he was finished.  I even added the ivy to the inside!

Since this is Wednesday, be sure to head on over to the Dies R Us blog to see my post for this week! I've used some really "fancy" dies to create accordion cards & I'm sure you will want to see the new dies that create them!  They look really complicated, but in reality, it just takes 4 steps to put them together & they are really striking when done.  Here is a peek for you!

Well, I've got to get busy & get caught up!  I'll be back tomorrow though!  Have a great day!
Sherri

Challenge #79-Anything Goes

Hi, everyone!

Where does the time go?  It's hard to believe we are already into our second QKR Stampede challenge for March!  I hope everyone will join in this week and play along with us.  The challenge this week is "Anything Goes" and that always gives you such a lot of creative room.  While I was looking for my digi for this week, I fell in love with this little gal #6904 -Out on the  Course.  I'm not a golfer, but I decided she was just too cute to pass up!

I decided to do some paper piecing on her and even paper pieced the hearts on her panties!  I cut her out with a Spellbinders Adorning Squares and used another Spellbinder tag for the sentiment which was computer generated.  The flower was from my stash.  The paper was from Recollections.

Well, are you ready to go to the QKR Stampede blog & enter YOUR card for this fun challenge? I sure hope so!

Have a terrific weekend!  One of these days, spring WILL arrive and it WILL be warm enough to golf!

Sherri

Weddings

Happy Hump Day, everyone!

Well, you are halfway through your week today & I hope it has been a good one so far.  I'm still concentrating on finishing some cards I need & since some of them are wedding cards, I'm sharing a couple of those today.

 This first card was done with an embossing folder and dies from Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight. Doesn't it make an elegant card?  You can add pearls or flowers to it if you wish, but I tried to keep it simple so it would mail easier.

This card was also done using an embossing folder as the background.  It gives you such a beautiful canvas to start with and they come in such a variety of patterns!  I stamped the birds with an old Stampendous stamp and used Spellbinders D-Lites Window 2 over it. The sentiment was stamped & cut with one of the Spellbinders Shapeabilities fancy Tags 2.  All of these dies can be purchased at Dies R Us.  They carry 22 different die companies and are adding new ones every day!  If you click on the link to their blog, you will find tons of new ideas posted every day.  Check out the wedding card I posted there today if you are interested in making your own flowers instead of buying them! Here is a sneak peek at my card!

Hope to see you there!  I'll explain how to make the flowers & which die you need!

Sherri

From Boys to Men

Hi, everyone!

Before I go any farther, I simply have to tell you that I saw my first robins today!  Five of them!!!  So, even though it is raining right now & supposed to turn to snow later this afternoon, that has to be a good sign, right?  Spring REALLY is going to come!

Today I have birthday cards for a little boy and a BIG boy!  lol   If you know me, you know guy cards are not my favorite.  They never will be.  I'd much rather play with the lacy dies, the ribbons, flowers and fun stuff!  But since we all have males in our lives, sometimes you just need to suck it up and make a guy card! lol

 This first card for the little guy is a combination of a digi from Mo Manning & a stamp from a set in my kid's stash. At one time I had the great idea to take all my unmounted stamps & store them in CD cases.  Not a bad idea, but unfortunately, I didn't think ahead & include the name of the stamp company in the cases! In my defense, it was pre-blogger days and I had no idea I would ever need to know the stamp company!

This is another Mo Manning digi for the BIG guy!  It won't be long & everyone will be grilling.  We all know how guys love to grill!

Both of these cards were pretty basic today.  Now I'm going to go play with something fun! Catch you all tomorrow!

Sherri

Variety is the spice of life!

Happy Monday!

And it IS a happy Monday!!  It is already up to 50 degrees (yes, ABOVE zero!!) and headed for a high of 62 today!  But enjoy it!  Just when you think Mother Nature has finally had enough fun tormenting us with wicked weather, they are saying rain/snow for tomorrow & much colder.  And the same thing for Saturday night.  Will someone PLEASE give her some chocolate!!

I've been working on a lot of cards and a big variety so I thought I would share a few this morning. The first two were done with a cutting die I bought in Kansas City last October.  It was a new company I hadn't heard of called Ellentina, but they had a huge selection & I bought quite a few from them.  The first time I tried using this die, I wasn't too happy with the results, but I discovered if I used a sheet of cardstock over it as a shim, it cuts perfectly!  I used it first as a sympathy card and next as a wedding card background. It's beautiful enough to stand on it's own with just a sentiment, isn't it?

 I needed some "girl" birthday cards and what says girl more than lace & fairies?  This little gal is from A Day For Daisies.  I cut her out with Spellbinders Decorative Label Eight.

 And finally, I thought this happy elephant would be a perfect choice for a kid's birthday card.  He is from Our Craft Lounge and I cut him out with a Joy Craft 6002/0147 square.  This is one of my favorite dies & also comes in a rectangle shape.

I hope that gave you just a peek into what I've been up to.  I'll be back tomorrow with something new! I hope you can go outside & enjoy this beautiful weather!

Sherri

Color Challenge!

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week & is ready to enjoy a relaxing weekend!  Today, of course, is our weekly challenge at QKR Stampede.  Today's challenge #78 is "Color Challenge Photo Inspired (green) and of course, the first thing to enter my mind was the obvious!  St. Patrick's Day!  So, I was thrilled to find just the perfect digi in #10003 Irish Bear!  LOVE his cute face! But then, I think I love ALL the critters at QKR!

 I wanted to use this beautiful paper from my stash. Unfortunately, the cover was missing on the pad so I can't tell you what company it came from.  The gingham, however, came from Creative Imaginations. I wanted a clover behind him, but had to get creative & make one from a Spellbinder Heart die.  Of course, you have to have glitter on his pot of gold & the shamrock in his hat!  The glittery shamrock was from a pkg. I got at Hobby Lobby last year on sale.

The inside is also decorated and you can see the dimension on the shamrock a little better from this angle.

I hope you all join in on the fun!  I can't wait to see what your creative imaginations come up with!

Sherri

Flower Power!

Happy Hump Day!

Ladies, the sun is shining & it is up to 26 degrees already!!  Hurray!!!!  What a perfect day!  I hope you are all having a great one too!

Today, I'm sharing some cards with flowers.  Not the stamped kind, the "made by hand" kind!  I've been busily making flowers for some cards for 2 days & I have to say, I have really been enjoying it!  These little flowers are almost foolproof!  If I didn't have a lot of "man" birthday cards to do today, I would probably still be making flowers!

 This first card in yellow was done with Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles, Cheery Lynn Designs Miniature Rose, Memory Box Tiny Tendril and Die-namics Mini Hybrid Heirloom Rose.  The "mini" rose from Die-namics is actually the large yellow flower so as not to confuse you.

 The second card was done with just the Cheery Lynn Designs Miniature Rose, Memory Box Tiny Tendrils and Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles.

And finally, our last one was done with Cheery Lynn DDesigns Miniature Rose, Memory Box Tiny Tendrils and Spellbinders Majestic Labels 25.

I think using the flowers just kind of brings out the beauty of the dies, doesn't it? And the nice thing about the miniature roses is that they are not super dimensional & should mail quite nicely!  You can puff them up with your fingers for a dramatic look or press them down easily for mailing and either way they are still beautiful! I have a ton of other ideas running around in my head for these roses, but off to work on "guy" cards for now!

Don't forget to stop at the Dies R Us blog today too!  Leave them a comment & you will be entered to win one of ten gift certificates they are giving away to celebrate their new blog and our design team!

Back tomorrow with a guy card!

Sherri

Pretty in Pink!

Good morning, everyone!

I hope you are having a great day!  We actually have some sunshine this morning. (I THINK it's sun, it's been awhile since we've seen it!)  I'm going to enjoy it while I can since we are supposed to get snow this afternoon.  And if you believe some of the forecasters, it will be accompanied by sleet!  I'm hoping they are wrong!

Today I have a pretty little fairy from A Day For Daisies.  I love their digi stamps! They are not the usual thing and fun to color up for a change of pace.  I used Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles for this card, and the largest die in the set for the card itself. This is an easy thing to do, if you have never tried it. Place your die on your folded card, leaving just enough at the top to make sure your card will stay connected. Cut & set aside. Cut a second die out of a single thickness of paper & glue that to the front of your card to cover up where the fold is.  It makes a beautiful card!

This is one of my favorite Spellbinder dies & I use it all the time!  It's available at Dies R Us if you want to add it to your collection too!

I'd better get back to work! Have a great day, and I'll see you again tomorrow!

Sherri

News Flash!!!!

Hi, everyone!

Today's post will be an exciting one for me, as I will get to announce some wonderful news!  I have been selected to be one of five new design team members for Dies R Us!  I first became acquainted with this company as a customer, actually, and when they posted an opening for a new design team they were forming, I was quick to respond!  If you know me, you know I am choosy about what companies & products I endorse.  As a customer, I got speedy service for the dies I ordered and they carry a LOT of different die brands under one roof!  No more ordering a die here and another from a different company & paying separate shipping on both. Please go check out their store:  Dies R US and also check out the Dies R Us Blog too!  We will be posting new ideas to get your creativity kick started every day.  (My day to post is Wed)  If you leave a comment on the blog, you will automatically be entered to win one of ten $10 gift certificates to their store!  How great is that!!

Today I have a birthday card to share.  It's part of the "girl" birthday cards I'm making & I used a Lili of the Valley stamp for this sweetie.  She is cut out with a Spellbinders Floral Oval & the flowers & papers are from my stash.

The sentiment was cut with a Spellbinder tag die.  I'm hoping some little girl will love this card as much as I do.

Off to run errands so I can spend the afternoon working on more cards! The snow has stopped & I had the walk & drive shoveled out by 9:30 this morning.  Although they said the wind chill was -39 while I was out there, I was bundled up almost as much as those poor little kids you see whose moms send them out to play in the snow with so many clothes on that they can't move their arms or legs!  It's going to be 19 below tonight!  Temperature.....NOT wind chill!!  Remind me again why I live in Iowa!!!

See you tomorrow!
Sherri

Baby it's cold outside!

Happy Saturday!

I hope wherever you are it is warm and sunny!  And I wish I was there with you!!  It's 3 above zero here and still snowing! I don't know what we did to Mother Nature this year to get her panties in such a bunch, but I hope she gets over it soon & lets spring arrive!

Yesterday I shared a darling little bear with you from QKR Stampede's digi shop.  While I made that card into a "get well/hang in there" greeting, I also made some baby cards with him.

All these cards were done with the same digi, but by using different background paper & paper piecing, you end up with entirely different cards. Isn't it funny what a change of sentiment or a change in paper will do to completely change a card's direction and allow you to get the most out of a digi ? By changing the sentiment to something like "Just hanging around to wish you a happy birthday" you could go off on yet another direction!

I'm off to work on  cards.  I have a lot of the dreaded "man" cards to do today!  Wish me luck!  Those are never as much fun when you can't use all the lacy dies and ribbons you would with a gal's card!

Catch you all tomorrow!  Stay warm & safe!
Sherri