Pinterest Inspiration! April 2012

Just a note to let you all know I will be working on some end-of-the-year teacher cards, Mother's Day cards, and at least one graduation card.  I won't post those until I've given them.  Until then, please enjoy some of my favorite Pinterest Cards I've pinned from my favorite card-makers!

So pretty and balanced!
Kathy Martin

Love the monochromatic colors and clean stamping!
Tiffany Bauer

This is all my computer would allow tonight!  Hope you gain some inspiration!  I certainly have!

Hadley's Mini Album

Now that Hadley (my great-niece)  is one year old, and it is my sister's birthday, I decided to spend Good Friday fulfilling a promise--making a Mini Album for my sister's second grand baby.  I had a blast making this one because I actually shopped for special papers and a few embellishments.  I have seen a lot of mini-albums and they are all beautiful, but I have decided that less is more.  I am thinking when we add pictures, we can add more tags, envelopes, or fold-outs as necessary.

The Cover

Saturday at Hadley's party I found out that I'm going to be a Great Aunt again!!  I have one more chipboard book in the style above.  I'm thinking I should have bought several more!

Supplies--

• Mary Engelbreit Chipboard Book--Michaels
• Bazzil Cardstock assorted colors
• Little Yellow Bicycle:  Tiny Princess
• Recollections card stock and floral embellishments
• Cricut cut outs--Dress, Purse and Lady Bug--Paisley
• Ribbons from Michaels
• K&Company Die Cut Cardstock:  Susan Winget

Happy Birthday Sister

Birthday Card for my Sister

My Sister and I try to give each other humorous cards for our Birthdays.  We feel it's best to laugh at getting a little older instead of crying!  What I love about this card is the outside suggests a syrupy, soggy sentiment on the inside.  Not so!  The inside reads:  "I smile because you are my sister. I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it!!"  I saw that quote on Pinterest and could not resist.

My Sister loves purple so I tried my best to make this card as purply as possible. I didn't have a lot of purple prints in my stash, only plain purples.  So I decided to use  PTI technique and stamp Delightful Dahlia stamp set to stamp a background on the lighter purple to add depth and interest.  I love how that turned out.  The sentiment is from the 2012 Birthday Tags stamp set.   I also used the Limitless Layers Oval Die Set for the sentiment.  The cream background is from Anna Griffin Designer pack that had flocked bunnies and chicks.  I thought that would be a subtle reference to Easter, since her birthday is it falls around Easter from time to time.  She was born on the 6th of April, so this year her birthday fell on Good Friday.

The inspiration for this card came from Ann Kranitz Stamp with Me.  I love her card and design.  With a little more practice, I hope to get as good as she is!

Ann Kranitz--Stamp with Me

Easter!

Here is a simple Easter card I made to send to my son who lives in Florida.  I wanted it to be sunshiny and happy!

Cricut:  Gypsy Wandering--Grass and Bunny

The front of the card is made with the bunny and grass from Gypsy Wandering.  I truly don't know what I'd do without that cartridge.  It is so versatile!  I see now that I forgot to remove the eye.  I'll probably stick a diamond bling on it.

Cricuit:  Alphalicious for the lettering
Gypsy Wandering for the tag
Martha Stewart punch
PTI--Beautiful Blooms stamping

I have been watching a lot of Make It Monday tapes from the Papertrey Ink gang, and I finally tried a stamping technique that uses about the same color ink as the background.  Except for a few mis-stamps, I love the technique and will use it a lot more.

This card will be sent with love to my son with some of his favorite Easter candy!

Super STAAR!

About this time every year, the state assessment cycle begins.  What is different about this year is the State of Texas is rolling out a new, more rigorous test called STAAR.  It does not matter what the name of the test is, every year I like to make cards of encouragement for my teachers.  Below is a picture of the 1st round of cards for 4th Writing and 5th Reading and Math teachers.  In April, 3rd and 4th teachers will be testing math and reading.  In May, I will celebrate the efforts of all of the primary teachers with their own special card.

STAAR Card--2012
Cricut--Gypsy Wanderings
PTI Banner Die

On the inside I wrote:  for being a...

STAAR Card -- 2012
Cricut:  Gypsy Font

I think they enjoyed them!

Baby Card--Twins!!

It has been a Baby parade at one of my campuses for the past 3 years.  One of the last teachers to start her family (that I know of) is actually having twins in September!  Since the fall of 2009 I have made cards for 12 Baby Showers and one more to go below.  In addition, there have been no fewer than 5 Wedding Showers.  It seems like more, but I think that is an accurate count.  I did not take pictures of the other Baby or Wedding Shower cards, but I do have my sweet mother-to-be of twins' card.

Cricut:  Gypsy Wanderings--Baby Bottles
A Child's Year & Gypsy Font for sentiment

Because my teacher is having twins, I wanted to play off of an old pun: "Double Trouble."  But because I can't think of little ones as trouble, I changed it to "Double blessings."

The stamp is from a baby sentiment stamp set I purchased
at Michaels.

I used my Gypsy to weld the lettering together.  I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my Gypsy!

I hope you enjoy the card!

PTI March 2012 Blog Hop

Spring inspiration:  Aqua and Yellow

I've only participated in one other Papertrey Ink Blog Hop and it was grand fun!  I finally had some time this weekend to participate in this month's challenge.

The graduation season is upon us, and a good friend of my boys is going to graduate in May to become a teacher!  I'm so excited for her.  This month's color inspiration works so well for both graduation and a "springy" card.  I used PTI Framed Out #2 Stamp Set and die to make this card.  the cardstock is PTI aqua mist and basic yellow cardstock from my stash for the base colors.  I added a little bling and Diamond Stickles to finish the card.

Thanks for dropping by!