It's a Girl!

My friend and co-worker Charissa is like my long lost sister. We joke that we have identical taste buds and that we married what seem like twins. Sure she was born in the Philippines and I was born in North Dakota, but it was truly destiny that we found each other, what with so obviously being separated at birth and all. ha!

This week she found out that the baby that has been making her sick for 18+ weeks is a GIRL! Baby Sophia Rain will arrive in late September, but we need to help cheer up mommy, and NOW.

I just got this adorable set of A2 cards from DCWV, called La Creme. It spoke to my current chandelier / damask obsession.



I ran the already polka-dotted card through my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder for extra dotted action. I then crunched some holes into it using my Crop-A-Dile and added some ribbon and a chipboard flower from my trust Pebbles Chips collection.

I busted out my You Grow Girl and cute preggo girl from StampOutOnline (Did I tell you I was going to abuse these stamps or what? They are just too much fun!). I stamped the girl on adhesive cardstock from DCWV's Christmas stack and trimmed it down to size with my Fiskars cutter. This thing is so exact at cutting, it's ridiculous.

I found this "congratulations" sentiment on my Teresa Collins Bebe Girl Die-Cut Cardstock Card Set. I adhered it with Therm O Web Foam Squares onto the same DCWV pink cardstock as the girl.

For the inside of the card, I stamped "You Grow Girl" and framed it perfectly (Love when that works out!) with another glittery pink gorgeousness from Pebbles Chips.

The new mom also needed a gift card, so I cut one out from the Wild Cards cartridge. I added yet another Pebbles Chips for the "button"on the gift card flap.

Congrats Cha-Cha, we can't wait to meet Sophia!

XO,
-marcia

An April Baby

I have been SO excited to use these adorable stamps, hand-drawn and made for me by StampOutOnline. Could this girl BE any more adorable? I am going to abuse the privilege of this stamp already, I know it.

I set out to work using the New Arrival cartridge, and used the "Card 1" feature to print out this cute preggo girl (page 25). I then stamped the card and the envelope carefully, with my paper on a magazine for extra cush and maximum stampage. Don't these girls look like they were meant to be together?

I then added a liner from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More to the inside of the card, so preggo mama could have a polka-dot dress on. I used my Gypsy so that the "circle punch" wouldn't cut out, making for a nice rounded-corners. Of course, mama also needed a hat and purse, and her accessories are easily cut out from the New Arrival cartridge as well. I glue dotted those for some 3D action.

Babies need lots of new goodies, so I go the mama-to-be a Babies-R-Us gift card. I then cut out this gift card holder from the Wild Cards cartridge.  I used my Fiskars cutter with a scoring blade to make a perfect score.

The gift card fits perfectly, and I just added some bling to make it look like a little clutch. The paper also matches preggo mama's dress.

I then decided to add April's name to the envelope, since baby's name hadn't been announced yet. I used the Sans Serif font cartridge. My super-pointy Fiskars scissors came in handy here in smashing the edges down nicely.

One day after I gave April her card, she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. So already this card is a smash hit I think!

Congrats, April, and blessings on your new baby girl!
Cheers,

-marcia

Molly and the Craft Station

Cupcake Birthday Card: Wild Card Cartridge
 
I had to put my new Cuttlebug to use today, and get ready for some upcoming birthdays. So I grabbed Molly the wonderpup, who just had her lady business removed a couple of weeks ago and needs lots of naps now, and we went to work on making the birthday cupcake card from the Wild Card cartridge. Who doesn't love cupcakes??

I really like this Wild Card cartridge. It makes cranking out shaped cards super-easy -- especially if you have the Gypsy! You can save your cards in there and just print them when you are ready. Ta-da!

I cut this card at 5 inches. You also cut all the liners and phrases you want at 5 inches as well -- it automatically makes everything fit together perfectly. This is especially nice if you don't have a Gypsy.

I have the Fiskars paper cutter, but I bought the replacement blade three-pack, which comes with an orange "scoring blade." It works great.
 
I used all DCWV for the card and Paper Source paper for the envelope. DCWV makes a great Glitter stack, which is what I used for the cupcake frosting and the candle -- they are both super sparkley though you can't really see it in the photo. If you have glimmer mist (which I don't ... sniffles.) you could use that instead.

I used pop-ups so the cupcake frosting would be 3D. I have these ghetto foam ones from Therm O Web (jigga what?), but they work great and I can't justify getting trendy gel flavored ones until I run out. I used my Scotch ATG Gun to put the envelope together--that seems to survive the mail. I used Zig adhesive to put the rest together.

I ran the cupcake "liner" through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder, so in real life it's polka dots on polka dots. FUN! Loving my Cuttlebug already. :)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
Cheers!
-marcia

Wild Card Cartridge:
Flower Birthday + Get Well

I am lucky enough to like my sister-in-law, Jamey. We were friends working at the same company in Florida before my brother snatched her up. Now she lives in North Dakota and I'm in So. Cal., but thanks to the magic of cards, I can still let her know I'm thinking about her .... especially when she falls and gets a major concussion, followed by her birthday two weeks later. Ah!

Get Well Card
I made this Get Well card from the Wild Card cartridge super quick so I could get it in the mail. Wouldn't you know the poor thing came down with tonsillitis while on bed rest for a concussion? If anyone deserves a card in the mail, it is definitely her!

I cut this card out at 6.25 inches. I cut the card in blackout twice -- once with plain paper and once with the patterned paper. I then cut the patterned paper card (from DCWV Stacks) in half and glued it on the front of the card to make a "fun" Band-Aid. I cut out the "liner," which is the "pad" of the Band-Aid. The phrase is "Get Better," and I cut that out at 5.20 so it would fit on the front of the card. If you cut out the "shift" of the liner, then you get the liner for the envelope. Magic!

I glued the whole thing together with Zig Adhesive.

Flower Birthday Card
For her birthday, I used the cute flower card. It is supposed to be a card that says "Bloom Where you Were Planted," but I used the Happy Birthday phrase from the cupcake card instead. I'm not really sure when I would tell someone to go Bloom, but I love this card so I had to find a use for it.
















I cut the card out at 4.75 inches, which is pretty much max for 12x12 paper. I cut the frame out twice; once for the outside of the card in Happy Birthday paper, and once for the inside of the card in light green matching paper (you can kind of see it in the photo). That way it made the inside of the card cute, plus I knew exactly where to write so it didn't write where the front of the card wouldn't cover. Worked out pretty nifty.

I used some "bling" for the middle of the flower on the outside and on the inside. I got a whole kit of blink at Wal-Mart for like $3 when I was driving through Montana last month. Wouldn't you know the Wal-Mary in Glendive, Mont., is actually nice!

I put my birthday phrase in the corner, also in the DCWV Stacks birthday paper.

Last year Jamey was on bed rest, pregnant with my adorable nephew. This year she needed a bright card now that she was free of bed rest from pregnancy and free from the bonk on her head.

Happy Birthday, Jamey! Stay healthy!

Cheers!
-marcia

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

When my hubby left the house for a meeting on Sunday afternoon, I took the time to make his V-Day card and gift, lickety split!

I got the idea to make these adorable fortune cookies from Carrie at Greenbean's Craftrole. So easy and cute! I printed out little sayings on my computer and then stuck them inside. I used my "heart" punch to really Valentine's it up.

 


When Scrapguy wrapped Hershey's Bars for Valentine's, it got my mind working ... only my guy likes mint with this chocolate. So I found these York Peppermint Patties shaped in hearts for V-Day. Ha! I used the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge to print out a plain old tag with rounded edges  at 7 inches wide and 3 inches high. On your Gypsy, you have to click that chain under the inches so you can modify it to your own needs. Then, I just wrapped them right around the candy, and I held it in place with Zots Singles, medium clear adhesive dots.

I used the Gypsy Font (also on Gypsy) to cut out the X, O, and two hearts in coordinating paper. I cut out slightly larger X,O, and two hearts in the same paper and glued them to a plain old kraft paper gift bag from Target. We bought a couple of 10 packs a while pack and I just decorate them up (or not)--it's great as you can use them for boys and girls, young and old.





I then used the heart card on the Wild Card cartridge to make him a cute V-Day card.

I continued my theme and did an X,O, and hearts on the front of the Heart Card.







I used the Heart Card's Liner and the "hugs & kisses" Phrase on the inside. Easy!

I used my Crop-a-Dile and punched a couple of holes so I could wrap the whole thing up with a ribbon, instead of cutting out an envelope.

Hope everyone shares some love with someone that really needs it today!

Hugs!
-marcia