Occasions Catalog Card Swap

Hello again! One more quick post about cards made with items from the Occasions catalog. Better late than never, I guess! We were to send a dozen each of 2 cards. I decided to make one feminine and one masculine. Why not, right? I love the Adventure Awaits stamp set and coordinating paper stack. They were #1 on my preorder. I am so disappointed they didn't carry over, but the set will remain in my permanent collection! It's so great for graduation, retirement, weddings, encouragement, home decor pieces... YES to all of that. Can be used for either feminine or masculine projects!

Here is the variety of masculine cards I made with a single design but a variety of papers. I used the Perpetual Birthday Calendar splatter stamp (happy this carries over) and burlap ribbon for texture (more happy). The Starburst frame makes a great layer for the round sentiment. The center is Sahara Sand, stamped with Versamark and embossed with the retired Early Espresso embossing powder. I'll be honest, I was somewhat disappointed at the items that didn't live on in the new annual catalog, but I have a decent sized wish list anyway! Looking forward to making lots of lovely new projects with the toys I will acquire in the next several months.

The feminine cards I made used Sale A Bration papers and a sentiment from a SAB set, and the Love Is Kindness single stamp which I won in a catalog preview prize patrol. I'll be honest, this stamp doesn't really float my boat, but I wanted to use it at least once! I colored it with Blendabilities markers (RIP).

I got back lots of lovely cards in return. My upline is hours away but I was able to participate by mail at her last event. Hoping there will be another soon featuring the new annual catalog!

Have a great day!
Becca

Mom's birthday card - Look Who's Turning 60!

Hello everyone! Long time no post. Oops. I had hoped to get this posted before the end of the Occasions catalog but it just didn't happen. As you may have gathered, I make a special card for my mom every year. This year was a big one! She turned 60. Anything with a zero deserves extra attention, don't you think? I knew I couldn't top 40 or 50, so I decided to keep it a little simpler this time around. Mom lives 5+ hours away, so we don't see each other as much as I'd like. As it turned out, my stepdad had a pacemaker put in while we were scheduled to be in town, so it was good timing for all.

I decided to make an accordion-style card with a candle for each year. I had a lot of scraps (YES Mom is worthy of cutting into fresh paper but let's not get all crazy here) that would work well as candles. Lots of colors, patterns, finishes - and different lengths and widths. I used the Stampin' Up Bird Builder punch to make the flames - the wings are just perfect. I clipped out a few different yellows for flames. I had purchased a card kit from the Occasions catalog and the matching stamp set, Hooray It's Your Day. Perfect for the front.

These photos are all taken in Mom's piano studio. She teaches piano to a number of kids in her area, and has been playing since she was 9 years old. Plus, she has been an organist since she was 15! She's fantastic. The photo below was saved in a larger format, so if you click on it you should be able to see the details pretty well.

So, this is a cropped photo of the card extended across the keyboard of her piano. I love this piano. It was built in the 20's and it is gorgeous. Many, many years ago as a gift, my grandmother paid for a restoration. There were little pieces of the woodwork missing, and some of the keys were a little cracked, so they were refinished and new veneers added where necessary. Here is the full photo - you can see some of the intricate carving that adorns the face and some books, etc., that are out for the next student. Such a gorgeous instrument.

Here are a couple more photos of the card folded in a little, and turned on its back so you can see how thick it got. I delivered it in a little gift bag from Target. :)

Anyway, this was really fun to make (took longer than I thought it would - as usual) and Mom loved it. We gave it to her over breakfast at our hotel next to the hospital. She took it to the church where she works later to show it off. I love doing something just a little different for Mom. Making cards with the recipient in mind is so rewarding!

Have a great weekend! It's graduation weekend here and we are off to some open houses this afternoon. My daughter just finished her junior year, so we are in the home stretch and I'll be doing open house madness again before I know it!

Thanks for stopping by!
Becca