Elephant-Themed Card Holder

Let me start off by saying, "Arrgggghhh!" Blogger is not cooperating with me today. It wins. If the spacing between paragraphs is off, please pardon Bloggers insistence it be wonky. Ugh.

 

I made this greeting card holder for my daughter Valerie, who loves elephants. She gave me a few sheets of her favorite scrapbook paper from her collection and it worked out fabulously. The background paper is very cool, it simulates elephant hide and feels a bit like leather. I fussy cut the images of the elephants from another sheet and used yet another print on the inside.

The back was done the same way as the front. I was going to fussy-cut the entire elephant, but my daughter told me she really liked it with the background. She has an eye for stuff like that, I like it as well.

The inside print looks like a rock wall and matches the grey color scheme going on. The left side has a corner pocket that can be used for smaller cards that won't fit between the two rings or for letters that accompany the cards my daughters receives. I cut up an envelope and adhered a piece of the printed paper left over from fussy-cutting the elephants on the front.

For the right side I took a library card pouch and attached a square of the elephant hide print card stock and slipped a keepsake tag into it.

See the texture of the this paper? I love it!

 

I'm on the lookout for the perfect beads to slip on the rings.

I'm quite happy with the way this one turned out. It suits what my daughter likes and will be something I hope she can use for years to come.

Photos by dawt on Flickr.

Today We Celebrate Life!

A year ago today my daughter Valerie donated a kidney to my sister Martha. A few of us our getting together to share a meal and appreciate the love and fierce loyalty we have for one another. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure.

Photo: Martha and 3 of her 4 kidney donors (our sister Mary passed away last year). Martha at the forefront, our brother Burt (the hairy dude), my daughter Valerie and our brother John. Each of Martha’s 4 kidney transplants in her 60-years of life have been considered successful. Contrary to popular belief, transplanted organs can last anywhere from a few months to 20 or 30 years.

Please consider organ donation, the ultimate gift of life.

Halloween Cards

Dawn bought a set of the cutest Halloween stamps I ever did see, and, of course, I had to get my grubby little hands on them first. I love this little witch so much! I used colored pencils and markers to doll them up then fussy-cut them and applied them with pop-dots. I stamped more little pumpkins and used Glossy Accents on them then popped them up as well.

I used both sides of the same paper for the card, added the sparkly candy piece and stamped "Trick or Treat" on it. The tiny spider is a sticker. They were a lot of fun to make.

I was going to make my second batch of Halloween cards like this, but there was more to it than I first thought. Whoever gets this one will be receiving a one-of-a-kind. I made more with this adorable little stamp and will upload images of those later.

I stamped extra pumpkins and applied Glossy Accents, let them dry, cut them out and then popped them up with foam pop-dots along the strip and in her little hand. I stamped again and colored her costume and fussy-cut it so I could pop that up as well. Of course, everything is edged with ink to finish it off.

I love this little girl so much, I gave her tiny red Swarovski crystals in her ponytails. I kept the inside simple by using white ink to stamp a tiny Boo! I can just see her saying that in a squeaky little voice when the doors she knocks on are opened.

I made a few more cards, this time using a die-cut that sort of mimics her little pumpkin self. I stood her in a tuft of grass, which was cut from a strand of stickers I’ve had forever.

I popped up the pumpkins again with pop-dots and added tiny little flower beads to her ponytails.

You can’t really see it in the photos, but the eyes, nose and mouth of the big pumpkin sparkles as does her collar, hair and dots on her tights.

 

Again I made the inside simple only this time I embossed the word Boo! instead of stamping it with wh white ink.

 I love this little girl as well, she's so stinkin' adorable!

I believe I'm done with Halloween cards, but I'm thinking about doing a few for Thanksgiving. Then there's Christmas, and if it takes me as long to do those as it did these, I better get going right now!