Misc cards

I'm getting ready to leave tomorrow morning for a weekend retreat with an online group. Twenty women are coming from all over the country - I'm so lucky that it's just 20 minutes down the highway from me! We'll be arting away all weekend and enjoying the company of like-minded souls!

I'm posting a few random card projects I've done this week. The first is a birthday card for my sister-in-law who turns 60 on Sat. I love this stamp from Rubber Romance - reminds me of Audrey Hepburn and her classic elegance. This was a fast and easy card - the stamp is embossed with black embossing powder and layered over a piece of black mesh paper with a gingham ribbon on the side. I added rhinestones to add a bit of bling.

The card below is a little "just because" giftie for my Mom who loves to send little notes to friends. I made some of these for her for Christmas last year and she loved them, so when I saw some more cute little Laura Ashley notecards in the $1 bin at Michael's I bought them. These were super simple - I used a Just Rite monogram stamp to stamp her initials on an ivory punched circle and adhered it to the center of the card over a thin strip of brown cardstock. The set of 10 took maybe 10 minutes to whip up and used half a piece of brown cardstock and scraps of ivory, plus the $1 cards!

And at the last moment, the organizer of the retreat asked me to present a technique "make-n-take" so I came up with this card tonight. It's a 5x7" ivory card base (because I had them!). I used Tim Holtz's Shabby Chic resist technique on the navy cardstock layer. The flourishes were stamped and embossed with clear embossing powder, then ivory paint was sparingly brushed over the entire layer. Before the paint was completely dry, I wiped with a damp paper towel, concentrating on the embossed areas to expose the design. I hope everyone will enjoy learning this and making their own card.

If I have a chance, I will try to post over the weekend. If not, I'll be back Sunday night with lots to share!