Summer Fun Card Fronts

A few years ago, before I became more of a card maker, I used to belong to this card club. This business closed years ago, probably at least 4 or 5 years now. Each month they sent me a kit with all of the parts that I could make 2 cards. I loved these kits, but sometimes they lacked a little something. Another gripe I had was often times, like when it included ribbon, it was such a small amount. So if you weren't good at tying bows, there was no room for error. I still have many many of the kits they sent sitting in a drawer un-assembled. So I dug one out and took it apart. Here was their sample: I cut the cards apart which gave me 4 card fronts. I trimmed them down, and added a mat layer of black. I made the black mat at 3 3/4" x 5. The receiver can mat it down to a white card, or choose another color card.

Then I decided to make a few more of my own. The top 2 cards used the green layer that I had from cutting the cards I made above. The bottom 2 are some green I had on hand, which I ran through my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder by Stampin' Up. The flip flop embellishments I bought many years ago from a big box store. I typed up my own sentiments in, I believe it is, Word Perfect. The ribbons are all stuff I had on hand.

And another version with green ribbon and a lighter shade of green.

I just wanted to show how you can add a little and make a so so card look even better. And when you find a layout that you like, change some accessories to give it a different look.

These will be for my Summer Fun Card Front theme on my favorite MB.

Based on a sketch swap

I made these 2 cards for my Based on a Sketch swap in January. The embossed pieces are actually from a RAK I received some time ago. Someone (I think it may have been LKRhodes) embossed some cardstock pieces for me in white. I added a little color with the purple and used them on my cards. There were a few different styles in the stack, this is just two that I used. The flower I made using Stampin Up's 5 petal flower (punched 2 times) and a 5 petal smaller punch (also punched 2 times) which is now retired, and I am unsure what it is called. The center is just a large white brad. The sentiments are from Stampin Up's set "Curly Cute".

Card Front swap

I am trying to get back into the swing of taking pictures of my swaps. It isn't always easy to remember! These were the swaps I made for my "based on a sketch" theme for my card front swap on my favorite MB. I had received a bunch of pieces of cardstock that someone had embossed for me a few years ago, and they have been sitting here, while I didn't know what to do with them. Well, I pulled them out, used some inks to rub over the image to give it some detail and added them to the card. I added the hand made flower and voila! You can't tell from the picture, but the ends of the banner are raised slightly to give the illusion that the banner is floating. I wanted to add a picture of the sketch, but it appears that was saved on the old computer! Doh.

Sympathy Fronts

So this is the right picture....Above are the fronts I created for the Sympathy Card fronts for my Monthly Card front swap on my Fav MB. It features the Thoughts and Prayers set. I also used an embossing folder on the background paper. I did a little embossing on the edges just to give it a little more color. Then finished it all off with a ribbon. The sentiment is punched out with the oval punchm then matted on a scalloped oval and dimensionals to give it some pop.