The World's Greatest Dad

Hope you had a great Father's Day with the men in your life.

I made this card for my amazing dad. I also designed a very similar one for Kalino to give to my husband. Unfortunately my card didn't get to my dad in time because I mailed it too late.

I love the flexibility of the Print & Cut feature of the Silhouette Studio software! I added The World's Greatest Dad design on top of a lovely chalkboard frame design. I selected the text and specified "No Cut". I gave the text an outline and fill color of white so it looks like chalkboard writing. I still can't get enough of chalkboard designs.

The patterned paper is from American Crafts and the card base is kraft cardstock. I used my Stampin' Up heart punch to punch out a heart. Thanks for stopping by!

  

Happy Birthday, Judy!

I recently spied this cool Silhouette design in the Silhouette Online Store. Now that all the designs are 50% off until Nov 30th, I decided to download several.

Today we had an impromptu birthday celebration at school for my friend, Judy. I made this card for her.

The cardstock is from Stampin' Up and the rhinestones are from Michael's.

Thanks for stopping by...especially, my sweet blogging friend, Amy, who always manages go leave a kind word. Woman, you were up in the middle of the night just like me!

Happy 9th Birthday Kalino!

Yesterday was the Little Guy's 9th birthday. This is the card I made for him.

The card started with this Silhouette design. Instead of using a number in the middle, I used the same photo I used on his Evite.

This kid loves his birthday. For example, on New Years Day he said "8 more months until my birthday." And he's been counting down every 1st of the month ever since. He also loves to have his party on his actual birthday, and since it's summer time, we have been able to accommodate his request. He invited 8 friends from school to play laser tag at Laser Quest in Mountain View. He attended a birthday party there last month and was totally excited to have his party there. Since they didn't open until 2PM, we took all the kids out for burgers at In N Out before driving to the party location. He had a great time. Here's a collage I posted yesterday on Instagram.

I did very little crafting for his party. Kalino and I decorated small water bottles with By the Numbers Papertrey Ink patterned paper. My friend Judy added numbers to the bottles so the kids could keep track of their own bottle. I also wrapped the same Papertrey Ink paper on jars that I up-cycled to hold the spoons and forks (didn't include a picture).

Instead of giving a traditional party favor bag, I bought gift cards at Baskin Robbins and made these gift card holders (Kristina's pattern). I added a photo of Kalino with a speech bubble that says "Thanks for making my day sweet." I used the Phonto app on my iPhone to create the speech bubble on the photo; I love my iPhone!

I researched laser tag cake ideas on Pinterest. I found several that all had glow sticks. I found several packs of them at Big Lots for $.60 for a pack of 4. Just stick the glow sticks in and "break" them to start the glowing effect. I had Costco customize their All American chocolate cake. I asked them not to put chocolate shavings on the perimeter. I also asked for neon-colored frosting. Did you know that Costco customizes more than just their sheet cakes? You can even take swatches of color and they will color-match the frosting to your color(s).

Thanks for stopping by!

I Love My Dad

I loved the free Father's Day frames from the Silhouette Online Store this past week. It made it easy to create a couple of Father's Day cards. I made this one for my Sweetie. He is such a great dad. My son is a lucky kid.

I took this photo of the guys at Legoland during our Spring Break. I processed the photo using Instagram on my iPhone.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday Sweetie

Hi there! Today I made a birthday card for my hubby. We happen to share the same birthday. It's been a great day already: lunch with friends, hugs, flowers, gifts, red velvet cakepops, and a red velvet cake. Oh my...such sweet friends!

I love this Happy Birthday design from the Silhouette Online Store. It felt like a perfect design to use on a masculine card. The patterned paper is from Stampin' Up and the heart was cut from an older piece of Cosmo Cricket paper (I think). The letter stickers are from Cosmo Cricket.

The guys and I are off to dinner this evening to continue the celebration. When the principal at school asked me if I had any philosophical thoughts on my birthday, I remember saying I didn't have anything profound to say. But, I really do believe that age is just a number. It doesn't define us unless we let it.

Life is good. Thanks for stopping by!

A Love Maze - Inspired by Aga

Happy Friday! I saw this amazing card designed by Agnieszka (Aga) on Pinterest last week and I just had to create one!

I started with a maze design from Silhouette Studio. I cut it out 4 times with my Silhouette SD and glued the 4 layers together to give some dimension off the card. 

In this picture you can see how the maze pops off the card base.

I finished off the card with two heart-shaped gems. That's it! Thanks for the inspiration, Aga!

Happy 1st Birthday - A Gift Bag and Tag

Hi everyone!


I made this gift bag and tag for my niece who celebrated her 1st birthday party yesterday. The inspiration for the gift bag design was a photo I took with my iPhone and ran through the Instagram app. She is the cutest little thing. I get to babysit her once in a while. She's pretty good when her mom drops her off.


The patterned papers are from the Martha Stewart Valentine's Day collection and the larger paper is an older piece of paper from My Mind's Eye. The stamps and rickrack border die are from Papertrey Ink. I used VersaMark ink (the most versatile ink on the planet) and I embossed the words with white embossing powder. I cut the number "1" with my Silhouette SD. The light blue paper and button are from Stampin' Up. The twine is from The Twinery.

Here's the matching tag I made for the gift bag. The white tag is from the office supply store. I just added scraps of rickrack and patterned paper. The felt butterfly is from and older pack of Making Memories felt shapes.


Thanks for stopping by! 

Look Who's Turning 5

Hey there!

We went to a party today for little Ms. M who turned 5 today. She is one of my best friend's daughters and so cute! I love that she is bilingual in English and Spanish and she has the cutest voice.

This card combines some of my favorite things:

• Using my Silhouette SD to cut the number 5
• A cute heart
• My iPhone and the Instagram App
• Some great Papertrey Ink stamps
• My Corner Chomper

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Belated Birthday

Hi there! Here's a quick card from the same Silhouette design I used on a card a few weeks ago. My mom's birthday was a week ago, and I haven't sent her a card yet. I may send her this one if I don't finish the one I already started in my studio.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday

Last weekend I had so much fun since one of my best friends, Ericka, was in town for the weekend. We made cards and tags for hours on end. We stayed up way past midnight. I moved a lot of the crafting stuff to the dining room table (which I added both leafs to) so we had space to work.

Here's one of the cards I made using the Little Labels stamps and die from Papertrey Ink.

I also used my Silhouette SD to cut this design. I couldn't resist adding some baker's twine too. Thanks for stopping by; have a good one!

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3/14/11

Thank You, Chau

Hi there! I've got so many cards to show you, but I've made so little time to actually post them on this blog. We'll here's a thank you card I made in June for my good friend, Chau.

I love this patterned paper from Crate Paper...love it! I cut the "thank you" with my Silhouette digital cutter. Have you heard that Silhouette is releasing a larger machine that cuts 12" paper called the Silhouette Cameo? It's set to start selling in October.

I added a button in the corner that is threaded with a tiny piece of cardstock. That's it...super simple.

Have a great day in your part of the world!

Happy Father's Day

Hi everyone. This is the Father's Day card I made for my sweet dad in New Mexico.

It started with a sentiment design from the Silhouette Studio store. I love welded-type words. The papers are from Love Letter Designer Series Paper by Stampin' Up. I used a white gel pen to add faux stitching to the sentiment. The heart and the sentiment are popped up on dimensional tape. I also added faux stitching around the heart with a black Copic pen.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Botday!

I love robots! It could be the influence of my 7-year old on me, but I can't resist a cute robot. My nephew Stephen turned 6 this past weekend and had an awesome Star Wars-themed party. I decorated his gift bag and created this matching gift tag. The stamps are the Best Bots set from Stampin' Up.

I cut the tag with my Silhouette digital cutter and adhered different Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo Robot paper to it. On the tag and gift bag I stamped the robots and colored them with Copic markers. I layered their torsos on with foam tape to add some dimension.

The white paper I used on the gift bag was totally wrong for coloring with Copic markers. It was matte kromekote paper instead of a Copic-friendly paper.

I added some cool masculine brads and some baker's twine (you know how I LOVE baker's twine). That's it.

We're getting ready to go on Spring Break, so I'm busy, busy, busy. Later!

Happy 6th Birthday, Alexa!

Happy end of the week, everyone! I made this card for my niece, Alexa, who turned 6 a few weeks ago. Sadly, I didn't mail the card in time (bad Auntie!). I used to be more organized with my time and mailing cards early enough. I need a stamp set that is geared towards belated birthday wishes....yes, indeed!


I helped at school all day, so it was fun hearing 2nd graders try out their April Fools tactics on me during lunch. It was mainly them telling me jokes; such a cute age!

I used my Silhouette digital cutter to cut the number 6 using the Bodoni XT font. The patterned paper I cut is from Papertrey Ink. I stamped the background stamp with VersaMark ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder.

Have a good weekend!

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Big Birthday Wishes (Papertrey Ink), Life of the Party Words (Hero Arts), Life of the Party (Hero Arts) <---Thanks, Jennifer McGuire!

Paper: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up), By the Numbers Patterned Paper (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko), Black (Memories)
Tools: Silhouette, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Heat tool
Other: Bling (Heidi Swapp & Michael's), clear embossing powder, foam tape (3M), Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, Copic Markers

Look Who's Turning 5

I hope your Saturday is going well. The guys and I got up early to have breakfast at IHOP. Besides eggs, I ordered the Nutella crepes with bananas. Wow, very sweet and good. My mom used to make crepes years ago. I should get her recipe.

I've been reading and watching the news coverage about the earthquake devastation in Japan. My hearts go out to everyone affected. I'm amazed at the sheer power of this event. For the tsunami to reach my part of California is incredible.

On a happier note, here's a card I made for my niece, Saharra, who turned 5 last week.

The papers and stamps are all from Papertrey Ink. I love their new doily metal dies. So cool! I used my Silhouette digital cutter to cut the number 5. The font I used was  BodoniXT. You can download it for free here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Ingredients

Stamps: Big Birthday Wishes (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Plum Puddding, Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, By the Numbers patterned paper (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Early Expresso (Stampin' Up)

Tools: Big Shot with Doily Details Collection and Mat Stack 5 metals dies, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Other: Aqua Mist ribbon (Papertrey Ink), foam tape (3M)

A Baker's Twine Heart

I wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day!

I love baker's twine! I'm sure you've noticed. I could use it on every project. I searched the Silhouette Studio store to find a design where I could wrap a lot of baker's twine on a heart shape.

The pre-printed card base is from A Muse. I picked it up on my travels to Seattle in November. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

I found this heart in the Silhouette Studio store and downloaded it. I only cut the outer layer. I threaded the baker's twine on a needle and threaded a double strand of twine into each hole. I added some mini beads to the card base and rounded the corners of the card.

I mailed this card to my parents. 

Tip: To make mailing this type of "bumpy" card easier, you can insert the card into the envelope inside out. The recipient might think "what the heck?" when they open the envelope, but you can warn them ahead of time. You can also cover the card with a sheet of cardstock before inserting it into the envelope.

Have a great one and thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Birthday, Nico!

Today we went to the 8th birthday party for one of Kalino's best friends and classmates, Nico. I made this card for him.

I've been so sleep-deprived this week from working really hard in the studio, that I actually took a nap earlier. I rarely take a nap. I'm happy it's a 3-day weekend here.

This card is super simple and uses two designs I cut with my Silhouette machine: the happy birthday circle tag and the number 8. I can't remember the font I used for the 8. I trimmed off the tag holder part of the circle. For a finishing touch, I added a small star.

Just to remind you, you really get your value from the Silhouette machine because you can cut fonts you already have on your computer. Normally, I don't cut Papertrey Ink paper with my machine, since it is a heavier cardstock, but the machine easily cut the number 8 (it's a simple design). The kraft cardstock is a lighter weight cardstock, so the Silhouette easily cuts this intricate design.

I have some cool projects I'm working on this week. One of them involves stamps, ink, fabric, sewing, and batting (all on the same project). I'll let you know more later. Thanks for stopping by! Have a good one.

Card Ingredients

Stamps: none

Paper: Orange Burst, Simply Chartreuse, & Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink), Kraft (SU!)

Ink: none

Tools: Star punch (SU!), Silhouette cutter, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Other: white gel pen (Sakura), foam tape (3M)

Happy 50th Birthday - A Trio of Cards

Sorry dearies, I've actually been super busy in my little studio, but I wanted to make time to post some cards I made over a week ago. My friend Rekha asked me to make a card for her sister's 50th birthday. I actually made 3 cards for her to choose from.

This first card is my favorite and Rekha's as well. I like the Crushed Curry color with the Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry patterned paper. I used my Silhouette to cut the Happy Birthday sentiment. Probably the hardest part of this card was adding the dimensional adhesive behind the sentiment. I like the faux stitching around the edges and the rounded corners.

This next card is a 4.25 inch circular card. I cut the numbers with the Silhouette using some American Crafts paper. You can't see the details, but the chocolate chip paper is embossed with a woodgrain pattern. The heart stamp is from Stampin' Up and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. The numbers are mounted on the card with dimensional tape.

This last card is super simple and my least favorite of the trio I'm showing you today. I guess I don't like the rounded corners on top. Again I used my Silhouette to cut the Happy Birthday banner. I ran the Crushed Curry layer through the Big Shot with an impressions plate from Papertrey Ink. I rubbed some Fresh Snow ink on the embossed layer to add some dimension. The banner is on a layer of vellum.
I added some faux stitching and some purple half pearls.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Happy 7th Birthday, Jonah

Hey blog peeps! Today we went to a birthday party for one of our favorite young friends, Jonah, who turns 7 this week. My Little Guy had a great time with his friends getting drenched with water guns, a water slide, and a Slip 'N Slide.

I made this card really fast this morning because I didn't have time to work on it this week. I used my Silhouette digital cutter to cut out the circle and the number 7. I love that you can use the fonts located on your computer with the Silhouette. The number 7 is in a cool font called Bodoni MT. You can't tell from the photo, but I cut the number 7 several times from Kraft cardstock and glued them together to create my own chipboard. I then cut the Cosmo Cricket paper out and adhered it to the chipboard.

I want to wish one of my best friends, Cris, Happy Birthday today. I didn't have time to make her a card.

I can't help but think about today and what our country went through on September 11th, 2001. Thankfully, we have little ones and celebrations for loved ones in our lives to show us that life goes on. My thoughts and prayers are with all the innocent individuals and their families who are forever changed by September 11th. Peace, my dears!

Card Ingredients

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!)

Paper: Kraft (SU!), The Boyfriend (Cosmo Cricket)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)

Tools: Silhouette digital cutter

Other: Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), foam tape (3M), white gel pen (Sakura)

Feliz Cumpleaños

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. Here's a card I made for her using the colors from the Color Cue {7} Challenge. My paper is not quite aqua, it's Cool Carribbean from SU!.

The focal point of the card started with a Dear Lizzy doily design cut with my Silhouette cutter. I also used my Big Shot and an eyelet embossing plate from SU! to give the base of the card some texture.

Later!

Card Ingredients

Stamps: Flores Llamativas (SU! - retired)

Paper: Cool Carribbean, white, Crush Curry (SU!)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Real Red (SU!)

Tools: Silhouette, Big Shot w Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates (SU!), 2" circle punch (Fiskars), 1" circle punch (SU!)

Other: rhinestones (Michael's), ribbon (Michael's), foam tape, Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue