Steampunk and Passport cards...

Everyone knows I love Steampunk and I love Passport Cards, but when you put my two favorites together, it is just heaven for me.

I needed to create a birthday card for a gentleman turning 80 and he loves trains. I had this wonderful stamp set from Artistic Outpost that I knew would work great!

One I finished the birthday card, I loved it so much that I knew I had to create a Passport card using the same image. The image was the perfect size for the front of my passport book and I had some fun ephemera that I could use.

Now these passport cards are greeting cards, so I always ensure there is a journal card somewhere inside to be able to include a nice handwritten sentiment.

I just love this image of the train depot! It stamped so crisp using my MISTI!

 Of course you need the train schedule, meal pass and your ticket for this ride, and they are all include in your passport card.

I have many favorites, but I think currently, this one is my favorite and now available in my Etsy store. 

Full of Hot Air

Boy was I exhausted last night. I had to pull an all nighter with work last night. Got some well deserved rest and I am at it again! But first, taking a minute to post my fun Hot Air Balloon card.

This is a new release over at So Suzy Stamps called Vintage Balloon. It has quickly become one of her best sellers, so if you want it, you better get it fast!

I wanted to make a simple masculine card that I could use for many occasions. I don't have too many of those laying around, so I need to make a few to have on hand. I will also be teaching this fun easel technique at one of my classes over at JoAnn's Fabrics.

CASology is having a "HOT" theme challenge going on right now. I thought this HOT Air balloon fit the ticket, so I will be entering my card.

I will also be entering it in the following challenges:

• Loves Rubber Stamps  #137 Anything Goes
• Just Inspirational Challenges  – Masculine
• Through The Craft Room Door  - Always Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Everyday is a Journey

What is it about Vintage that everyone loves? Probably because Nostalgia reminds us of the "good ole days". It brings up memories of happy times and times we want to remember. Typically people do not tend to become nostalgic until after their 30's. It is like a magic wand and somehow those teen and earlier years start to feel like some of the best times of your life. It is said that adolescence, specifically our teen and early 20's can be some of the most emotionally tough years of our lives, while we are going through them, but once we reach a certain age and have some life experience behind us, we tend to look back on those memories fondly.

After the age of 30, when we become more nostalgic, the more painful events in our earlier lives become dimmer and dimmer. We forget about the pain we felt when we broke up with our "first" Love or the anger we felt when our parents told us "no" on something we really wanted to do. We tend to relive or better yet reshape those memories in ways we feel about ourselves now. Those difficult times now are understood to have been learning experiences and we understand that now years later and can see how those experiences have molded us into the people we are today.

The memories and experiences we have are what define who we are today. Being emotionally connected with our younger selves also helps to maintain a sense of continuity over time. Remembering our past also reminds us of how we dealt with more difficult times and how we have coped with stresses. It tends to give us confidence, strength and less fear when dealing with issues in our lives now.

I love making my vintage cards. I love the way they look, the way they make me feel and perhaps this is because they remind me of the earlier days and simpler times. I created this card last night. It has a Route 66 theme. I of course used some of my Tim Holtz supplies along with some freebies on line. I hope you like it.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Ends March 21 - A Vintage Journey - Anything Tim Holtz

Ends March 31 - Digi Stamps 4Joy - #88 Anything Vintage

Ends March 27 - Fab N Funky - #208 Boys and Men

Ends March 31 - The Male Room - Vintage

Ends March 31 Anyone for Anya - Masculine/Grungy

Ends April 6 - Vintage Stamping - #18 Just for you

A Vintage Journey down Route 66

When I saw that there was a new challenge starting called A Vintage Journey I was ecstatic. This challenge will center around Vintage/Shabby projects which have been Tim Holtz inspired. This is right up my alley! I have played in Tim Holt'z sandbox as he has a tag challenge monthly, but I don't always have all the items he uses to play along with his techniques. There are not any other challenges like this one, (that I know of) and I was so excited to see it starting up.

They have room for one more DT member, and while I would love to be part of this team, I am not sure I can fit it in to my full DT schedule that I have now. So this one will just have to be on my wish list for a later date. I have a few challenges and artists that I love, so they will have to be on my "To Do" list for future design teams.

So for their first challenge, it is anything goes. I have a birthday card that I created for a friends father that I thought would be perfect for this challenge.

The alcohol ink, word band and stamps are all Tim Holtz products. I got an idea to do a Route 66 card. I found both maps on the internet and used card stock from DCWV Rustic Stack. This is one of my favorite stacks and the paper is all vintage looking.

Here is a closer look:

Here is the Route 66 map. You are welcome to it and works great for background.

So if you like making Vintage style cards and using Tim Holtz products, you must check out this new Challenge. I am sure it is going to be lots of fun!

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Ends March 20 - A Vintage Journey - Anything Tim
Ends March 12 - Paper Crafting Journey - Male/Manly
Ends March 12 - Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
Ends March 18 - Nutcrackers - Boys Boys Boys
Ends March 10 - Sisterhood of Crafting - One for the Boys

Suzy Bee's Bloomin Challenge #18 - Make it Masculine

Good morning and Welcome March! I sure hope that means we will start to see warmer weather for many of you out there. Well it is Saturday and Saturday's mean the start of a new challenge over at Suzy Bee's Bloomin Challenges.

Now this week our theme is Make it Masculine. I don't know about you, but I love these theme's as I never seem to have enough masculine cards on hand. Our sponsor is Sprinkle and Sparkle. This is the first time I have worked with an image from them, so needless to say I was very excited. The image I chose is called "only Fish."

Just recently I found this paper over at Tuesday Morning on clearance. It is from TPC studio and has designs on both the front and the back. I used both sides on my card and was very happy with the outcome.

So hopefully you have a need for some masculine cards, or if not, just want to play along. In any case we sure hope to see you play along this week.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

• Creative Corner - W, 3E  - Green
• Delicious Doodles - W, 1E, SIO – No. 77 - One For The Boys
• Jellypark Friends Friday Challenge -  Things with Wings
• Open MInded Crafting -  Green
• Paper Crafting Journey -  Make it Manly/Boyish
• Seize The Birthday -  Anything Goes
• Sisterhood of Crafters  -  Masculine

Route 66 - Enjoy the Journey

For all my American friends out there, I hope you are enjoying President's day! It has been a great 3 day weekend. Took a nice hike today at one of the many mountain paths we have out here in Phoenix and getting ready to put my turkey in the oven.

Sounds strange? Well, we did not have Thanksgiving at our house last November, so I promised my husband a Turkey dinner and this weekend seemed like a good time to pay up on that promise. I made homemade stuffing last night and we will have homemade gravy and mashed potatoes. Not the full on Thanksgiving meal, but some of the favorites.

Here is a closer look

Well, the main reason for my post is to share a card I made this morning. I found this stamped image in my stash that I had not used and thought it would be a great male card. I wanted to do a a travel theme, so I went on line and found these great map images.  The stamp and sentiment's are from Tim Holt'z collection, twine and brads are from my stash and the card stock is from DCWV - The Rustic Stack." I use paper from this stack a lot, so much that I bought 2 of these sets when they were on sale for $6.

This was very simple and fast to put together since I had pre printed the image some time ago. I got an order for 12 birthday cards, so I need to come up with 12 different styles, all ages, male/female. I think this will work for a father or husband. So at least I have 1 down.

Well, I think I hear a Turkey calling me, so I better head out. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their day!

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Ends Feb 18 - Try it on Tuesday - Travel 
Ends Feb 28 - My Sheri Crafts - Vintage Guy
Ends Feb 20 - DL Art Thankful Thursday - Vintage
Ends Feb 26 - A little bit Crafty - Man Up
Ends Feb 28 - Sandee & Amelia's Challenge - Time Machine

You can never have enough Cards for Guyz

There are a lot of males in my family. It seems I never have any cards made up for Guyz. That is why I was happy to see a new blog challenge going up called cards for Guyz. I am hopeful that this challenge will keep me motivated to build my stock.

This card was made using the image from Bugaboo stamps called GUSBDAY. It is a very fun and humorous image that should work great for a birthday card.  Here is my inspiration sketch from Sweet Sunday sketches.

I would like to enter this card into the following Challenges:

• Ends Jan 21 - Cards for Guyz - Birthday
• Ends Jan 21 - Riley & Company - Celebrate
• Ends Jan 21 - Tuesday throw down - Stripes
• Ends Jan 21 Melonheadz - Birhtdays
• Ends Jan 21 - The Crazy Challenge - Cards for Men
• Ends Jan 21 - Dream Valley Challenges - #73 Boys/Men
• Ends Jan 19 - The Sweetest Thing - Sweet Sunday Sketches
• Ends Jan 22 - Dazzling Diva - #8 Birthday

Men inspired Cards

My brother in law recently had a birthday...and I did not have a card for him. I had been traveling weeks before his birthday and did not realize, until it was too late, that I did not have any Male birthday cards. Now I could have easily sent him a pink card with ribbons, or a yellow card with butterflies, but how personal is that, and when it comes to cards, they are nothing but personal. So I rectified that problem this weekend by making several cards especially for men. After all, they have birthdays too. So Marc, Happy Belated birthday, from across the pond!

I entered my Butterfly card in the following challenges:

 

Make it Monday - #157 With Milk and Coffee

Loves Rubber stamps Challenges - #68 Anything Goes