Papertrey Ink Blog Hop - January 2013

Hello Friends,

I am here with a couple of cards for the Papertery Ink Blog Hop.   The inspiration this month is all about Black Backgrounds!  Here is the inspiration photo from Nichole's blog:

 

  

I had two different ideas when I saw the inspiration for this month.  The first was to do a blackboard like card with stamps and drawing with a versamark marker for borders.  The second was based on the striped card in the middle at the bottom of the inspiration photo.  I had an idea to make a striped card with two colors of cardstock (red and black) and dry embossing for Valentine's Day.  Here are my cards:

The borders around the heart, the arrow and the borders around the "blackboard" are all hand drawn with a versamark marker and then embossed. The stamp is from "With All My Heart".

This card is embossed with the In Bloom impression plate.  And then I embossed a sentiment also from "With All My Heart" and added some bling to finish it off.  I will say that even with using some anti-static supplies I still had problems embossing on the black cardstock without having stray powder no matter how hard I tried!  I am going to have to do some research on how best to emboss.  It is very damp and wet here in Seattle and I wonder if the moisture makes it more difficult for me?  If anyone knows some tips or tricks I would love to know them too! :)

 Thanks for looking at my cards! 

I am ready to go and take a look at everyone's creations!

:) Jill

I Heart You!

Edited to add:  updated photo....1-25-13
Hello Friends,
Here with a card to celebrate Kara's 100 Weeks of Inspiration Challenge.  I love Kara's inspirational posts and her Pinterest file is one that I love browsing over and over again.  I was touched when I spied one of my cards added not too long ago!  Thanks Kara!  Your cards ALWAYS inspire me and I love your style! 

Tonight I went to Kara's Friday Inspiration File and picked this card by Christina Kowalczyk from her blog called My Paper Secret.  I loved this card the first time I saw it and I still do!!!  I decided to put a Valentine's Day spin on it as I have lots of cards to make for family and friends. Here is what I came up with:

(This is the updated photo...please disregard next paragraph - :)
The deadline on Kara's blog is in 8 hours so I took the photo tonight and of course it is shadowy!  I can hopefully retake it tomorrow morning with daylight but until then this will have to do.  I have a major lighting problem tonight as I am in the middle of a purge and re-org in my craft room and my normal lighting area is in the process of being moved nearer to windows for additional natural light.     

I am also entering this in the Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge for this week #64 - Sweethearts.  

Thanks for looking at my card.  I hope to add an updated photo tomorrow with better lighting.
:) Jill

Hugs and Kisses - xo xo!

Hello Friends,
Here with a fun card for Valentine's Day and for the My Favorite Things Guest Design Team Challenge for February 2013!  Here is a picture of the sketch for this month's guest design team challenge:

I wanted to use my new "Homespun Hearts" stamp set from Lisa Johnson Designs line for the very first time so I could make one of those adorable plaid flowers that I saw on so many of the gorgeous cards during this past month's release blog hops!  Here is the sweet card that I came up with:

The designer paper I chose to use is from the 6x6 inch paper pad called "Devoted" by Carina Gardner for Carta Bella.  I just love the color story of this paper pad!  I also used the lovely new Heart Doily Die - isn't it scrumptious!!!

 
My favorite thing about my card is the little extra touch I added to the hemp cord bow.  I thought that the "Hugs & Kisses" sentiment just cried out for some little "x"'s and "o"'s so I did some selective stamping with the little "xoxoxo" stamp in the set to add them to some little punched out hearts.  To get this look I just  stamped four baby hearts with an "xo" and then used a mini glue dot to adhere them front to back over the piece of hemp cord.  I love the extra little detail it adds to the card front.  I also used some versamark ink to stamp a heart behind the Hugs & Kisses sentiment to dress it up a wee bit.

And here is the inside of my card:

 I kept the inside simple by lining it with some light pink paper from the 6x6 pad and adding the sentiments and a small flower mirroring the plaid flower on the front.

Thanks for taking a look at my card! I sure enjoyed using my new My Favorite Things goodies to make it!
                                    :) Jill

Celebrate Your Day!

Hi Friends,
Here today with a card using a new to me sentiment set from Paper Sweeties.  It is a birthday card as my birthday card stash is very, very low and I am trying to replenish.

I used the Paper Sweeties Sketch Inspiration #3 when making my card.  Here is a picture of the sketch:

 

I actually flipped the sketch so that the 3 small embellishments at the bottom are on the top right of my card.

 

I used a border stamp of little drawn hearts from a There She Goes Clear Stamp set called "Cute as a Button" to create the background panel on the left side. The other panel is a digital paper from Etsy from "Iralamijashop".  It is called "Victoria Backgrounds". I also like a new paper she has out that I just saw today called:  English Rose Collage.  Maybe someday....LOL!

 Here is a close-up of the little cupcake I made out of paper! I had to add some glittery sweetness to it!  

And since I made a little hand-sewing goof on the upper corner of my card I added some glittery goodness to the top right corner and bottom left corner to carry all that yummy glitter through the card and help direct your eye.  Probably difficult to see in the pictures unless you click to enlarge them.

Thanks for taking a look!  Debbie released some lovely new Paper Sweeties this week.  They are just so adorable and fun!!

:) Jill

Super Amazing Spectacular YOU!

Friday Morning:  Edited to add:  Based on emails and comments received apparently my card photos did not upload for my last two posts. I have tried several work-arounds with no success. I checked my photo storage and it is adequate in Picasa Web Albums so I am hoping that maybe the problem is with blogger/google?  I am hoping to get this post updated with the photo asap - thanks for your patience!

:) Jill 

Friday - 2:54pm:  Finally found a message on a help board with a workaround.  Apparently the problem is only with uploading photos using "Internet Explorer".  I switched to Firefox and presto - I was able to upload them.  Ahhh! Computers - I have a love / hate relationship with them! LOL!!!  Thanks to Dawn for letting me know about the problem!  I thought I would let you all know what occurred in case anyone else is having a similar problem this week with Internet Explorer and photo uploads in Blogger.

NOTE:  This post has been updated since it was originally posted...a second card was added on Friday afternoon....

Here with a card for the January 2013 Cloud 9 blog hop.  I just loved the inspiration photo:

And here is my first card attempt at a fairly CAS card: 

I used a silver gelly roll pen to outline the insides of the small stars surrounding the negative die cut and I used carboard to outline the star.  In order to fit the YOU on the bottom of the card I had to have the top star covered by the die cut and I wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome.  I am out of time for tonight but I will probably make a second rendition of this card tomorrow.  Time to put my little one to bed tonight...

Friday Morning:

I went back to the drawing board and created a second card using smaller star dies and a longer card size...

 

I couldn't decide which direction to do the banner.  I think maybe the straight one mirrors the sentiment at the bottom of the card better...but here is a picture of it the other way too... 

Maybe less of an angle?  Does anyone else second guess themselves - especially once they start taking pictures and looking at them?  

On this second card I added some washi tape along the bottom of the card to help ground the sentiment. 

I am thinking about giving this card to Tim's amazing teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week in May....once I settle on the design I like best. 

Thanks so much for taking a look!  I am off to take a look at everyone's cards!  So fun!

Hugs,

:) Jill

Supplies:

Cardstock:  Oatmeal, Black

Stamps: Super Star - WPlus9

Ink: Kraft, Black

Other: Gelly roll pen - silver; scissors, star dies, glue, corner chomper, washi tape

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Here with a card for my sister Natalie's birthday.  I used the lovely "Shabby Tea Room Week #148 - Elegance" for inspiration.  Here is the inspiration photo:





I have a new light tent that I ordered as a present for myself this past holiday season.  I posted two photos today.  Both were taken using the light tent.  The first (with the heart tag outside of the heart pocket from Memory Box) is clearer and crisper and has been adjusted in my photo software which in my opinion makes the colors show darker than they are in real life.  The second one has been left mostly unadjusted and is more true to the color the card actually is - ie: aqua mist and vintage cream card stock colors.  However it also is not as crisp and clear in my opinion.  Just curious which one you like better?  I am playing around with lighting and trying to take better quality photos as it is one of the most difficult things for me in our dark and rainy climate.  I think perhaps somewhere in between the two pictures both color and clarity wise?  What do you think?

Thanks for taking a look at my card!
: ) Jill

Postscript:  
NOTE:  There was a problem with my card pictures showing on this blogpost for a day after I originally posted it.   Thanks to Deb and Marybeth for letting me know!!!  I finally got the problem fixed at 5:20pm on 1/11/13.  If you visited while the picture was not visible I apologize.  :)

Love U

Hello,

Here with a card for Freshly Made Sketches #67.  I had an idea in my head when I first saw the sketch and I worked with it for about 25 minutes but could not get the layout to look right.  So...... I gave up on that idea completely because I couldn't make it work.... and made this card in less than 10 minutes from idea to finished product.  I had just received this birch tree die in the mail a week ago and hadn't gotten to use it yet.  The idea of using a tree with heart leaves as the focal point came to me and it worked out easily.  I love it when a card comes together that quickly.  The only problem is I now have a pile of card parts on my desk left over from the first attempt that didn't work.......they will, I am sure, make it onto a card eventually or the layout will come together when I look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. 

Here is the sketch I used:

I love when it is cold outside and the trees get all icey and frozen.  I added "Diamond" stickles to the tree to give the branches and snowy hills that glistening frozen appearance.  The sentiment "LOVE U" is from a new stamp set at Papertrey Ink called:  "With All My Heart".  I just love how it looks like it has been carved into the tree.  My sister just got engaged to a wonderful man and I may add their initials to the other tree and send it to them as an engagement card.  They got engaged on 12-12-12.  Isn't that fun!

Thanks for taking a look at my card. 

Isn't it fun to make cards all about LOVE!

:) Jill  

My Favorite Cards during 2012 - A year in review!

Hello Friends,
I thought I would take this opportunity as 2012 draws to a close to put out my very first "Year In Review" post to pick my favorite cards made this year.  

I started blogging and posting my cards here on November 4, 2010 - my very first post here at Greenwood Girl Cards.  In 2010 I posted 9 times.  In 2011 I posted 54 times.  And in 2012 - 116 times!  As I look back through my blog I have to laugh at some of the cards that I made and posted pictures of early on.  I think I have come a long way since 2010 and since entering my first card challenges in 2011.  I love that the internet and blogging has afforded me the opportunity to learn from all of YOU!  All of you wonderful card makers and crafters out there on the world wide web.  I started blogging and making a lot more cards than scrapbook pages after July 30, 2010 which is when my beloved husband Stuart was first diagnosed with a grade 4 Glioblastoma brain cancer.  I had to leave my job to take care of him full time and I needed something for myself that gave me joy at a very difficult time in our lives.  Stuart needed constant care after his brain surgery but there were times when he was resting where crafting became my place to recharge my batteries and take some precious time to get inky and create.  Those times of creativity helped feed my soul with joy and peace so I could keep on keepin on.  And I turned to stamping and card making again after Stuart's death in February 2012.  It has almost been a year now since he passed away and I still find so much joy in making cards and crafty items for family, friends, and those who need them that are battling cancer or have patients that are battling cancer.  Thanks for joining me on this journey, sharing your talents and sweet comments with me, and for your words of support especially since Stuart passed away.  Tim and I appreciate your kind words, cyber hugs, and sweet friendship!  Happy New Year 2013!  I wish you all health, happiness, and many blessings now and always!

Here are my favorite cards from 2012.  NOTE:  There are quite a few so you may want to grab a cup of coffee or tea before you continue!  Also - I didn't link the original posts to the pictures but if you have questions about any of the cards drop me a comment and I can send you the link or give you the post date info.

Here we go....

January 2012:

Valentine's 2012

This masculine valentine was made for my sweet husband Stuart for Valentine's Day 2012.

June 2012 - 2nd half of the year:












August 2012:

 

This card was for the Cloud9 Blog Hop and helped me attain my first ever guest designer spot.

October 2012:








November 2012

December 2012

Thanks for taking a look at my year in review post.

Happy New Year!

:) Jill