Hope You're Feeling Better!

This is the card that I designed for my MIL after her knee replacement surgery (UGH!). It is another variation on last year's "Wishing You Flowers" card and this year's "Happy Birthday Flowers" cards. And like those cards, this one can also be easily adapted to any occasion by simply changing the sentiment.

Like its predecessors, I began this card by printing my sentiment on a piece of transparency film, trimming it to 5" x 10", and folding it in half. However unlike the previous cards, I modified this card slightly in that I added an additional piece of cardstock to the inside front of the card. This solved my "Where do I sign the card so it doesn't show on the front?" dilemma. To achieve the matted effect, I adhered my 4.5" square of solid cardstock to the inside center of the back of my card. I then attached my silk flowers to the front using mini pastel brads. The final step was attaching my 4" square of patterned cardstock to the inside center of the front of my card using eyelets. This covers up the backs of the brads that I used to attach my flowers, so that they cannot be seen from the inside of the card.

Supplies:

• Patterned Paper: Lilykate by BasicGrey
• Cardstock: textured Mat Stack from Brights series by DCWV
  
• Transparency Sheet: for inkjet printers by 3M
• Accents: Pastel Brite mini circle brads & eyelets by Making Memories
• Silk Flowers: Craft Stores

Finished Size 5" x 5".

Proud Mama!

No! Little Baby Sgro did NOT make an early appearance... But another of my creations did make a few cameo appearances on a local Salt Lake City morning television program called Studio 5! My loyal readers will know that I am talking about those cute Cupcake Birthday Cards that I created for the card swap hosted by Paper Crafts magazine's Susan Neal. The segment aired today on Utah's channel 5 at 11am, and described the entire process of an online card swap. Check out the video below, or for more details on online card swaps, follow this link to Studio 5's website...

"Look there he is... front and center... isn't he sooo cute!
Stand up straight for the camera! That's My Darling Cupcake!"

Golden Wishes

This project has been temporarily removed for publication.
I will post again after its appearance in Scrapbook Trends magazine's Invitation Idea Book.

My Darling Cupcake

Besides being a super sweet nickname, it is also a project that I created for a swap hosted by Paper Crafts Pro Susan Neal. The theme for this swap was Summertime Fun! Susan was looking for bright, cheerful, summery cards for either Birthdays or Thank You's. One really cool aspect of this swap is that it is going to featured on a local Salt Lake City morning TV program! The program is called Studio 5, and this particular episode focuses on the entire process of an online swap and will air on July 22nd at 11am MST.

I chose the Birthday theme for my project, and modified a cupcake-shaped card that I had created last year for my friend's son's third birthday. The cupcake "top" flips up to reveal a pocket which holds a die-cut sentiment card. It is also the perfect size to hold a gift card.

I first designed the entire project in Photoshop - including the shading for my cupcake holder, top and candle. Next I printed the individual pieces out on colored cardstock and cut them all out. I added metal snaps for my "sprinkles" and attached the top to my cupcake base. I then created a pocket in my base by adhering just the sides. I attached Velcro to keep the flap closed. Finally I created a candle using similar techniques as the one that I designed for my "Piece of Cake" card and adhered it to my cupcake top.

For the sentiment, I designed a gift card sized insert to fit inside the pocket. I chose a simple "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" saying in a fun, chunky font and used bright colors which echoed the colors I chose for my cupcake "sprinkles." To make it more interesting, I die cut the top of the card around the text.

Speaking of die cutters, I would not have taken on this project for this swap if I did not have access to a die cutting machine. (I had to create 12 of these cupcakes!) I am super lucky to have a Graphtec Craft ROBO - a gift from my DH. Gotta love my hubby! (Well, I have to -- the rest of you can love him from afar!) I like the Craft ROBO because it allows me to cut my own designs instead of using only the manufacturer's. This was actually the first time I used this handy little machine, and I have to say I have mixed reviews. When it worked - I loved it! There was no way I was going to be able to cut out all those cupcake patterns by hand as accurately (and without blisters!). Not to mention the inserts! However, it was rather frustrating getting the machine to read my registration marks -- sometimes it worked, and often it didn't -- and I still haven't figured out why. But anyway, with its help I got my entire project done on time. YAY! That's what I call a sweet ending!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Assorted colors from DCWV; white from Hammerhill
• Accents: snaps by Making Memories; Velcro fasteners
• Transparency Sheet: 3M
• Ink: Sharpie metallic permanent marker by Sanford
• Tools: Crop-A-Dile from We R Memory Keepers; Craft Robo die cutter by Graphtec
• Fonts: Beatnik by LetteringDelights.com
• Software: Photoshop & Illustrator from Adobe; template - original

Finished Size approx. 4" x 5.5"
Additional photos in my online portfolio at sgro.smugmug.com.

BREAKING NEWS: Nationwide Paint Chip Shortage!

AKA "Paint Chip Cake Card Hits the Newsstands!"

I just got my August/September 2008 issue of Paper Crafts magazine, and there it is! Right on page 83 in the "Mediums of Color" column ... my Paint Chip Wedding Cake Card!

To celebrate its grand appearance, here is a similar card that I designed also using a paint chip, but with a very different color scheme.


For this version, I decided to go with bright, contrasting colors. I picked a sherbet orange cardstock for my base and a purple paint chip for my cake. After trimming the paint chip, I again opted to decorate my cake with paper flowers. However, instead of using mini adhesive pearls for the center of the flowers, I chose orange fabric paint. I also used the fabric paint to accent my cake with little swirls. Finally, I adorned the top of the cake with a ribbon bow and flower accent.

Finished Size 4.25" x 5.5"

For more pics of this Paint Chip Cake card, check out my online portfolio.