Be My Cupcake Handmade Card

 Be My Cupcake!

I used this as a Valentine's Day card but it could also make a sweet birthday card.

Please click on the picture to enlarge it.

This card features the digital stamp/sentiment "Love Cupcake" from Mo's Digital Pencil. The background paper is from the "Que Sera Sera" paper pad by K&Company. I embellished the card with a cupcake and heart stickers from my stash.

I will enter this card in the following challenge;

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #300

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Handmade Pirate Girl Valentine Card

 Happy Valentine's Day! I hope this day of love and friendship brings you many lasting memories.

I made this valentine's card for my oldest granddaughter. I think it is a cute design for a teenager. Please click on the picture to enlarge it.

This card features the digital stamp/sentiment "Pirate Lass" from Mo's Digital Pencil.  

I printed the image on white cardstock and colored it with Copic sketch markers. The background paper is a digital Gelli print from SigitasCoffeeStains on Etsy.

I will enter this card in the following challenge;

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #300

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Handmade My Valentine Fairy Cards

 I used the digital stamp My Valentine Fairy from Mo's Digital Pencil to make four different cards with four different sentiments. 

Please click on the pictures to enlarge them.

The images were printed on white cardstock and colored with Copic Sketch markers. Each card measures 5" by 6.5".

I will enter these cards in the following challenge;

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #300 

Thank you for visiting my blog. Please FOLLOW and share your thoughts in the COMMENTS section below.

Teen Texting Valentine Card

Happy Valentine's Day to all my family and friends!

I have had so much fun making Valentine cards this year. I love the hearts and flowers that come with this season.

I made this card for Mo's Challenge #260 - Anything Goes. The only rule is that you have to use a digital stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil.

I used the following supplies to make this card;
1. A blank 5" by 7" blank kraft greeting card.
2. Background patterned paper - "Vintage Charm" from Ki Memories. I distressed the edges of the paper with my scissors. 
3. The digital stamp "Janny Texting" from Mo's Digital Pencil. I love the way this girl is sitting on a stack of books while texting on her phone!
4. Copic sketch markers.
5. A Spellbinder's die and Grand Calibur to cut shape around the image.
5. A sentiment from Tim Holtz's "Small Talk" collection.
6. A piece of distressed linen yarn to tie around the card.
7. Tiny pink glitter heart stickers.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Girl With A Sign Valentine

Valentine's day will be here next week.  I am busy making Valentine cards for all my favorite people.

I will enter this card in Mo's Challenge #170 - Laces and Ribbons. The card must be embellished with lace or ribbon...and use a digital stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil.

This is how I made the card;
(1.) I started with a blank kraft card that measures 4" by 5 1/2".
(2.) I used a piece of red hearts Holographic paper from Recollections for the background. This shiny paper is so pretty.
(3.) I used the digital image "Girl With Sign" from Mo's Digital Pencil Shop. I colored the image with Copic sketch markers. I used a cling rubber stamp from the Tim Holtz "Heartfelt" set to print the sentiment on the sign.
(4.) I lightly distressed the edges of the colored image and mounted it on black and pink cardstock.
(5.) I embellished the card with a piece of "Love" ribbon and two rose stickers.

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Happy Scarecrow Greeting Card

I love the characters from "The Wizard of Oz". This is the Scarecrow who was looking for a brain. I gave this card a vintage/distressed look to match the scarecrow's raggedy clothes.

I am entering this card in Mo's Challenge #122 ~ "My Sentiments Exactly".

This is how I made the card:
(1.) I used a pre-made card from kraft cardstock for the base. The card measured 5" by 6 1/2".
(2.) I cut a piece of Tim Holtz distressed cardstock for the background.
(3.) I cut and dry embossed a piece of blue Tim Holtz cardstock with a Spellbinders "Lacey Circles" die and my Cuddlebug.
(4.) I used the Scarecrow digital stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil Store. I cut out the image and colored it with Copic sketch markers. I attached the image to the circle and put it on the card.
(5.) I used a purchased sticker "My honey" for the sentiment.
(6.) I punched three paper buttons from the cardstock that I used for the background of the card. I used twine in the center of the buttons and attached them to the card with glue dots.
(7.) I punched three hearts from the cardstock and put red heart stickers in the centers.
(8.) I attached two pink heart brads on the card.

I gave this card to "My Honey" on Valentine's Day.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Kindle Books for Kids: A Lovely Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all my family, friends and loyal readers! Love is in the air and this is a special day for lovers everywhere.

I recently read "A Lovely Day; A Valentine Picture Book for Children" by Sujatha Lalgudi. This is a story about a young boy who finds a perfect Valentine's Day gift for each member of his family.

About The Author
Sujatha Lalgudi was born in Bangalore and holds a Masters Degree in Computers. After working for several years in the Silicon Valley, she moved back to India. She is currently residing in Mysore, a heritage city. She and her husband Raghavendra Mocharla run and operate www.yumdeal.com and www.hippidoo.com.
Both her children, daughter aged 8 and son aged 3 love books. All her books pass through their test first :-)
Sujatha Lalgudi has written many ebooks for children. They are all available on the Amazon Kindle.

Valentine's Day
This is a very simple ebook for children that features a young boy and his family. Each page of the book shows him presenting a different family member or friend a Valentine's Day gift.

The boy gives his mommie a bouquet of red roses, his daddy some tasty cupcakes and his best friend a bunch of balloons. He gives his dog a special bone and his cat a cozy blanket. He presents his "Valentine" with a big red paper heart!

The story ends with a picture of the boy and his parents embracing and looking very happy ~ "lots of kisses, loads of hugs, all for me!"

My Thoughts
This 13-page ebook is a short and sweet story for young boys and girls. Each page includes a full-page color illustration and one sentence of text. The text is written above or below the illustration in big print.

I read this book on my Kindle 3 (black and white illustrations) and my Kindle for PC application (color illustrations). I enjoyed the pictures and text on the small screen of my Kindle. The formatting is very good and I did not have any problem reading the text.

The color illustrations are very expressive and truly convey the joy of giving that the boy experienced as he gave gifts to his family and friends. I love the way this book emphasizes the spirit of generosity. The gifts were all inexpensive and many of them were homemade.

The last page of the story is so sweet. It shows that the boy received the very best gift of all ~ Hugs and kisses from his loved ones.

I think this is an excellent story to share with young children on Valentine's Day. Highly recommended!

My Rating:  5 stars out of 5

FYI ~ I ordered this book from Amazon.Com when it was offered as a free download. Please check the price before ordering.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Handmade Valentine Card

Valentines Day is just around the corner. I made a handmade Valentine card for Mo's Digital Challenge #121 - BINGO w/a Mo Image.
This week I was challenged to use the Bingo card below to create a card. The objective was to choose one row...vertical, horizontal, or vertical...and use those elements in the making of a card.
I chose the bottom row of the Bingo card ~ Dies/Punches, Brads and Dry Embossing.

This is how I made the card;
(1.) I started with a blank card made from kraft cardstock. The card measures 5" by 6 1/2".
(2.) I used a piece of Tim Holtz distressed cardstock for the background. I used the Fiskar System to hand emboss a small heart in each corner of the cardstock. I used Tim Holtz distress ink (Barn Door) to highlight each heart.
(3.) I used the image "Sprout" that was Mo Manning's contribution to the "Help for Katie" project. I colored the image with Copic Sketch markers and then used a Fiskars template to cut a circle around the image.
(4.) I used the Nestibilities die "Lacy Circles" to cut a background for the image from Tim Holtz distressed cardstock.
(5.) I cut the letters "L", "O", "V", "E" from a piece of "Holidays" Tim Holtz disstressed cardstock.
(6.) I embellished the card with two pink heart brads (Cricut).

Thank you for viewing my card. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope this day is everything that you could hope for.  This week the theme for Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge is ~ "Challenge #69 ~ Valentine Love With Non-Traditional Colors."  The colors in the card can be anything EXCEPT red and pink.  Ok, I cheated just a little bit.  I had to make the Tin Man's heart red.
Here is how I made the card;
1.  The base card is made from kraft cardstock and measures 4" x 5 1/2".
2.  I used the "Tin Man" digital image from Mo's Digital Pencil Shop. I colored the image with Prismacolor markers.
3.  I mounted the image on dark blue cardstock and stitched around the edges with yellow thread.
4.  I used "Dots Embossed - White and Silver" patterned paper from Paper Studio for the the background.
5.  I punched scalloped circles from silver foil paper.
6.  I punched fronds from silver foil paper using a Martha Stewart punch.
7.  I embellished the card with paper flowers from Recollections and silver glitter hearts from Martha Stewart.

I love this Tin Man image.  The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion were all characters in the popular story "The Wizard of Oz".  The Scarecrow needed a brain, the Tin Man needed a heart and the Lion needed courage. The Tin Man was upset because when he opened up his chest there was just an empty space.  He learned that he had a heart all along because he treated people with kindness and compassion.

Here are some of my favorite quotations from The Wizard Of Oz:

Wizard of Oz: As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart. You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.
Tin Woodsman: But I still want one.
 
Wizard of Oz: A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.
 
Dorothy: Goodbye, Tinman. Oh, don't cry! You'll rust so dreadfully. Here's your oil can.
Tin Woodsman: Now I know I've got a heart, 'cause it's breaking...

Lots Of Love

I made this card to enter in Mo's Challenge #68 - Lots of Love cardmaking challenge.
The theme of the challenge is LOVE and each card has to be embellished with lace, buttons and bows.

I used Mo's "Sprout" digital image and colored it with Prismacolor pencils.

This card was embellished with Martha Stewart glitter hearts, vintage lace, vintage tiny pearl buttons, "Love" ribbon and a pre-made bow.

Happy Valentine's Day, Sweet Babboo!

Valentine's Day will soon be here and Sally is eagerly waiting for a valentine from Linus, her "Sweet Babboo."  Sally is in LOVE.  Unfortunately, Linus does not feel the same way about Sally.  When Valentine's Day arrives, Sally is heart-broken.  She is furious with Linus for not sending her a gift or a card.  Sally is so upset that she convinces her older brother, Charlie Brown, to go find Linus and punch him in the nose!
Linus explains to Charlie Brown that he was not Sally's "Sweet Babboo" and that he never planned to send her a valentine.  It was all in her imagination.  It seems like things never turn out as planned when Charlie Brown gets involved.  This story has a hilarious surprise ending that children will love.
I believe parents and teachers could use this book to discuss some very important issues with children.  Here are some questions that you could use with the story;

• Does anyone call you by a special nickname or term of endearment?  What does this mean to you?
• Was Sally really in love with Linus?  How do people treat each other when they are really in love?
• How did Sally react when she did not receive a valentine from Linus?  Is this the correct way to respond to disappointment?
• Do you think Charlie Brown should have gotten involved in this situation?
• Why did Charlie Brown want to avoid hitting Linus?
• How would Sally react if she found out that Charlie Brown did not punch Linus in the nose?
• What happened when Charlie Brown tried to do the right thing?

This is not a new book.  It has a 1997 copyright date and I found this hardback copy in a thrift shop.  I think children will always love Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang.  This book is a Valentine's Day winner!

Dreaming

I made this card yestserday to put in a box of goodies that I am sending to a soldier in Iraq.  This is how I made the card;
(1) I used a pre-made Recollections card that is red on the outside and white on the inside.  The card measures 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".
(2) The pink patterned paper is "Smitten Heart" by K & Co.  I punched the edge of the paper with a "Cherish" Martha Stewart Punch.  The red cardstock with tiny hearts is from a Martha Stewart Holidays border pad.
(3) The digital image is "Stars" from Mo's Digital Pencil Shop.  I colored the image with Marvy LePlume II markers.  I applied the color with a damp paint brush. 
(4)I framed the image on piece of peach colored cardstock.
(5) I embellished the card with a Martha Stewart postage stamp and two paper flowers.
I am entering this card in the following card making challenge;

Crafty Cardmakers ~ #38 Flowers

SWAK

I made this handmade Valentine card today so I thought I would send everyone some love. Valentine's day is just three weeks away so it is time to make some cards for my sweeties. 
I made the card using the following supplies;
(1) A pre-folded cardstock greeting card that is red on the outside and white on the inside.
(2)  The "Bella Hearts Bronte" digital stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil Shop.  I used Pebbles chalk and a blender pen to color the image.  I chalked the background with pale blue chalk and then I sponged around the edges with Tattered Rose (Tim Holtz) distress ink.
(3) I used Martha Stewart punches for the lower edge (Cherish) and the loops.
(4)  I used dark blue and red Bazille cardstock and patterned paper for the background.
(5)  I used foam SWAK stickers, red brads and a red ribbon bow to embellish the card.
I am entering this card in Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge.  The theme this week is "A Trip Around The World".  I didn't have any international images, so I made this card using the colors from the United States flag. 

One Month Until Valentine's Day

Today is Friday and it is time to have some fun.  Valentine's Day is one month from today so I made my first handmade Valentine's Day card this morning. 
Here is how I made the card;
(1)  I used a pre-made cardstock card that measures 4 1/2" by 5 1/2".  The card is red on the outside and white on the inside.  I bought a box of 50 of these cards for just $4.00 at Michaels.  They were on the Christmas clearance shelf. 
(2) The side of the card was punched with the Martha Stewart "Cherish" punch.
(3) The image is "Jack Waiting" from Mo's Digital Pencil Shop.  I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils.  I put a heart-shaped brad in the upper left corner of the image (Bradletz by Provo Craft).
(4) I used a white paper lace doily for the background. (Hobby Lobby)
(5) I made a large heart and punched a scalloped circle from "Recollections Basics" patterned paper.
(6) I used a "valentine" sticker from a package of stickers that I found at Big Lots.  The postage stamp embellishment is from Martha Stewart.
(7) I added a sheer ribbon bow to finish the card.

I am entering this card in the following challenges;
Mo's Digital Challenge ~ Playtime
365 Cards ~ On Edge

I hope this post will inspire you to get out your craft supplies and start making some handmade valentines!