Our Anchor...Dad!

Father's Day is just a few days away and I decided to put together a simple card for my Dad.  As a lot of you are aware my Dad is suffering from Dementia and each day brings new challenges to his daily living.  Things that we all take for granted are very difficult for him to perform.  Most of all his memory is slipping away day by day.

Dad was in the Navy during his earlier years and I try each year to make his cards along the nautical themes.  This year is no different.

Even with Dad's state of mind his is still the anchor that holds our family together.

The use of the ink splatters from French Foliage appear as what could be bubbles under water.

Challenges that I have entered this card in:

Bitten by the Bug - Father's Day Challenge

Moving Along with the Times

Mod Squad Challenge - Nautical

I know that Dad will love this card just as much as I loved making it.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you like what I have put together.

Nancy

Yours comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one.

TST #148 Woodgrain Accent

Well only one more sleep before good old Saint Nick comes visiting.  Don't know about your household, but with work and all of the other obligations things have been very hectic around my house.  So hectic in fact that I almost forgot to post my card for this weeks challenge at Try Stampin on Tuesday.

This week our sketch challenge adds the extra element of wood accent or woodgrain to the card.

I decided not to incorporate the three little extra embellishments in the top and bottom corners.

I started with a piece of DSP that I had on hand that was full of woodgrain.  Then by accident I picked up a dabber that had red not chocolate chip on it so that is why the sponging appears to have a reddish hue to it.

Next I chose the Lovely as a Tree set which was my very first SU set purchased.  I haven't used it in a while and again with the woodgrain theme I thought it only fitting.  Butchers twine was wrapped around the middle and then the star accents were added.  

This will make a great masculine birthday card, which I know I will need in the near future.  

I hope you like what I have come up with.  Now it's your turn.  Hop on over to the TST site and see what the other great Designers have in store for you.

Lastly this will probably be my last post for this year and because of that I would like to personally thank everyone that has taken the time to leave me a comment on my blog.  I wish you all and your families a Very Merry Christmas or whatever you may celebrate at this time of year, along with a very Safe and Happy New Year!  See you in 2014!!

Nancy

TST #117 "Dad"

Good morning and welcome again to another Try Stampin on Tuesday sketch challenge.

This week was a stumper.  Yes the old brain had to think long and hard on this one.  The first thing I thought of was a different kind of fold.  Then it hit me while driving.

I was thinking about work and the different sales, etc that were going on for Mother's Day and I thought "mens dress shirt".  I know this has absolutely nothing to do with Mother's Day, but seeing as how my Mom has long since passed and I only fond memories of her, I decided to focus on a Father's Day card.  For that matter it could also be a birthday card, but the subject of the card is "Dad".

So next you ask why menswear?  Well that happens to be the department that I work in so my first thought was a man's crisp white dress shirt.  

I decided to make each of the rectangles look like pockets on a shirt and then to give them a little character and make them stand out more I stamped them with the largest stamp from Clockworks.

Next I took an anchor embellishment that I had and a chain that had been given to me from a co-worker and make a fob watch.

Need some inspiration for your take on this sketch.  Hop on over to the Try Stampin site and see what the other Great Designers have in store for you.  And lastly I hope and wish each and every Mom out there a Happy Mothers Day this coming weekend.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me, so please remember to leave one.

Giving the Gears

I made a Valentine's card for my Hubby and was very pleased with the results.  This is the card made for him.

When I looked at the card even though it was clean and simple it packed a lot of punch in person.

 

Because I liked that card so much I decided to try it a second time but using a different theme.  This time I went with a masculine card using gears.  

 

Unfortunately the outcome was not as great as the first card.  I did not stamp a sentiment on the card, like I do for a lot of my cards.  I do this for two reasons.  It allows me to choose a card and then the sentiment once I know who and what the card is being used for.  I could probably turn this card the other way as well.

 

Rather than a bow or knot of some sort I decided to make the twine simply look like it was holding the gears from moving.

Although this card did not turn out as hoped I know that I will find the perfect person for it along with the perfect sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me, so please remember to leave one.

 

TST #105 Which one?

Tuesday rolls around so fast these days.  Jenn has come up with a great sketch for you today over at Try Stampin on Tuesday.  It is so great that I had a hard time coming up with just one card...so here are two cards that I created using the same sketch.  I know with Valentine's Day later this week I should be producing a Valentine's card but I decided to go with something different.

 

This is the first card that I came up with, but I wasn't happy with the colours once it was complete and really didn't want to publish it.

 

The colours of the paper are really quite nice.  It is from a MME collection.

 

So obviously this would be for a female.  Then overnight (yes I create in my sleep sometimes) I decided to go in a different direction and created this card which is more masculine.

 The CS base is actually a medium brown and the next layer is a lighter version of it.  I used the ledger from Open Sea to make the vertical line in the background.  Then I stamped the world on Marina Mist and cut it out, sponging the edges.  I also stamped the compass in the same colour and used the smallest ornament die from the ornament collection.  Punching a hole in the top of the compass piece I attached it to a nautical knot and secured it to the card front.  I know that this portion was not on the design, but I needed an anchor for the compass (honest no pun intended for the terms being used). 

 

I much prefer this version of the card.  How about you?

Now what can you dream up?  Need some more inspiration, hop on over to the Try Stampin site to see what the other Great Designers have in store for you.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me, so please remember to leave one.

 

TST #101

It's Tuesday again.  Time for another sketch from Try Stampin on Tuesday.

I bought some really great DSP from My Mind's Eye called Lost & Found.  I loved this paper so much I hated to cut into it, but then again if you don't use it it just isn't worth buying.  So here is what I came up with from one of the sheets.

Instead of going with the smaller piece of paper under the rectangle I decided to use the piece that looked like what I thought was a racetrack.  Hmmm, racetrack!  I don't have a car but I did have a bike so that is what I decided on for my image.

Then rather than put a bow on the front, which I now thought looked like a masculine card I decided to use 1/8" ribbon and put a simple embellishment of ribbon with a small brad.  The brad was then mimicked at the side of the card as well.

I hope that you like what I have come up with.  Now it's your turn.  Not too sure what to do yourself for this sketch, then hop on over to the Try Stampin site and see what the other Great Designers have in store for you.

Thanks for dropping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so don't forget to leave one.

Cardabilties #62 Aged to Perfection

Birthday week here again and another Cardabilities This week I went with a fall theme mainly because the person is turning 60 and I would certainly say that he is Aged to Perfection.  

Knowing that I wanted to use fall colours I went with my old favourite stamp set French Foliage.  I think I have used this set more than any other set that I have owned.  By starting with More Mustard and then using the rock-n-roll method I added Cajun Craze or Cherry Cobbler to the edges.  After the stamping I sponged in the remainder of the leaves and cut them out and crinkled them up to give an aged look.

Then moving on to the card front I chose a DSP that would pick up the colours used. Punching out a tag from the Lots of Tags dies I stamped the "Aged to Perfection" and then lifted it with the DSP used for the base.  There was still an empty void once I placed the leaves so I decided to add a little twine to the front.  Three strands were placed across the front, tangled up in the leaves.  Again with the number three I tied three simple knots.  By using the knots I think it gives it a more masculine look Now I was happy!

Now it's your turn.  Hop on over to Cardabilities and give this sketch a try.  I can't wait to see what you have in store for me.  Don't forget to check out the other great Designers on the website as well.

Thanks for stoping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot so please remember to leave one.

Cardabilties #61- Giving the Gears

"Giving the Gears" is what I have decided to call my card this week for Cardabilities.  I first thought of all the different stamp sets that I could use for a flower embellishment like the sketch, but then I needed a masculine card and bingo the gears came to me.

I started with a 2" strip of tin foil and adhered it to the card front.  Then I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Gear Embossing Folder and shims on both sides of the CS to avoid embossing the other sections of the CS.  Then a simple frame was cut out of Black CS and adhered directly to the tin foil.  A series of cogs were punched out and sponged.  In order to give dimension to the cogs I used small strips of foam and inked the sides with black so that they would not be noticed when the card was seen from the side.

                     

You can see from the picture on the left the tin foil  embossed without any tearing.  I would highly recommend using this for any "metal" look when you don't have regular tin, plus it is safer (no cuts or scratches).

I hope you like what I have come up with.  Hop on over to Cardabilities now and see what the other Designers have in store for you.  Don't forget to give the sketch a try. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Thanks for dropping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot, so please remember to leave one. 

Masculine Monday - Wheels of Motion

Ok so I have had a few problems this week with not only trying to put together my Masculine Monday card, but also with my computer.  Just as I was about to start writing my blog, my computer froze on me.  Nothing I could do would bring it back. Just when my husband said OK time to visit the Apple Store I think it heard him and decided to come back to life.  I just hope it continues to work and does not need shock therapy again in the near future.

I put together this card using the Cardabilities challenge and incorporated it into my Masculine card for this week.  My husbands bosses father passed away suddenly last week and he was the backbone of the company my husband works for.  I thought that this card reminded me of how the wheels of motion sometimes throw us curves and allows us to continue forward in the right direction.

I hope that you like what I have come up with.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please don't forget to leave one.

A Card for My Dad

Today I have a card that I CASed from Sandy MacIver.  She had made this card last year and when I saw it I knew that it would be perfect for my Dad for Father's Day. Dad served in the Navy during WWII so I usually try and make his cards a nautical theme.

I was running short on time this year to make his card and stumped so when I saw Sandy's card I knew I had it made.  Thanks for the idea Sandy, I owe you one!

I hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I know to know what you think, so please leave me a comment.

Masculine Monday - Father's Day

Today I have a special card for Father's Day.  In our recent session of Stampin Fun and Friends we celebrated Mother's and Father's with projects for these upcoming events.  My submission was geared towards the first Mother's and first Father's Day.

I used the Tool Shed stamp set and cut out the tools to form the word "DAD".  I thought that this was a rather different way of using the tools.  Then I framed them with the Framelits Labels Collection.  for the background I used a piece of Very Vanilla CS and masked the areas to make a barn board look and stamped over it with the woodgrain stamp.

For the inside of the card, waste not want not!  I used the pieces of left over Framelits and framed the "Happy first Fathers Day" on the Very Vanilla CS.  The saying was created using my MDS.  I am not the greatest at using my MDS and really do not use it to its fullest potential, but I modified the stamp set and added the word "first" in the middle.

For my project I must admit I had a little help with the idea from CherylAnn Robinson. Once she mentioned the idea to me I knew exactly what to do.  Being a new parent you have lots and lots of baby food jars so thinking back to my Dad and my Granddad I used the baby food jars to create a storage containers for nails, nuts or bolts. I'm sure you all will remember this type of storage from your younger days.

As a side note the barn board used to create the project came from my late Father-in-laws farm and the tools used belonged to my Grandfather.  I thought it would only be fitting to use them in the projects.

I hope that all the Dad's out there, whether they are new at this game or seasoned veterans, have a great Father's Day this Sunday coming.

I hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I like to know what you think so please leave me a comment.

Masculine Monday 4/6/12

Well as you know for the past four weeks my Masculine Monday cards have featured the "Lovely as a Tree" stamp set, so I figured why not just one more card.  So here I am with another idea using this great set.

This time I embossed the stamp set and and then sponged around the embossed areas then finished off the card front with a simple ribbon and knot.

Hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I like to know what you think, so please leave me a comment.

Masculine Monday 28/5/12

Masculine Monday once again.  Today I have a card for you that could be used as a masculine card or a general card.  This was created for a friend of my Daughters who was gracious enough to pick her up at the airport.

Can you tell I really love the "Lovely As a Tree" stamp set.  This is four weeks in a row that I have shown you cards made with this set.

Hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I like to know what you think, so please leave me a comment.

TST #67

It's Tuesday so it must be time for Try Stampin on Tuesday.  Jen has given us another great sketch this week.

I did have some trouble coming up with a card for this one.  I was able to go with the band, but had trouble with the background piece.

I shaddowed the oak leaves from the SU Leaves #2 Die with Tempting Turquoise to make them stand out and added a little silver bling with black floss.

The inside of the card follows along with the outside theme.

I actually started out with the card below, but ended up settling for the card above as my submission this week.  The card above could be used as a masculine card whereas the card below is definitely for a female.

I hope you like what I have come up with.  Now it's your turn.  Make sure you post your card on the Try Stampin website so I can see what you have come up with.

Hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I like to know what you think, so please leave me a comment.

Masculine Monday 21/05/12

First I would like to start off by wishing all our fellow Canadian's out there a Happy Victoria Day!  Long weekends...you got to love them!

Today I have the final card of three that I created using Lovely as a Tree.  These cards as I mentioned a few weeks ago were created for my Dad's Birthday. Today's card was created using the square lattice embossing folder for the background and then tree was stamped onto a piece of whisper white after I had sponged in a skyline.

Below are all three cards that were made for his special day.  I think I see a pattern here, don't you?!

Hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I like to know what you think, so please leave me a comment.

Masculine Monday 14/5/12

Thanks for dropping by today.  I have another card using Lovely as a Tree. The background was stamped  using chocolate chip ink but stamped off first before applying it to the CS.  The tree was inked up using Old Olive, stamped off and then using an Old Olive marker I added in highlighted areas, coloured the grass and then with a Chocolate Chip marker I inked the tree trunk.  After huffing on the stamp to remoisten it I stamped it onto the CS.  The overall effect was very subtle yet dramatic. The envelop was created using my Scoreboard and the backside was stamped using the leaf stamp.

I hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I like to hear what you think, so please leave me a comment.

TST #65 Come Aboard...and one more!

Jen has come up with a rather different sketch for us this week at Try Stampin on Tuesday.  When I first saw this sketch I turned it round and round until I was finally able to get a vision to work with. Not all cards have to be done the way the sketch is presented. I have decided to make it a portrait card rather than a landscape one.

I used the image of the anchor as the dark line down the left side and ran rope along the image of the rope on the DSP. I am not an expert by any means in nautical knots but I am able to tie one knot in particular so I added that one as an accent on the front as well.

A distress tool was used to distress the edges of the manifest.

A small strip of Marina Mist was used to make the bubble strip. In hindsight I would have put the white behind the bubble punch strip to accent the bubbles more. The anchor from The Open Sea was stamped lightly along this piece as well.

Then for a more feminine version I have come up with this card using the same sketch. I chose not to put the extra strip down the one side.

So now it's your turn.  Use the sketch and turn it whichever way you want.  Go ahead give it a try.

I hope you enjoy my versions.

Nancy

I like to hear what you think, so please leave me a comment.

Masculine Monday 7/5/12 - Make a Wish

Didn't have much time over the past few days for a new card on Masculine Monday so I went through my library and found this one that I had made for my Dad's Birthday.

When I made this one I made a series of three in total all using Lovely as a Tree.  Each card used a different stamp from that set.

The envelop was made to accompany the card using the MS Scoreboard.




Hope you enjoy.

Nancy

I like to know what you think, so please leave me a comment.