Grrr...

Computers are from the devil, I'm pretty sure. My desktop computer still is not fixed of course, and last night there was some inexplicable internet problem that kept me from posting. So here are some things I've been working on.

First, I needed some thank you cards, so I borrowed this layout from skdeleeuw on SCS - she created it for a grey and yellow color challenge. I know you can't tell in my picture, but my bird is actually eggplant, not black. It's really pretty with the celery. I love that little birdie. You do have to be really careful with it though because you have to make sure it's totally inked up or you get little blank spots on him. So make sure your ink pad is not dry, and definitely look at the stamp before stamping. I had to make a bunch of them, so I made more than a few mistakes!!

The flourish is from Inque Boutique, and the bird and the little berries are from Always. Sometimes it is so liberating to make a card with no layers, no hardware, just color and form, you know!

Next, I needed something for a sweet friend - and I needed a tree, because my friend draws the most amazing trees, so I needed to pay a tribute. Trees are something I could never draw - despite numerous expensive art classes over many years. Mine always looked either stupid or scary. So I'm very impressed with these sketched trees.

This is from a Zindorf tutorial called Lake Side Tree. I couldn't quite get the water right, but I do think the composition is beautiful. It's amazing how stamping and then just sponging a little color on the tree really makes it come alive. First, I cut a hill out of post it notes, and masked. Then I brayered soft sky. Then I masked and sponged Bashful Blue for the water, and Old Olive for the hill. I sponged Handsome Hunter at the bottom of the hill, and Ballet Blue at the top of the sky. I sponged a little Certainly Celery onto the tree, after inking just one of the trees from Lovely as a Tree with a Chocolate Chip marker and stamping it. I took her advice and extended the stem a little too. Then I mounted it on three panels of Chocolate Chip with Basic Grey patterned paper on top, and put all that on a Ballet Blue card. Hope you like it!!

Tonight is my customer appreciation event at WineStyles - let me know if you'd like to come! We are going to make a cute little Father's Day project, courtesy of the June issue of Martha Stewart. This is a little men's shirt cuff! You could stick a gift card inside or just use it as a place card, write on the back, etc. I think it's adorable. The patterned paper is 9" x 3.25". Hold the ends together and corner round the top - punch through both at the same time so they are even. Then I punched two .5" circles out of the same paper and stuck them onto Build a Brads to use as "cufflinks". In the magazine, she showed them with buttons and also with little tacks like the silver brads from the new Silver Hodgepodge Hardware kit and she actually made them double sided like real cufflinks - they were adorable. I couldn't figure out how to make the brads work like cufflinks, so I just chose the single Build a Brads. Buttons are super cute though - experiment!!

Lastly, I made this little coffee card after seeing a project on Paper Trufflez that intrigued me. This uses those clear presentation folders from Office Depot, cut down to card size on the folded edge. They have little semicircular holes punched in the spine already, which is perfect for threading the bow through! I know it's hard to see the plastic cover in this photo, but look at the top. Then I just punched little circles out of Basic Grey patterned paper, and Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip cardstock. I stamped the coffee cup from a My Favorite Things set on the inside of the card and colored it with Copics. On the inside it says Thanks a Latte.

I cleaned my studio last night so watch out!!