Sweet Baby Shower - Nitwit Designs

Greetings to all my blogging buddies! Recently, a friend asked if I would make a baby shower card for her to give to her granddaughter. She is about to become a great-grandma!

Would you believe, as long as I've been stamping, I didn't have any appropriate items in my stash? So I dashed off to Nitwit Designs where they were offering a 50% off site-wide, and found the cutest little "Just Ducky" set. At least 60 separate items were offered in this set, including embellishments, digital stamps, borders, papers, sentiments and more! What a deal LOL

The granddaughter's favorite color is purple. While the papers in the set offered lots of pastel options, we liked this darker version. Using my Mac, each panel was outlined, shadowed, framed, and layered into place. In order to brighten some of the borders, a burgundy shadow was added rather than the purple used elsewhere. (the white lace border is from Creative Market digitals).

The folded (closed) project is 5.5 inches square. 

In my stash from Marcos Papers aeons ago (25 years?) is cardstock that is 7" tall and 25" long - perfect for creating 5x7 accordion cards. So I cut it down to accommodate this card. While the pattern papers were printed at 5.25" size, the card base was cut to score at 5.5" and 11", leaving a little space for flat folding. A Purple Copic Marker chisel tip (the same color as the background papers) was used on all the edges and creases, so white background would not show through. 

When the card is untied, and the first flap is opened, a scalloped sentiment appears, outlined with purple glitter. Even the fine, metal tip glue didn't help my shaky fingers, but it still adds sparkle. I also dotted the background of both these papers, adding the same purple glitter to make the paper a little more festive. 

The white circle is for a private note from Grandma to Granddaughter.

When the 2nd fold is open, the 3-page interior looks like this:

There is also glitter around the baby's name on the right. The font used is called "Blossoms" and can be found on Creative Market.

Flipped, the back of the card (center) is plain. The ribbon is adhered under the front panel (on the right) and goes behind the middle (back) panel. The panel on the left is what became visible when the card was first opened. AND YES, two ribbons were used. The organza ribbon was a good 25 years old, and the 1/8" satin ribbon was from Great Aunt Agnes' notions stash. Interestingly, it was $1.25 in the 50s! Both ribbons were made in the USA and are still made in the USA, but actually cost less these days in comparison to the 1950s and 1990s!

This is what the card interior looks like when it is completely opened.

Thanks for stopping by! 

A personal note to my friends:

We pulled up two gigantic Podocarpus bushes that were becoming extremely cumbersome to maintain. (Don'tcha hate when you have to do that? It's like losing friends who have grown by your side)  My passion is gardening, (including weeding, planting, pruning, caring for) which is no longer feasible health-wise, so that has fallen onto Jack's shoulders. While he enjoys vegetable gardening, hydroponic gardening, and maintaining our acreage, he's not wild about pruning the landscape bushes near the house. We found some fabulous azalea bushes on line, and pulled out the giant podocarpus bushes with the help of a tractor and Jack's brute strength. Jack has planted 13 new azaleas in their place around that corner of the pool cage, and is putting in a custom drip system for them. At age 82, I cannot help but admire how hardworking and strong he is - truly a Jack of All Trades. Now he'll visit the sod farm on the other side of the county and fill grass-sod in where the tractor decimated the grass. 

😆😄😄

Oh! The azaleas arrived in pristine condition via FEDEX, and well worth the money. We purchased them through Lowe's on-line and they arrived from Alabama and Florida (we live in Florida). The actual "nursery" is called ENCORE AZALEAS. Their website shows a zone map, and which azaleas (or rhododendrons) will grow in your area - whether they need shade or can take full sun. AND, the plants arrived guaranteed for several months.

These days, I mostly read an assortment of books, including scientific, anthropologic, philosophical, and fun cozy mysteries - and lots more! Every 2 weeks, a friend keeps our home vacuumed, dusted, and bathrooms clean. I try to do the "deep cleaning" that no one else notices. You know what I mean, right? I love listening to audible books throughout the night. CFS/ME means interrupted sleep, so I only sleep in 20-40 minute increments. I love coming into my crafting room, even when it's not possible to accomplish anything. 

Some of the people who enlighten my heart when I visit my crafty place are Connie Griffin, Leslie Miller, and Verna Angerhofer. 

QUESTION:

When you craft, do you think of the person for whom you are creating the card? Those thoughts usually guide me through the design process. Or perhaps do you think of several individuals (crafty buddies), feeling inspired by their friendship and influence in your life? I do both, MAKING ME so grateful for you all!

May I play in the following challenges please?

1. CD Sunday Plus #160 Anything Goes (using "Just Ducky" Digital set, and Creative Market lacy border and fonts. My Mac helped with embellishing the digital sets. 6/22
2. Crafty Animals #95 Animal 6/28
3. Critter Crazy Challenges #99 Animal as main Feature 6/25
4. Creative Creases Challenge #104 AG with Fun Fold (ribbon closed-tri fold creation) 7/1

Stamping Love,

Lilacs celebrating new Inspiration Station Challenge!

 Yippee! It's time for a new Inspiration Station Challenge! Because my fumble fingers have not been cooperative, I am playing with more of the Nitwit digital products I've purchased... these cards are made with Lilac Blossoms Digital Set. Having been an avid rubber stamper for 30 years, it feels like I'm cheating by using such great digital sets.

The inspiration board this time: PSST! Remember! It's entirely YOUR take as to what inspires you - it could be emotional, thematic, color, texture. What inspires you today?

Parts of these are digitally layered, and other parts are traditionally put together.

First, the composition was digitally arranged to my liking. Certain components were copy-and-pasted separately, so they could be fussy cut and popped up for dimension. That way, a "map" will show me exactly where to pop up the individual pieces:

Buttons were actually sewn in place on top of the digital button. 

The dark green button has been heat embossed with matching EP:

Distressed edges are heat embossed with a powder that contains fine mica:

I like the little purple dots in the card base:

A pale green Copic Marker was used on the Mother-of-Pearl button to give it a bit of a green tint. Because Copics are transparent, the Mother-of-Pearl still shows through the coloring:

Hope you will drop by and play in the Inspiration Station Challenge!

Products Used:

Dies: SB Grand Scallop Squares and SB Scallop Squares (small border)

Digitals by Nitwit Designs Lilac Blossoms Digital Set.

I'm playing in the following fun challenge:

Incy Wincy Designs Challenges (thru April 18) Borders and/or Bright colors 4/19

Spring Time Hugs,

Puppy Celebrating new Inspiration Station Challenge!

 Hi! Did you know there is a brand new challenge on the block? 

It's called Inspiration Station. Although there is an inspiration board, the interpretation is quite broad, so I invite you to take a look and see what you think!

DESIGN TEAM CALL, TOO!

The inspiration board:

(I am inspired by the colors, cuteness factor, and the celebration of life!)

Using elements from Nitwit Digital Paper Collection "Enchanting" and Turquoise and White Cardstock, Bugaboo Birthday Puppy is celebrating in style. The edges are distressed with loose copper glitter, and loose clear glitter. Such cuteness!

Please check out the new challenge, and see what motivates you in your creation. Is it the colors? The shapes? The textures? The subject matter? Or something else entirely. 

Products: Bugaboo Birthday Puppy Set, glitters, inks, Nitwit Digital Paper Collection "Enchanting", Turquoise and White Cardstock.

Challenges I'd like to play in please:

1. Two Crafty Critter Crazies #48 AG critters! 4/1
2. World Wide Open DT Challenge #3 AG DT 4/15
3. Always Fun Challenges #205 Spring 3/22
4. Inkspirational Challenges #234 Photo Inkspiration 3/20 sep post

Stamping Hugs,