His Virgo Birthday Card

The 6th sign in the zodiac...known to be picky and critical...and with a willingness to serve...enter the Virgo. 

A lovely co-worker (and one of my best customers) requested a Virgo-themed birthday card for her boyfriend that expressed her love. If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, masculine cards require some true brainstorming.

Thanks to Dylusions ink sprays, Tim Holtz Distress paints, and some inspiration from Kristina Werner (see below),

Awesome Alcohol Ink Coasters & A Recipe

I'm really excited to share these small, but impactful creations with you! If you have seen my recent posts, then you know I was hosting a baby shower for an absolutely wonderful couple and great friend. During my party planning brainstorm for party favors, I was hoping to accomplish a few things: 1- not break the bank getting favors for approximately 50 people, 2- give the guests an item they wouldn't immediately pitch in the trash (be honest, we've all been there), and 3- make it homemade.

Enter AWESOME ALCOHOL INK COASTERS! Here are some of the finished products.

Just a Lil Love

Happy Independence Day!!

I love kraft cardstock!! Did I say love? Yes, totally adore kraft...all shades of it. The brown provides a very natural neutral background on which to lay my creative smackdown :) Here is a simple card  on which I used little more than some StazOn cotton white ink, white embossing powder, and white gel pen. The Paper Smooches stamp set was perfect for this occasion to create my background.

HB2U (that's Happy Birthday to You)

I love when I get a special request for a card from a friend...and they have no idea what they really want...BUT will allow me to flex the left side of my brain and be creative.

As most crafters will note, cards for guys are especially challenging. Color schemes are different, the use of most cutesy animals are limited, and oh goodness, I have to restrain myself from dusting the card with my usual touches of sparkle and glitter :) With that in mind, I created this birthday card for a friend's brother who loves to spend time hiking in the woods.

Lazy Summer Day

I love the summer; the long sunny days, warm nights, cookouts, drinks on the patio, time with family and friends, vacations, and my birthday! And some very loved family and friends, some greatly appreciated troops, and a few random strangers will be on the receiving end of my shenanigans :)

I'm kicking off with a polaroid-inspired card just to say hi. I gravitated to this trend and made card after card of this style. I love how it becomes the focal point while leaving space to embellish. It's also a great challenge for me to create the entire "snapshot" of my picture in this little space.

Be Brave, Be Fearless! What do you know about stroke?

One of the best aspects of my career as a pharmacist is the relationships forged with my patients. I practice with the goal of improving lives. I want to know how they feel- about their meds, their day-to-day life, their pharmacy experience. And I work very hard to commit those things to memory, remembering their medications, regimens, and concerns.

As a crafter, I'm able to let my patients know that we (my pharmacy team) care about them through the cards I create. I used my homework assignment from Summer Card Camp 2 to do just that for a special patient who recently suffered a stroke and is having a hard time adapting to changes in his life post-stroke and rehabilitation.

Butterfly Thank You's & GIVEAWAY

My aunt and uncle in Kentucky are so awesome! They sent me a special birthday card with a sentiment for their favorite niece (ok, so I added the favorite part). I wanted to create a special thank you card to send them. I think butterflies are always beautiful and this color combo was a sure fire winner.

I decided I could multi-task and complete both pre-class challenges for Summer Card Camp 2 at Online Card Classes. Side note- if you are in to making cards, these classes are really inspiring and full of techniques.

Here's the card I made. I hope they like it!

Eye to Eye with a Dragonfly

Everyone who knows me well, knows, and I mean KNOWS that I don't do spiders, insects, bugs, even ants in many cases! 

Flashback---> I was a freshman in high school and it was a Saturday morning while I was watching cartoons (don't judge me), I noticed a trail of ants from the back patio door leading next to the sofa on which I was relaxing. I jumped up and ran to wake up my younger brother to tell him he had to come get rid of them! I was terrified!

Now, I'm eye to eye with a dragonfly!

Oh Flower

Spring is my favorite time of the year. It just seems that global warming continues to push this bright and breezy season later in the year or dismisses it all together. But, with my first days off work in a while, I was able to spend some time with Mother Nature and grab a few snapshots of Spring's beauty.

Nikon D7000; 60mm - F/3.5

I got down in the dirt in my own, newly planted flower bed