Any respectable grandma shows off pictures of her adorable grandchildren… right? Here are mine… my beautiful twin granddaughters at age 3. If you live in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area you may want to look up Kim Harms if you need a photographer. I love this picture of the girls.

Here are a couple of shadow boxes I did for the Fan Club at Splitcoaststampers when I was on the Dirty Dozen Design Team.

I titled it: “Grandma’s Garden”.

(Click on it to enlarge.)

Today I am on a plane to go see my sweet girls. One of them is having her tonsils out tomorrow. Since she will not be able to go to her daycare for a couple of weeks, grandma will be taking care of her so that her dad (my son) won’t miss any school and her mom won’t have to take vacation to care for her. The last time I saw them was at Christmas. I’m sure that they will have grown considerably since then.

I don’t expect to be making any new cards or projects to show you until I get back home, but I do have some cards that I have made over the past couple of years to share with you. Most of these have been uploaded in some gallery or another on Splitcoaststampers. A few have not. I got this idea from Sharon Johnson. She will sometimes post some of her older cards and I just love seeing them. So I hope you enjoy “Looking Back” with me.

Let’s start with this card. It could almost pass as a card inspired by the photo of the twins at the top of this post! What do you think?

This was made with some of the first designer paper I bought. I remember being so intimidated by dp. I was much more comfortable using my background stamps. Now I have notebooks full of dp and have to remind myself about that stack of backgrounders! How times change!

Stamps: Long-Stemmed, Sentiment (?)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Brushed Gold, Very Vanilla, Blush Blossom, DP K&Co.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal , Blush Blossom, Regal Rose
Accessories: Prima, Brad, GG Ribbon

Each Saturday brings a new inspiration piece at Splitcoaststampers. This week our inspiration is to come from this En Fleur Candle.

Here is what I was inspired to make.

Those are “Rub-Ons” from American Traditional Designs on the candle and below the sentiment on the card. After transferring the rub-ons to the candle, I used my heat gun to slightly warm the wax. It seemed to set them into the wax quite well so that hopefully they won’t become “rub-offs”!

If you think you would like to play along in the challenges at Splitcoaststampers, you can find them listed on their homepage here in the right hand column under “Weekly Challenges”. But beware… it is VERY addicting! lol

Stamps: True Friend, Floral Backgrounder
Papers: Basic Black, So Saffron, Very Vanilla
Inks: Basic Black
Accessories: Candle, Rub-Ons, Organdy Ribbon, Brad

My “Siberian Iris” set from Fourishes arrived yesterday! Couldn’t wait to play with it! I made a couple of fun little baskets.

I took some pictures along the way in case anyone wants to make one, too.

First decide what size and shape you want your “basket” to be. Here are some examples or ideas. I also included a template with each section numbered 1-7.

You will need to make and cut out a template of your desired basket shape. Then trace around it 4 times placing each one side to side. On the 5th section do only 1/2 (or a little less) of the basket shape. Then do one more full basket shape and finally a 7th section which is just a tab for gluing. This 7th section should be less than 1/2 the width of your template (and the same width or less of section #5). Be sure to add a couple of tabs on sections #2 and #6 with the #6 tab being a little taller. If you want to have three decorated sections, add another tab to section #4. This tab should be the tallest of the three as it will be the back row. Cut out your basket and score all the sides. Fold the basket so that the tracing lines will be on the inside of the basket.

To add patterned paper, make another template that is 1/4″ less in height and width than your basket template. Trace 4 of this smaller basket shape on the back of whatever patterned paper you are using. (This step is optional. You can, of course, stamp images on the basket or even leave it plain.) Turn your cut out basket over so that all the tracing marks (if you have them like mine does…) and adhere your patterned paper to sections #1-4.

Apply adhesive to the outside of sections #5 and #7.

Adhere section #7 to the inside of section #3 to form a rectangle. (If section #7 is smaller than section #5, make sure it is glued on section #3 far enough away from section #4 so it equals the measurement of section #5 and forms a rectangle.)

Adhere section #1 to the outside of section #5.

Make sure that your sections will fold flat for mailing.

Decorate as desired!

Basket 1 - Celebrate
Stamps: “Siberian Iris” and “Many Sentiments” both sets from Flourishes
Papers: Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, DP is SU! “Prints”
Inks: Jet Black Stazon, Always Artichoke Marker, Reinkers in Always Artichoke, Old Olive, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Eggplant GG Ribbon, Rhinestone Brad, Butterfly Punch

Basket 2 - Happy Mother’s Day
Stamps: “Siberian Iris” from Flourishes
Papers: Always Artichoke, Lavender Lace, Very Vanilla, DP is SU! “Prints”
Inks: Always Artichoke, Lavender Lace, Always Artichoke Marker, Versamark, Chalks in Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst, Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, Old Olive
Accessories: Black Embossing Powder, Rhinestones, Prima, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Ticket Punch

**These little baskets were designed using a folding technique from a card in my mother’s vintage collection. It was a Hallmark Historical Collection card and was a reproduction of a card printed in the late 1800’s by Raphael Tuck & Sons, London.**

Lori Craig has organized a Bible Verse Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers. “We’ll each create an on-going altered journal, rolodex card, scrapbook page, ATC or recipe card project… Each month we will choose a verse and get to stamping. We’ll add that piece to our collection.” Here is my first scripture card, the storage box and dividers.

Isn’t this a wonderful idea and challenge! I am just now joining in for the month of April. I plan to make this more than just a year long project.. perhaps a life long project. The scripture card hangs from the picture hooks in plain view all month. As I create the next month’s card, I will simply take the old one off from the hooks and file it under the month in which I created and memorized it. It will be easily available if I choose to refer back. Oh and another easy change each month could be the ribbon around the hangers. Thank you, Lori, for such a meaningful and awesome challenge!!

The finished box measures 5-3/4″ wide X 4-1/2″ tall X 3″ deep. Each scripture card measures 4″ X 5-1/4″. The center of the holes for the eyelets on the scripture card are 5/8″ from the top and 1″ from the side of the card.

The holes for the brads are placed 1/8″ from the top and 1-1/4″ from the side fold on the box.

These are just the regular inexpensive picture hangers that measure 7/8″ in length. The holes for the brads are placed 1/8″ from the top and 1-1/4″ from the side fold.

Each divider card measure 4-1/2″ X 5-1/2″ not including the tab.

Box and File Cards
Stamps: Full Calendar, Sanded
Paper: So Saffron, Always Artichoke, SU! DP “Le Jardin”
Ink: Always Artichoke
Accessories: Tab Punch, Brads, Picture Hangers, GG Ribbon or Organdy Ribbon

Scripture Card:
Stamps: A Light Unto My Path, Carte Postale, French Flair
Paper: So Saffron, SU! DP “Le Jardin”
Ink: Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, Crop-A-Dile, Rhinestone

Happy Easter weekend everyone! Aren’t these little guys just the cutest. They are from Royal Doulton’s Sweet Dreams.

A few weeks ago I went to my retired upline and friend Joella’s home for a fun day of paper crafting. She had purchased these cool shadow boxes by Provo Craft. After she cut out the Art Blanche decorative paper by EK Success (thanks for cutting it, Joella), I modge podged it to the lid.

Next she used her Cricut to cut out the letters. To mount some of the letters in the box I used rubber scraps that I had saved when trimming some stamps. One side is already sticky and I applied double sided adhesive to the other side. This rubber makes a sturdy dimensional. I added ribbons, primas, stickles, moss, a miniature fern and those darling little bunnies.

Hope that everyone gets to spend this Easter with those you love. Have a wonderful and joyous day.

(Click to enlarge.)

Isn’t this sweet!! This past week Beate had a wonderful tutorial over on Splitcoaststampers for this darling little “Peek A Boo Treat Holder”. With Beate’s great instructions it was so quick and easy to make.

If you want to see more of these fun holders, check them out here. As for me, I’m off to eat the rest of those chocolate bunnies! *grin* Have a great day today and don’t forget to wear some GREEN!!

Stamps: Sentiment from Rubber Soul
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Barely Banana, DP from DCWV
Ink: Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Double Stitched Ribbon (Soft Sky), Scalloped Punch, 1-3/8″ Circle Punch, Flower Punch, Scalloped Scissors, Stickles, Sweet Tasty and Adorable Chocolate Bunny