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Welcome to Barbara Joyce's Blog

December 31, 2012

Yes, it's been a long, long time since I posted. The holidays will do that to 'ya! So, one more card before this year ends. This is a pretty close copy of a card I saw on Pinterest. It's made with the set, Reason To Smile, background script from French Foliage, using one of my favorite techniques, Emboss Resist. First I stamped the script in Soft Suede, also the sentiment, then stamped the flower with VersaMark and clear embossed. Followed by sponging with Certainly Celery all over the design area, followed by sponging with Old Olive just around the flower. Wipe the embossed area with a tissue to remove any stray ink, add a little bow, and Voila!

Reason to Smile

October 25, 2012

Here's another card that uses my current favorite of Mo Manning's digis, Tall Cake.

Tall Cake (red)

October 12, 2012

I surprised myself again today, when I realized I'd never posted this card. It's another of Mo Manning's wonderful digital designs, "Skating."

Skating

October 4, 2012

I can't believe I never posted this card, which I made for Cathy's birthday in January, 2011! Oh, well, better late than never, I guess. This is "Kissy," another adorable digital image from Mo Manning. I decorated the card with some bobbin lace, made by me, and colored the image with Copic markers. The inside says, "Take a Bow."

Kissy

October 2, 2012

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I am a big fan of the drawings of Mo Manning. And I love, love, love my Copic markers. This is a new image from Mo called "Tall Cake." I used a fancy fold that was shown on Lee Ann Greff's blog today.

Tall Cake

October 1, 2012

I've decided to start sending cards to our servicemen and women through an organization called "Operation Write Home." Our troops are stationed in parts of the world where there's not a card shop on every corner. So the idea is that we make cards and contribute them, others package them up and send them overseas. Then the servicemen and women use the cards to send home to their loved ones for birthdays, holidays, or just thinking of you. This is the first card I've made for them, a simple one-layer thank you note, using one of my very favorite sets, "French Foliage."

French Foliage

September 29, 2012

I couldn't let this month slip by without posting a card. It's been a busy month, I guess, although I can't remember what happened that made it so! Anyway, I saw a beautiful card on Splitcoast, and I wanted to try to duplicate it. True confessions: some of the prettiest cards I make are copies of cards that other, more creative people have produced. My inspiration was this beautiful card from Heather Telford. I thought I had a good mental picture of her card, and produced this:

Serene Birds 1

I did all the sponging with blue inks, but then I realized I had too much space and had to stamp the tree and birds twice. And I had too little space at the bottom for the greeting! So I went back to Heather's blog and, Oh! Her card is vertical! This revelation led me to make this card, which I like much better:

Serene Birds 2

August 26, 2012

I love the new set, Serene Silhouettes, but hate when I need to make a symathy card. Inspired by a Splitcoast sketch for the layout.

Serene Sympathy

August 21, 2012

Yesterday's challenge on Splitcoast was to make a card that used no stamps, computer-generated sentiments or digital images. I made this card without the sentiment, photographed it, posted the picture on Splitcoast, then cheated and put the stamped sentiment on the front! This style of card is my current favorite with lots of die cutting and dry embossing. I am still loving the Cheery Lynn Fanciful Flourish die and Memory Box Primula Blossom dies.

Raspberry Ripple Primulas

August 20, 2012

I seem to be in a copying mode these days, but I have had this stamp set, Sweet Summer, for a long time, and have used it only once. I saw a card on Wendy Janson's blog, and decided to try to duplicate it. I'm still not that great with Copic markers, and I didn't get the spacing quite right on my card, so there wasn't room for a greeting, but I plan to make the design again and try to get it right. I really like this stamp set and the bright colors.

Sweet Summer

August 18, 2012

Each Saturday, Splitcoast has an inspiration challenge. They post a website where there are pretty things for sale. The idea is that you go to the site, pick something that inspires you, and make a card. Here's the beautiful scarf I picked as my inspiration, and the card I made.

scarf Mambo bird

August 10, 2012

Two cards today! The first is an almost exact copy of a card I saw on Splitcoast. The stamp set is retired, "Artfully Asian," one of my favorite oldies. Stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.

Next, a card inspired by the blog of Andrea Walford. I used the retired Curly Label die and the Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die.

Curly Label Butterfly

July 31, 2012

I made this card a few weeks ago, but had to wait until my friend, Ellen, received it for her birthday before I could post it here. It's made with that wonderful Memory Box Primula Blooms die and some punches, plus the Memory Box Piestra Tile die, using some very bright colors!

Ellen's Primulas

July 23, 2012

Everything old is new again, and it's a good thing. This is evidently an old technique, but it's new to me. Becky Roberts featured a card on her blog that uses this technique, and pointed to the directions on Dawn Olchefske's blog. It's called "Triple Time Stamping." I didn't have ribbon that was the right color, so I took some white taffeta ribbon and colored it with a Copic Marker!

Triple Time Vogue

July 11, 2012

This is a shameless copy of a beautiful card I saw on Splitcoast. I changed a few things, different patterned paper, different flower punch, slightly different greeting. I like the way the Savannah border die is used here. I started with a 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" piece of white cardstock, placed the die and cut. Then I cut another border out of Old Olive cardstock. I made a standard A2 card base from Gina K. heavy cardstock, and adhered a 2" wide piece of patterned paper. Then I adhered the precut white layer, and finally I applied glue to the back of the border, using a glue pen, and laid it in the cutout area right next to the white layer. Add a a few flowers with pearl centers, a ribbon and a sentiment, and it's done!

Savannah Birthday Border

July 10, 2012

This card was inspired by a sketch on the MojoMonday blog. The idea with sketch challenges is to use the sketch to inspire you. An exact duplication is not required. You can see I did make a few minor changes, but I stayed pretty true to the main features of the sketch. The flower is from one of my very favorite sets, Bloomin Beautiful. I used Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a VersaMark pen and clear embossing powder to give the flower a shiny surface.

Bloomin' Tea Party

July 7, 2012

Friends of ours are getting married next month. They're both into Harleys in a big way, so it was fitting that their wedding card should have a Harley on it. The bride and groom are another wonderful digi from Mo Manning. It's hard to see, but the back fender says "Just Married." Thanks to Laura for the loan of her motorcycle stamp, and to Cathy for cutting out the bride and groom with her amazing Cameo machine.


July 3, 2012

I got a new die a couple of days ago, Primula Blooms from Memory Box. I am absolutely in love with this die because it makes adorable little 3-D flowers that are small/flat enough to mail easily. This card was made for a Splitcoast challenge, to use Navy Blue, Old Olive and White. I also used a Nestabilities Fleur-de-Lis rectangle and the Cheery Lynn Fanciful Flourish die, as well as a Martha Stewart punch.

Navy Primulas

June 24, 2012

This card is for my friend, Judy, to congratulate her on her retirement. I think I'm more excited about it than she is! The stamp sets are Vintage Vogue and Well Scripted, both of which are retired. So is the beautiful Bermuda Bay color. I thought it was fitting to use a lot of retired supplies for a retirement card!


June 17, 2012

This card is for a Virtual Stamping Night challenge, to use weaving in your card. I've never tried this technique, so it was quite an adventure trying to get everything stuck down. I should have stock in Sticky Strip! But I'm pretty satisfied with the card.

Woven Birthday

June 14, 2012

I'm still making cards for tomorrow's Virtual Stamping Night. This challenge was to look at a card in your gallery and remake it. I chose the card I posted last April 23, Sprout. I decided to remake it with the same layout, just different colors and different patterned paper. However, after I colored the image, I realized I had printed this one out larger than the original, and it was too big for my oval Nestabilities. Hence a completely new layout. I like both! The inside says, ". . . on your birthday and all year, too!"

Sprout Strawberries

June 12, 2012

Here's another card for this weekend's SCS Virtual Stamping Night, Journeys. I bought the Seattle Skyline stamp many years ago on a visit to Seattle. Since then, of course, we moved here, but the card evokes memories of our early visits. I couldn't resist adding the little bird with her umbrella, since it really does rain here A LOT! I truly don't mind the rain, since you can stamp no matter what the weather outside!

Seattle

June 9, 2012

Yesterday was our 49th wedding anniversary. Here's the card I made for Jim. The technique is called "Emboss Resist." You start with white cardstock and emboss your design with white craft ink and white embossing powder. Then stamp whatever background you like, let the ink dry, and then start sponging different colors all over it. I used a combination of Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, and Not Quite Navy. There may have been one or two other colors in there, too!

Emboss Resist

June 6, 2012

Here's the card I made for my husband's birthday last month. The image is another digi from Mo Manning, Mr. Fixit. The inside says, " to the guy who keeps things humming around here." The paper is from Stampin' Up! called Well Worn. The shapes were cut with Nestabilities.


I'm going to hostess again for a Virtual Stamping Night on Splitcoast on June 15. This card is one of my samples for the "Journeys" theme. The stamp is from a retired SU set that I love. I used watercolor paper, Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an AquaPainter for the coloring. After running the Kraft cardstock through a stripe embossing folder, I sponged all over the surface with Kraft ink to get a weathered look.

Beach

May 19, 2012

I love this little no-name bird stamp, which I colored with Prismacolor pencils and the Gamsol technique. I used my Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Nestabilities for the little rectangle, and the retired "It's Beautiful" wheel. Those wheels work really well if the ink pad is really juicy! The color is the retired Brocade Blue.

Tall Bird

May 11, 2012

Splitcoast Stampers is having a mini challenge each Friday this month. This card is for the challenge to make a card with an international flair. This is the first card I've ever made that's all black and white, but I thought the paper had a kind of Paris feel.

Paris in Black and White

May 6, 2012

I made this card for a challenge on Splitcoast. The challenge theme for a few weeks is journeys; this challenge is "Sentimental Journey," to make a card where the focus is the sentiment rather than an image.

Sentimental Journey

April 27, 2012

A sympathy card for the son of my friend, Nylene, who died two months after her 99th birthday. She was a remarkable woman and will be missed by many.

Thoughts and Prayers

April 24, 2012

Birthday cards for teen and pre-teen boys are so hard. I figure it doesn't matter all that much, because they're really only interested in the check that's inside, right? Anyway, this is a card for our great-nephew, Brandon.

Birthday Balloons

April 18, 2012

I joined a little circle of people who send cards to each other. Not sure how often I'll play along, but this card is going to Arizona! It uses an old set that I love, Blossoms Abound, and the Cracked Glass technique.

Blossoms Abound @

April 17, 2012

I've been wanting to try some of the Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page punches, and I finally used a coupon from Michael's to buy this set. I think the large size punches are probably best for scrapbooking, where you need a big sheet. My punched piece started out as 4" x 4," and as you can see, it just about fills up the front of the card. I used the Fresh Vintage stamp set and coordinating paper, brad and ribbon for this card.

Fresh Vintage

April 3, 2012

I am pretty darned excited about this next picture. I recently purchased a new throw pillow for my living room sofa, and it inspired me to make this card, which is a mixture of five stamp sets! It's actually a wonder that I can keep track of my stamps, but I had to order the Eiffel Tower set and so this card has been rumbling around in my head while I waited for the delivery. The sets are: Winter Post, French Foliage, Fresh Vintage, The Open Sea, and Artistic Etchings.

Eiffel Tower Collage

April 1, 2012


A get-well card for our daughter and son-in-law, who have been sharing a cold. The image is a digi from Mo Manning.

Needs Mummy

March 29, 2012

Here is an Easter card I made for a challenge on Splitcoast Stampers.

Easter

February 28, 2012

This card was made with the retired set, God's Beauty. I love the bright colors and the lifelike butterfly.

God's Beauty

February 14, 2012

My physical therapist is an avid golfer, and his birthday is coming up, so I decided on a golf theme for his card. This digi from Mo Manning was a perfect starting point.

Golfer

February 12, 2012

I recently needed a very small gift box, and decided to go all out and make a special one, using the SU Bitty Box die and the Sizzix 3-D flowers die.

Rolled Flower Bitty Box

The only kind of card I don't enjoy making is a sympathy card, but sometimes it's just necessary. This card is for my daughter-in-law's mother, who lost her husband a few days ago.

Thoghts and Prayers

February 3, 2012

Splitcoast Stampers really came through for me with a tutorial and template to make this card for DH for Valentine's Day. Since he never, ever looks at my blog, I can post it here for you to see!

2012 Valentine

January 13, 2012

This is the card I made for my daughter's birthday, which was yesterday. Lots of punched and die-cut flowers and leaves!

Cathy's birthday

January 11, 2012

I made only a very few of this card, and only very special people got them. I made one in red and green, and the rest in this color scheme. They were very well received!

Snow Much Fun Side Step Card

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