Two Simple Birthday Cards

I recently had occasion to need a couple of birthday cards.  When making cards I usually do two at a time, so I'll have an extra to use or put up in my Etsy shop–Mommy Moon Designs.  This time, however, I needed both a masculine and a feminine card.  So I decided to look through some of the patterned paper that I have stored up to see what I could come up with.

I decided to use this lovely striped paper from a pack of glittered cardstock for my masculine card and found a nice green to coordinate with it.  The Mowed Lawn Distress Ink that I used for the Hero Arts greeting matched almost perfectly.

For the feminine card I used this great flower paper from the same paper pack.  I used Picked Raspberry Distress Ink for the greeting, also from Hero Arts.

I really did just keep these cards simple.  They were quick and easy to put together.  I just layered all the elements onto 4.25" x 11" piece of cardstock, scored to fold at 5.5".  

I hope you enjoyed these two cards.  Have a great week!

-Jennifer Gayle

Happy Hauntings

It's a bit early for a Happy Halloween, but I wanted to go ahead and share my Halloween cards.  Both of these were works in progress–I did a little work, set them aside, then went back and added a little bit more.  In the end I was quite pleased with how they turned out.

This first card came from the Tim Holtz Apothecary set.  I heat embossed the skull, then masked it to add the writing in the background using Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  For the top embellishment I stamped the image onto white cardstock, applied Vintage Photo using my mini ink blender tool, cut it out and distressed the edges using a pair of scissors.  I ran it through my Xyron, then affixed it to the front of the card.  Similarly, I stamped the oval design onto white cardstock, applied Vintage Photo, then cut it out.  I used dimensional adhesive to attach it to the front of the card.

For this card I heat embossed the spider web (Hero Arts) onto the orange cardstock.  I heat embossed the message (Tim Holtz) onto black cardstock then attached it with dimensional adhesive.  Finally I stamped the spider (Hero Arts) on white cardstock, cut it out, matted it with black cardstock, and adhered it with dimensional adhesive.  I topped it off with some Glossy Accents on the eyes.

I hope you enjoy these cards.  If you're interested in purchasing either one, they are available in my Etsy shop, Mommy Moon Designs, along with other designs.

Happy Hauntings!

-Jennifer Gayle

World Card Making Day 2014

Today is World Card Making Day and to celebrate I'm participating in the Operation Write Home WCMD 2014 Blog Hop.  And to show how much I love card making I've made a love card just for the occasion.

I started off by blending Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, and Mustard Seed Distress Inks onto white cardstock.  These three are my favorite combination because they remind me of a sunset.  I then added a piece of purple ribbon using red liner tape.  Finally I added the Love die cut using Multi Matte Medium.  I mounted all of this onto a teal card base.  I'm pleased with the overall result of the card.

Don't forget to head over to the Operation Write Home Blog to check out the WCMD 2014 Blog Hop.

-Jennifer Gayle

New Techniques and Exciting News!

Spring is in full bloom here in North Carolina and what better time to try out some new stamping techniques.  I recently ordered some stamps from Hero Arts and I've been itching to use them.  I've found some great techniques through the A Blog Named Hero blog hop at the beginning of the month. I decided to try this one from Jennifer McGuire Ink.

I first embossed the hexagon background with clear embossing powder.  For the first set I wiped on Tim Holtz distress ink then used water to create a watercolor effect.

For the card on the top I used a brush to spread out the color.  On the bottom I used a spray bottle.  You can see that the colors blended more.  I personally like the blended version better.

I also did a version with Twinkling H2Os.

After everything was nice and dry I used the 'iron-off' method to remove the embossing powder.  Once they were ready they turned into some really nice cards.

And, drumroll please, they are now available in my Etsy shop, Mommy Moon Designs, along with other designs!  Please visit and take a look.

Enjoy the spring flowers, and stop by my shop!

-Jennifer Gayle

Postal Woes

There aren't many things more depressing than a card getting lost in the mail.  One of those is twenty-five cards getting lost in the mail.  That's right, an entire package of my cards got lost in the mail.  I only hope that somewhere out there someone is enjoying them.

The weather here lately has been rather crazy.  Spring is trying very hard to make its presence known.  And as winter lifts a new-found motivation finds its way into my craft room (also known as the kitchen table).  I'm excited to get some cards made and to get my Etsy shop up and running.  In the meantime, here is a preview of the cards I've been making.

Happy spring everyone!

-Jennifer Gayle

What's Black White and Red All Over?

A newspaper?  Well, not quite.  Here are some elegant black, white, and red birthday cards.

Aren't they lovely?

Happy crafting!
-Jennifer Gayle

A Walk to Remember

Currently, more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's Disease and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050.  These numbers are just that, numbers, until you know someone who suffers from Alzheimer's.  For me that person is my Nana.  A woman about who the Raleigh News and Observer once said, "While Bosses Come and Go, She Stays in Charge,"  Helen Dowdy served the Department of Community Colleges for thirty years before going on to become the Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees.  She became the model of associations up and down the east coast.  Upon retirement from NCACCT in 2005 Helen was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina's most prestigious honor, by Governor Mike Easley.  

Sadly, what many did not know was that her memory had begun to fail her.  It had become increasingly difficult for her to remember things that happened from day to day.  Within a few years she was unable to navigate the town that she had lived in for most of her life.  Today only her long-term memory remains.  I fear the day when that disappears too.  

To honor my Nana I am walking in the Alzheimer's Association 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer's.  I invite you to join my team, Team Nana, and walk with us in person or in spirit.  If you prefer not to walk consider making a donation.  Your support helps fund research that could delay the day when long-term memories are lost.  If not for my Nana, for millions of others.  

Help celebrate Nana's 84th birthday today.  Visit our team page to join our team, or to make a donation.  Walk for my Nana, your Nana, and the millions of other Nanas who are affected by this terrible disease.

Thank you for your support.
-Jennifer Gayle