Easy masculine birthday cards & Just Because

Making cards is always a quick, crafty fix for me. I can get out just enough of my "stuff" to be dangerous without making too much of a mess!

My boys celebrated their 22nd and 20th birthdays last week. I enjoy making cards for them, because they are so special to me. I know that guys don't always appreciate handmade cards, and they may not keep them for very long, but that's okay with me. My cards are an expression of my love. Making them + giving them = JOY for me.

The Dude card was fun and easy. I cut out the surfboards from some paper in my stash. The embossing folder is T. Holtz. I went over it lightly with yellow stamp pad. The sand layers were hand cut and distress inked along the edges. The birthday sentiment is StampinUp.

As you can see I use this T. Holtz embossing folder a lot, because it's got that great distressing. Perfect for a grungy guy look. The bike and sentiment are SU. The balloons were hand cut...This would have been a great time for some tiny punches. =) Imagine...something that I don't have? I did try something new here. Instead of stamping my map (Glitz) on green paper, I used StazOn ink to stamp the map, and then lightly went over the whole map with a light green ink. Easy...not sure why I haven't done that before.

 This super easy card is for my Momma. I had some new photos to send to her and needed a card to go along with. Super easy...5 minutes. Pretty self explanatory. The felt flower is left over from baby shower decorations. I like the texture and the simplicity of this. She'll love it...Especially when she sees the beautiful pics of her Great-Grandaughter inside. =)

Looking forward to a nice 3 day weekend!! Hope yours is delightful! Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Owl birthday card

Hope everybody is starting off their New Year in a positive way! All I can say about mine right now is that I'm really busy at my day job. No complaints, though. I'm so happy to have a job that I love at least 9 days out of 10. =)

Today I have a cutie owl birthday card to share with you.

I made this for my Dad's birthday in December. The stamp is from Tattered Angels. I'm not a huge fan of coloring stamps, but I like the way this one turned out. The edges are all distressed and inked with Tim Holtz pumice stone ink. I cut the sentiment banner freehand. The sentiment stamp is from StampinUp! The patterned paper scraps are My Minds Eye "Bohemian". I used Kraft for the base.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Double birthday layout - "More Candles"

Does anybody in your family share birthdays? We have the unusual pleasure of our two boys sharing their big days on August 22. I told Joel that his best birthday gift ever came when he was 2 years old and his little brother, Jacob, was born. He didn't always agree! They've always had fun together... as little boys playing together, and even now at 21 and 19 years. However, I know that having to share a big day like a birthday got old for them sometimes.

Here's a layout of their most recent "big day". Typical for my oldest to be goofing off in the pictures. That never seems to get old for him =). The guy on the right holding the cell phone is my nephew, Ryan, who always adds to the crazyness. Here's the left side of my layout.

Here's the right side. I was very pleased with my husband for actually capturing the moment of them blowing out the candles. Yay!

Here's some of the details:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Here's layout of last year's fall decor. Thought I'd pull it out and share it again. Enjoy our families and all of the blessings that our Lord pours over us each and every day. Take a step back from the hustle and bustle of the day and just soak it all in!