Hello Bluebird | Thinking of You

Hello dear friends!

Welcome to my front porch where we talk about anything that our hearts fancy!  Today I'm thinking of you and all the encouragement and smiles you send my way here on my blog, Instagram and Facebook.  I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate your visits and love to talk with you.  If you leave a comment, please remember to check the "notification button" on an individual post if you would like to talk about something or ask a question.

Is it to early to share a sweet clean and simple springtime card?  No never! I have several friends who have been on my mind recently.  I've known them for years and they are as much family as they are friends.  This year I'm going to make sure I let them know how much they mean to me with lot's of love tucked inside a handmade card.  I don't know about you, but to many times my cards don't get mailed -- time to remedy that!

Stamp sets and dies used:

• Elephant Friends
• McGregor's Garden (watering can and sentiment)
• Wildflower Bouquet
• Stitched Tag Builder Stand Alone Die

How did I create this card:

• Cut and score a top fold A2 (4.25 x 5.5) piece of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. card stock 
• Cut a second piece of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. 3.75 x 5.25 and round two of the corners (your choice which corners)
• Stamp the Elephant, three butterflies, and watering can on 80 lb Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock with Brutus Monroe (Raven) Detailed Permanent Ink that is alcohol marker safe and waterproof when dry.
• Color with Copic markers, or your own choice of medium - just remember to pair your medium with the correct paper.  My copic colors are as follows:
• Elephant = C00, C0, C2 and R00, R01 for inside ears and toenails
• Watering Can = C00, C0, C2; R01; BV000
• Butterflies = Y06, Y08; R21, R22; BV000, BV01
• All florals from the Wildflower Bouquet set are stamped with the Papertrey Ink premium dye inks:
• Cocoa Bean, Harvest Gold, Pale Peony, Lilac Grace, Green Parakeet, and New Leaf
• Small oval from the Stand Alone set, Stitched Tag Builder, was cut from Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80 lb. and slightly inked with the Harvest Gold premium ink.
• Adhere the small oval with liquid adhesive.
• Begin placing your elements where you'd like them remembering the little elephant will be popped up with 3M dimensional adhesives last.  I actually adhered the watering can underneath the baby elephant's trunk first and put my 3M adhesives on but didn't take the tacky backing off until I knew exactly where I would place her.
• Little details - remember last time we talked about little details?  Here we go!
• Three little butterflies in colors that repeat in the florals
• And three tiny water droplets in flat jewels from Little Yellow Bicycle or your choice.
• Gold leaf pen trim around the image panel. 

The gold leaf pen is something I do often when creating a CAS design.  It just gives it that extra something special and I attribute it to my sweet online friend Katie Sims

Thinking of You Close Up

A simple way to tell your friends and family, "I'm thinking of You!"

And now dear friends I must tell you that I'm flying the nest.  This will be my last card for Hello Bluebird Stamps as a design team member.  I will continue to create cards with their delightful illustrations and post them here and on my other galleries, but it's time to slow down and enjoy this new decade and season of life.   I hope you'll continue to visit me here, on Instagram and Facebook as I continue to create and share my art.   As I go forth I want you to know there will always be a little bluebird on my shoulder!

With sincere love and hugs,

Susie ~

Hello Bluebird | Memorial Banner

Hello friends!  I have a card to share with you today that I created for Memorial Day this past Monday.  We are a military family.  Service to country runs deep on both sides.  From WWII through the war in the Middle East our family members have served proudly.   While crafting this card I thought about the fields of crosses in Verdun, France that seemed to go on forever, and the graves of Arlington, Virginia where friends and colleagues lay.   I don't think there is a family in our country that doesn't have a story of service in their family.  So today I honor them.  Those who put the comforts of home and love of family aside to protect the freedoms we hold so dear.

A Memorial Banner of Red, White, and Blue

This new card uses a number of different Hello Bluebird sets.  I began by scoring the foundation panel of Neenah Solar White card stock (80lb) on the diagonal.  This is nice way to provide interest to a CAS design.   For the base of the floral spray I used the very popular, Vertical Banner die from the Banner Buddies release.  Flowers and leaves were both stamped and die cut using the following sets:  Flower Garden and Wildflower Bouquet and the Wildflower Bouquet companion die,   The large leaves were die cut using Gallery Frame #2 and the stars were die cut from Gallery Frame #1   I trimmed the foundation panel with a gold leaf pen, and both panel and the floral banner were adhered to the card base with fun foam.

I hope you've been inspired by my card and words today.   It is a small offering from heart and hand.    The stamp and die sets I've shared today can be found on the Hello Bluebird web site and are waiting for you!

On Monday I posted these words from Thomas Pain:

"These are the times that try men's souls."    Written during the darkest hours of our nations struggle for liberty.    A struggle that brought Gen. George Washington humbly to his knees in prayer.   Surely a country had never paid such a high cost for freedom as this...   Our founding fathers knew the cost.   The struggle against tyranny and oppression will always cause suffering and pain - this we know. 

But the desire for freedom is greater.

Remembering