Remembering our Soldiers

As many of you already know today is Memorial Day in the United States where we take the time to remember and honour our fallen soldiers.  I am a very patriotic person (as many of you are for your own countries).  I have been known to cry at the singing of our National Anthem.  I don't agree with war but I do respect those who fight for our freedoms.  I wanted to make a card that reminded me of the reason we do that.  Memorial Day is celebrated with parades, bbq's, picnics, swimming, fireworks. Good ole' family fun!  My dad is a veteran and he is buried in a National Cemetary.  If I lived close to day would have included visiting him in Iowa.  (I live in Missouri).   Here is my card.  Love, Elle

Best Buds

I am very blessed to have three best friends in my life.  Charlie, my husband; Cynthia, my sister; and Carol, my pretend sister.  Each has brought unmeasurable joy to my life.  Today's card showcases my best buds.  This is a stamp from Whipper Snapper.  The background is cut out using my Nestability die.  The ribbon is from PapertreyInc and the crochet flower was a gift I received in a swap.  Isn't it the sweetest thing?  I wanted my colors to be bright and happy because, well, I just needed that today.  The buttons from my stash are tied with yellow baker's twine and the paper was purchased at TheInkSpot here in St. Louis.  A quant little store housed in an old home.  Lovely.  Happy.  I cut some of the background paper with my pinking shears and tied the pretty bow using my Bow Easy.  You all have to get one of those for yourself-they tie perfect bows every time.  Just google Bow Easy to find a shop that carries them.  This afternoon I spent time with my best bud doing things for their upcoming trip to Hawaii where she and her husband will renew their wedding vows on the beach at sunset.  I'm JEALOUS!!!! lol.  My husband wants to renew our vows onboard a cruise ship-isn't he romantic?  I think so!  Off to cook some dinner.  Beef over rice with cheese stuffed cornbread.  Take card and enjoy my card.  Love, Elle

Here is a close up of my best buds:

Computer problems

I am having trouble with my email address so bare with me!  I may have to change my email address altogether and don't know if it will allow me to access this blog.  HELP! lol.  I will try to figure this all out.  Love, Elle

Magnolia-liscious Challenge Blog

I don't usually enter many  challenges but when I was over at the Magnolia-liscious Challenge blog the other day I just could not resist playing along!  WARNING-my computer isn't working very well so I don't think the enclosure link is working today-sorry.  That being said here is the challenge picture.  Isn't it soooooooo pretty?

I loved the softness of these colors together-the eleguence-the beauty.  I hope that my card can do the inspiration picture justice!  I love his sweet little Tilda peaking at the butterfly that just happened to flit by and land on her.  I colored her with copics pulling the purples, yellows, and greens into my card.  The flowers are from Walmart of all places and the butterflies are cut using a die from Papertrey Inc.  I hope you enjoy the card as much as I did creating it for you.  Now off to take card of this @#$@ computer!lol  Love, Elle

Okay, now what.....I'm usually able to enlarge my photo before posting it.  Geez...................

Subtle Sweetness

Today I want to share with you a birthday card that I made for my best friend Carol.  I call it "Subtle Sweetness".  Some of the elements I used have been sitting in my stash for some time now just waiting for me to play with them.  Why is it that we do that?  Buy things that we just HAVE to have and then don't use them.  Things we love.  This time I pulled out some dies that I got from Papertrey, Inc.  as well as my leaf stamp set.  I used Chartrouse green ink for the leaves-just the right touch of softness.  I am LOVING my new Big Shot die-cutting machine!  I also cut out two butterflies from them and sewed then together leaving a little thread on top for their antenna.  Of course I had to have my doily! Isn't the trim on the bottom beautiful?  A Wally World special..........I simply adore the background paper-so soft and feminine which is why I colored her with Copic Markers using soft blues and whites.  I decided to use a rose from Wild Orchard Crafts to replace her flower.  What do you think?  Here are several pictures of my card.  I hope you like it!  Love, Elle

Paper Piercing

Tilda is paper pierced today!  I have been seeing a lot of this technique on different blogs and really like it so I thought I would join in.  I stamped and colored my image with Copic markers then re-stamped the image on patterened paper, cut out the dress, and attached it to the original image.  Voila'!
Isn't she perty?  lol.  I pulled out my flowers that I purchased from Wild Orchard Crafts, some lace trim, some pretty pink ribbon, and a sweet corsage pin to add to my card.  I love how my background paper coordinates so well with her dress pattern even though they are not from the same company.  Mixy Matchy was the way to go!  I had fun making my card and wanted to share it with you.  Enjoy!  Love, Elle

Happy time!

It's Happy Time here at the Kasban household.  I was in such a good mood yesterday, Friday the 13th, that I just HAD to make a happy card for someone that might need cheering up!  My husband Charlie and I were married on a Friday the 13th so we celebrate every time one comes our way.  Yesterday we went out to lunch at one of our fav restuarants, Casa Gallardo, LOVE Mexican food!  Enough of that.  On to my card.  I pulled out an old WhipperSnapper stamp along with some bright papers and stamped it on my Nestibility shape that I cut out using my Big Shot.  After breaking two Cuttlebug machines I tend to do to the Big Shot out of fear lol.  When I was putting the card elements together I thought that it needed softening up some so I added one of the doilies I got at a little Bistro, a flower embellishment and a sweet, sweet silver butterfly.  Now I am pleased.  Really, I am.  I love this little girl, don't you!?  Love, Elle
A close up:

It's a Guy Thing!

Today I wanted to play with Edwin from the Magnoliscious.us store.  I needed a card for a boy that is DEFINATELY a rough and tumble young man.  I had found this adorable paper at Archiever's the other day and knew it was perfect for this card.  I colored my image with various Copic Markers, used my sewing machine to stich some of my paper, and popped up my image with pop dots.  It needed something else so I added 4 buttons in the corners that I had purchased from the dollar bin at Michaels.  On the inside of the card it says "It's a Guy Thing".  Enjoy!  Love, Elle

Here is a closer view:

MoManning is here!

Yippie Skippie!  MoManning is here!  I took the plunge and colored my Shanna from the MoManning collection over at StampinBella.  I even tried a new Copic coloring technique.  The colors are mostly feathered together in short to medium strokes.  New to me.  I like the overall finished project but must do a little critiquing of myself.  I am heavy-handed with a marker (or pencil or paintbrush....) and it causes me to run out of the lines sometimes.  I do not like the colors or the way the hair turned out. I also screwed up trying to ink the edges.  It is too bright and smudged some.  Overall I like her but need more work.  I plan on inking up the stamp again to get more practice.  I told you I would share the card with you NO MATTER WHAT so here it is!  Love, Elle

Here is a closeup of my girl:

Pasta Edwin

I finished them!  All assembled and ready to mail out.  I love doing the 6 x 6" recipe cards and often swap them.  This is one of my family's favorite recipies.  (they could have this 3 times a week if I would let them!)  Today I used Pasta Edwin that I received from an image swap-love those!  I colored all 8 images with my Copic Markers but keep the card simple.  Basic.  I wanted to showcase Edwin.  I had fun making these and wanted to share it with you.  Love, Elle.

The funk is gone!

It really helped to put a voice to what I was experiencing.  Isn't that true for most things?  My images (8) are all colored for my recipe cards and I just have to assemble them.  Next I will be giving a Mo Manning image a try.  YIKES!  How I love those images put am leary about brancing out away from my Magnolia stamps.  (my learning Copic Marker coloring stamps) As my dad would say, "take three deep breaths" and just do it!  What do I have to loose?  I promise that I will post a photo of my efforts no matter how it turns out, okay?  Love, Elle

I've been in a funk

I've been in the biggest funk since coming home from dad's funeral.  I have several projects that I need to be working on but the mojo has left the building!  What do you do when that happens?  Look through books, magazines, blogs, websites.  Remember that, even though you are unsure of the work you do, it isn't as bad as your eyes see it.  That is something I am stuggling with.  I decided to put it down and give myself a week or so of not creating anything.  BUT!......I am limiting myself to one more week.  I don't want to be sucked into feeling that way forever.  I have multiple images to color for some recipe cards, cd fragment charms to make, challenges to enter, and a Mother's Day card or two or three to make.  I will be posting pictures after my hiatus.  Wish me luck! Love, Elle