Ooops!

Have you forgotten a Birthday lately?  Ooops!  I forgot my mother's! :-O  SO, I designed this very special card, just for her. ;-p I have also made the sheet without the "belated" so those who don't forget can use the same design.  This has been uploaded to CUP

Floral Belated Birthday Card Front

along with this Wynter themed one with and without the "belated" as well.



Wynter Belated Birthday Card Front

As you can see, I am still around and kicking.  Been very busy tatting up a storm.  If you want to see, check out the newest posts on my Blog Store.  I'll be doing another Craft Show at the Country Club so have been working like a beaver to get things ready for it.  The Farmers Market is closed for the season....to open again in April next year.  So...hopefully this means I will have more time soon to be making more cards and posting a bit more regularly on my blogs...sigh

Wishing you all a Wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

New Graphics Program

As if I'm not busy enough with the Farmers Market and designing for CUP I had to go and buy a new graphics program (ok, an upgrade really).  I have used Photoshop Elements 5.0 since it came out but there were some things I wanted to do that can not be done in Elements (no matter which version you have) so I upgraded to Photoshop CS5.  Wow!  What a difference!  I purchased 3 books to help me learn the program.  Realllly impressed with one, not quite as impressed (so far) with the other 2.  The one that is helping me the most is 100% Photoshop by Steve Caplin.  I have started from the beginning of the book and designed a few things but this is the one I'm most proud of (so far...lol)

Detective Scene-Designer Resource

This is a Designer Resource and is available on CUP.  Click on the link under the image if you are interested in purchasing this.

I had a LOT of fun making this so watch my page...I will be making more similar...and other things too as I learn the program.

Has it been a BUSY Summer?

Has it been a BUSY Summer for you?  Boy it has been for me!  I started selling my cards, tatting and home baked cookies at the local Farmers Market in early June (or was it late May?).  The Market is open every Saturday from 10am to 2pm and I've been selling loads of my tatting...which means I don't really have much time to design new cards, let alone even make any!  I sell lots of cookies too...I mean who doesn't love home baked cookies? ;-)  So I spend 1 day each week baking like a fool...lol  I finally HAD to make cards because my card display was getting a bit thin so here are pics of what I have made recently.

These first two cards were actually made for an order for that special lady who gives all of her clients BD cards.

I have FINALLY figured out how to link my images to the sheets, so if you are interested in any of the cards ( mine or FSS) you can click the name under the card and you will be taken right to the sheets.

FSS-Emma & Rosey COL SET

FSS-Nolan & The BullFrog COL DIGI

Don't you just love Fred She Said's newest designs?  I do!


Now these next cards are some of my designs found on Craftsuprint.  

Beautiful Rose with Scalloped Accents

Blue Layered Card Front & Tea Bag Tiles

Elegant Vase of Roses Card Front

Get Well Soon Step by Step Card

Innocent Love's Torn Card Topper

Mermaid Card Front and Pyramid

Rose Bouquet Card Front ATC Gift Card

Scalloped Front Tri-Fold Glory Rose Card

Torn Elegance Card Topper

Yellow Roses Round Swivel Card

 Sorry this is so many cards, but would you beleive that I really did make all these cards in just 2 days?  I had an assembly line going!  I cut them all out one day then the next day put them all together.  I didn't get much else done those two days, let me tell you!

I'm still among the living....

Did you all think I had fallen off the Earth?  Wrong...I'm still here...lol  I've been very busy with my tatting (can be found on Custom Creations from Carolivy).  I've been working out local Farmers Market, taking my cards, tatting and bags.  I've also been baking like a fool and taking cookies, muffins and popcorn to sell there as well.  Not had much time to do much designing or card making but I have gotten some done.

The first two cards were made for a standing order.  I have a lady who gives Birthday cards to all of her clients.  She is one terrific lady.

Bouquet of Roses Oval Pyramid Card

Owl Card Front and 3D

These next cards are to replenish my stock of cards that I am taking to the Farmers Market.

Solitude 2 Thinking of You Peek-a-boo Card

Blue Layered Card Front & Tea Bag Tiles

Clematis Card Front & Accesories & Clematis Pyramid

Clematis Card Front & Tea Bag Tile Card wbookmark

Wedding Bouquet Pyramid & Tea Bag Tile Set

If you are interested in any of these cards you can find all of them available HERE.

Latest Cards

Yeup, as the posts suggests I've actually made a few cards lately...lol

The first card is FSS-Hummingbird & Columbine with Penny Wesenauer's Unfolding Flower.  I just LOVED this set when Tracey posted it in her store.  I mixed up the colors of the flower and the bird a bit as my mother has blue columbine that her hummingbirds just love.  I used my Photoshop Styles to make the glittery boarder around the hummingbird and the little panel on the side is embossed with a CB Edge Embossing Folder.

FSS-Hummingbird & Columbine with Penny Wesenauer's Unfolding Flower

The next card is one I made for a blind gentleman.  For this card I used LOTS of different CB Embossing folders and made a shaped cascade card.  I put on a tea bag medallion done with Lucy's Funky Flower #2 with a gem brad in the middle.  LOTS of texture for someone who can't see, but still pleasing to the eye for those who can see it.

The next card I have for you today is one of my new designs.  This is a Shelf Card.  Yes, I know it is Christmas...what can I say.  I work on Christmas all year long...lol  This is Christmas Elf & Gifts Shelf Card and is a very fun card to make.

Christmas Elf & Gifts Shelf Card

And the very last card I have for you today is another of my new designs.  I actually have several of these designs great for various occasions, but this is the one I have made up...yeup, another Christmas card....lol  This one is Christmas Spring Easel Card - Red.  These cards are a combination of a Spring Card and an Easel Card for a really unique style.  A tutorial for making the cards can be found here.   For those of you that keep up with my Blog Store, Custom Creations from Carolivy, you may recognise the bow as the Crinkled Bows.  This just shows how wonderful they would look in your designs or even in your scrapbooking.

Christmas Spring Easel Card - Red

Guess What....

I actually made some cards today.  My card making mojo has been on hiatus for so long, I was beginning to worry that it wasn't going to come back, but I had an order for some cards, so just sat down and got to it and am really pleased with the results.
This first card is my Blank Card Front 2-a with Rosey from Fred She Said and a Tea Bag Medallion with some tiles I made a long time ago.  The fold is Jeannie Pelletreau's Maggie's Fold

This next card is my Glory Roses on Green Card Front and Tea Bag Tiles and the fold on this card is Jeannie Pelletreau's B - Next Fold, Variation 18

Great Craft Show! Wow!

Oh wow!  I had, I think, the BEST Craft Show I've had in YEARS just this past Saturday.
Here are pictures of my display.

I sold several of the larger bags, some of the jewelry and almost HALF of my cards! :-O

This is the show that I do at the local Country Club.  They hold a Winter Fest the day of the show and the weather was perfect that day!  I heard the fishing was great and the snowmobile races were good too.  I wouldn't know anything about any of that though.  I don't get out of the Club House where the show is held...lol

Some more good news, I've been asked by the local Art Guild to be the Guest Speaker at their April meeting.  They want to know more about my cards and they want a card making demontstration.  Gonna be some fun times there!

Spreading my wings a bit...

Well, I have decided to spread my wings a bit.  I'm in the process of putting a Blog Store together that will feature my handmade cards and other handmade crafts as well as my Designer Resource Graphics.  I don't have a cart up and running yet, but the prices are listed, so if you see something you like, drop me an email (found in the Contact Me) and let me know what you are interested in.  There are NO minimum purchases and special requests are welcome as well.
http://www.customcreationsfromcarolivy.blogspot.com/  Come on over and check me out, bookmark me, follow me and keep checking back.  I have loads to put up, but have to sleep some time...lol

NEW! Tri-Fold Pyramid Cards

I told y'all that I was working on another "New From" on CUP.  Well, the sheets are uploaded and going live today.  They will be in the Feb 2 promotional flyer.
Just so you know what is up and coming, here are the preview sheets on all 10 of my newest designs.

Baby Boy Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

Baby Girl Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

Beautiful Rose Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

Blue Floral Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

Bright Birthday Tri-Fold Pyramid Card with Tea Bags

Bright Flowers Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

Folded Blue Alcohol Tri-Fold Card with Tea Bags

Goth Roses Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

Love Swans Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

Wedding Tri-Fold Pyramid Card

And here are 2 of the cards I have made using these kits.

Bright Birthday Tri-Fold Pyramid Card Sample

Wedding Tri-Fold Pyramid Card Sample

I would love it, if you make up any of these kits, if you would send me a picture of your finished card.  Let me know if I can post them and I will post your cards here too.

Have fun.

Hugs

Carol

New Designer Resources Posted

You do not have to be a CraftsUPrint Designer to use the Designer Resources available on CUP.  You do need a bit of knowledge of using PNG files though.  If you don't know how to use PNG files, check out this Tutorial I posted earlier.  I think those of you who consider yourselves to be "just cardmakers" would find that some of the Designer Resources would be invaluable in your work. 

Here is my latest set of DR that I just uploaded yesterday.  The papers can be used as backings for cards by printing them out then layering on a 3-D or other element or you can layer things on (like I show in the tut) on the computer, then print them all out together.

And here is the Embellishment set that I designed to go with all of these paper packs.

There are a few other things that I have uploaded using the Alcohol Papers that I made.  If you go to my page, and type in Alcohol into the Search there, you will come up with more of them.

Happy creating and I'd love to see what you create with them.  Just send me a photo to my email address in my profile.
Hugs
Carol

The Second Opinion Rules!!

Just back from seeing the Dr about my toe and he agrees with my regular Dr.  Yes, it is broke, but it does not need surgery!  It will heal or not on it's own.  With it being the Pinky toe, it is totally irrelevant.  What was more to the point for him was the pain I was still in.  He managed to pinpoint the pain, finally....by poking, twisting etc.  I have severely pinched the Median Nerve going down the side of my foot.  He gave me an injection in the most painful area and said that should "calm" things down so that the nerve can heal.  I have another appointment to see him in 8 weeks, but he said he does not expect to see me because he expects it to be all better by then.  In the meantime, I have NO restrictions so, look out Wii!....a friend did have to point out that also meant I could shovel snow....lol
I'm just SO happy now!

Some cards made recently

Well, I told you I'd try to post more often, so here I am, posting tonight some of the cards I've made recently for an order.  These are all some of my more recent designs as well.

Blue "Guy" Card Front and Tea Bag Tiles

This card was made for an Elderly Blind Gentleman, so lots of different textures for him to feel.  The fold is Penny Wessenauer's Sunshine Square Fold.

Soft Blue Card Front and Tea Bag Tiles

The fold on this card is Christian Stewart's Never Again fold with a join variation.

Beautiful Rose Bookmark Card

The bookmark is glued to a beautiful hammered light pink cardstock to make it sturdier when using.  I just LOVE the way these Bookmark cards work up!

Elegant Vase of Roses Bookmark Card

This sheet has a front and a back to the bookmark.  The back has a really nice verse on it about books.

Elegant Vase of Roses No Hole Fold Back Card

This is one of a new series of No Hole Fold Back cards I was asked to design for a Card Making Class that I am doing later this month for a group of ladies.  They really fell in love with the Fold Back Card, but some of the ladies have limited ability to cut, so want as little cutting as possible.  Don't you just love the graphics?  These are from Jaguarwoman.  I am loving using her beautiful work!

Hummingbird and Columbine Easel Card

Not really a card for an order, but one I did make recently.  I made this card for my mother for her Birthday last month.  She loves hummingbirds, so I am enjoying designing new cards to make her for her Birthday and for Mother's Day.

I am currently working on another "New From" that will be coming out the first part of February.  That is all I can say, but I think you will all like the new style.

I also am going to be doing the Craft Show at the Country Club again this year.  This year they are holding it on the 12th of February, so I will be able to make a few Valentines designs.  Usually the show is held the end of February, or the beginning of March.  This will be the first year it will be held so early, so hopefully I will get some extra (last minute) Valentine sales.

I go to see another Dr about my toe tomorrow.  When I talked to my regular Dr about what that other Dr wanted to do, she said NO Way!, and set me up with this appointment for a second oppinion.  I will let you know how that goes.  I'm getting REAL tired of wearing this "boot"...in fact, I don't think they are meant to be worn this long...the sole on the thing is starting to separate from the uppper...lol

Well, that is all from me for tonight.  I hope you all are having good weather.  Stay dry and stay warm (or cool....as may be)

Sending you all hugs
Carol