Birthday Challenge

One of the channels I watch on youtube, Cat's Crafty Corner, had a birthday challenge for her May birthday. I planned to send her a card, but you know how time gets away from you? I did end up sending her a card and a gift, it just got there a little late.
Here's what I made for her:

 I thought this card turned out so cute.
I just put two pieces of paper on a blank card with a little washi in the middle to cover the seam. The girl image is from a swap as are the flowers. It's so cute and simple and I wish I could make another one.
I also sent her an altered mini composition book:

Remember this post? I had asked for three partners, but only got two. Since I bought a three-pack of the books, I went ahead and altered the third one as well.
I LOVE how this turned out. The background is from a garage sale, the flower paper on the edge is from my stash, the washi on the bottom is from Dollar Tree. The teacups are actually from a card that I bought for the teacups from Dollar Tree.
Again, I wish I had the materials to make another one of these.

It's my birthday...soon

How cute is this tiny birthday card I made for my boss?

Basically it's layered paper and stickers, but she likes elephants, so I'm guessing she liked it.
I admit, I remember her birthday because it's exactly one month before mine. Hers is June 2nd, mine's July 2nd.

I've been wishing for week's on CraftyLori's Let the Wishing Begin videos for people to send me birthday cards, I think I've gotten less than 10 replies. That's still more than none. I got one today and put it away to look at later.
I would love if people sent me birthday cards, feel free to email me for my address if you want to send me something, weinkermeyer@hotmail.com

I was just thinking the other day, that I always get soo worked up for my birthday and then it comes and goes and nothing really exciting happens. Last year I wished for Happy Mail for my birthday and I got some cool stuff, go here, to see what I got. I also went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner with a friend. My favorite birthday was the year my friends and I went to Adventureland, it's a somewhat small amusement park about an hour away. I'm not a huge ride fan, but hanging out with my friends at a place I rarely go to, made it great.
I've also gone to the Good Guys car show a few years, it's over the weekend closest to the 4th of July. I know most of you don't know, but I LOVE muscle cars. I remember one year, I had set up a ride along with the local police the night before and had gone to the car show the next day. That was a great year, I remember it being the first year I went, I found some random guy online (I know, not very safe, but I'm fine), I remember going in his older Jeep Wagoneer that didn't have any seatbelts. I remember taking my mom's camera cause I didn't have one. I remember walking around in flip flops for hours and it raining.
After that first year, it was still fun, but it wasn't my first time anymore. My ex took me a few times, I think the last time is just because it was easy and convenient.
I was my mother's birthday present the year I was born, so I always feel like I'm sharing her birthday (hers is July 3rd) and as you all know the 4th is just right around the corner, so I feel that kinda overshadows my birthday too.
I thought I'd *try* to save all my happy mail from now until my birthday and then open it all on my birthday. We'll see if I can do it, it's a ways away.

Animal Paper clips

I love altering paperclips, it's very addicting. One of the swaps I signed up to do recently was an animal paper clip swap. Here's what I made:

 The owl, ladybug and bird are stickers from Dollar Tree. The dog is a button from Hobby Lobby. The whale is a sticker from Micheal's.
Here's what I made for my second partner:

She said she liked giraffes, cats, and dogs. The giraffe and cat are stickers from Dollar Tree. The dog is a sticker I got in a swap. All the ones on the bottom are buttons.
I had thought I had to make 6 for each partner and then realized it was only 5. So I sent my first partner the ones in the first picture, and my second partner the ones in the second picture minus the dog button.
Here's what I got in return:

I love them all. That white bunny at the top, when you flip him over, there's another bunny, but it's his butt.
And here's what I got from my other partner:

I LOVE that little tiny penguin, the other is pretty cute, too!.

Emerald Pocket Letter

Since Emerald is the birthstone for May, I signed up for an emerald pocket letter swap. We were able to use black, white, gold, silver and glitter as well, but I tried to keep it mostly green. We didn't have to use just emerald, just as long as it was mainly green (any shade).
Here's what I created:

 Again, I took project life/journaling cards for the background. They are not just green but have black and white in them as well.
First row, first card: The hearts are all buttons, the turtle is a sticker from Dollar Tree, the snail is from a sticker book in my stash. Second card: The flowers at the bottom were on the card. The worm is from my stash, the jeweled butterfly is from my stash, the green 'ladybug' is from my stash. The two tiny butterflies that are the same color are from Walmart. The third tiny butterfly is from Dollar Tree. Third card: The butterfly is a wood piece from peachy cheap, I covered it with green tissue paper. The word is from Dollar Tree.
Second Row, first card: the flower is a felt sticker from a swap, the rosette is from Michaels, the washi is from a swap. Second card: the green rectangle and the swirlies on top of it are from Dollar Tree, the button is from JoAnn's, the jewels are from a swap. Third card: The flower is from Dollar Tree, the bunny, egg, and washi are from swaps.
Third row, first card: the star buttons are from my stash, the light green stars and the darker ones on top of them are from swaps, the third layer of stars are from Spellbinders. Second card: the smaller dolphins are from my stash, the turtle is from Hobby Lobby, the whale is from Michael's, the shells are from Dollar Tree. Third card: the stickers are all from my stash.
The goodies:

I tried to stick with only green goodies. I gave her some frog stickers, leaf stickers, punches, some coffee, more green stickers, washi and some turtle buttons.
Here's what I got in return:

The theme is I know why the caged bird sings. I think it's very cool.

I signed up for the 'ruby' one for July, thought that would be fun.

Altered mini composition books

One of my facebook groups had an altered mini composition book, I found a pack of three at Dollar Tree a week or so ago, so I thought I'd sign up. My partners were way ahead of me and I got my composition books before I had even started theirs.
Here's what I made:

 The background paper is from a garage sale. I used a doily as the seam covering, it was a little short, so I put some washi underneath it, not that you can see it. I added this flower piece on some foam tape and some washi at the top. It's amazing how a little dimension changes everything.
The back:

 I added some pearl trim to the bottom.
I also created a card for her:

 I just took a project life card and added a sticker to it.
The second one, front:

 I had this paper in my stash and it had this cute little nest on it, so I used it. The flowers at the top are from Dollar Tree. The bird at the bottom is from Hobby Lobby. The washi on the side is from a swap.
The back:

 The bird piece is from a swap, the flowers at the bottom are from Dollar Tree.
And the card I created for this partner:

Again, I took a project life card and added stickers to it.

Here's what I got back:

 This one is quite a bit larger than mine, I'm wondering if my partner couldn't find the smaller size. The hostess said it was fine, but warned she would get something smaller back. She covered it in yellow sparkly foam, that's pretty cool.
The inside:

 She also decorated the inside with a pocket for me.
What I got from my other partner:

I thought it was kinda cool that we both choose doilies as a base, though hers is much more decorated than mine.

Summer flipbook

Another swap I signed up for was a summer flipbook. I had a base already started from last year when I picked up a summer themed scrapbooking kit at Hobby Lobby.
Here's what I created:

 The background papers are from that scrapbooking kit. On the cover I made a banner that spelled out 'It's summer' the banner is made from sticky note flags from Target. The letters are from Dollar Tree (I think). The ice cream truck is from that scrapbooking kit. The arrow I had in my stash.
When you flip it to the left:

Close up of left page:

 I made a pool with a paper from Hobby Lobby. The diver, flip flops on the right and the sentiment about flip flops are from the same scrapbooking kit. The flip flops on the left are from Walmart. Swimming pools and flip flops make me think of summer.
Close-up of right page:

 Ice cream makes me think of summer, too. I enjoy it year round but it tastes the best after doing something outside on a hot summer day. The letters are from Dollar Tree. The middle cone is from Dollar Tree. The blue cone on the left and the blue popsicle are felt stickers from Target. The tall cone on the left is from the scrapbooking kit. The red white and blue popsicles are from Target. The tiny cone and popsicle in the middle are buttons from a swap. The tall cone on the right is from a swap. The washi at the bottom is from a swap. The two cones in the middle right are from a card from Dollar Tree.
When you flip this page to the left:

 I stamped a bunch of bicycles on the bottom (Stamp from Hobby Lobby) and colored them in with bright colors. I added some washi (from a swap) to the top and just added some cut aparts (from the scrapbook kit) in a horizontal waterfall
When you close this page and flip the previous page to the right:

 Close-up of middle page:

 I'm really bad at adding goodies to flipbooks, I like the decorating part so much that I tend to just decorate and not add places for goodies. I tried really hard to remember to add goodies to this one. I made a pocket at the bottom with paper from the scrapbooking kit, the sticker is also from the scrapbooking kit. I added some watermelon washi (from Hobby Lobby) to the top.
Here's what I put in the pocket:

stickers and tags. The sticker on the left is from the scrapbooking kit, the large cone is from Dollar Tree, the stickers at the bottom are from Target. The first tag has washi on it, the top one from a swap, the next three are from Dollar Tree, the last one I got at a garage sale. The second tag I got in a swap.
Close-up of the right page:

 I used another paper to make a side pocket. This is what I included:

 Some papers from another paper pad from Hobby Lobby and another tag with washi. The top one is from a swap, the bottom two are from Hobby Lobby.
Here's the back:

 I added a pocket and put my note in it.
Here's what it looks like ready to be mailed:

 It's very full, so I used a bow I got in a swap to hold it closed. The two paperclips at the top I got in a swap.

Here's what I got from my partner:

Front

 First flip

 Second flip

 Third flip

I'm not really sure what makes it a "summer" flip book though.

Black and White pocket letter

I signed up to do a black and white pocket letter on one of my facebook groups. I thought it would be a good challenge to only use black and white on it.
Here's what I made:

 I took some project life and journaling cards that were just black and white and cut them down to use as my backgrounds.
First row: first card: this piece was just in my stash, so I trimmed it down to fit the card. Second card: I made a rosette and added a felt flower to the middle of it, I also added some jewels. Third card: this piece was in a swap I got recently.
Second row: first card: this piece was in a swap I got recently, it was originally one a corrugated cardboard tag. Second card: I trimmed down a vintage photo and added another piece I got in a swap. Third card: I added a snowflake and some snowflake washi.
Third row, first card: I got this pinwheel in a swap as well as the the washi. Second card: the 'man' I got in a grab bag from Peachy Cheap, the triangle paper I got in a swap. Third card: I got this piece in a swap as well, I just added some jewels to the side I got them at Target.
I included only black and white goodies as well:

 Some of the backs of the cards are not black and white, but since I only needed the front for my backgrounds, I didn't really care. I included some coloring pieces, journaling cards (I originally had three word cards cut down, but I couldn't think of how to embellish them), word pieces, mini clothespins, washi, jewels, sticky notes and some ribbon.
Here's what my partner sent me:

 I love the jar stamp and the "w's".
Here's the goodies:

Love the "Wendy" at the bottom, they are actually tiny notepads. I don't know where she got them, but I love them.