Flutterby Butterflies

Well, here it is . . . my "Butterfly Challenge" #3 card. I am actually quite surprised at how quickly I did this card (it only took me 10 or 15 minutes, which is a personal best for me, I think!). I was really under the gun to get this one finished for Devan. I have been sending packages to him while he is in Provo at the Missionary Training Center. There is a little place (thanks, Mailbox Express!) that would same-day deliver a package, up to 25 lbs., to the MTC from here in Salt Lake for $10.50, but you have to have the package there by 11:00 a.m. I had been working on a scrapbook of family photos for him to take with him to Germany (he leaves Monday, September 17 - TOMORROW! - for Munich!) I was running out of time, but I wanted to include my newest butterfly creation, so it had to be quick! Since he is leaving tomorrow, last Friday was my LAST chance to get this to him (they don't do the same-day packge thing on Saturdays).

To create the butterflies, I first used a brayer with SU's Pumpkin Pie spectrum pad. I brayered the color onto some vellum. Next, I stamped the butterflies ("Flutterbys") using black craft ink. I then embossed them with clear embossing powder and cut them out. I love how you can see through their wings! The background is Crosshatch, while the sentiment comes from Fundamental Phrases. I cut the card into a circle shape using my new circle cutting system from Creative Memories (which I also LOVE!!) Isn't the ribbon just the cutest?? One of my friends sent that to me (I just wish I could remember which one so that I could properly give her credit! I must be getting old-er!) I thought it went just right with the butterflies! I am still trying to get used to taking photos in my photo box using my Ott-Lite . . . a bit of tweaking still going on my part! I do like how well the colors show up with it, though. Garden Green really looks like Garden Green, as the Pumpkin Pie really DOES look like Pumpkin Pie!

For the scrapbook, I tried to keep it really clean and simple. Each two-page spread is accented with the "Rough Texture" jumbo wheel and a one-inch strip of Real Red cardstock. The page on the left-hand side had the name(s) of the people featured in the layout (in this case, it just says, "my girls" because I didn't have enough room to include everyone's names! I used the Jumbo Outline Alphabet (which is AWESOME, I might add - LOVE it!!) It is kind of hard to see the words here, but I was in a hurry to take these photos! The page on the right-hand side contains one of the definitions from "Define Your Life" with its accompanying letter from "Defining Alphabet." Did I ever mention that these two were my FAVORITES!! I used a TON of those stamps in this scrapbook (a total of 20 stamps - lots to clean!). It was really, really fun!! This first picture was taken when Devan was 11 years old. He is surronded by his cousins, Emily and Alisha, and his Aunt Laurie.

These are Devan's cousins . . . this was taken the morning he left while we were taking photos after my niece, Andrea, got married (congrats Andrea and Dan!). Aren't those girls just beautiful??? I think he will tell all of his new friends in Germany that they are his girlfriends!! I wish the photos of this scrapbook had been taken in my new photo box, but I was really, REALLY pushing my luck with the time (it was about 10:30 a.m. when I took these, which gave me less than 30 minutes to pack and label the box and get it to the courier on time!)