'Tis the Season

Hi! Yep, I am also throwing in a Christmas card in my many posts published today. I've got to stay on top of my Christmas stash so I'm not overwhelmed when winter rolls around again.

On a caramel card base, I stamped the Dictionary background from Stampin' Up! in a light brown. Then, I let K & Co. goodies set the scene: the sentiment sticker and holly border die cut take center stage. A bit of bling (red sequins, clear rhinestones)....

...a twine bow, and some crochet lace add the little extras.

The patterned paper at the bottom might be from DCWV; I cannot remember for sure.

That's it from me for today. I hope you are well in your little corner of the world, and live each day to the fullest! Every day is a gift from above; make it count and be a blessing to others. :-)
Thank you for your visit today!

Red, white, blue and gold Graduation

Hi! I added this card to my basket of goodies for sale at Arts Plus Gallery in Collingswood last week, since graduation season is upon us.

I was definitely feeling a patriotic vibe when I created it. This is not my usual palette of colors! Had to throw in some shiny gold cardstock and gold sequins to add a little razzle-dazzle:

I created a faux-embossed look on the navy panel by using some punched and die-cut stars also in navy cardstock. It's a nice subtle touch to add more interest to an otherwise simple card. The sentiment is from Verve's Purely Sentimental set.

So glad you came by for a visit.  Enjoy your day!

A Confirmation card, dressed in white

When I began creating cards in 2007, the all-white card really captivated me. With such a pure, clean, colorless palette, it's important to incorporate texture so the card looks interesting. I lean on dies, punches and embossing folders to create texture.

For this Confirmation card, I used the Stamper's Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink (my absolute favorite white). You can't beat the price for the quality of this paper.

The frame around the edges of the card is a die from Papertrey Ink called Cover Plate: Pretty Frame. The cross is from Spellbinders Crosses Two. I die-cut three or four crosses from the white cardstock and layered them all together for dimension. It's topped with some pearls, another favorite craft supply of mine.

Even though I made this for my daughter's Confirmation, this would work equally well for a baptism, First Holy Communion, or a wedding.

Thanks so much for your visit today!

Encouragement for those who need it

I have become a fan of creating encouragement cards. When I let my creativity have its way, inevitably I reach for stamps that convey hope and faith. I've got three card examples to share with you today:

All of the sentiment stamps are from Verve: the top two are from the Each Day set (Psalm 31:24) and the bottom card features a quote from Mother Teresa from the Kind Words set.

The theme of encouragement reminds me of an oft-seen quote that goes something like this:

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

The quote has been attributed to many different folks including Plato, Philo of Alexandria, John Watson and Ian Maclaren (MacLaren) {Ian Maclaren is a pseudonym for John Watson}. This article digs a bit deeper into who may have coined the phrase.

Creating our tomorrows

I'm back with a graduation card that has a different feel to it, a departure from my normal style. I don't usually use arrows very much, but this fun piece of patterned paper was the inspiration behind the card.

I should have had the arrows pointing the other way but once the paper was glued down, there was no turning back! This card could be for a guy or a gal, and the focus is on achieving goals and dreaming big for the future. The sentiment is from DRS Designs, We Create Our Tomorrows. I stamped it on a die cut from a Spellbinders frame, and settled this on a piece of wood-look patterned paper. Cloud die cuts (Papertrey Ink), golden stars, a dash of sequins and a strip of gold glitter paper give this card a dreamy vibe (at least, I hope).

Thank you for coming by today!