Apples for a special couple

If you view this post, it should count as two servings of fruit for you today. ;-)

I made this almost a year ago, as a thank you for a special couple who were our hosts at Christmastime. This card is chock-FULL of personal, custom details.

1.)  Our hosts' last name begins with the letter C. I used chipboard tiles from Girls' Paperie, and I ran an 18kt Gold Pen from Krylon around the edges of these tiles.

2.) Our hosts live on a street that is named for an apple. I used the stamp set, Apple of My Eye by Flourishes for the focal point, and colored with Copic markers. Just barely visible, I stamped the word 'apples' in the background very faintly.

3.) Our hosts' house # is 3.  Again, another chipboard piece from Girls' Paperie came to the rescue.

4.) Their home is cozy and full of style. I chose a gingham pattern to go along with the apples...I think they make a good match. :-)

Thank you so much for coming by today!

Peaceful Snowflake

Hello! Today I'm sharing a Christmas card that features a muted version of the traditional red and green.

The highlight of the card is the "Peace"-topped snowflake, set on a stitched rectangle die cut. You might be able to see that clear crystal glitter was added to the snowflake (Avery Elle Noel). The Peace die is from Impression Obsession, and I do so love that fancy font.

Had to add a smattering of Sparkling Clear sequins, you know.  I do tend to think that sequins make everything better -- at least on handmade cards.  ;-)

Thanks so much for visiting me today, and Peace be unto you!

Nautical anniversary

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law celebrated their one year anniversary earlier this year. Their wedding was held at the Jersey Shore, and it was such a lovely day! You may remember this card I made for that special day.

The guests who stayed overnight at their wedding were given striped treat bags containing fun snacks and drinks. Each bag featured a customized label with their wedding date and names. I saved one of the bags, carefully cut it apart, and made sure to include that label.

I blurred out the date for this post, but you can see I decorated the spot above their names with a Spellbinders die cut and a few matching gems.

The anchor was on another favor from that day, and I used a circle punch to cut it out and create an embellishment for the lower part of the card. The bow was made with vintage Irish linen twine.

To keep the wedding fun fresh in my mind, I created this anniversary card just days after the nuptial event. :-)

And I loved the anchor image so much that I was inspired to buy an anchor stamp shortly after the wedding!

Sweet Pea Sympathy

As I sit here typing up some posts in a batch today, I realize I've made a lot of sympathy cards this year. Some are for the shop, and some are for people I know who are bereaved.

This card was made for a friend who lost his wife to a brain tumor. Broke my heart to see him go through the valley as his beloved suffered. Upon her passing, I knew exactly which stamp I wanted to use for a sympathy card, as her nickname was 'Sweet Pea'.

I pulled out Sweet Pea from Flourishes, and stamped the smaller image onto a Spellbinders Floral Ovals die cut, then used Copic markers to color and shade.

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Words of Comfort set. I use that set a lot.

Thank you so much for your visit today.

Falling Leaves on Pumpkins

I was playing around with Distress Ink Sprays one day, and came up with this beautifully-mottled background. In order to keep it part of the focal point, I added sparing details:  stamped pumpkins, a sentiment, and a few stamped leaves. Then, I surrounded it with an embossed frame.

The pumpkins (Stampin' Up! Autumn Harvest) were stamped on lined paper, inked with Distress Inks, then trimmed out and placed on the background. Sentiment is from Inspired By Stamping's Little Phrases.

As you can see in the picture below, I stamped the leaves (also from Autumn Harvest) directly onto the background, and then once on lined paper, trimmed out and popped up on foam tape.

This was such a joy to make! I love autumn, my favorite time of year. And as I get older, I appreciate the profound meaning of our Thanksgiving holiday...but my heart has thanks-giving in it every day of the year. My life is full of blessings from above.

Thank you for coming by today!

Happy 21st Anniversary

Well, I'm quite late in sharing this anniversary card I made for my husband.
We just celebrated 22 years of marriage, but this card is from our 21st anniversary.
Just a bit late, huh?

I used an Itty Bitty Accents (Stampin' Up!) heart punch 21 times, using various patterned papers. I measured carefully so things would line up, and adhered the hearts in a grid pattern, popping up some of the hearts on foam tape.

Several Sparkling Clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh) were added, and the sentiment is from Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips.

A funny quote I saw:

Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays. ~ Henny Youngman

Ha!  This is actually more like it for me:

From the day we pledged our love, I seem to love you more. Over time our love has deepened and grown stronger in the Lord. Through all the ups and downs we've had, our love has not grown dim. The light burns brighter to reflect the love of God within.

~ Unknown

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Wishing You Much Happiness

My wish for you today: 

Wouldn't this card brighten someone's day? With a sentiment like this, (Verve Brighter Days) this card could be for a birthday, or a new home, a wedding....or just to offer cheer to somebody who is walking through a valley.

I used some kinda old papers from Stampin' Up! -- something to do with a Tea Party, maybe? They were offered in the SU catalog back when Groovy Guava was an In-Color. :-)

Thanks so much for coming by today, and I wish you a wonderful day!

Floral Sympathy

Our neighbors lost a father and grandfather earlier this summer. I whipped up a sympathy card for them with some supplies that were already die-cut / punched, for a quick make.

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink Daily Design Sentiments, and the tag is nestled in between a bridal-favor flower from the craft store, and some crocheted lace ribbon that I stitched into a flower.

Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad.

- Anne Geddes, Australian photographer

(source)

I so appreciate your visit today.

Miss You Like Crazy

Clean and simple, that's the vibe of today's card.  An empty bird cage and a 'miss you like crazy' sentiment, with lots of white space all around, it's about as simple as can be.

Do you have a favorite brand of cardstock? I always use Papertrey Ink's white cardstock. Love the heft and the pure whiteness of it.

On a Stitched Rounded Rectangle die cut (My Favorite Things Dienamics), I stamped a bird cage (Sweet Aviary / Inspired By Stamping) in pale gray ink, added a chain from another stamp set, and added  rhinestone and small silver balls as adornments.

The sentiment is from Verve's Heartfelt Phrases.

Thanks for your visit today! :-)

In the shadow of the moon

I'm either late for Halloween this year, or early for next Halloween. Think I'll opt for the latter. ;-)

I created a cat-filled card using a cat from Autumn Apparitions (Stampin' Up!), stamped in black ink, trimmed out and added to the top of this Martha Stewart punched fence. I covered him in Glossy Accents glue. The patterned paper behind him is from Stampin' Up! also, and I'm pretending it's a moon. :-)

The sentiments are actually chipboard pieces that I bought at Tuesday Morning (sheets and sheets of them! I'm ready for many Halloweens to come).

Thanks for joining me today!

Fun and cute, little fruit

Happy Weekend all!

I am overjoyed to have cooler weather that goes nicely with the beautiful autumnal colors on the trees.  We had a warmer spell again recently, and let's just say I'm not a fan of that unseasonable warmth. I know I'm not alone in that sentiment.

The mail carrier who visits my office is also a beekeeper.  He mentioned to me yesterday that when the weather fluctuates as it has been lately -- when it's cold for a while, then a warm-up occurs -- the bees get confused and fly out of their hives, searching for food (flowers). Only, there aren't any flowers blooming right now to feed the bees. They return to the hives hungry, and eat a lot of the honey that they've produced all summer, dipping into their storage. This affects their health, and some may not survive the winter. {insert big sad face}

My card today features cute fruit, and I guess you could say this does indeed relate to bees and pollination. :-)

All the stamps are from Lawn Fawn's My Silly Valentine.

Thanks for coming by today, and may your day be filled with blessings!

How does your garden grow?

~Available at Arts Plus Gallery~ 

Well, my garden outside isn't doing a whole lot of growing right now, but we do still have some blooms lingering on the annual flower plants we've left in place for now.

Luckily, in the world of papercrafting, flowers are ALWAYS in bloom! Hooray!

I had stamped this heart a year ago, and it was waiting to be used (Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments),  so I turned it into a flower.

There's a die-cut heart (Heart of Heart Embosslits - Stampin' Up) behind the starry heart, some leafy ribbon as a stem, and a little Tiny Tag (Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags stamp set and die) tucked in.

The Martha Stewart Scallop Dot border punch helped create a 'window box' to plant this flower in.

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Clothed with Strength & Dignity

I used a beautiful stamp from Verve for this feminine card, Proverbs 31:25.
It says,

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future."

The frame die is Cover Plate: Pretty Frame by Papertrey Ink.

And the reverse colors....

A Wife of Noble Character

10Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?

She is more precious than rubies.

11Her husband can trust her,

and she will greatly enrich his life.

12She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

13She finds wool and flax

and busily spins it.

14She is like a merchant’s ship,

bringing her food from afar.

15She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household

and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

16She goes to inspect a field and buys it;

with her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17She is energetic and strong,

a hard worker.

18She makes sure her dealings are profitable;

her lamp burns late into the night.

19Her hands are busy spinning thread,

her fingers twisting fiber.

20She extends a helping hand to the poor

and opens her arms to the needy.

21She has no fear of winter for her household,

for everyone has warm clothes.

22She makes her own bedspreads.

She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.

23Her husband is well known at the city gates,

where he sits with the other civic leaders.

24She makes belted linen garments

and sashes to sell to the merchants.

25She is clothed with strength and dignity,

and she laughs without fear of the future.

26When she speaks, her words are wise,

and she gives instructions with kindness.

27She carefully watches everything in her household

and suffers nothing from laziness.

28Her children stand and bless her.

Her husband praises her:

29“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,

but you surpass them all!”

30Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;

but a woman who fears the lord will be greatly praised.

31Reward her for all she has done.

Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Whatever you are doing this weekend, I hope it gives you joy!

Thanks for your visit today,