Encouraging Messages

Hello again, just popping back in with a few more cards to share.  These all fall under 'encouragement', which seems to be one of my favorite types of cards to make.

Stampin' Up! Vintage Vogue sentiment; Papertrey Ink Angled Labels die; pearls; generic brand floral stamp (in background); flower die cut

Momenta Hello sentiment; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; Stampin' Up! Ornate Blossom solid flourish stamp; Spellbinders oval dies; pearls; church song sheet

Inkadinkado Big Butterfly; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags die; vintage thread; pearls

Papertrey Ink Inspired: Grace stamps and die; ivory dots

Short and sweet today.

Sending you love!

Give Thanks in ALL Circumstances

Hello friends!  A bit of time has passed since I was last here on the blog.  Life got crazy.  Health issues developed for me and it has been quite a whirlwind of tests and doctor appointments, and then surgery.  I am a private person and I've struggled with whether to share here or not, but the Lord has put it upon my heart that I should share.  

Not even a month ago, I was diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal breast cancer.  There is no family history of it for me, nor was I having any problems.  This was found on a regular yearly mammogram.  I skipped having a mammogram in 2020 because of the pandemic.  My surgeon told me that timing is everything, and that if I'd had my mammo last year, it likely would not have been big enough to be seen.  This year, it was.  

God's hand has been on me the whole time during this process, as it is every second of my life.  Within a week of my diagnosis, I had a consultation with a surgeon who is a top doc, in our insurance network, AND she is a good friend of my cousin.  I got permission to go on vacation, which was already planned, and I went to see my mom and spend time with her.  It was just the perfect timing, because everything He does is good, He is never late, and He works all things together for our good:  Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

That vacation was refreshing and it was so good to see Mom. 💗 We went to Hobby Lobby, so you know it was a highlight for me!  Got some cool stamps and patterned paper.  But I digress...

Altenew Painted Flowers; Papertrey Ink A Cheerful Heart sentiment Proverbs 3:5-6; Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Pinking Squares die; white ribbon

Spellbinders Large Deckled Rectangles die; Stampin' Up! mushroom patterned paper; Papertrey Ink New Every Morning sentiment Psalm 118

Memory Box Classic Tags dies; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two die; Inspired By Stamping Fancy Alphabet stamps; pearls; hemp twine; dictionary page

I had a lumpectomy this past week, and I feel pretty good, all things considered.  The tumor was removed, and so was one lymph node.  Both of those are being biopsied, and I'll have results next week.  Those results will determine if I need chemo and how long radiation treatments will be.  I tell you friends, I am trusting Jesus that I will NOT need chemo, and that I will need only the shortest amount of radiation treatments!  He is my Great Physician.  He has got me so close, I can feel Him.  In fact, before I went for my first mammogram in August, I felt these words in my spirit:  Do not be afraid, Do not be afraid.  I thought it meant that my mammogram would be fine, but of course it was not.  Those words were firm and gentle.  And I take them seriously:  I am not afraid.  Overwhelmed at times, yes!  And sad in the beginning, yes, but afraid?  No.  I trust Him.

I'll come back here and visit again as time allows.  

Thank you for allowing me to share such a personal testimony with you.  We are here on this earth to help one another.  Perhaps there is someone reading this who will be touched by it, or someone who has put off having a mammogram who needs to go get one.

1Thessalonians 5:18

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Sending Hugs from the Cat

One more for today. 😀  Believe it or not, that first girly card was for my husband's birthday...from our cat, Cristabel.  She always 'makes' him a card.  I start running out of ideas, honestly.  I had an idea to feature a kitty that kind of looks like her (she's all black, but I had to color gray or you would not see the face!) along with a tumble of flowers.  It's cute, but definitely not masculine.  LOL

Stampin' Up! Nine Lives cat, ball of yarn, little hearts, Punch Potpourri flowers, Boho Blossoms coordinating punch

The second creation is a simple encouragement card using stamps I rarely play with.  I also used a piece of patterned paper from Stampin' Up! - and I think it might be Kiwi Kiss, so that shows you how old it is.  I am entering this in Word Art Wednesday's challenge #505-506, where we are to use an uplifting sentiment.

Papertrey Ink Graceful Greetings II sentiment; Stampin' Up! Garden Silhouettes solid flower stamp, Organic Grace dragonfly; ivory dots 

Our world is full of sorrowful news, and I am saddened by it.  I place my concerns in my Lord's hands, and ask Him for help.     

John 16:33 NIV

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Sing Praises

Hey everyone!  I am popping in to play in a challenge at Word Art Wednesday.  The theme is Anything Goes.  I like those kind. 😉 

I've got two very similar cards to share with you today.  Both began with a song sheet from church.  I die cut a piece, crinkled the paper with my hands, then inked the edges and well, kind of all over.  

Papertrey Ink Walk By Faith sentiment; Michael's lion; Spellbinders Large Deckled Rectangles dies; ivory dots

Papertrey Ink Walk By Faith sentiment; Blockhead Paper Arts Feeling Regal crown; gold embossing powder; Spellbinders Large Deckled Rectangles dies; ivory dots

Matthew 7: 24-27 ESV

Build Your House on the Rock

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

In this crazy world, I am building my house upon the Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ.  And it seems by the hour there is new craziness we hear about.  I have got to keep my eyes fixed on things above.

Sending you hugs and love,

Butterfly Blessings

A friend of mine graciously gave me some of her stamping supplies she no longer needed.  Among the goodies was this pretty butterfly stamp from Inkadinkado.  I paired it with butterfly patterned paper from Stampin' Up!, and added a Verve sentiment, to create this thank you card for her.

Verve Joy For The Journey sentiment stamp ; Inkadinkado Big Butterfly stamp; Nuvo Drops iridescent glitter glue; Stampin' Up! patterned papers

It was hard to capture the iridescent glitter I put on the butterfly, always a challenge to photograph!

The way I've colored it reminds me of the Adonis Blue butterfly (polyommatus bellargus). (credit) Only the males are this beautiful blue.  

Colossians 1:16

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Enjoy this day! 😊

Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue

Happy Independence Day to my USA friends!

Though red, white and blue is not a color scheme I gravitate toward, amazingly I've got three cards to share that feature it today! 

Flourishes Strawberries strawberry stamps (background), Botanical Bookplates Vol. 1 sentiment; Inspired By Stamping Mason Jar Summer Add On strawberry, circle frame; pearls

The Greetery Fleur Impressions floral stamps; Papertrey Ink A Cheerful Heart Galatians scripture stamp; Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Pinking Squares die; red ribbon; pearls; Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch

The day I made the card above, it all started with the red patterned paper scrap I wanted to use.  I literally did build this card with scraps I have had for a long time.  The pinking square die cut seemed about the right size for this scripture stamp, but it looked too plain by itself.  I added some floral stamps by The Greetery to dress it up.

The card below began with the scrap of patterned mulberry paper I received as a sample, and began piecing a few other elements around it.

Stampin' Up! Vintage Vogue floral border; iridescent & clear sequins; mulberry patterned paper; Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Pinking Squares die

Last but not least, this is not red, white and blue, but it's another scripture card that was built out of scraps.  Reminds me of the way God pieces together our lives.  He takes what is broken, cast off, and doesn't seem to fit, and makes us into new creations in Christ.  Praise His Holy Name!

My Favorite Things Pierced Oval STAX die; Papertrey Ink New Every Morning Psalm 118 sentiment; Inspired By Stamping Fancy Labels 2 die; Altenew postcard (floral images, trimmed out)

I had never used the PTI New Every Morning stamp before, so I am going to link this up to Darnell's NBUS challenge, #28.  The flowers were not colored by me; they came on an Altenew postcard with a stamp set I had purchased.  I did not want them to go to waste!  Too pretty to trash!

image credit

Long may she wave!  Enjoy this wonderful day! 💖💙

Guesting again with Inlovearts!

Hello all!  We had a busy weekend moving my daughter from one dorm to another, and various other projects around the house.  The move went well, and it was a long day.  She's happy, and the building and her room are gorgeous, with incredible city views.  See the end of this post for a couple of pics. 😀

The kind folks at Inlovearts craft supply company asked me to be their guest again, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity!  I hope you like the creations I made to share.  At the end of this post is a link list for the supplies I used, as well as a discount code for you to use.  Check their site; they have neat and affordable things to add to your crafty stash. 😉

First up is probably my favorite of this bunch.  I LOVE these stickers.  The pack I chose has this sweet blue bird and pretty roses.  I picked a patterned paper from my stash and at first, I did not plan to put the bird directly over top of it, but I really like how it turned out!  The sheerness of the stickers is so lovely.  I had a little file folder die cut in my stash too, since forever, and found it to be the perfect backdrop for the rose stickers, and a sentiment I stamped on.  When the card was nearly complete, I felt it needed one more tiny element in the top left corner, so I used a bit of the Heart Clover Wave border die (you'll get to see more of it in a bit), and just snipped one blossom off and topped it with a pearl.

Inlovearts Heart Clover Wave die, Cartoon and Daily Various Decorative Stickers bird, roses stickers, Stackable Hearts Nesting dies; pearls; crochet lace; mini file folder die cut

I also used tiny snippets of the Stackable Hearts Nesting dies as doilies peeking out from beneath the file folder.  I gently inked the edges, and added pearls (of course).

Up next is a dainty, feminine encouragement card using the Roses Pattern embossing folder.  Sigh!  I love the pattern on it.  Since I wanted to showcase this, I kept other details to a minimum and tried not to cover up too much of it.

Inlovearts Roses Pattern embossing folder

Had to add a pearl to the top of the crochet flower.  You know me.  LOL

So this is the Heart Clover Wave die I was mentioning earlier!  Isn't it fancy and lively?  Each clover is made up of little hearts, so it could be used for Valentine cards as well.  Me being of Irish descent, I needed to make a St. Patrick's Day card.  😉  I paired with it another product I chose from the Inlovearts shop, which is the pale green crochet trim.  I do love crochet trim.

Inlovearts Heart Clover Wave die, DIY Lace Decorative Stickers lace crochet trim; pearls; gold sequins

And in my world, where pearls reign supreme, I just had to top each clover with them.  But with this being a St. Patrick's Day card, where folks think of the 'pot o' gold', I decided to add little gold sequins too.

The Wave Border die set helps make the cutest scenes.  I used sparkly aqua glitter paper to create the prettiest waves for a bright day on the ocean.  The clouds are actually hearts made with Stackable Hearts Nesting dies, cut to resemble puffy white clouds.  Is it too much of a stretch?  I hope they read as clouds.  

Inlovearts Wave Border dies, Stackable Hearts Nesting dies (as clouds)

The fun thing about using this die set is you can use it on both sides.  For the card below, I die-cut the waves on the back of the glitter paper, and just turned the pieces over to reveal waves going in the opposite direction.  

You can tell from the pic below that I used Glossy Accents to cover the boat; I just love using that stuff. 😁

What do you think??  I had such fun making these cards!  

Here is the link list:

(8 colors) DIY Lace Decorative Stickers 15mm：

https://bit.ly/33Lho4e 

(11 varieties) Cartoon and Daily Various Decorative Stickers (25pcs)：

https://bit.ly/2DBllO8

Heart Clover Wave Frame Border Dies：

https://bit.ly/31wI4CW

Wave Border Dies：

https://bit.ly/3kuW7Sc

Roses Pattern Embossing Folder：

https://bit.ly/2ChL7X8 

 I also used this one on a few of the projects, the scalloped nesting hearts:

    https://inloveartshop.com/products/copy-of-stackable-rings-nesting-dies

For your shopping pleasure, there's a discount code you can use, too:

discount code :  G-22206

Thank you so much to Inlovearts for having me as a guest again! 😃

And as promised, here are some pics from my daughter's new dorm room.

Isn't it nice??  What a great place to study and do online classes!  

Thanks so much for joining me today.  I appreciate your visit!

God bless you,

Cards From The Heart (Still catching up!)

Hello friends!  I'm back with even more cards to share, as I try hard to catch up!  Not just cards today, there are a couple of other artsy projects in the line up.

The first card was made with lots of scraps, and I "shabbied" it up for a shabby chic vibe.

Stampin' Up! Butterfly Thinlits dies, Butterfly Basics lace butterfly stamp, Bliss solid butterfly stamp, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Itty Bitty Banners sentiment stamp and matching die; pearls, old book page

Next up is my mother's Mother's Day card.  My mom adores the colors of black and white, mixed with a bright pop of color.  I chose a bright blue, because I thought of the beach and a most beautiful blue sky!  I added seashore elements, using new to me dies from Gina Marie Designs.  Gosh, I really love her dies!  I'm amassing quite a nice collection, and the prices are really good.

Papertrey Ink Family Ties: For The Girls word die; Gina Marie Designs Starfish, Sand Dollar, Fan Coral dies; pearls; gold sequins

And, yes, it's similar, but this card below was for my mother-in-law.  She loves the color yellow, and she likes black and white too.  And she likes the beach.  😉

Papertrey Ink Family Ties: For The Girls word die; Gina Marie Designs Starfish, Sand Dollar, Fan Coral dies; pearls; gold sequins; EK Success Swirl Border punch

The next card came straight from the heart for a friend who lives on a mountainside in Colorado.  The deer visit her and her husband every day, and they've named them all!  They are like family to her, and she shares pictures of them on Facebook.  Always makes me smile and warms my heart.

Hero Arts Deck The Halls deer stamps; Stampin' Up! Woodland embossing folder, Lovely As A Tree tree stamp; Echo Park Trust In The Lord sentiment; iridescent glitter

A girly-girly birthday card...

Papertrey Ink Garden Garland flower frame and flower dies; Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; Power Poppy Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips sentiment; Stampin' Up! Flower Trio punch (pink flowers); rhinestones

...and a very simple thank you card.

Papertrey Ink Penned Elegance sentiment; Stampin' Up! Vintage Leaves stamps; Gina Marie Designs Big and Little Chain Rectangles die

Really gave my Soft Suede ink pad (Stampin' Up!) a workout on the next card!

Inspired By Stamping Guy Sentiments sentiment, mustache, top hat, bow tie, pipe stamps; Spellbinders Labels Fifteen dies; natural ribbon

Next up is a notebook, something different for me to make.  I decorated a marble composition notebook, and it is now a prayer book.  I love the gray damask patterned paper and how it pairs with whitewashed woodgrain paper, too, along with lots of lace, and a pretty tag.

Gina Marie Designs Flower Pleated Lace Nested Rectangles die; Sizzix Crochet lace border die; Memory Box Precious Wedding Rings die (bow); marble composition notebook

And this is the back.  I ran out of that pretty gray damask paper (darn) so I had to use a different scrap along the spine.

My daughter's friend graduated from college this summer, and she loves purple, so I personalized this for her.  Not school colors at all.  LOL

Impression Obsession Mortarboard and Scroll die; Gina Marie Designs Big and Little Chain Rectangles die; pearls

And finally, some paintings that I did with my youngest daughter this summer, before she left for college.  It was such a pleasure to paint with her.  We sat at the dining room table with our paints and canvasses, and she had the TV remote next to her as we watched an old Bob Ross (from PBS) painting video.  Have you ever watched his shows?  Sadly, he passed away in 1995, but his videos are still available online.  His calm voice is very soothing, and he creates pure magic with just a few painting supplies.  His directions are easy to follow as well.  The first painting shown here is Kerry's second to make, and the one below hers, is my first and only.   

Thank you so much for joining me yet again in the last couple of days!  I'm not finished yet, and I hope to share more soon.  

God bless you,