Floral Postcard

Hello friends!  I'm bringing you some inspiration from Topflight Stamps!  This week we are featuring creations that focus on the colors red and pink.

I made a card using two stamp sets from Crafty Individuals.  If you've never seen the selection of Crafty Individuals stamps in the Topflight store, go take a peek.  So many to choose from!

The sets I used are Crafty Individuals - Floral Postcard and Crafty Individuals -  Vintage Tickets & Ephemera.  I stamped the postcard and colored the bee and the floral bouquet.  Then I inked the edges of the postcard to 'age' it.  Before adding it to the card front, I stamped the bright pink card base with a "post card" image from the Vintage Tickets & Ephemera.  This created a background with subtle interest.

Once the floral postcard was mounted to the card front, I lightly inked up a little postage stamp that says "HALF PENNY" along the bottom edge, from the Vintage Tickets & Ephemera set.  I tucked it underneath the floral postcard, along with a scattering of red pearls.  This makes a cute valentine, doesn't it?  Something different, something unexpected.

Here are the supplies I used from Topflight Stamps:

Crafty Individuals - 302 - Floral Postcard

Crafty Individuals - 307 - Vintage Tickets & Ephemera

Thanks for joining me today!

Love Birds

Hello friends!  I have a simple love / Valentine card to share with you today.  It's clean and simple, but with a little bit of detail.  Does that make it "simple", or no? 

The birdcage is from Inspired By Stamping "Sweet Aviary" set, with a tiny red heart added from a Stampin' Up! "Heart to Heart" punch.  There's a pearl too, and some little wooden birds.  The sentiment is from Verve Stamps "Heart to Heart" (isn't that funny, both the punch and stamp set go by the same name.) 

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Vintage Valentine

Just found another Valentine to share.  I played with some Authentique papers and tried to create a bit of a vintage collage look.  That little girl putting her valentine in a mailbox image also came from the Authentique paper pad.

Precious Remembrance 'Happy Mail' postmark; Kat Scrappiness 'Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangles' die; Authentique papers; The Greetery 'Sentiment Suite: Love' sentiment; pearls

2 Corinthians 3:3

And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Prayers for the people of Maui; the destruction of Lahaina is just unreal.  My husband and I were there last fall and shopped at several of the stores, had dinner, and did a sunset cruise....all right there in Lahaina.  My heart is sad for them.  

Cute Animals

Hello again!  I enjoy a variety of styles for cardmaking.  I've got a selection of cute animals from companies like Paper Smooches, Avery Elle, Hello Bluebird, PinkFresh and Lawn Fawn, to name a few.  The little guys below are from Avery Elle and I loved how this patterned paper (can't remember which company it comes from) created spaces for them to sit in picture frames.  So adorable!

Avery Elle 'More Stories' animals, sentiment, banner; Recollections pink heart stickers

Psalm 36:6 NIV

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

    your justice like the great deep.

    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.

Have a blessed weekend!

Valentine's Day Lineup

Valentine's Day in August?  Sure, why not!  I've had this line up to show you for a long time.  Without further ado....

Tim Holtz 'Flower Shop' rose and background script; The Greetery 'Sentiment Suite: Love'; vintage lace; pearls; Crafty Individuals 'Vintage Tickets & Ephemera' post mark

Tim Holtz 'Flower Shop' rose; Kat Scrappiness 'Wonky Wavy Stitched Rectangles' die; vintage thread; pearls; Stampin' Up! lace, 'Something To Celebrate' sentiment 

Stampin' Up! 'Bloomin' Love' sentiment, banner, floral cluster, Butterfly Thinlits die; pearls

Flourishes 'Roses Are Red' rose cluster; Hero Arts 'Manuscript Background'; Precious Remembrance 'Happy Mail' postmark; Stampin' Up! sentiment unknown set; pearls; vintage thread

Papertrey Ink 'Happy Hydrangea' oval frame die; Stampin' Up! 'Itty Bitty Accents' heart punch, denim ribbon (and sentiment, unknown set)

Stampin' Up! 'Bloomin' Love' sentiment, banner, floral cluster; gold sequins; MFT heart die

The Greetery 'Sentiment Suite: Love' sentiment; Stampin' Up! 'Heart of Hearts Embosslit'; Sizzix 'Branch With Leaves' die; pearls 

Stampin' Up! 'Bloomin' Love' sentiment, banner, floral cluster; MFT heart die

Papertrey Ink pink felt; The Greetery 'Sentiment Suite: Love' sentiment; Stampin' Up! 'Bloomin' Love' floral heart stamp; Websters Pages pink rhinestone border 

The Greetery 'Sentiment Suite: Love' sentiment; Stampin' Up! 'Elements of Style', 'Bella Toile'; MFT heart dies

The Greetery 'Sentiment Suite: Love'; Stampin' Up! 'Elements of Style' roses; MFT heart dies; rhinestones

Gina Marie Designs 'Eyelet Elegance' die; Papertrey Ink 'Keep It Simple' sentiment; Tim Holtz 'Flutter' butterfly; Martha Stewart 'Hydrangea Punch'; pink and purple gems; Sizzix 'Sugar' embossing folder

Let all that you do be done in love. - 1 Corinthians 16:14

Have a beautiful day!

Cristabel - and Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue

Hello my friends.  I just haven't felt up to being here on the blog for a while.  We had to say a very, very difficult farewell to our beloved cat Cristabel on January 13th.  She had been an asthmatic cat for years, and we made sure she received the bimonthly medicine she needed to keep her airways clear.  In December, she seemed off, and that medicine did not help her.  After a visit to the vet on 1/4 with antibiotics that did not help, we took her to the hospital on 1/11 (same day I started radiation treatments), and discovered that her lungs had worsened badly, very rapidly.  The vets were not sure if it was pneumonia or cancer, or maybe both.  None of the treatments she received helped.  Oh how our hearts broke to watch her labor to breathe, and to know it was time to say goodbye.  She was a good friend and companion, and a special family member to us. 💔

Here's my card for today....

Precious Remembrance Happy Mail envelope, postage stamp; Flourishes Roses Are Red rose, sentiment; pearls

And a couple more of our precious Bel...

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Succulents, two ways

Happy hump day!  Halfway through this chilly week, and we might have to turn on our heat.  We like to wait as long as possible to save money, but it's going down to 37 degrees overnight tonight, so...that's pretty cold.  LOL

I've got two similar cards to show today, both featuring succulents.  My youngest daughter, who is away at college, likes to grow succulents in her apartment room.  When my friend gave me these two stamp sets -- HoneyBee Stamps and Photo Play -- I knew they were just right for my special someone! 💕

Honeybee Stamps Stick With Me and Photo Play Stuck On You plants; Gina Marie Designs Big and Little Chain Rectangles die; My Favorite Things Stitched Sentiment Strips die; Glossy Accents glue 

Honeybee Stamps Stick With Me and Photo Play Stuck On You plants; Gina Marie Designs Big and Little Chain Rectangles die; Glossy Accents glue; The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Love sentiment

Not sure if the above photo better shows the Glossy Accents glue on the plants, but, it is there.  So shiny in real life.  I layered two of the plants on dimensionals too.

Thanks so much for joining me today.  You're the best!

Guesting with Inlovearts

Hello friends!  I have the pleasure of doing a guest post today, with a craft company called Inlovearts.  They asked me to try some of their products, and I chose some really cool dies from their collection.  I am excited to show you what I created with them!

The first card features Hollow Scissors Heart dies.  Love, love, love!  The fancy scissors and half-trimmed heart remind me of old-fashioned Valentine cards that feature handmade hearts and doilies.  I also think of that impressive paper crafting technique of scherenschnitte, a centuries-old art of paper cutting into intricate designs.  I did an internet search of examples of scherenschnitte to show you, and just take a quick peek at some of the beauties out there!  

Back to the Hollow Scissors Heart die set.  They cut absolutely beautifully.  I use a Sizzix Big Shot with all of my dies, and since these dies are more intricate, a Sizzix Chrome Precision Base Plate helps get the best cut possible.  

Inlovearts Hollow Scissors Heart dies; The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Love sentiment stamp; pearls; Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents flower punch; My Favorite Things Pierced Traditional Tags tag die

The shot below shows better the silvery paper I used for the scissors.  Love how they turned out!  I used a mauve-pink shimmery paper for the heart, and I think it has such a romantic feel.  When I made the choice to use a pink heart, with silver scissors, that's when I knew this needed to be a Valentine's Day card. 😀

The next card has me dreaming of our next season:  autumn!  It's my favorite season. 💗  I used the Multiple Leaves die set. Although there are five beautiful leaves in the set, I chose only three to showcase in wheat, deep rusty orange, and mossy green cardstocks.  I set them against a deep espresso background to make those colors really pop! 

Inlovearts Multiple Leaves dies ; Stampin' Up! So Many Shells sentiment stamp; Gina Marie Designs Big and Little Chain Rectangles die

The Pattern Tie die set contains three men's ties and I like how bold they are!  This card is an A2 design, so it's 4.25" wide by 5.5" high.  The tie takes center stage (well, left stage!  LOL) and it only needed a sentiment to complement it.  I used a plaid patterned paper as a background base as well as the 'fabric' for the tie.  It's a little hard to see in the picture, but the tie has a stitched look all around.  It's a subtle but nice touch.

Inlovearts Pattern Tie die; Inspired By Stamping Guy Sentiments sentiment stamp

My last card showcases Stackable Hearts Nesting Dies and again, I found myself using the color orange!  I noticed this common thread after I made all four cards; so funny.  There are six hearts in the set, and used half of them on my size A2 card.  The smallest heart was die cut with ivory cardstock and stamped with a sentiment.  Each heart has pretty scallops all the way around.  So feminine!  And with pearls being one of my favorite accessories, they seemed a natural match for these dainty, girly hearts. 

Inlovearts Stackable Hearts Nesting dies; Hug Snug Mottle Brown seam binding; pearls; The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Birthday sentiment stamp 

The kind folks at Inlovearts are offering a 15% discount to you!

 

Discount code:   G-20398   

Thank you all so much for your visit today!

God bless you. 😃

A Parade of Valentine Cards

Hello everyone, how are you doing today?  Are any of you very tired sometimes during our quarantine?  I sure am.  I know I'm not alone in that.  It's just weird how exhausted I can be, even with a decent night's sleep.  I suppose it's because we're in a holding pattern of sorts, with the sense that we need to "get back to normal soon".  Except that our previous way of life will not return in full, at least not for the foreseeable future. 

I think I need to go outside and get some fresh air this evening, maybe take a walk and look at the spring flowers in bloom.  In our backyard, we've got white and magenta peonies, three different colors of irises, and azaleas blossoming at the moment.  Oh, and chives.  They have such pretty flowers.

Today I've got some Valentine cards to show you, just because. 💟  After lining up all of these cards, I noticed I used the same stamp sets and dies A LOT -- guess it was just easier when all of those supplies were already on my desk.  So, you'll see some things repeated. 😏

Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Love Notes (Paper Pumpkin) sentiment stamp, Ornate Frames sentiment die, Itty Bitty Accents small heart punch; My Favorite Things Pierced Heart Stax heart die; doily; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die

L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die; My Favorite Things Pierced Heart Stax and Heart Stax heart dies; Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Love Notes (Paper Pumpkin) sentiment and envelope stamps; coffee sleeve

L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die; My Favorite Things Heart Stax heart dies; pearls; Stampin' Up! ivory rosette ribbon, Bloomin' Love sentiment stamp; vintage thread; Memory Box Classic Tags tag die

My Favorite Things Heart Stax heart dies; Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Love Notes (Paper Pumpkin) sentiment stamp; black striped satin ribbon; rhinestones

It was hard to capture the shine of the polka dots on the white paper in the photo above, so I took another, which you see below.  However, I could not get rid of the yellow tones, even with my photo editor.  That bugs me, but it's a small thing; not a big deal. 😐

Papertrey Ink Ways To Say: I Love You sentiment stamp; Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large die; pink glitter heart stickers; pearls

Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Love Notes (Paper Pumpkin) sentiment stamps; Papertrey Ink Tag-Its #11 key stamp; button; gold thread; Kat Scrappiness Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangles die; My Favorite Things Pierced Heart Stax heart die

Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Love Notes (Paper Pumpkin) sentiment stamp, A Happy Heart large heart stamp, Itty Bitty Accents small heart punch; Gina Marie Designs Frilly Lace Rectangles die; pink rhinestones

Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Love Notes (Paper Pumpkin) sentiment stamp; My Favorite Things Heart Stax heart dies;
gold glitter frame die cut

Before I go, let me show you pictures my daughter recently took of the Philadelphia skyline at dusk one evening.  She was at one of our nearby rivers (where she had rowed in competition during her high school years) as she watched the sun dip. 

 
Thanks so much for your visit today, and God bless you and keep you!