O Christmas Tree{s}

It's not too early to get a start on Christmas cards!  We're already more than halfway through this year (yikes!), and Christmas will be here before you know it.

My inspiration for this card is the song, O Christmas Tree. I used a musical note background stamp from Skipping Stones Design on a kraft card base. Then, I built a little 'forest' of gilded trees on top of an embossed oval.

The trees are from both Hero Arts Merry Christmas Trees and Stampin' Up!'s Patterned Pines.

The gilding comes in the form of gold Smooch ink, some golden sequins, and a gold-embossed star.

Stamps: Timeless Texture background - Skipping Stone Design; Merry Christmas Trees - Hero Arts; Patterned Pines - Stampin' Up! Accessories & Tools: gold sequins, gold embossing powder, Holiday Frame embossing folder  - Stampin' Up!; Gold Smooch Ink; Copic markers

Red Pear & graduation pics

Hello there!  Just popping in a with a pear card, to say hi to you, and let you know we've got TWO graduates in the house!

Last week, both of our girls graduated - one from 8th grade, one from high school. What an exhilarating time it was! Our oldest received two scholarships, which helps tremendously with her college expenses. 

Receiving her diploma

Overwhelmed by the emotion of it all

Our girls, moving onward and upward!

We're so proud!
xoxo

Tools for Dad

Hi! I wanted to share with you a couple of Father's Day cards I made recently, using a cute little toolbox stamp from Lizzie Anne Designs Monthly Mix May 2010 'Dream Big' (retired set AND company).

On this first card, I imagined a work bench, with a rustic feel. The ruler paper is really perfect for this! Can't recall which paper pad I used for it. (Sieve-brain! LOL) 

The circular 'dad' stamp comes in the same set, and I stamped it in Soft Sky, punched it out with a circle punch, then ran my 18kt Gold Leaf Krylon marker along the perimeter.  It was tough to catch that shine, and I'm not quite sure if you can see it in the pic below.  The little nut, nail and washer - created using Our Daily Bread's Workshop Tools die set - were die-cut out of shiny silver mirror cardstock.

The next card using the same tool kit, and another sentiment from that same Lizzie Anne Designs set. This time, I used a lined-paper patterned paper, as well as a grid design. You know how much math is involved in woodworking! I pictured Dad jotting his mathematical notes on these pages -- that was my inspiration for the card. 

Though it's tough to see in the photos, I used Glossy Accents on the handles of the screwdrivers (the red and yellow handles).

Thanks SO much for joining me today!  Have a blessed day!

You Are My Happy Place, part 2

'Tis the season for travel!  We've already had our vacation for the year (Disney World, in February), but it would be nice to take a day here and there to head for the Jersey Shore, or maybe the Pocono Mountains.

This card I created was inspired by people who have a penchant for travel.  I tried to create a bulletin board of sorts, with cork-patterned paper, and a snippet of a real map. The railroad tickets are stamps from Our Craft Lounge's Vintage Traveler.

I added a button and vintage thread, a couple of wooden stars, and a stamped striped arrow from Inspired By Stamping.

Of all the wonderful places to visit in this big world, the very best place is right beside my loved ones. :0) (sentiment stamp by Altenew) 

If this card looks familiar, I had made a custom card similar to it, featured in THIS post. 

Stamps: Vintage Traveler - Our Craft Lounge; Arrows - Inspired By Stamping;  Sentiments & Quotes - Altenew Accessories & Tools: wooden stars - Studio Calico, vintage thread, vintage button, piece of a map 

Pretty Pink Peony

Hi there!

I'm still catching up on sharing my Mother's Day 2016 card collection....and this one's got a pink blossom on it.  

It's really a dahlia, from Papertrey Ink's Delightful Dahlia Additions set. But, to me, it kind of looks like a peony, especially in these vivid pinks.

I used a clean and simple sentiment from Altenew's Sentiments and Quotes, and a couple of sparkling clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. I use those like water. :-D

I hope all is well in your little corner of the world, and thank you for coming by here today!  

All about the Bees

Bees serve an important role in our world, and I enjoy watching them from afar....not so much up close and personal (just ask the yellow jacket who gave me a nasty sting last summer).

However, when they are paper bees, and really cute ones from Simon Says Stamp Circle Friends, well, that's a different story!

I played around with some fun, whimsical floral papers for this card and the one further below. I can't recall which of my {too many} paper pads I chose from (insert sheepish grin).  

I just delivered this card to the shop (Arts Plus Gallery) over the past weekend. Check out the little guy's shimmery wings! I used a Wink Of Stella pen first, then coated the wings with Glossy Accents. The pleated green and white ribbon reminds me of grass.

The birthday card is cute as can 'bee', and makes me happy to look at. Hope it makes the recipient feel the same way!

My Hero

Hi there, I'm sharing another Father's Day card that I recently delivered to Arts Plus Gallery. 

When I created this, I had in mind a dad or grandfather who served in our nation's military. I made a camouflage pattern of sorts with splatter stamps from Inspired By Stamping and speckles from Stampin' Up!  I also used a Canvas Background stamp (SU) in a light ink over the whole panel.

I created "dog tags" from a Stampin' Up! Key Tag punch and some silvery cardstock.  I used a gray ink pad to define the edges of each tag, by wiping the tag across the ink pad directly. Then, using the same ink, I sponged on color in 'random' spots to give depth and shadow. A bit of hemp twine connects them together, and they are taped to the back of the cardstock panel using regular ol' Scotch tape.

Thanks so much for dropping by today.  God bless you!

Jumbo Peony

I've got a huge paper peony to share with you today. Wish I could share the real deal, as well. We had some beauties in our yard up until just the other day. I LOVE the scent and the shape of peonies. They are my second-favorite flower, hydrangeas taking first place, of course. :-)

I have to admit this Jumbo Peony stamp by Stampendous had me stumped at first. It really is a big flower, and I wasn't sure it would work. My card sizes are typically an A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"), and this peony positively fills the front cover. 

I stamped the flower on a piece of patterned pink paper (tongue twister!), then added strokes with a pink Copic marker to create more dimension. I trimmed it out, adhered it to a panel of swirl-embossed kraft cardstock, added die-cut greenery (Spellbinders) and ink gems and pearls.

My coloring is no masterpiece, believe me. This was actually the first time I'd used the Jumbo Peony stamp, and it was my practice run. Hope you don't mind that I've shared it here!

Thanks so much for coming by today, and have a wonderful day!

Father's Day is coming up!

Father's Day is coming soon, on June 19th this year in the U.S. 

I just delivered a batch of cards for dads to Arts Plus Gallery this afternoon, including the two you see here.

For dads who love to make yummy breakfasts, a cute card using Lawn Fawn's Love 'n Breakfast. How sweet is that frying pan??

This next card is much more distressed in style, and aimed at guys who enjoy fishing and / or boating.

The anchor is a relatively new purchase, from Amazon. There is no name on the wood block. I love the engraving style of the illustration. The fish image is one of my oldest stamps, from a company called Bizarro. The harlequin pattern in the background is from Inkadinkado, and the sentiment is from Inspired By Stamping. A bit of heavy-duty garden twine and a snippet of cream twill give texture to this card.

I've got at least one more card for Father's Day to share with you soon.  Until then, have a beautiful day!

Chevron Love

Hey!  Are you still there?  Because I"m still here! 

It's been a while since I posted, obviously. So much has been going in our little corner of the world. Some days, it's hard to keep up! I just go with the flow of it.

Our oldest daughter got her driver's license today! And we recently leased a 2016 Toyota Corolla for her (shout out to Holman Toyota - great job, guys!), to get her safely to and from college as a commuter this fall. 

She is SERIOUSLY excited. :-D

And now, we enter a new phase of life, with a child who drives. 

I already had the worries creep into me this afternoon, as both of my girls went together alone to the mall for dinner, the eldest one testing out that brand new license. I keep reminding myself that we are not to worry in this life, and instead give it all to the One who watches over our every move. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out....

P.S. - Supplies for today's card include an Altenew sentiment, heart die from MFT, paper by Stampin' Up!, sequins from Pretty Pink Posh, and a frame from Papertrey Ink.

Precious Babies

Hi there! Just popping in with a couple of baby cards that are destined for the shop soon.

Each one uses goodies that I found in a scrap bag which I bought from my Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Love that onesie diecut! Even the little beads, spelling out 'precious', came in the scrap bag.

We haven't seen much sun in these parts in a while (briefly on Sunday, but before that, well, I can't recall!). It's beginning to feel like Seattle must feel, or perhaps the English countryside! Soon enough, we'll have blazing summer sun, and I'll be missing the more temperate, cloudy days we have now. :-)

Ivy Wreath for Mom

I've had a thing for ivy wreaths for years, so it was fun to create one on paper with a Close To My Heart 'Remarkable Wreath' stamp set. 

I cut a tag with a My Favorite Things tag die, then punched a circle to add to the top. I added a bow, using vintage linen twine. I plucked this spool from the curbside of a nearby house (the resident was moving, and threw out things that I consider little gems -- 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'! -- like this twine.)

I used two colors of green to stamp the leaves, over top a twig-brown wreath base. The golden bow is a snippet from a Memory Box die that features two wedding rings, dangling from this bow. I used golden-mirror cardstock, then just cut off the rings. Love when you can get more use out of your supplies! 

I also added tiny dots of white Liquid Pearl 'berries' around the wreath.  Can you see them?

The tag was offset to the left of the cardbase, and seemed to need a little something extra on the bottom right side of the card. I tucked in bits of a white paper doily for subtlety.  The sentiment is from an older Flourishes stamp set.

I really appreciate you joining me here for a little while.  Have a terrific day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello, and Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! Hope you're having a swell day with those you love. :-)

I'm enjoying mine, and have spent many hours in my craft studio. Aaah!  We went to church in the morning, and because my youngest is in the Confirmation class this year, it was her class's responsibility to host the annual Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast. My daughter mixed the pancake batter, and my husband was cooking them. Other kids cut up fresh fruit, and set tables, and serve our 'patrons'. My heart swells with pride for my own family, knowing that they helped many families have a delicious morning. :-)

And now, a few cards to share. The one above showcases a large, beautiful K & Co. lilac bouquet diecut. I added a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Tiny Tags, a scattering of sequins, a twine bow, and even droplets of 'water' (Glossy Accents glue).

I love the soft shades of blue on the next card. Again, I used some K & Co. beauties (the flowers). I tucked some Sizzix diecut leaves behind the larger cluster. The sentiment is from Verve, and wow, what a powerful proverb for a special mother! 

This last card is obviously not a Mother's Day card, but it is one of the creations that recently left my craft desk to go to the shop. The dogwood branch and sentiment are both from Hero Arts. I used soft tones of warm gray for the card base, and the ink.

As always, please feel free to drop me a line if you have a question about any of the products I've used. I just don't have as much time as I used to, to include supply lists for my cards. Thanks for understanding!

Have a beautiful, blessed day!