Far Away, Missing You

Hello there. 😀 Did you have a nice weekend?  They are usually too short, at least that's been my experience. 😉 

I'm sharing a card I made for my mom, who lives far away from me, to let her know I miss her.  A friend gave me the set by Simon Says Stamp called Loving You From Afar, and it's perfectly sweet for my mom.

Simon Says Stamp Loving You From Afar houses and dotted heart stamps; Stampin' Up! sentiment (?); red and white twine; Kat Scrappiness Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangles die

I paired with the houses and dotted heart image between them, a good sentiment from Stampin' Up!  This was in a scrap bag, already on this tag, so I am not sure which stamp set it came from.  I like how it coordinates with that dotted heart, though!

Since this is my first time using the SSS set, I am entering (again) at NBUS.

Hope your week is wonderful!

My Dad, My Anchor

Hello there!  Yesterday I shared cards for dad, and today, yet another to share.

This was for personal use, as well, and I'm happy with how it turned out.

Papertrey Ink For The Boys 'Dad' die; Stampin' Up! Smooth Sailing anchor & rope dies, Sailing Home compass; twine

In one of my Stampin' Up! scrap bags were these Paper Pumpkin pouches, or envelope sleeves.  Best way I can describe it.  The striped paper you see above was part of the bunch.  I cut it apart so all that was left was a panel, and - it was already slanted like you see, and with rounded corners.  From there, I built my card on a black cardstock panel (glued to a white card base).  I like to let cards 'speak' to me.  Often I've got no plan in mind, things just evolve.

Thanks so much for joining me again!

Irish Proverb

I cherish the Verve stamps I have, and rarely do I see any for sale on the internet.  So, I'm guessing I am not alone in my sentiment!  

I used a stamp from the Verve Blessings set, which is an Irish Proverb.  It's such a happy thing!

Verve Stamps Blessings sentiment; The Greetery Fleur Impressions flower stamps (on green panel), Nordic Frames die; fabric panel; sequins

I used an item for the first time that a friend gave to me a few years ago; it's an adhesive-backed piece of floral fabric.  It's pretty, so I did not want to cover up too much of it.  

Linking up to Darnell's NBUS challenge with this card.

"Live every day as if it were your last" is the last line of this Irish proverb on my card.  What a great reminder.  Some days I remember this, and other days the chaos of life makes me forget.

I hope your day is a beautiful one!

Daddy Deer-est

For Father's Day this year, I created one of these for personal use, and one for the shop (for next year!).  I love that woodgrain patterned paper from Stampin' Up!  Looks really appropriate with the Paper Rose buck die.

Paper Rose Deer Family die; Verve Strong Anchor sentiment; EK Success Rock Fern punch; My Favorite Things Pierced Oval Stax die; Stampin' Up! patterned papers

With a change of sentiment, these will work for Christmas, too.  But for now, they're for dear old dad!

Luke 15:20

So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Wishing you a beautiful day, and thanks for your visit!

Mother's Day Cards

Hello there!

Today I'm sharing Mother's Day cards I made a couple of months ago. Some went to the shop, some I used myself to send out.  Hope you enjoy the 'card parade': 

Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin My Wonderful Family sentiment, Country Floral embossing folder; Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; Anna Griffin roses stamp; lace; pearl; My Favorite Things  Pierced Oval STAX die

Papertrey Ink Happy Hydrangea sentiment; Stampin' Up! Bella Toile background stamp, butterfly patterned paper; My Favorite Things Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle Stax die; Inkadinkado Butterfly; iridescent gems

Inkadinkado Butterfly; Blockheads Paper Arts Flower Garden poppy stamp; Flourishes Spring Bouquets sentiment; pearls

Flourishes Spring Bouquets sentiment; Pink Paislee Queen Bee 'queen' sentiment, bees; Blockheads Paper Arts Feeling Regal crown (with gold embossing); La Blanche English Rose rose stamp; crochet lace; pearls; Spellbinders Labels Thirteen die 

Stampin' Up! Because I Care hydrangea, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder; lavender pearls; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment and tag die; white & lavender twine

Anna Griffin roses stamp; Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin My Wonderful Family sentiment, Lace 3D Embossing Folder; Hug Snug Periwinkle seam binding; My Favorite Things Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle Stax die; pearls

Proverbs 31: 28-29

28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

I do so cherish my own mom.  💟

Tomorrow I'll be sharing some cards for dad.

See you then!

Dearest Friend, Happy For You

Hello!  Today's cards put the spotlight on patterned paper.  The first card used skinny scraps that all paired so nicely with one another (and I found them in a Stampin' Up! scrap bag).  

Altenew Dearest Friend sentiment; Stampin' Up! patterned paper scraps; peach gems; wooden butterfly; Kat Scrappiness Wonky Wavy Stitched Rectangles die; EK Success Acanthus Leaf border punch

The second card also features 'vintage' Stampin' Up! patterned papers I've had for quite a while.  You may recognize them if you have been into SU for years.  I'm really trying to use up my patterned papers, but it will take me a loooong time to do this.  LOL

Stampin' Up! patterned paper, Organic Grace fern stamp; Spellbinders Labels Eighteen die; wooden butterfly; Recollections ivory burlap butterflies

Hope you had a lovely Fourth of July holiday weekend, if you live in the USA! 💙💓

Purple Butterflies

Just a couple purple butterfly cards today, because....I do love purple.

Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents flower punch, patterned papers, and sentiment (not sure; was in a scrap bag!); rhinestones

Inspired By Stamping All Year Wishes I sentiment; Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; lavender pearl; Stampin' Up! Helping Me Grow frame stamp

This is a short and sweet post.  As I write this it is 97 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  My hydrangeas are SO UNHAPPY!  I've got to go out and water them, and beg them to hang in there!  We should be getting rain later tonight.

God bless you!

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! 💖💙

A Trio of New Home Cards

Hi!  I always need new home cards to replenish my selection at the shop.  I've got three to share with you today.

Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment, Winter Hills house; Spellbinders Labels 25 die; cream twine; tag from Stampin' Up! 

Pink Paislee Auburn Lane house, frame and floral spray stamps; Papertrey Ink Daily Design Sentiments sentiment, Boards and Beams topiaries; Kat Scrappiness Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangles die

Stampin' Up! Holiday Home house; Papertrey Ink Boards and Beams tree, Tiny Tags tag and sentiment, In The Meadow hill die; cream twine

Psalm 127:1

A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. 

HOME is so precious. 

Pet Sympathy Card

A friend requested a custom order recently, for someone dear to her whose dog had passed away.  She liked this card of mine, which was in pink, but needed it in blue.

Stampin' Up! Lace 3D Embossing Folder, Happy Tails sentiment, paw print, heart and dog; Papertrey Ink Limitless Layers 2 1/4" Oval die

Since the beloved dog was a boy, I wasn't sure if my friend wanted to have a fancy rhinestone collar on the paper pooch.  She said she absolutely wanted it on there. 😀

May your day - and weekend - be blessed!

By Land and By Sea - Masculine Cards

Hello!  For my husband's birthday this year, I made him the first card you see here.  The sentiment cracks me up.  I'm actually two weeks older than he is, so of course, I am old, as well.  LOL

The mirror cardstock works so nicely with the Diamond Plate embossing folder and looks very automotive.

Unity Stamps Consider Yourself Vintage cars, sentiment stamps; mirror cardstock; Darice Diamond Plate embossing folder; My Favorite Things Slanted Sentiment Strips die

The next card was made for the shop.  The vintage sail ship stamp was in an assortment of maritime stamps I bought from an online yard sale kind of website.  I colored in a sun behind the boat, and I'm pretending it's a sunset, though I guess it could also be a sunrise?

Stampin' Up! High Seas 3D Embossing Folder; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags star tag and sentiment; linen twine; Dragonfly Laser Vintage Sail Ship rubber stamp

Isaiah 46:4

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Thanks for joining me today!  

Vintage Birthday Wishes

Despite making a variety of styles for my cards, I still love a good shabby chic, vintage vibe best.  I made a pair of birthday cards that are full of coffee-stained, distressed goodness.  

Papertrey Ink Meadow Greens sentiment; Prima paper flowers; gold glitter tape; twine

The tags were in a Stampin' Up! scrap bag, nicely dyed already for me (😀); all I had to do was dress them up and place them on a beautiful piece of DCWV patterned paper, which looks like old wallpaper to me.

I added stamped sentiments on the tags, a snippet of gold glitter tape, Prima flowers, and some twine.  These are simple in design, but oh the tags sat for a long time before I figured out how best to use them.

Thanks for popping in!

Three Anniversary Toasts

Hello there!

In my stash of cards, my "Wedding / Anniversary" category is really slim.  So one day I got out a few stamps and made three anniversary cards with those same supplies, changing the patterned paper for each card.

Papertrey Ink Propose A Toast glass stamp & matching die, Inside And Out: Love sentiment; rhinestones; Rubber Stampede grapes rubber stamp

Bizarro grape cluster; Papertrey Ink Propose A Toast wine glass,Inside And Out: Love sentiment; Hero Arts Old French Script Background stamp; ivory dots

Bizarro grape cluster; Papertrey Ink Propose A Toast wine glass,Inside And Out: Love sentiment; Hero Arts Old French Script Background stamp; ivory dots

Definitely need to make more, but goodness, there are only so many hours in a day and so much energy in this girl!!  LOL

Thanks for dropping in!

Pink Hydrangea

Hello Everyone!

Hopefully this reaches you via follow.it, the new email service I chose for my email subscribers.  You can opt out if you wish, of course, but I hope you will keep me company here.  😀  I had imported my active email subscribers from Feedburner before making the switch.  The only thing I have left to figure out is how to add the follow.it icon / link on my sidebar.  My old brain just couldn't figure this one out yet.  LOL  The help team at follow.it merely directed me to one of their articles on how to achieve this, so I'll need to read through it again.  

Just popping in with one card today, made for my daughter's 23rd birthday earlier this month.  I happen to love hydrangeas, and when I saw this die release from HoneyBee Stamps, I had to have it!

HoneyBee Stamps Lovely Layers: Hydrangea dies; Verve Small Phrases sentiment stamp; Ranger Glossy Accents; Stampin' Up! Artisan Textures distress stamp

I used three shades of pink cardstock from my scraps organizer.  The darkest pink is in the back, and then a mid-range but still bright...(I think Pink Passion from Stampin' Up!), and a paler version at the top layer.  Once I assembled them for practice, I thought it looked weird, until I added splatters on all of the petals.  I used a Stampin' Up! dotted/distressed stamp from Artisan Textures and used a darker red ink to create the splattered effect.  Do hydrangeas exist in nature this way?  Not sure.  LOL  I just happened to think it looked neat!  

There is one leaf die in this HoneyBee die set.  I cut it out three times from Old Olive cardstock, then used another distressed-type stamp from Artisan Textures in Always Artichoke to give those leaves a variegated look.

A black background, a Verve sentiment and some Glossy Accents 'dew drops' finished it off.

I hope you like it!  Can't wait to try different color combos for the hydrangeas.  Definitely blues and purples!

Hope you have a great day/evening, wherever you are!

God bless you!

Herbed Chicken

Good morning!  I'm learning how to import email subscribers to a new service called follow.it, which I've seen other card bloggers use recently.  Hope to have this nailed down very soon, since Feedburner email subscriptions are going away in a matter of days.  Ugh.  

In the meantime, I'm popping in with one card, which used a piece of a pretty calendar my mother-in-law no longer needed.  The calendar panel has the words 'herbs' and 'rose(mary)' on it, along with a little illustration in the corner of a green herb.  I added more to it by stamping the names of herbs in Antique Linen Distress Ink.  Was happy to have a chance to use that stamp set for a change!  (see caption)

Inspired By Stamping - Spice Jar Labels herb name stamps; Stampin' Up! Flower Trio punch; yellow rhinestones; Graphic 45 patterned paper

The patterned paper is by Graphic 45; one side has the muted bold floral and the other side has chickens and roosters. 😀  I trimmed one of the roosters and added him to the herb panel. The final touches were a row of little punched flowers and gems.

Okay!  Back to figuring out this email subscription thing.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

God bless you!