Silver Wedding Rings

Hello Again!

It's going to be a while before I can catch up here on my blog that which I've been doing behind the scenes.  So many cards made.  All photographed.  Very few photo-edited.  And so it goes when one's calendar is full! 

I thought I'd wake up my blog - at least for a day - with a simple wedding card I made a few months back.  

The Precious Wedding Rings die (Memory Box) came to the rescue, helping to make a plain and simple card a little bit more fancy. I die-cut it from white cardstock, then used a Versamark marker only on the wedding bands portions.  Coated it with silver embossing powder, and held on to the 'strings' with crafting tweezers.  After hitting it with the heat gun and letting it all cool down, I added rhinestones in strategic places once this embellishment was glued down to the paper.

It kind of bugs me that there is no sentiment on the front, but I had to let it go. There really was no good place to put one. 

I joined a ministry called Sisters In Spirit at my church very recently. On Friday night, about 10 of us gathered together to make Thanksgiving cards (and a few Christmas cards) for home-bound members of our congregation. I brought along some already-stamped-and-trimmed autumn leaves, and a few twine bows, to contribute to the pile of crafting goodies we used. 

It was very gratifying to know that 40 people will get a little surprise in their mailbox, letting them know that someone is thinking of them. :-)

Paper: gray stripe pattern - Momento; True Black, white - Papertrey Ink Ink: Versamark marker - Tsukineko Fibers: black seam binding - Hug Snug - The Zipper Stop Accessories & Tools: silver embossing powder - Stampin' UP!; rhinestones - Queen & Co.; Precious Wedding Rings die - Memory Box 

'Tis the Season

Hello there!

I finally took down our Halloween decorations this past weekend, amidst a very hectic schedule. I am running at a fast pace these days (for me). It made me laugh yesterday when I realized that I never put a Halloween decorative flag outside (it hangs from our porch) this year. I enjoy flying a different flag for each season or holiday. I've had a pineapple -- the 'welcome' symbol - flag hanging since about the beginning of September, and it was only yesterday that I noticed it was still there...all throughout September, October, and into November. 

I know that doesn't sound too crazy, but it just made me realize how busy things have been...that I haven't had a chance to 'look up' and see what's around me. 

In addition to normal life stuff, I've been working like a crazy Christmas elf in the craft studio. I'm making as many holiday cards as I can, to deliver to Arts Plus Gallery before Thanksgiving.  A coworker asked for two custom wedding cards, and I am also donating cards to two charitable causes in the near future. So....I'm really crankin' 'em out! LOL

Oh, by the way, today's card features lots of Avery Elle goodness, Winter Wreath stamps and matching dies. I bought the set when iheartpapers went out of business, and there were generous discounts. :-)

Not sure when my next post will be...
but until then, I leave you with this Irish blessing:

An Irish Prayer

May God give you... For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.

Stamps: Winter Wreath - Avery Elle Paper: white - Papertrey Ink Ink: True Thyme, Close to Cocoa, Real Red, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Handsome Hunter - Stampin' Up!; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Accessories & Tools: Marshmallow sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; Winter Wreath matching dies - Avery Elle ; Copic markers

Blue skies from now on

Hello there!

Our church's youth make a trip to Goldsboro, North Carolina each summer to help Habitat For Humanity. This past summer, they helped build a home for a family, and the members of our church were offered the chance to mail a card to the new homeowners. :-)

I jumped at the chance to create a card for the mother and her children.  This is the card I mailed to them, and hope they enjoyed receiving it as I enjoyed making it!

Chevron Sky

Hello again. :-)

Orange.  Not my favorite color, but I've found myself gravitating toward it in recent months for my cards. Partly because I'm trying to use up what I have, partly to change things up.

I think this is a fun sky for the Stampin' Up! house! I paired the chevron together with other patterned papers that I got in a $1.00 Scrap Bag from my SU demonstrator. The little tag at the top is from Papertrey Ink's Tiny Tags (both the stamp and the heart die cut).

I sure do appreciate your visit today!

Hello, Little Fox

Hello from me, and from this cute little Lawn Fawn fox!

Totally had fun putting this scene together on top of a My Favorite Things tag.  =D

The best part was coloring the little fella with Copic markers.  I think I did a fair job of creating a furry look! 

You may have noticed this week.....I'm not including the Supply List for my cards.  With limited time, something's got to give, right? If you have a burning desire to know a particular craft item I've used on a card, just drop me a line. You can email me by clicking on the "Contact Me" tab under my blog header photo.

Would love to get this blog updated and refreshed, but where to find the extra time??

Sympathy Garden

Hello there.

As I sit here on Sunday afternoon, trying to put together a string of blog posts to share this week, I've got a whole juggling act going on.  I'm totally sure you can relate!  I'm making homemade applesauce (lots of it), doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, and -- earlier today -- I made several Christmas cards for the shop.  I haven't showered yet (ew), and boy, am I bushed.

But some things you just can't stop when you're in the middle of a project, you know?  

The rest of the family is busy, as well, and we're all trying to make the most of a short weekend.  The older I get, the shorter these weekends feel!

New Address (but not for me!)

Happy Monday!

Did you have many trick-or-treaters at your house on Halloween? We had fewer than normal, and that REALLY left us with a basket of candy all to ourselves.  I was planning to take the excess in to work, but my husband said he wants to keep all of it.  Ha ha!  He has a sweet tooth, and so do I.

I'm sharing a new home card that I made a while back, oh, in August.  I'll tell ya, I'm not having trouble getting cards made, but getting them through the photo process is what's been a challenge.

Blogging isn't as fun as it used to be - not with a limited amount of free time - and I feel things are changing for me.  Not sure where the Lord is leading me, but I'm listening. =D

Stamps: house - Holiday Home - Stampin' Up!; sentiment - Purely Sentimental - Verve Paper: Vintage Cream, white - Papertrey Ink; patterns - Stampin' UP! Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: cream twine - American Crafts Accessories & Tools: Clouds 1 & 2 dies - Papertrey Ink; gold gemstone - Recollections; journaling card - Colorbok; Copic markers

Bear Hugs

Hey there!

I'm ending the week with a sweet little clean-and-simple card, featuring Circle Friends by Simon Says Stamp. I kept the adornments to a minimum (sometimes hard to do!). I used a really pale ink from Anna Griffin for the striped circle, then layered on a die cut "window". The bear was stamped and colored on a scrap piece of cardstock, then trimmed and added to the circles, along with a scattering of gems and sequins.

White cards...you know how difficult they are to photograph, especially in an all-white setting! 

Stamps: Circle Friends - Simon Says Stamp Paper: white - Papertrey Ink Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; pale taupe ink - Anna Griffin Accessories & Tools: Stitched Circle die - Simon Says Stamp; Copic markers; Marshmallow sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; silver ball, rhinestone gem stickers - Recollections/ Queen & Co.; corner rounder punch - Fiskars

Giving Thanks with a bucket of apples

Any crafters out there remember this bucket of apples stamp? It's from the Stampin' Up! set called Give Thanks.

Though I do like new stamps (who wouldn't?), it gives me an even greater pleasure to use older stamps. They feel like "buried treasure" to me.

The already-stamped-and-colored image was in my box of Unfinished Objects (my friend Bonnie's term). I die-cut it with a Deckled Rectangle from Spellbinders, and gently inked the area around the bucket with pale linen ink. Due to photo-editing, that subtle ink just about disappeared. 

I used my sewing machine for a bit of stitching along the top edge of the card, added a tiny sentiment tag, two singular sequins, and a string of sequin 'ribbon' under the main panel.

This card is part of my Thanksgiving 2015 Collection. Maybe most folks think of cornucopias and turkeys when it comes to Thanksgiving, but a rustic metal bucket of apples is a different, unexpected take.  The bright red, subdued orange, and bright citron papers echo the apples' colors, and inject a modern feel to a very traditional holiday.   

Stamps: Give Thanks - Stampin' Up!; sentiment - Wonderfully Whimsical - Papertrey Ink Paper: white - Papertrey Ink; Ruby Red - Stampin' Up!; orange pattern - Mariposa Stack - DCWV; citron pattern - Whisper - Colorbok Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Antique Linen - Ranger Fibers: gold sequin 'ribbon' - Stampin' Up!; vintage thread Accessories & Tools: Copic markers; Deckled Rectangle die - Spellbinders; Double Embossed Dotted Lace border punch - EK Success; sewing machine; thread; gold sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; Pierced Traditional Tags die - My Favorite Things

Meow Meow Meow

I'm pretty sure "Meow meow meow" means "hi there".

At least, on this card it does!  I made this for my youngest when she went to sleep-away camp earlier this summer.  The cat looks like our Cristabel!  I placed the kitty in a summery scene, made with die cuts and a border punch that looks like grass, if you squint your eyes and let them go all out of focus. ;-)

I used a new-to-me Papertrey Ink Mat Stack 3 die, cut it in two pieces, and reassembled so that it appears longer than it really is.

The "meow" sentiment from Cat's Meow / PTI appears all over the white die cut, but also in a subtle way on the blue card base.

I used a white craft ink (Crystal, by Ranger) instead of Versamark, to heat-emboss Kitty.  Didn't work out as expected.  Should've used juicy Versamark, and gotten a better image. This version just makes Kitty look dirty.  White Opal Liquid Pearls stand in for the eyes.

Our daughter loved the card, and loved receiving happy mail at camp.  

Stamps: Cat's Meow - Papertrey Ink; (hi there) Just Sayin' - The Craft's Meow (tee hee!) Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive - Stampin' Up!; white, True Black - Papertrey Ink Ink: Riding Hood Red, Tempting Turquoise - SU; Crystal craft ink - Ranger; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Accessories & Tools: Clouds 1 & 2, Mat Stack 3, Cat's Meow dies - Papertrey Ink; White embossing powder - Stampin' Up!; White Opal Liquid Pearls - Ranger; Postage Stamp border punch - EK Success

Wintry Wishes

Hello!

I bought Avery Elle's Noel Elle-ments snowflake dies this past summer, from an online "yard sale". I think they are so pretty!  The 'flakes are an easy way to dress up a card without doing too much work.  Paired with gray damask, they are downright elegant.

I added some rhinestones on each snowflake, and tied on a Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment with silver cording.  Well, it just looks as if I tied it on. I nestled the little tag up really close to the bow, and glued it in place near the knot.

Thanks for your visit today!

Stamps: Tiny Tags - Papertrey Ink Paper: Basic Gray - Stampin' Up!; white - PTI; gray damask - Recollections Fibers: silver cording Accessories & Tools: Tiny Tags die - Papertrey Ink; rhinestones - Queen & Co.; Noel (snowflakes) Elle-ments dies - Avery Elle

Autumn, framed

Hello everyone!

Had some fun with Distress Ink Sprays by Ranger not too long ago, and this is one of the resulting cards.  I LOVE how this turned out! I started with an ivory card base, and hit it with bursts of color. While it dried, I stamped a Fancy Frame from Glitz Design, and trimmed it out. The subtle patterned paper behind the frame was from some saved packaging. Those Tattered Leaves (Tim Holtz) are made of coffee filters, which also had been sprayed with Distress Inks. I made a bunch of leaves earlier this summer with coffee filters and have them on hand to use as needed. 

The Verve sentiment says it all, though I have taken to giving thanks every day of the year, not just on the Thanksgiving holiday. Life is much better with an attitude of gratitude! 

I added a small piece of gorgeous gold braided trim, snugged up underneath the sentiment panel. A scattering of sequins from Pretty Pink Posh dressed everything up.

Our computer is having fits again.  It's slow, sometimes it just shuts off while we're in the middle of using it - with no warning. Very frustrating.  We've got to make due with it for now, too many expenses hitting. 

Thanks for coming by!

Stamps: Fancy Frames - Glitz Design; sentiment - Happy Fall - Verve Paper: white, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; coffee filters; pattern - packaging Ink: Early Espresso - Stampin' Up!; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: gold trim; cream twine - American Crafts Accessories & Tools: Distress Ink Sprays - Ranger; Bronze, gold, Espresso sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; Tattered Leaves die - Tim Holtz / Sizzix

Jeremiah 29:11

Welcome back!  I made this card for a family member who is going through a rough patch.

I love using the Papertrey Ink A Cheerful Heart stamps.  The set includes very encouraging, uplifting verses that truly do make my heart happy. :-)

I used shades of black, ivory and white; one of the patterns is flocked!  I added golden touches with the ribbon, a gold-embossed bee from Stampotique, and gold sequins, too.

I think I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink for the sentiment, which has many bold areas on it.  Would've been a better choice to use Versafine Black, which is opaque and has a darker appearance. Noted for next time!

Stamps: A Cheerful Heart - Papertrey Ink; Big Bee with Medium Bee - Stampotique Paper: white - Papertrey Ink; patterns - La Creme matstack - DCWV Fibers: gold ribbon; vintage thread Accessories & Tools: gold sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; gold embossing powder, button - Stampin' Up!; Deckled Rectangles, circle dies - Spellbinders

You are chair-ished, Mom

My mom had a birthday recently, and she LOVES the color combo of black and white.  

I started with a fancy piece of glittered black and white patterned paper from My Mind's Eye Garden Vignettes, and cut it in the shape of a heart.  Then I placed a new-to-me Top Dog Doily Hearts die cut beneath it and topped them with red and clear sequins. 

Also new-to-me at the time I made this card:  Papertrey Ink's Chair-ished stamp set. I stamped the chair on red damask patterned paper, and trimmed it out. Honestly, I'm not crazy about the balance of proportions on this card.  But once I glued down the chair, it was a done deal.  

Either way, my mom knows she is, indeed, chair-ished.  :-)

Stamps: Chairished - Papertrey Ink Paper: white - Papertrey Ink; black and white glitter pattern - Garden Vignettes - My Mind's Eye; red pattern - Stampin' Up! Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Accessories & Tools: Sparkling Clear sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; red sequins; Heart Stax die - My Favorite Things; Doily Hearts die - Top Dog; Copic markers (red)

Happy Day On The Farm

Hello!  I'm sharing two farm-related cards today, and the inspiration was an assortment of these cute little critter die cuts, sitting on my craft desk.  As I've mentioned before, when I purchase new dies, I always try them out right away, to make sure there are no defects.  Usually I'll use white cardstock for my practice run.

I've got very few agrarian stamping supplies, so I looked around for suitable elements: gingham patterned paper, patterned paper that looks like sun rays, grass die, picket fence punch, and more. 

I colored the animals with Copic markers, and created little framed scenes, using negative die cuts from previous projects. 

Way-to-stretch-your-supplies Tip:  when die-cutting a solid shape from cardstock - i.e., circle, oblong, rectangle, square, etc. - position the die with enough extra cardstock surrounding it.  Envision the negative piece as a frame for a future project, and now you've got two usable pieces!

The best sentiment I could find in my stash, which went well with these gentle creatures, is one from Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips.  It's full of joy, and I think the color palette of these two cards speaks of joy. :-)

I'm really glad you could join me today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips - Power Poppy Paper: white - Papertrey Ink; Gable Green, Summer Sun, sunray pattern - Stampin' Up!; gingham - Garden Party - DCWV Fibers: twine - Creative Impressions; pink grosgrain ribbon Accessories & Tools: On The Farm, Tiny Tags dies - Papertrey Ink; Nesting Pinking Squares die - Lifestyle Crafts; Picket Fence punch - Martha Stewart; Copic markers; Sparkling Clear sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder - Stampin' Up!; Grassy Fields die - My Favorite Things