Forget Me Not Seed Packet Sympathy

Hello everyone!  I'm sharing again today, this time it's a sympathy card made with a real seed packet.  My friend sent me the seed packet of Forget Me Not flowers, and I thought it was perfect for a sympathy card to have on hand.  I carefully slit open the bottom flap and emptied out the seeds first.  The sentiment is from Altenew Build-A-Flower: Lavender, the little punched flowers are from my treasured Martha Stewart Hydrangea punches, and the embroidered flower is very old, cut from cloth that belonged to my 101 year old aunt.  Thanks for taking a peek!

God bless you!

Kitties

Hello again!  After not blogging for quite some time, I've made an opportunity to get on here and share more cards.

Where are the cat lovers?  I do love all animals, great and small (okay, maybe not mosquitoes so much, if we lump them into the animal category).  But cats have a special place in my heart.

I used a neat pack of cat dies from Impression Obsession to create a little scene here.  I imagined they were romping through some tropical foliage. ;-D  A sentiment from Papertrey Ink was perfect here.

Impression Obsession Cat Set cat dies; Stampin' Up! Flower Trio punch and all patterned paper scraps; yellow gems; Papertrey Ink Everyday Cat Sentiments sentiments 

And though it is subtle (I do like subtle details!), can you see the sentiment stamped along the bottom of the damask paper (which is OLD, from Stampin' Up! - in Apricot Appeal - like I said, it's old!)?

And here is our own kitty, Cristabel.  She is very much loved by all of us in this house.  However, she doles out her love for us in, shall we say, varying increments?  LOL

Have a blessed day!

You did it!

Hello there!  One day I started playing around with some snippets of interesting patterned papers from my stash (these are all older ones, from Stampin' Up!) and stacked them in a pleasing way.  I guess the ledger paper reminded me of school, which reminded me of graduation. And so this card began!

Hero Arts Everyday Sayings sentiment stamp; Impression Obsession Mortarboard and Scroll die; Papertrey Ink Wonderful Words: Congrats die; ledger, Stampin' Up! 'royal garden' and striped patterned papers; Inkadinkado Floral Damask damask stamp

I used a damask stamp as a very subtle backdrop for the mortarboard and 'congrats' die cuts; you can barely see it.  The Distress Ink called Antique Linen is a favorite of mine for creating super-subtle designs.

The finishing touch is a sentiment from Hero Arts, near the top.   I like how this turned out; it's rather different for a graduation congrats card.

Wishing all the grads of 2021 the very best!  So glad many of them actually got to have their ceremonies in person this year, as compared to 2020.  

My youngest daughter's graduation day in 2020.

My oldest daughter's senior year pic, side by side with my own.😊

The years are flying by!

God bless you!

Bird-Themed Cards

Hello everyone!  We have a cold day here in NJ; today's high is 28 degrees!  Very cold indeed, and super windy, too.  I am grateful for a warm home, and sunshine pouring in our windows.  I'm burning a Peppermint candle from Antique Candle Co.  I bought the bundle while it's on sale.  It smells soooo good!

I've got some bird-themed cards to share with you, and I'm entering the first one in a challenge called Tic Tac Toe.  See below for the row I picked!

K & Company bird sticker; Spellbinders oval dies; white lace; gold mirror cardstock; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment stamp 

I used the bottom row, with a sentiment, embellishment (lace, bird sticker) and die cut (the two ovals).  Love how easy the options are on this whole board!


I'm entering the card below in another challenge called Inspired By... and the current theme is Tweet Messages.   

Impression Obsession Birds dies; My Favorite Things Bold Greenery dies; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags tag die; The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Birthday sentiment stamp; cream twine; DCWV Coral Couture patterned papers

I was inspired by the bird sitting atop a branch.  I like that bluebird image so much.  😀  What a beautiful watercolor piece.  

Stampin' Up! Natural Beauty moth/butterfly stamp; Papertrey Ink Keep It Simple: Birthday; pearls; Altenew Build A Flower: Rose leaf cluster stamp; lace; pearls; calendar image of nest

Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin 'My Wonderful Family' elements, sentiment stamp, yellow pearls

Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin 'My Wonderful Family' elements, sentiment stamp

Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin 'My Wonderful Family' elements, sentiment stamp, mint pearls

Impression Obsession Birds dies; My Favorite Things Bold Greenery dies; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags tag die, Angled Labels die; The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Birthday sentiment stamp; DCWV Coral Couture patterned papers

The final two cards are fairly flat, with no pearls (gasp!) and no foam tape, and can use ONE postage stamp!  I am not accustomed to doing this.  LOL  I always keep a steady supply of Additional Ounce stamps, as I mostly make bumpy cards, ha ha.

Impression Obsession Birds dies; Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents flower punch, sentiment (not sure what set), patterned papers; lace

Stampin' Up! Garden Pleasures birdhouse, bird stamps, Weathered background stamp; Papertrey Ink Buttoned Up #1 button die, Skinny Mini Banner die, birthday sentiment; vintage thread 

I hope your weekend is peaceful, relaxing, or whatever you are most hoping for!  I am ALWAYS up for a weekend that includes cardmaking. 😀

Exodus 35:35 NIV

35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.

Thanks for visiting today!

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,

Nautical Cards - Father's Day and Graduation

Hello everyone!  It's been a while since I popped in here, but I've been keeping busy in the craft studio.

There's a definite nautical theme in the cards I'm sharing today.  Not too long ago, I got the Stampin' Up! set, Sailing Home and its matching set of dies, Smooth Sailing.  I have been having SO MUCH FUN with these!  They arrived in perfect time for making Father's Day and graduation cards.  Let's take a peek:

Stampin' Up! - Sailing Home & Smooth Sailing stamps/matching dies (lighthouse, boat, birds, rope); Verve - Strong Anchor sentiment stamp; gray button; navy/cream twine

Verve - Strong Anchor sentiment stamp; Stampin' Up! - Sailing Home & Smooth Sailing stamps/matching dies (lighthouse, boats, seaweed), Top Note die 

Stampin' Up! - Sailing Home & Smooth Sailing stamps/matching dies (lighthouse), Stitched So Sweetly; Verve - Strong Anchor sentiment stamp

The cards below are for a few of my daughter's close friends.   I like to go real personal for the graduation cards.  They deserve such recognition after putting in more than 12 years of school -- and they are graduating in 2020, which is a highly unusual year for seniors!

Stampin' Up! - Sailing Home stamps (boat, rope, birds, lighthouse, sentiment), Stitched Nested Dies die; Impression Obsession Mortarboard and Scroll mortarboard hat die

WHOA!  After a lineup of muted colors on the cards above, these last two are BRIGHT! 

Stampin' Up! - Sailing Home stamps (boats, sentiment), Smooth Sailing matching boat dies, label die;
Impression Obsession Mortarboard and Scroll mortarboard hat die

Even brighter than the previous card, is this hot pink glitter card!  This young lady loves glitter and hot pink and red -- well, I gave her all three!

Impression Obsession Mortarboard and Scroll mortarboard hat and diploma dies; Stampin' Up! label dies and sentiment (they came in a scrap bag, so I am not sure of the names)

I'm entering a couple of challenges again, too!

• Krafty Chicks - #514 Week 1 - Stamp Act: Use a stamp
• NBUS Challenge - Challenge #16 - Use "never before used schtuff" - I am using the Stampin' Up! Sailing Home and Smooth Sailing goodies 

Thank you so much for joining me here, and God bless you today and always!

'The Sky Is The Limit' graduation - TGIFC265

Happy Sunday, and to my American friends, Happy Memorial Day weekend!  Our weather is gray today, and yesterday we got quite a bit of rain.  Hoping for some peeks of sunshine later. No matter the weather, there's always plenty to be done inside the house...including making cards. 😉

I'm playing in another challenge today:  TGIF Challenges - Theme Challenge: Travel.  #TGIFC265
I picked a hot air balloon as my mode of travel for this graduation card.  It's headed to a family friend who is graduating from high school soon.

Inspired By Stamping The Sky's The Limit hot air balloon and sentiment stamps; Impression Obsession Mortarboard and Scroll cap die; Papertrey Ink Clouds 1 and 2 die; pearls; Gina Marie Designs Flower Pleated Lace Nested Rectangles die

The pale blue damask patterned paper is old, from Stampin' Up!, and obviously stands in for my sky.  The mortarboard cap has a tiny pearl on the tassel, adding a bit of 'class' (get it, class?  I have corny puns!).

Thank you to the team at TGIF Challenges for hosting such a neat inspiration challenge this week!

Check out what my daughter, Kerry, and I did last night.  We did Bob Ross Painting!  We watched Bob on Netflix, paused the show at various points along the way, and tried to follow Bob's example.  His canvas was like 2 ft x 3 ft, and ours are tiny 5" x 7" canvases.

It was my first time doing a Bob Ross painting, and Kerry's second.  She has inherited the gift of painting from my dad, and from her paternal grandmother.  I love how her mountains, water (check out the tree reflections!) and sky turned out!  My one giant cloud is not ultimately what I was going for, but I thought the mountains and water came out pretty good.  What a fun and pleasant evening with my girl!  Can't wait to do it again.

Thank you so much for coming by today!  I've got to get ready for virtual church now, and a drive-by birthday 'party' this afternoon. 

Have a wonderful day, a relaxing holiday, and God bless you and keep you!

Be Brave, It Is Well With My Soul, and more

Hi everyone, just popping in with a bunch of cards to share.  It's Thursday April 16, 2020, and I've been in quarantine for one month exactly!  In some ways, it feels longer, and in some ways, not that long. 

Last night I helped my husband trim his hair outdoors on the patio.  That was a first.  I've cut my own bangs twice, but that's easy.  It's the highlights in my hair that I will not attempt.  Will have to wait until I'm allowed to see my hairdresser again for her finesse and expertise! 😭
The girls have long straight hair, no bangs.  They can coast for a good long while.  LOL

Had to go to the bank today.  Only the drive-through is open, and only two lanes.  The lines were fairly long, but not too bad.  I went armed with patience. 😀  I felt badly for the two bank tellers, who were trying to do their jobs with masks, gloves, and offering as much good cheer as they could, despite testy customers.  Hopefully, we won't have too much longer to be in quarantine.  Though we did just get notification from our governor that all NJ schools will be closed until mid-May.  So...I'm thinking that senior prom will probably not be happening.  😢

Stampin' Up! Elizabeth flourish frame stamp, pale pink fabric rose; rhinestones; butterfly applique sticker; Papertrey Ink Quoted: Right Moment sentiment stamp, Embroidered Frame: Dots die; REALLY NEAT PATTERNED PAPER from a Stampington magazine!

Altenew Lavender Bud stamp and matching die; My Favorite Things Mix and Match Banners die; Stampin' Up! stitched rectangle pieces (from scrap bag); plant pot (punched piece from a friend); pearls;
Papertrey Ink Walk By Faith sentiment stamp

Altenew Lavender Bud stamp and matching die; Papertrey Ink Meadow Greens stamps and matching dies, Stemmed Statements sentiment stamp, Tiny Tags tag die; linen twine;
Gina Marie Designs Peekaboo Circle die, clear droplet epoxy stickers; 

Altenew Lavender Bud stamp and matching die; Spellbinders Labels Eight die; Hug Snug Periwinkle seam binding; Flourishes Stamps Spring Bouquets sentiment stamp; Stampin' Up! Small Banner punch;
Gina Marie Designs pale lavender candy dot sticker

Papertrey Ink Family Ties: For The Girls 'mom' die; rhinestones; Kaisercraft Lady Rose rose and scalloped circle die cuts, patterned paper (rose, long sentiment strip); Sizzix Circle Sentiments corner die

My Favorite Things Pierced Heart STAX heart die; Gina Marie Designs Pleated Lace Rectangles die; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment, tiny heart stamp, Tiny Tags tag; linen twine

Stampin' Up! Garden Pleasures bee skep, small beehive seed packet stamps, aqua resin embellishment; Hero Arts Leafy Vine flourish stamp (in yellow); Hobby Lobby Honey Bee stamp (in aqua); Spellbinders Corner Flourish die, Labels Ten die; can't remember where the sentiment came from!

Kat Scrappiness Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangle die; Stampin' Up! Extra Large Bird punch (bird and leaves); pearls; Echo Park Trust In The Lord sentiment stamp; linen twine; My Favorite Things Cheerful Cages bird cage die

⇩ CUSTOM CARD BELOW!

Golden Acorn Scallop Shell stamp; Blockhead Paper Arts Seashells With Round Frame starfish stamp; pearls; clear sequins; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die; All Night Media small scallop shell stamp; Spellbinders Large Deckled Rectangles die; Stampin' Up! Irish Blessing background stamp; burlap; Papertrey Ink Pen and Ink 'blessings' sentiment stamp; Hampton Art Wedding 'Mr. & Mrs.' sentiment stamp; gold embossing powder

⇩ CUSTOM CARD BELOW!

Papertrey Ink Happily Ever After sentiment stamp, Delicate Details die; My Favorite Things Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle STAX die; pearls; Kat Scrappiness Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangle die; Golden Acorn Scallop Shell stamp (top corner, furthest to right); All Night Media small scallop shell stamp; Blockhead Paper Arts Seashells With Rectangle Frame shell (bottom cluster, topmost shell stamped in gray), Seashells With Round Frame scallop, sand dollar, starfish stamps

⇩ CUSTOM CARD BELOW!

Papertrey Ink Happily Ever After sentiment stamp; clear sequins; pearls; Hug Snug Argentina seam binding; All Night Media small scallop shell stamp; 100 Proof Press Shell Plate 17 shell array stamp; Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles die

My Favorite Things Inspired By Spring nest stamp; Papertrey Ink Boutique Borders: Baby sentiment stamp; white ribbon; Gina Marie Designs Loopy Rectangles die

L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die; Stampin' Up! Touch of Nature acorn stamp, With Gratitude leaf stamp; Gina Marie Designs Peekaboo Circle die (the negative portion); twine; Papertrey Ink Family Ties: For The Boys uncle die

Impression Obsession Mortarboard and Scroll diploma, mortarboard dies; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die; Papertrey Ink Clouds 1 and 2 dies, Up Up And Away Sentiments sentiment stamp

That is all for now.  Thanks for your visit, and see you again soon!  God bless!