Soft and Sweet Baby

Hello my friends,

I've been away from here for far longer than I expected.  Physical therapy has been part of my life for the last two months and I'm almost finished.  After my surgeries in October and November, a lot of strength and range of motion was lost.  Also, never knew about this before, but a thing called axillary web syndrome (aka, cording) happened to me and physical therapy has been instrumental in stretching out that unwelcome cord.  When the cord appeared (it's inside your body), I could not stretch my arm out very far at all!  I looked up my symptoms on the internet and discovered this phenomenon.  My doctors confirmed it for me.  Look it up if you wish to learn a little more.  It's strange and annoying.  LOL

Now, a card.

Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment; My Favorite Things Pierced Heart Stax dies, Mini Wavy Pennants die, Rolled Blooming Rose die; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die; Stampin' Up! Lacy Brocade embossing folder; pearl; sparkling sequins; Crafty Wool Felt Baby Pink   

I made this a while back and put it in the shop - and I'm pretty sure it sold.  I don't recall seeing it there last time I stopped in with Mother's Day cards.  I do so enjoy the look of a white card, but there needs to be texture, subtle differences, so it's not just washed out.  I used a little snippet of a pale gray patterned paper for the smaller heart, and used an embossed panel in the background.  And that pink felt rose, oh my.  I used a nice quality wool felt from Crafty Wool Felt.  There are soooo many colors to choose from, and I'd honestly like to buy one of each. 😊 It cut very well with the MFT rolled rose die.  A little pearl seemed the best thing for the center, you know I love pearls!

Thanks so much for joining me today.  I wish you all blessed Mother's Day, if you celebrate it. 💗

Proverbs 31: 25-28 KJV

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Catching Up (even more!)

Hello friends, I'm back already!  I still have a few months' worth of cards to share with you.  This was from the month of March 2020.  Let's get right to it! 

Stampin' Up! Nature Walk flowers, bee, bird cage, eggs stamps, Fancy Fibers blue ribbon; pearls; Martha Stewart Scalloped Tag punch; vintage thread 

Hero Arts With Sympathy sentiment; pearls; K & Co. flower stickers; Stampin' Up! Bella Toile background stamp

Stampin' Up! Bella Toile background stamp; K & Co. flower stickers; pearls; Papertrey Ink Boutique Borders: Sympathy sentiment, flourish frame, matching die

Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; pearl; Papertrey Ink Penned Elegance sentiment; Stampin' Up! Butterfly Basics postmark, small solid daisy stamps

Papertrey Ink Irish Blessings sentiment; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents punch; pearls; Memory Box Lucky Charms shamrock die

Papertrey Ink Irish Blessings sentiment, solid shamrock stamps; Studio G flourish shamrock stamp; My Favorite Things Pierced Oval Stax die; gold enamel dots; Stampin' Up green flower (from scrap bag)

Memory Box Lucky Charms, Lucky Leaves shamrock dies; Studio G St. Patrick's Day stamp ('lucky to be Irish'); My Favorite Things Mini Wavy Pennants, Mix and Match Banners dies; Papertrey Ink Inside and Out: Birthday II ('happy birthday')

Papertrey Ink Irish Blessings sentiment, shamrock stamps; Stampin' Up! lace, linen ribbon; Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Motifs flourish die; Memory Box Lucky Charms shamrock dies 

Gina Marie Designs Eyelet Elegance rectangle die; chipboard flower; clear sequins; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangle die; crochet lace; Stampin' Up! Watercolor Trio sentiment

Stampin' Up! Wishing You Well bouquet, bow stamps; gold sequins; Kat Scrappiness Wonky Wavy Stitched Rectangles die 

Stampin' Up! Butterfly Basics sentiment, flower, butterfly stamps; My Favorite Things Heart Stax die; pearls; Spellbinders Persian Motifs medallion die; EK Success Pointed Flower border punch

Papertrey Ink The Best Is Yet To Be sentiment; My Favorite Things Heart Stax die; pearls; crochet lace; Ranger Crackle Accents glue (on one heart)

Hero Arts With Sympathy sentiment; Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; pearl; gold washi tape; My Favorite Things Bold Greenery die

The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Love; Stampin' Up! Butterfly Thinlits die, Bitty Banners sentiment stamp and matching punch; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; pearls

Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; pearls; K & Co. sentiment sticker; Kat Scrappiness Wonky Wavy Stitched Rectangles die

The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Birthday sentiment; Stampin' Up! Butterfly Thinlits die; pearls; Martha Stewart Garden Gate Deep Edge punch

Papertrey Ink Inside and Out: Birthday II sentiment; My Favorite Things Mix and Match Banners die; chipboard bird; pearl; crochet lace

Hero Arts With Sympathy sentiment; K & Co. iris sticker; Inspired by Stamping Beautiful Iris flower and 'iris' sentiment stamps; pearls

Papertrey Ink Boards and Beams sentiment; Stampin' Up! Extra Large Bird Punch, Itty Bitty Accents flower punch, Pinking Hearts punch; gold sequins; The Craft's Meow 

Stampin' Up! Friends of a Feather sentiment, feather stamps, Hugs From Shelli bird; pearls; Gina Marie Designs Eyelet Elegance rectangle die

Stampin' Up! die cuts (from a scrap bag), Watercolor Wishes sentiment; L'il Inker Designs Bunnies and Bows, Stitched Rectangles dies

Stampin' Up! A Little Smile sentiment; The Ton Wild Peonies flower/leaf stamps; pearls; My Favorite Things Pierced Oval Stax die 

My Favorite Things Heart Stax dies; pearls; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; Echo Park Trust In The Lord sentiment

Time to get ready for bed, so I'm keeping this short and sweet.

Thank you for coming by to look at my cards, I hope they make you smile. 😀

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!

Meet Me Under The Mistletoe & many more Christmas cards!

Hello everyone!  It's Monday April 13, 2020, and it feels like two days in one.  For most of the day we had high winds, lots of rain, gloomy cloudy skies.  And now, at 5:30 pm, it's sunny and getting cooler.  Much prefer the weather right now!

Easter was beautiful yesterday. I attended church service via YouTube, sewed in the attic (I made masks for my family and several other people as well), and helped my husband with weeding in the garden.  We had a ham dinner here for the four of us, and used FaceTime to talk to my husband's parents.  They had never tried FaceTime before, and they did a great job!  It's an easy thing to use, and thank God we have that as an option to see loved ones that we cannot be with in-person right now. 

Did anyone watch Sight and Sound's production, Jesus, on Saturday?  Oh, it was wonderful!  It touched my heart.  💜 There is a Sight and Sound theater relatively close to me (in Lancaster PA), but I've never been there.  After watching this show, I definitely want to make a point to go at least once.  I also watched Andrea Bocelli's live Easter performance in the Duomo.  It gave me chills!

On to the creations for today:  they are all Christmas-y.

Stampin' Up! Snowfall Thinlits die, mistletoe patterned paper; K & Co. mistletoe sticker; clear gems

Hero Arts Deck The Halls deer stamps, Winter Scene tree stamps; crochet lace; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags star die, Tag_Its #8 Mini sentiment stamp; vintage thread; My Favorite Things Stitched Basic Edges die

Papertrey Ink Fancy Flakes snowflake die; Girls' Paperie medallion sticker, alphabet letter cardstock die cuts, sentiment die cut; Stampin' Up! pine die cuts (from a scrap bag)

Hero Arts Merry Christmas Trees tree stamp; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags circle tag die, Tag-Its #8 Mini sentiment stamp; star punches; Girls' Paperie decorative stickers; twine; matte gold sequin

Stampin' Up! sentiment (from scrap bag, name unknown), Background Basics/Itty Bitty Backgrounds holly stamp; crochet lace; red rhinestones; twine; My Favorite Things Traditional Tags tag die (large); Tim Holtz Christmas Miracle rubber stamp (stamped subtly on large tag); Martha Stewart Branch punch; Kat Scrappiness Wonky Wavy Rectangles die

Gina Marie Designs Pleated Lace Rectangles die; Stampin' Up! Sleigh Bells Ring holly stamp, Santa stamp from scrap bag (set name unknown); twine; Girls' Paperie decorative border sticker; red rhinestone; Papertrey Ink Silent NIght swirl stamp

Papertrey Ink Fancy Flakes snowflake die, Tiny Tags tag die, Tag-Its #8 Mini sentiment stamp  ; Girls' Paperie medallion sticker; rhinestones; Memory Box / Poppy Stamps Breezy Wreath die (cut apart to make the greenery); twine

Papertrey Ink Christmas Tree die; matte gold sequins; Girls' Paperie medallion sticker; My Favorite Things Simply Scallops Large border die; Stampin' Up! Perfect Presentation sentiment stamp and tag punch

Memory Box / Poppy Stamps Breezy Wreath die; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangle die; tag from a gift; Anna Griffin Christmas Card Sentiments sentiment stamp

I hope you had a blessed weekend.  Thank you so much for coming to visit today!

Birthday Bunch

Hi!  It's Wednesday evening, April 8, 2020.  My work day is over, so I get to share some things with you now. 😊

I had this post mostly prepared, but then I threw in some silver baby cup pics at the end.

Here are the birthday cards that I made within the last several months, and are/were at Arts Plus Gallery shop for sale.  They are open by appointment these days, if you interested in a visit there. 

Lost Coast Designs Butterflies butterfly stamp; Altenew Label Love sentiment; crochet lace; Gina Marie Designs blue dots

Avery Elle Winter Wreath wreath, berries stamps and matching dies; orange rhinestones; Impression Obsession Birds dies; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangle die; Papertrey Ink Keep It Simple: Birthday III sentiment stamp

Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment, tag; pearls; vintage thread; Stampin' Up! Wonderfully Worn background stamp, Kindness Matters butterfly stamp; Stampendous Charm Collection 'carte postale' stamp (stamped over patterned paper)

Impression Obsession Birds dies; Memory Box / Poppystamps Breezy Wreath die; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags tag die and sentiment; pearls; Stampin' Up! rose die cut border (from a scrap bag), Sanded background stamp, Flower Trio punch; crochet lace; vintage thread

Stampin' Up! Bella Toile background stamp, floral and striped patterned paper scraps, Hip Hip Hooray card kit sentiment stamp; vintage thread; embossed gold scrap from a store-bought card

I mentioned in a post very early today that I had been polishing some silver baby cups.  And some of you have also been polishing silver, as well!  I took some quick pictures today with my iPhone to show you.

"Warren"

My daughter's monogram (and my fingers in the reflection 😆)

One of my faves, a tin cup that says 'Baby'

'E.M.' - such beautiful cursive initials

The other side of the 'E.M.' cup.  Isn't that an exquisitely detailed image??

My husband's cup on the right and the one that started my interest in collecting these is on the left.  It's a Wallace cup, and the silver has all but worn off over the years, showing copper beneath.

Hope your day was a good one, and I so appreciate your visits!
God bless you!