My One and Only Valentine

Hello all!  I made this card for my husband this Valentine's Day.  I am loving the neutral tones.  The background is a piece of parchment paper, stamped over with Wplus9 "Vintage Ephemera" stamps.  The lacy heart die cut is from Stampin' Up! Bloomin' Hearts.  I added some rhinestones to some of the flowers, and a sentiment from Emily Moore Designs (a Valentine's freebie).

Thanks for coming by!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Two Dozen Cards to Share

Hello and happy Friday!  Thought I'd pop in today with a parade of cards for you.  This helps me with some of the backlog of things yet to post.  Hope you enjoy!

The Greetery - Pretty Postmarks sentiment; Gina Marie Designs - butterfly die; patterned paper - Tilda (a gift from Stella in the Netherlands); digital butterfly; pearl

Papertrey Ink - Tiny Tags sentiment & tag, Boards & Beams house, Topiary Trio bush die; burlap ribbon

Impression Obsession - Twig Wreath die; pearls; Stampin' Up! - Nature Walk bird; button; Papertrey Ink - Daily Design Sentiments 'home sweet home'

Flourishes - DIY Topiary topiary stamp; Hug Snug seam binding - Stampin' Up! lace trim; Hip Stamp Hooray - Occasions sentiment 

Stampin' Up! - Nature Walk bird; Papertrey Ink - Tiny Tags sentiment; Inkadinkado - Botanical Script Background stamp; pearls; Hug Snug white seam binding 

Stampin' Up! - Butterfly Basics freesia; Papertrey Ink - Daily Designs Sentiments 'with sympathy'; vintage thread; ivory dot; Webster's Pages patterned paper

Inkadinkado - Manuscript; Stampin' Up! - Avant-Garden freesia; pearls; potted plant from catalog; Wplus9 - Vintage Ephemera (in background); pearls

Stampin' Up! - The Open Sea globe & background stamps; Altenew - Sentiments & Quotes; braided jute ribbon ; Stampin' Up! - copper foil cardstock

Papertrey Ink - Love Lives Here sentiment; Impression Obsession - Twig Wreath die & pine sprigs; pearls; chipboard bird

PSX - Hydrangea; Hug Snug seam binding; pearls; Papertrey Ink - Tiny Tags sentiment; Stampin' Up! little tag punch; Copic markers in grays

Memory Box - Lucky Leaves, Lucky Charms dies; Stampin' Up! - Itty Bitty Accents flower punch; pearls; Papertrey Ink - Tiny Tags sentiment and die; vellum;  Ann-Ticipations - Irish Blessing stamp; vintage thread

Power Poppy - Lavender sprig; Copic markers; lavender soap packaging; pearls; Hip Stamp Hooray - Post Stamp (background images); vintage thread 

PSX - K-1593 Birdhouse Wreath; vintage twine; Papertrey Ink - Keep It Simple: Home sentiment; Copic markers 

PSX - F-467 Pansy Basket; Gina Marie Designs - butterfly die; Copic markers; Papertrey Ink - Keep It Simple: Thank You II

Gina Marie Designs - butterfly die; Hip Stamp Hooray - Noted (background stamps) & Occasions (sentiment); little pink flower; rhinestone gem 

Stampin' Up! - Avant-Garden flower bouquet; Papertrey Ink - Year of Psalms: April Mini; Market Street Stamps -  Grace background; pearls; Copic markers

Stampabilities - Psalm 112:7; matte gold cardstock; Gina Marie Designs - butterfly die; rhinestone

Inkadinkado - Chandeliers; Papertrey Ink - Light of Life verse/ sentiment; Glossy Accents on glass panels; Copic markers

My Favorite Things - Bold Greenery die; chipboard rose; pearl; vintage twine; Hip Stamp Hooray - Post Stamp (in background), Occasions - birthday sentiment 

Sentiment - unsure!; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punches; pearls; pink/white twine

Flourishes - DIY Topiary; Stampin' Up!- Itty Bitty Accents flower punch; pearls; Hug Snug seam binding; Papertrey Ink - Daily Designs Sentiments - 'with sympathy' 

What have I been up to?  Nothing exciting and I am ok with that!  And of course, I am always making cards, usually only on weekends.  That's when I have energy for a creative endeavor.

"What sweet delight a quiet life affords." 

- William Drummond 1585 - 1649

I am very fond of this quote above.  A quiet life is just my style. 😊

Also like this verse from James 1:19 --

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

I've heard it said that we have 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason.  I try to remember that daily.

Hope you are well, my friends!  Until next time!

Bird in Branch

This little bird has my heart!  He's from a Wplus9 set called Vintage Ephemera, and I think he's the sweetest.  I had to pair him with musical notes, and even a little scrap from a vintage hymn book.

Wplus9 Vintage Ephemera bird; Inkadinkado Manuscript (don't know if this is the real name, can't find this on the internet!); Skipping Stones Designs Timeless Textures Backgrounds music notes; My Favorite Things Bold Greenery; Prima flower

Although this is not a Christmas card, it does remind me of caroling.  I've not done that in a SUPER long time.  When I was in high school in Texas, my German class went to a local senior citizens home.  We sang Christmas carols in German.  So cool!  That's a nice memory that still makes me feel warm inside.

Little One, Sweet Baby

Hello friends!  It's Monday, March 30, 2020.  Wow, almost April!  March went by in a flash, didn't it? 

I only have two cards to show you today.  Seems like a meager number, after recent posts that have 3-4 times that amount!

Today's theme is, once again, Baby.

Martha Stewart Hydrangea & Rose Leaf punches; pearls; My Favorite Things Bundle of Baby Clothes dress die; Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large die; Stampin' Up! French Script background stamp; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment

Wplus9 Clear Cut Stackers Stars die; Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment and star tag die; vintage thread; clear rain drop gems; My Favorite Things Cross Stitch Circles die; silver mirror cardstock 

Two very different styles:  one full of flowers and oodles of details, with a feminine feel; and one with a more modern, clean aesthetic, suitable for a baby boy or perhaps for a shower when you don't yet know who's going to join our world. 😀  Do many moms and dads actually choose to be surprised with their baby's birth, anymore?  My husband and I stuck firm to that with both of our children.  We wanted the special joy that comes from hearing a doctor say, "It's a girl (or boy)!"  I also understand when parents-to-be prefer to know ahead of time.  You can get the nursery ready. 😉

Thanks for joining me today.
God bless you and keep you!

All about circles: Easter, masculine and thank you cards

Hello there!  I've been on a kick, grouping cards by theme.  I happened to notice that most of the cards here in this post have a circle as the main focus (with the exception of the second card, which falls under the Easter category).

I framed a sweet little bunny with a stamped wreath (supplies listed in photo caption), and placed a beautiful pink crocheted circle behind it.  My friend, Jessi Fogan, crocheted this, and she sent me a few of them years ago.  Unfortunately, I just found out that Jessi passed away from a severe illness. 😢  It makes me treasure these little crocheted circles all the more .  What a beautiful reminder of a funny, generous lady.

Inkadinkado 'Baby Bunny' - Papertrey Ink 'Keep It Simple: Easter' sentiment, 'Rustic Wreath'

This cross is from Unity Stamps, from a set called "Praise The Lord."  I love the intricate detail, which may be hard to see in the photo since I stamped it in light gray.  It's exquisite.  I paired it with a 'rejoice' sentiment from Wplus9.

Unity Stamps 'Praise The Lord' cross - Wplus9 'Easter Blessings' sentiment (rejoice) - Colorbok notebook diecut

The masculine card below was a thank-you for my husband's cousin, who is a woodworker.  He made us a really cool Christmas card/ornament/frame (hard to explain it, and I didn't take a picture) for 2018.  He loves handmade things, and even asked his mom to make him a quilt for his bed.  😊  So, I made him a card that reflects his love of woodworking, and reminds him that we are family.

Stampin' Up! 'Hardwood' background stamp - Our Daily Bread Designs 'Workshop Tools' dies - Inspired By Stamping 'Inspiring Sentiments' sentiment (family)

The Papertrey Ink 'Rustic Wreath' die shows up again on this last card, this time in brushed silver cardstock.  It's a super simple thank you card, topped with just two rhinestones and a big 'thank you' stamped sentiment.

Papertrey Ink 'Rustic Wreath' die, 'Think Big Favorites #5' thank you sentiment

Thanks so much for taking a look at the cards today!  I am grateful for the comments that you all have been leaving here on the blog.  You're so kind! 
God bless you!

Nautical Themed Cards

Stars are considered celestial, but I like to also gather them under a nautical theme.  Sailors used the night sky to plot their courses, so there you go. 😊

The first two cards here use the star dies from Wplus9's 'Clear Cut Stackers Stars' set.  On both cards, I used a royal blue glittered cardstock from DCWV. 

The first card features a star embossed background (Stampin' Up! 'Lucky Stars') and a sentiment from Hero Arts 'Year Round Sentiments'.

The next one has the same stars, this time mounted on glittered gold cardstock from DCWV.  The sentiment is from Altenew 'Label Love'.

And the last card is most definitely nautical - I used Verve's 'Strong Anchor' set, which I purchased as the shop was closing its doors forever. 😥

The minute anchor die cut was a toothpick topper (I did not use this toothpick!) from my sister in law's wedding reception.  I tucked that little guy right into my purse when I saw it!  It made a good centerpiece on this card.

I've got more cards to share, so on to the next post!  Have a wonderful day, and thanks so much for your visit.  God bless you!

Easter and more!

Hello!  Sooooo glad the weekend is here!  Wishing you an early Happy St. Patrick's Day, too.
Believe it or not, we're heading for a Mexican restaurant tomorrow, and staying clear of the Irish pubs. It gets a little wild in there on this Irish holiday!

I've got a bunch of cards to share today, including several Easter cards.

Here we go:

The first one has a Chocolate Bunny die from Memory Box, cut from dark brown damask paper.  He's so pretty!  I die cut two wreaths using the Memory Box / Poppystamps Breezy Wreath die. I layered them together, and let the top one hang over the edge a bit, then added some pearls.  The paper is by Prima, I think.  The stamped 'Easter Greetings' sentiment is from Flourishes He Is Risen set.

The Baby Bunny below is from Inkadinkado; the sentiment is from Wplus9's Easter Blessings set.

Up next:  a polka dot thank you card using patterned paper from Papertrey Ink.

The little strip of cardstock beneath the book page pattern paper is a dull golden shimmer; it matches the polka dot paper quite well.  The felt flowers are from Stampin' Up! from years ago.  The bold sentiment is from My Favorite Things All Occasion Sentiments.

Next up, two sprigs of moss green die cut leaves (My Favorite Things) are tied with gold/cream twine on this soft monochromatic birthday card.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

On this sympathy card, the dry embossed panel, and the die cut butterfly, were in a Stampin' Up! Scrap Bag.  They're beautiful, even more so in person.  My demonstrator used gold embossing powder, I believe, on that embossed panel.  Hard to see it in the photos.

Below, the spring birthday sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Spring Hills set.  I tucked a little scrap of lace behind the sentiment tab, and added a little rhinestone there, too.

Another Easter card below, using Avery Elle Happy Spring stamp set for the sentiment, tan stamped wreath, and tone on tone rosy red silhouette bunnies leaping across the bottom of the card.  I die cut a Memory Box / Poppystamps Breezy Wreath and layered it outside the sentiment circle.

These gold-embossed flowers and the dry embossed panel were in a Stampin' Up! Scrap Bag.  I topped the panel with some lace, a paper gardenia, pearls and scattered sequins.

Next is a psychedelic card.  Look at that crazy Stampin' Up! patterned paper!  Found it in a scrap bag, and challenged myself to use it in some way.  I pretended it's kitchen wallpaper LOL, and set a teapot scene in front of it.

I had two flowers already punched out - one in shimmery white, the other in mirror gold- and added them to the teapot.  The pot sits upon a doily die cut from white cardstock, and that in turn is atop a rosy coral hued 'tablecloth'.

The card below was a Valentine for my husband in 2017.  Something different!  I used the bear from Essentials By Ellen All Inside stamp set, a bee from Avery Elle Storybook, and a ransom-style sentiment from Blockheads Paper Arts ATC Honey Bees.  The trees are stickers from Jolee's Boutique.

The grass is greener where this bear stands!  It feels good too, in such a beautiful shade of green felt.

This little guy got a shiny nose, thanks to some Glossy Accents glue.

Thanks so much for coming by today.  Time to go for a walk with my favorite guy. Have a wonderful weekend!