Kitty Sympathy

I had a custom order for a pet sympathy card a few months ago, and lovingly poured out feminine details for the owner's beloved kitty.  Very, very girly.

Simon Says Stamp Large Doily Heart die; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents flower punch, Lace 3D embossing folder, Nine Lives cat; Papertrey Ink Daily Designs Sentiments sentiment, With Sympathy: Loss of A Pet paw print; pearls

I hope it touched the recipient's grieving heart.

Always so hard to lose a precious fur baby.

From Cristabel to Dad

Hello there!  Recently I shared a card that Cristabel, our cat, "made" for Dad's birthday.  Well, this one below was "made" by Cristabel for Father's Day!  My husband really likes the color purple, so that's where I - ahem, Cristabel - began.

Papertrey Ink Cat's Meow cat, ball of yarn and matching dies, Tiny Tags sentiment and tag; generic cloud dies; twine

It's not a showcase kind of card, but sometimes I really have a hard time making cards for my guy.  But, it had to do. It's like I get stage fright as it's time to make a card for him.  This is alllll in my own mind!  

Sending Hugs from the Cat

One more for today. 😀  Believe it or not, that first girly card was for my husband's birthday...from our cat, Cristabel.  She always 'makes' him a card.  I start running out of ideas, honestly.  I had an idea to feature a kitty that kind of looks like her (she's all black, but I had to color gray or you would not see the face!) along with a tumble of flowers.  It's cute, but definitely not masculine.  LOL

Stampin' Up! Nine Lives cat, ball of yarn, little hearts, Punch Potpourri flowers, Boho Blossoms coordinating punch

The second creation is a simple encouragement card using stamps I rarely play with.  I also used a piece of patterned paper from Stampin' Up! - and I think it might be Kiwi Kiss, so that shows you how old it is.  I am entering this in Word Art Wednesday's challenge #505-506, where we are to use an uplifting sentiment.

Papertrey Ink Graceful Greetings II sentiment; Stampin' Up! Garden Silhouettes solid flower stamp, Organic Grace dragonfly; ivory dots 

Our world is full of sorrowful news, and I am saddened by it.  I place my concerns in my Lord's hands, and ask Him for help.     

John 16:33 NIV

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

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!

Dog Sympathy Card

Hello there! 😊  Last year, my friends lost their dear beloved dog and they were heartbroken.  Their dog was quite the queen around the house, and what she wanted, she got!  LOL  I wanted to make a feminine sympathy card in memory of their sweetheart.

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

I used mostly all Stampin' Up! products here, except for the oval die (from Papertrey Ink).  I gave the puppy a very stately rhinestone collar, too.  I sure do like using gems on my cards.

Take care of yourself, and I hope you have a terrific day!

From Shabby Chic to Clean and Simple

Hey there!  It's Friday, the weekend is here, and I'm grateful for that.  And I'm here again to share cards.  Hope you don't mind.  

We've got a busy day ahead tomorrow.  My daughter has to move from one dorm building to another as Temple University has all students condensing to one side of campus.  Right now, they're spread out all over, and with many students having gone home already, there are a lot of empty beds and rooms.  Our girl is mostly packed and ready to go, and she'll need our help to load it all up and bring it to the new dorm building.  Both of her roommates had gone home a few weeks ago, and she was sad about that.  Now, she'll have two other girls to move in with, and she already knows them.  I pray all goes well.  One thing is for sure, we are not in control of most things that happen in our lives.  Our times are in His hands.

PinkFresh Playful Animals 2 sentiment; Stampin' Up! Stitched So Sweetly, Ornate Frames dies; pearls; Papertrey Ink The Sweet Life rose and matching die

Anna Griffin flourish stamp; PinkFresh Playful Animals 2 sentiment; crochet lace; picture from magazine; Stampin' Up! Ornate Frames die, Framed Tulips embossing folder

Poppy Stamps Town Houses die; Papertrey Ink Boards and Beams sentiment, Tag Sale #10 die; black sparkle ribbon  

Stampin' Up! butterfly patterned paper, Stitched Nested Dies die, Blissful Blooms sentiment; blue rhinestones

Below, this is the card our cat, Cristabel, 'gave' to Daddy for Father's Day. 

Stampin' Up! Top Note die, Nine Lives cat, bowl, yarn ball; Papertrey Ink Everyday Cat Sentiments sentiment

For my oldest, sparkly-lovin' daughter's birthday this summer, I made her two cards, both below.  Plenty of bling and shine on each of them! 

Gina Marie Designs Flower Pleated Lace Nested Rectangles die; Memory Box Precious Hearts, Scalloped Banner dies; pearls; green rhinestone; My Favorite Things Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle die; Papertrey Ink Year Round Puns sentiment; gold cord; gold glitter paper and royal blue mirror cardstock (both Stampin' Up!)

Stampin' Up! Absolutely Fabulous sentiment, Beautiful Friendship rose stamps; Spellbinders Fancy Tags die; pearls; hot pink glitter paper

Stampin' Up! Happy Birthday To You cake stamp, Petal Burst embossing folder; doily; clear rhinestones

Stampin' Up! Blissful Blooms sentiment, Sailing Home sailboat stamp, Smooth Sailing boat, rope, wheel dies, Stitched Nested Dies die 

Well, that's it for now.  May this post find you healthy and well.  😀

God bless you,

Be My Valentine(s)

Hello there!

We haven't met up with each other here in a while.  I hope you are doing well in your little corner of the world. 😀    How is it that, as the years roll by, we feel busier than ever before?  I wonder about that sometimes.  Do I truly have more on my plate than I did before, or am I just slowing down and am not able to keep up as well?  LOL

With some of the free time I have, you'll find me up in the craft studio making cards, versus blogging about them.  And I have kept myself plenty busy with art therapy, aka card making!  The creations you see here today were actually from last year; that's how behind I am in the realm of photo-editing and blogging about cards.

So glad you came by for a visit, and I hope you enjoy seeing these belated Valentine cards.

PinkFresh Studio cat - Playful Animals 2; Papertrey Ink sentiment - Daily Designs Sentiments;
MME Kiss and Tell patterned papers

Stampin' Up! truck, hearts, sentiment - Loads of Love; Papertrey Ink - Cloud 1 & 2 die

Essentials by Ellen sentiment, bear, heart - All Inside; L'il Inker Designs - Stitched Rectangles die

Essentials by Ellen sentiment, bear, heart - All Inside; Papertrey Ink sentiment - Daily Designs Sentiments

Simon Says Stamp Large Doily Heart die; Inspired By Stamping sentiment - All Year Wishes I; Prima flowers; Cuttlebug Love is in the Air conversation hearts embossing folder

Stampin' Up! Heart to Heart punch, window die (unsure of name); Papertrey Ink sentiment - Tag Its #11 and Tiny Tags round tag die; MME Lost and Found patterned paper

Top Dog Dies Doily Hearts die; Spellbinders Ribbon Banners die; My Favorite Things Essential Sentiments 

MME (My Mind's Eye) Union Square patterned paper; glitter heart sticker

Paper Sweeties Pennant Party banner and sentiment; My Favorite Things Mini Delicate Doilies die; pink glitter heart sticker

Verve Happy Phrases sentiment; red glitter heart sticker;
Stampin' Up! patterned paper

Stampin' Up! A Happy Heart sentiment, Round Tab punch; My Favorite Things Pierced Heart Stax dies;
Stampin' Up! retired patterned paper

Stampin' Up! A Happy Heart tic tac toe sentiment / image; Hug Snug Mottle Brown seam binding

It's 4:30 on a Sunday here, and it's been a wonderful sunny day, with church and then a nap. 😃  I'm washing bed sheets, vacuuming, and of course - visiting here with you.

I hope you have a terrific day, what's left of it!  God bless you!

Happy, Cats

LOL - the kitty cards I'm showing you today were SO fun to make!  There's a black cat version and a pale gray cat version.  In between, there's a 'love  / happy' card.  You'll see.

On both cat cards, I stamped paw prints randomly on the card base in a pale ink, and then used black (or gray) cardstock to hand-trim a cat head.  The eyes are made with two different sized circle punches, and the nose is just a tiny triangle of pink cardstock.  Cuties!

My Favorite Things 'BB Cool Cat' paw print, sentiment

Love the woodgrain (I forget which paper pad this came from) and silver mirrored heart on this next card!  I added a sentiment from My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments' on a double ended fishtail banner, and dark smoky gray and silver sequins.  Super simple in design.

Here's the gray cat!

My Favorite Things 'BB Cool Cat' paw print, sentiment

😀 These faces make me smile! 

Thanks for coming by, and God bless you!

Sympathies and Topiaries

Hello!  I've got a grouping of sympathy cards, and one thank you card, to share today.  There's a topiary theme to a couple of them so they're appearing together here in this post.

The supply lists are in the captions beneath each photo.

Stampotique 'Big Bee with Medium Bee' rubber stamp - Colleen bow using seam binding from Hug Snug 'Metal Green' -  sentiment - My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments' - fern paper - Stampin' Up! scrap bag

Spellbinders 'Decorative Labels Eight' flourished rectangle die - Memory Box 'Large Sitting Cat' - pawprints - Papertrey Ink 'With Sympathy: Loss of a Pet' - Verve 'Deepest Sympathy'

Papertrey Ink 'Daily Designs Sentiments' - Unity 'Countryside Blooms' jar with flowers

Papertrey Ink background patterned paper - Verve 'Deepest Sympathy' - Martha Stewart Hydrangea Punch

Anita's 'Topiary' - Paper Smooches 'Salutations' (in silver embossing)

Papertrey Ink 'Topiary Trio' topiary and thank you sentiment

Thanks so much for the comments you've left on my blog in the last few days.  After not posting much at all for months on end, I am really blasting out posts this week! 

God bless you!

For the bride, a topiary, seashells and farm animals - an eclectic mix of cards

Yes, today's grouping of cards don't have a whole lot in common with each other, hence the strange blog post name. 😜

The first card is for a bride-to-be.  The intricate swirly rose die-cut panel was in a Stampin' Up! scrap bag I got; I am unsure of the name of it.  It's great, though!  I topped it with some white Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch blossoms, and a couple of leaves from My Favorite Things 'Layered Leaves'.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's 'Happily Ever After'.

The next is super simple, a note to say hello, along with a potted plant.  For the pot I used 'Flower Pot' from Close To My Heart, and the greenery is a die cut from Papertrey Ink's 'Topiary Trio'.  The sentiment is from the stamp set of the same name.

A woman at church asked me if I could make a birthday card that had a beachy feel, after she saw this card of mine.  I also had this card in mind as inspiration.  And, this is what I came up with:   

sand dollar, starfish - Blockhead Paper Arts 'Seashells with Round Frame' stamp set - tiny shell from All Night Media - scallop shell - Golden Acorn 'Scallop Shell' - My Favorite Things 'Happy Birthday' die - background stamp - Altenew 'Snowing'

The last card has a story.  When I visited my mom in Texas last summer, I met her lovely neighbors and we were invited over for dinner.  This neighbor really, really loves to cook, and she makes homemade meals for her husband and herself, but also gives my mom a couple of servings to take home, every week.  My mother does not cook often and eats a lot of frozen meals.  When she and her neighbor became close and the home-cooking started to flow towards my mom's table, I stopped worrying whether Mom was eating well.  I know she is!

As a thank you for having me over, I made this farm and food inspired card.  I used Papertrey Ink's 'On The Farm' animal silhouettes, and stamped behind them the sentiment 'homemade with love' from Inspired By Stamping's 'Mason Jar Add-On I' set.  The fork/spoon are from Hero Arts and the rolling pin from Stampabilities.  The striped ribbon is a snippet from Stampin' Up! found in a scrap bag, and it reminds me of a tea towel from grandma's kitchen.

Hey, thanks so much for coming by and reading these little card stories.  I hope they give you a smile!  God bless you!