Flower Power

Hello friends!  Six floral cards comin' at ya in this post today!  Let's get started:

It was FUN to make this first card, dressing up that pretty yellow floral sprig with white punched flowers, topped with white Liquid Pearls.

Stampin' Up! 'Avant Garden' floral sprig, 'Itty Bitty Accents' flower punch - Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch

The next one is also simple in style, putting the focus on that beautiful fabric flower from Anna Griffin and the verse from Scripture that I think of often:  "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13.  When I begin to doubt my ability to do things, I remind myself that Jesus is always with me, and He gives me strength.

Power Poppy 'Olive and Oak Expanded' sentiment - Anna Griffin fabric flower -
Spellbinders 'Large Deckled Rectangles' die

The next card relied heavily on things I found in a Stampin' Up! scrap bag that I bought from my friend, Gail.  Those flowers are so pretty!  Gail had already die cut the two circles, and she even trimmed out that pink flower.  All I did was layer things together and add a few pearls.  Done!

All images from Stampin' Up! (sets unknown) from a scrap bag

The large, lacy die cut heart was also found in a scrap bag, along with that stamped sentiment tag (Gail stuffs those bags with the neatest things!), so I paired them together and, once again, just added some pearls....and a twine bow.

Stampin' Up! 'Bloomin' Hearts Thinlits' heart die - tag/sentiment also Stampin' Up! (set unknown)

I worked a little harder on the next card.  😏 I used a floral paper from the scrap bag, along with a text-y strip from a My Mind's Eye 12 x 12 paper pad (Madison Ave, maybe?) on a yellow card base, to pull out the yellow flowers.  I grouped random things in the bottom corner - a wooden butterfly, a small round decorative brad, and a Baked Brown Sugar accent medallion.  The sentiment was stamped on a pinked-edge banner, and there's a very finely-detailed stamp behind it (details in caption) in Crumb Cake ink.  I had a floral sprig already stamped (in Crumb Cake) and trimmed out, so I tucked it behind the banner and also tied some vintage thread on it.  I glued it down with Ranger Multi-Matte adhesive.  Love that stuff.  It dries clear, and you don't need much to get good staying power.

Inspired By Stamping 'Creative Tags' sentiment - Studio Calico wooden butterfly - Stampin' Up! 'Avant Garden' floral sprig, 'Fine Flourish' background stamp (under sentiment) - My Favorite Things 'Mix & Match Banners' die

The final card was pretty easy to put together, and I'm sure the floral strip of patterned paper looks familiar from the card above.  I used a pink pattern from who knows where, LOL, I don't remember where it came from.  It just happened to match the pink seam binding scrap from - you guessed it - an SU scrap bag, so on it went.  The 'follow your bliss' charm is from Girls' Paperie 'Paper Girl' kit of accents.

Girls' Paperie charm - pink seam binding from Stampin' Up!

So there you have it!  Gearing up for springtime, with all these flowers.  We're expecting a little bit of snow tomorrow.  Warmer days will come!

God bless you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you

Hello friends!

I've got three thank you cards to share today.  I tried to keep them simple and to use things I already had stamped and/or cut out, in a scrap box.  Here's what I came up with:

100 Proof Press 'Shell Plate 17' - Blockheads Paper Arts 'Seashells with Rectangle Frame' (large shell) - Verve 'Celebration of Thanks' sentiment

Stampin' Up! grid of pumpkins/sunflower/leaves (set unknown - 'Counting Blessings' maybe?) - Verve 'Celebration of Thanks' sentiment - Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Leaves' die - vintage thread - orange gemstones 

Anna Griffin thank you sentiment/frame, and floral flourish - Pretty Pink Posh Marshmallow sequins

Thank you for coming by today to take a look at the cards I've made!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead, and God bless you!

Feel Better Soon

Every once in a while, I like to create a card with a cute feel to it, especially when I can build a scene with adorable little critters.  This turtle from Lawn Fawn's 'On The Mend' is wearing a hot water bottle on his back, and he seems happy about it!  The sun is a scalloped circle die cut that was white.  I used a yellow Copic marker all over it, and drew on a tiny face.

Lawn Fawn 'On The Mend' turtle, sentiment - Avery Elle 'More Stories' mushrooms and flowers

I used patterned papers from a Ki pad, I believe, to stand in for grass and sky.

Thanks so much for taking a peek, have a terrific day!  Hope you don't need a hot water bottle. 😊
God bless you!

Things With Wings

Hello there!  Sure do love to use butterflies on my cards, but in today's post you'll also see dragonflies and a cute tiny bumblebee. 😄


With the first card, believe it or not, I began with a messy square of 'trial and error' kraft cardstock that I could not bear to throw away.  (I had used white spray ink through a sieve; not really loving it)  The black butterflies pick up the black text from the Stampin' Up! encyclopedia page patterned paper, and of course the sentiment.  Supply lists are in each caption.

Papertrey Ink 'Birthday Basics' sentiment - Martha Stewart 'Monarch Butterfly' punch

Ages ago, when I was on the Play Date Cafe challenge design team, we featured a rubber stamp company one week called Stampotique.  The design team members of PDC got to choose products from Stampotique's website to work with, and I chose one called 'Hutching's'.  I presume that the stamp's wording was originally an advertisement in a newspaper.  I love it.  However, it's a little bit of a challenge to fit it into my cards, so I decided to pair it with bits of nature:  two dragonflies, and some baby's breath flowers stamped subtly in the background (in green).  There's also a tiny sliver of silver glittered cardstock under the advertisement.  Just because.

Stampotique 'Hutching's' advertisement stamp - Stampin' Up! 'Organic Grace' dragonfly stamp & baby's breath flower stamp (subtle in green on background)

Long before I began to use an app called Evernote to organize all of my stamping supplies (with pictures and titles, tags and more), I used to photograph each stamp set and put it in a binder with clear plastic sleeves.  Once I abandoned that way of organizing, I had all these papers with photos of stamp sets printed on them.  Didn't want to throw them away if they were salvageable, and saved what I could.  The one below is an example.  The center panel is a miniature version of Hero Arts 'Antique Background' (with script and butterflies), which I cut from the photo page.  I mounted it onto a gray card base that was stamped with Stampin' Up!'s 'Print Pattern'.  The sentiment was lying as-is in a scrap box on my desk, and then I just grabbed a butterfly sticker to tie it all together.

K & Co. large green butterfly sticker - Stampin' Up! 'Print Pattern' background harlequin stamp - Flourishes 'Strawberries' sentiment -  Hero Arts 'Antique Background' script/butterfly stamp

The last card was super easy, because it used digital print-outs that were a gift from my aunt (thank you, Aunt Leanna!).  I just added some white rick-rack trim, yellow rhinestones, and a little bee that I stamped and trimmed.

Patterned paper, sentiment panel - digital printouts received as a gift - Simon Says Stamp 'Circle Friends' bee stamp

Thanks so much for reading my crafty ramblings!  God bless you! 😀

Sympathy and Hydrangea cards

Hello!  My absolute favorite flower is a hydrangea, especially blue varieties.  I used the Hero Arts 'Hydrangea' stamp and plenty of blue Copic markers to create the first card you see.  I hand trimmed the flower, added dimensional tape behind it, and framed it in white.

Hero Arts 'Hydrangea' stamp - Spellbinders 'Classic Frame' die

Next up is an encouragement card for the faithful, who put their trust in the Lord.  I love this verse of Scripture from Romans 12:12.  I surrounded the stamped sentiment from Papertrey Ink with a butterfly frame that I was blessed enough to win on Instagram. (supplies in caption)

Memory Box 'Hovering Butterfly Frame' die - Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch - Papertrey Ink 'Everyday Blessings' sentiment of Romans 12:12

The next two cards are sympathies...both featuring botanicals.  Hollyhocks on one (Stampendous) and ferns on the second.  They're simple, and clean, and both use the same sentiment from My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments'.

My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments' - Stampendous 'Jumbo Hollyhock' - Stampin' Up! Pink Pirouette cardstock - white pencil

My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments' - fern paper from a Stampin' Up! scrap bag

A fairly clean and simple post today!
Thanks for coming by, and God bless you!

Masculine Collage Cards

Collage cards are among my favorites to make.  I appreciate the challenge of taking elements that look good together and grouping them to create a lot of visual interest.  I actually do the same thing to the walls in my home, using different items together to create a cohesive look. 

The cards featured in this post also happen to have a masculine feel to them.  I used earth tones on every single one.  I let the stickers and die cuts influence the color palette.

Hope you enjoy.

Altenew 'Sentiments & Quotes' sentiment - Inspired By Stamping 'Creative Tags' script tag stamp

Tim Holtz 'Tattered Leaves' die - Papertrey Ink 'Tiny Tags' sentiment - Stampin' Up! 'Autumn Fest' acorn

Many of these stickers are years-old, from K & Company.  You can tell they're older.  LOL  Their time has come and gone, but I really wanted to use them on these cards.

Thanks for taking a peek!  God bless you!

Sending Strength

I love to make encouragement cards to let people know they're being thought of and prayed for.  I've got two I'm sharing today.

The first is super-feminine, and uses a sentiment from Power Poppy 'Olive and Oak Expanded' clear stamp set.  I stamped it onto an oval die cut, which had been shaded (before stamping the words) with Antique Linen Distress Ink while it was still in the metal die.  The paper is from DCWV Nana's Nursery: Girl, and I used a bit of crochet lace and a paper gardenia from iamroses.com.

Power Poppy 'Olive and Oak Expanded' sentiment stamp

The next card was made for my brother and his wife as they experienced tremendous flooding in their home during Hurricane Harvey.  Most of their belongings were ruined by water in their house.  My brother actually took a canoe over to his home to see what kind of damage had been sustained. 😢

The card was just a little something to let them know that we wished there was more we could to help but that we were thinking of them and praying for them.

My Favorite Things 'BB Cool Cat' vase, 'Sunny Skies' sun die - Memory Box 'Madison Window' die - Stampendous 'Sincere Sentiments' sentiment

Thanks so much for your visit today.  Hope your day is beautiful!  God bless you!

Sunflowers, Daisies and Tulips

Hello there!  I realized as I sit at the computer to share these cards, each one involves scraps from the Stampin' Up! scrap bags I buy from my friend.  What I love about using the goodies I find in those bags is the special challenge it gives me.  Not knowing what my friend's projects looked like (for her SU stamping club), I have to pull together my supplies and come up with something worthy to finish them.

The first card was SUPER easy, because the whole focal panel was already stamped for me!  I mounted it on a pale gray card base, with an orange panel and gold mirror cardstock strip.

stamped panel from scrap bag, all SU supplies

The next one has a pale gray base, too.  I always have a stash of pre-cut, scored card bases ready to go, but when I run out, and all I have is pale gray...well, then you'll see lots of gray cards. 😉

Stampin' Up! sunflower, leaves - Papertrey Ink 'Keep It Simple: Sympathy' sentiment

The next card was a little more challenging for me.  This white panel had bright yellow and coral inks (and a tiny bit of blue) sponged onto it and a navy branch with berries stamped in one corner.  I started by matching up some Groovy Guava die-cut flowers and decided to go with Tempting Turquoise or Taken With Teal (can't remember) as a coordinating color.  I layered on the flowers, alternating colors and heights.  The house was stamped, trimmed and left in a black and white state to draw attention to it amidst the riot of color.

My Favorite Things/Die-namics 'Sensational Stitched Flowers' dies - Stampin' Up! 'Holiday Home' house stamp

As you can see by the next card, there must have been a few projects going on at my friend's stamp club that involved these colors!  The stamped panel came as-is, so I added the die -cut flowers, rhinestones, and tag with sentiment for a 'Congratulations' card.

Stampin' Up! 'Absolutely Fabulous' sentiment - My Favorite Things 'Sensational Stitched Flowers' dies

The last card began with a panel of gold/cream patterned paper, which for some reason reminds me of The Flintstones t.v. show I watched as a kid.  LOL  It had a square stitched frame opening, but it was not cut straight (which is probably why it was in the scrap bag! 😄).  I didn't want to waste any of the gold paper but cutting it down further, so I looked for a way to disguise the wonky opening.  I added the other piece of cream stitched square die cut center, putting it back in place basically, and then topped it with a garden of tulips that I stamped and hand-cut.  My hope is that they camouflage that opening.  I also put two ivory enamel dots near the bottom to draw the eye away from the center.

Blockhead Paper Arts 'Flower Garden' - gold/cream patterned paper from Stampin' Up!

Thanks so much for your visit, and God bless you!  Have a wonderful day!

Be Strong and Courageous

Hello!  Papertrey Ink makes a set that I have just fallen in love with, called 'Walk By Faith'. The font looks like actual handwriting and the set has some terrific sentiments.

This one, 'Be strong and courageous', is so powerful!  I thought it needed to pair with deep pink, and an explosion of flowers.  There's even a strip of bright pink glitter paper at the bottom.

Papertrey Ink 'Walk By Faith' sentiment - Stampin' Up! 'Vintage Vogue' pale pink flower - Anna Griffin small roses (yellow)

The yellow flowers have a more nostalgic, old fashioned feel to them.  They are roses from Anna Griffin, which I hand-trimmed to go atop a pale pink, more modern flower from Stampin' Up!'s 'Vintage Vogue' set.

The rhinestones on here have a beautiful iridescent quality to them, and seem to pick up each of the colors on the card. 😊

Thanks so much for your visit, God bless 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!

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!

Mother's Day cards

Hello there!  Today I've got a group of Mother's Day cards to share. I put my personal favorite up first.  Love that periwinkle card base that brings out the beauty of the intensely colored butterfly sticker.

K & Co. flower die cut border, butterfly sticker - Flourishes Stamps 'Spring Bouquets' sentiment

Papertrey Ink 'Tiny Tags' sentiment - My Favorite Things / Die-namics 'Mini Wavy Pennants' die, 'Heart Stax' and 'Pierced Heart Stax' dies 

Papertrey Ink 'Keep It Simple: Mother' sentiment - patterned paper by Stampin' Up! - My Favorite Things/Die-namics 'Sensational Stitched Flowers' dies

Papertrey Ink 'Keep It Simple: Mother' sentiment - patterned paper by Stampin' Up! - My Favorite Things/Die-namics 'Sensational Stitched Flowers' dies

Papertrey Ink 'Cover Plate: Stripes Horizontal' - Flourishes Stamps 'Spring Bouquets' sentiment - mirror silver cardstock by Papertrey Ink - My Favorite Things/Die-namics 'Heart Stax' die 

Flourishes Stamps 'Spring Bouquets' sentiment - Close to My Heart 'Flower Pot' pots - PinkFresh Studio 'Playful Animals 2' flowers

Papertrey Ink 'Delightful Dahlia' sentiment - Close To My Heart 'Flower Pot' pot and flowers

My Favorite Things Die-namics 'Heart Stax' die - Papertrey Ink 'Tiny Tags' mom sentiment - Stampin' Up! heart smiles tag / sentiment from scrap bag - Pretty Pink Posh 'Sand' sequins

Papertrey Ink 'Keep It Simple: Mother' - Sizzix 'Flower Layers and Leaf' dies - My Favorite Things 'Layered Leaves' dies

Lots of flowers appearing here!  When I think of Mother's Day cards, I do tend to lean toward the botanicals.  I went off the beaten path, though, for that one card with the deep raspberry and black stripes and a silver heart.  I was going for a modern touch, but I'm not digging it with all my heart (pun intended).

Thanks so much for taking a peek and God bless you, have a terrific weekend!