Happy, Happy Birthday Card

Brandy is allowing me to share this beautiful creation with you.  She never fails to stun when using flowers made with the Heartfelt Creations Vintage Florets stamps and dies.  In this case, the card was  literally made from left overs. The flowers are left over from her effort to make a card for her mom's 65th birthday 2 years ago.  The die cut gingham base was a tester for the Mother's Day cards Brandy made last year, and the little yellow butterflies were leftovers from the Week 2 Better Together challenge. The little sentiment is from a Simon Says Stamp sheets of sentiments so that was an easy cut and paste endeavor.

For "leftovers", that is quite stunning and I just couldn't wait to share with you.

Andie for 

Thanks As In a Bunch of Flowers

Brandy sent me this photo a while back and it got lost in the sea of pictures since we've both had a prolific month of crafting.  This card was too big a stunner not to share with you here.  The card front was made by clear embossing red cardstock using Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret stamp.  Brandy hand cuts each flower since she finds the fussy cutting to be relaxing.  This adds a certain neatness to the look of the flower.  The flowers are shaped using a technique similar to that used in this video, though I'm not sure Brandy uses glue dots to make the shape happen.  Behind the flowers is leaves stamped with Heartfelt Creations Classic Leaf stamp onto green paper. In this case, she die cut the image using the coordinating die.  A few drops of VivaDecor Pearl Pens create these fabulous embellishments and the card is practically finished.

Brandy made the envelope so that she could make it dimensional to prevent her flowers from being crushed.  This image is to show you how the space allows the flowers to retain their shape.  Of course, this envelope was hand delivered making this design useful.  Still, with Christmas coming up, this is a grand idea, don't you think.

Here's the card all tied up and read for delivery.  Fantastic don't you think!?!

I'm going to link up to Jennifer McGuire's Sharing Handmade Kindness challenge and the SSS Wednesday Challenge Simon Says Thanks/Thanksgiving.

He Is Risen!

As I celebrate my risen Savior, Jesus, I am reminded of these words:

I commend Jesus to you this morning, whoever you are. If he is not the joy of your heart, he wants to be. He says in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst"—NEVER! An unbroken line of satisfaction in Jesus from the now to eternity.

This is the word of the risen Jesus to us this morning—to all of us who will take him as our joy! "You will see me . . . and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." [John 16:22]

John Piper

May you rise with hope in your heart and joy in your life this Resurrection morning.

Celebrating a Wedding Day

Just popping in to share a photo from a project Brandy finished.  She needed a quick wedding celebration card and whipped up this confection as a card topper (simply placed on a white pre-made card).  The cake was cut using Cricut's Wild Card cart cut out of patterned paper.  The pearl accents are from a swirl set.  The flowers were made by clear embossing Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret on pink cardstock and shaping as provided in this video.  Stunning don't you think?

Sixty-Five Years of Marriage

Friends of ours recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.  What a stunning tribute to marriage!  They celebrated with their local church and invited a few of us family friends to join them.  It was very inspiring and encouraging.  I made this simple card to show them our love and tucked a gift card to a nice restaurant inside.  This way they could enjoy a night out together sometime.  Here's the details:

• I used an embossing folder with white cardstock to create the piece on the top, applied with foam squares to raise it off the card front for some dimension.
• The board die was used to cut the same white cardstock making the eyelet piece applied under a piece of green ribbon from the stash.
• The flower is a Heartfelt Vintage Floret cut from kraft glassine paper.  I just love how this looks when shaped- all crinkley with such dimension!  The flower is finished with a pearl accent for the center and a couple of pearl ended hat pins as accents.
• The sentiment is stamped in black archival ink using Simon Says Stamp's Friendship Messages. 

What joy to celebrate such committment.  I pray that Dan and I might enjoy as many long years together!

Graduation Season

I decided to make up a couple of graduation cards for this year.  We had a niece, Maggie, graduate and a few family friends with graduates.  Here's the details: 

• The white cardstock is embossed with a Darice embossing folder.
• The red and black cardstock were cut with my Spellbinders Lacey Labels dies.
• The sentiment was created using the Word Art function of Word and printed out on my printer.  I used my circle cutters to cut out the sentiment for layering over the Lacey Label die cut.
• The flowers are stamped onto red cardstock with black Archival Ink and cut with my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret dies.   A pearl accent finishes off the center.

I hope your end of the school year is finishing strong.  I'm grateful it's finally June.

ETA: I'm joining this card up over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog: Anything Goes!  You should come on over and join in the fun.

A Musical Thank You

Whew, what a week.  I've felt overwhelmed with the end of the school year activities, the beginning of the next band season (that starts in May, y'all) and multiple family commitments that just happen to have coincided with all the other fun.  In the midst of all that activity, I needed a thank you card for two faithful volunteers who dedicated many hours to my daughter's marching band.  I wanted to make something special that would let them know how grateful we were for their contribution.  This lovely is the result.  Here's the details:

• The patterned paper comes from the stash.  So, very old that I created this card back in 2011 with a separate piece of the same paper.  At that time, the source of the paper was indistinguishable because of it's age.  Time flies when you own a Scrapbox.  Should we talk about the patterned paper stash?  ...ummm... nope.
• The floral pieces are a grouping of my Our Daily Bread Designs Fancy Foliage and a new Simon Says Stamp Leaf Column die. 
• The flowers are stamped with black Archival Ink and cut with my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret dies. 
• The treble clef and notes were cut from my Cricut Quarter Note cart from black cardstock. 
• I created the sentiment using text boxes in Word and then die cut the printout using my Spellbinders Labels 18 die.

My fellow volunteers cannot know how very valuable they have been to the program.  A handmade card travels some of that distance.  Here's hoping the holiday weekend allows me to catch up on my posts!

You Simply Sparkle

I've a few blog friends that I just adore.  This card was made to brighten the day of Jessica over at Errant Scraps.  She inspires me with her prolific scrapbook page creating.  All of her projects have multiple layers of goodness and I find her works to be more art than science and my own work sometimes seems more science than art.  She inspires me.  I thought that maybe I would string some pretty papers together and brighten her day.  Here's the details:

• All papers are from KaiserCraft's Miss Empire collection.  The pictures don't due the colors and pattern justice.  This paper is gorgeous!
• The frame is cut using my Spellbinders Labels 17 out of the patterned paper.  I cut another frame from a smaller die out of a coordinating piece and cut the piece in half hiding part of it at the end of the orange frame.
• The frame comes from a patterned paper filled with various vintage tags.  The rose comes from the same piece, just a different tag.  
• The flower is cut from glassine paper using my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret.  This paper crinkles and colors as I shaped it.  So gorgeous and a perfect fit with a pearl accent right in the center.
• The sentiment is from a Market Street Stamps set stamped in brown Archival Ink onto a Tilted Banners die cut.  I then edged the banner with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. 

It does seem as though time passes quickly.  I've been meaning to send a card for some time.  I thought a new die cut from my Heartfelt Creations Once Upon a Time stamp and die set would fit nicely on the inside.
  















Yeah, it seems to work here.  I've long delayed posting this card in hopes that it would reach her.  Then, life got away from me, so here we are.  Yay for blog friends and encouraging others, no matter the delays we allow to slow our progress!

I'm linking this up over at Word Art Wednesday's Challenge # 125: Anything Goes.  They always have such a variety of projects on display.  Come join the fun or just stop by for a look.

Circles and Butterflies

Back today with another Pinterest pin inspiration.  I tried to stay near the inspiration on this one, but use the tools and supplies I have on hand.  Here's the details:

• You'll remember this card.  I way overdid it with the circle die cutting.  This is because I wanted to select just the right pattern for that card and I felt like I needed a lot of choices (read:circles) to do that.  What better use could I put those spare scraps than on this design?  I simply cut a few circle frames using the same die out of a light green cardstock.
• The flowers were cut using my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret dies and shaped.  They have pearl centers and both were brushed with my Ink Blending Tool using Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
• The sentiment was stamped with black Archival Ink onto a piece of cardstock and then cut out using my paper trimmer.
• A little seam binding ribbon bow nestled in with the flowers. 
•  The butterfly comes from a 3D sticker set, not my own work, but it was beautiful in person.  Not sure the picture highlights that enough.

Most important is the purpose to which I put this card.  I have been aware of the work done by Compassion International for a few years.   Several times I've looked into sponsoring a child through their ministry and just didn't follow through.  I'm sure that was because my opportunity to participate was waiting for this past December when I finally signed up.  Compassion allows you to sponsor a child in a poor or underdeveloped community throughout the world.  The money is put towards after school and other care programs including healthcare.  The ministry also then uses those opportunities to spread the love of Jesus to the children in the community.  They don't seek to rescue children out of their communities, but instead focus on making an impact on their lives for good.  As a sponsor, you get the opportunity to enter into that impact by financially supporting their ministry and then writing letters and sending small packages of paper made items to your sponsored child.

I signed up to sponsor Yuli Ester Garcia who lives in the Dominican Republic with her family.  She attends school regularly and participates in Compassion's outreach in her community.  For only $456 a year (or $38/month), I can sponsor Yuli's educational, healthcare and spiritual growth.  That seems such a small cost to me and such a large gain for her.  I sent her this card and a handwritten note to introduce her to me and my family.  There will be a bit more letter writing throughout the year.  I'm thinking it is a good marriage between my desire to impact a child who is in need and my paper crafting production.  Now, I have a reason to send pretty cards to Yuli.  I'm thinking she's really going to like the butterfly, don't you?

If you've never checked out Compassion International's program before, I'd recommend you click through the link and read a little.  Based on the background work I've done and what my experience has been so far, I have every reason to believe that they really are making a difference in the lives of children right now, today.

I've linked this project up over at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge Blog: Simon Says Anything Goes with Pearls.  Come on over and join the fun!

I am in no way affiliated with Compassion International (other than as a sponsor to Yuli) nor have I been encouraged to write this post by anything other than my enthusiasm for their program. 

Thinking of You Card

Checking in for a quick post on a simple card.  This is another card inspired by a Pinterest Pin.  Here's the details:

• All patterned papers are from an old paper pack from Glitz Vintage Blue. 
• The flower is cut from vanilla textured cardstock using my Vintage Floret dies.  The flower was shaped and then brushed with Fades Jeans Distress Ink and then edged in Walnut Stain Distress Ink.
• The paper strips were cut with my paper trimmer and then torn to create uneven edges.  All strips were edged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The original design was made using washi tape, but I think this works well here too!
• The frames were cut using my Spellbinders Labels 17 dies.  The sentiment was stamped using my Faded Jeans Distress Ink and both frames were edged using my Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  

It's simple, but I really like how it turned out.  I may give this design another go and follow the example a little closer.  I like the idea of matting with a frame cut to the exact same size and only using the ends.

ETA:  I've entered this card in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Simon Says Anything Goes with Pearls.  Come on over and join the fun!

Just Thinking About You Card

Pinterest has become one of my favorite places to go for inspiration.  Here's another card, inspired (truthfully, scrap-lifted) by a pin.  This one is almost a direct copy, but twisted to match my supplies.  My pattern paper choices were different, I tried to play with a little more pattern.  I also chose to shape my flower in the opposite direction making it more mail friendly.  I think I like the height of the pin, but mine works to me as well.  Here's the details:

• All papers are from MME's Ooh La La For Her collection.  
• I used my Creative Memories *ancient* circle cutter to cut the circle and made the flags with my paper trimmer.
• The flowers were cut from patterned paper using my Vintage Floret dies and shaped adding a pearl accent to the center.
• The sentiment comes from my Heartfelt Expression stamp using Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink.  A few red pearl accents and the card is a close approximation.
• Those dots on the card base aren't  poor photography.  The card came from a blank card set with flecks of muted colors throughout.  Its a good base for the minimalist card.

Wedding Shower Card

I had mentioned earlier this week about Andrew and Jordin's wedding shower present.  Here's the card I made for them.  Again, taking a cue from their invitation, I suspected they enjoyed the kraft paper and mint green theme.  Here's the details:

• The background frame was cut using my Labels 17 die and then embossed with one of my floral embossing folders.  This frame is raised off the card base with foam squares.
• The sentiment was stamped using my Market Street Stamps (sadly out of business) sentiment stamp and black Archival Ink.
• The decorative lattice was cut from white cardstock using my Heartfelt Creations Ornamental Add On die.  I did lightly curl the ends to create a little interest to these pieces. 
• The flower was cut from kraft colored glassine paper using my Vintage Floret dies.  This stuff never disappoints with it's crinkly goodness.  I simply shaped these flowers and the texture was created by the paper's properties.  A pearl accent in the center added a sense of class.
• The green organza ribbon comes from the stash and is likely a reuse item.  It looks delicate and colorful here.

I sent this off with the handmade cards a little late for the shower itself.  Hopefully, it brought joy to them and clearly let Andrew and Jordin know that I'm thinking and praying for them as the big day approached.  Check back on Saturday.  I made their wedding celebration card as well.  I'll get those photos edited and posted in time to wish them a prompt wedding congratulations!

I've entered this card in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Simon Says Wedding or Anniversary.  Come on over and join the fun!

ETA:  I've linked this card up over at Scrapbookpal.com.  They have a running challenge each month to use certain suppliers/products and then get featured over at their blog.  Here's my entry for the last part of February.   Click on this link to check out their latest challenge.  Their online store supplies many of my common tools and supplies and some of the lowest prices around.  Check them out.

A Floral Happy Birthday

I'm loving my Prima Madeline paper pad right now.  The papers have such bold patterns with classic colors that really inspired my creativity. This lovely went to Dan's sister for her birthday.  Here's the details for this card:

• The sentiment frame was cut using my Spellbinders die from a piece of the Prima Madeline paper.  I taped it down to get just the right frame.  The sentiment was stamped using Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give it a slightly lighter color given the dark matted frame behind.  The frame is raised from the background frame using foam squares.
• The flowers were cut from patterned paper using my Vintage Floret dies.
• Several floral elements were  cut from brown and green cardstock scraps.
• The background is a combination of fussy cut and die cut.  The patterned paper I selected had a frame that I fussy cut out the inside.  A separate frame was cut die cut with my Spellbinders Labels-Seventeen die using a matching script patterned paper.  I slid this frame behind the left side of the fussy cut and in front of the right side. 

On the inside, I stamped a sentiment from my Heartfelt Expressions stamp set and placed a circle die cut with mismatched patterns.  I'm really pleased with the final result and I think Joanne really liked her card.  Dan's family typically sends funny cards, so she may have felt it a little out of character and missed her brother's humor.  Still, I'm hoping the charm of the card will overcome her disappointment.



I'm entering this card in the following challenges:  Simon Says Stamp Blog Monday Challenge: We Love Stamps because I used two of my favorite sentiment stamps and the Inspiration Journal's February Monthly Challenge because I just love stamping "best wishes" on birthday cards.   I've also linked up with Word Art Wednesday for their Challenge #119: Anything Goes. Come on over and join the fun!

A Vintage Floret Thank You

Here's another card I made playing around with my Prima Madeline paper pad.  I really am trying to use up the paper pads I've bought.  I found my stash of pre-made cards mostly depleted by the end of last year and am working to make a bit of a stash again.  Here's the details:

• The flowers were cut using my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret dies and shaped.  They have pearl centers.  
• The tag was cut using my Accent Essentials Cricut cart and then the sentiment was stamped in brown Archival Ink using a Fiskars cling stamp. 
• The floral swirl and leaf stem are both Our Daily Bread Designs Fancy Foliage dies cut from textured green cardstock.  I'm pretty cheap when it comes to buying dies (except when I have birthday money to buy gifts, then I spend like it's going out of style!).  I purchased this set and have simply loved using them.  It is a great foundational die cut for all my Heartfelt Creations flower dies.
• A little seam binding ribbon to finish the card. 

On the inside, I stamped a short sentiment in brown Archival Ink and another small flower using my Peacock Feathers Distress Ink.  That's a small colored pearl accent in the center too.

I was so pleased with this- I already have an intention to send it to friends as a thank you for breakfast last weekend.  Wait- what happened to building up the pre-made card stash?

A Layered Papers Happy Birthday Card

Popping in quick to share this simple card today.  It went together in a snap.  I let the patterned paper do the design work, layering three different patterned papers and a stamp frame from the paper pad.   All papers are edged in Vintage Photo Distress ink.  I stamped the sentiment- on old wood mounted stamp- using my Peacock Feathers Distress Ink.  A flower and a couple of floral swirls and I really like this 5 x 5 card.  I kept the inside simple- room to write a personal note.

A Vintage Floret Hello Card

I was playing around with my paper pads and trying to come up with unique card ideas.  I simply love the papers from Prima's Madeline paper pad.  It's been in the stash for quite a while and the papers last through card/project and after card/project. Here's the details:

• The frames were cut out of cardstock using my Imperial Gold Labels 4 dies and edged with Vintage Photo Distress ink.
• The flowers were cut using my Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret dies and shaped.  They have pearl centers.  
• The sentiment was stamped in brown Archival Ink using a Fiskars cling stamp. 
• I've forgotten the manufacturer of the floral swirl.  They are a matching set- two different sizes and die cut from green cardstock.

On the inside, I stamped a short sentiment and added a die cut piece from the scrap heap and another small flower.

This one was fun to put together.  Thanks for checking in.

ETA:  I'm linking this up over at the Inspiration Journal's January Challenge: Dieing for 2014.  Hurry, the deadline is February 2, 2014 to join the fun!