Be Mine Valentine

Sharing more valentine's cards.  This time, a pink cardstock card base from the stash coupled with a white cardstock Papertrey Ink Shape Shifters Circle 2 die, Papertrey Ink's You Have My Heart die set and the stamping using my Papertrey Ink's You Have My Heart stamp set

I can't decide which one I like best, but I think they are both fantastic.  I'm linking this up to SSS Monday challenge Love is in the Air and the Wednesday challenge Simon Says Anything Goes.

Valentine's Day Cards

Another simple valentine today - this time a shaker card made using my Divinity Designs Tulip Heart die.  I cut the heart out of the red cardstock, gold heat embossed the sentiment and assembled the shaker with some gold sequins, gluing the heart die cut on the top of the acetate shaker window.

This is a simple design, but I think it is totally effective.  Love the result and the look.  Plus, this could work for valentine's day, but also for an anniversary or other love-focused occasion.  Another card for the stash or the store.

I'm linking this up to SSS Monday challenge Love is in the Air.

Simple, One Layer Valentine's Day Cards

I am in full swing of making valentine's to sell at the local shop.  I decided I needed to make a couple of each design in order to have some variety.  I also thought that I would try to make designs that could be general love theme.

This first valentine was made using some card bases that I had in the stash - always good to use up those supplies.  There were three bases preprinted with the sentiment - using the computer - and I simply stamped in various colors of red ink with my Papertrey Ink You Have My Heart stamp set.

I think they turned out adorable - even if the heart on the left is a little bare.  Simple, but adorable.  Guess I'll use this to inspire the rest of the cards.  Stay tuned.

I entered this card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge Simon Says Have a Heart

A Second Cosmos Note Card Set

I shared some Simon Says Stamp Cosmos backgrounds earlier this week.  I'm back to share similar cards made with white heat embossing and my Mission Gold watercolors.

This is a far more loose look and process that I truly enjoyed.  Very different from the marker coloring in the other project.

Different is good.  These are very different in look, in creative process and result.  I couldn't be more pleased!

Cosmos Note Cards Set

I had stamped a bunch of backgrounds using the Simon Says Stamp Cosmos background stamp onto Bristol cardstock a while back.  Christmas crafting got in the way, so these went into the stash.

After Christmas, I wanted a laid-back crafty project and these seemed a great fit.  I used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers.  The shading is relatively easy to do and tge results are stunning.

I kept the cosmos as the star, finishing simply with some silver thread, vellum shape and a stacked die cut sentiment.  A note card set for the stash.  Yay!

A Magical Birthday Card

I am sharing this card Brandy made because it is so darn cute!  The horn, ears, flowers and sentiments are from Pink Fresh Studio.  The eyelashes are from Spellbinders and the background is an MFT stamp.  Really, could you find something cuter?!

Andie for 

A Simple Birthday Card

I picked up Waffle Flower's Doily Circle die and had an idea for a clean and simple card.  I did some simple ink blending on a white cardstock card base and stamped sentiment and images from my Papertrey Ink Birthday Cheer stamp set, gluing several white die cut doilies together to create some dimension.  I'm ever so happy how these cards turned out.

Oooooh, these go in the stash for when I need them...

Happy Birthday Card with Gift Card Holder

Brandy has made a commitment to make a couple (at least!) each month and anything not used would then be kept in the stash for those emergency birthday wish opportunities.  These two cards are her January 2019 effort.  The front pockets were created to hold gift cards using Papertrey Ink Mix Ups Pocket Tag dies, a recent addition to the stash.

I love that Brandy made a masculine and feminine version.  Both have their own charm, but we'd have to say - a fantastic design and execution.  Happy January!

Andie for 

Paper Piecing - Would a Cupcake Help?

I decided that I would do some paper piecing.  This note card set is a result of that endeavor.  I stamped onto various patterned papers to create these cards and used some solid cardstock from the stash to create a very simple design.

These cards are lovely for many occasions - birthday with a handwritten sentiment, encouragement after a bad day/week/month/year, get well, etc.  I meant to keep the designs neutral - most of them are good for both boys and girls.

I just really like how most of these turned out and it was a lot of fun.  In the end, a great pick-me-up from the holiday rush of activities and busyness.

I'm linking up to City Crafter Challenge Blog as the challenge is to Give Piece a Chance.  Come join the fun.

Speedy Recovery - A Card for Encouragement

Brandy shared with me this wonderful card of encouragement she made using her WPlus9 Get Well Gang stamp set.  This stamp set is so adorable, the card came together in a very short time.  Gotta love a stamp set that makes a lovely card in short order.

A Special Tribute to My Grandma - A Gift for My Grandpa

As I posted earlier this week, I have made it a tradition to create a scrapbook calendar for my grandma as a Christmas present each year.   I always make one for my immediate family and one for my grandma.  Since my grandma passed away this year, I debated whether to make one for my grandpa - who would appreciate it, but not nearly as much as my grandma.  When I found a pile of old photos of my grandma, I decided I would make an extra special calendar of the photos of my grandma.

A 1970s Christmas photo - my grandma and grandpa taken by one of the kids - poorly done, but remember how you got the picture you got and didn't know until you developed the photos much later?  This photo makes me laugh, so I included it right at the start.

A very old photo of my grandparents - early 1960s...

My grandma as an infant...1929 or early 1930

It is hilarious how many photos were taken at the Continental Divide.  This one of my grandma is classic.

My grandma and grandpa with their kids.

My grandma, grandpa and my grandpa's mother (my great-grandmother) with their four girls.

My grandma and Aunt Betty circa 1944 which would make my grandma around 16 or 17 years old...  She was a pretty girl!

I couldn't resist including this photo of my grandpa immediately after the war - 1944 or 1945.

My aunts and uncles - all six kids.  Top left to right - Beth, Sue (my mom) and Nancy, then Bobby, Kenny and Becky in front.

A very snowy photo at the Continental Divide - my grandparents again!

My Uncle Keith (my grandpa's brother, Beth, Nancy, my grandma, Sue (my mom) and my great-grandpa Frank (my grandpa's dad).

One last Christmas Photo.  You probably can't see my grandpa's face in the darkness of the photo, but we laughed heartily - it looks as though it was a long Christmas....  I loved making the album and my grandpa enjoyed and will enjoy the calendar for long time to come.  It was a pleasure to make and I hope to have opportunity to do so in the years to come as well.  Time seems to pass quicker as I get older, yet time seems more precious than ever.