A Happy, Buzzy Day to You Mr. Prairie Dog!

Brandy shared with me this wonderful scene colored with her Polychromos colored pencils.  She used her Waffle Flower Summer Time stamp set to create the scene.  She used a no-line coloring technique and the blending capabilities of those Polychromos pencils is very on display in this work of art.  That prairie dog is such a charming dude - I want to go for a visit!

Andie for 

More Expressions of Gratitude

As it turns out, we needed another 27 cards to express our gratitude at the outpouring of love, expressions of sympathy and commitments for prayers at the loss of my beloved grandma.  That woman (my grandma) knew how to be a pen pal, sent cards like it was her job and the people who responded (in 2018!) with the same sentiment and care was overwhelming.  I knew my grandpa wouldn't be able to emotionally and/or physically respond to each of the 45+ cards, flowers, gifts and letters.  So, I made these cards to finish the job.  I wrote a short note on each and every card, personally tailored to their well wishes and my grandpa would add his own note and/or signature on each.  It sounds like a lot of work and I guess it was.  However, it was mostly a huge blessing and I am grateful for being able to do so.

These cards were easy to duplicate with my MISTI.  The layering on the roses make for a beautiful finish that I will have to say I'm proud to have given these away.

Brandy's Take on the Card Swap

Brandy joined the card swap this weekend at the Scrapbook Expo with me and I wanted to share today her take for the swap.  The swap required 20 exact duplicates and so card design mattered a bunch.  Gina K's Wreath Builder stamps and template set was a perfect solution.  The card above was the original inspiration card.  The layout and style were finalized so that the 20 duplicates could be made. 

In the end, this cleaner version was duplicated - each of those black dots on the design inspiration was individually hand stamped - quite a time saver.  In the end, this final version is ever so lovely even without those tiny black dots.  I can say that we've both supper enjoyed our weekend.  There is only a few lovely hours left today and we'll be looking for the next crafting adventure.  Until then, it is girl time and we're enjoying ourselves immensely.

Andie for 

Cards for a Card Swap

This weekend is officially Brandy and I celebrating a girls weekend.  We are at the Scrapbook Expo here in Mesa, Arizona.  This card is one I made twenty (20!) replicas for a card swap.  Both Brandy and I are going to participate and so I'll share Brandy's card next.

I used my Papertrey Ink Farmer's Market Florals stamp set to stamp the images and my Rustic Wreath stamp to stamp the wreath.  The burnished gold cardstock frame was cut using my WPlus9 Sunshine Layers die and the background of the card base stamped with Altenew's Rustic Linen background stamp.

On the inside, a simple thank you stamp which was the theme for the swap.  The card is an A2 size and I am delighted and cannot wait to participate in the swap later today.

Needless to say, us girls are currently prepping up for a long, exhausting, most fun-filled day of crafting, shopping, and girl talk as we are also participating in the crop which goes all day into the evening.

I'll be back after our weekend to share examples of the cards that we received in the swap.

Sending Appreciation

With my grandma's passing, we've had reason to send quite a few cards to express our gratitude to the many people who sent cards, gifts and flowers.  I knew that I wanted to hand make the response cards and needed a sentiment that works.  In this case, I found a Bible verse that worked on the outside and then used a layering PaperTrey Ink stamp set to frame some roses .

It just felt right to have these little layered leaves on the inside.  Pink flowers were on the casket and it just seemed appropriate to make these with a soft pink layered look.

In the end, I made 20 replicas of this card design.  Those have been written and sent and there is still more to be sent.  I'm making a few more and will share here when I get a chance.