Colored Pencil Birthday Card

This is a large birthday card for a friend who recently moved to be with family.

I did pencil crayon piece a little while ago.

I trimmed the coloring book page to leave an even border when placed onto a large half sheet card.

I chose a warm green card and folded  the letter 8.5 x 11 inch piece in half.

I added a blue layer of card stock to repeat the blue in the artwork on the front.

I added a large banner greeting above the art work with 3D foam tape.

Nativity Card Selection

I finished the card order today.  This is the selection my friend made from the choices in this post.

The prints turned out a bit warmer than the first print so I chose ivory card stock instead of white.

The photo has been trimmed to 3 3/8 x 5 inches which was done at the top.  The sentiment on the front was printed at the same time as credits.

The photo was adhered with double sided tape.

Love the color in this image.

Farewell Card - Painted Blooms

A card for the lady who started the Welcome to my Kitchen fellowship group.  Nine of us met at her house in the fall of 2015 and brain stormed the mission, the activities, and division of responsibilities. It has been a huge success.

We have been going strong for nearly 5 years which means it is meeting a need.  I took charge of the group in 2016 when she needed more time to spend with her elderly mother.

This card is half sheet size so there is enough room for all the sentiments our ladies want to share.

I started with a 8.5 x 11 sheet of Stampin Up Soft Sky card stock which was folded in half.

I chose a sheet of the SU Painted Blooms designer paper - cut to 5.25 x 8.25 inches and adhered to the card front.

I placed a white paper doily in the bottom left hand corner, glued it down and trimmed it to the edge of the card.

I added a grosgrain ribbon in Rose Red wrapped around the card front along the fold and knotted.  Trimmed the ends.    I placed a circle of the same card stock over the doily and trimmed it again to the card edges.   I printed a sentiment banner in Wild Wasabi and Rose Red which I fussy cut to the border.  It was adhered to the card front tucking the left hand end under the ribbon.

Cards for the box

I had a piece of designer paper left over from my preparation for the Compassion House class in March.

Nice masculine paper so I paired it with the Tim Holtz Jalopy mover shaper die cut. 

I added it to a dark teal card.  I aligned it along the right hand side of the card this time.

I added light blue card stock to the windows of the Jalopy as a lady at my last CHouse class had done it and I thought it worked really well.

I added a Stampin Up Modern Label punchie with a Word Window color coordinated color printed greeting.

These were both adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

I started with a medium grey card base.

I added designer paper by Recess - Sugarplum Paisleys Ice Dance which was cut to 4.00 x 5.25 inches.

I highlighed the yellow in the paper with a yellow ribbon on the left hand side along the fold.


The butterfly was cut with the Sizzix Winged Beauties thinlit set from purple navy card stock.

I added a Stampin Up Modern Label punch from the same card stock as the butterfly with a Word Window greeting.

These were both adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

A couple more for the card box!

UpCycled Christmas Card

My friend gave me a bag of commercial cards she has received and asked me up-cycle the card fronts into new cards.

I just loved this beautiful bird with snow on the branches.  It is a Christmas card. 

I trimmed the right hand side and then reassembled to attach the purple foliage which was adhered to a dark purple layer then onto a light blue card base. 

The insert has a Christmas sentiment.

UpCycled Card Fronts

This had a great message to the card so I just trimmed it to leave all the sentiment.

Adhered it to the front of a coordinating pink card.  The birthday sentiment continues on the inside.



This one was trimmed and adhered to a coordinating purple card base.











This one was a Friend Birthday card.  I had to trim it quite a bit and was not happy to trim the flowers on the left.   I decided it was more important to keep the right edge intact.   I chose a warm green card base which worked well with the leaves on the flowers.

If you receive wonderful cards from family and friends - give it a try to up-cycle them into new cards you can send to to family and friends.  I am working on the problem of cards only being used a single time.

I always put inserts in my cards to it can be removed and used again!

These are large cards measuring 5x7.

St. Patrick's Birthday

I have been making a St. Patrick's Happy Birthday card for my friend for a few years.  It is a 5x7 card.

I chose the designer paper by Bo-Bunny Press - Witches Brew.  Cut it to size to leave a small border and glued it to the front of a garden green card base.


I printed the sentiment on light green card stock offset to accommodate the stem. Ripped the top and bottom edges to expose the white core. It was adhered to the card front.

I use the Stampin Up Sweetheart Punch with the same light green card stock and punched 3 of them. I cut the stem by hand.  I chalked the edges with 2 colors of green.  I glued the stem with Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive then aligned the 3 hearts to make a shamrock.  I added 3 small darker hearts onto the large ones.

Happy with how it turned out.

Up Cycled Cards

A friend asked me to up cycle some commercial cards she received and meant something to her.

This is a sisters' Happy Birthday card.  It was a shaped card so I trimmed the folded edge then trimmed the blue to match the rest of the edges.

I chose a pink card in the half sheet size (5.5 x 8.5 inches) and added a strip of purple textured card stock.  I ripped both sides of the 2 inch strip.  It was adhered to the card front aligned to the left of center.

I then adhered the sisters layer with 3D foam tape aligned along the bottom of the card.

A custom insert was included with purple lettering.

This card is one of my designs which I turned into a wedding card.

I added a light blue card base leaving a small border of color.

I printed a custom insert in light blue lettering to match the card base.

The hearts are Stampin Up Sweet Heart punchies cut from non shed silver glitter. Mounted on a vellum circle.

I added a silver thread across the bottom tied around the embossed layer.

This card is a Christmas card for sending wishes across the miles.  She has received it from family in the Maritimes but next year she will no doubt be mailing back to Alberta with Christmas wishes. 

She is moving to be close to her son in Nova Scotia.

I love the little rabbit reaching to post his card in the mail box.

I trimmed the original card a bit and adhered it to the front of a red card to coordinate with the letters.

I added a custom insert in this card to go with the sentiment started on the front of the card.

This card spoke to me of the Maritimes.  It was in my stash so I up cycled it for my friend.

The gulls are waiting for lunch as the fishermen arrive from the sea with the boats loaded with fish.  Bound to be some tasty bits for them.

I chose a blue layer to place behind the trimmed card.

I chose a kraft colored card and added a narrow grosgrain ribbon across the top.  I then adhered the boat layer to the card front with double sided tape. 

HB Cousin

Another card with a custom greeting.

I chose a warm green card base in the portrait orientation in the A2 size.

I printed the greeting layer in ivory in warm green and warm pink.  It was trimmed to leave a small border and adhered to the card front.  It also includes the stem and leaf for the flower.

I used designer paper from K&C Company - K Classic - McKenna 12x12 pad in green, pink and mustard yellow.   I punched them in these 3 sizes - 1.5, 1.25 and 1.0 inches.  I corner punched them on the opposite corners.  I aligned the squares on one of the pointer corners.   These layers squares were adhered to the greeting layer with 3D foam tape.

A quarter sheet white blank insert was glued to the inside of the card.

Doggie Birthday Cards

I was asked to make some birthday cards for her granddaughters with a card she received for her birthday.

I managed to get two 5x7 cards made because it was a trifold card.

This is the full card front.  I had to cut it down a bit on the length.

I adhered it on a pink card base.

I then printed a greeting on a piece of the same pink card in Rose Red.  I trimmed the piece to .5 inch by 3 inches.  I then used a corner rounder on the top left and right corners. It was adhered to the card front aligned along the stitched line with 3D foam tape.

I placed a blank white sheet insert.





I trimmed the cut out layer of the card to just under 5 inches wide.

I chose a warm white card base to coordinate with the gate in the image.

For the greeting,  I measured to determine where I could place it then color printed it onto the card front when I printed the credits on the back.

The doggie layer was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape aligned to leave a small border on the bottom.

I placed a blank white sheet insert.

Custom HB Card - Hexagons

I made this card for a friend you requested a special birthday card for a son who is celebrating the big "50" this year.

I chose a taupe, grey and black elegant striped designer paper.  I added it to a large taupe card base in the half sheet size (8.5x5.5"). 

I wrapped a length of silk ribbon along the right hand edge and taped the ends to the back. I added a short length and tied it onto the other. The layer was then adhered to the card front.

I cut 4 hexagons in black and 1 in red which I arranged onto the card front. They were adhered with 3D foam tape.

I printed the greetings on taupe card stock and cut them with the smaller die. The dies are Spellbinder Nestabilities - Hexagons. These were adhere to the larger hexagons with double sided tape.

Birthday Lunch

I made this birthday card for a friend who celebrated her birthday in the last few days.  She has been out on several occasions over the last week, lucky girl. I am taking her out for Vietnamese food for lunch today.

The card base is yellow Bazzil textured card stock in the portrait orientation in the half sheet size (8.5x5.5 inches). 

I added this bright designer paper with spring blooms in yellow and various shades of pink.  I added a raspberry colored ribbon along the right hand side with the ends taped to the back.  The layer was adhered to the card front.  I then created the accent with Spellbinder Oval Nestabilities.  The yellow with the scallop edge, then the designer paper with the corresponding smooth oval.  I added some handmade paper flowers held in place with tiny black brads. I then added a birthday greeting in black on a Stampin Up Modern Label punchie.  The accent was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

She is a faithful card giver and I am a card maker so she gets All Occasion cards every year.

I have included a small tin of Jasmine Green Tea from my stash as I recently discovered she enjoys it.

Looking forward to a great visit and lunch.

Card - St. Patrick's Day Birthday

I made this card for a friend again this year.

Her aunt celebrates her birthday on March 17th St. Patrick's day and appreciates a special card.

I cut the card base from warm textured card stock.

I then printed the special greeting onto a piece of bright green card stock which was trimmed to leave a small border.

I chose some striped green designer paper by Graphics 45 - Twas the Night before Christmas. This is the reverse side.  I punched 4 hearts with the Stampin Up Sweetheart punch keeping the lines perpendicular.  The stem was handcut from a scrap of the same paper.

I added a large bright green flower brad to the center of the arrangement.

It is off to be mailed shortly.

Cards - Special Granddaugther Christmas cards

A friend asked me to make special cards for her granddaughters from a couple of the Christmas cards she received last year.

As they were large cards to start with I chose the half sheet size card size at 5.5 x 8.5 inches.

Doggie Reindeer

I trimmed the card front. I then chose a deep espresso card base to coordinate with the large reindeer antlers which I scored at half of the full letter sized card stock and folded.

I placed holes in the recycled card to the left and right of the central image with the Stampin Up Slot punch.  I ran a red cotton ribbon through the doggie card front through slots then across the inside of the card and knotted it along the edge of the right hand edge of the image. 

I created a special greeting which was printed in green on white card stock.  I created the banner with the Stampin Up Banner Triple punch by layering the greeting onto a red card stock layer leaving a small border.   The greeting is adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

Doggie Elf

I trimmed the card front a bit to have it fit on a half sheet card.  You can see the iridescent glitter in the top left corner so I wanted to work with that. 

I chose a kelly green card which I scored at the half to give me a 5.5 x 8.5 inch card. 

I found some wide ribbon in my collection with an iridescent strip which matched the recycled card front. I cut 5 pieces of ribbon and flagged the bottom ends.  I placed double sided tape onto the card and then placed the ribbon at different lengths across the card as shown. 

I adhered the doggie card aligned the card top with 3D foam tape.  I printed the special greeting onto white card stock and created the same banner greeting as before with the banner punch.  It is attached to the card front with 4 tiny red brads in each corner.

I included white inserts with a special sentiment.

Recent Photos

These flowers were presented at church yesterday in memory of death of my friend Nelson who passed away 6 years ago on Feb 23rd.

He was on holiday in Hawaii with his wife and 2 grandsons.  It was a shock to all of us.


The Christmas Promise is written in alternating first and third person point of view. The first person narrator is Gloria aka Miss Glory. She is a retired widow whose adult son has been missing for seven years. He left home just before Gloria's husband, his father, died, and she hasn't seen or heard from him since. She somewhat recently moved to the unnamed small town that has been the setting for all the Christmas Hope books. In an effort to keep busy and to help others in lieu of helping her son, she collects and sorts donations of food, clothing, household items, and even the occasional car, which she them redistributes to the needy in the community.
She ends up host a few community members in her house - Miriam her neighbour is having renovations done in her house, Erin a young woman who is pregnant and estranged from her Mom, and Donovan who is a young boy whose mothers works evenings at Wilson Department Store and is in an abusive relationship.
Chaz a young man has recently come to town who has alcohol problems and works at Wilson's Department Store. He befriends Donovan's mother Carla and Mike who is a homeless man who sometimes sleeps on the steps of the Wilson Department Store.   Their lives are all entwined and come together around Christmas. It was a very good book.

I have been dealing with plumbing issues for quite a while.

It was confirmed that the isolation valves in the bathroom and kitchen will be replaced on Wednesday. 

Once those are done I can get the rest of my work done.









I had to replace my phone charger this week.  A few areas of my life are starting to right themselves but the weather continues to get down to -30C.

Another terrific book that takes place in two different generations.  The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas. When Mair Ellis clears out her father's house, she finds an exquisite antique shawl, woven from the finest yarns and embroidered in the shades of lake water and mountain skies. Wrapped within its folds is a lock of child's hair. Tracing her grandparents' roots back to Kashmir, Mair embarks on a quest that will change her life forever.

Before the war, Newlywed Nerys Watkins leaves rural Wales for the first time in her life, to accompany her husband on a missionary posting to India. Travelling from lonely Ladakh, high up in the Himalayas, Nerys discovers a new world in the lakeside city of Srinagar. Here, in the exquisite heart of Kashmir, the British live on carved wooden houseboats and dance, flirt and gossip as if there is no war. But the battles draw ever closer, and life in Srinagar becomes less frivolous when the men are sent away to fight. Nerys is caught up in a dangerous friendship, and by the time she is reunited with her husband, the innocent Welsh bride has become a different woman. Years later, when Mair Ellis clears out her father's house, she finds an exquisite antique shawl, woven from the finest yarns and embroidered in the shades of lake water and mountain skies. Wrapped within its folds is a lock of child's hair. Tracing her grandparents' roots back to Kashmir, Mair embarks on a quest that will change her life forever.

It is a great story of strong women doing what has to do for their loved ones.  Loved this one which was very similar style of Kate Morton.   

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #16 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. 

Son in Law Card Order

I had a friend ask for a birthday card for her son in law.

I recycled a landscape element from a commercial card.  I trimmed it close to the border.

I printed a custom greeting layer on a piece of textured card stock.  I chose a green color to match the textured card base.

These were layered then adhered to the card front.

I added a gold star sequin in the bottom left hand corner held in place with a gold tiny brad.

Custom HB Card

I created this card at the request of a friend.  Recently when she was with her 2 sisters they discovered that the letters on the key 5 on a cell phone matched their initials - J K L. 

She asked for a card with the key pad with and the 5 key highlighted. 

I printed the phone onto card stock.  I printed the greeting and layered it with pink card stock.  I trimmed the top corners to match the round corners on the phone`s screen. 

I printed the 5 key again and highlighted it with pink ink and chalk and mounted it over the phone with 3D foam tape.

I found some graphic designer paper with chevrons and mounted it onto teal card base.

I added 5 teal sequins on the left hand side held in place with bling Zots.

I hope she likes it.

Birthday Gift and Lunch

I prepared a gift of greeting cards for a friend who celebrates her birthday this week.  There are so few people who still do cards.

I am taking her out to lunch as well so we can get caught up on our Easters.

As you can see I chose a card which connected with her love of strong coffee instead of a birthday greeting.

I was disappointed to see that Coffee Loving Card Makers have not hosted their Spring Blog Hop yet.  Is it coming?

Maybe this long winter has affected their timing.  It sure has affected mine.  When it is -17C in the morning on April 06th that means it is still winter in my books. 

St. Patrick's Day Birthday

I made this card for a friend whose aunt celebrates her birthday on St. Patrick's Day. 

I chose a warm green card base.  I added a few stripes of vellum which were adhere to the inside of the card  then flipped forward to cover the front. I added some double sided tape down the card which will be covered by the greeting.

The greeting was printed on bright warm green card stock and then I ripped the bottom and top edges.  It was adhered aligned to the bottom of the card front.

I punched 3 hearts from plaid green glitter paper with the Stampin Up Sweetheart punch.  I cut a stem by hand with scissors.  I added 3 small hearts over the glitter ones adhered with 3D foam tape.  The shamrock was assembled and glued in place with double sided tape. 

The white narrow ribbon was added just above the greeting. I used a 1/8" circle punch to create a small hole in the fold on the left hand side.  I ran a length of the ribbon twice through and tied a knot on the right hand side of the card.  

I added an Irish Blessing on the inside.

Thank Yous - Trip

These are the cards I included with my thank you gift to those ladies who helped me out last week. One took me to the airport and the other kept an eye on my place while I was away.  I am giving them tea as gift.
The left card features handmade marbled paper with a leaf cut with a Cuttlebug double die.  It cuts the outline and the solid background.  The pink one is the Stampin Up scallop circle punch in pink pearl paper.  Then layered 1 3/8" white and 1.25" pink circles.  I placed a pearl confetti daisy on top of those with a rhinestone in the centre. The envelopes were cut from 80lb text weight paper with the SU Petal Card die.  The envelope is held closed with a small white circle sticker.