Sympathy - Simply Sketched - Winter Green

Another sympathy card for a man who lost his wife Louise this weekend.

I started with a Stampin Up Sage Shadow card.  I cut a piece of Winter Green DSP to leave a small border and adhered it to the card front.  I stamped the bird and sympathy sentiment from the Simply Sketched stamp set in Always Artichoke onto Very Vanilla card stock.  I heat embossed it with clear powder.  I adhered in the bottom right hand corner.

Sympathy Cards - Family

These are the cards I made for her sisters and niece.  I continued with the same 4" squares of Stampin Up Elegant Soiree DSP.  This time I used the other side of the paper onto Baja Breeze card stock.  I chose the flower from the Simply Sketched stamp set for this card stamped in BB on VV card stock. I flagged the end of the strip with the Banner Triple punch.
For this next card I used the bird in Basic Grey on VV card stock. Again flagged end of the sentiment layer.  The multi colored side of the Elegant Soiree DSP.

Back to Baja Breeze card with the blue side of the DSP.  This time I stamped the sentiment with Basic Grey Suede then I trimmed around the sentiment.  Mounted it on the right hand side.

They are a large and very close family so it will be a difficult day.

Sympathy Card - Simply Sketched with Elegant Soiree

A dear lady named Linda passed away late last week and today is her funeral.  This is the card I made for her husband.

I started with a sheet of double sided designer paper from Stampin Up Elegant Soiree collection.  The colors in this paper are Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, and Basic Grey.  I used the Simply Sketched stamp set with the sympathy option.  This one is stamped in BG on VV then the bottom is flagged with the Triple Banner punch.  I cut the sheet of 12x12 into 9 4x4 inch squares.

I made a set of five cards for her husband to use as he needs.  I ripped the square at about two thirds and ripped again a small strip to remove the white edge.  I cut the butterflies with the Sizzix Winged Beauties framelit set from VV card stock.  I added wax paper between the die and card stock to assist the removal from the die.  Works very well.  The good variety of colors in the DSP allowed three different card colors which made it a quick card making session.

Butterfly Wishes

I made these cards for my exchange group.

I bought this die a while ago and today I used it.  I printed the greeting in the top left corner then cut the butterflies into the white card stock panel.  I mounted a piece of designer paper behind it which was trimmed just a smidge smaller than the die cut.  I mounted it onto a black card which coordinates with the greeting.  This die allows a variety of color variations quickly and easily. 

For this card I added a Stampin Up Modern Label punchie with a Word Window greeting.  Another option to adding a greeting to this card layout.

I was struggling with the layout in portrait but as soon as I turned it to landscape it worked better for me.

Mosaic Monday - Turquoise & Sunshine Yellow Dishes

I received a box that contained wonderfulness this weekend.  It was wrapped and had a big white and glitter tulle bow.  It was filled with beautiful blue dishes.  They were all carefully wrapped to make sure they arrived safe and sound.  It was a gift from niece for my birthday.  We saw them at a second hand store in early September and I was interested in them but I could not decide on the moment so I left the store without them.  She went back to the store a couple days later and bought them. They are so gorgeous!!!
The photos document the opening of the box as the blue emerges.  I love the dishes.  The lines are smooth, the color is spectacular, and the size is super as the mugs and bowls are generous!  The middle right hand photo is one of the large blue plates on yellow charger plates. The yellow chargers are not quite sunshine yellow but they were $2 each so they came home with me.  The bottom right hand corner photo is pairing sunshine yellow plates I purchased about 2 months ago because they were the right color.  They pair up perfectly.  Check out this post on my blue and yellow tablescape. Thank you to Carol C and Judith for inspiring me to have a beautifully set table.

Does anybody recognize these?  Which company made them and when.  They have no mark and I could find nothing about them on-line.

I am submitting this to
Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.

Christmas Countdown Calendar

I'm in Millet again today.  We were asked to donate an item for the family they are helping.  I prepared this Christmas Countdown Calendar.  With the envelopes being able to be moved around it can also be used as an Advent Calendar by starting with 1 for December 1st.  I hope it brings blessing to a family in need.  

Calendar details:  The flocked ribbon with gold bead accent garland had a gold ribbon run through it in slits in the garland.  The gold metallic ribbon is held in place when the buttons were sewn on with the stitching going through it. The envelopes were made with the Stampin Up Petal Card die, the numbers with the SU Scallop circle in gold and 1 3/8 circle with the number. A hole was added to the top flap into which a length of crochet cotton was placed. This is hung on the buttons.

Be Present for Christmas - Lesson 2 - A Love Story

Today, we are making Christmas cards as the activity for our lesson to show love to those we care about.  

I needed a design for ladies who are not card makers and could be made in 30 minutes or so.  I have stamped the Stampin Up Holy Family from the Gentle Peace polymer set onto vellum and embossed it.  Half with silver powder and other half in gold powder.  We will be making 4 cards - 2 of each design.  I selected water color designer paper by Creative Imaginations - Sea Wash and Blue Wash.  I paired them with coordinating card stock in green and blue.  I have included an insert with the coordinating sentiment from the stamp set.  The vellum is trimmed close and held in place with 3 brads, a star one for the top and to tiny ones for each bottom corner. 

This week the lesson focus is Life Begins with a Love Story. We were created by a huddle of holy hearts.  Go to the window, the front door, the backyard, the park, the highest hill be awed by God's creation, you were made by love, for love and watch it come down. 

I'm selecting my lessons from The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp.  The book provides 24 lessons for each day of Advent of which I have chosen 7 for this class.  We will have readings, questions, discussion, and an activity each week.

It's time to start thinking of our Christmas Card List.  As you can imagine I would highly recommend paper cards but I recognize that it may not be right for everyone.  We want to show our love to others so it is better that they receive the love than it be handmade.  Maybe it’s a family photo, a postcard, a digital card sent by email, or a newsletter. Other ideas?

Alphabet Photo Library

I have been working on an Alphabet Photo library.  For my craft sales this season I prepared 3 words which are Ready2Show.

There are several options for displaying these words.

This is how I have chosen to display them at home.  These no profile clear acrylic frames are from IKEA.  Reasonably priced. 

Check out my Alphabet Photo page for details.

Mosaic Monday - Leaf Canvas

Here's another canvas I have been working on.  I wanted to do some nature printing which involves taking real leaves, applying acrylic paint to them and printing them onto a substrate.  I the past, I have used card stock and used the prints in cards.  I thought I would to the same process on canvas.  Again, the lack of stiffness to the canvas presented a challenge.

I used Liquidtex Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red Medium, Titanium White, Phthalo Blue.  I have applied a thin layer of Texture Paste with a palette knife.

Overall it was not too bad but I found the final piece a little flat.  The maple leaf I had used for the printing was a deep dark color and was really gorgeous looking and I hated to throw it away.  With the canvas looking flat I thought this is just what it needs.  How to preserve it?  A bit of checking and I painted both sides with Modge Podge.  It needed a bit of strengthing so I using Modge Podge I adhered some deep burgundy mulberry paper to the back in strategic places.  That will do nicely.

I cut letters from card stock painted with deep dark brown paint.  I cut them with Stampin Up Little Letters framelits.  I brushed them with some gold acrylic then adhered them to the canvas with quick dry adhesive.

Sharing as part of Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.

Be Present for Christmas - Lesson 1 - The Small Shoot

I have provided a journal for the participants. It provides a central place organize their experience.

Each week, they can include their prayer lists, the lesson plan, their Random Acts of Kindness, their family activities, and other relevant information.

I have cut a Stampin Up Top Note to be adhered to the front or the inside cover to identify the owner of the journal and the class.  Some journals have stripes, some dots and some chevrons.  Red, pink and grey.

I'm selecting my lessons from The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp.  The book provides 24 lessons for each day of Advent of which I have chosen 7 for this class.  We will have readings, questions, discussion, and an activity each week.

The stump brings forth a small new shoot.  From what appeared dead life emerged.  It's not about the dead past but what we can create going forward. We must come as we are, ready to look at the smallest, find the shoot in the stump, find the broken in the cracks of the world and offer a word of love which will bring about miracles.

This pink one is my book for the class.

Be Present for Christmas - Gratitude

I'm teaching a class I've called "Be Present for Christmas" and the first class is tonight.  It is a class to help people slow down, focus on the reason for the season, and prepare their hearts for Christmas.

I am starting with Gratitude.  I've read Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gifts from which I have taken a small excerpt about this very subject.  Living with an attitude of gratitude changes us. 

Paris Mixed Media Canvas

I'm preparing some art work for an event in the Christmas season.  I have only done this type of mixed media once before.  Check it out here.
I am working with Gotrick Stretched Canvas 8"x8"and Liquitex Acrylic Paint. I taped the back with painters tape to keep it clean and provide a defined edge.  I mixed this toned down pink with Winsor Newton Permanent Rose acrylic along with some white and black Liquitex.  I painted the canvas with a large brush including the sides and left to dry over night.  The next morning I applied Tim Holtz Textured Paste with a palette knife through a Heidi Swapp Stencil and just pressed some paste around the canvas with the knife. I left it to dry while I took my morning walk.  I had planned on applying some elements by printing some Paris graphics reversed on freezer paper and transferring them to the canvas.  This DID NOT work. You need a solid and hard surface to press onto and of course the canvas is not.  Plan B.  I diecut the Tim Holtz Eiffel Tower in chipboard and a black shadow layer.  I applied 3 coats of Titanium White to the chipboard making sure I got the sides as well.  I adhered the black shadow just offset a bit to the right.  The white was pretty stark so I took a chance that my printing had not dried on the freezer paper.  It printed pretty well onto the painted chipboard with using a brayer to apply even and consistent pressure.  I cut the letters with the Cricut and the Storybook cartridge at 1.5 inches.  Again white letters with black shadows to repeat what I did on the tower.  The tower and the letters were adhered to the canvas with Quick Dry Adhesive.  I have rubbed some of the edges and corners with a bit of black paint. I then spattered the canvas with some black paint using a old toothbrush and a butter knife.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Submitting to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage. 

12 saturDays of Christmas - Millet

I am at the 12 saturDays of Christmas in Millet today.
5104 50th Street     12:00 - 4:00 pm
Next to the Chinese Restaurant

If you are in the area or want a short road trip I hope to see you there!!

This sale is hosted by Do Something Magazine - an organization to empower youth.  The fees we paid for tables will be donated to a needy family during the Christmas season. 

Christmas Card Challenge - Oct - Angel Vellum Stamping

I chose Angelica from Stampdendous as my stamp.  It happens to be an angel which I stamped with craft ink on vellum then clear embossed it.  I chose to match the ink color and the card color in this case a deep Hunter Green from Stampin Up.  The greeting is from the SU Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  I cut the backer from aqua card stock with the Tim Holtz Arch Frame which highlights the angel nicely.  I attached the vellum to the backer with 3 tiny brads a star one for the top and 2 round ones for each corner.  This layer was then adhered to the card front with double sided tape.  I find this angel just a bit on the big side for an A2 card so it presents some challenges when designing a card.

Bling HB Card

A birthday card for a young lady celebrating her birthday today.  

I started with a purple card one of her favorite colors.  I added 3 banners of designer paper which coordinated.  I wove a piece of green between the banners and chose another piece to highlight the flag ends at the bottom of the card.  I added a flag end to the greeting.  I added a strip of bling rhinestones above the greeting then added a shorter strip on the right to balance the layout. 

High Bush Cranberry Syrup - Start to Finish

Recently I picked High Bush Cranberries with my sister who knows how to make them into wonderful syrup.  It can be eaten with pancakes, ice cream or in my case cereal. 

The first picture is the berries which were plentiful and the bushes were not much higher than me so picking was delightful. Once cleaned they went into the pot, they then spent time in the food mill to extract the juice and pulp and remove the seeds and skins. Back to the pot with honey for a bit of sweetness. Once back honey is melted the syrup is poured into jars.  They were processed in a hot water bath and now can be stored for eating. They will provide a reminder of warm sunshine during the cold winter.


Here's a link to the process for Cranberry Sauce.

Today I poured it onto my Red River cereal for breakfast along with yogurt and bananas.

Get Well - Pine Branches

I made this card for a guy that was under the weather last week. I hope he is feeling better this week.
Green card with dark green strips of card stock punched with the Fiskars Upper Crest border punch.  I glued the strip of pine branch designer paper in the center of the card, then the dark green strips on top and bottom overlapping the designer paper.  I added an embossed metallic star with a SU Modern Label Punch with a Word Window sentiment on the right.

Vertical Greeting Tag

I had made this card as a sample for card club and when it came time to make up the kits I decided to not go ahead for these reasons: the die cut alignment, the banner alignment and the juvenile color scheme of the card.  I could have worked with the different papers to improve the scheme but decided to just replace it. 

This card is white with a purple gingham designer paper layer on the front.  I created the tag with the new Stampin Up Triple Banner punch.  I chose a piece of solid card stock in purple which coordinated with the designer paper.  I placed my Tattered Lace Vertical Greeting dies on my magnetic cutting pad.  Placed my card stock and ran it through the Big Shot.  I adhered the greeting layer to the back white banner.  Then I put a hole in the top and ran a piece of white fiber through.  I adhered the banner greeting to the card front with 3D foam tape. I then placed a trio of buttons to the left.  They are held in place with Zots.

Card Club - Incentive

I made Gift Card Holders for my incentive for Card Club. Each lady received 2 of these great items along with a thank you card from me. 

I used 12x12 double sided card stock.  Scored at 4.25" then just under 3.5" from the other end to ensure the the back was just a smidge smaller than the front so it can not be seen from the front.  I tied on this wonderful felt gift to the card front with coordinating ribbon. I added a quarter sheet insert and an envelope to hold the gift card, coupons or cash.  A clip keeps the card close but allows quick access.

You can check out the original design here.

Thank You Card - Alphabet Photos

Here's my Thank You card to the girls who have signed up for Card Club.

I've been working on my inventory of letters for several years.  I decided to go ahead and start using them.  I laid out the letters and added 2 frames around the words. One skinny one wider.  Printed them on white card stock.



Here's how I packaging their small gift.  I used treat bags in a warm yellow color.  I used the same paper clips I had used on the Gift Card Holders to keep the bags closed.  I added a small note which I personalized with their names.