Lindsey and Team card packs

 

A couple of weeks ago, I shared on a couple of posts that my friend Pam Driggers (SU Demonstrator) and I had been busy making handmade thank you cards for my daughter and the team of ladies from all over the world who are visiting in a multi-cultural country where conflict is a part of everyday life.   They visited with many ladies and were able to take them thank you notes (made similar to the Paper Pumpkin New  Horizon march kit).   My friend came through and had these done beautifully in quick order and my daughter was so pleased with them.  She wanted to take a little gift along with the thank you notes that was significant to our state SC.  We thought of palmetto tree items to buy for that, and my friend suggested since most of those kinds of gifts are imported from China...That perhaps we could use the New Horizon Paper, Paradise Palms, stamps and the clear boxes for 3x3 cards and envelopes (they hold 5) and make enclosure cards for the ladies to use.  Since some of them may not speak English we did not add sentiments.  Also Palm trees are an endangered tree in this country.    I decided to use a digital download state outline that I have used on a card before and insert the sentiment Handmade in SC USA in the outline.  My friend stamped a stamp from the Paradise Palm set on top of the state outline and, it looked awesome.  The packs have 3 green based cards and 2 pale papaya based cards for a total of five in each.  We made 12 packs.  These are for the women who have them in their home and prepare food for them.   We signed our names and ran them through the Xryon and attached to the back of the boxes.   We both loved the look of the whole project and so did Lindsey.   To clarify it is a team that Lindsey is a part of, she is not one of the leaders.  The women who lead the team have doing it for years and the ladies vary in ages from 20s-70s which is one of the things that makes this team so special!    She returns on Memorial Day and  we can't wait to hear about this special trip by women to women to let them know they matter to Jesus.   The Lord bless keep all of you safe,   Smiles,   Kathy

PS   I have been busy during these rainy days, fine tuning my blog...I wanted to have a drop down menu for my labels and this one seemed to work best for that.

Digi Car Images...

I downloaded from this Etsy seller, but these cute cars are no longer available.   One day I will make some vintage cards using them!

 

Daffodil Afternoon Card...

 

A few days ago, as I was on the "prowl" for a challenge where I could participate using what I have on hand, I was happily surprised at Make the Cards Challenge blog, since not many challenges ask you to use DSP (which is something lately I enjoy doing.).  This is the first time I have used  paper from this suite, and I really like the way it turned out.  One thing I noticed was that it matches back to Very Vanilla and I think most if not all of the DSP I have bought over these years has had white backgrounds.  Long story short since I have a good bit of very vanilla it is nice to have DSP to match so I can start using it more!   The sketch at Paper Players is my "kind" of sketch and I think it worked out well with my fussy cut flowers and Mossy Meadow thin woven ribbon.    After I took the photo above I added the mini sparkles (shown below), but decided I really like the above version best, just clean and simple.   The sentiment is from Happiness Abounds and is stamped in Noir morning mist.  I cut the flowers out of one of the floral papers, there just happened to be about three flowers that showed up around the edges, cutting as close to the outline as I could,  I then ran them through my xyron and adhered them to watercolor paper to make them secure and then fussy cut them again again.  It was easy enough and not overly complicated.   I really like the result!   While I was looking at another cardmaker's blog I clicked on a link to Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge.. and in addition to a DSP expected blog, I hope I will pick up some new cardmaking friends1   Finally,   I am also doing "anything goes" at Paper Funday, which is not new to  me!       It's a challenge blog where I have never particpated, and since I love DSP, I'm excited to link there.    It's a rainy day here is SC (translated = fun play day in the craft/guest bedroom). My work table with computer sits in front of my window, so I've been watching it rain off and on all day.   So glad I'm retired and don't have to out and about today.     I cleaned this room yesterday and got most everything put where it goes, glad for that as well, it's hard to create when everything is out of place and you can't find anything.     Smiles,   Kathy

PS my garden is drinking all this liquid sunshine up! 

You're a classic masculine birthday card...

For some crazy reason I decided I needed to make a guy card.  So I pulled out a very old CTMH set with the vintage car and gas pump.   The sentiment is from a more current set, but I don't think it's available at CTMH right now. I have been trying to think of a way to do the challenge at Try Stampin on Tuesday that ends tomorrow and I decided that I could make this all work.  The CS is SU, the DSP is from a "dad" set in the Sweet Shop Design on Etsy.  The gas pump is stamped with CTMH Sundance and the car is stamped with SU gray granite.  I also met the left vertical column at TicTacToe,  the embossed folder for panel and the deckle die cut for sentiment  are from Tim Holtz.  I'm also participating as a first timer at Addicted to Stamps and More theme any occasion so my birthday card meets that requirement!    I fussy cut everything and as you will see, because of  it's vintage look and the fact it's for a male I wasn't terribly fussy with the cutting!    Thanks for stopping in.    Smiles,   Kathy

 

Celebrating World Bee Day...

 

It's almost 7:00 on Saturday morning May 21, yesterday I had my infusion treatment for Myeloma.  I get this every four weeks, and in addition to the "Darzalex" drug I get benadryl and steroids.   So every 4 weeks I pull an "upall nighter."   Tonight the time passed fairly quickly as I thought about each challenge and what I wanted to include on the card and then doing the cutting and die cutting  the stamping of the bees, the creating of the tag etc. and then the assembling of my card.     I used Digi Bumblebee paper from Sweet Shop Designs on Etsy.   They were having a sale so I got 7 packages for under $7.00 ( I couldn't buy a sheet of 8x10 for a dollar at the local kraft stores)...The embossing folder was included in a SimonSaysStamp monthly kit and it is available by sizzix.   The base papers are SU black and SU (retired) Bumblee Bee.   The embellishments are part of the SU "Hues of Happiness" suite.and they are in the same color family as one of the stripes in the cross piece.  I used all the colors of the strip at the least twice, which is why I used the little narrow gray ribbon (from a local store) on the tag.   The verse was downloaded from this shop on ETSY and though it was pricey, it came in multiple sizes and it's the first my verse my daughter memorized when she was around three or four years old, so for birthday this coming September I am going to have it put on a canvas for her wall.  I really enjoy using digi stamps and paper, the storage is so easy.   It's all stored in categories on a flash drive, so that accessing is easy enough and learning to use it has been somewhat of a learning curve...but most of questions can be answered by googling it.  

JUST ADD INK

While browsing possible challenges to do with no particular idea in mind, I visited the above challenge and thought CASE(ing) myself might be fun.   I guess since I have used some sketches repeatedly I have already done that, but just not thought of it that way.   I have often finished a card thinking I should have done this or that...I must admit with my "health issues"  I find it challenging to even make a card some days.   Enough of that,   Here is my card I "cased."   It was a challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches.

I took liberties with the card, reversed the sketch and used different colors, but I knew I wouldn't mind!  I used Bible Verses on both cards, that was not the reason I picked this card to CASE...It just turned out I wanted to do this Bible Verse so it's not as playful as a lot of bee cards.  The card size is 6 1/2 by 4 1/2.  The tag with the verse and the bees themselves were too large for regular size, but it will fit fine in a 5/7 envelope.   Here is the card I made at the first week and it is playful.  I am going to make one for each of the ladies in my swap group and I will include a handmade chip board easle that I am making so they can place the card on their desks or somewhere in their kitchen.   I believe they will appreciate them.

CAS COLOURS AND SKETCHES

Festive Friday

For Festive Friday ( a challenge new to me)   I made sure I read their instructions carefully following the 3 challenge limit and also included many elements of their list on my card.

Global Design Project had matching theme to the Festive Friday Challenge, but there were many elements that I have included that I believe my card eligible for this challenge as well. 

Global Design Project

 

I know I've may have been verbose (excessively wordy) with this post, so if you read or looked at any of it then thank you for taking the time to do this.   I appreciate comments and Smiles and best wishes to all of you in the cardmaking community,                          Kathy

(PS the steroids hype me up, this day I will probably a lot of my cleaning done, and tonight I will crash at about 9:00 PM.)

Pg. 108 (new SU Catalog)

Who doesn't love real flowers, I've been piddlin in my garden flowers and vegetables, it's very refreshing!  My take on this picture is colorful flowers and so that's just what I did--make a colorful flower card.

(layers)

I bought the entire suite "Hues of Happiness,"  it's more colorful and busy than I am use to--but hey I have purposed to be "more adventurous" this year...It's pretty straight forward ...it's a fussy floral card.   I fussy cut even though I have the dies.   I used my xyron to back the flowers with cs before cutting around them and I popped the rose on the card to add some dimension.   I'm linking to the above challenges and you just click on the pictures to go the websites.   The mini rhinestones are CTMH (not sure if they are current) and the vertical Happy Birthday is from SU (retired) Celebrate with Flowers.       Thanks for looking and let me know what you honestly think!     Smiles,   Kathy

 

Joshua 1.9 Card...

I made this card using a sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches, for swap with my stamping friends.    I liked this sketch so much I have used it a few times. Here is the card I linked to TMS..   The flowers are from the Friendly Hello stamp set in the past Sale A Bration catalog.   The verse is  the Scripture 1 set, at Digi Doodles, and the paper is SU retired.   For TicTacToe I did the left vertical row!     Thank you so much for stopping in,   I would love to have you leave a comment and also follow my blog.     Have a great rest of the week.    Kathy

Click on above to go to their site!

Tuesday Morning Sketches

Paper Funday Challenge

May 2022 Challenge #41 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist: Family

 

Bee in the moment...

I haven't felt like "playing" with my "toys" lately...but thankfully I seem to be getting stronger!   I also have been playing around my blog site and uploaded a digital paper "vines" from Etsy to reinforce John 15.5 which is in the blog header.  I've started using some digital papers and images in my artwork.  For me, it's about having fun and continuing to have a measure of success as I age and with my side effects of Myeloma treatment.  When I do challenges I especially enjoy "sketches."  It gives me a starting point!     This one from Try Stampin on Tuesday grabbed my attention because of the all the shapes!  I met both of the challenge goals since I used a die cut as well as followed the sketch.     Simple and sendable were my main goals for today.   For the Can you Handle the Pressure challenge (anything goes with a flower twist), I used one of my favorite folders from a company that no longer exists.  I think since this folder has a couple of flowers on it I met the challenge twist!   It created a serene place for my bees to play.  I didn't have a "Bee" sentiment, but I think Enjoy the simple moments works well.  I love going out and piddling with my flower beds and raised bed garden (squash, tomatoes, and pepper plants.)   Right now they are beautiful plants and I'm excited to think in about one month I will start harvesting vegetables.   Of course, bees are pollinators so while I don't get close to them, they are very helpful!      I always appreciate comments and thanks to all of you who design at these two challenge blogs...Your cards help "jumpstart" my creative thinking!    Stay well,   Kathy

Supplies include:   Dandy Garden Paper (retired SU), Bumble CS (retired SU),  Enamels 2020 Incolor collection, Honey Bee Buzzworthy stamp die set.
 

Sunshine meets Rainbow....

 

   

  

My card was inspired by Vicki (Stamped Smiles).     I follow her blog and while looking around the other day, I saw her card and because she is a guest designer at Challenge Up Your Life, I decided to create a "rainbow" card.   The sketch is last weeks' Tuesday Morning Sketch, I didn't get it finished in time to link it!   All I had to  work with was my Sunshine and Rainbow papers from the last Sale A Bration catalog!   At first I really did not think I wanted to get them, but encouraged by my SU friend and demonstrator I decided to give them a try and as usual I love them...not sure why I think I won't at first...but my SU friend is always right it seems!   Anyway, because I really didn't have an appropriate "rainbow" sentiment.  I decided to use my Sunshine sentiment from an SU set retiring this year.   We're all going to face the rain, it's the sunshine that gives the rainbow.    Kind of like "southern sweet tea" (it's the sugar that makes it "sweet."    Thanks for looking, may sunshine follow the storms in all our lives.   Kathy

Calming Camelias Card

                   

Some of you may have noticed that I have not been creating lately.    Long story short, Mid Febrary I was put on a new medicine and a week or so later, we noticed I was very fatigued and sleeping alot more.   Finally after testing for other things, we weaned me off and I am doing so much better.   The other thing is my Su dealer-friend and I have been making thank you cards for my daughter who will be (along with women from all over the world) in a country with diverse cultures and conflict.   They will be eating in the homes of women from several cultures and my daughter wanted special cards to thank them.   We also made little clear boxes of 3x3 cards for her to give them out as gifts...I will post all of that in a separate post.     The sketch for my above card is Tuesday Morning Sketches.  I started trying to get this ready and somehow just kept missing out!   I used one of my favorite embossing folders from SU, it's ocean waves I think, but it reminds me of folds of fabric for "Can you Handle the Pressure." The color scheme is from Paper Players and I created 2 cards and really like them both.  This sentiment kept bringing a song to mind,  "Hope has a name, His name is Jesus."  I hope it will bless you as it does me!    Thanks for stopping by.   I appreciate all of you!       Kathy