Warm Winter Wishes...

 

(click above to visit ATC)

Using what I have in "stash."   I made today's card.   I have had these snowflakes for years and I just love the peaceful cabin papers and pool party goes great with red...so here is my card.   Not much to say really,   Thanks for stopping in and let me know what you think!       Smiles,  Kathy

He First Loved US...

 

What a beautiful and encouraging verse (John 4.19)  that WordArt Wednesday is featuring this week and the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches showcases it beautifully!    Clean and Simple.   The papers are from Sunshine and Rainbows an SU saleabration freebie right now.  The heart die came from Hobby Lobby, can't remember what company, but I'm thinking Lawn Fawn.   The sequins are Mango Melody and in the current SU catalog!      Thanks for stopping by,  comments are always welcome.   The challenges with links are below!      Smiles,   Kathy

Hope changes everything...

 

When I saw the TSOT sketch for this week, I was puzzled, what did I have to use?    Then I was inspired by this card  submitted by Laurie Unger over at Addicted to Case code word LEAF.    I pulled out a current SU set and dies and absolutely one of my favorite,  Loads of leaves and Stitched Leaves Dies.   I followed the sketch and kept it clean.  Using my SU trees folder, I embossed the card base.   The DSP paper was from CTMH (don't recall the name).  To give added texture, I used a pinking shear edging die for the white panel, the leaves came from turning over the striped dsp and using the other side.      I went with Hope Changes everything because of a remarkable truth one of our elders shared in His online teaching of Eph 15-23 this past Sunday.   Paul in writing these verses uses the word hope in verse 18, "that you (Believers) might know the hope of His calling."    The word hope speaks of the certainty of God's promises, not wishful thinking we often say to people such as hope you get well.   So the sentiment "Hope changes everything" is a reminder to me to all believers in Christ as well that my trust in God is where it needs to be despite how things are going on around me and the circumstances of my life, even when especially when I don't understand,  My hope rests in God's promises and His love for me.     An old song but a good one is  On Christ the Solid Rock.    If you have time listen to this Acapella Virtual choir of around 300 voices children 6 to seniors 73 so beautiful and how artistic to bring it all together---it would require more time at the end of the song John Wesley tells about how it came together.

Now back to the card.   I tried adding some enamels, sequins etc and as I looked at possible choices.  I realized the best choice was to put nothing.  It's been a hot summer and I am so happy the weather is cooling where I am, and I love  how beautiful the trees are when they change to the reds, yellows and burnt oranges.  But I get saddened as the days get shorter and winter is approaching and the leaves are falling.   But   "Hope Changes Everything"     Please feel free to comment with tips etc. if you see something I might to think about next time.   I confess, that almost every time just when I get my post completed, I think of something else I could have done to add more interest to my work.   Thanks so much for stopping by,        Have a good week and stay safe!

Kathy

Joyful Christmas

The poinsettia is such a beautiful symbol of Christmas.   I have had this SU Joyful Christmas stamp set for several years now and it remains one of my favorites.   The poinsettia is large so I decided to do a 5 x 7 card...It's been so long I don't remember making this size card ever.   I am participating at Tuesday Morning Sketches and Addicted to CAS (leaf) and Christmas Card Challenge Blog (plaid).   I used the Peaceful Place papers from the current SU occasions catalog.    To stamp my image and the poinsettia I used Intense Black from CTMH, it is my favorite permanent ink of all time!      Thanks for looking, and stay safe by wearing a mask, we are not there yet, but hopefully someday Covid will be in hand.     Kathy

 

Thinking of You Roses...

I've been playing around with my blog, trying to come up with a background and fonts and sizes and such.  Graphics wasn't offered back when I was in school, probably NASA were the only ones who had computers way back then...Anyway, grays and rose put together, can't go wrong,  I love grays with almost every color. (card at bottom of post-I made years ago with a gray combo)  I missed the link date for this color combo at Just Add Ink last week,. but no worries,  I added the sentiment and it works for this week.   The rose was already on the card and I just couldn't see covering it up any more than I had too, so I stamped on the rose on the card using light pressure to get a crisp image.  The sketch is from CAS(E) this Sketch, lot's of possibilities with it.  Finally,  the code word over at Addicated to CAS is flower so I am linking my card there as well.  There are layers, but I do feel overall it is a clean and simple look.   Leaning toward more of a paper art look I also made this  "hybrid" card using a lovely bouquet digi download  that I got from Etsy  (Patishopart).  This artist does such beautiful work!   Two different looks using a flower and bouquet with the sketch and color scheme.  The swag across the top of my blog is also the artwork of (Patishopart)!   Today has been the perfect day to work in the craft room, it is raining cats and dogs here! Thanks for stopping by.   Stay safe during this difficult season!    Kathy

Supplies

SU sequins from years ago

Healing Hugs (SU currect catalog) 

sentiment is from TLC by Close To My Heart from years ago, but I just love that font

Ink SU Rococo  Rose

CS   SU smokey slate and basic gray 

Lotsa' happy birthday...

Post title was chosen because of all the challenges I  brought together to make it.  My creation falls short of a masterpiece, no surprise there and while it may not be the prettiest "card" on the block, it is sweet and simple and is "sendable" and that works for me.  On Saturdays I usually stroll through challenge blogs looking to see what I find interesting and see if I can use them for inspiration as I create throughout the week.  I print them out on pages, (about 7 challenges per page) since that it is the only way I can keep them in mind.  For this card  I started with As You See It "when I think simple I think one layer card" which led to Less is More for this week, make a one layer card to focus on sentiment  In keeping with that since I had in mind to also participate at Seize the Birthday "anthing goes.I picked out this small birthday sentiment and decided to emboss around it using a small oval frame well that brought to mind, Just Add Ink and the "Just Add Embossing" challenge.  And while the frame worked , it also added another problem when I ran it through my cuttlebug the edges of the frame made score lines of sorts so I decided to add "stitching" using stamps from SU Sale A bration set "Needlepoint & Thread"  to try and cover them, so that led to the creation of a grid the theme over at Addicted to Cas.  I added the flowers because the lines didn't quite meet since the stitching images were shorter than where I needed them to reach.  OK...The stitches don't quite cover the scored places, but by that time I was out of patience and decided to just "let it go."   Thanks for stopping by,   Maybe at least you will get some good ideas and hopefully I've learned some lessons as well!     Kathy
PS,   Making the card was a lot easier than doing the blog posts and linking it!!!!

Coneflowers Friendship Card...

I got this stamp set "Beautiful Friendship" from Fun Stampers Journey in the fall as part of a kit.   I got it out a couple of days ago and started working with it and found that the stamps make such crisp images.  So I fussy cut a few and made this card!    I like it's organic look with the cornflowers and no other embellishments.  Funny thing, I didn't know what a coneflower was or at least I didn't think I did, so I looked it up and come to find out I actually have them growing in the beds out front of my house...echinacea!

The card came together pretty easily.   Thanks for stopping in!

Supplies:

FSJ:   Beautiful Friendship

Ink:   SU, powder pink, crushed curry, wild wasabi (retired), chocolate chip (retired) and Versa Fine Black

Card Base:   Digital Etsy LittleLamaShop (downloaded in 81/2 x 11 and printed in a portrait label program for 4 1/2 x 5 1/2--Still working on how much white to leave around edges--I print two card bases on one page)

When birds get married...

Today's card story goes like this:  This cute wedding cake stamp came from FSJ.   I dug in my stash and came up with this vintage style black and white paper.   I stamped the image, sponged around with (SU) crumb cake) and then ran it through the dotted swiss embossing folder.  I stamped a few more of the cake images.  I fussy cut around the hearts and the cake and then the birds (themselves) again...because when I colored them in it just didn't work,  (wasn't clean looking-too much color going on) so I finally decided to leave them naked except for their head wear.  I apologize if anyone finds this offensive and if you can think of another way...I'm open to hear about it!      Thanks for stopping in and blessings on your week and your work.   Kathy

Sentiment and paper -CTMH (retired I think)
SU Markers,   pool party and pirouette pink
I also used nuvo shimmer pen in places on the birds and cake (don't think it shows well)

Teal Birthday...

Today, I'm playing along over at Addicted to CAS #129 "Teal."    Last month I helped host a Bridal shower for a family friend.   Since she is getting married at an "upcycled barn" venue and is using teal, I bought a distressed wood plank paper to make her invitations.  I printed the invite on vellum and attached with ribbon to panels I cut from the teal paper.  The picture of today's card shows that paper.   From some of the left overs  I die cut Happy Birthday (not a fru-fru die cut). .  I cut the sentiment again in Lagoon (CTMH) and layered this on the card base and then topped with the Happy Birthday from the worn-wood paper.  It was "very forgiving" to work with.  For the card base I used Sahara Sand (SU)  and stamped some "tools" on it with taffy ink which matched the worn distressed look in the paper. The tool stamp set and taffy ink are from CTMH (retired).   It was very simple..which is what I like when I am making more than one card. In all I made 10, since I wanted to share with the girls that I stamp and swap with and also my sister!   She is always wanting cards for the males in her family!     Thanks for looking, I enjoyed participating at CAS..     Kathy