A Lovely 100th Birthday

We just celebrated my mother-in-law's cousin's 100th birthday this weekend. She was able to live independently until just a couple of months ago when she broke several bones in her leg and foot. How amazing to have seen a century of life and still have one's health! God has blessed her with an amazing family, many friends, and loving life experiences. She still talks intelligently with a smile, which doesn't show in this candid shot my hubby took:

I wanted to make a sweet birthday card that was "age appropriate"  and wanted lots of shiny silvery elements.

I used the CTMH Floral 5" x 7" embossing folder for the background:

This close-up shows the shine of the silver-embossed purple butterflies and silver doily a little better. The sentiment was cut using a Spellbinders die set.

I used a strip of a favorite piece of Basic Grey "Euphoria" paper I've hoarded because it matched one of my mom's dresses. I love and tend to hoard many of my Close To My Heart, Basic Grey, and Graphic45 papers, a bad habit I'm trying to break by blessing others with these beautiful papers.


Thank you for visiting! May you also bless others with your lovely crafts! God will bless your loving gestures in return.


I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
As You Like It - Favorite papers and why (see previous paragraph)
Broken Fairy Designs Challenge #7 - anything goes/twist-embossing
Freshly Brewed Challenge 2016#19 - Birthdays
Glitter 'N' Sparkle Challenge #199 - Include a butterfly
Simply Create Too Challenge #113 - lots of sparkle
Tuesday Throwdown  #304 - Happy Birthday


6.5" x 5" Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey "Euphoria," Close To My Heart Paper Fundamentals Enchantment - Pomegranate, CTMH Eggplant, White Daisy, and Black cardstock
Stamp - CTMH "Your Own Kind of Wonderful" (retires Aug. 1st)
Ink - Versamark
Tools - CTMH Floral embossing folder, heat gun, Ranger Silver Superfine embossing powder, Spellbinders Shapeabilities "Phrase Set One" and die cutting machine
Embellishments - Silver Sequins (the darkest set in package), silver doily from Michaels

Prayers and Hugs Coming Your Way

A few years ago I was having therapy on my back at St. Luke's Hospital. The local news reported that St. Luke's had done a research study on the effects of prayer and the outcome of patients. They found that the patients who had people praying for their healing recovered the quickest, even if they didn't know someone was praying for them, which would eliminate the placebo effect. What an amazing study to highlight our need for God to do His amazing work of healing! God truly wants to be included in the lives of His children and to teach us to rely on Him for our every need.


That's why I love using this "Prayers" die and stamp set from Simon Says Stamp. When I discovered the smaller sentiment on front fit inside the circles of this stencil, I knew the sets were a perfect match. The Country View Crafts challenge had lots of ideas for using circles this month.

I cut out the flowers using Cricut Artiste and the leaves were Cricut Art Philosophy. The matching flowers are from CTMH stamp sets Hello Blooms and Pretty Petals. (Both the Cricut carts and the stamps are retiring at the end of this month, so I'll soon be removing the links here. If you've wanted one of these Cricut cartridge collections along with Cricut Artfully Sent for cards, you can purchase them from me or see their image indexes here.)

The inside verse from Our Daily Bread Designs, an older one, "Lift Up Your Hands" says: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16"


I used three of the colors from the Sunday Stamps challenge #131 - the (Pear) green, (Lagoon) aqua, and (Sunset) orange, and added a very dark blue (Sapphire).

Thank you for visiting! May you lift up others in prayer and liberally give out HUGS!


I'm also sharing this card with these challenges:
Aud Sentiments Challenge #160 - anything goes with a sentiment
Country View Crafts July Challenge - have fun with circles
Crafty Friends - Use your dies (prayers)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge- anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #240-241 - anything goes family friendly

Take Heart Sympathy Card

When I saw the color challenge at Watercoolor Wednesday I thought it would be great for a sympathy card. Since our church has a number of older adults, I never seem to have enough at the right time to encourage someone that they are in my prayers. Here's their color palette:

Thank you for visiting! May God bless your crafting and may your crafts in turn bless others!


I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenge - K for Kindness
Aud Sentiments Challenge #160 - anything goes with sentiment
Crafty Calendar July - punches and/or dies
Crafty Friends #36 - use your dies
Scrapy Land Challenge #46 - emboss it! (& using Spellbinders dies)




5.5" x 4.25" Card Recipe:
Paper - CTMH Cardstock: Juniper, Colonial White, Outdoor Denim, unknown pink, older scrap of Juniper and Cream dp
Stamps - CTMH "Take Heart"
Inks - CTMH Juniper, Thistle, Outdoor Denim, Copic B99 Agate (to color the blue sequins darker)
Tools - Spellbinders "Foliage Two" and "Splendid Circles Nestabilities;" CTMH Quatrefoil embossing folder
Embellishment - CTMH "Magical Sequins"

Floral Get Well Wishes

I wanted to make a bright floral get well card that was still flat enough to mail. The lovely inspiration at NordSalten Hobbyklubb challenge and the colors at Sunday Stamps Challenge #131:

I used Scotch tape to mask most of the sentiment from the embossed sentiment on front, just leaving the Get Well Soon portion. Then I included the entire part on the inside. Both inside sentiments are from Our Daily Bread Designs. The encouraging verse says: "For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying 'Fear not, I will help you.' Isaiah 41:13" and "May His healing presence be with you. Get Well Soon!"

Thank you for visiting!  May God bless you and yours.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments Challenge #160 - anything goes with a sentiment
Creatalicious Challenge #95 - anything goes with option - add flowers
ODBDSLC #276 - Anything that Grows (with 2 ODBD stamps)
Nordsalten Hobbyklubb Challenge #142 - Flower field
Sunday Stamps #131 - colors
Word Art Wednesday #240-241 - family friendly anything goes


Papers: CTMH cardstock and retired Balloon Ride patterned paper
Stamps - CTMH "Flowers for Mom," ODBD "All Occasion Sentiments" and "Grace's Strength"
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; CTMH Juniper and inside CTMH retired Taffy
Copic Markers - R29, R35, YR02, R32, R43, Y17
Tools - Spellbinders "Foliage Two" and Card Creator: "Curved Borders Two"; Martha Stewart Scoring Board, heat gun, Super Fine Detail white embossing powder
Embellishments - CTMH Coral Reef sequins

Mojo 456 Prayers for France

We have friends in Paris who have two little boys. They've been on my heart today along with the many families who lost someone or witnessed the tragedy in Nice. That influenced the colors of my card I had been planning for today, the blue, white, and red, the colors of the French flag. I chose a message of prayer: The Lord will see you through this tough time.

 and inside the message says: "God is never far away, His love is always near. And with God by your side you will get through this!" (from Our Daily Bread Designs' "Faith Card Sentiments")

I used a Cuttlebug Fleur de Lis embossing folder, Simon Says "prayers" die,  MFT double stitched circle Die-Namics, papers from BoBunny Anthem Collection, CTMH twine, Champagne and Black ink, blue background and cardstock, and this sketch for the front;

Thank you for visiting! May God keep you and yours in His loving watch care!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Cut It Up #100 - anything goes with a die cut
Fab 'n' Funky #313 - add a sentiment
Mojo Monday 456 - sketch
Simply Create Too Challenge #113 - Red, White, or Blue (I chose all three)
Word Art Wednesday #238-239 -  anything goes family friendly

Encouragement and Hope

Last week I took my grandson to cartooning lessons at the art gallery in the city. It was pouring rain so I stayed in the car in the parking garage and read for the two hours because the gallery was closed on that day. The rain caused my hair to frizz and go everywhere and I hadn't worn makeup. When I got out of the car the arthritis in my knees made movement slower than usual. As I walked into the entrance the security guard gave me a look like I was a homeless woman walking into a place only for the rich. His questioning frown made me explain I was here for my grandson who's in a class. He allowed me to enter, with slightly raised eyebrows. I'm not accustomed to that reaction. My first thought was that getting old is a bummer and I definitely need to wear makeup tomorrow and dress a little more classy. I thought of the feeling this encounter gave me and, though it wasn't serious like some of the violent acts this week due to racial profiling, I felt I was being profiled. It was a horrible feeling.

I can't even imagine how much more painful it must be to be thought of as a criminal because of the color of your skin or the blue uniform and badge that you wear. Our nation needs healing, understanding, justice, forgiveness, and hope that things are going to keep getting better. The pain we feel can help all of us strive to be better, to do better. We need a lot of prayer during these trials and faith that God can change hearts and lives.  This is my card of HOPE for a better tomorrow.

This card was inspired by the beautiful thoughts in this verse from Romans 12:12 and a lovely sketch I saw at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

May we all join our hearts praying and hoping for understanding and caring between nationalities, minority groups, nations, and individuals, all created in God's image. May we be patient during the process of change and trust God to finish the work in hearts and lives. May God bless you for joining me and reading this far.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Crafting with an Attitude #17 - anything goes
Crafty Girls Creations #22 - anything goes
Crafty Calendar July Challenge - dies and/or punches
Crazy 4 Challenges #344 - cards of encouragement
Inspiration Destination #93 - anything goes
Scrapy Land Challenge #45 - anything goes with die sold there (used Spellbinders)
Sweet Stampin' - Sentiment as focus
Word Art Wednesday #238-239 - anything family friendly

Stamps: digital scripture (printed long ago so I don't remember), CTMH retired : "Hope" Scandinavian Christmas stamp;  butterfly (Your Beautiful Self)
Papers: CTMH Goldrush cardstock, Paper Fundamentals: Adventure (current and retired glossy patterns)
Embellishment - Pink enamel gems
Tools: CTMH Watercolor Pencils, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Spellbinders leafy and lacy circles dies

Mojo Monday 455 Masculine Birthday Card

Creating  and taking pictures of creations is more difficult when I'm spending the summer in our motor home "babysitting" three grandsons. Yet I know this is the task God has given me for such a short time. Before I know it, they'll be grown, just like our children. At their current ages (14, 11, 10) we can talk about a lot of subjects that give me an opportunity to subtly plant seeds of scripture, wisdom, or kindness and then pray that the seeds will sprout into God's wisdom or kindness in their hearts and lives.  Spending so much time with the boys prompted me to make a masculine card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch and Color My Heart Color Dare.  I thought the colors would be great for a nautical masculine card.

I was also inspired at Alphabet Challenge to ink it up, which I did by distressing the image panel edges and swiping ink across the area to represent sea and/or sky. Since the sailboat image seemed to be blowing in the wind, I hand cut a cloud shape for the circular shape in the sketch.  The blue anchor strip is cut from a retired piece of  CTMH Regatta paper. The sapphire blue and ruby red cardstocks are from Enchantment Paper Fundamentals which is one of the many papers about to retire and be replaced by more delights for paper addicts like me. You can find the whole list under "Going Soon." I used blue Magical sequins and Bitty Sparkles to embellish. The image (from Seaside Greetings) was stamped a second time, fussy cut and pop dotted with thin 3-D foam tape.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - I for Ink it Up

Cards Und More #162 - summer fun, beach, sea theme

Color My Heart Color Dare #200 - Ruby, Sapphire, Colonial White

Mojo Monday #455 - sketch

Paper Creator's Crafts #49 - Just for Men

 

Mojo Monday 454 Pineapple Card for a Sweet Friend

I needed a card for a friend I've known for 50 years. It's amazing to talk with someone you only see once every few years and it still seems like just yesterday. She and I were both teachers and share some of the same rare physical ailments. I wanted to send her a note to let her know I'm thinking of her and praying for her health.


This week's sketch at Mojo Monday and the fun summer Calypso papers inspired this card.

The pineapple was cut using Cricut Artistry. The yellow circle was made using a Spellbinder's Teardrop Circles die, which reminded me of a slice of pineapple. The sentiment came from a stamp set called So Many Smiles.


Thanks for looking! May God bless you with special friendships that last a lifetime.


I'm sharing this project with the following challenges;
Crafty Calendar July Challenge - punches and/or dies
Crafty Girls Creations - anything goes
Mojo Monday #454 - sketch
Simply Papercraft #32 - anything goes
Southern Girls #137 - anything goes

July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - From the Notebook



Welcome to the July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop featured by 18 Close To My Heart consultants.  If you just came from Jennifer Dykstra's blog, you're in the right place.  If you lose a link along the way, you can find the entire list at this blog by Melinda Everitt.

As shown on the image above this collection of the stamps is perfect for the front of a mini-album. They would be great on scrapbook pages, too. I chose to play with the images to make three cards. This first one has an "office" feel to it. I used Kraft cardstock for the base and the striped paper from the Magical paper pack. I used 10 of the images from the stamp set and Cricut cuts using Artistry.



I decided to simply play with the chevron/arrow stamp to make a card celebrating an achievement. I used a vertical stripe embossing folder by turning my white paper at an angle in the folder. The inks are cranberry, sapphire, and honey.  The fun sapphire sequins are part of a set that matches the Magical papers. The Red Shimmer Trim  and silver glitter paper were added for some bling!

My third card was simply my way of using the stamps to make a more simple, feminine card that doesn't look like what you'd expect.  It's simply embellished with black shimmer trim and one black and white striped sequin to help with the contrast.  I embossed the kraft cardstock with a 5" x 7" floral embossing folder.  

Thanks for visiting! Now you're ready to move on to Kristen Jade's wonderful artwork!