XOXO

For several years I've found myself signing cards and emails with 'Hugs!" I feel that sending some extra love expands my message to let the reader know how I really feel about them. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad a red heart is an emogi I can use when I send a text. I find myself using it at the end of a text message to my hubby and my friends.  So the XOXO hugs and kisses message of this card seems appropriate to me. I'm convinced we need to share a lot more love and kindness in this world.

I always think it's fun to make cards about love for Valentine's Day or Anniversaries and such. This one came together so easily. I was inspired by the copper foiled "XOXO" card (from DCWV Copper Luxury). The pink and green floral border inspired the other paper panels. I love those colors on Kraft cards, so I embossed the card front with a retired CTMH hearts embossing folder and lightly rubbed them with a small Smoothie pigment ink. I added lace, half of a 4" doily, twine, and pink enamel dots to finish.

Thank you for visiting! May you have many opportunities to share love!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

All Sorts Challenge #505 - Love
Card Mania Challenge #113 - Love Is In the Air
Challenge Up Your Life Challenge #105 - Love Is in the Air
Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #133 - I Heart You
Scrap from Your Heart Challenge #30 - Valentines or Mother's Day
Use Your Stuff Challenge #345 - enamel dots

Verse of the Day:

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV

Loving Silhouette

I'm taking advantage of my hubby being gone today to make a card for him celebrating our love. This card is for the Heart 2 Heart challenge to illustrate "The Important Thing." I believe the most important thing is LOVE, both the kind we feel and show to our family and friends and the kind we show to those we don't know. It's so important that it's the greatest commandment in scripture to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love others as we love ourselves.  It's a subject I could expound on for days! Most of the problems of the world exist because of a lack of love.

Here's a mood board from Crafts Dreamy that I found with a perfect mix of colors, text, and a heart, just right for his card:

I used the challenge at Crafting By Designs and added a circular frame. I put a smaller circle die inside the next larger one to make the frame. For the challenge at Moving Along with the times, I chose a Cricut die cut that had a heart balloon. 

The striped diagonal that looks like it has black stripes is actually a silver foil sticker with no black, but I did add charcoal, white, and gray enamel dots to match the other elements.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you'll share love in new ways to  those around you!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Crafting By Designs - Corners, borders, frames

Crafts Dreamy Challenge #2 - anything, using the mood board

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - anything goes with patterned paper

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - The important thing

Moving Along with the Times - Have a Heart

365 Promises - Promise #2: I am full of mercy and grace and I overflow with love. Psalm 103:8 (WEB)

Yahweh is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.

Audrey - Wonderful, Unique, Love You!

As a retired reading teacher I was attracted to the Library Challenge. This card is based on Breakfast at Tiffany's. I combined it with the color challenge of red and teal from Double D challenge.

I saw the movie when I was a young adolescent and the main impression that stayed with me was the quirky, Holly Golightly's dialogue. I inserted a quote from the book about her that I wanted to put on this card for one of my friends who has a degree in theater. The narrator told Holly, "You're wonderful. Unique. I love you." I thought it went perfectly with this digital stamp of Audrey Hepburn, who played the leading role.

I've been following Ginny Maxim's blog for a couple of years and this was one of the vintage digital images she shared with us in 2017. I inserted the quote.  I cut out the image with the PTI Confetti Mix and Mat die. The red CTMH retired Heartstrings paper has a subtle heart pattern to go with the theme of "love you." Because Tiffany's implies jewelry I added gold sequins with sparkles in the middle and some heart sparkles. I added a sparkle flourish overlapping the image necklace and extended to be a bracelet.

Thanks for visiting! May you also be blessed as you share your love through cards!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks #406 - Love is in the air
Allsorts challenge #471 - Ladies Night Out
Craftaholics Challenge #23 - Love You card

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #471 - ribbon and sparkle
Crafty Catz Challenge #420 - anything goes with option ribbon or twine
Double D Challenge - Teal and Red color challenge
The Library Challenge - Breakfast at Tiffany's inspired by character Holly Golightly and Tiffany setting

James 1:17 (WEB)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,

with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.

365 Promises (of God) Promise #163: Every good gift that you receive comes directly from My hand.

Hearts and Glitter

I think I could keep making cards with hearts all the rest of the year, not just in February! There are so many reasons to share some love! I cut out the kraft, pink, and red hearts along with the title using the Cricut. Somehow I really like the look of kraft cardstock with glittery papers.

 The gold foil rose outlines and diagonal stripes in the background are from last year's CTMH Live Beautifully paper. The paper for the pink heart is from the long-retired Sweetheart paper pack.

May you be blessed as you share your cards and your love with others!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

a2z Scrapbooking February Challenge - Red and/or Pink
Crafty Gals Corner #159 - add a heart
Die Cut Divas February Challenge - Love is in the air
Heart 2 Heart -  True Love
That's Crafty - I Heart You challenge
Stamps and Fun = Creativity Challenge #318 - glitter

Die Cut Hearts

Here's  a die cut card that doesn't have to be only for Valentine's Day. Sharing love should be our daily gift to those around us.

This was easy to design on Cricut Design Space. I selected two squares, unlocked the sizes to make rectangles, sized them and attached so it would cut a frame, then added the heart panel and sized it to slightly overlap the smallest rectangle. The hearts were welded to the frame.  If you have Cricut Artistry, you're welcome to use my cut file! This card is a preview of two similar, more embellished cards I'll be sharing in tonight's blog hop after 8:00 p.m. Central time. (The word "love" is from a Thin Cut die that will be available again March 1st.) I wanted a watercolor look for the background, but I had a very old paisley watercolor ctmh paper in my scrap drawer from over 10 years ago that looked great!

Thanks for visiting! May God bless you as you share love with your own cardmaking and giving!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Crafty Calendar February Challenge - 2 or more layers.

Crafty Cardmakers #205 - Love and Romance

Crafty Friends Challenge #77 - Love is in the Air

Cut It Up #141 - Layers of Love

Dare2BArtzy February Challenge - Love

D.L. Art Thankful Thursday #222 -  pink or red

My Time to Craft # 364 - Love is all you need

Happy Valentine's Day!

I feel so blessed to have had truly loving friends all my life. I made several cards to celebrate this day. Here's the first:

The sentiment is my favorite part of this card. It comes from a long-retired CTMH stamp set:

"Side by side, or far apart, true friends live within our heart."

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Crafting By Designs - Be My Valentine

Crafty Gals Corner #159 - Add a Heart

Crafty Sentiments Designs - Add flowers

Deep Ocean Challenge #174 - Love Is All Around

XOXO Tuesday Morning Sketch

Valentine's Day is a special time to let others know we love them, but so are the other 364 days of the year! When my hubby and I first started dating years ago, some of our dates included riding bikes in the park. That was what I thought about when I saw this fun Cricut tags that's currently free in Design Space.  I really love last year's XOXO die from CTMH. It's bold and fun, perfect for this tag .  This week's sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches #438 was just right for this combination. I also used the theme and color combo from SumMore Fun. I added black for contrast.

 

I also love the CTMH cardstock with the white core. I embossed the little hearts and lightly sanded them.

I hope you'll let the others around you know that you love them, both by words and deeds

and cards!

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments #196 - Valentine or Love Sentiment
Bastel-Traum #61 - Valentine/Love
Creatalicious Challenges #132 - anything goes with option of love, anniversary, thinking of you
DL Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #221 -  Love
Scrap From Your Heart #18 - Mother's Day or Valentine
SumMore Fun Mood Board #21 - red, pink, kraft, white and love theme

Side by Side Sweetheart Cards

I had the flu this week because my egg allergy doesn't allow me to take the flu shot. I had to spend a lot of time in bed instead of crafting, but I had picked up an old 2011 CTMH Idea Book that was in a stack. I was inspired to use any extra Sweetheart papers to make more valentines and anniversary cards to send to my friends. When I finally felt well enough to come to my craft room, I found a complete unused package of Sweetheart papers. (I used to order extra packs of paper since I often had customers who would show up at the last minute wanting to join our workshops.)

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch to make the first card, then I altered it a bit and made several more versions.

The words were stamped using CTMH Soul Mates Word Puzzle and the Cotton Candy hearts aned flourish were from Card Chatter-Love from 2011.  Here are the other slightly altered versions with the same paper but different embellishments. I didn't think the pink circle was as effective as the white so this was the only one with pink:

After making a double page scrapbook layout and 6 cards, I still have 15 1/2 patterned papers and  cardstock pages left of the 24 in this paper pack, (not counting my consultant pack with 7 more pieces of two patterns). More Sweetheart cards and pages to come!

Thank you for visiting. May God bless your crafting!

I'm sharing the first card with the following challenges:

Crafting By Designs - Love and Romance

House of Cards February Challenge - Love Theme and/or colors

Little Red Wagon - Color Challenge #380 -  red and/or pink and black

Love to Scrap #94 - Who Loves You, Baby

Mojo Monday #483 - sketch

The Crazy Challenge #241 - Romance

The Paper Girls Challenge #121 - with heart

Use Your Stuff #250 - Love is in the air

Kraft, Gray, and Red Love

I'm sick today so I'm just making a quick card and post, which always helps me feel better! I thought last week's Color Throwdown with Kraft, Gray, and Red would be great for today's Mojo Monday!

 

I used the Hearts Thin Cuts, which makes a thin outline,  and XOXO, both from Close To My Heart. Thanks for visiting!

Beloved Bouquet - January Stamp of the Month

Happy New Year!

I was halfway finished addressing and writing notes in Christmas cards this year when I suddenly developed migraines that lasted two weeks. My stomach was too upset to take medication, so I spent a lot of time resting. At times like that I always drastically prioritize: this doesn't have to be done this year, this I can do in a few days, etc. (In teaching reading I called that "Monitor and Adjust.") Thankfully, I had finished shopping. The bottom line was that I had some very good friends who didn't get a Christmas card from me, so I decided I can send them a different type of card after the new year.

Here's my new start for a new year. I used this lovely stamp of the month to make three cards to say I love you!  I matched it up with the La Vie En Rose paper pack. The first one uses this week's sketch from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #140:

It's embossed with gold, has black and gold ribbon, gold glitter paper, and a gold epoxy heart. This next photo shows how glittery it is in certain light.

 

I'm also sharing this card with the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks #279 - anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner #52 - anything goes
Creative Corner - anything goes

Inspiration Destnation #66 - always anything goes

This next one was stamped with sorbet ink, then overstamped with the black details. I used an alcohol ink marker (ShinHan Light Orange and Pastel Green) to add shading and the colorless blender to remove ink to add highlights. I had always known that alcohol would clean remnants of my dye ink off of my work area but had never tried this on paper so I was pleased to find out that it works on paper, too.

 I stamped the third card with Hollyhock ink and shaded some parts with Cherry Pink ShinHan Touch Twin alcohol marker.

I loved the sentiment on this card: "Love is not a matter of counting the years, it's a matter of making the years count!"

If you have this stamp set, I hope I've given you some ideas. If you'd like to get it you can find it on my website here.

The last two cards each use a pattern from an upcoming workshop I'm doing in February using the Charlotte paper pack that just became available today in the new CTMH Seasonal Expressions catalogue.  Here's a sneak peak:

Hearts of Cork

I always wish I could make more cards and do it faster so I could use up all my hoarded papers, stamps, and scraps. I still have out lots of heart papers and pink embellishments, but I settled on a pink and brown theme with these scraps. All of the papers used were from my scrap drawers.

I used the inspiration image above from The House that Stamps Built Repeat Impressions "What If Wednesday Challenge" and used the colors pink and brown, the heart shape and some cork, which comes from trees. 

I wanted to use Kraft cardstock on this first card to go with the cork heart. I chose a scripture stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs. I only wanted the first two lines for the front, so I taped the bottom portion of the stamp, inked it with Versamark, removed the tape and stamped - such a simple way to mask!

 I decided to make a second card while these scraps were out. I took a close-up of the wonderful texture of the cork heart.

Thank you for visiting. May God bless you as you craft your love for those you love!

I'm sharing this first card with the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps #98 - embossing (I used heat and dry)

Chocolate, Coffee, & Cards #84 - Love Is In the Air

Craft Hoarders Anonymous February challenge - How I Love Thee-(& my hoarded cork hearts)

Deep Ocean #97 - Love is all around

House of Cards - Love

Simon Says Stamp - add texture

Stamp and Create February challenge - all you need is love

The House that Stamps Built WIW Challenge F1815 - photo inspiration above

Whimsy Inspiration #80 - use a sentiment

Word Art Wednesday #171 - anything uplifting

Truly Best Friends Card Using January Stamp of the Month

Temperatures are well below freezing here, single digits on the Fahrenheit temperature scale.  Australia and South Africa sound like nice places to visit during winter! Instead, I'm planning on staying inside and creating like many of you are doing! Like Philippians 4:8 says ; ; ;"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things," making cards or gifts for friends is definitely more lovely!
Here's another card using the January Stamp of the Month and the Heartstrings paper. I also used two PML scrapbooking cards from the Heartstrings set. I matted the red heart on black glitter cardstock and added a strip of teal

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create #105 - anything goes (optional matching envelope)
Crafting Musketeers #21 - hats and/or valentine
Crafty Catz #260 - anything goes
Creative Corner - Be Mine
Polka Doodles Challenge - diagonal: sentiment, ribbon, polka dots

The Crafting Café January Challenge - lots of layers
The Sisters of Craft January Challenge - anything goes
The Paper Shelter - anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #164 - anything uplifting

Hugs and Kisses Mojo Monday Card

Now that it's January, we're having frigid weather with ice and snow on the way tonight. With everything gray outside, I love to work with bright, happy papers.  I think it's better to think of lovely things to make for friends than to focus on bad weather, a perfect example of Philippians 4:8: 
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
For the next couple of days I'll be posting cards and a layout I'm making using the new CTMH Heartstrings paper pack and the January Stamp of the Month, "This Moment." The red background is a 4" x 6" PML card from the Heartstrings set.  I love the color combo in this set.

The banners were cut from some of the Paper Fundamentals to add a little variety to these papers. The sketch is the tall and skinny sketch from MOJO Monday #378 this week:

I heat embossed the hugs and kisses sentiment from the Heartstrings Cardmaking workshop stamp set.  The Pixie colored extra thick twine is one of my new playthings.  I used the first column down in this Polka Doodles Challenge.



Thank you for visiting. May God bless your crafting with lovely thoughts and things to share that will bless others in turn!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
ABC Challenge - A=anything goes
Crafty Catz #260 - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper January Challenge
Creative Corner - Be Mine
Divas By Design - anything goes
Mojo Monday #378 - sketch
Polka Doodles Challenge - bingo down - sentiment, more than 2 layers, wet embossing
Word Art Wednesday #164 - anything uplifting

White on White Wedding Blessing

I was inspired by Our Daily Bread Designs to create a "white on white" card. I think of white representing something pure, clean, fresh, and new. The first verse that always comes to my mind is "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord..." from Psalm 51. But I think of that verse in relation to my own life, my own prayer. I don't usually think of it as a card sentiment that I want to give to someone else. I don't want someone to think that I'm telling her she needs to pray for God to clean up the sin in her life, especially since it's not my place to judge.

My next thought about a white card was the making a baby or wedding card. The simple elegance of just white made me decide on making a wedding card. This verse from 1 Thes. 3:12 in ODBD Scripture Collection 5 seemed perfect for a new couple. It's a beautiful blessing to give them:


"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."

I embossed the background with the Spellbinders M-Bossabilities folder "Reverence/Adoration" embossing folder. I loved the crosses in the flourished design. I added a Wilton doily, a heart border using the Martha Stewart punch, white satin ribbon, Recollections roses and a Prima flower.

I love the part of the verse that hopes their love will not only abound for each other, but for everyone else, too. Love is such an amazing thing that it can fill to overflowing and multiply! May you also share that kind of love with all those around you! Thank you for visiting!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Crafting at the Weekend #2 - anything goes 
My Time to Craft #250 - No Designer Paper
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #205 - white on white
Paper Creator's Crafts #25 - wedding/anniversary
Sentimental Sundays #210 - anything goes with sentiment
Totally Gorjuss #239 - embossing
Word Art Wednesday #135 - anything uplifting

Two Anniversary Cards

I saw the challenge theme at Incy Wincy Designs and Ooh La La Creations this week to make anniversary cards. After making valentines and love cards in February, I still wanted to use the loving images and sentiments I still had out. I also realized I should really make more anniversary cards. I've missed some anniversaries that I should have helped my friends and family celebrate. I thought for quite a while about an inside message that I wanted to write, so I'm sharing first the message I typed for the inside of these cards. I wanted to convey the truth that as we grow closer to the Lord together, we grow closer to each other.

Another challenge I saw was to use swirls and pearls which I thought was perfect for an anniversary card. This card has swirls in the stamped image:

My second card used a random stamped panel that I started long ago and set aside. I really procrastinated on this one, but I thought it would make a great anniversary card with some additions. I especially liked the swirly die cut using the gold glitter paper. The prima and ribbon flowers were the perfect addition to a stamped panel I didn't know how to finish.

Thank you for visiting. May God bless you as you share your cards and your love with friends and family.

I'm sharing these cards with the following challenges:

Creative Moments #37 - anything goes/swirls and pearls
Incy Wincy Designs - Anniversary
Inklings and Yarns #46 - anything goes
Love to Scrap #25 - make your own background (my 2nd card)
Ooh La La Creations #151 - Happy Anniversary
Whimsy Inspirations #68 - Love is in the Air
Word Art Wednesday #122 - anything goes with uplifting verse

Love You to Pieces Card . . . and more

My dear hubby and I have been fighting viruses since last week. He's had a respiratory virus, I've had a stomach virus. We've made quite a pair! To add to the fun, I also had a rather unfriendly computer virus that seemed to eat up my time to resolve. I think all is fixed now.

I'm still making cards, so I'm posting three together today that were made with a new paper pack from Close To My Heart, "Balloon Ride." All three cards that I'm sharing today have a theme of love, which is so important. As I was growing up, my parents and teachers emphasized the scripture: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." If we loved everyone that way, that much, this world would be a much kinder place! I hope you enjoy the message of each card!

I used a square of each of the six paper patterns in the pack. I stamped the heart square on three of the simpler patterns. The stitches, heart squares and sentiment are from the set called "Stitch Wonder."  I stamped the cross stitch hearts separately and cut them out to layer on top. The sentiment was stamped and cut out and embossed with a Spellbinders die.

 

The challenge at Just Inspirational Challenges encouraged us to use ribbon and hearts. I used a retired crinkly-edged ribbon from CTMH.

 

I'm sharing this first card with the following challenges:
Card Mania #41 - Use a Sentiment
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Love
Just Inspirational Challenge - ribbon and hearts
Kaboodle Doodles #212 - use ribbon
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown #184 - Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday #121 - anything goes with uplifting message

Here are two more cards made with the "Balloon Ride" paper pack. The first one has a balloon cut out of the patterned paper. I love the way you can curve acrylic stamps to fit a curved space like I did on the balloon.

Thank you for visiting! May God fill your heart with love and your day with opportunities to share His love!