Mojo Monday

I was enjoying "playing with paper" so much the last few days that I nearly forgot to post my Mojo Monday card this week. The sketch was so versatile I made several with different papers. This was my favorite.

I used papers from a new paper pack, Oh, Deer. The woodland theme is one I love, especially the birchbark!  The music strip is one of the zip strips off the top of one paper. The stamp on the cocoa leaves is from this month's Stamp of the Month. I stamped the sentiment on one of the PML cards that came with the paper pack and trimmed it to fit.

I'm sharing this card with
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #131 - trees, branches, and or leaves
Crafting with the Dragonflies #65 - music related
Just Us Girls #360 - use sequins
Mojo Monday 484 - sketch.

Vintage Snowman Easel Card

 The idea of an easel card  and snowpeople inspired me to make a vintage Christmas card  using an image from one of my cd's. The Basic Grey paper I used is so old, it's "vintage," too - "Figgy Pudding." I chose the sentiment "Love never melts" because there's a feeling of warmth and love in the way the boy is building the snowman, the girl is smiling, looking on, and a man is looking across the fence like an adoring father.

The torn paper in the lower left gave me the idea to rip the edges a little. That also gives the easel a resting place so it doesn't slide shut. Here's the side view showing the two folds and a top view showing the verse I typed.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge - R for Rip It
A Snowflake's Promise - anything goes
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - August - Snow People
Christmas Card Challenge Wk 39 - any Christmas (or optional photo inspiration)
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #380 - easel card
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #297 - Vintage
Holly Jolly Christmas #80 - more than one fold

National Stamping Month Blog Hop

Welcome to our blog hop highlighting all the special parts of the special from Close To My Heart for National Stamping Month, Create Kindness. If you arrived here from Brenda Lapp's blog.  you're on the right path. You can find the entire list on Melinda Everitt's blog.  You can find all the contents of this kit here, where you can also buy each piece individually.  I used 8 of the cards to make the smaller 3" x 3" cards that are great to make as a gift enclosure or place on someone's pillow or desk. You can see those I posted on September 1st.

Today I'm sharing a few of the 5.5" x 4.25" cards I made using the card pieces. I wanted to also use up the small envelopes so I included them inside to make these cards for giving cash or gift cards.


The first three use the stamps from the set: I cut off 1/2" from the paper used on front to help decorate  the gift card envelope inside. I also used the cricut shapes I included with the set I posted September 1st and papers from the Adventure Fundamentals papers that coordinate with the papers in the kit.  On each of them, I placed ribbon or another element over the scored line for folding the 6" x 3" card base I used to decorate the front.

Because I especially need gift card holders for Christmas, I'm showing two of the ones I decorated using different stamps.

Thanks for visiting.  Now you're ready to visit  Jennifer Dykstra's creation!

Blessed to Have You Card

When I saw the lovely sentiments in the CTMH September Stamp of the Month, I couldn't wait to try them. If I had the stamina and knew the addresses, I'd make scores of cards with this one to send to the many people who have blessed my life over the many years. But I'll have to settle for the here and now to share this lovely sentiment of gratitude. 

The striped and dotted papers come from Jeepers Creepers paper pack and the leaves were stamped on Cricut cuts of Rustic Home Fundamentals papers. Since they're reversible, one side has a warmer beige coloring and the other a gray tone. I used both. An eighth inch strip of gold glitter paper was also coordinated with gold sequins and white and gold twine.

The sentiment of this card also challenges me to be a blessing to others. It brought to mind the words of the old song, Make Me a Blessing.

Out in the highways and byways of life, Many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, Making the sorrowing glad.
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing, Out of my life, May Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Saviour I pray, Make me a blessing to someone today.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
ABC Challenge - O for Open
Aud Sentiments Challenge #163 - anything goes plus a sentiment
Crafty Catz #336 - anything goes with twist-autumn colors
Creative Knockouts #157 - sparkle and shine
Heart 2 Heart Challenge - for National Stamping month, CTMH product and stamping
Let's Craft and Create #117 - Spots or Stripes
PDE Linky Party #136 - anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #246-247 - anything family friendly

5.5" x 4.25" Card Recipe:
Papers - CTMH Jeepers Creepers (tangerine stripe and whisper gray dotted), Rustic Home (leaf backgrounds)
Stamps - September Stamp of the Month "Blessed Beyond Measure"
Ink - Black, Tangerine (stamped on small leaves and sponged on biggest leaf)
Markers - ShinHan Twin Touch YR24 Marigold
Embellishments - Gold Glitter Paper, Gold Sequins, White and Gold twine
Tools - Cricut Artbooking (leaves), 2" scalloped circle punch, sponge

Autumn Colored Thankfulness

September came to our area with an early taste of fall. The high temperatures have been in the 70's and lower 80's. They've been so much more refreshing than the humid 90's! They put me in a mood to make fall cards!

I wanted to make one with another sentiment from the Close To My Heart Stamp of the Month in my last post.  The stamp set displayed each of these separately but I paired them together because I saw a connection between "thankful" and the idea, "The secret to having it all is knowing you already do."  This is truly something to think about! Taking time to consider that I have so much to be thankful for can make a difficult day seem blessed, and in my head I start hearing the old hymn playing, "Count Your Blessings."

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost.
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

Thank you for visiting! May your days be blessed with thankfulness and awareness of the many ways God has blessed you!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create #189 - optional - colors of fall or anything goes
Crafty Catz #336 - anything goes with optional autumn colors
Die Cut Divas - Fall (die cut oak leaf wreath and wood embossing)
Just for Fun Challenge - Fall photo inspiration (stamped leaves and sentiment)
Really Reasonable Ribbon #148 - autumn colors with ribbon
Simply Create Too #117 - Fall colors
Word Art Wednesday #246-247 - anything family friendly

5" x 6.5" Card Recipe:
Papers - Kraft Cardstock base, Jeepers Creepers (tangerine stripe), Swan Lake (poppy nature pattern), Enchantment Paper Fundamentals (New England Ivy), Black, White Daisy, Tangerine (wreath) cardstocks
Stamp - Blessed Beyond Measure
Inks - Tangerine, Black; Chocolate and Poppy for sponging
Markers to color acorns on wreath
Embellishments - gold sequins, black and gold ribbon (Uptown Ribbon Pack)
Tools - sponges for inking,  Wood Slats embossing folder, corner rounder, Cricut Flower Market

SeptemberSOTM Blog Hop - Blessed Beyond Measure

Welcome to our blog hop featuring the Close To My Heart September Stamp of the Month, Blessed Beyond Measure. If you just got here from Maureen OSullivan's blog you're in the right place. You can find a list of all the stampers at Melinda Everitt's blog.

I love fall colors and images from nature! I used New England Ivy and Saffron papers from the new CTMH Enchantment Fundamentals, the new CTMH papers from Rustic Home (glossy woodgrain and subtle pattern for sentiment) and Swan Lake (Poppy autumn pattern) for my card.  Leaves were cut using Cricut Artbooking, then stamped with Fern ink. The open patterns were colored with ShinHan alcohol ink markers. You can get a closer look at all the materials I used by checking out the links in my card recipe at the bottom of this post.

This month's stamp set is perfect for fall colors, but has sentiments that can be used all year! You can get this acrylic stamp for $17.95 or for only $5.00 with a $50.00 purchase.

Thank you for visiting! Now you're ready to go on to Michele Rowley's creation!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Mod Squad Challenge - Use Foliage
Mojo Monday #462 sketch

Moo Mania Challenge - Nature's Beauty
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - anything goes
Sisterhood of Crafters - use ribbon

Word Art Wednesday #246-247 - anything family friendly

6.5" x 5" Card Recipe (All supplies are from CTMH):
Papers - Enchantment Fundamentals (New England Ivy and Saffron) , Rustic Home (glossy woodgrain and subtle pattern for sentiment) and Swan Lake (Poppy autumn pattern), Cocoa and New England Ivy cardstock (mats-which can be found in the Basic and Enchantment cardstock packs or individually sold)
Stamps - Blessed Beyond Measure
Ink - Fern, Black
Markers - ShinHan Touch Twin: YR24 Marigold, R140 Light Orange
Tools - Cricut Artbooking cartridge
Embellishments - Rustic Home ribbon pack (crocheted), Uptown ribbon pack (gold), Gold Sequins

National Stamping Month - Create Kindness Kit

Welcome to September! This has been designated as National Stamping Month, something I love each year.

This year Close To My Heart is offering an amazing special that has become my favorite. It's called Create Kindness and how kind it will be to share the cards it makes with those around us. The kit is especially good for someone who has limited supplies or a novice, just beginning to stamp. I purchased the entire kit but parts of it can also be purchased individually. You can see the contents here.

The kit makes 24 cards that are 3" x 3." I had fun making 8 of those cards that I'm showing you here below. That size is perfect to add to gifts or to set on someone's desk at work.  I've also used the kit to make larger cards. Come back on August 7th to see our blog hop and my gift card holders made with the kit contents. Here are the first 8 that I created by adding some small circular mats cut out using the Cricut.

The kit includes 6 each of the four card background designs in the Adventure colors. It comes inside an organizer for the small M-sized stamps and includes the 1.75" circles, the envelopes, and four different flower stamps, four inside sentiment stamps, along with a 2" acrylic block and a mini stamp pad of Archival Black. I colored the images and sentiments using ShinHan Touch Twin markers in coordinating colors. The background mats are 2" scalloped circles (from our previous punch) and a variety of 2.5" circular shapes from our various Cricut cartridges. If you have the Cricut Explore you are welcome to use my cut file here. Our new Cricut cartridge, Flower Market, has so many wreath shapes, I wanted to try using some on these cards. I cut 3 of everything using Adventure cardstocks so I could also use them on my larger cards.

Here are some close ups:

This kit is only available in the month of September and only as supplies last, so don't wait long to get it if you're interested. Here are the kit contents and links:

Create Kindness Card Kit

The Create Kindness card kit (CC1145) includes 24 pre-printed card bases with envelopes, 8 exclusive M-size stamp sets, a 2″ × 2″ My Acrylix^® block, and an Archival Black mini pigment ink pad, all packed snugly in the My Acrylix^® Mini Stamp Organizer.

$46.95

The inside sentiment stamps:

You can also purchase individual ingredients here.

Thank you for visiting! I hope this gave you a few good ideas. May God bless your creating and your little acts of kindness that encourage and lift the spirits of someone today!.