Scripture Door Hanger - Joy!

Recently, I had the privilege of serving at the Women's Retreat for our church. After a very fun, refreshing weekend in the Word with some very fun, refreshing women, I wanted to make a little something for the fantastic ladies on our planning team who worked tirelessly and prayed to make it all come together. This was our key bible verse. For my base, I covered Chipboard Coasters that I ordered from here. You can do so much with those little coasters (did you read what I said? Cheap and fun and versatile). On this project, I made them into door hangers (or a little wall hanging) tied with tulle and seam binding. The flower made from my favorite go-to flower lately -- Papertrey Beautiful Blooms II. The petals are so bendy! Adds nice depth! The leaves are some of the BEST leaves I've found -- once again, from Papertrey Leaf Prints. So real looking and all!

Let's take a look at the border around the bible verse. I chose a Spellbinders die that fit the verse, and then I brushed it with a stipple brush, and then stamped the dainty flowers and leaves. Some of my favorite projects have included the use of these stamps from Rubber Stamp Tapestry. Click here - this was my first project, on the day that I bought them, including a tutorial.

Here is another example, and gosh golly, here is another one! I must like it - hope you do too! It's a good feeling to really USE the stamps in our stash, isn't it?!

A Little More Valentine Love

Yes, I know it's over (Valentine Day - that is) but I got more good stuff to post. Indulge me, for the sake of LUV! I covered some heavy cardboard canisters and they turned out so caaaa-ute! The little one on top is painted and stamped, and it holds a little gift for my sister. It is adorable. The big one -- that's a whale of another story I tell ya. It holds a batch of chocolate no-bake cookies for my son who lives in DC. If the cookies arrive in a jillion pieces, it's still good right?

I covered the big canister with valentine paper, which was a fun and messy thing to do using Modge Podge. But the joke was on me ... because even though it looks like a cutie, once I got done covering it, then the lid didn't fit! LOL So I started junking it up with various embellishments to make up for the no lid. But I decided to send the un-fit lid along with it, just so he could see how cute it "would have" looked and it's still good, right? I mean, it has cookies in it, after all!!

Dig this "family" label I found in my stash, don't you?

The small canister has a squishy flower embelly on the lid -- made with various graduated sizes of circle scallops and papers. (just spray each scallop with water and squish the paper into a wad; unfold and layer together)

The Valentine cards are larger than normal (5x5). This one using one of Papertrey's fillable frames dies and matching stamp - love it!

More Papertrey on these cards -- the flower and leaves are one of their dies. In fact, this particular flower is my fav because you can bend the petals up for dimension. It looks great EVERY single time. Well -- okay then -- this year's Valentine attempts can go down in history!

More Gift Sets!

Do you get the idea that I like to create gift sets? These cards use more papertrey goodies, because I am in looove with the mat stack dies and matching stamps! It's a little hard to tell, but the paper that I used was already pre-glittery so it made for some real bling. Snazzy!

Once again, the sentiments used were a mix between Papertrey and Waltzingmouse stamps (see prior post). Hey -- they were already out on my desk so I used them!

This card is my fav! The bookends sayings is just too cute (Papertrey set All Booked Up) and the tiny paper doiley behind the mat stack is by Martha Stewart.

Wouldn't you like to get a 'Hi" card in the mail like this? I WOULD! Or ...

maybe you would rather receive a "Hello From The Heart" card like this! I heart these cards. Period.

Lace Doily Meets Cards

Just playing around ... with paper lace circles and some pretty papers. This set of cards is so so so so simple, yet so so so so elegant. That is four (4) so's! Of course, Papertrey stamps and dies make everything easier, matchy matchy-ier, and funner (I'm sure those are real words!). I did mix in a few Walzingmouse Stamps too. Love love love.

The Get Well Wishes sentiment is from Fancy Phrases by Walzingmouse - it's a real "go to" stamp set. I used Papertrey's Fillable Frames #4 die and matching stamp border, then overstamped the entire label with a misc. french script background stamp, using Smokey Grey ink by Papertry. So soft and pretty, especially with the button accents!

Have you tried Papertrey's Mat Stack collection of matching dies and coordinating stamp sets? They make e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g better! This card uses Mat Stack 1 (my personal fav)! Looks great on the lace doily!

Oh be still my heart --- this flower says love all over it! I used Beautiful Blooms II #1 and die cut several flowers, and once again I overstamped it with french script using smokey grey ink. Subtle. Nice. Leaves are from the Dahlia die and I simply hand-drew some lines on the leaves once they were cut out. The nice little squiggles are from Waltzingmouse Fancy Phrases (didn't I tell you it's a great go-to set!?) These cards are bigger than normal (5x5) and they fit perfectly inside the plastic box that your Papertrey Stamps are packaged and delivered to you in (save them!). I made two of each card, and put them with coordinating envelopes all inside the pretty case, for a great gift set. Have a great day!

Blissful Banner

This cute little banner was inspired directly from my friend, Melis, on this post. Her photo's are better, but they are almost identical. I saw it, I loved it, I wanted it, so I made it! I used small squares of burlap for the center, and layered on a white felt star and then decorated each one with some sort of glitz. The banner itself is from Papertrey's banner dies, including the trim on the top -- it's a breeze to use!

I used cream seam binding to tie the bows, and topped eat bow with a button tied on using red twine. Such a cute little Christmas-y feel to it!

The word "bliss" is spelled out on the little hang-tags. A good word, don't you think? Good for more than just the holidays .... it should be good to hang during the entire winter season!

I can see myself enjoying making banners for many more occasions!

Hope you have a BLISSful kind of day!

Grunge Paper Tags

I went grunge! Not exactly my style, but after playing around a bit, I think it could be my style - hah! Grunge paper is best described as a "discovery" ... so soft and felty and bendy. First, I set up my Distress Ink Pads in a row and went to town with sponge applicators as I inked up the background colors for the tags. Then I stamped various backgrounds and borders. The tag itself is NOT a true shipping tag (it's grunge paper)!! The reinforced hole at the top is a small circle punch of brown cardstock.

This blue and brown number uses original Sizzix Decorative Accent #2 die and Flower Layers #4. The background of the Decorative Accent was stamped with Queen Wendy Vecchi's background from Artfully Said. The gorgeous stamped lace at the bottom is from Queen Wendy Vecchi's set In Love With Art.

This background stamp is Unity Distressed Dots which is very cool look! The flower was made using Papertrey's Delightful Dahlia Die which I cut in half, then cut slits in toward the flower center, so that I could curl the petals upward. That's the bendy fun part of grunge paper! Saying is from Queen Wendy Vecchi's set Art By the Number.

This purple & green number is my fav! Background lines are from Queen Wendy Vecchi Dreams of Art. Leaves are a Sizzix die, as are the tulips. Both of these Sizzix dies are eon's old - which means they are Originals and these two particular dies are the yellow half size ones. Now aren't those purple flower centers to die for? Prima -- they KNOW flower centers! Get thee to Archivers and grab 'em up!

This yellow number has a YOUnique stamp and flower stem ... the saying is a Limited Edition wooden stamp by Stampendous and the leaves are from My Cute Stamps Nature set (stamped and cut out with scissors). Once again, I cut a flower in half so I could show off the bendy petals better!

This blue tag sports a Sizzix Original Bird, Sparrow Die. Background is Unity Aged Sheet Music stamp ... with a Unity saying from an old Kit of the Month. It's fun to cut up any stamped sentiment, and apply it "collage" style! So ... all in all ... I'm hooked on grunge ... I'm in Love With Art ... and I'm still trying to clean the ink off my fingers! :)

Susan G. Komen Walk For the Cure

My bank teller was telling me how excited she was that this year, her and her mom were going to participate in the Susan G. Koman Walk For the Cure. Her mom is a breast cancer survivor and it means a lot to them to be able to do this!

So I thought it would be nice to let her know how special she is! The gemstone word CURE is from Michaels, and inside the notebook cover is a nice pretty pink note pad. I'm proud of my first ever Wendy Vecchi stamp set called "In Love With Art" (it's that fabulous lace stamp at the bottom, and the saying). The Take Note sentiment is from Papertrey's set "Take Note".

I slipped the notebook it into a large Papertrey Glassine bag and clipped a pretty silver pen to finish it off. I hope she likes it! Thoughts and prayers to all those who have been touched in some way by breast cancer.

Thankful For You

Papertrey's new stamp set, Wreath For All Seasons, is one I think I'll reach for again and again. It fit perfectly in the center of these small lace paper dolies (and inexpensive too!), which I clipped to bags of candy corn with embellished mini clothespins. I took these to a meeting at church, and everyone seemed to enjoy them! They were sure fun and easy to make.

All packed up, pretty in a Longaberger Pie Basket. I really am thankful for YOU!

Crepe Paper Gift Bag

Tattered to perfection! Consider adding a feminine touch to your everyday brown paper gift bags! I wrapped it lovingly with a flower fashioned from crepe paper, and some old sheet music as a center bud in the flower. I gave this gift bag a boost with some beautiful delicate designer paper. On one side of the blue pindot paper, I used a Spellbinders Impressabilities plate as a mask and sprayed it with glimmer mist. I can't get enough glimmer mist these days ... I'd glimmer mist my underwear if I could!?

Some vintage buttons adorn the Happy Birthday sentiment (Papertrey Say It With Style). Every single time I stamp something with that set, I swoon!

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day for me ... I'm meeting dear friend Debbie for a day trip to Brown County. We have some serious window shipping to do! We are celebrating our August birthdays in style! Hey -- Say It With Style ... Papertrey, get it?!

I'm already giddy! IF I come home with some goodies from the stamp store (IF?!), I'll be sure to share! Have a lovely day!

All Things Are Possible

I gave the old blogaroonie a face lift ... and it was kinda fun to do! Then I got down to business and made this cute card. A very simple, but snazzy card Great colors! There are two fun new things on this card that tripped my trigger. 1) did you notice the nice lined border around the Spellbinders Labels 8 die? I simply taped my die to the paper and traced around the inside with a fine tip Martha Stewart brown pen before cutting. Neato! 2) did you notice the glittered filigree? That was a cool find that my sister and I stumbled across (and for the life of me I can't remember where or when?!) but it is actually a package of various small accent designs that are on two-sided double stick tape. All you do is place the desired design on your card and press, lifting off the clear overlay. Then it is ready for glitter, tap the excess, and you are left with the cute design! It's called Design Adhesives by ClearSnap.

And what's a cute card without a cute matching envelope? Well, let's just not go there! I enjoyed coloring with copics on this one. Haven't done that in a while. I even threaded a dang-blasted needle and tied cute pink Martha Stewart floss on my buttons. Awwww.

Not Just Any Sympathy/Thank You Card

For those of you who don't already know, didn't hear from me personally or get word through another source, on January 28, 2010, my mom entered heaven! She was a sweet, beautiful, spunky, fiercely independent 87 year old who lived life until she died, peacefully, in her sleep. You can read more at my other blog post if you care to. We will miss her like crazy, but our loss is heaven's gain! So now you better understand why these are not just any sympathy/thank you cards ... they are more than special to me, carrying a message from my heart along with a keepsake picture that was taken of her and I just this past Christmas Day! Mom's favorite color was pink, and she loved pink carnations -- which was my card inspiration.

My creative juices are still running through the shabby-chic/vintage phase, so I started with Rustic Cream cardstock, and shot it with my newest favorite glimmer mist, Vanilla Breeze (ooooh so glimmery, yummy!). The harlequin diamond background stamp, topped with PTI's Background Basics-Hearts -- just makes mush outa me. I LOVE IT! A very simple design, really!

A computer generated thank you message -- when words fail and hand-writing isn't so sure of oneself -- edged with vintage chamomile tea dye ink (PTI). My mom and I spent Christmas Day making THIS very card pouch design -- for some birthdays coming up --- namely, hers! But she didn't know that that's what I was doing at the time we were both making one! LOL A few days later, she grinned with bright blue sparkling eyes when we gathered at Red Lobster and she saw my card that "we" had made together! Two giggling girlfriends we were!

I truly believe that Karen Lockhart's stamp "...live each day on purpose ..." must have been made for my momma! No one did it better, for 87 years!

Until we meet again in the heavenlies ...

Polka Dot Vintage Christmas

How about a little "hip" vintage? You know the song "Just a Little Bit Country .... Just a Little Bit o' Rock-n-Roll!" Well ..... how about "Just a Little Bit Vintage ... and a Little Bit o'Hip!" These two darlings are Pocket Cards that have been customized for the girls who work in Kevin's office. The base card pocket is made from Kraft cardstock, cut in half lengthwise, then scored at 6 1/2 inches. I used PTI's polka dot basics to stamp the background - one of my all time favorite go-to stamp sets! I also used a sheet music stamp (source unknown) on vintage cream cardstock, but you could use actual aged sheet music if available.

The notecard with the personalized sentiment is computer generated, but after I cut it to fit the pocket and rounded the corners, then I ran it through my sizzix to emboss it. I like the way it turned out!

Now for the BEST and most FUNNEST (is that a word?) part of this card -- besides the cute vintage postage stamps which were on a 12x12 piece of DP that I cut out -- is this WAAAY cute and fun crumpled paper flower that I ADORE! Stinkin' adorable!

My favorite tutorial for these scrunched paper flowers is found here (the girl is a HOOT) -- but there are many many many examples on the internet if you google it! I sprayed mine with Gold Glimmer Mist before crumpling which not only added some yummy glimmer glow, it also made it easier to crumple and then the flower dried stiff since it had some ink on it. SO SO SO SO fun to make!

Lastly, I added some bling and a satin-edged olive green ribbon. Only 7 more days till Christmas! My wrapping is not done - I'm SO grateful for the invention of gift bags! Have a great day!