HIDDEN LETTERS

Day 7 of Online Card Classes was all about letter dies and different ways to use them.  I made this card for my grandson who is turning 17 on April 6.

Can you find the hidden letters?
(Click to enlarge.)

BUTTERFLY SYMPATHY CARD

This is another card using a border die in a different way.  The previous card used the rick-rack border vertically, this one horizontally.  Unfortunately, it will be used for a sympathy card that will go in the mail today.

This is a great way to use up some scraps!

Zig Zag Pastor Card

Using a border die for the middle of a card is a great way to extend the use of those dies.

I had picked up a pad of glitter paper last week by Die Cuts With a View.  The glitter in this stack of 6x6" papers is soft and smooth, not as glitzy as other glitter papers I've used before.  It almost feels leathery, if that makes sense.

To start, I chose the four colors shown here and cut them with my die.  I then attached them to a strip of  Post-It tape to hold them in place while I added them to the middle of the ivory panel.  Next I taped the panel together with regular Scotch tape on the back.  Then I ran the panel through the Cuttlebug again with the stitched rectangle die.  Once that was cut, I taped it with ds tape to the dsp mounted on the front of the card.

After stamping the Bible verse and tying some dark brown cord around the left side, the card was done.

Just a note:  Because I used my Fiskars stamp press, I was able to go over the verse in a darker brown than what I had originally stamped it in.  I figured if it didn't match up exactly, I would stamp it again on another piece that I could mount over it.  Thankfully, it worked the first time!

BUTTERFLY BIRTHDAY

Online Card Classes have been offering lots of new ways to make use of our many dies.  Shari Carroll inspired me with her card today in using a stamp and die set to create a window with dsp behind the opening.

After stamping a piece of acetate with white ink and embossing with white ep, I attached it behind the matching die cut and popped the panel up over the dsp and a coordinating side strip.  The sequins, bow and glitter paper provide just enough bling, while the embroidery floss gives the card some color and texture.

The inside verse reads, "May your spirit keep the freedom of a butterfly in spring, may your heart be filled always with the joys of simple things...etc."

If you haven't tried an Online Card Class, treat yourself to one of them soon--you'll learn a lot of neat stuff!.

WINTER'S LAST GASP!

It's snowing like crazy around here today!

We already have 3 inches on the ground, with more on the way.

I have a stamp that says

"No matter how long the winter,

Spring is sure to follow."

Hope abounds...

HAPPY SPRING!

With another 3-6" of snow expected on Friday, this card may have to wait a bit longer before mailing!  Seems like the seasons are alternating this week.  Yesterday was very windy and cold (high of 34) today near fifty and tomorrow more snow, then up in the 40's again on Saturday.

I have a stamp I might use for the inside of this card:

"No matter how long the winter, Spring is sure to follow."

Meow Card

I couldn't resist this cat dsp I saw at Hobby Lobby!

Using the cat die from last year's Halloween set, I made it look like Jenny.  The inside will remain blank until I decide what to use it for.

Meanwhile, Jenny (my "stampin' buddy") has a new bed in the tower where she likes to keep me company.

I'M BACK!

Thanks to all the snow storms we've been getting, (every week!) I've had lots of spare time to get creative.  I'm finally caught up with all the other things I've had to do, one of which was to send out 20 thankyou notes to friends who supported me with their prayers during the difficult days away from home with my dad during his last days.  When I got home, there were flowers, homemade soups and visits to help lift my spirits.  The Lord has truly blessed me with wonderful Christian friends.

Please scroll down to look at the cards I posted today.  It's been snowing (again!), but I think this may be the last of it until next winter.  I will NOT be sad to see it go, and neither will my cats!  Meanwhile, the stamping tower has been providing the opportunity to relax and stamp up a storm (excuse the pun.)

SCRAP DRAWER #48--CONTINUED

Nothing says Spring! like butterflies and blossoms.  Here are the first of five cards I made with the tags I punched from my scraps (shown in a prior post.) 

These should make good encouragement cards.

SOMETIMES WRONG IS GOOD!

The weather forecasters were all over the scale in predicting the amount of snow we'd get today.  So far, we have 3" of new snow, but it has stopped here.  We were told to expect amounts up to 10 inches!  I sure hope this is the last of it for this season.  We haven't seen the grass since late January...time for crocuses and daffodils.  Even our cats have cabin fever!

I'm soooo glad the weather predictions were wrong this time.

FROM THE HERD

This stamp set just cracked me up when I saw it in the SU! Occasions catalog.

For this card, I used colored pencils which made it easier to get into small places.  I just adore all these faces, don't you?

After coloring everything in, I decided the pig was just too pink.  One of my friends suggested it was because he was too clean for a pig, so I added some mud.  I like that much better!

This is one of those stamps that does all the work for you--just stamp it, color it and mail it.


PS.  Check out a really clever card on Split Coast Stampers using this set.  I saw it when I posted this card there earlier.  It's the one that's to the right of mine.

SCRAP DRAWER #48

 My new SU! tag punch has come in handy.  I pulled out my dsp scraps and went crazy with it--what fun!

Can't wait to use these on some Spring cards...

IN MEMORIUM

This past Thursday my dad died at the age of 96 after a rapid decline that started only a month ago.  Up until then he had been doing well with Assisted Living, well loved by the residents and staff there.  He was truly amazing!

All who knew him will remember him most for his sense of humor, constant smile and friendly personality.  Wherever he went, he looked for ways to be helpful and positive, with never a complaint.  I consider it a blessing and a privilege to have had him in my life for so long.

We are all sad, of course; but the one who is feeling the loss most is our youngest grandson.  He was recently bragging to his friends at Kindergarten that he had a great-grampa who was 96.  My dad was here for Christmas, walking into our house on his own and eating dinner with all 12 of us around the table.  I'm so glad he was able to be here for one last family gathering, leaving a happy memory of that special Christmas, especially for his youngest great grandchild.

We look forward to the day when God "will wipe away every tear from (our) eyes, and death shall be no more..."  (Rev. 21:4)

FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER--Danish Heart Valentine

After making Danish Heart cards in Mothers Class this week, I had some left over pieces and scraps from other cards.  So I put them together in this smaller version for someone special.

Enjoy!

CRITTER CHICK

This set of Cheerful Critters makes happy cards!  This one is for a birthday.

The image is layered over a scrap of white cs cut to size and edged with a yellow marker for a perfect match.  The orange embroidery floss was wrapped around the top 2 layers before being mounted with dimensionals onto a small piece of dsp.  The green textured cs is from a pad I purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Using this set is super quick!

FISHY VALENTINE

Since I'm not in school (as a student, anyway) I plan to send this to one of my students in the Mothers Class.  I also made a bunch of shaker cards with this design for my youngest grandson to hand out in his Kindergarten class.

What a cute set this is!

DE-CLUTTER DE HOUSE--Low cabinets

Just the lower cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms...  You know the ones I mean--like the one that has the  _____(fill in the blank)_____ that fall(s) out when you open the door.  For me, it's the tupperware cabinet!  Time to straighten them out and store things more securely and/or more reachable in the back of these cabinets.

If you don't have cabinets in the bathrooms, then hit the linen closet!  Rise to the challenges in this year's series, and you'll be ready to enjoy the great outdoors come Spring!  Remember, clutter is not something to organize--it's something to give or throw away.  Once the clutter is gone, cleaning is soooo much easier...

Go for it!

SALE-A-BRATION GOODIES!

WOW!  Did I clean up with my SU! party!  Here is what I got:

2 pkgs of cardstock and 2 of designer papers
2 pkgs of dimensionals
the coordinating embossing folder
the tag punch
1 pkg of twine
1 container of silver embellishments
and SIX! stamp sets

With my hostess benefits, the Sale-a-bration freebie and the Christmas gift certificate from my favorite DIL, this whole assortment cost me less than $40, including tax and shipping--YAY!

I'm ready to start stamping!  (understatement...)

TIME TO DE-CLUTTER DE HOUSE AGAIN!

With all the winter storms badgering our area this winter, forcing us to stay inside waaaay more than we would like, it's time to put some cabin fever to good use!

HERE'S THE CHALLENGE:  Start with purging the paper piles in the house.  We don't need those Christmas catalogs any more, do we?  File what needs filing, shred what needs shredding, and do some purging and tossing.  Then brag about your accomplishments here where it might give someone else a boost.

Next week will be a new challenge, so let's get started!

Here's a tip:  I've cut down on the space used for white cardstock scraps (I use them for small greetings on cards) by following my rule of keeping only those pieces that are larger than a business card.  When the scrap drawer gets too full, I just go through it and toss the smaller pieces (or give them away.)

TUXEDO CAT CARD

This will be going to a special friend who also happens to like our two cats, and this card features one of them.  The cat is a die cut, and I used a cloud die to accent the purring.

Inside, I signed it from our family, "both human and feline."  He will definitely laugh when he reads that.  Our cats befriended him when he was here doing some work for us.  If you know anything about cats, it is not common for them to be so friendly toward a "stranger" but for this person they made a delightful exception.