Life is Tough but so are you!

Where did the weekend go? I spent most of it cleaning and enjoying time with my family.  Time is definitely the best gift we can give one another and when a friend suddenly suffers a stroke, it brings it all in perspective how quickly life can change and how important it is to make time for those that are important to us.

I took some time to create a card that reflected our friends passion, which is drag racing.When Stampin' Up! came out with the Geared Up Garage bundle, all my friends immediately turned to me and said, "oh, this set is right up your alley!".  I was so excited since I am a drag racer myself and I have many friends who are involved in racing or simply into old cars.

While a Ford would not be my first choice (it actually is one of my last choices), the die image and stamp image reflect a Mustang so I went along with it. Both our friend, as well as myself, race Chevy's and while their is some designer series paper with a '55 Chevy on it, I stuck with the die cut as I was in a hurry.

The gears were die cut from Gold Foil paper. I love the way the foil papers really make the gears stand out. The burn out splatter was stamped in Smoky Slate and the Mustang was popped up over it using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I stamped the tool box in Memento Black ink on Real Red cardstock and die cut using the Garage  dies, tucking it slightly into the gears.

The sentiment is from the retiring stamp set, Friendly Expressions and was stamped in Memento Black Ink.

I hope this card gives our friend some encouragement during a time where he faces some new challenges in life.

Do you have a go to set that you use for sentiments when it comes to thinking of you cards? What is it?

Until next time.
Margaret 

Best Wishes - Wedding Card

When I began creating this card I had a recipient in mind however once I completed it with the Best Wishes, I felt this card was more suited for a Wedding or an Anniversary.

Do you remember the days when we could buy a package of textured cardstock? That was quite some time ago and I have missed the simple look and feel of that paper. Now don't get me wrong embossing with fun textured embossing folders adds a lot of appeal to a finished card but it wasn't until I finally purchased the Subtle Texture Embossing Folder that I was taken back to the days of the textured cardstock.  It has the same look, the same feel and I wonder what took me so long to order it.

For this card I decided to go with a square size (5" x 5") as my plan was to lay out the die cut leaves from Painted Seasons to create a wreath.

I added one of the beautiful flowers that I stamped in Mango Melody (love this colour) and die cut from this set on the bottom corner of the wreath. I also cut a couple small flowers from one of the Painted Seasons Designer Series Paper and tucked these just in behind the main flower.

I have learned that when using the Well Written Thinlits, it is best to add Adhesive Backed sheets to your cardstock prior to die cutting the words.  Far less fuss adhering to your project when using this great product. ps - it's retiring :(

By stamping the word "best" in Versamark ink and heat embossing with White Embossing Powder on black cardstock, the word really stands out against the light background of the card base.

This card came together quicker than I anticipated and I love the result.

Did you earn this set during Sale-A-Bration? Have you been using this set and if so what have you been creating with it?

Until next time.

Margaret

Butterfly Notes

Too often I stamp for generic purposes, building a stash of cards that the reasdy to Use at a moments notice rather than stamping with a specific person in mind. I decided that I would take some time and make a few cards with specific people in mind.

We have a favourite breakfast spot in our hometown and a couple weeks ago one of our regular waitresses informed us she had two more weeks of work and would be moving on to a new job.  We wanted her to know we were thinking of her, so yesterday as we celebrated Easter and the gift of salvation through Christ’s death on the cross, I took some time to create a special card for Michaela.

I used the stunning butterfly dies currently available in the Stampin’ Up! Occasions catalogue along with a sentiment from the set Butterfly Gala.

I don’t often try watercolouring techniques as it is not something I am very comfortable with yet, however I gave it a whirl on this card.  Using Shimmery White cardstock, I wet the paper with my Aqua Painter and then added ink. I love the way it automatically pools out and spreads! I used Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana and Mango Melody inks.  Using such bright colours was inspired by some recent cards made by my friend Angela.

The butterflies were created using the Butterfly Gala stamp set.  The funny thing is, I had no intention of buying this set when I saw it in the catalogue but sincerely I loved the punch and had purchased it, I thought I would be dumb not to buy the coordinating stamp set and be able to create with more versatility! I am so happy I did buy it, as I am loving this set!

Using the Stitched Shapes dies, I cut a circle from Vellum cardstock for my sentiment.  I used Memento Black ink and since ink doesn’t set quickly on Vellum I added Clear Embossing Powder and Heat set it.

The finishing touches were a few Clear Rhinestones added randomly on the card front.

We stopped by the restaurant for breakfast this morning and gave the card to Michaela. She loved it! It makes my heart happy when I can brighten someone’s day with a handmade card.


Until next time!
Margaret

Gift Tags - Wedding

I came across a gift tag on Pinterest where Petal Promenade Designer Series Paper was used for the tag. The patterned paper is so pretty that it doesn't need a whole lot to dress it up.  This simple seed sparked an idea for wedding tags.

Instantly I thought how lovely the paper would look toned down with a vellum overlay.  I didn't want to go overboard on embellishments or layers as I wanted to ensure the patterned paper still showed through nicely.

Now I don't know how well you may have browsed through the current Occasions catalogue but there is a great stamp set and matching Thinlit dies bundle called 'Well Said'. The dies include the words 'bride' and 'groom' plus an ampersand (&).  This was the perfect opportunity to use these on my wedding tags.

I also used the Sunshine Wishes Thinlit dies to add Congrats to some tags.

We all know a tag isn't complete without some form of ribbon or string to attach to a gift. I used a variety of pretty ribbons, sequin trim and bakers twine adorn the tags.

Simple, elegant and all ready for 'wedding season'.

Until next time.
Margaret 

Kindness - Home Decor

Often when I sit down to stamp it is to create an item or a product with someone else in mind. It is very rare that I will sit down and create something for myself.

I was beginning to feel like I was getting creative block and decided to take some time to make something for myself. I already knew that I wanted to create a piece of art that would fit in a picture frame and focus on being kind.

Using the Layered Alphabet Framelits and the Line Alphabet stamp set, I was able to stamp and die cut the word "kindness".  This on it's own certainly wasn't enough to remind myself of the message I wished to think of and practice each day.

As I have an abundance of old stamps sets, I pulled out one of my favourites - Pursuit of Happiness. Since I wanted to keep the colours relatively soft I went with Smoky Slate. A few more stamp sets were used including Incredible Like You to help complete this simple Home Decor piece.

As I spend a good portion of my time at work, I felt it was the perfect place to display my frame so each day I am reminded to think before I act or speak and to remember to be kind.

We never know another persons struggles and a simple hello or smile can make all the difference in the world to them.

As Ellen Degeneres likes to say, Be kind to one another!

Until next time.

Margaret