"GROWN WITH KINDNESS" THANK YOU CARDS

Have you seen Stampin' Up!'s February Paper Pumpkin kit?  It's another fantastic kit, and the stamp set this month is soooooooooo useful!!!  I like to send a thank you card to anyone who places an online order on my web site, and I chose to feature the Grown with Kindness stamp set on the cards for February orders.  Following is my card and, below that, photos of the contents of the February Paper Pumpkin kit:

Other Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include Watercolor Paper, Whisper White cardstock, Lovely Leaves and Subtle embossing folders, 2-1/4" and 2-1/2" Circle punches, Rhinestone Jewels, and Baker's Twine.  The image pictured was colored with a Blender Pen and the following ink colors:  Pool Party, Smoky Slate, and Mint Macaron.

Cards created with kit contents

Kit Contents

"Grown with Kindness" Stamp Set

Isn't that a great stamp set?  The sentiments are fantastic:

"Thank You"

"You're the reason I smiled today"

"Life is tough but so are you"

"You . . . "are wonderful", "can do incredible things", and "are beautiful"

"Be kinder to yourself and let your kindness flood the world"

I love the border-type images and used the largest one on the inside of my cards to create a fun and decorative pattern.  The photo is blah, but the card interiors were similar to this:

Now . . . a little disclaimer . . . this card design was not mine.  Chris Smith, a fellow Demonstrator, shared a card on her blog that I thought was the bee's knees.  My card isn't an exact replica, of course, but I like to say that it was "heavily inspired" by hers.  On one of my finished cards, I had a little ink incident (also known as a "no-no-NO" moment) that a little pennant banner covered nicely.  I thought it looked pretty good on that one card, so I added it to the others.  Those little "flags" being wrapped around a very thin piece of twine can be a bit fussy but, in the end, I always think they're worth the effort.

DID YOU KNOW???  Paper Pumpkin's 6th birthday is in March, and YOU can get the birthday gift! Stampin' Up! is offering a specially-designed Paper Pumpkin kit for March that will include a FREE stamp set.  Yes, there will be TWO stamp sets in the March kit!!!  The deadline to subscribe is March 10th, and you can subscribe HERE.  And YES . . . I will most certainly send you a thank you card!

Subscribe HERE by March 10th

EASTER "ENVELOPE" - WOOL (FELT & FLANNEL) APPLIQUE

I know you normally come here to see cards and other paper craft projects but, every once in a while, I like to share another hobby of mine . . . wool applique.  Thank you for indulging my love for this craft!

Recently, I found a really cute envelope project and pattern that Rebekah L. Smith designed and shared.  I loved the idea of creating an Easter envelope/pocket to eventually adorn a Spring project, so I started gathering some felt, flannel, etc. for the task.  I honestly had every intention of creating an open envelope but, somewhere along the way, that intention fell by the wayside.  

Trying to get my Easter design worked out (as I was stitching) caused a shift in my original plan but, after all was said and done, I was quite pleased!  Did you notice that the (cheap) felt, which I've been hoarding for years, that I used for the bunny has an embossed design?  It is so darn cute in real life, and I was glad for all the times that I've handled that felt, wondering what I would ever do with it!  What really gave the bunny extra adorbsness (that's not a real word) was the hotfix Swarovski crystal for an eye.  [Ahhhhh]  

The pastel patterned flannels (try saying that fast--I dare you) are another product that I've been holding onto for at least two or three years.  I purchased them from Dragonfly Quilt Shop at a quilt/vendor fair, and I don't know if I didn't want to cut into them or if I just liked looking at them.  The flower and leaves embellishment at the top right is hiding an imperfection, and those elements individually have been in my craft room for a long time!  The stitched felt leaves and orange flower are from Stampin' Up!, the text printed flowers are actually paper, and the pretty flower center is a brad that worked nicely to hold the ensemble together.  I felt like I was truly "shopping" in my own craft room while gathering components for this project, and I loved that!  Shopping online is such an easy fix when preparing to start a project, but I proved to myself that I don't have to do that every single time.  So do tell . . . what do you think of this little Spring project?  Would you like to make one for yourself?  You can find and download the envelope pattern on Rebekah L. Smith's web site HERE, and then decorate it for a holiday/occasion of your choice.

"WONDERFUL ROMANCE" THANK YOU

I know you can't be tired of seeing projects created with Stampin' Up!'s Wonderful Romance product bundle, so feast your eyes on this one:

Wouldn't this make a nice anniversary or wedding card?  It definitely has a feminine flair and a touch of elegance.  My colors are Very Vanilla, Powder Pink, Pear Pizzazz, and Vellum.  If I remember correctly, I used Mossy Meadow (or was it Shaded Spruce) ink to stamp the die-cut leafy stems and then brushed over them with an Aqua Painter.  The beautiful texture was accomplished with the Layered Leaves embossing folder, and my finishing touches were Petal Pink & Silver Baker's Twine and those lovely little Rhinestone Jewels.  

Have you purchased the Wonderful Romance bundle yet?  If not, I can't imagine what you're waiting for.  It is a gorgeous bundle and sooooooo easy to use!  Check it out HERE.  When you purchase this bundle now or until the end of March, you can also choose a FREE Sale-a-Bration product!

MY VALENTINES

I didn't make too many cards for this holiday . . . maybe 6 or 7 like this one:

While thinning out my over-abundant collection of paper recently, I came across the designer paper and the vellum with silver foil hearts and set them aside for my cards.  And then I dug even deeper to find the perfect ribbon.  I have no idea how old that pink organdy ribbon is, but I used to really enjoy working with it because it is so easy and not bulky.  I used Stampin' Up!'s retired heart-shaped dies to cut the hearts, which were embossed with the Lovely Floral embossing folder.  The word "love" was cut from one of the retired Expressions Thinlits dies.  As a Demonstrator (next month will be my 15th anniversary), I have grown accustomed to constantly using new products.  I actually feel proud of myself when I reach for retired products now and then because they need to be used.

When it came time to make cards for my husband and son, I opted to design shaped cards using Cricut Design Space.  My husband's card is a tall coffee cup:

It turned out cute, huh?  I love that the Cricut Explore has a pen port and will write (draw) shapes and text, such as the sentiment.  I thought it would be a good idea to fill in the word "you" with some lines, but that turned out to not be such a good idea.  I was pleased with the rest of the card, though.

Lastly, my son's camera card.  Chad is quite a skilled photographer, and he seems to enjoy "collecting" cameras and lenses.  He recently invested in a used Nikon film camera and all the required items for film developing but, shortly before the warranty was to expire, the internal battery died.  He was able to return the camera for a refund (whew!); otherwise, he'd have a rather expensive door stop.  I was surprised at how much he enjoyed everything about film, and he is missing all of that for the time being.  Deciding what kind of shaped card to make for him was easy, but I think it needed just a little more pizzazz--I just couldn't decide what to add at the time.  

Just like with my husband's card, I let the Cricut Explore write the sentiment on the inside:

And there you have it . . . my 2019 Valentine cards!  

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

"ACCENTED BLOOMS" SYMPATHY

Looking for a stamp set that can be colored to fit the season?  Accented Blooms is the one for you!  I recently reached for this set when I needed to make a sympathy card, and it was so relaxing to color!  I don't know if this card had too much color for its purpose, but I liked how well (and easily) it worked with multiple colors.

Except for the sentiment, all products used to create this card are from Stampin' Up!.  An Aqua Painter and ink pads were used to color the flowers, a sponge was used to add color to the punched sentiment, and doesn't the embossing on the right look pretty?  I used the Lovely Floral embossing folder for that.  Check out the photo below to get a clearer view of this card's fold:

If I can assist you with any Stampin' Up! products, contact me at randari at Hotmail dot com.

TYPEWRITER-SHAPED BIRTHDAY CARD

Anyone who really knows me will already know that I 💖shaped cards!  If memory serves me correctly, that is the main reason that I purchased my first Cricut machine quite some time ago.  That was way back in "the day" when I had to use the little Gypsy gadget, which was prone to major upsets (aka loss of cut files), to design shaped cards.  And, man, did I go to town designing cards.  I don't even know how many cut files were on my Gypsy in that moment just before they were all lost. I was quite literally crushed (maybe a little angry, too) at the realization that my Gypsy was dead and that it had taken to the grave all of my saved projects.  I came across that gadget a while back (no, I don't know why I didn't stomp it years ago) and found it hard to believe that I ever enjoyed using it as a design tool, but I did!  I had several stylus tools for it and a pretty little case/cover.  It's been a while since I've had space on my countertop for the Cricut Explore used my machine, so today I designed a typewriter-shaped card that I love!  It wouldn't make sense to make a card that I didn't love, now would it?

Fortunately, the nice people at Cricut have made it much easier to use their machines, and the machines have really come a long way!  Not only do they cut beautifully, they're just easier and more foolproof to use!  I would love to have a Maker, but it's just not in my budget.  Of course, if I could find a buyer for my three Cricut machines + one dead Gypsy, I could probably afford the new Maker.  But didn't this card end up really cute?  I actually made two of them because if you're going to cut one, you might as well cut two, right? The stamped images are from Stampin' Up!'s Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set.  And now I'm prepared for the next two birthday people!  How about you?  Did you drag out something to dust off and use this weekend?

WATERCOLORED FLORAL SYMPATHY CARD

Sadly, a sympathy card was needed, so I reached for a new-to-me stamp set, Sketched Flowers.  I had my eye on this set (at Simon Says Stamp) for weeks before finally treating myself to it last month.  Using the images to make this card and the coordinating envelope was the first time the stamps have tasted ink.  What a joy it was to color the stamped images!  On the card, I used Stampin' Up! ink and Aqua Painter, and a Sponge Dauber and sponges were used to color the envelope.

Do you like to stamp/decorate your envelopes?  I don't always do it, but I believe it makes the mail seem like even more of a special treat.  And then there are times when I do good to just get the envelope in the mailbox!

Without going into any details, I'm sure the family receiving this card would appreciate your prayers that their hearts might feel some comfort.  ❤

WATERCOLORED "WONDERFUL ROMANCE"

Hopefully, you're not tired of seeing Wonderful Romance creations because I have another one to show today.  On this card, I tried to re-create a vintage floral design--and things were going really well until I added the dark sponging around the edges.  You'd probably never know that beneath that darkness there are layers of Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Pear Pizzazz.  The Early Espresso covered it all.

The image was stamped onto watercolor paper with Early Espresso ink, and I like how the Aqua Painter picked that up as I was coloring the image.  I used Shaded Spruce and Granny Apple Green to color the leaves, Pacific Point to color the flowers, and a Crushed Curry marker was used to color those tiny leaves with the white dots.  The ribbon picks up the Granny Apple Green color very nicely; however, the photo makes the ribbon appear to be more yellow than green.  🙁  The layer behind the watercolor paper is Coastal Cabana.  While the colors may seem like an odd combination, they really do work so well--if only you could see the card in real life. Finishing touches were the placement of rhinestone jewels to the center of each flower, and the flower petals received some glittery strokes of the Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush.

EASY WREATH-BUILDING WITH "WONDERFUL ROMANCE"

Remember in my previous post that I mentioned making another wreath card?  Well . . . here it is:

I ❤❤❤ the wreath-making ability with these products:

"Wonderful Romance" Bundle - Click here to view/purchase

On Thick Whisper White cardstock, I stamped the large curved stem of leaves and then colored them with Old Olive Stampin' Blends markers before die-cutting them.  A cut-and-emboss die was used to cut the Mossy Meadow leaf stems (see the embossing on them?), and another die was used to cut the dainty Powder Pink stems.  Lastly, the tiny flowers were cut from Fresh Fig cardstock, and don't they look pretty with a tiny pearl in the center?  It's nice that the bundle comes with four of those tiny flower dies.  

My wreath was built on a piece of Floral Romance Specialty DSP.  There are some gorgeous designs in this paper collection, but I chose the simple wood-looking design for my cards to keep the background slightly understated, letting the wreath steal the show.  Decorating the inside of the card, as you can see, was very simple!  A narrow piece of Soft Sea Foam cardstock with the die-cut lattice leaf design adhered to the right side.

Are you ready to bring some Wonderful Romance to your stamp room?  Get it HERE!

WONDERFUL "WONDERFUL ROMANCE"

Let me just go ahead and say that I 💖 Stampin' Up!'s brand new Wonderful Romance stamp set!  Of course, this product is offered as a bundle with coordinating Wonderful Floral framelits, and it's creatively refreshing that some of the stamps and some of the dies can be used independently--with or without the incorporation of their respective partner.  Isn't that like dancing with yourself?  Perhaps, but all that matters is that you're having a good time.  I know the same can be said for a lot of dies, but I just really notice it with this particular product.  A few of those leafy dies emboss and cut, and those teensy flowers . . . soooooo cute!  I just made a couple of cards today and used those flowers, and I'll be sharing a photo soon.

WONDEFUL ROMANCE - Click here to purchase

When I first looked at this bundle (and every single time I looked at it), I thought of making a beautiful wreath with that image on the top right of the stamp case.  Even better is that a wreath can be made using only the stamp or the stamp + its coordinating die.  This is my first stamped wreath project:

I used the Shaded Spruce ink pad to stamp the image that forms the wreath and then used an Aqua Painter to lightly color the leaves.  A lighter leafy image was stamped using the Soft Sea Foam ink pad, but then I thought some silver-embossed dots would be a great addition.  Since it's difficult to see the sparkle that they add, check this out:

Okay . . . yes, it's still kind of difficult to see the silver sparkle, but the light plays with the embossing very nicely in real life.

To add a little bit of depth to the wreath, I used the Early Espresso marker to accentuate the stems and give them more of a vine-like appearance.

Friends, this is truly a gorgeous product bundle.  I haven't yet begun to scrape the surface of its abilities, but I feel that these stamps and dies will be called upon for many card-making occasions.  It is particularly well-suited for weddings and sympathy, although not limited to those events.

REMEMBER:  While the Sale-a-Bration promotion is in full swing, the purchase of this bundle will qualify you for one FREE Sale-a-Bration product.  Can you say, "Awesome!"?

Purchase this bundle from me, and I will send you a handmade "thank you" card that features some of these products!  😊