Because Christmas birthdays need special cards

In recent years I have met so many friends with Christmas-time birthdays, and so far I am the only one who actually LIKES having a Christmas birthday!  Everyone I know says they hated it growing up because their birthday always got lost in the shuffle of Christmas activities.

I, on the other hand, was blessed with parents who went out of their way to make my birthday special like all my siblings.  We always had birthday cake and presents on Christmas night, so even though I never had a birthday party, I did not miss it!  Even now that I am ?? years old and birthdays get lost in the shuffle for a different reason, I still look forward every year to celebrating my birthday with Jesus' celebration!

That being said, now that I am making greeting cards, I have made a special effort to have something special about each December birthday for which I make a card, hence the title "Because Christmas birthdays need special cards."

I can't seem to get into the habit of photographing every card I make, but I have managed to remember to do this for several of the birthday cards I have made for friends this year.  My goal was to blend a tiny little bit of wintery, Christmasy look into flowery, glittery cards.  So here goes...

First up, snowflakes in the background with a big flower backed by various colored metallic papers.

 It is pretty difficult to get a photo of the metallic paper without that flash of light in the center, so here is another view of it:

The second card also has some snowflakes in the background, but again I used flowers and butterflies for the focal point and I really like how it turned out:

Cheer and Joy stamps

I have a new all-time favorite set of stamps that I've been using this year for Christmas cards.  I have been "captured" by one in particular from the set.  I liked it so much I almost could not stop making cards with it! 

These two cards are samples of what I have done with the "Merry" surrounded by ivy and holly.  Different background papers make a huge difference in the looks of the stamp, as does how I stamp it.  On the red and gold background card I embossed the stamp with gold embossing powder.  I also mounted the message on metallic gold card stock which added to the elegance of the card, I think. The green background was stamped with black.  To be quite honest, I can't decide which one I like better!

Let me show you and you can decide for yourself!

D is for DREAM

After a busy couple of weeks when I have not gotten many cards made, I finally was able to sit down and learn a new technique and in the process, a new card for my ABC cards.

I got a kit that teaches you how to use aqua markers (water-based inks) and I've had fun trying it out.

I used pink, yellow and blue markers to paint the background of this card, and by blending the colors, got some green and purple in there as well.  The kit included die cut words ("dream" being one), and lots of stamps.  I used the dandelion flower stamp and one of the butterflies.  I painted the butterfly using the new markers I had, then I glued the butterfly's body on the card after bending the wings a little bit so the butterfly is more 3-D.

I added a scripture sentiment on the inside that I think goes along with the "dream" on the front: "All things are possible to him who believes."

Grateful for you

 
 I've been thinking and planning for the month of October, which is Pastor Appreciation Month, for many church-goers.  Each year I have tried to create a card to send to each of the pastoral staff of our church to remind them of our appreciation for their faithful and diligent ministry to their congregation, and more specifically to Russ and myself.  As I began thinking about what I wanted to do, I had decided that this year I wanted to challenge myself to make the front of the cards a totally stamped-by-me background, which I have only done one other time.

In the meantime, I found that two of the challenge blogs that I have really enjoyed following are sponsoring fall-themed challenges that fit in perfectly with the ideas I had for the appreciation cards.  One of the blogs is new to me but I have really enjoyed seeing all the cards on that blog ... Creative with Stamps.  This month the challenge to to make an autumn-themed card.



The other blog has been one of my "mostest favoritest" challenge blogs, Retro Rubber Challenge.  I have participated in this challenge in the past and always enjoy seeing how people use the older stamps in their stash since I have lots of those as well!  Their current challenge (#119) is to use the fall colors of red, brown and orange, and that was exactly what I was planning to use!

So... I have made this card as my "test card" to use in October to send to our pastoral staff members (each one will get his/her own card):

The card base is an olive-ish green to which I added a piece of orange card stock.  I stamped the background on plain white card stock using leaves from two different stamp sets, both of which I have had since 2012 (can it really have been so long??? Yep, it has!).  I stamped the leaves with chocolate chip brown, pale red, orange(the pad looked darker orange that it stamped out), and a green that was a pear green according to the name on the old pad!

I embossed the word "grateful" with copper embossing powder and stamped the "for you" with the chocolate chip brown.  The words are from a stamp set I bought on sale in 2017 and have never used.  I thought the words were perfect for the occasion.

On the inside of the card

I used a new stamp set for the words and repeated the old leaf stamp from the front of the card, stamping it twice with the pale red ink  so I could get a shadowy effect on the one leaf.

Anyway, all that to say I like the results and as of now, all 14 of our church ministerial staff will get a version of this card, and if I have the pleasure of having some good "vibes" from the challenge blogs DTs in the process, all the better!  But they have certainly been my inspiration for this year's Pastor Appreciation Month card, so THANK YOU Creative With Stamps challenge and Retro Rubber challenge!!

 

C is for CONGRATULATIONS

This is going to be a busy week and I am not sure I will get much done in the craft room, but on Saturday I made my C card to keep myself on track with this new goal of mine.  One thing I have discovered in the several years now that I have been making cards is that there always seems to come an opportunity to send a card for which I had not anticipated and for which I have no card.  Congratulations is one of those ... every time I have needed a congratulations card I have had to go in the craft room and make one because I had none on hand in my "stash" of extras.  This card is going to go into that box of extras so I can have it when I need one next time, and who knows when that time will come?!

Anyway, here it is:

I heat embossed two blossoms with black , cut them out, and just added a bit of Worn Lipstick distress ink to the centers.  The butterfly is from a die that I cut out from white card stock to which I had applied some Worn Lipstick and a tiny touch of purple.

The card is all red so on the inside I stamped one of the flowers in black and added some white word stickers I had (not sure where they came from).

B is for BIRTHDAY

Maybe I should say, "B is for Butterfly Birthday" since I used some more of some butterfly paper I had in my stash for this card.  I use a lot of birthday cards since I am the designated sender of cards for my Sunday School class, besides all the other birthdays I send cards for.

In any case, it seemed appropriate this time around to make birthday my alphabet card for the B's. 
So here it is:

A is for ANNIVERSARY

One of the blogs that I have really enjoyed following is Just Stampin' and over recent months, Jeanie, the blog author, has been making a series of cards representing each letter of the alphabet.  It has really inspired me to see her creations and the other day I was thinking about how many cards I've made, many of which I have not photographed and shown on my own blog, but this might be a good way to challenge myself to remember to make a record of some of my cards as I make them.

Sooo... starting today I am going to do my own ABC cards.  And I am going to try to remember to record them here as I do them.  We'll see if I am successful!

I have made so many cards in recent months for all sorts of occasions.  I love making cards and scrapbooking because it is never the same thing twice in a row (I would never make a good factory worker!).  The thing about doing an ABC challenge is finding new reasons to make a card, or at least, a reason that I don't often have.

My first submission is a case in point... I have lots of friends who have been married a long time, but we don't exchange anniversary cards.  However, my friend Jane is newly married and coming up on her first anniversary, so this is a great time to make an anniversary card!

Here it is!

 Doesn't look like an anniversary card, does it?!  And of course, it could actually be for any occasion with the little "Just for You" sentiment!  Can you see where I cut a slit in the covering paper there on the left side?  I folded the cut down and put some different butterfly paper on the folded section and cut out a little butterfly from the paper and glued it onto the white section.

As I said, it isn't really clearly an anniversary card from this view, but...

... when you open it up, there it is!  I kept the inside pretty plain and simple after the fancier front, but there it is ...

A is for ANNIVERSARY

For the grandkinds

This year Russ and I decided to write letters to each of our grandchildren at the beginning of the school year.  We are writing separately but are sending them in one card to each child.  I decided to make a card for each set of letters, one card for each grand.  I only decorated the front of the cards because the two letters will be inside.

This first card is for Joy, who loves music:

The words and the music are from a die cut set and I think it is perfect for the occasion.  Her favorite colors (last time I checked) are pink and turquoise.  But you know how quickly those things change for a young teenager!

The card for Lucas is more generic but I think he'll get a charge out of the "Hay there" greeting.  The figures and words are from a new stamp and die set I recently purchased.  I love the little farm animals!

I set the animals on foam tape...

And lastly, I made this card for Levi, who is our family punster.  He comes up with the funniest puns and "homemade" jokes!  I think you will see right away why I thought this was the perfect card for him.

I made this as a shaker card.  The stuff in the shaker is a set of sequins and tiny little pieces of fruit, including slices of watermelon!  Here is a closer look at the shaker:

Sleepless nights

Once in a while I find myself unable to sleep, usually after about two hours of good sleep I'll wake up wide awake.  If I find myself tossing and turning, I get up, get a drink of water and either read or watch a movie on my Roku, but last night when I had one of "those" nights I decided to go into my  (newly re-organized) craft room and do some card-making.

I have been going through all my stash of materials, getting rid of things that for one reason or another I am pretty certain I'll never use.  In the process, I have rediscovered some things such as some Dazzle stickers from one of my favorite online craft suppliers, Paper Wishes.  I decided to use them on a couple of cards ... I ended up making three cards!  Went back to bed around 3:30 a.m. and although I know I'll feel the lack of sleep later today, at this point I am just enjoying seeing how productive I was in my sleeplessness!

See what I mean?

The little sewing machine is obviously a get well card...

Then there is the card that could be just a "glad you are my friend" card or could be a birthday card, depending on what you put inside.  I choose to make it a friendship card.

And, finally, I made this friendship card (I guess it could be a thank you card, too, come to think of it!).

I don't think I'll be so slow to go into that crafting room the next time I can't sleep, but I must admit, that is NOT what I want to make a habit!

Birthday flowers

I made a card for our friend yesterday whose birthday is today, the Fourth of July.  She loves red and gold so I used quite a bit of gold on her card and added a touch of red.

I am going to submit this to the Freshly Made Sketches challenge for this week.  This is the sketch I am following:
I am using the natural strips of the background paper for the stripe behind the circular image. 

I had this golden metallic doily in my stash and used it as the background for my little wreath of white flowers.  I think the doily looks pretty on the turquoise-to-pink paper.  And like I said, my friend likes god, which is what prompted me to add the gold dazzle line stickers around the edge of the card as well as the background doily.  The little leaves are some brads I had in my stash and they filled in some of the space around the flowers.

You are a blessing

Today I made a card for a friend using a really old wooden block stamp from Hampton Art that I've had for ages (since 2012!) as the focal point for my card. 

I stamped it on black card stock and heat embossed it using pearl embossing powder.  I wanted to image to 1) stand out and 2) match the pretty background paper I'd chosen.  The paper started out with purple and pink at the bottom fading into a light yellow at the top.  (Makes me think of a sunset!)

After embossing the image, I cut it out using deckle scissors to add some interest to the image, and added fushia dazzle stickers to the centers of the flowers.

I like the simplicity of the card, but I think it is quite striking by have such a contrast between the pink/purple of the background and the black on the image.

I am going to submit it to the Retro Rubber Challenge blog for their "anything goes" challenge this week.

My A.U.G. degree

A few weeks ago I did a presentation at my regular Bible study group at a local assisted living facility to which those who attended had an exceptionally good response.  So good, in fact, that several times since then they have asked me to write it out for them to share with their families!  Although that response is gratifying to me, I am humbled that such a simple presentation as I gave that day had such a big impact on them!  I think it inspired them to think about the value of the Word of God to our everyday lives.

This week I sat down and wrote out a simplified version of what I said in my presentation.  I'll make some copies to take to them this coming Sunday afternoon when I go for my next Bible study with them, but I decided to put my newly-written, as yet unedited, version here on my blog as well.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR A.U.G. DEGREE?

By Jo Ann Rhodes

II Timothy 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to   

     be ashamed   (New International Version)

(The King James Version puts it this way: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a

     workman that needeth not to be ashamed)

This verse tells us about a graduation of sorts.  Just what is “graduation?”  We usually think of it mainly in terms of completion of a course of study, but it can also apply to any situation in which we are ready to move on to a new level of life or experience, whether it is school or work-related.  In either case, it is a matter of being ready to move on to the next level.

What are the requirements of graduation, as for graduating from high school?  According to the state Department of Education, two main requirements are: 1) completing certain courses of study, and 2) passing an examination that proves that you have adequately learned the lessons you have studied.

There are several ways in which this study and graduation are very similar to our spiritual lives as well.  Our entire life is our course of study for our “graduation” to the “next level” of life, our eternal destiny, heaven for those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ as their Savior.  As God’s children, we are working on our A.U.G. degree!  2 Timothy 2:15 tells us we are to study to show ourselves “APPROVED UNTO GOD.”

The word “study” in this verse means to “do your best”, “be diligent.”  Note that this verse does not say that we are to study in order to be approved by God!  It is not the studying that gives us salvation.  “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:5)  No, our studying is living a life that honors God.  Our course of study for our graduation to heaven is our life experiences.   Each time we have an experience where we learn another step in loving God or trusting Him, or entrusting our lives and concerns into His hands, it’s like taking another course in that subject.

What are the courses that are requirements for graduation?  Here again, we see a beautiful parallel between studying for graduation from high school and our spiritual study in preparation for what lies beyond this life on earth.  We can learn some valuable lessons for our spiritual “study” by looking at the course requirements from the Department of Education.

ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS

By studying God’s literature (the Bible), we learn what pleases God and that in turn equips us for living our lives in a way that pleases God.

     All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and

     training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for

     every good work. ~ I Tim.3:16-17

      

MATHEMATICS

God uses this short life on earth to help us prepare for eternity.

     Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12   

 SCIENCE

 God, who created the vast universe as well as this earth and all of us, loves us as

 individuals and cares for us, and provided a way of salvation from our sins.

     When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which

     you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings

    that you care for them? ~ Psalm 8:3-4

 

HISTORY

God never changes so what we learn of Him from the Bible, which was written hundreds of years ago, is still true today.  

     Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8

ECONOMICS

The most important thing we do during our lives on earth is to put into our heavenly savings account by remembering that our most important investments are spiritual investments.

     Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, 

     and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

    where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.    

    For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matt. 6:19-21

             

GOVERNMENT/CIVICS

It is our responsibility to support our authorities in prayer and honesty, whether or not we agree with them.

     I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and           thanksgiving be made

     for all people—  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and

     quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior.

     ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2

     Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. ~ Matt. 22:21

   

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

     Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in

     such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict

     training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that

     will last forever. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

     Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let            us throw off 

     everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with  

     perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. ~ Heb. 12:1-2

We are to study, i.e., do our best, be diligent, and work hard to learn what God wants us to learn during our lifetime.  2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that if we do that, when we “graduate” and stand before God we will not be ashamed.  We will not be ashamed because we will have trusted in Jesus for our forgiveness of sin and our salvation, and we will not be ashamed because we will have studied our courses diligently so God could teach us during our time here on earth.   We will have our A.U.G. degree!

Love birds

Not long ago I bought a stamp set of cute little love birds that I got a discount on but I had not had a good occasion to use any of the stamps until this week when I wanted to make a card to go with a gift for a wedding shower.  This stamp was perfect!

I stamped and heat embossed the image on blue card stock, on yellow card stock, and on the shimmery golden card stock that I used for the label.  Then I enhanced the little boy blue bird with some markers and cut it out.  Did the same for the little girl bird on the yellow card stock and added a little bit of silvery glittery pen along with some color and cut it out and glued it onto the label stamp.  I added the boy bird with some foam so it pops up a little bit.  Colored the branches and the hearts with markers and I think it turned out really cute.  I love the paper in the background, with the muted circles of various colors.  I hope she will enjoy the little birds as much as I enjoyed putting them together!

5 from 2

I had a 12 in. x 12 in. piece of flower paper that had big beautiful peachy-orange roses on a white background, and a sheet of orange gingham that seemed to match very well, so I decided to challenge myself and see how many cards I could get out of the paper.  This is the result:

 I was interested to see how different the flowers and gingham looked when using three different shades of green paper as an enhancement. All three matched bits of the leaves, but created a really different look each time.

For these I used a pale green as the solid green base:

And for these two I used a darker green that had more blue in it:

And for the last one I used yet a different green color as the base and it looks completely different.

I still had a small piece of the flowered paper and one of the gingham but I decided that five was enough for one day!

I like trying new little challenges on myself that help me stretch my creativity but I still am weak in courage to try more unusual color combinations, but who knows what I may try next!

 

Grace in the wilderness

Jeremiah 31:2 The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness…

The paragraph in which this verse is found has a title in the Bible I am using: "The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy.”  This chapter in Jeremiah talks about how God will restore His people spiritually when they have repented of their sin.  As I thought about that promise of forgiveness and restoration, this phrase “grace in the wilderness” came alive in a new way.  When I repent and receive forgiveness, there are times when God has to give me grace as I live through the consequences of my sin.  That would be a “wilderness” which does not mean my sin has not been forgiven.  For those times of wilderness, God will give the forgiven person grace to help them through the natural consequences of sin that has been committed.  In the following verse (v.4) this truth is affirmed when God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore [notice what He says next!] I have continued my faithfulness to you.”  God, out of love, applies His grace and faithfulness to every repentant sinner!

Some of God's "I Wills"

Jeremiah 33  Top Ten I WILLS of God’s promise of peace to His children

1. I will answer your calls to me, v.3

2. I will heal them, v.6

3. I will restore their good fortune, v.7

4. I will cleanse their guilt, v.8a

5. I will forgive their sin and rebellion, v.8b

6. I will provide good and prosperity, v.8b

7. I will restore the fortunes of the land, v.11b

8. I will fulfill my promises, v.14

9. I will provide a savior, v.15

10. I will have mercy on them, v.26

In the wilderness

Isaiah 40:3 In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Although this verse is usually referred to in terms of John the Baptist’s prophecy about Jesus, this morning as I read it I was really struck by the picture of where the way of the Lord is prepared.  The wilderness is a place of dryness and desolation, or as the dictionary definition says, “a wild and uncultivated region … uninhabited …; a tract of wasteland.”  I was reminded in that picture that God does His “best” work in us when we call to Him out of the middle of our life wildernesses.  When things feel desolate and unbearable is when a person most likely sees that desolation and senses his need for help.  When we recognize our desolation, the way is prepared for the Lord to intervene in our lives and His is able to make His way to us.  Another reminder that I don’t have to have everything in my life “in order” before I can call on God.  It call be a mess, but the way is prepared for God’s intervention.

Hello roses

I've been working hard at trying to find good uses for some paper and stamps I've had on hand for quite a while and I was very pleased with the outcome of what I tried yesterday afternoon.

I had a pink card base and when I was looking through a pad of flowered paper I had, I thought this rose-covered paper would be really pretty.  The black background really pops the roses off the paper.  When I added a backing of green and of creamy yellow I thought it made the roses look really pretty.  I have a set of label stamps and matching dies that I bought way back in 2015 and the small label was just right for the front so I embossed it on green cardstock and added a tiny silver "hello" sticker to the center.

For the inside of the card I used another stamp I have had since 2015.

I liked this card so much I think I am going to try some other variations with other sheets of the flowered paper pad.

Since I have used some old stamps I think I'll enter this in the Retro Rubber Stamp "anything goes" challenge for this week.

I even know just who I am going to send this card to!

Determination

II Kings 18:3-8 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord … he removed the high places … he trusted in the Lord … he held fast to the Lord … he rebelled against the king of Assyria and world not serve him … he struck down the Philistines.

King Hezekiah is a good example of what one does when determined to do what is right and honorable in following the Lord.  He did not just decide to do what was right, he acted on his decision.  He got rid of everything that might keep him from following through on his decision.  He removed things that would tempt him to sin (the “high placed” and idols).  He rebelled when he couldn’t do anything else, and refused to let outside influenced control his actions.  He destroyed (“struck down”) things that could cause him present or future distraction and trouble.  And he was proactive in his pursuit of doing what was right.  These verses tell us he not only trusted in the Lord.  He held fast to the Lord.  This tells me he was not naïve about the potential he had to give up and give in to the things that could tempt him away from his determination to follow God.

Not repairing my house?

II Kings 12:7b Why are you not repairing the house?

King Jehoash was a king who wanted to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  He saw that the temple was in disrepair because of the lack of interest on the part of the people and even the priests (too much attention paid to other worship instead of to the worship of God) so he told the priests to be repairing God’s house.  Yet after 23 years the priests still had done no work … just collected money to do the work.  And the king’s response really struck me today as I re-read this account.  There was no good reason to not be doing the repairs.  There was no lack of means, of supplies, or of personnel.  It was procrastination and/or pure laziness.  It made me stop and think again about my own life and what keeps me from reaching my own goals.  Although I never used to procrastinate, I see that tendency creeping into my life in these retirement years.  Why am I not repairing my own bodily house?  I can only say it is procrastination and laziness that keeps me from pursuing better physical and spiritual health.  I have no other valid excuse.

Rainbow and bird hello

I have had this multi-hello stamp for a long time and have loved using it.  It is a Stampabilities stamp from 2012 and I just never tire of using it!  I think it is because it can be doctored up to be either whimsical OR more formal, depending upon the background I use.  This week I thought I would try it over a rustic rainbow of gelato colors to make a cheerful and fun card.  After I put down the gelatos and smeared them just a tad, I heat embossed the greeting using some turquoise embossing powder, then I added those cute little bird brads.  I have a recipient already in mind for this! 

I am going to enter this in the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog.

Pineapple in many forms

I had a sheet of 12 x 12 in. scrapbook paper covered with pineapples, so I decided to see how many different cards I could make using that one sheet of paper.  Not only how many cards, but how different ...  And that is a real challenge for me, but seeing as I am trying to stretch myself creatively in my card-making, I knew this would be hard for me.  It was hard BUT oh, so satisfying!  I still have enough paper left to make one or two more cards, but seeing as at least one of the cards have an immediate use, I needed to document this even though I have not quite completed the final step!

Here are a couple views of the cards:

And a more close-up look at each one.  I'll start with my least favorite one, the Easter card:

I wanted to do something with some brown instead of yellow or green, but I think maybe a darker brown would have done better at bringing out the yellow pineapples in the background.  I went by a card I saw in a magazine that used light brown on top of a light yellow, but it did not turn out as I had wished.  At the same time, it does not look bad, just not quite what I had pictured in my mind.  I popped the die cut up off the front of the card to create some extra dimension.

This little girl with her yellow coat is a cute accent to the pineapple background, I think.  I also covered her shoes with Glossy Accents to make them look like patent leather shoes, which I think fit her outfit beautifully!

The card I made first was the original reason for starting this project.  I wanted to send a card to a new pastor on our staff at church, so I wanted to make a welcome card.  Pineapples seemed very appropriate for the occasion, and I was very pleased with how it turned out.

I covered the card with dark green card stock and layered some light green on top of that.  I put the pineapple paper on more dark green and cut out the word "welcome" with my Slice cutting machine in dark green and added some yellow glitter to it, then popped that layer up with dimensional tape.  I think it is appropriately not too feminine looking for the new male pastor.

For the last card  I used a bright yellow card base:

After putting together the set of squares of patterned paper with the "hello" I realized that the bright yellow was a bit too much, so before I attached the squares, I inked the houndstooth design with a stencil and some yellow ink.  It looks almost brown, but it is indeed yellow.  That make a huge difference in how the card looks.  I also inked the edges of the card with the same yellow ink to soften those edges a bit.  All in all, I was pleased with the outcome.

I guess I could call this set of cards my own personal "one sheet wonder" exercise!  I am pretty proud of myself at this stage!!

Yellow and gold Easter

I have been working on making some Easter cards using an old Stampin' Up Easter stamp set that dates all the way back to 2005, but I really like the sentiment in that set, and the bouquet of flowers that goes with it.  I found the challenge on the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog to be right up my alley this week, so to speak, so I am entering it into their Tic Tac Toe challenge.  I am using the row of yellow, heat embossing, and ribbon or twine.  And this is what I came up with:

I heat embossed the stems, leaves and flowers with gold embossing powder and lightly inked them with yellow and green, then I added a little bow of yellow and green and backed it on some sparkly gold cardstock.

The base card was a bright yellow and it seemed a little too much when I was finished, so I clear embossed a few blossoms to break it up.

Pink flowers birthday card

I used a new set of tools for this card... the set had an embossing folder, which I used on the white background, a set of flowers and leaves, which I used to make the pink flowers and green vines, and a set of (mostly) flowered papers, which I think suits this card very well.  I am pleased with the outcome and can hardly wait to give this card to the person for whom I made it!