Just a Few Cards and an 85th Happy Birthday Shout-out...

Good morning, friends!! I hope that you had a great weekend! I worked on several small projects and cleaned my craft room, which was a TOTAL PIT!! Seriously, it looked like Hobby Lobby had exploded in there - ha! ha!

Here are a few cards that I recently made from scraps that I had laying around:

The last card, which I mailed out last week, is for my hubby's precious Aunt Geneva who turns 85 today. She lives in Colorado, and her children are having a "card shower" for her and asked for family and friends to shower her with birthday cards to make her day!

Here is a photo of our sweet Aunt Geneva, who is a retired Kindergarten teacher and one of the kindest ladies that you'll ever meet:

Be sure to check back this week to see some of the other projects that I worked on this weekend. Until then, have a WONDERFUL week!

Blessings,

Masculine Cards...

Hello! Just a quick post today to show you a couple of masculine cards that I whipped up using scraps from my supply stash...

Fist off is a birthday card that I made by trimming up the background paper that was in a frame that I purchased. The background paper in the frame had images of three antique hardware pieces for a door, so I simply incorporated one of those images into the card. I tied a scrap piece of muslin into a decorative knot and included a piece of burlap paper, a piece of decorative paper and a tiny little key tied up with jute twine for added detail:

I used another one of the door hardware images from the background paper in the frame as a nice decorative element in this card as well. I used a piece of denim paper for the background, and then added some plaid paper, cardstock, burlap, a button and a key tied up with jute twine, and a clock image that I cut off of a box that held a clock that I recently bought. (Be sure to always look at the packaging of items that you purchase...you just might be able to cut out the interesting images on the packaging to turn into a "trash-to-treasure" projects like I've done with these cards!)

Here's a close-up photo of the little sentiment tag that I made and attached to the burlap scrap and button tied with jute:

Thanks for dropping by today...the weekend is almost here!! :)

Re-stocking My Card Stash...

Hello! With all of the birthdays, anniversaries and weddings that we've had in our circle of friends and family lately, I desperately needed to make some cards to re-stock my card stash for future events. Here are a few of the cards that I've been working on:

This is a wedding card that was given to the couple that I made the country wedding shadow box for. (You can click HERE to see that shadow box, if you'd like.)

Next up is a feminine birthday card using lots of pretty scraps of paper doilies, ribbon and paper:

I even decorated the inside of the card to match the outside of the card:

It's always good to have a few, simple, masculine cards on hand, so I made this one and I think it fits the bill nicely:

On the inside of the card I created a pocket to slip money or a gift card into for the recipient:

My sweet SIL Lea Ann has been very ill and in the hospital for quite a while, so I made this card and mailed it to her to help cheer her up:

I REALLY LOVE how her card turned out...I am a sucker for frilly, feminine things like lace, pearls, flowers, etc., which I incorporated into her card. I decorated the inside of her card as well, with a coordinating piece of ribbon and a cardstock heart with pearl accents:

Here's a fun, country-looking birthday card. I added buttons tied with jute twine, as well as a simple fabric flower that I stitched up using fabric scraps. Lace and additional twine that I curled around a skewer add some extra texture and dimension:

Next up is a shabby-chic looking wedding card that I created using a little metal key, a tea-stained doily, flat-backed pearls, and a deconstructed/aged silk flower:

Here's a fun birthday card for a friend, in which I incorporated a piece of green ric-rac and a scrap of fabric that I folded and tied into a decorative knot for a different kind of decorative element:

Last, but not least, here's the anniversary card and coordinating envelope that I made for my folks, who will celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary this Saturday, August 8th. (Happy anniversary, mom and dad...love you bunches!!)

Happy Birthday to My Friend, Cristi O.!

Good morning! Just a quick post today with a BIG happy birthday shout-out to my dear friend, Cristi O.!! Cristi is an AMAZING lady, with an infectious laugh and a fun and bubbly personality that makes everyone love to be around her. I have been blessed to be friends with her for (GULP!) about 40 years...although I don't know how on earth either of us are old enough to admit to that - HAHAHA!! ;)

Here's the cute card that I made for her:

I incorporated lots of fun elements on this card to give it wonderful dimension and texture, such as a polka-dot fabric ruffle, a pretty paper rose, a piece of a tea-stained paper doily, feminine patterned paper, and a little touch of bling.

As I head out the door to work, I want to wish Cristi a SUPER SPECTACULAR birthday, and the rest of you a SUPER SPECTACULAR day as well!

Blessings,

Happy Birthday Card For My Hubby

Happy Friday, friends! Tomorrow my sweet and handsome hubby celebrates birthday number 49!

Our plans are to meet a friend in Owasso for dinner, so it should be a fun evening! Here's the birthday card that I made for him...I had a piece of scrapbook paper that had the number 49 on it, so I highlighted that number with the frame from a tag. (I tore the paper part out of the metal rimmed tag, which created the perfect size frame to highlight the number.) I tied some jute twine to the left side of the frame, added a strip of corrugated sage cardstock, a knotted piece of grosgrain ribbon, and a few other accents to create the perfect, masculine, "Birthday 49" card for him:

We're hoping for a cooler weekend, with maybe a little rain, which would be so nice! Have a fun and restful weekend!

Blessings,

Sweet Baby Girl Collage Shadow Box and Card

Hi, friends!! My sweet hubby and I are on vacation this week - WOOHOO!! - so I'll share vacation pics with you next week! For now, though, I wanted to show you the baby girl shadow box that I made for my sweet friend Diana P., who was blessed with her very first grandchild last month! Her oldest son and daughter-in-law had a precious baby girl, so I wanted to create something special for Diana to commemorate this wonderful occasion:

To protect their privacy, I blurred out the birth stats on this post, so that is why the words on the tag are un-readable. Here are a few close-up shots of the embellishments so that you can see their detail:

I incorporated a gold key, along with some strips of lace, a scrap of burlap, flat-backed pearls and a sweet little paper rose to highlight the word LEGACY and it's definition. I also incorporated a pretty little cameo-style "W" embellishment, since the baby's name is Wynnerie:

The tag that I used for the "stats" was aged by soaking it in a mixture of coffee, cinnamon and vanilla. I typed up the information on Word on my computer, and then attached the tag to a full-sized piece of paper and ran it through my printer. I added a piece of paper doily to the bottom of the tag, along with some flat-backed pearls. I added some sweet baby pink organza ribbon, a sage green ribbon, and layered it on top of a piece of burlap and an aged/distressed paper doily:

Here's another cute little paper rose that I placed on top of a pretty sage ribbon bow:

The background paper is a beautiful floral piece that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I added 3 rows of lovely, polka-dot ruffled ribbon to the top of the collage...something about those ruffles remind me of the cute little ruffled diaper covers that baby girls wear...ADORBS!! :)

I also made a coordinating card to go with the shadow box, incorporating some of the same papers and elements such as burlap, paper roses/doily, organza ribbon, etc.:

I mailed the gift to Diana, who lives in Georgia, and she received it on Friday. Here's a photo of her with the shadow box and card...isn't she just so pretty!! I am truly blessed to have her as a friend! We've been friends since 8th grade, and although we haven't seen each other in years, we've always stayed in touch through letters, Facebook, etc. Long-time friends are such a wonderful gift! :)

Thanks for dropping by today! Have a WONDERFUL week!!

Blessings,

Happy Birthday to My Sis-In-Law Sandy...

Hi, folks! Today my super sweet sis-in-law Sandy celebrates a birthday, so I wanted to send her a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT!! Sandy is an amazing Godly woman who is good and kind through and through, and everyone that knows her absolutely adores her! I am truly blessed to have her as my sister! (I hope you're having a wonderful day, sis...love you bunches!!)

Here's a photo of the personalized card that I made for her, which incorporates pretty little scraps of trim, an aged paper doily and words that describe what an truly lovely person that she is:

I really love how this card turned out...all of the layers and textures add lots of dimension and character!

Have a blessed day,

Simple, Sweet Baby Card

Hi, friends! I hope your week is going well. We're finally getting a rain-free week with lots of sunshine here in Oklahoma...it seems like it's been sooooo long since we've had some sunny days!

Today I wanted to share a simple, sweet baby card that I recently made to accompany a gift for a friend who just had a precious baby girl. I used some pink parchment cardstock and a foot punch to create the little pink feet. I sponged the outer edges of the feet with a slightly darker shade of pink ink to add a little dimension, and then adhered 3-D dots to the back of the feet before attaching them to the card:

I also sponged the outer edges of the card with the same pink ink, and added a coordinating ribbon to pull everything together.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Spring Table Decor and Easter Cards...

Good morning! Just a quick post this morning before I head out the door for work...

As you know, I like to change up the table decorations on my dining table for the seasons, so I wanted to show you what I've done for spring:

 I spotted the cute bunnies and the little birds at Hobby Lobby and I knew they would be perfect for my table. (Better yet, they were marked 40% off!) I added a metal bucket that I tipped on its side and tucked in some raffia, a sprig of artificial ivy and a little nest with artificial eggs. I filled an antique stoneware pitcher with antiqued silk roses and placed it on top of a "Birds of North America" book. The little lantern was purchased at a local craft mall for only $2.50, and the crocheted table runner was purchased there as well for $5.00, I thought the complimented the tablescape nicely.

Next up is a couple of Easter cards that I made. I created the crosses using a narrow burlap ribbon that I found at the craft store. I tore green cardstock to create the illusion of grassy knolls to place at the base of the cross. Using Glue Dots, I added a flower and ribbon to the center of each cross. I had some sweet little lamb stickers in my stash, so I knew they'd be a perfect addition to these cards:

Thanks so much for dropping by today! Have a great week! :)

Just a Few Cards...

Hello and happy Monday, friends! Spring has finally arrived and the daffodils in my front flower beds are blooming as well as the Bradford pear trees that line the entrance to our neighborhood. I love all of the beautiful blooms, but my allergies don't at all - ha! ha!

I was able to make a few cards this weekend, so I thought that I'd share them with you today. The first one incorporates a quote from Max Lucado, who is one of my favorite Christian authors:

Next is a lovely wedding or engagement card...I love flat-backed pearls and they are the perfect accent to this card:

Lastly is a card with lots of texture...a crumpled and distressed doily, a scrap of burlap and a sweet gingham ribbon:

Thanks for dropping by today! Have a great week and enjoy the springtime sunshine! :)

Tiny Cards...

Good morning! It was a really cold, snowy and icy weekend here in Oklahoma. Mike and I attended the funeral of a close family friend on Saturday, and when we left the church the snow was starting to pile up on the streets and sidewalks. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed home to start a fire in the fireplace and then hung out at home watching the snowflakes tumble down from the sky. (I even took a long nap...such a nice afternoon!)

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just need a tiny card to attach to a gift bag or a small gift, because a full-size card would overwhelm the package. With that in mind, I decided to whip up a few tiny cards using scraps of cardstock, ribbon and buttons. I think they turned out pretty cute, so I thought that I'd share them with you today:

These tiny cards will fit-the-bill perfectly the next time that I have a little gift to give!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today! I hope that you have a fantastic week!

Blessings,

Valentine's Day Cards

Hi, friends! It's been a busy week, but I wanted to get a quick post up for you this evening. Last weekend I spent some time in my craft room making Valentine's Day cards, so I thought I'd show you what I came up with before I pop them in the mail tomorrow:

I hope that you're inspired to create some cards for the special folks in your life as well, to let them know how much they mean to you!

Blessings,