Come Before Him with Thanksgiving

Hello all!

Ha, no suprise here that in the throes of the dog days of Summer, I'm already looking forward to cooler weather!  Here in Florida we obviously have still got a long way to go!   

Our son was home for a visit last weekend.  It was a quick one and we barely got a glimpse of him, but it sure was nice!  I have a feeling that the next time we get to see him for any real length of time, it will be Thanksgiving.

Today's card is a relatively clean and simple card using one stamp set (I think if I could only choose one stamp set for Fall, this one would be it) and some beautiful Welcome Autumn designer paper. It's several layers but everything is on foam dots so it is squishable for mailing with no bows or bumpy jewels that would get crunched in the postal machines.  

Here's the inside.  If I'd been planning ahead I would have centered that sentiment, but my cards are rather spontaneous and usually evolve rather than result from an up-front hard-set plan, so there you go! 

Be sure to visit the Stamp Simply blog to see what is happening there!  We've got a Flower-of-the-Week thing going on now in addition to other seasonal sales, so you don't wanna miss them!

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Give Thanks Bundle
• Carta Bella Welcome Autumn 6x6
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Ovals SM
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Ovals LG
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Rich Cocoa
• Copic markers

Christmas in July!

Hi everyone!  I missed you last week!  I was not intending to take a week off but, after taking a vacation to see my husband's family, I brought a "bug" home with me.  I have been sick for over a week!  It is not Covid (two negative tests) and it is not Strep.  I don't know exactly what it is but I would not wish it on anyone! I've been coughing my head off!  It's so exhausting but, enough about that!

I am a "keep Christmas in your heart all year" kind of person and have a small pencil fir tree that we keep up year round that has lots of hand-made (by Mom and me) ornaments on it, so when Stamp Simply has a Christmas in July sale, that is right up my alley!

Today's card started with a small square of embossed paper from Kaisercraft's Under the Gum Tree paper pad.  I stamped the sentiment (first with stamped off Memento Rich Cocoa and then topped with Delicata Celestial Copper ink) and then added a fussy-cut farmhouse ornament accented with die-cut greenery and a canvas ribbon.  

The ornament was stamped with distress oxide inks in various shades of pink/red/brick topped with an edging of that beautiful sparkly copper.

For the background layer inside and out, I used a baby wipe with the mesh layering stencil to swipe a translucent layer of shimmer. The sentiment inside was stamped using the same layering method as was the one on the card front.

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Farmhouse Christmas
• Kaisercraft Under the Gum Leaves - 6.5x6.5
• Luxury Pearlescent Metallic 105# Cardstock - Assortment 24 Ct
• Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Mesh
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Celestial Copper (for over-stamping sentiments)
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Rich Cocoa (for off-/under-stamping sentiments)
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Two Sprigs or Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Floral Cluster and Sprigs
• May Arts 3/4" Ivory Canvas - 30 Yard Spool - Plain

Poppies Sympathy

Today's project is a simple sympathy card.  I find sympathy cards so emotionally challenging even when they're made in advance to have on hand when the need arises.  It's even more difficult when they're made for a particular loss with a certain person in mind. That's why simple often seems to work so well.  

Today's card is made with bold colors against a muted background. The poppies were colored with Copic markers and accented with a sparkly gel pen.  

The inside has a "my refuge" passage from one of our mini background sets, along with a prayer sentiment from our Faith set. I'm certainly praying for the family for whom this card is intended.

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Pretty Poppies Bundle
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Scripty Background Minis Set 1
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Faith
• Craft Consortium Brick Textures 6x6
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Rich Cocoa
• Copic markers
• Glitter gel pen
• tea dye distress ink