Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!

We (the Orange Park Chorale) sang a fun version of Amazing Grace for our concert a couple of weeks ago, so that was my inspiration for this card!  The song was on replay in my head while I was making it! [If you listen to the professional chorale version linked above (which is not a recording of OPC), you'll see what I mean about this being a catchy tune, and not what you might expect!]

All you need to make this lovely card is a few sheets of beautiful designer paper, the right combination of verses/scriptures, some colorful ink and a few attention-grabbing rhinestones (although without the rhinestones this card would be perfectly flat for mailing)! This particular sheet of designer paper is probably my favorite one of the entire pad, from Craft Consortium's Retro Summer.  Aren't the colors glorious?!        

In this case, the perfect combination of stamps included song lyrics and music symbols as well as a verse that so aptly describes what being a member of a chorale or choir is all about! 

Singing in a chorale or choir is such a fun way to encourage one another!  The actual music-making is only one small part of it!

I find it so much fun when some of my other "special interests" collide with card-making.  I hope you have enjoyed it too!  Of course, my blog *is* named "With a Stamp and a Song" for a reason!  ☺️❤️

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Farmhouse Scriptural Thoughts
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Worship & Praise
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Crosses
• Craft Consortium Retro Summer 6x6
• Kaisercraft Self-Adhesive Round Rhinestones - Hot Pink
• Tim Holtz distress oxide ink

I hope you have a lovely Easter weekend!  Thanks for visiting!  

Sunny Days & Hugs

One of my spinning friends just spent 10 days in hospital for testing/Rx and commented about how nice it was to be home, to sit next to the patio door in the sunshine...so this is for her.   When I saw this card sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, I immediately knew exactly what I wanted to do!

This project combines stamps and dies from several of our Stamp Simply sets.  The sentiment on the front is from our Typewritten series.  The leaves are from the die set that goes along with one of our floral clusters. 

The fragile purple "net" that I used to accent the floral spray is actually a "recycled" plastic bag (the kind that shallots come in at the market).  I cut it into narrow strips and then stretched and tore them.  They add a delicate loose quality to the arrangement of leaves, flowers and ribbon.  

The tulip and the sentiment inside are both from our Get Well Tulip bundle. 

I hope this floral card with its sunny yellow will bring a bit of warmth and happiness to my friend to help her feel better ASAP!  

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Typewritten Year Round Greetings
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Get Well Tulip Bundle
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Floral Cluster and Sprigs
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Circles SM
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Circles LG
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Squares LG
• Craft Consortium Bloom & Wild 6x6
• Kaisercraft Mini Paper Blooms - Grape
• Seam Binding Sampler - Blues Purples - 30 yards
• Kaisercraft Self-Adhesive Round Rhinestones - Lilac
• plastic shallot bag (purple "net" torn and stretched)

My American Hero!

Today's card is a relatively clean and simple one that represents many years of hard work!  After 28+ years with the US Navy and another 17+ as a civilian with the Department of Defense, my husband will finally be retiring!  We are eagerly counting down to the day, April 1! 

He is a no nonsense/no frills kinda guy, so this style is absolutely perfect for him (and usually I show him my cards right after they're made but this time I managed to sneak it past him!) so it will be a nice surprise when the day finally arrives.  

I used a variety of Stamp Simply's patriotic sets to make it along with one sentiment from one of our All Occasions Sentiments sets.  

The patriotic star peeks through from the inside since the card front has a cut-away made with Spellbinders' circle dies.  I used the largest dies from each set, measuring ~ 2.25 inches above and to the left from the bottom right corner.

And here's the inside...again, clean and simple and directly to-the-point.

I might've wondered what it would be like to have him home 24/7/365, but Covid took care of that!  He has been working from home since the beginning of Pandemic, so we have already gotten over that phase of the game!  But now we'll get to do whatever we want to!  ❤️

So grateful for this great country and for my husband's service to the United States of America for all these years.  

Supplies, all from Stamp Simply:

• All Occasion Sentiments Set 2
• The American Eagle
• Old Glory
• The Pledge of Allegiance
• Patriotic Sentiments Duo
• Carta Bella The Fourth of July 6 x 6
• Standard Circles Small
• Standard Circles Large
• Farmhouse Hearts
• Fishtail Banners
• Kaisercraft red pearls
• Memento tuxedo black ink
• Copic markers

Spring Birdhouse Box

 

The weather has been quite Spring-y here in Florida (alternating sunshine and rain, comfortable temperatures) and the birds and squirrels are lovin' it!  For the last several mornings we have heard a barred owl hooting in the dark just before dawn.  There's been lots of other bird song so it prompted the idea for today's project.  

The box is shaped similar to a small milk carton with a peek-through transparent window.  It's a variation of the traditional "2-4-6-8 box" and is really easy to make (template here).   It is a fun Spring/Easter gift all on its own, cute and yummy when filled with jellybeans or chocolate almonds (my favorite!), but it is small enough to tuck into an Easter basket as a special treat.   

I've used a sweet little sparrow for this project, but there is also a lovely cardinal in this set, along with several scriptures and sentiments.  And there are matching dies for the images. Sometimes I don't mind fussy cutting but these would have been a nightmare, so yay for matching dies!  

The birdhouse roof is made from a couple of sheets of "weathered wood" designer paper with die-cut "shingles" that are folded over the top of the box and tied in place but not glued at all.  The whole thing slides on/off easily so that the treats inside are easily accessed.

This is what it looks like when opened.  As you can see, the tag is attached to the roof and the branches are attached to the box bottom.    

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - God Will Take Care of You Bundle
• Craft Consortium Beach Hut 6 x 6
• Large Circle dies
• Small Square dies
• Tim Holtz Tag Collection Dies
• Border Dies for "roof shingles" 
• Jute string
• Copic markers 
• button from stash
• small square of transparency sheet