Thursday, October 24, 2024

JOY of the Season


Are you one of those clever stampers who have been making Christmas cards all year long already?!  That is sometimes a challenge for me as I *really* need to be in the mood for Christmas stamping.  I am a "keep Christmas in your heart all year" kinda person (I keep up a small pencil tree all year!)  but still, for the most part I like celebrating each holiday one at a time and in the correct order!  Therefore, gearing up to stamp Christmas cards before it is even Halloween is something I find difficult but necessary!  Looking at this sunny photo might give you another inkling why stamping early for Christmas is challenging around here!


This warm plaid flannel print goes a long way toward establishing the right ambiance for Christmas stamping, especially for a masculine card using vintage imagery!  I decided to keep things really simple, using a unique fold and only a very few embellishments.  In fact, without the bow and pearls, this card would be a perfectly flat card that would be excellent for mailing without having to be hand-cancelled.    

Instructions for the fold:
  • cut 9 x 5.5 inch card stock, score at 3 and 6, and adhere designer papers if desired
  • cut 3 x 9 inch piece also score at 3 and 6; stamp or adhere images/sentiments
  • fold all, align and adhere to make 4.25 inch wide x 5.5 inch tall card (be sure to only glue half of the front and back panels to accommodate the overhangs!)
  • embellish as desired 

I chose to use a couple of die-cut shapes to embellish the center panel.  The stamped image and sentiment are both from the same stamp set.    


I distress inked and then spattered the entire card and tri-fold panel with "snow" (diluted acrylic paint or Snow Tex, etc). 

Super easy and fun and a great way to use up some smaller than standard card sized scraps!  And it makes me think of my dad and my brothers, especially my brother Jerry!  ❤️

Supplies:
Posted by at 1 comment:

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Thanking God for you! (so many linemen to the rescue!)

 

Hi everyone!  Thanks for visiting!  

People in Florida and North Carolina are still reeling from the damage done by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.  At the time of this writing, in Florida alone there are still over 100,000 people without power.    

For many, power loss after a hurricane is a hot, muggy, uncomfortable inconvenience, but the closer one lives toward the eye of the storm, having power to begin clean-up, restoration and reconstruction is really critical.  

Seeing linemen in their trucks driving from near and far across the country ahead of the storm so that they can be immediately deployed to those critical areas is one of those things that restores one's faith in humanity!  What a sweet sight for sore eyes!      


Those linemen...over 50,000 of them...have been faithfully working so diligently in not just un-fun but very dangerous conditions to restore Florida's electricity, and we all want them to know how much they are appreciated! So my card for today uses designer papers that establish that "soggy sheetrock" and "missing dock" atmosphere along with a power pole fashioned of card stock and twine.  

The sentiments are from one of our pastor/ministry appreciation sets, but as you can see, this set could work in many situations beyond the traditional interpretation of church ministry.  

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

You rule over the surging sea!


Hello everyone!

Here in Florida, hurricanes have dominated much of everyday life for the last week or two!  First Helene and now Milton.  So when it was time to stamp, I was thinking of the developing storm, the turbulent ocean, and so many of my fellow Floridians storm prepping, putting up storm shutters, gathering the supplies they will need as they "hunker down!"  Food, water, wine, flashlights, batteries and chargers, power failure entertainment, etc.  So here's the card I came up with, because I am praying that He will indeed still the storm (lessen the wind speed, the rain, and the surge)!


This is just a standard top-folding card with a portion of the card front cut away so that the papers on the inside can show through.   LOVE Love love the new paper pad from Craft Consortium and how it works so well with their earlier designs.  Here it is paired with Beach Hut.   


Here's the inside with the half-front flipped out of the way to reveal the scripture inside.  I love these passages of scripture and added the background stamp with a verse from Psalms which is along the same theme.  

Supplies:

I hope you will please continue to pray for all of the folks in the path of Helene and now also Milton.  This is a big scary storm so here in northeast Florida we are hoping to stay safe and sound as the storm makes its way from west to east across our state.  Also hoping to emerge on the other side healthy and whole, without major damage to life, limb, or possessions.  Definitely praying for all of the folks further south throughout  the Florida peninsula.  Sharing so much gratitude for all of the first responders, linemen, and all of the people behind the scenes who do all of the necessary things to keep things running smoothly.  Y'all are amazing!

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Fill Up!


Hi friends!  

It has been a very stressful week for the entire southeastern portion of the US, from Florida up through the Carolinas.  Thankfully, in spite of several fallen trees in our neighborhood (two just a few doors down in either direction from our home which rendered our cul de sac inaccessible to traffic in or out for the better part of Friday) we made it through without experiencing any damage.  Our power only blinked and then came right back on, but for many others, of course, things were drastically different.  💔

Unfortunately I remember what it is like to be on the receiving end of hurricane damage.  The following photo was taken during Hurricane Jeanne in 2004, the year so many storms criss-crossed over the Florida peninsula (a year before Katrina ravaged New Orleans and Rita decimated my hometown of Westlake, Louisiana). We were out of our home for six months while the entire master suite was taken back down to concrete and rebuilt.    


Last week's Hurricane Helene came ashore exactly on the 20th anniversary of our "ginormous tree" incident.  Incredibly, Helene's effects extended deep into the interior, even as far as Asheville/Hendersonville NC, where I have extended family who have been affected.  

It might seem ridiculous, but let me tell you from my own personal experience:  a simple cup of coffee is such a comfort when one has suffered this kind of trauma.  It's partly because it's something so much a part of everyday life at a time when absolutely nothing feels normal and Life has completely deviated from routine.  It's also something much SO much more than that...it represents generosity and compassion and camaraderie, when small gestures mean everything!  They help to restore one's faith in the world, hope for the future, and confidence in the goodness of humanity.

And so, today's card is shared with a prayer for all of those across the southeast who are without power, water, food, transportation and other resources, who are overwhelmed and running on empty on so many levels.  Many have even lost loved ones.  May there be someone in their midst who can refresh them...body, mind, and spirit...with a hot cup of coffee (or tea if that's their preference!) and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them to help them and their families start on the road to recovery, someone to pray with them, to share their burdens and understand their sorrows.  🙏🏻   

If you're someone who is able to contribute money, resources or time to help, I hope you will do so!  So many people are in need!  There are lots of good charities out there to choose from.  Listen to your heart!  


Now, about today's project!  The design and colors were inspired by our new (and very first) Stamp Simply designer paper pad, Coffee or Tea?!  These colors are bright and cheerful and a pleasant departure from the drab neutrals of so many coffee-inspired papers.  I stamped various cups from our Have a Cup on Us set and colored them in Copic colors to match the designer paper.  With a tall card (8.5 square scored and folded in half for a 4.25 x 8.5 inch card) there was room to stack lots of cups!    


This paper is a really fun mix of vintage images and more modern ones too, with lots of mix & match options.  I love the little wispy leaves and flowers in the background of the dp and decided to mimic those with ribbons, lace, cheesecloth, and paper flowers.  


I kept the inside really clean and simple, using a scrap of the designer paper for a gift card pocket stamped with a sentiment.  I will have to make a coffee shop run to purchase a gift card to put inside. 


Speaking of gifts...be sure to take a look at our coffee themed products in the store, and also take a peek at the Stamp Simply blog.  Check out Sharon's blog post for the National Coffee Day blog hop and leave your comment to have your chance to win a $25 gift code!  Thursday, October 2 is the last day to do so! 


Supplies:
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)