Simple Thank You's for a Cause

My mom's dear friend, "T", has just started her battle with cancer and, since I am not close to where she lives and there's not a lot of hands-on things I can do for her, I made her cards that she can send to those helping her out. I needed CAS (clean and simple) cards that were easy to mass produce. These are the ones I came up with. I was able to make twenty-ish cards in about 20 minutes. There are 3 or 4 of each. Added stamps and envelopes. I labeled the cards and all the info will be at the bottom.

#1

#1

#2 

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#3

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#4

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#5 

#5 

#6

#6

I wish there was more I could do in this situation but other than pray, support my mom, and keep T supplied with thank you cards, I'm feeling pretty helpless.

You will see more cards coming for T. I want to send her one a week for however long she goes through this. It's the least I can do.

Thanks for looking. I hope this finds you happy and healthy.

#1 - Stamp set inked in VersaFine: Paper Smooches Chit Chat; colored with Prismacolor pencils
#2 - Stamp set inked in VersaFine: Paper Smooches Many Thanks; Little Heart is from Simon Says Stamp set Card-Exchanging Friends inked in Stampin' Up Real Red
#3 - Stamp set inked in VersaFine: Paper Smooches Many Thanks; Little Heart is from Simon Says Stamp set Card-Exchanging Friends inked in Stampin' Up Real Red
#4 - Stamp set inked in VersaFine: Paper Smooches Many Thanks; Heart is from Stampin' Up Happy Hearts set inked in Stampin' Up Real Red
#5 - Stamp set inked in VersaFine: Clear Arts Stamps Support the Girls; colored with Prismacolor pencils
#6 - Stamp set inked in VersaFine: Stampin' Up Note of Thanks; colored with Prismacolor pencils

Adventures in Running: Running Scared

Since my fall, I can't seem to find my stride. I second guess foot placement, pace, route, everything. I'm scared with every step I take that I will fall again. This is driving me crazy! I don't really recall this ever happening before and I'm thinking that maybe it has something to do with the PPD but I'm desperate to move forward.

Another trouble I am having is that if I didn't break a rib or two, I severely bruised them. It's pretty painful to do anything but I'm coping with that. I hear that it could take up to 6 weeks to heal and I don't have that kind of time. So I'm ginning and bearing it. :)

Anyhoo, if you have any pep talk you want to share for encouragement in my running life, I sure could use it right about now.

Thanks for looking. Hope this finds you happy and healthy.

Entry for My Style Stamps Design Team

So you may have heard me talk about My Style Stamps before (I'm a Winner! post). Nicole (designer and CEO) has put a call out for new design team members. I am so excited! I have always wanted to do this but the timing was never right. A time and place for everything, right? Well, the time is now and the place is My Style Stamps. :)

Nicole specifically asked to see paper piecing and coloring (Copic). I am still finding my groove with these techniques but I feel comfortable doing them. I have actually never made a card using paper piecing before but have meant to for a long while now. I made tons of cards because I was so nervous and nothing felt just right. Feels like picking out just the right outfit for the first day of school.

This first card (you saw yesterday and can check out the details there) is strictly Copic coloring. I love how she turned out! I see where I can improve but we all have to start somewhere, right?

This card was the first card I did for Nicole using paper piecing (and the first card I've ever done paper piecing on). I used the Serenity Now stamp set by My Favorite Things stamps. I inked it up in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored the wall, mat, and her skin with my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol. I used a un-named paper pad by Anna Griffin that is full of all kinds of patterns and true photo papers. Matted and layered with the patterned paper, Stampin' Up's Pumpkin Pie, and Kraft Cardstock. I added shading on the pieced paper with my Prismacolor pencils. Inside, I stamped the water lily and sentiment from the same set.

I started second guessing myself because this card was so simple. When I found this old sketch challenge (by I {Heart}Sketches), I saw an idea forming in my head. I love it when that happens. :)

I used My Favorite Things stamp set Teacher's Pet inked in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. MFT designs are so great for paper piecing and Copic coloring. I colored her skin, books, and apple with Copic markers and paper pieced the rest with paper from Cosmo Cricket's Tea for Two line and matted it on Stampin' Up's Purely Pomegranate. My card base is SU's Garden Green cardstock. Added the sentiment and apple on Nestabilities ovals cut from the same paper.

Thanks for looking and wish me luck! Hope this finds you happy and healthy. 

Paper Player Challenge #160

The Paper Players Challenge #160 this week is a sketch challenge. I like these as I always get stuck doing the same thing on the front of my cards. (Ten points to whoever can tell me what it is!)

I used a Magnolia Stamp 'Tilda with Slate' and colored her with Copics. (Gasp, I know!) I used papers from several different paper pads including Kaisercraft's Class of '87, Echo Park's Paper and Glue, and Reflections' Kraft cardstock. This card is not a traditional size as I didn't like how my image was looking on the regular A2 card front. It measures 6 by 4.75 inches.

On the inside, I used some of the diecuts from the Class of '87 paper and then applied Glossy Accents to the apple.

Thanks for looking! Hope this finds you happy and healthy.

I'm a WINNER!!

Nicole (YT: Colebys1981) hosted a Giveaway Challenge for getting 1000+ subscribers. (WOW.) The challenge was to create a project of unconventional size. Hence, no square or A2 cards, no 8x8 or 12x12 layouts, etc.

I created this card with my favorite Whipper Snapper stamp and my name was drawn from the participants.

This is what I won...

Gorgeous tag she included!

These sets are from her very own line, My Style Stamps. So excited for her and I really wanted the sets. Ecstatic that I won them!

That same week, Candace and Michelle over at Jaded Blossom, hosted their August Stamp Release Blog Hop and I was randomly drawn over there to receive a gift certificate. I picked this stamp set...

Loved this stamp on the outside of the envelope!

Love it!! I have never played with any of their stamps before, and I'm super excited to get the chance now.

I will be posting some creations soon using all these sets so keep an eye out!

Thanks for looking! Hope these finds you happy and healthy!

Make-a-Card Monday: School is in Session!

Thought that since this was the first day of school, I would post a few more of my back-to-school card creations. I made these for various people, including teachers, friends, kids' friends, and future gifts.

These were made for our friends' first days of school. We have a lot of friends that go to a different school and they started earlier than we do. I meant to have these in the mail in time for them to receive them the first day of school, but that didn't happen. So we made them "Hope your first week of school was a good one" cards. :) They are postcard-style. I stamped the crayons (stamp set is called Teacher Topper by Stampendous) in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them with my Prismacolor pencils.

I made these sweet little (and they are little, about 2 x 1.5 inches) cards for the girls' lunches on the first day of school. I usually write on their napkins everyday but thought I would make something special for the first day. I found this stamp in a makeup bag (What?) and I have no idea where it came from. It is made by Hero Arts. I just used Crayola Crayons to color the images.

I made this 5.5 square card so that I have some cards on hand. This is from the same set as the crayon stamp above. There is a stamp that says "thanks for being my" that I can stamp in the white part if I want to make it a thank you. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with my Prismacolor pencils.

This is a note-card set that I created, again, to have something on hand. Our teachers tend to keep their birthdays a secret until the day of, so I like to be ready. The pencil is, again, from the same Stampendous set used above, the "Just a Note" is from Printworks 'Small Tag Lines' stamp set, and the stamped sentiment on the tag is from a My Favorite Things stamp set called "Teacher's Pet" (retired). All inked in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and the pencil is colored with Prismacolor pencils. There are 8 note-cards along with the envelopes in the box. Used twill ribbon around and attached the tag with hemp twine.

Thanks for looking! I hope this finds you happy and healthy.