Thanksgiving Cards

Happy Thanksgiving.  May our families, friends, and feasts remind us of the multitude of blessings we have, and may the day fill our hearts with such gratitude that we do not forget to say thank you every day after. 

Card Details:  Finished card size: 5" x 3.5";  Colored card stock: craft brown, yellow gold, and garden green; embossed with Sizzix lines and dots folder; Stampin' Up sentiment; Fiskar leaf punch using various printed papers. Inks: Basic Brown and Garden Green by Stamping' Up and  Potters Clay by Memento. 

The Pre or Post Holiday Card

If I let it, the last quarter of the year can be blur. The operative word there is "if" not "blur". I am as intentional as I can be about how and where I spend my time in November and December, refusing all along to get caught up in commercialism and unreal expectations. Sometimes the best way to do that is to sit quietly and breathe deeply.  

What about the first quarter of the new year? Will I let the equally unreal exceptions of an imagined clean slate put pressure on me to perform, too? Or will the cold and grey days of winter steal my joy? To fight them both, sometimes I sit quietly and breathe deeply.  

This wonderful hobby of mine gives me peace throughout the year.  It's what I do to challenge my creativity; to feel unique; to express my devotion to my friends and family. I sit quietly, breathe deeply, and make cards. 

Card Details: 5.5" x 5.5" pre-printed folded card (We R Memory Keepers); place gray floral washi tape (Wamon) on the bottom edge; stamp image (Stampers Anonymous) in colonial blue pigment ink (Color Box) on white card stock and heat emboss with clear detail embossing powder (Stamp It); trim image and round corners; mount on blue card stock and adhere to the folded card.  

A Card Just for You

Squirrels and hedgehogs have been kinda trendy for a while, and not only in the paper craft world, but that is a bonus for this card. I have a niece for whom these darling critters are not only trendy, but a working passion. Among her many talents and jobs with the care of wild animals, she has rehabilitated numerous baby squirrels.  This card is for her, but it's cute enough to send to anyone this time of year.

My hobby is completely validated when I can say, that I bought this stamp or that punch to make a card for one particular person. Sometimes I want the card to come screaming out of the envelope, "I made this just for you.", and other times I want it to whisper, "Did you notice this is just for you?". The challenge and fun are using those unique items again to make cards for anyone, whether they follow Biddy the Hedgehog on Instagram or not.  

Card Details: Folded vanilla cardstock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. Emboss the front of the card with squirrels and hedgehogs (Lifestyle Crafts); stamp acorn (Stamping' Up) in brown ink twice on three colors of paper, fussy cut the tops and nuts separately, adhere them in varying patterns; trim stamped image with deckle edge scissors; adhere over a brown ribbon using mounting tape. 

A Dickens of a Card

Stamping is such a tactile endeavor. That's my favorite part about it. The constant hands on element, the touching of little parts and pieces, satisfies that need to be creative with my hands.  And yet, the desire to create begins way before the color of the paper and ink is even considered. 

It begins with the selection of the stamp. Whether they are cling stamps or wooden, I have to touch them first.  I rummage through my collection, handling them until there is one that does not leave my hand, and I think one of two things. It's either: "Ooh, I know what I'll do.", or it's: "Aww, I remember why I bought this stamp."  

I made a set of these cards to give as a gift to my nephew and his wife after the birth of their son. I could have easily enough found a quote on the internet and printed it off in matching ink for my cards, but instead I rummaged first. I picked up the Dickens quote. It has no artist or vendor identification, but I know I bought it in Virginia over 14 years ago, and I used it for the birth announcements I made for my second daughter.  Aww! 

Card Details: Folded white card is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches; emboss Night of Navy paper (Stampin'Up) with hearts (The Paper Studio); round all corners and trim to leave a 1/4" border on the white card. Stamp "Swinging on a Star" (PrintWorks) and sentiment (unidentified) in Night of Navy ink on white card stock; color star and ribbon using markers and colored pencils (Crayola, Cyklop Aquarell, Stampin' Up); add diamond embellishment to ribbon; stamp baby image on printed paper; cut out pajamas and lay over first image; adhere star with mounting tape; adhere sentiment on printed paper and trim to 1/4 " border; adhere to embossed paper.