Teacup Card

We drank espresso. We ate cronuts (awesome cream filled combo of a donut and a croissant). We shopped, tried on really fun shoes (bought the practical ones), drove with the top down, ate dinner out, and talked a lot. We sat on her wrap around porch that welcomes anyone who passes by and talked a lot more.

She recently learned to paint and wields a brush on canvas with precious realism. She would rather drink her tea from a warmed ceramic mug, but this stamp brings to mind her attention to style. She shared her gift of hospitality, and I basked in the comfort of friendship.

Card details: Teacups by Stampington & Company, heat embossed with black ink on watercolor paper; colored with watercolor paints. Sentiment by Hero Arts.

Cracked Pot Card

Japanese pottery and scripture have a connection. Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that restores a broken item incorporating the damage into the aesthetic of the restored item, making it part of the object's history. Kintsugi or kintsukuroi uses lacquer resin mixed with powered gold, silver, platinum, copper or bronze, resulting in something more beautiful than the original. (Click on the link above to see examples.)

A more contemporary version of the verse on this card goes like this: "We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." 2 Corinthians 4:7 My cracks are part of my history, and I trust the Master Potter to fix the new cracks, too, so His light continues to shine through me.

Flowers and pot by Stamp It! I used sticky powder to heat emboss the pot with gold and metal leaf on watercolor paper, then I painted the image and background. I used Prismacolor pencils to color the flowers and added gold Wink of
Stella to the flower centers. 

I want to be a cracked pot – not to be confused with being a crack pot. The first one is way better than the second. 

Cards for Scraps

I was looking for a simple card design that would translate well into masculine birthday cards. I found this card sketch on Pinterest. The original crafter used ribbon pieces around her circle, and I decided to hunt through my box of scraps for dark or neutral colors. It's typical that the first card I made is not in the least bit masculine! I gravitated towards this one last piece of bright paisley and didn't stop until I said, "Oh darn! That's not for a man."

Sentiment by Paper Smooches is heat embossed with black ink and clear powder on glossy white card stock.

So I looked through that fun heap of scraps and pulled out the one last square of fleur-de-lis big enough to cut out five banners. Nothing says "guy" like navy blue, right? Now, this is one of a kind, because I don't have any of that paper left. 

I made a few more cards using up scraps for both the background and the banners. Now I have a handful of general birthday cards, and I used some yummy bits of paper to do it. That makes me a happy stamper. 

One Stamp Three Cards

My story for today's cards is I don't have a story! I've decided if I don't have a good story to tell, then I will make three cards featuring one stamp, because that is always a worthwhile endeavor. This week I pulled out a stamp I had not used before. That happens sometimes – in a set of stamps there is one that gets overlooked. Three ideas immediately came to mind, but the finished results are always a surprise. 

I have seen this technique of white pencil coloring on craft cardstock done by a few crafters on Instagram, and I really, really like it. I used Prismacolor pencils to color the images, added a thin line of washi tape at the bottom, then mounted the Simon Says Stamp die cut "thanks" using craft foam. The stamp image is by Stampin' Up. 

I began with a wash of rainbow colors on watercolor paper then heat embossed the flowers with versamark ink and gold embossing powder. I heat embossed the sentiment (by Stampin' Up) with black ink and clear powder. Ribbon was added for texture and to hide a flower that didn't turn out right. My card crafting motto: There is no such thing as a mistake, just an opportunity for embellishment. 

I used a blender pen and water based markers to color the image before I cut it out. The card sketch came from Lori Tecler on Instagram. I happily give credit if I am borrowing from someone else's creativity. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp! 

I can safely say I will not be overlooking this stamp again!

Dreamy Cards

"Dreamy" is what Penny Black calls this slapstick/cling stamp. I know I didn't look at the name when I purchased it. The simplicity of the flower caught my eye, and the image on the packaging – alone in shades of blue, green, and purple made me buy it. (Kudos to the marketing team.) The first time I made a card with this stamp I used those same colors.  

It's such a cool flower. I could whip up simple cards all day long by changing the color of the petals, but I like the challenge of mixing up how I use an image. For this set of cards I did not change the color scheme for two reasons. First, it saves time simply because the decision is already made, and second, the same colors require me to be more creative, because how I use the stamp is what makes the difference, not so much the color, paper, or embellishments.  

Dreamy (flower) by Penny Black; Joy stamp by Inkadinkado; Peach Ombré ink by Hero Arts;
Babmboo Leaves Ink by Memento; nesting frames dies by Lifestyle Crafts

Border made with Dreamy (flower) by Penny Black using peach ombré ink by Hero Arts;
sentiment by Stampendous using basic grey ink by Stampin' Up.

Fussy cut Dreamy (flower) by Penny Black with peach ombré ink and mount with leaves, Happy Birthday stamps by Simon Says Stamp! using the three ombré ink colors by Hero Arts and bamboo leaves ink by Memento. 

I usually don't think of flowers as dreamy, but this stamp makes me daydream about creating cards. 

Card Joy

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which gives value to survival." C.S. Lewis The Four Loves

"These relationships are gifts worth seeking. Developing flourishing friendships takes time and intentionality, but these become the people who ground us and keep us going. They become peepholes through which we glimpse the kingdom of God, inspiration to become the best possible versions of ourselves even in the most difficult circumstances." Margaret Feinberg Fight Back with Joy.

"Of all the means to insure happiness through out the whole life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends." Epicurus (341-270 BC) A Guide to Happiness 

 "It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words, but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?" A.A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh

Stamp Credits: girl by American Art Stamp ©Karen Stolper; grass by Rubber Stampede and Stampin' Up; sentiment by Creative Vision Stamps; die cut butterflies by Stampin' Up.

A Prom Card?

"Mom, can you make a card...?" Of course the answer is yes even before I know the occasion. To add to my glee, she says, "You can use the dresses you colored for the 30 Day Coloring Challenge." What? She remembered? Good thing I did a few of those. 

"It's a thank you card for the parents who organized the party bus for prom. It needs to be big enough for all of us to sign it. Nothing fancy.", she says. I stare at her, incredulous, that she would even add that last remark. But, oh my gosh, I love my hobby! Try finding a prom thank you card at a Hallmark store!

Party dress by Inkadinkado; line of dresses by Stampin' Up;
thanks die cut by Simon Says Stamp

My daughter is in the red dress. These girls went to the 8th grade dance together, too. 

This is most of the group and the reason
they rented a party bus to take them to dinner and the dance. 

That she asked me to make the card and knew I had parts for it already completed makes up for the fact that she never reads my blog. :-)