Sweet Birthday Wishes

Hello, my dear friends! I hope everyone is having a lovely day. :o)

As previously mentioned, for September's I Feel the Love Project we are creating cards for Hope Ministries... a beautiful faith-based ministry that serves the homeless in central Iowa. It has been an honor to dedicate my crafty time to them this month and I hope my contributions bring a smile to the residents.

I had it on my heart to make a bright birthday card for a homeless little girl, despite the fact that bright Copics and I do not generally get along. :o) I hope she likes it.

I knew I wanted to use a sweet treat of some type, and this adorable little image from Elisabeth Bell seemed perfect. While frolicking about picking flowers, our Sweet Tooth happened upon a sparkling path that led her directly to a gumball machine. :o) Rather than create my normal sky and grass background, I opted for this patterned SEI Couture paper that has long been in my stash, waiting for the right opportunity to shine. I could not resist setting her atop a shiny flurry of gumballs. :o)

The beautiful background paper is from Best Creation's Fairy Collection. I love the brightness.. and of course the sparkle. ;) The nesting shapes I used as my base for the image is from the Silhouette Online Store, as part of this Vintage Badges set. My card base shape is from a Lori Whitlock thank you card, also from the SOS. Glittery Core Couture cardstock was used for my middle panel, which is embossed with the Swiss dots folder to resemble gumballs.

I searched out my brightest pink and blue Wild Orchid Crafts roses because you're never too young for celebratory flowers. :o) The hot pink crinkle ribbon is from the lovely Karen of Little Scrap Pieces. Zva Creative flourishes dance with delight and I tucked in a Cheery Lynn Designs heart from their Two of Hearts set.

Lastly, I used my beloved Tiny Tag Metal Dies from My Craft Spot to frame my computer-generated sentiment. I pray that this card will be a reminder of how much the recipient is loved. Although this is for a little girl, I realize it is also for her mom or dad. I can't imagine the emotions as they celebrate their little girl's birthday without a home, far from what they envisioned for their lives, so I hope this also delivers extra love to their hearts. It means everything to be a tiny part of her special day. :o)

A peek inside, where the flurry of gumballs continues!

Thank you for visiting me today! I wish you all a sweet and blessed day. :o)

Challenges entered:

 *Created with Love~ Anything Goes

 *Creative Creations~ Photo Inspiration

 *Divas by Design~ Anything Goes

 *Elisabeth Bell's World Challenge~ Hot Summer

 *Love to Scrap!~ Run for the Border (Borders!)

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *My Craft Spot~ Favorite Technique (Coloring with Copics)

 *Papertake Weekly~ Make It Sparkle 

 *Simon Says Stamp~ Use Something Available at Their Store (Copic markers and Star Dust Stickles)

 *Stamp and Create~ Birthdays

Another Encouragement Card :)

Hello, my dear friends! I hope you're having a beautiful weekend. :o)

I made some crafty time this week and am happy to share my newest card for this month's I Feel the Love Project collection. We are creating for an incredible organization (Hope Ministries) that faithfully serves the homeless in central Iowa. Soon they will have a bushel of homemade cards to give their residents at the appropriate times. It is heartwarming to use our crafty passion for such a purpose.

I think I'm at a record number of consecutive Copic creations! I can't get myself to put away my markers. :o)

This cutie pie is a Wee Stamp, beautifully named Hopeful. The radiance within her lantern instantly made me think of God's love and light... so I filled it up with warmth to deliver His light to the special heart that will receive it. For the sponged sky, I used Broken China instead of my typical Tumbled Glass for a softer backdrop. Star Dust has been sprinkled at various points within the image for extra twinkles of love.

The angled view (which isn't so blurry when viewed at original size) better shows the Cheery Lynn Mini Fanciful Flourishes. I placed some roses along the vines to make them the climbing variety.

The encouraging sentiment (from K Andrews Designs Scripture Sayings stamp set) is nestled inside:

The lovely papers are from Graphic 45's May Cut-Aparts from their Place in Time collection. I layered my two newest Spellbinders sets, which ended up working together quite nicely! The card base is Timeless Rectangles and the image and sentiment bases are from the Gold Labels 4 set. Kaisercraft lace serves as a soft border and the flowers are my favorite Pink Mist Roses from Wild Orchid Crafts. The two butterflies are from a Fiskars punch, centered with a rhinestone. A sprinkle of gems sparkle around the base... and before I mail this, there will be some added to the purple base, as well. I was rushing and forgot them! (Gasp!)

I hope this little card brings comfort and joy to one of the residents. Their rainbow will come. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by! Have a sparkly and beautiful day! :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Card Crafter's Circle~ Portrait of a Woman (Special ladies!)
 *Charisma Cardz~ Fancy Flourishes
 *DL.Art~ Thankful Thursday September Linky Party (Anything Goes)
 *Flutter By Wednesday~ Butterfly or Fairy
 *Love to Scrap!~ Anything Goes
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Pile it On~ All That Flickers
 *Sweet Stamps~ Butterflies

Encouragement Card

Hello, my crafty friends! I hope everyone is having a lovely day. :o)

After a tiny break from crafting due to life, I'm happy to be back with a card! A new collection for the I Feel the Love Project began yesterday and the cause is beautiful as ever. This month we are creating for Hope Ministries, a faith-based ministry that has been serving the homeless since 1915. They reach out to the unsheltered and displaced by offering food, clothing, shelter, and support through emergency and long-term recovery services. We have the honor of making unsigned birthday, encouragement, friendship, and blank cards for their residents. It is a privilege to deliver a little love and sunshine to those who are struggling so mightily.

Praying for You:

The colorful interior, filled with beautiful hues and flourishes:

This precious little fairie is Carrie Swan Princess, from Elisabeth Bell's Elphine House Australia line. She was given to me by a dear friend, which made it all the sweeter to color with my Copics. Carrie's wings are covered in Glamour Dust for maximum sparkle. :o) I've adored this stamp for such a long time for its sweet, dreamy, magical aura... she and her swan friend seemed like the perfect vessels to deliver my and God's love to a homeless resident receiving help through Hope Ministries.

Instead of placing her atop a nestie, I used a Spellbinders Classic Oval to create a frame with my Floral Ovals. It is popped up with foam tape, nestling our fairie princess within a fancy white cloud. The interior ring is trimmed in Glamour Dust, while the outer is sprinkled with rhinestones. The Pink Mist Wild Orchid Crafts Roses aren't merely flowers to adorn the frame, but rather pink marshmallow clouds to surround the recipient in extra sweetness. :o) They are covered in a hefty dose of Shimmer Spritz.

A Memory Box Whimsy Circle peeks out from above, which is also accented in gems. The May Arts ribbon bow is topped with my sentiment, secured with a sparkle (naturally). The sentiment is from My Craft Spot's Tiny Tags 2 and is cut out with the coordinating metal dies.

The gorgeous papers are from Kaisercraft's Enchanted Garden, which I specifically bought for this stamp. I don't generally do that, but I wanted her to have something special. The moment I saw these, I knew they were an ideal match. Whimsical, sparkly, and perfectly magical. 

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a joyful day. :o)

Challenges entered:

 *A Gem of a Challenge~ Use Two backing Papers

 *Card Mania~ Ribbon

 *Craft Your Passion~ Fairies

 *Cupcake Inspirations~ Photo Inspiration (I chose pink, blue, and flowers)

 *Cute Card Thursday~ Things with Wings

 *Lady Anne's~ Must have Wings

 *Love to Scrap!~ Anything Goes

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes

 *Stampin' for the Weekend~ Colors of Summer (I went with a dreamy summertime sunset of pinks, purples, and blues)

Fairy Christmas!

Hello, my dear friends! I hope you're having a wonderful week. :o)

When this Elisabeth Bell stamp was released last month, my heart pirouetted with delight! She created the sweetest dancing fairy, which I've been so excited to color. While she will be lovely in all hues, I gravitated to Christmas. :o) (A purple Sugar Plum Fairy will appear at some point, too!)

Leaving a trail of peppermint candy pixie dust along the card bottom, Fairy Merrily is fluttering up to Santa's sleigh: 

A peek inside, which is filled with golden Christmas trees and flourishes:

My sweetheart blessed me with some new crafty goodies, which I've used to combine elegance and whimsy for this card. :o) The gorgeous Christmas papers are from Bo Bunny's Silver and Gold collection, which I backed with their Wild Berry double dot cardstock. The middle panel is trimmed in gold with Cheery Lynn Designs Anastasia borders (one of my favorite dies).

Fairy Merrily is festively colored with Copics. Part of my new stash includes Glamour Dust, which I used for her wings to give them an icy appearance. She is fluttering in the snow up to Santa, after all! Bo Bunny jewels provide her magic spark, shooting out of her perfectly drawn ballet hand and also in a flourish from behind her. A warm holiday glow embraces her. 

Stars, peppermint candy, and rhinestones make up the pixie dust, which stems from the corner detailing. Holly leaves are topped with candy canes, crinkle ribbon, and jingly bells for ultimate Christmas happiness. For one last touch of elegance, I used a favorite metal filigree corner. Since I only own them in silver, I heat-embossed one with gold embossing powder to better match my card. It was my first time embossing metal, which I ended up loving.

Creating around this adorable image brought me so much joy, which I hope will also fill the future recipient! :o) Thank you for pirouetting on by and I wish you a sparkly day. :o) (Card details are listed below for easier reference.)

Challenges entered:

 *52 Christmas Card Throwdown~ Holly (Holding the candy canes)

 *Card Crafter's Circle~ Winged Things

 *Christmas Card Challenges~ Anything Goes (Optional: Non-traditional Image)

 *Craft-room Challenge~ Something New (Stamp, designer papers, flourishes, and heat-embossing metal)

 *Crafty Ribbons~ Use Three of Something (Three peppermint candies and rhinestone colors)

 *Created With Love~ Something Sweet

 *Elisabeth Bell's World~ Christmas in July

 *Jingle Belles~ Tic-Tac-Toe (Embossing-Ribbon-Stamping; metal corner is heat-embossed)

 *Love to Scrap!~ Bingo! (Bling-Embossing-Ribbon; metal corner is heat-embossed)

 *Sweet Stampin'~ Bold and Beautiful!

 *The Ribbon Girl~ Red 

Card Recipe

Image: Elisabeth Bell~ Fairy Merrily

Coloring Medium: Copics

Designer Papers: Bo Bunny Silver and Gold

Cheery Lynn Designs: Anastasia Border

Wild Orchid Crafts: Filigree Metal Corner

Spellbinders: Picot Edge Circles, Small Standard Circles

Silhouette Online Store cut files: Candy Canes; Peppermint Candy Pixie Dust

Rhinestone Flourishes: Bo Bunny Jewels

Ribbon: My Craft Spot (Scarlet Red)

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Scattered Straw, Walnut Stain

Miscellaneous: Glamour Dust (wings and dress); Star Dust Stickles (shoes); Jingly Bells (Michael's)

Birthday Wishes!

Hello, my crafty friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. :o)

Today I have another card to share for August's I Feel the Love Project collection. Each month Madison highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of extra love and sunshine. In turn, we have the privilege of making cards to bless them. :o) As I mentioned last week, we are creating for SAFEHOME, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. We are making a stash of unsigned birthday cards for the shelter to have on hand for the women and children. How extraordinary that they will be given handmade cards as they celebrate their special days while residing in the shelter.

For one of the women residents, I made a birthday card using one of my favorite Elisabeth Bell stamps: Cinnamon Sugar. She is colored with Copics and dressed up with pearls for the special occasion. I made her sky background with a cloud template and Tumbled Glass distress ink. She is nested within a Spellbinders Floral Oval.

To coordinate with her basket of treats, I wanted to make a fancy cupcake for the card. I fell over-the-moon in love with this cupcake from a Daniela Angelova card in the Silhouette Online Store. I did some tweaking, as she designed it to be a negative cut. I love the result! It combines the elegance and whimsy I was looking for for this creation. :o) The cupcake wrapper is embossed with the Cuttlebug Victoria folder and the sugared flower decorations are centered with graduating sizes of pearls. I used sunshiny flower paper for the frosting and candle. The flame is coated in Gold Stickles for maximum sparkle.

The papers throughout are from the My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline pad, which I lightly distressed with Walnut Stain distress ink. For an extra touch of love for this future recipient, I used the Martha Stewart Lace Heart Edge Punch. The buttercup crinkle ribbon is from My Craft Spot, which I centered with a scalloped pearl from Wild Orchid Crafts. A Cheery Lynn Designs Mini Fanciful Flourish dances out from the bow, which is accented with white Wild Orchid Crafts roses. To finish it off, I used my sewing machine to stitch a border around the card.

A peek inside, where a coordinating pastel floral paper awaits! The birthday greeting is inside as well, atop another Floral Oval. This card is all about blessing the shelter resident with sunshine, cupcakes, and floral delights. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a beautiful day of sparkles and cupcakes. :o)

Challenges entered:

 *Card Mania~ Your Favorite Embellishment (Pearls and flowers)

 *Charisma Cardz~ Stitching

 *Crafty Ribbons~ Anything Goes with Ribbon

 *Cupcake Inspirations~ Birthday

 *Cute Card Thursday~ Dies/Punches (Border punch and Frame/Flourish dies)

 *Divas by Design~ Bingo (Embossing-Dies/Punches-Flowers)

 *Elphine House Australia~ Distressing

 *Fab 'n' Funky~ Anything That Looks Like Summer

 *Fussy and Fancy~ Bingo (Green-Free-Ribbon)

 *Pile It On~ Outdoors

3D Hot Air Balloon Birthday Card

Happy Thursday, my dear friends! I hope you're having a lovely day. :o)

Tomorrow is my sweet dad's birthday! Given time constraints and such, I wanted to make him a card that is simpler, yet still special. I figured a 3D hot air balloon can stand pretty well on its own. :o)

A closer peek to *try* to better show the pretty flowers in the center panels of the balloon:

This was such fun to create! The hot air ballon is a Lori Whitlock cut file, purchased at the Silhouette Online Store. For it and the background paper, I used gorgeous Susan Winget K & Company papers. I liked the color palette for my dad... plus, he loves nature, so little pops of flowers and leaves was ideal. The script that beautifully scrolls throughout the fluttering leaves is reminiscent of journaled memories we've created together, as well as those to come. Everything is inked with Faded Jeans distress ink. White pearlescent cardstock is my base, as I wanted my card engulfed in a fluffy cloud. :o)

I used Sky twine from My Craft Spot for the balloon and embossed the basket with a single blossom from the Cuttlebug Baby's Breath embossing folder. Tucked inside are precious little hearts, as there's no greater gift than love. :o)

The banner is from a Megan Hardy cut file. The sentiments are mixed from two Whimsical Designs stamps sets: Everyday Sentiments and Snow Much Fun. I created two tiny pearl flourishes on each end to provide the appearance of additional movement. 

Inside, a glittery bouquet awaits his flower-loving self. :o) I hope he loves it.

Thank you for floating on by! I wish you a beautifully blessed day. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *DL.Art Thankful Thursday~ August Linky Party (Anything Goes)
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *My Craft Spot~ Clean and Simple
 *Papertake Weekly~ Anything Goes
 *Silhouette Challenges~ Shaped Card

Ladybug Sweetheart Birthday Card

Hello, my crafty friends! I hope you're having a wonderful week. :o)

A new month means new recipients for the marvelous I Feel the Love Project. For August, we are creating birthday cards for residents of SAFEHOME... a place where victims of domestic violence go to gain inner strength, build self-esteem, explore options, and establish a life free of violence. It is a privilege to help celebrate the birthdays of survivors of unspeakable violence.

At any given time, at least 50% of shelter residents are under the age of 17. Therefore, we are not only creating birthday cards for mothers, but also for their children as they rebuild their lives together.

All of my cuts are from the Silhouette Online Store. The ladybug girl tugs at my heartstrings, so I call her Ladybug Sweetheart. :o) I've been saving her for the perfect occasion and the moment I read about this month's IFTL collection, I knew it was time. I gave her a sweet Peachy Keen face for character, which is from the In the Garden Face Assortment. (A DT member used the same combo... it's truly a match made in heaven.) She's ready for the festivities with her rhinestone accents and Peppermint Stick trendy twine bows. :o)

Not only is our Ladybug Sweetheart sharing a precious friend with the little birthday girl, but also a bouquet of balloons! Three of them are filled with hearts, while the other two match her sparkling ladybug dress. :o)

For her landscape, I opted to put her in a rolling field of flowers with a dotty sky above. The papers are from Doodlebug's Lovebirds collection. Sporadic flowers are centered with sparkles, while a bunny off in the distance awaits the birthday girl. :o) The bunny is a Martha Stewart stamp. The sparkly tree leaves are embossed with the D'vine Swirls folder and its cute trunk are embossed with the Swiss Dots folder. I always adore texture, but especially when it's for a kiddo... their fingers love to explore.

The sentiment is from the Whimsical Designs' Everyday Sentiments stamp set. The fun ribbon along the bottom was purchased at Michael's, specifically for our Ladybug Sweetheart. She wanted to bring tons of her fluttery friends to the birthday celebration at the shelter. :o)

The interior is lined with ladybug paper for a fun surprise upon opening. :o)

I hope when it is received, the sweet child's heart is filled with an abundance of ladybug love. :o) I am so thankful for shelters like SAFEHOME, where mothers and children (like this beautiful daughter below) are shielded from the violence that was once a part of their lives.

Thank you for fluttering on by! I hope your day sparkles with love and sunshine. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Card Crafter's Circle~ Dotty for Spots
 *Cute Card Thursday~ Anything Goes
 *Delightful Challenges~ Add Stars or Sparkle
 *DL.Art Thankful Thursday~ August Linky Party (Anything Goes)
 *Dream Valley~ Summer Days
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Peachy Keen Stamps~ Anything Goes
 *Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes