Monkey Valentine's Card: More love for I Feel the Love

Happy Saturday, my dear friends! I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful weekend! :o) Thank you for your sweet anniversary wishes toward my parents... 50 years ago today they were married in the midst of a snow storm! Even then, no storm could stop their love. :o) I'm happy to say they adore the swan card I made them. :o)

An uncharacteristically short post from me today! I've had to switch gears back to children's goodies to add to my contribution toward this month's I Feel the Love Project. We have been creating Valentines for the six or seven children who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy last month, thanks to their heroic teacher Vicki Soto... January's collection is in her honor. It has been incredible making them surprises the past few weeks!

Kiddos love monkeys, so I made a colorful little Valentine scene.

The Create a Critter monkey is offering his sparkling heart in one hand.. and his treasured banana in the other! Surely the child will know just how much it means for a monkey to share his banana. ;) I sprinkled a trail of bananas behind the sparklified Memory Box Spring Border. The Wall Decor and More tree is embossed with the Swiss Dots folder and swirling with love via heart rhinestones. I hope it engulfs the sweet kid who receives it. The background paper is from the Doodlebug Lovebirds collection, where every adorable bird is tweeting their love for everyone impacted by that event.

Love abounds inside as well, along with an extra surprise monkey. :o)

The Whimsical Designs sentiment is from the With Love set, layered upon a Spellbinders Lattice Rectangle base. I hope this card encourages a smile to the little one who needs all the extra love possible. :o)

We are also creating cards for Vicki's grieving family, which I will spend this weekend doing. There are still a few days left to participate, so I hope you'll consider joining us. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Cupcake Craft Challenge~ Make a Scene
 *DL.Art~ Thankful Thursday: Use Red or Pink
 *Paper Playtime~ Use Brown

Thank you for swinging on by! I wish a beautiful day of love and light. :o)

Sprinkled with Love

Happy Saturday, my treasured friends! I pray everyone is having a blessed and beautiful weekend. :o)

In lieu of a new Sweet Saturday confection, I'm sharing a new card that serves a far sweeter purpose. :o) As I mentioned in my last post, this month's I Feel the Love collection is in loving memory of first grade teacher Vicki Soto... a beautiful soul who gave her life to save six or seven of her students at Sandy Hook Elementary. The sweet and talented Madison (of Funky Cards) highlights someone in need of extra love every month and we have the absolute privilege of crafting for a cause. We are currently creating Valentine's cards for those children Vicki saved, as well as thinking of you/sympathy cards for her grieving family. I hope you'll create a card with us and say extra prayers for all involved in the tragedy.

My second card for the kiddos... Sprinkled with Love:

I made a happy little forest scene, complete with deer sweethearts. The deer are from Create a Critter and Cindy Loo, which I set upon stumps made of pink wood-patterned paper. (What can I say, even the trees are filled with extra love this time of year!) The interior of the stump is glitter paper because their endearing love has sparklified it... just like our heartfelt creations will deliver healing love to those who are hurting. The boy deer is wearing a sparkly green collar because Vicki's favorite color was green. Every card I create for this collection will have green for that reason. I used pearls for the pretty doe's spots. :o)

The bottom border is my new Memory Box die that I am over-the-moon in love with, called Spring Border. It's so sprightly and I thought the little recipient would enjoy it. :o) I cut it with sparkling Core Couture paper and used red and purple Stickles for the flowers.

The gorgeous nested hearts in the center are Cheery Lynn dies (Two of Hearts), which are inked in Victorian Velvet. I nearly only used one, but a double dose of love is always better. :o) The papers have pretty little sketched-floral patterns on them, and both layers are pop-dotted for dimension. All of the patterned papers on the card are from Heidi Grace's Daydream collection. I love how foresty and naturally beautiful they are. :o)

The Whimsical Designs sentiment is from the With Love stamp set, chosen because the paper is reminiscent of a shower of love. :o) (And because my sappy love is sprinkled all over the place.) The tag is popped-up, lightly inked with Victorian Velvet, and has a sweet Recollections heart button. Lastly, a sparkly white butterfly fluttered onto the card, centered with a pearl, eager to bring hope and comfort.

And there's more love tucked inside, where the Spellbinders Lattice Rectangle will hold a message about how I love the recipient so dearly!

I hope this brings a smile to the precious child's heart. :o)

The inspiring hero whose memory we are honoring this month:

Challenges entered:
 *Cut It Up~ In With the New (Memory Box Spring Border die, heart button)
 *Cute Card Thursday~ Beat the Blues (with LOVE!)
 *Divas By Design~ Anything Goes
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *My Paper Crafting/Crafting With Cutters~ Card Outreach
 *Paper Playtime~ Pets/Animals
 *Papertake Weekly~ Happy New... (Memory Box Spring Border die, heart button)

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a sparkling weekend of love, hugs, and blessings. :o)

Love Bug Shaker Card: I Feel the Love

Happy Tuesday, my dear friends! I hope everyone is having a beautiful week! :o)

As I always do on the 1st of the month, I zipped to the I Feel the Love blog last week, eager to discover the new recipient of Madison's beautiful cause. Each month she highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of extra love. In turn, we have the honor of using our crafty passion for a far higher purpose. We have the privilege of reaching out to people who are struggling mightily. This month I was stunned when I saw the recipient... a story already very well known. A story so huge that it is a two-part collection... as multiple people are in need.

In loving memory, we are paying tribute to Vicki Leigh Soto, a first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary. She lost her life on December 14th, but due to her selfless actions and beautiful heart, six or seven of her students survived that tragic day. One part of the collection is for those survivors... those precious 6 and 7 year olds who went through unimaginable trauma in that classroom. They suffered tremendous loss and are not to be forgotten. We are creating Valentine's cards/ cards with hearts to shower them with the outpouring of love they need.

Even before the fresh tears subsided after reading about our mission this month, ideas mounted... there is so much I want to do for them, and I know God will help me. Will it be emotionally difficult this month? Absolutely. But I am so thankful for the opportunity to give them a piece of my heart...

.... via a Valentine's shaker card, for starters!

Before beginning my work for this collection, I spent some time reading about Vicki. It hurt, but I felt compelled to fill my heart with stories of her love... and maybe it'll help make her love sparkle through my creations for her surviving students and family, too.

I made a garden of love blossoms on an Elegant Edges base, with a sweet sparkling love bug to deliver my hugs. :o) The heart shaker (cut from Gypsy Wanderings) isn't as full of iridescent microbeads as I intended, but there's still a nice amount to dance around in there. (A mistake never to be repeated!) The heart is accented with rhinestones and I used ruffly American Crafts ribbon for the stem. Love rises and blossoms above all... especially when ruffled with a love so strong that it heals and protects.

The smaller hearts are from the Spellbinders Fanciful Holiday set. The sparkling Core Couture cardstock stems are Cheery Lynn Designs Mini Fanciful Flourishes. The little hearts are safely nestled beneath the larger one... much like Vicki sheltered her students that day.

The ladybug is from Create a Critter and since she has the vital task of sharing my and God's love with all who see this card, I used heart rhinestones for her antennae and heart. She is popped up with foam tape for dimension, reaching ever closer to the sweet child who receives this. The Whimsical Designs sentiment is from the With Love stamp set, which I stamped upon a Spellbinders Labels Four base and secured with a Bella Blvd flower button.

The Doodlebug and Imaginisce patterned papers are all new, courtesy of my sweetheart as an after-Christmas gift. I showed him Madison's post right after I read it, and after he helped me through the wave of tears, we headed to the craft store for heartfelt supplies. (Turns out Archiver's closed early on New Years Day... but we zoomed back there first thing the next morning!) The papers are so pretty in person.

The interior, engulfed in a circle of sunshine:

The second part of this month's IFTL drive is cards for Vicki's family... anything uplifting that one would send to a family member after a loss. I'll be starting that phase after a couple more blessings for the children she adored. I hope you will consider joining us for this very special collection in loving memory of Vicki.

Challenges entered:
 *Craft Us Crazy~ Inspiration Photo (The hearts and 'made with love' inspired me)
 *Crafty Catz~ Anything Goes
 *Cute Card Thursday~ Something New (Patterned papers)
 *Fantabulous Cricut~ Incorporate a Tag (Used CAC, Elegant Edges, and Gypsy Wanderings cartridges)
 *Little Miss Muffet~ Anything Goes
 *Little Scrap Pieces Fun Friday~ Anything Goes
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Pause, Dream, Enjoy~ Use Ribbon
 *Really Reasonable Ribbon~ Something New, plus ribbon (Patterned papers)
 *The Pink Elephant~ Celebrate (Celebrating life, love, and Vicki)
 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a day of love, blessings, and sparkles. :o)

Pumpkin Love: I Feel the Love

Happy Monday, my crafty friends! Such busy times, but I'm thankful to have been a wee bit crafty this weekend. :o)

As you know, I especially love creating when it serves a special purpose. As soon as I finished my cards for cancer patients last weekend, I started thinking on my contribution to this month's I Feel the Love Project. Each month, the lovely Madison of Funky Cards highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of an extra burst of sunshine. In turn, we have the honor of creating cards for the recipients to show them how much we care. It's a truly beautiful endeavor.

This month, IFTL is blessing Casa Pacifica, which serves abused and neglected children and adolescents, and those with severe emotional, social, behavioral, and mental health challenges. We are providing cute and cheery Halloween cards for their yearly festive celebration.

I made three shaped cards for three sweet kiddos. :o)

Using my Gypsy, I welded together a Create a Critter pumpkin and critter for each card. I cut out sparkling lollipops from a DCWV patterned paper and "stuffed" the pumpkins, cutting off the tops and placing them on their heads for little hats. ;) Each critter is holding two lollipops in their cute little hands. The sparkly penguin has a Peachy Keen face, while the raccoon has a glittery mask.

For final touches, I accented the shimmery pumpkins with orange rhinestones and made tiny bows for the glittery pumpkin stems. I hope these deliver sweet pumpkin love to their very special recipients. :o) There are still a few days left in this month's collection if you'd like to join us! :o)

Challenges entered:

 * Cute Card Thursday~ A Different Shape

 * DL. ART~ Halloween/Fall Colors or Owl

 * I Feel the Love~ Cute Halloween

 * Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

Thank you for fluttering on by! I hope you have a beautiful and blessed day. :o)

Teapot Card

Happy Sunday, my lovely friends! I hope your day is filled with blessings. :o)

I had such fun making this card this weekend! I am a wee bit rushed, so forgive the blurry photograph. Grr. I may try to retake it before I deliver it.

I was feeling girly! (Nothing new, I know...hehe.)

The sweetie pie is an Elisabeth Bell stamp (Tea Time), which I've been anxious to color up with my Copics. She is absolutely precious with her tea and cookies! I thought it would be fun to make a shaped card for her base. :o) The teapot is from Once Upon a Princess, which I welded together with my Gypsy. I used one of my favorite My Mind's Eye Blush papers for the background because it kind of reminds me of a china pattern... and it looks like she's in a field of flowers. :o) The rosy wine base is embossed with the Victoria embossing folder for a touch of elegance. The lid is decorated with cream lace, flowers, a flat-back pearl strand, and a scalloped flowery pearl, which are all from Wild Orchid Crafts. The gorgeous scalloped pearl and the pearl strand are recent gifts from a friend. I love them! :o)

The grass is cut from Create a Critter, with parts of it popped up for dimension. The scrolling vine is Cheery Lynn Designs Mini Fanciful Flourish, accented with a couple of WOC flowers. It was fate to see that pretty textured green cardstock in my scraps! Two fluttering butterflies are keeping her company, which I centered with tiny pearls. At the last minute I decided you can never have too many pearls, so I set down my camera and added a few along the handle. I just cannot help myself! :o) I hope it brings a smile to my loved one's heart. :o)

Challenges entered:
 * Bitten By the Bug 2~ All Shaped Up (Once Upon a Princess)
 * The Crafty Pad~ It's Scraptastic! (green and wine papers from scrap pile)
 * Cut It Up~  Anything Goes
 * DL. Art~ Thankful Thursday.. watch the video to see!
 * Elphine House Australia~ Dog Days of Summer
 * In the Pink~ Anything but Square
 * Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 * The Ribbon Girls~ Add Pearls
 * Simon Says Stamp~ Put a Stamp on It!
 * Tuesday Alchemy~ Anything Goes


Thank you for visiting! You make my days sparkle so brightly. Have a gorgeous rest of the weekend, my friends! :o)

Rosette Wands: I Feel the Love

Happy Monday, my dear friends! I hope your weekend was beautiful. :o)

Today's creations are extra special, as they're for the cherished I Feel the Love Project, hosted by the sweet and talented Madison of Funky Cards. Each month she highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of extra love and sunshine. In turn, we have the honor of being a blessing by using our passion to serve others. This ministry brings me inexpressible joy, as you well know by now! :o)

This month's collection is for Sheffield Place, which is a homeless shelter for mothers and their children. The difference they make for these families is something to behold. We were asked to make cards and decorations for the monthly birthday parties for the kids at the shelter. Due to an incredibly busy month, I was only able to complete a fraction of what I envisioned nearly four weeks ago. It breaks my heart, but I hope they feel every tidbit of love that went into these decorations.

I made rosette wands with flowy ribbon and all types of happiness for festive centerpieces on the tables... or to be joyously twirled by sweet little kiddos! (I wouldn't blame them.. I mean, these sparkle something fierce!)

I made sixteen of them. Indeed it took eons, but it was worth every required day of work. The "wands" are bamboo skewers, which I painted with two coats of turquoise glitter acrylic paint and a layer of sealer for protection. They're all turquoise because it's cheery, bright, and just such a gorgeous color. I made the rosettes in three sizes for variety. The biggest one is made with 12x2.5-inch strips, the medium ones used 2-inch wide strips, and the smallest rosettes came from 1.5-inch wide strips. For extra festive fun, each wand has two lengths of ribbon attached in the back.

I took a few pictures for a closer look at the varied designs. Some have added rhinestones to the center designs, some of the rosettes are trimmed in Stickles, and some have various inking. Most are different in some way to (hopefully) appeal to lots of kiddo favorites.

I made multiples of a few, like the butterfly paper rosettes and the colorful flower ones above. The purple stripes have different centers, but the back one wasn't cooperating during picture time.

This set is less frilly and somewhat more gender neutral. (I know it has the same flowyness... but on these ones, that's not ribbon cascading down. They're streamers. Hehe.) The sun and frog are from Create a Critter, with Peachy Keen faces for each and googly eyes for the froggies. (Do you see the froggie paper?! It's so cute!) There are two different baseball ones for sporty types. The blue/green plaid one is a fave. I just love how the plaid looks in a rosette. (And the ribbon isn't actually that spunky. The things you notice after the pictures are done...)

Lastly, these sweet ones. I couldn't send a box of decorations without having hearts somewhere, so I used a Spellbinders Fanciful Holiday heart in the same paper as the rosettes. 

The big purple one certainly doesn't look like a kid one... and that is for a reason. I wanted to make one in honor of the mothers that are fighting so hard to right their lives. Each birthday party for the children at the shelter is a celebration for their moms, too. They could give up. But these ones are determined to return to self-sufficiency and certainly deserve a fancy rosette of their own. :o) I used my Martha Stewart Doily Lace punch around the outside as well as the interior. If you look closely, you'll see a punched design just outside of the scallop center decoration.

I hope with all of my heart that these bring some birthday joy to everyone at the shelter. Isn't this picture adorable? Such radiant smiles. There's only one day left for this current collection, but the good news is that a new one starts Wednesday! :o)

Challenges entered:

 * Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 * Paper Playtime~ Anything Goes

 * Simon Says Stamp~ Anything Goes

Thank you for twirling on by! I wish you a day sparkling with love and sunshine. :o)

Bring on the Flip Flops!

Happy Monday, my sweet friends! I hope your week is off to a sparkly start! :o)

At last, I have a crafty creation to share! I made this fun little card for my mom in celebration of the joyous summertime days we've been sharing lately. :o) Given the scary events just before Christmas, every moment feels extra special now. The last couple of weeks have been filled with so much laughter in her pool and fun times over our beloved coffee delights. We've swam so late that fireflies danced nearby as we floated and splashed to our heart's content. :o)

"Bring on the Flip Flops"

A better angle for the pretty peridot'ish rhinestones.

This was such fun to create! The gorgeous background, butterfly, and sentiment papers are from Kaisercraft Chapter One, which is a stunning collection. (The butterfly is the Martha Stewart Small Monarch punch.) The patterned paper for the Create a Critter sun is from My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose, and I do confess that it took me three tries to get the cut mostly centered on the design. A deep orange rhinestone brings a touch of sparkle to its core. The sand is sparkly Core Couture paper, embossed with Swiss Dots for texture.

The flip-flops and umbrella are from the Spellbinder's Surf's Up collection. How fun are they?! I've wanted them for quite some time and was pushed over the edge when this fantastic sentiment stamp came into my life. They were designed to be for me and my mom, tailored to some of our favorite things. The purple flip-flops are mine, with the pearlescent hue courtesy of Dew Drop Brilliance ink and the addition of heart-shaped rhinestones on the straps. (Sorry for the blur... it bums me out!) The pink ones are for my mom, inked up in Spun Sugar Distress Ink and accented with tiny peridot-green rhinestones. Each set is "burrowed" in a mound of sand, covered in iridescent microbeads to be like the sparkly sand on the beaches we pretend we're at. :o)

The umbrella is inked with the same pink and purple, trimmed with crystalline rhinestones, and given a touch of whimsy with Lilac and Blossom bows. The gorgeous twine is from My Craft Spot. We like things girly and sprightly, so I wanted to make a fun umbrella. :o)

The marvelous Docerela Creations sentiment is from her Summertime stamp set. I love this set and am so excited to own it. It is stamped on a Spellbinders banner from the Lacey Pennants set, which I connected with peridot rhinestones as though the butterfly is carrying the message. (Like a plane banner... only a flutterby!) This card was made not only to celebrate the fun we've had, but also for the incredible memories we'll be making all summer long. :o)

Challenge entered:
 * Bitten by the Bug 2~ Here Comes the Sun (Sun from Create a Critter)

Thank you for fluttering on by today! I wish you a day filled with blessings, sparkles, and all things beautiful. (Like No-Bake Cheesecake Cones.) :o)

Queen of the Sandcastle

Happy Sunday, my treasured friends! I hope you're all doing well. What a busy bee I was last week... not a single crafty moment until this weekend. Thank you for sticking with me, despite my inability to post as often as most!

**EDIT: God had a different purpose for this card, which explains some things that transpired after I posted it at the end of June. It is now for Olivia, who certainly deserves every burst of sunshine possible. She was the one on my heart without me even knowing it. **

This card serves a very special purpose, which made the creative journey especially sweet. This goes beyond princess... she's going straight to Queen!

"Queen of the Sandcastle"

High on my wish list are the Cricut paper doll cartridges, as I adore them. I recently remembered the Playtime cartridge that came with my Cricut and I was so excited. I had forgotten there were sweet kiddos on there. I chose this one to be our sandcastle sweetheart, gave her a happy Peachy Keen face, dressed her in popsicle purple, and then turned to my sparkles for the rest. Her belt is made of deep purple rhinestones, Star Dust covers her shoes, and I altered the Gypsy Wanderings crown to make room for alternating clear and purple rhinestones. The center top point is a heart stone, which is a bit hard to see in the picture. The crown itself is covered in silver Stickles, while the band holding the sparkles matches her dress. (I would totally give the lovely recipient a crown to match every one of her outfits.) Her braids are adorned with bows of Grape Fizz trendy twine, purchased from My Craft Spot. In her hand is a shimmery heart, because this Queen has a heart of (rose) gold.

The sandcastle and sand base are made with Core Couture cardstock, so they're super sparkly. I embossed the bottom for some textural variation. Every sandcastle needs a sparkling moat and since this is for a sweet child, I topped it with an extra-twinkly seashell path. (Yes, I covered the glitter DCWV paper with Star Dust to make it twinkle more.) The castle's flag is lined with rhinestones, as I want to deliver everything sparkly to this strong child. All cuts in this paragraph are from Create a Critter.

When I think of vacation, I think of whimsical nature... so I used my cherished Magnolia butterfly paper to give her a fluttery backdrop to look at during her difficult days. (One 6x6 sheet of the turquoise butterfly paper remains. Can you feel my fear?) I added a couple of Core Couture white butterflies for dimension, placing one atop the castle.

The computer-generated sentiment is printed on My Mind's Eye paper and cut with a Spellbinders Lacey Circle to somewhat appear as a sun with pretty sunbeams dancing along it. The card base is the stamp from Elegant Edges, chosen to be like a vacation postcard postage. :o) I hope and pray this gives her beautiful heart a smile. I love her to pieces.

Challenges entered:
Celebrate the Occasion~ Welcome Summer
Charisma Cardz~ Summer
Getting Cricky~ Summertime
Krafty Girls~ Fun in the Sun

Thank you for visiting me today! I hope you have a gorgeous rest of the weekend. :o)

A Splash of Love: I Feel the Love

Happy Thursday, my crafty friends! I hope you're having a marvelous week! :o)

After a couple of Copic projects, I switched gears to make a card for a sweet 2-year-old named Ashley. As you know, I have already posted two cards this month for Madison's inspirational I Feel the Love Project... one for the severely injured Brandon (found HERE) and one for his mother (found HERE). After reading about their life-changing tragic car accident, I committed myself to a card for each of the immediate family members. That includes Brandon's precious little sister, who I am told misses him dearly. Let us continue to pray for this entire family who is enduring so much heart-wrenching struggle, both emotionally and physically.

I wanted to send little Ashley a splash of love: 

The interior, consisting of a Spellbinders Picot Edge Circle. (The card is actually level, but the backdrop curve was messing with me as I rushed around. Hehe.)

I thought it would be cute for both kiddos to have wobbly cards, so I put the Create a Critter whale on an Action Wobble. She is wiggling about, splashing love upon all of Ashley's family. I used a cute Peachy Keen face for some added character and fun Bo Bunny tonal-pink polka dotted paper for her accents, including the splashing hearts. (I used Glossy Accents to make water droplets amidst the hearts.) Every girl whale needs a bow, so she has one made with blossom trendy twine from My Craft Spot. To appear as a set, I used the same blue polka dot background that I used for Brandon's train card. The sparkly Core Couture water is embossed for some wave-like texture.

The sentiment is a combination of Classic Font (a and of) and Create a Critter. I used the blue and pink dot papers to coordinate with the card design. The blue did not stand out well enough, so I inked over it with Tim Holtz Faded Jeans. The card base and sparkly frame are from Elegant Edges, which I chose since it reminds me a bit of bubbles. I hope she likes her wiggly whale card. :o)

Seeing as Ashley is merely two, this card is very much for their mother. A mother who will be so appreciative of the box of blessings she will soon receive from Madison. The waves are topped with sparkling hearts because with each storm that churns in our lives, God's love triumphs. The hearts are not embossed to symbolize peace.. stormy swirls will not unsettle us when we place our trust in God's hands. Not always easy, but always essential. :o)

Thank you for visiting me today, my friends! I wish you a beautiful day of love and blessings. :o)

Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridges: Classic Font, Create a Critter, Elegant Edges
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: D'vine Swirls
 * Spellbinders Nestabilities: Picot Edge Circles
 * Peachy Keen Critter Faces (Medium)
 * Paper: Bo Bunny, Core'dinations, DCWV, Papertrey Ink
 * Twine: My Craft Spot (Blossom)
 * Miscellaneous: Glossy Accents

Choo-Choo! I Feel the Love

Happy Sunday, my sweet friends! I hope everyone is having a beautiful day. :o)

This week's Cooking with Cricut challenge links up with the inspiring Madison of Funky Cards in support of May's I Feel the Love Project. You know the importance of this cause in my life. Every month Madison highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of our love and prayers. We then have the opportunity to be a blessing, delivering a ray of sunshine amidst their current storm. We all know how incredible it feels to receive a handmade card from a bloggie friend or loved one.. imagine the unexpected joy during the darkest of days as they receive an outpouring of love from complete strangers. This project is vital. It truly is.

A couple of weeks ago I first posted this story when sharing the card I made for Brandon's mom, which is posted HERE. As a recap, Brandon is a 4-year-old who was seriously injured in a car accident. As a result, he is considered tetraplegic, which means he can move one limb from time to time. He remains trach and ventilator dependent. Due to the neurological damage suffered, there is little likelihood that he will ever be weaned from the ventilator. However, I believe in miracles and pray for his healing every day.

Brandon's mother, his 2-year-old sister Ashley, and still-hospitalized aunt were all seriously injured in the accident. His mom's sweetheart (Ashley's father) did not survive. :( This is why I couldn't only make Brandon a card this month. The whole family is fighting so many battles and so many facets of sadness. This weekend I made the second one of this batch, which is for sweet Brandon.

"Choo-Choo! We love you!"

Little boys like trains filled with sweet animal friends from Create a Critter, right? The puppy is on an Action Wobble, so he wiggles with the slightest touch! Hopefully it will make Brandon smile. :o) (Thank you Pam for the wobbles! I've been anxious to use them!) I cannot resist giving my favorite puppy a Peachy Keen face... and I sparklified the little bell on his collar with gold Stickles. His train car is filled with hearts, as he's delivering an endless supply of healing love to Brandon. The monkey must have thought the yellow top was a banana, seeing as he's swinging all willy nilly from it. He is popped up with foam tape for dimension and to clear the chunky buttons I used for the wheels. :o)

Since this train is guided by and powered by my and God's love, I used heart-shaped rhinestones as puffs of steam. To make the track, I used the film strip border found on Wall Decor and More. I welded two of them together on my Gypsy, rotating one to make the curvy track I desired. I wanted more of it showing, but I goofed up a bit. I was having too much fun packing love and joy into it, I suppose! ;)

The grass is embossed with the Swiss Dots folder for texture, while the non-sentiment clouds are embossed with D'vine Swirls. I wanted to include a pattern in the card, so I used this lovely Bo Bonny basics cardstock for a dotted sky. The sentiment is computer generated, using my favorite kid font: Sunshiney. It's so whimsical and has the cutest name. The card base is yellow for an extra burst of sunbeams. I hope this card brings a smile to his face and heart. Now I just need to make one for Ashley.. I'm thinking of using another Action Wobble. They might like having a set of wiggly cards. :o)

Brandon and Ashley:

Challenges entered:
 * Cooking with Cricut~ Card Outreach
 * Krafty Girls~ Face Off! (Use a face)

There is still time to make a card for this precious boy, so I hope you will join us. :o) Thank you for swinging on by! I wish you a day sparkling with sunbeams and blessings. :o)

Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridges: Create a Critter, Wall Decor and More
 * Cuttlebug embossing folders: D'vine Swirls, Swiss Dots
 * Peachy Keen Stamps: Medium Critter Faces
 * Paper: Bo Bunny, Core'dinations, Papertrey Ink
 * Buttons: Michael's dollar bin
 * Small heart punch: stash
 * Heart rhinestones: Recollections

Blog MAKEOVER and Pillow Box of Love for Emily!

Happy Friday, my sweet friends! I hope you've had a beautiful week! :o)

It's looking drastically different around here and I am ECSTATIC! Heartfelt thanks to the sweet and talented Robin of Robin's Creative Cottage for turning my blog into something even more stunning than my heart envisioned. I fell in love with a digital scrapbooking kit and she transformed it into this lovely blog design. I love every single inch of it, from the gorgeous header to the fluttering butterflies to the scattered pearls to the elegant flourishes... and beyond! She made me swoon over my button. :o) The creative journey was so fun and truly inspiring. She is such a joy to work with. Thank you, Robin! :o) Now I just need to fill in the remaining fun labels with my friends' buttons and favorite sites! How fun!

I was so rushed that I wasn't able to share the contents of Emily's I Feel the Love pillow box before I mailed it out. There is such joy in creating, especially when you know it will brighten the heart of a cancer-battling little girl. The process might hurt the heart, but that merely motivates me to make time for one more little blessing as the deadline approaches...

Emily loves arts and crafts, so I made a selection of Create a Critter animals and cupcakes for her to create with or simply play with, along with a sparkling rainbow of butterflies. In the back are the two cards I made for her, previously posted HERE and HERE. I wanted to see how happy they would all look together. :o) (Although I took the photograph before adhering the kitten card's sparkly interior... oops!)

A partial close-up of most of the goodies... I pray that they bring her joy. :o)

The butterflies are all sparkly paper, so I think she'll have a lot of fun with them. I can't wait for them to flutter onto her lap when she opens the pillow box... there are approximately 26 butterflies, so that will be fun. Teehee. I thought it would be neat for her to have bigger versions of the two animals I made for her cards, so I included those in her gift. The sweet deer has a twinkle in her eye via Stickles because she's twinkling with love for Emily. :o) And yes, I officially made my 1,000,001st sparkly penguin, this time with a sparkling purple scarf since she adores that color. A purple hippo was a must, as was a sweet button-centered snail. I certainly couldn't send her a gift box without some sweets, so I made two cupcakes in my favorite "wrappers"... I wish I could take her out for cupcakes. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by and I wish you a beautiful day! I am just over the moon... Robin designed my blog so brilliantly and I would not change a thing. Thank you once again, my new and wonderful friend. :o)

Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridge: Create a Critter
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: D'vine Swirls, Swiss Dots
 * Peachy Keen Stamps: Critter Faces, Medium
 * Paper: Bazzill, Core'dinations, DCWV, Heidi Grace, Magnolia, My Mind's Eye, SEI
 * Butterfly punch: Martha Stewart Small Monarch
 * Twine: My Craft Spot (Grape Fizz, Strawberry Cupcake, Twisted Lime)
 * Miscellaneous: Button (My Mind's Eye Tres Jolie); Heart rhinestone on hippo (Recollections); iRock

Showers of Love: I Feel the Love

Happy Sunday, my crafty friends! I hope you're having a lovely weekend. :o)

This month is speeding by, so I had to hop to it to get another card done for sweet Emily. Emily is this month's recipient of Madison's inspiring project, I Feel the Love. Each month she selects a person, family, or organization in need of extra sunshine and love. In turn, we have the incredible opportunity to be a blessing to someone in need... to use our passion for a far greater purpose. I am so thankful for this cause, as it drives me like no other.

Emily is six years old and battling leukemia. Last week I posted a kitten card I made for her and I decided to stick with the Create a Critter cartridge for this one, too. :o)

"Showers of love..." (If you enlarge it, you'll see the gorgeous sparkle of the background paper)

"... to give you a rainbow."

When I saw the Fantabulous Cricut challenge this week, I instantly knew I wanted to make Emily a showers of love card. For the background paper, I turned the horizontal design sideways to make it look like colorful, rainbow rain. I punched out some hearts, covered them in Star Dust, and inked them with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink to make them glow in love. I placed them at the ends of the "streams" of larger raindrops. I love how sparkly the paper is and thought Emily might, too. :o) (The pond is super sparkly too, but the photograph does not capture it.)

To amp up the cuteness factor, the froggie has googly eyes and a Peachy Keen smile. His tummy is polka dots because he's bubbling up with love for Emily. :o) I especially like having textures and patterns on kiddo cards, so I used coordinating plaid and polka dot papers for the lily pad, grass, and umbrella. All the patterned papers are from the DCWV Nursery~Baby Girl stack, which I've used for everything except a baby card! Hehe. I embossed the clouds with D'vine Swirls and used foam tape for the frog, umbrella, and front grass sections for dimension. I did not pop up the clouds because Emily will rise above this storm, protected by heavenly love.

The card is framed with a bubbly-looking frame from Elegant Edges in the same color as the frog. I used a Spellbinders Lacey Pennant die for the computer-generated sentiment, but kept it tonal so all of the color is in the main scene. For the interior rainbow, I used DCWV glitter stack papers to make it as sparkly as possible. The colors don't exactly match the front, but that is by design. I wanted the rainbow to be Emily's favorite colors. :o) The heart is a coordinating pattern to the one I used for the rain, which is bubbling up in rainbow love. :o) As always, I pray that she feels a burst of love and sunshine when she receives this card, which was made with my and God's love for her.

Challenge entered:
 * Fantabulous Cricut~ April Showers

There's still some time to link up if you'd like to make a card for Emily. :o) Thank you for hopping on by today! I hope your day sparkles with hugs and blessings. :o)

Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridges: Create a Critter, Elegant Edges
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: D'vine Swirls
 * Spellbinders Shapeabilities: Lacey Pennants
 * Paper: Core'dinations, DCWV, Papertrey Ink
 * Sentiment: Computer generated
 * Distress Inks: Victorian Velvet, Walnut Stain
 * Miscellaneous: Googly eyes, Stickles (for umbrella handle)

Card Outreach and I Feel the Love Cards

Happy Tuesday, my sparkly friends! I hope everyone is having a marvelous week! Today I have a couple of things to share with you that I made for two very sweet girls. This post is a bit picture-heavy to show the contents of the petal box... and a bit long in general. But with two cards for two cancer-battling girls and a deadline tonight, there was just no other way.

The current Cooking with Cricut challenge has joined forces with my favorite part of crafting: Madison's I Feel the Love Project. They are collecting for two amazing girls and I am thrilled to have something for each of them. My sappy heart was in overdrive over the weekend as I created a card and little gift for each of them.

You all already know how important (and vital) I Feel the Love is to me. Each month the sweet and talented Madison highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of an extra burst of love and sunshine. In turn, we have the incredible honor of using our passion for a greater cause. This month's recipient is Emily, a lovely 6 year-old girl who is battling leukemia. She loves pink, purple, kittens, horses, and arts & crafts... I jammed them all in between her card and gift. Teehee.

"Purrfect"

I hope she gets as much joy from this card as I had while creating it. Create a Critter was used for all of the cuts. I used bright and cheery Heidi Grace papers to reflect a sunny outdoor scene. I couldn't resist sprucing up the sweet kitten's pillow... so I pleated some My Craft Spot Buttercup crinkle ribbon to symbolize ruffles of sunshiny love and added bright yellow rhinestone "sunbeams" to the trim. She's one happy kitten, immersed in God's loving warmth.

I love the yarn accessory that's part of the kitten page on the CAC cartridge, but instead made a little "ball" of yarn with Grape Fizz trendy twine. Not only is it Emily's beloved purple, but it also adds another fun textural element. Strawberry Cupcake twine was used for the kitten bows and I used Peachy Keen faces to give her and the sun some personality. :o) All twine is also from My Craft Spot.

"Wishing You Sunshine all Year Through"

For Emily's pillow box (from Art Philosophy), I used the same Heidi Grace paper as her card and wrapped it with Papertrey Ink Raspberry Fizz ribbon and Strawberry Cupcake twine. Oh the sweet sentiment... for so long I yearned for circular sentiments from Lili of the Valley. They recently had a free worldwide shipping promotion and I finally ordered one of the sets. I opted for the Dreamy Days set and am in LOVE. What better first-use than for these two girls? :o) I used a Spellbinders Lacey Circle to frame it, lightly inked with Tim Holtz Spun Sugar. Regarding the contents of this, that is the one thing left undone. Since Madison's collection runs through the end of the month, I will be filling it up this weekend with a bunch of cuts she can play with and will post it with the second card I'll be making her. Since Emily loves arts and crafts, I'll be doing a similar assortment to the pillow box of love I made sweet Trinitie last month.

The other recipient of Cooking with Cricut's challenge is a beautiful 13-year old named Patty, who is battling a rare form of cancer. She has had numerous rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries, and a stem cell transplant. Aren't you so crazy proud of her? I wish I could hug all of these people we create for...

"Be Unique, Be Unforgettable, Be You"

After much debate, I made Patty a purse from Create a Critter. I wanted to make her an actual purse, but I lacked the proper supplies. :( Hopefully she likes this purse-shaped card. :o) It's a pretty pink plaid because Patty is wearing pink in the picture of her that was posted. I gave it a fun pom-pom trim, which is one of my favorite things. To personalize it and make it especially for her, I made her a "P" logo and tucked it just beneath the pom trim. The heart base and frame layers are from Gypsy Wanderings. Her initial is from Storybook, which I accented with rhinestones. The purse closure is made of Art Philosophy flower cuts, a shimmery button, and a Blossom twine bow.

The wonderful Whimsical Designs sentiment is from the Whimsical Fun~ Volume 1 stamp set. It's "secured" with Strawberry Cupcake twine and I finished the purse by adding three tiny rhinestones on either end of the handle. When I debate between brads and rhinestones, the sparkly option will always win out. ;)

"Wishing You a Day Full of Happiness"

Do you think Patty likes wonky bows? I sure hope so. ;) (Although I will try to fix that before I mail it out.) I made her a petal box from the Art Philosophy cartridge, wrapped it in pretty ribbon that she can just slide off, and used another one of the beautiful Lili of the Valley sentiments. I truly love all 12 that came on the sheet.

Want to see the contents? The petal box Echo Park paper provides a clue... pretty flourishes are like fluffy frosting swirls. :o)

Secured with a jump ring, I made six fun and delicious cupcakes. All of the frosting is embossed and I tried to choose a nice variety of "wrappers." But these aren't merely pretty confections. What goes with sweet cupcakes? Sweet sentiments.

"Believe That You are Wonderful"

"Believe in Your Dreams"

Each cupcake has a unique sentiment from that same coordinating set, stamped upon a lacey circle, and inked with Spun Sugar. I tied sheer pink dot ribbon to the jump ring to coordinate with the petal box. I hope and pray that Patty and Emily smile upon receiving their little gifts. :o)

Challenge entered:

 * Cooking with Cricut~ Card Outreach

Thank you for persevering through this post and for visiting me today! I hope your day sparkles with love and joy. :o)

Pillow Box of Love for I Feel the Love

Happy Monday, my sweet friends! I hope you had a beautiful weekend. :o)

As you all know, I am an avid supporter of the I Feel the Love Project, hosted by the inspiring Madison of Funky Cards. Each month she highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of our love and prayers. In turn, we have the honor of using our creative passion for a higher purpose. I cannot even tell you what this project means to me. When the 1st rolls around, my initial thoughts aren't of a new month but rather that there's a new recipient who needs our love.

It is no secret that sweet Trinitie has inspired me this month and that she is often on my mind... and always in my heart and prayers. I wanted to make one more little blessing for her, so I made a pillow box and filled it with a few tiny treasures.

Or maybe a lot. ;)

In a moment, a few close-ups to better see these cuties and the actual box...

My idea is to send her these so she can make her own little crafty creations using them, if she so desires. Or to simply have a whole lot of new friends to smile at as they keep her company. They were made with so much love, so I like to think each one is delivering a hug from me. I originally planned to make her a petal box filled with a bunch of my stamps that she could color... but then I read that after her brain surgery she lost all feeling on her left side and she is left-handed. Her mom posted a picture of a recent trip out to dinner where Trinitie was working on her writing, showing progress. My heart broke all over again. Doubtful that coloring was the best idea, I turned to Create a Critter which never fails with kiddos. :) She can simply do as she pleases with the assembled critters.

Now for a few closer photographs of Trinitie's sweeties! I couldn't resist using my favorite butterfly punch to send her a rainbow of butterflies. Despite it not showing, all of them are either sparkly Core Couture or pearlescent cardstock.

(I am in love with the heart-buttoned snail and want to make one for myself! I would think of Trinitie every time I saw it, which makes it even better.)

I think I've made approximately one million sparkly penguins since getting Create a Critter.

I needed to give her cupcakes and a Simply Charmed ice cream cone. If I actually knew her, I would bake her favorite cupcakes and take her out for the best ice cream on the planet. A double-scoop of love.

Lastly, the pretty pillow box. I kept it simple to avoid the potential for eager little hands breaking anything.

The Making Memories paper stands well on its own, I think. I wrapped crinkle ribbon around the short side only so she wouldn't need to remove it every time she opens the box. The tag is cut from Art Philosophy, which I adhered to the corresponding chipboard shape that came in the bundle. I love the thickness! I attached it to the crinkle ribbon with Grape Fizz Trendy Twine. The "Love" sentiment is from Create a Critter.

The box behind it was made last night, using the simple tutorial found HERE. Since I used Wild Orchid Crafts flowers on the cards I made Trinitie (found HERE and HERE), I wasn't comfortable sticking them in a regular paper envelope. To give them a little protection, I made a box out of 300gsm paper. I wrapped it with sprightly purple ribbon from Hobby Lobby.

There are still five days left if you'd like to make a card for this sweet girl. She will appreciate it more than we could possibly know. :o) I love her to pieces and hope my cards and pillow box of surprises bring a burst of sunshine and sparkles to her heart.

Thank you for visiting me today! I hope your day sparkles with love and blessings. :o)

Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridges: Art Philosophy, Create a Critter, Simply Charmed
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: Swiss Dots
 * Paper: Core'dinations, DCWV, Heidi Grace, Making Memories, My Mind's Eye
 * Twine: My Craft Spot (Chocolate Truffle, Grape Fizz, Twisted Lime, Sky)
 * Peachy Keen Stamps: Critter Faces
 * Butterfly punch: Martha Stewart Small Monarch
 * Ribbon: Crinkle ribbon from My Craft Spot; sheer dotted ribbon from Hobby Lobby