Celebrate Each New Day

Happy Friday, sweet friends! I'm posting on the Live & Love Crafts blog today, where this week we are showcasing Pion Design's new collection: Linnaeus Botanical Journal. And what a lovely collection it is!

Thank you for the beautiful words last week. It was a tough one but your kindness brought joy to my heart. :o) I am trying to move on the best way I know how, which is to bless another family in need.

This is for the parents of a sweet 4-year-old battling an inoperable brain tumor. One thing I have learned from these families I work with is to celebrate each new day. They never know if they'll have another one as their children face terminal diseases. They genuinely celebrate every shared breath of life.

I'm sending them blue skies, touches of sunshine, and an abundance of nature's beauty. The central image is from the Plumbago Auriculata sheet, layered atop a glimmering Joy! Crafts Lacey Square. The scene is so beautiful and large enough on the 12x12 sheet to shine on its own. The new (and irresistible) Sunflower Pearl Trim lines exquisite Coco lace. The blue base is the reverse of the Borders sheet, which I paired with a Maja Design Coffee in the Arbor yellow. The base shape is my favorite: Go Kreate's Large Frame Frilly #10.

The layered butterflies are cut from the Borders sheet. With Mandy's health declining, they're doubled up with prayers of hope. I particularly love the sunshiny ones. :o) The floral arrangement consists of several Wild Orchid Crafts goodies, joined by decoration berries and beaded pomegranate apples (in Vanilla Cupcake and Apple Chutney). 

I love resin pieces and incorporated two into my card. The key dangling from the flowers is from the Melissa Frances Small Lockbox Appliqué set, which I paired with a Prima Shabby Chic Square Frame. Both are accented with Shabby White Frontage. The My Craft Spot Tiny Tags 3 sentiment is stamped onto a section of a Pion border.

The interior is lined with the Caroli sheet (I keep calling it cannoli!), which is another lovely shade of blue. The Linnaeus Botanical Journal color palette is truly divine and the artwork is beautiful. I pray it fills their hearts with the light they need.

Thank you for visiting and have a beautiful day! :o)

Lovely challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Summer; I used butterflies, blue skies, and sunlight)

 *Butterfly Challenge~ Flowers and Butterflies

 *Crafty Gals Corner~ Anything Goes

 *Creative Inspirations~ Your Favorite; My fave card base shape and embellishments (flowers and pearls)

 *Lil Patch of Crafty Friends~ Anything Goes

 *Penny's Challenge~ Anything Goes

 *Simon Wednesday Challenge~ Anything Goes

Pion Design - Linneaus Botanical Journal 12x12 - Plumbago auriculata	Pion Design - Linneaus Botanical Journal 12x12 - Borders	Pion Design - Linneaus Botanical Journal 12x12 - Caroli	Maja Design - Coffee in the Arbour 6x6 Paper Stack	Lace ''Coco'' (55mm)
Sunflower Pearl Trim (10mm)	WOC Chrysanthemums	WOC Open Roses, 15mm	WOC Open Roses, 10mm	WOC Apple Blossoms
WOC Lilies	WOC Hip Rosebuds	Pomegranate Apples	Pearl Stamens	Decoration Berries
Prima Shabby Chic Treasures - Square Frames	Melissa Frances Resin Embellishment - Small Lockbox Applique Set	Stampendous Fran-táge Embossing Enamels	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads	Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool
Tim Holtz Paper Distresser Tool

InLinkz.com

Thankful for You Friendship Card

Hello, sweet friends! A sparkly welcome to my new friends/followers! I'm delighted you're here. :o) After a bout with a bug, I am back and have a little friendship card to share.

My arm injury remains an issue for most things, but I am grateful to be able to color again without pain! **happy dance** One of my crafty goals this year is to strengthen my Copic work. Coloring makes me happy and I am eager to improve.

Santa gave me purple goodies for Christmas, so I had no choice but to play with my favorite color again. ;) My fear of Copic over-saturation resulted in a lack of proper blending in the clothing, but rather than get negative or frustrated over it I'm just excited to do better next time. I am determined not to lose my joy during any blessed moment of crafting this year!

This sweetheart is Little LuLu by Lissy Bee Stamps, which is Elisabeth Bell's newest stamp adventure! I was blessed to win this from Elisabeth herself at the launch festivities and I was beyond excited to receive this in the mail from her. It felt extra magical. ♥ I love her to bits! I was a little heavy handed with the Glamour Dust accents, if there can be such a thing. ;) LuLu is stamped upon a Spellbinders Labels Four die and layered upon a Gold Labels Four.

I used several other new goodies in my simple little card, all of which I adore. The middle panels are made with the Die-Versions Whispers Butterfly Punch Border, which was a birthday gift from my sweetest friend. ♥ I've been anxious to use it, but had to finish Christmas cards first. :o) I love it so much! I used the die to emboss the purple layer beneath, pushing the butterflies through the openings a bit. Tattered Lace Beloved Borders trim the fluttery panels.

My new flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, including the gorgeous purple carnations and lily. Cheery Lynn Designs Mini Fanciful Flourishes frolic beneath. The sweet butterfly charm tucked within the blossoms is also new, as are the beautiful Maja Design papers. The floral and heart designs are from Ska Vi Ta En Fika, while the scrolling ivy is from Coffee in the Arbour.

The pretty hearts are Cheery Lynn Two of Hearts, which I topped with a pearl heart for triple the love. The sweet sentiment is from My Craft Spot's Tiny Tags 3, which I stamped upon a Spellbinders Nested Lacey Pennant. The fluttering border on top of my card is the Joy! Crafts Butterfly Edge, one of my favorite dies ever. It is layered for a slight shadow effect.

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

Inspiring challenges entered:
 *613 Avenue Create~ Techniques (Copics, die-cutting, sponged sky with distress ink)
 *Crafty Gals Corner: Sweethearts (Add a heart!)
 *Darnell's NBUS: Use new goodies and support her fabulous blog! (Either brand new or neglected since purchasing.) I have used new papers, image stamp, flowers, metal die, charm, and pearls!
 *Moving Along with the Times~ Dies and/or Punches (I used oodles of dies)
 *The Paper Shelter~ Punches and/or Dies (I used oodles of dies)

Bear Hugs :)

Happy Saturday, crafty friends! I hope you're having a beautiful weekend! I'm fluttering in to post on the My Craft Spot blog today. :o)

This is my latest contribution for sweet Lily, this month's recipient of the I Feel the Love Project. While she battles leukemia, I want her to know how deeply she is loved. Purple is her favorite color, so I used some of my favorite purple goodies throughout.

Most of my projects are for charitable purposes and I can always count on Kimberly to have the perfect sentiments, regardless of the recipient's age or difficult circumstance. I wanted to send Lily some teddy bear hugs, courtesy of this sweet Posy Trio stamp from Lili of the Valley (colored with Copics).

The precious sentiment is from Tiny Tags 3, which is cut out with the coordinating Tiny Tags metal dies. I love the bear(y) greetings on that set! :o) I tucked it beneath Buttercup crinkle ribbon, chosen to reflect ruffles of sunshiny love. The gorgeous roses throughout are from Wild Orchid Crafts, which I've trimmed with Star Dust.

The scalloped bases for the teddy bear stamps are from the Tiny Doilies 2 metal die set. I used the new Fancy Edges- Halloween metal die set to add the stitched design to the top of the middle panel. The beautiful borders were made with the floral die in the Fancy Edges 2 set. I love how it looks lacy. :o)

The butterfly is a Memory Box Isabella die, which is cut out with glittery purple cardstock and covered in Glamour Dust. She's sparkling with so much hope for Lily! My papers are from Wild Rose Studio's Bluebell collection.

Such a strong little girl... I hope these little bears bring a smile to her heart. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by and have a blessed weekend! :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Crafty Girls~ Anything Goes
 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes
 *DL.Art Thankful Thursday~ September Linky Party (Anything Goes)
 *Lia Stampz~ Lavender and Lace
 *SweetStamps~ Anything Goes
 *Sweet Stampin'~ Ribbons and Bows
 *The Ribbon Girl~ LOTV stamp and Flowers (I colored Posy Trio)
 *Tuesday Throwdown~ Butterflies and Bows
 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting Sentiment

Back to School at My Craft Spot!

Happy Monday, sweet friends! I pray you had a blessed weekend. :o)

It's time for a fun new challenge at My Craft Spot! This week we have a theme challenge: Back to School! I used this opportunity to make a cute little card for next month's I Feel the Love Project recipient. :o)

Several My Craft Spot goodies star in this card. :o) My card base was created with the Scrapping Life- Cards metal dies. Not only is it perfect for Project Life or scrapbooking, but it also makes such a sweet little card base! I used the leaves from Kimberly's new Flowers- Daisy metal dies on my apple, which are embossed with the Victoria Cuttlebug folder.

The sentiment is from Tiny Tags 3, which is cut out and layered with the coordinating Tiny Tags metal dies. The fun red and green notebook paper is from My Mind's Eye. It's from a Christmas collection, but came to mind for this project since it matches the theme and colors. :o)

The fun star border is from the Fancy Edges 2 metal die set. I used some of the negative star cuts for decoration. My sweet cut files are from Little Scraps of Heaven: Cat with Apple and Bear Holding Pencil. I fell in love with this precious kitty!

Tucked inside is a bunch of love. :o) (The interior heart die cut is also from the Scrapping Life- Cards set.)

Be sure to flutter on over to the My Craft Spot blog to see the fun creations from my teamies! I look forward to seeing what you create this week. :o) Have a sparkly day!

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Post-It Notes)

 *Cute Card Thursday~ Back to School

 *Delightful Challenge~ School Days

 *Simon Wednesday Challenge~ Back to School

 *Sparkles Monthly Challenge~ Back to School

3D Flowers at My Craft Spot!

Hello, my sweet friends! I hope you had a blessed weekend. :o)

Today begins a fun new challenge at My Craft Spot! This week is all about 3D flowers, which is one of my favorite things in crafting! :o) I love 3D flowers and look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

For my project, I made a card for August's I Feel the Love Project collection. This month we are sending love to the sweet elderly residents at Wynwood of McMinnville assisted living facility. It is so important not to forget our seniors!

Everyone loves flowers that never fade, right? :o)

The beautiful flowers are one of Kimberly's newest goodies, the versatile Flowers- Daisy metal die set! (I adore this collection!) I layered a couple of the designs for regular daisies (minus the largest die) and then filled in my little basket with one of the flower center options. I thought they would make sweet little flowers on their own. :o) (Which was probably Kimberly's line of thinking, too!)

They are covered in Wink of Stella clear glitter, naturally. :o) I tucked tulle into the basket before adding the flowers and finished with a few pearl sprays. The leaves are inked with Forest Moss and embossed with the Victoria Cuttlebug folder. The flowers are inked with Victorian Velvet. The pretty basket is a Marianne Design die.

How adorable are these teeny tiny pink hearts on the bottom panel? :o)

The flower border is from the Fancy Edges 2 metal die set, which I've accented with pearls. The sweet sentiment is from Tiny Tags 3, which I've cut out and layered with the coordinating Tiny Tags metal dies. Petal Pink crinkle ribbon provides a soft border, which I've double-bowed and centered with a Wild Orchid Crafts scalloped pearl.

The lovely papers are part of the box of paper love I recently received as a gift! They are from Pion Design's My Precious Daughter collection. So beautiful. :o) I hope it brings a smile to the heart of the senior who will soon receive it.

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

Challenges entered:
 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Summer)
 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes
 *Fussy and Fancy~ Bingo Board (Pearls-Stitching-Message)
 *SweetStamps~ Bling
 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting sentiment

A Dabble into Scrapbooking!

Hello, sweet friends! I am posting on the My Craft Spot blog today. It's a first for me... a double layout for scrapbooking! :o) This took quite a bit of time, especially since slowed with my arm injury, but I am just thankful to be able to do some crafting at a snail's pace. I miss my Copics, but hope to return soon.

I've had it on my sappy heart to squeeze in some time for preserving special memories. It was hard for me (the challenge of NEW), but I had such a blast and it was fun incorporating Kimberly's goodies into such a large design.

Note: I promise my layouts are both 12x12 and even! I did not realize I had the camera angled. Lesson learned! :o)

My first scrapbooking project is for the memories my sweetheart and I will make this upcoming holiday season, so I was guided by my whimsical side.

This album starts with a wintry backdrop, with touches of Christmas cheer sprinkled throughout. (Decorated trees, red and green lollipops, festive sentiment, etc.)

My little village scene, comprised of the cafe, two cutie pies, and title, are cut files from Treasure Box Designs. This Cocoa Cafe cut file came with a blank regular sign, which to me means tiny doily fun instead! :o) The "Friendship Warms the Heart" sentiment is from Stamping All Around Christmas. I cut it out and layered with the coordinating Tiny Doilies and Tiny Doilies 2 metal dies. The snow and whipped cream are embossed, but sadly is washed out in the pictures. (We agreed we want to live in this sweet cafe!)

I forgot to take one particular picture! I adhered these photo mats as pockets, with two journaling tags nestled behind them. The 'pulls' for my tags were created with the Ornate Labels metal dies. The stamped border and sentiments are from Ornate Labels-Christmas, as is the heat-embossed scrolling snowflake border.

Doesn't she just melt your heart? I love that she has a cookie wafer in her hot cocoa... it's one of the sweetest accents in this entire cut file! I love all of their appearances. For personality, I used my favorite set of Peachy Keen face stamps: In the Garden.

The other side has a larger mat for an extra special photograph. To pair with the sweetness of the Cocoa Cafe, I fussy-cut lollipops and used one of my favorite of Kimberly's products: the Jar Basics metal dies!

I made a mason jar filled with holiday treats. :o) My sentiment is from Tiny Tags 3, which is cut out with the coordinating Tiny Tags metal dies. I used the same beautiful traditional twine throughout my double layout.

The sweet reindeer is also from Treasure Box Designs. (Bobble Buddies- Reindeer.) He's so precious!

Lastly, the sappy title and adorable photo mat border. :o) Tons of dimension and embossing throughout the entire layout, which angled pictures would have shown, but I was rushed. My papers are from Recollections' The Ballet, which I've already stated is a favorite. I bought two stacks two years ago because I love so much of it and am down to one sheet of my beloved purple snowflakes! The hanging snowflakes are Memory Box Precious Snowflakes, while all of the individual snowflakes are from Cheery Lynn Designs. :o)

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

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Party)

 *Craft Your Passion~ Christmas in July

 *Craftin Desert Divas~ Christmas in July

 *Crafting for all Seasons~ Christmas in July

 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes

 *Die Cuttin' Divas~ Christmas in July

 *DL.Art Thankful Thursday~ July Linky Party (Anything Goes)

 *Papertake Weekly~ It's a Jolly Holiday

 *Pause, Dream, Enjoy~ 3 or More Patterned Papers

 *Simon Says Stamp~ Emboss It (all of the snow, whipped cream, and snowflake flourishes are embossed. So sorry I didn't take angular shots to better show most of them!)

 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes

 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting Sentiment