Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving Day

November is a big month for theme's centering around being thankful. This is no surprise since here in the states we celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month.

For our challenge over at Riley and Company, we are jumping on board with that theme so I have challenged the design team to create a card using the theme "thankful."


Turkey's need to keep a low profile this month, so I decided to dress my turkey up as a pilgram so he could fit in with the crowd. I used the following stamps: Pilgram Riley, Pilgram Sofie and single turkey 

Don't forget to check out the Riley and Company Design Team's cards on their blogs!




For more fun and inspiration you an follow me on FacebookInstagramTwitter & Pinterest.

Winter's Butterflies - 3 CAS Cards

Hello everyone and happy November!  I am here to share with you three different cards I made using two So Suzy Stamps!


The two stamps I used are called Butterfly 3 and Winter's Butterfly.



It's not about the Fruitcake!



There are some traditions I am sure we would like to forget about. The ones that we keep doing even though if we stopped, no one would miss. This is for me, the dreaded fruitcake. I have never made a fruitcake, and while it is not my favorite, it became a family tradition that my mother in law had continued through the years.

Before we open presents on Christmas morning, my mother in law and I would get the coffee going and set out some sweets. These sweets typically consisted of some breads, banana, pumpkin and of course fruitcake.

During the 16th century, it was discovered that fruit could be preserved by soaking it in great concentrations of sugar. Because fruit now was able to be preserved, unavailable fruits were soon being imported in candied form from other parts of the world. This increased the supply of these fruit and the need to dispose of them, thus came the invention of fruitcake.

We don't see the younger generation baking up these fruitcakes. These usually come from Grandmother's as gifts to their children or Grandchildren.  I have personally never baked a fruitcake or bought one. But this year may be my first.

Last Christmas was my mother in laws last Christmas, as she passed away this year. She had been fighting cancer for the last four years and lost the battle this year. We celebrated Christmas last year at her house and while we all had no idea this would be the last one with her, I am so glad that we spent her last one there. Her son Marc made it in form England, and the entire family was together.

This year I will be hosting Christmas at my house. Christmas was a special time for her and I as we would get together in December and work on Christmas Cards as well as bake holiday goods.  This year, I will be making the holiday cookies by myself and I will be preparing the holiday meal on my own.  There will be many traditions that I will not be able to continue until I have a daughter in law of my own, (but I am in no rush for that.) But one thing I can continue, is to set out the fruitcake. It won't be homemade, but it will remind us of Grandma.

So this year when your your Grandmother brings over her famous fruitcake, remember, this may be the last one. Take time to sit and chat with her over a cup of coffee and some fruitcake, and embrace these family traditions remembering it is not about the fruitcake, it is about the memories you are creating.




References:
Robert Sietsema. (2002). A short history of fruitcake. Available: http://www.villagevoice.com/restaurants/a-short-history-of-fruitcake-6429393. Last accessed 11/23/2015.
Image:
Reprinted with permission from

Vintage Valentine Cards Scream Romance

Running an Etsy store means I need to stay one season ahead. So while the rest of you are diligently working on your Christmas Cards, I have started my Valentine Cards.


Valentine's Day is the BEST occasion for making Vintage inspired cards. To me Vintage screams of Romance and Love, so I just love making these cards. I used several techniques on this card so let me share with you what I did.

I just received my Best Ever Craft Mat from Blitsy in the mail yesterday so I had to try it out. I started out by creating the brick wall using my new stencil from So Suzy Stamp. The two Distress ink's that worked great for a brick wall are Fired Brick and Walnut Stain. Distress Inks react great with water, so I added droplets of water and let it air dry.


Once the Brick wall was dry, I used gold texture paste with a stencil called Art Is.  I did not want the entire brick wall to be covered with the gold paste, so I used blue painter's tape.

I did use my distressing tool on the side's of my paper to add aging to my paper and adhered it to my base paper. Washi tape is always a fun element to add to vintage cards as they tear easily and can be randomly placed. I often use my washi tape to help balance my cards.

Once my flat elements were in place, I adhered it to a 5" x 7" card. Once on my card base I added an altered scrabble game piece and two heart die cuts that were also stenciled with the Art Is template.

As a finishing touch, I did curl up the top part and bottom part of my hearts to create a 3-D affect.

If you would like this sentiment, you can find it on over on Jennifer Scraps. If you need any of these supplies, they are listed below in my affiliate links or you can always buy it from my etsy store.

I would love for you to check out some of my other Valentine Day Cards. Hopefully they will give you some ideas as well.


For more fun and inspiration you an follow me on FacebookInstagramTwitter & Pinterest.

Many of the products and items I use are listed under my Products Tab and can be found by clicking  on my products tab.
                                       


If you are a first timer to Blitsy, you will even get $10 off your first order by clicking the link below!

Blitsy Brings You The Best In Crafts at Up To 70% Off

 If your item is not on sale, Blitsy will accept competitors coupons as follows:



Funny Bones Sentiments




I love Funny Bones Stamps from Riley and Company! I am fortunate to be a designer on the team, which means I get lots of goodies from them.
Here is a chance to get some of those funny bones, on sale at Blitsy for a limited time! Funny Bones Stamps  are now on sale over at Blitsy. As we know with Blitsy, their sales only last for a limited, so hurry while they are still on sale!

If you are a first timer to Blitsy, you will even get $10 off your first order by clicking the link below!

,                                        Blitsy Brings You The Best In Crafts at Up To 70% Off

Below are some cards I have made using funny bones!






Thanks for stopping by!

For more fun and inspiration you an follow me on FacebookInstagramTwitter & Pinterest.

Many of the products and items I use are listed under my Products Tab and can be found by clicking  HERE.

Honoring Paris

I love making Parisian cards! I love the character and ambiance the city brings. Parisian themes work well with my vintage style of card making and you see this theme in my cards often.

I have been fortunate to have been to Paris twice and I often tell my husband I would love to go back. I have fond memories of my Paris trip and I will not let the scare of terrorism keep me from the city of Love!


I made these Fall note cards a couple of weeks ago and had not had a chance to post them yet. I used some printables from VectoriaDesigns along with an altered game piece, tissue paper, washi tape and an embossing folder.

I have four other tags that came with this printable set and I plan on making a full note card set.

You can find these printables along with some other wonderful vintage inspired printables over at VectoriaDesigns.

Thanks for stopping by.
For more fun and inspiration you an follow me on FacebookInstagramTwitter & Pinterest.

Many of the products and items I use are listed under my Products Tab and can be found by clicking  HERE.



Gingerbread Man

Good morning everyone! It's a new challenge over at Cornish Heritage Farms and we would love to see some food on your cards this week.


I am featuring this cute little Gingerbread man all dressed up and ready...Well for my Milk of course.

I colored this fun digi with copic markers and fussy cut it. I am using 3 designer papers from a 5" x 5" paper stack called Merrymint from American Crafts. The 2 sentiments are from Lost & Found Christmas 12" x 12" stack,

Don't forget to check the Cornish Heritage Farms Design Team's cards on their blogs.


Path of Positivity - Grateful

Time for my mid month inspiration card over at Path of Positivity. This will be my last post as part of the Design Team as I have decided to step down at the end of the month.

Our theme this month is Gratefulness, which seems appropriate since it is the month of Thanksgiving. Our sponsors this month are Scribbles Designs and Kitten Scraps. The image I used is called Maple leaf Doodle.




My decision to step down was not an easy one as this challenge is owned and run by a dear friend of mine, Lisa Decosse, from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. I typically will stay on a team for about 6 months, but I have been on this one since February 2014.

I have enjoyed being part of this team and hope to continue to play along when I can.

But for you, there is still time to play along this  month and we sure hope you do!



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Challeng Winners - February & March 2023

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