Little Thank Yous

Hello, blogging Buddies!

Every year I make several small sets of thank you cards for my friends and family. I am not sure of the correct name of the size of these cards, but they are called RSVP cards and are smaller than A2.

This year I have used a Stampin' Up set called "Pretty Thankful" that I purchased from my friend and demonstrator Dottie Macken.

For the first card I used patterned paper and some twine with several ink colors. The second also features patterned paper and a tiny bow from a die by Paper Smooches. The third uses a background stamp by Hero Arts, watercolor, doily piece and gold thread. I like that they are all different, yet they clearly are a set. I used my envelope punch to make a container for each set.

I am so glad to have these done early, as Christmas is just around the corner.

Thanks for the visit - hope all is well.

No Lines to Stay Within!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

My quest to loosen up a little and not be so controlled in my designs continues. I recently took a class at my LSS (The Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville, CA) where we learned to watercolor with Distress markers and Wink of Stella pens with "lifeless" stamping. Very fun, but also tricky.

I have been practicing. This card uses a beautiful stamp (perhaps a Magnolia?) by Impression Obsession. The flower was done with a Scattered Straw Distress marker and the Wink of Stella (clear) provided the liquid for the watercoloring. The background is a Bundled Sage marker used with a water brush for a soft watercolor finish.

The mat color is a dark green - it is increasingly difficult to find some natural light for photos this time of year. The sentiment is an older one from Hero Arts and I double-punched it out with a punch from Stamping Up.

This is going into the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which is "Thinking of You".  And, in keeping with Jennifer McGuire's current campaign to "Share Handmade Kindness", this is going into the mail to someone special tomorrow.

Thanks so much for the visit outside of my comfort zone and have a great day!

ZUMBA!

Happy Monday, Blogging Buddies!

I am a fan of Zumba. As one who loves to dance and hates to exercise, it is just perfect for me. I can become exhausted and work up a huge sweat without realizing it because I am having so much fun. If you have never tried it, I recommend it.

Why am I telling you this? This week's Share Handmade Kindness Challenge at Jennifer McGuire's blog is "Community" and we are to share with someone who works/serves in our community.

I decided to give a special thank you to our sweet Zumba instructor, Summer. I made a card inspired by one I did months ago in a class at the Paper Garden Boutique in Sacramento taught by the amazing Julie Ebersole. I especially like it because we are celebrating some terrific and much-needed rain here in northern California.

I used a Memory Box die to cut some watercolor paper that I had painted with my Gansai Tambi paints and textured with a Tim Holtz stencil. I die cut (Essentials by Ellen) some stars and attached them with some twine. All good.

Even better is that I used the other portion of the paper to create another card which I can give to a special lady who works the desk at our gym!

Think about someone who is in your life who could use a little handmade kindness and get busy!

Have a great week, thanks for the visit and Zumba on!

Giving Thanks

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

It is that time of year when we celebrate giving thanks. My Mom taught me early to be grateful and to express it. Hubby and I thank each other several times a day. It is important to let others know how much you appreciate them.

This week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog is all about thanks. I have already made all of my Thanksgiving cards, so I made this watercolored all-purpose thanks card using a Hero Arts background stamp (Harlequin Pattern) and a Lawn Fawn sentiment (Scripty Thanks) in some wonderful gold paper I got at my LSS (Paper Garden boutique, Sacramento CA).

I am thankful for your visit and I hope you are having a great week.

Share Handmade Kindness

Hello, Blogging Buddies!

It is really feeling like fall here today and - yes! - we finally have some much-needed rain.

Have you heard about the great things going on at Jennifer McGuire's new blog? It is called "Share Handmade Kindness". She is encouraging us all to share what we love and what we make. That is what I love about paper crafting - it is so easy to mail or give something that shows you care. Folks always ask me if I sell my work, but my response is always that I'd rather share it with those who appreciate it. This week Jennifer wants us to share with friends and family - so easy!

I mass-produced (something I don't usually do) some special little favors for Thanksgiving. I made enough for our family gathering. I also made enough to share the ladies in my neighborhood. It was a joy. They are filled with some dark chocolate (for health!) and mints.

The dies are Sizzix and Spellbinders and I used a Paper Smooches stamp set. The ribbon is from Stamping Up.

I am also going to post this in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, "Anything Goes". Check it out and play along!

Thanks for the visit and thanks to Jennifer for this sweet inspiration.