CPS130 All Things Grow with Love...

Can you imagine growing something without love? Whether it's raising your children, nuturing a treasured friendship, or even growing something using dirt, love is involved when you want goodness in return. Looking back on raising my children, there are so many things I wish that I had done differently, but when seeing them, as adults, they have made my heart proud. The friendships that have grown throughout the years, especially the ones made as a very young woman, have provided so many treasures, such as letters, gifts, phone calls, or visits to my home. I truly believe that love helps to make things grow, and hopefully you believe the same way.

The card below has the flower leaves stitched with floss using a template found at a scrapbook store last week. I used to cross stitch on a regular basis, but since finding paper crafts, that hobby has taken a back seat :-( The sketch is from CPS and was a fun one to use this week.

Thank you for stopping by and may the rest of the weekend bring sunshine and love into your life.

Gigi

Recipe for all things grow with love:

Stamp: Everyday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Paper: DP (source unknown), all others (Papertrey Ink)

Accessories: Paper and fabric flowers, ribbon (PTI), tag trio (Spellbinders), border punch (Martha Stewart), Bazzill Basics Paper stitch template (Bazzill), floss, button, ef (Cuttlebug)

Mojo Monday 101 Friends are the Flowers...

The other night, while searching for something that would work for a Mojo Monday sketch challenge, I came across some Mary Englebreit 3-D stickers, and thought one would look nice on a card. If you have some time, use this sketch: http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/2009/08/mojo-monday-week-101.html

Recipe for Today:

Stamps: None
Ink: None
Paper: June Bug (Basic Grey), misc, Lemon Tart, True Black, Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Mary Englebreit sticker, circle and square dies (Spellbinders), Pure Poppy ribbon (PTI), Swiss dots ef (Cuttlebug), corner rounder punch (SU!)

Enjoy a day with special friends and plenty of sunshine!

Gigi

Graphic 45 Paper Fashionistas

During a recent visit to a fabulous scrapbook store, which definitely isn't a LSS because it was a one hour drive to get to it, I found some great eye candy paper. I didn't realize how popular this dp was until viewing some blogs and realized that I wasn't the only card crafter who fell in love with Fashionista. A good friend made me a pocket birthday card and I think it's beautiful and creative, so I wanted to make a thank you card for her using a smaller version of the pocket. There are quite a few embellishments on the card, including some beautiful lace that was purchased several months ago at Hancock Fabrics. The beige paper flowers feel more like fabric and have a wonderful touch to them. Thank you for stopping by and taking a look, Gigi

Ingredients:

Stamps: You Cheer Me Up (Stamping Bella)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento),

Paper: Fashionista (Graphic 45), all others (PTI)

Accessories: Lace punch (Martha Stewart), ribbon, circle die (Spellbinders), lace, doodle parts die (Spellbinders), brads, half pearl, fabric and paper flowers

ATS Wednesday Sketch Challenge

This cute card is made using Clear Art Stamps and dp from Basic Grey's June Bug, which is one of my new favorite paper. The plaid looks as if it would work for holiday cards or even used for paper piecing on a dress or skirt image. I don't make very many get well cards, but couldn't resist using this adorable little nurse as a main image colored with Copics to add to a stash. I used the ATS Wednesday Sketch Challenge, which you can find here.

Ingredients:

Stamps: Feeling Yucky (Clear Art Stamps)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Scattered Straw and Tea Dye (Ranger)

Paper: June Bug (Basic Grey), all others PTI

Accessories: Brads, paper flowers, floss, misc buttons, oval dies (Spellbinders), ribbon (PTI), Copic markers

MFT's Hanging With My Peeps

This little card was put together with scraps and some neglected lace. The jacket was paper pieced with scrap and a pearl was added for some demension. Does anyone else remember wearing sweaters with those cute little clasps added to keep it closed as a teenager? This pearl reminds me of those wild, crazy, and somewhat hazy days (remember I celebrated another 60+ birthday on Saturday :-D so remembering accurately, or even inaccurately, is somewhat of a challenge on occasion..."wink" I really like those cute little "peeps" on the main image; they represent the fabulous "chicks" I have as family and friends :-D

Ingredients:

Stamps: Hanging with My Peeps (My Favorite Things)

Paper: Misc

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Scattered Straw and Tea Dye (Ranger)

Accessories: Fiskars border punch, lace, paper flowers, adhesive half pearl, Copic markers

Everyday Button Bits from PTI

Good Monday morning! Wow, are you in for a surprise today; there are some cards to check out and I'm so excited about getting to share them with you. If you haven't tried checking out a couple of blogs, such as http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/ and http://dawnmcvey.typepad.com/these_are_a_few_of_my_fav/, you're missing out on some wonderful designs and ideas. Nichole Heady is one of the owners of the Papertrey Ink company and you're not getting disappointed if you check it out. Her designers are one of the best in the country; in fact, many of them have their work published in card magazines, such as "Paper Crafts" and "Card Creations." One of the newest releases, Everyday Button Bits, is an adorable and versatile stamp set; there are so many combos you can use to create the perfect card! Hope you enjoy viewing a few cards I made on my birthday (it was raining, so Efraim and I postponed more celebrating until the next day.)


Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (PTI) for bike and sentiment
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper: June Bug (Basic Grey), all other cs (PTI)
Ribbon: PTI
Accessories: Fiskars border punch, misc buttons, floss, markers, Flower Creations (Spellbinders S4-072)

Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (PTI)

Ink: Wild Wasabi (SU!)

Paper: Wild Wasabi (SU!), Cherry Pie (Cosmo Cricket), all other (PTI)

Accessories: Dotted Swiss CB (Cuttlebug), lace, mis buttons, floss, marker, Spellbinders dies, corner rounder punch (SU!)

Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (PTI)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Scattered Straw and Tea Dye (Ranger)

Paper: DP (unknown source), all others (PTI)

Accessories: Paper flowers, buttons, floss, marker, Pure Poppy saddle stitch ribbon (PTI)

NOTE: The ribbon was pulled and ruffled using Lisa Johnson's technique you can find here: http://poppypaperie.typepad.com/poppy_paperie/2009/08/ruffled-ribbon-trim.html

Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (PTI), Hanging with my Peeps (MFT)

Paper: All Rasperry Fizz paper is from PTI

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Accessories: Vintage buttons (PTI), Raspberry Fizz saddle stitch ribbon (PTI), paper flowers, floss

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday and I want to thank family and friends who have taken time to make this day a little more special than the rest of the year. I have discovered that as I become older, the priorities change. One reason is that "children" are grown and on their own and that leaves plenty of time to do whatever pleases me, which is being with my wonderful, kind, and thoughtful husband, or doing fun things with friends.

My husband, Efraim, asked what I wanted to do today, but we've been celebrating for a few days and plan to do more tomorrow, so I thought we should simply relax at home until dinner time. We took a day trip to a small quaint town, Middleburg, on Thursday to enjoy a delicious lunch at a historical site called The Red Fox Inn. Middleburg is in horse country, so you can imagine the gorgeous homes and horses we saw during the drive into Main St, Middleburg. We browsed through shops and found a beautiful pendant Efraim bought as a birthday gift; I'll post a picture later. Another gift of time was driving to a scrapbook store that wasn't too far from Middleburg; I browsed, drooled, and purchased some papers while Efraim sat patiently looking at maps (he LOVES maps :-) When I got home from work yesterday, after putting in 10 hours, there were more gifts from Efraim: a delicious ice cream cake (he remembered how much I enjoy eating ice cream cakes from birthdays past :-), he saved me time in the kitchen buying a yummy pizza from a favorite restaurant nearby, there was a HUGE bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase, the cutest birthday helium balloon with "Elmo" hanging on :-) The birthday card is precious, too; my husband has a wonderful way of describing his feeling with words. I thank God for bringing Efraim, family, and wonderful friends into my life to love, enjoy, and praise!

I'm going to enjoy the day watching golf on television and playing in the "studio." Some new stamps arrived the other day and I can't wait to ink them up!

Hope you enjoy the day, too,
Gigi

Rain or Shine from MFT

Guess who's worked almost everyday at the office for the past two weeks? Yep, you got it right, me! Lindy delivered her beautiful baby girl on July 27, so I'm covering for her until she returns. This means that I come home in the evenings too tired to do much more than cook and turn in by 8 PM...haha! On weekends, Efraim and I do our household chores and when they're done, we try to find a fun place to visit. Yesterday we watched our first polo match in Warrenton, VA. If you like beautiful horses, some interesting mallet striking, and delicious picnic food, you should try seeing one at least once. The weather was perfect for a summer night in Northern Virginia; there wasn't any humidity and enough cool wind to keep the temperature perfect. I've neglected my "studio" lately, but did manage to use a stamp set that was purchased at the American Scrapbook Convention in June in the MFT booth. I had seen the images on various blogs and think they are so cute especially since I have "granddaughter," a darling little Dachsund living in Texas. So without more ado about nothing, here are the pics. Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by, Gigi