Silent Night, Holy Night...Christ the Savior is Born!

Rejoice! Christ the Savior is born! As we celebrate the beauty of Christmas, let us welcome Christ into our hearts and lives. May you be blessed with love, joy and hope as we proclaim the wonder of Christ's humble birth.



Stampin'Up set Holy Family, Night of Navy card stock, silver embossing powder, Versa Mark & heat gun.

Another Christmas card & progress

My blues have lifted some and thanks Lorie & Becky for your kind words on my last post. I find as I age that pre-Christmas has become a nostalgic time for me, some years more than others. This year has brought family changes once again with my daughter Sue & family moving to Mississippi and not being able to spend special time with them. You would think I would be used to their being far away, but I was spoiled having them close by for 3 years. On a happy note Rebecca lives with us now so she could finish high school here. She and her boyfriend decorated our tree and it looks lovely. She will be leaving in the morning to spend Christmas with her father's family but will be home Christmas night. Hopefully, my son Mark will be with us for part of the day and we may even get a short visit from his son if all goes well.

This card was made from Stampin'Up Cherry Cobbler card stock embossed with the Textured Impressions Petals-A-Plenty folder. The bells are from Bells & Boughs stamp set. I used markers and the 'huffing' method to stamp them then accented in Stickles glitter. The inside is stamped with "welcome Christmas into your heart" from the set Heard from the Heart...a simple yet meaningful sentiment.

I pray that all of you will welcome Christmas into your heart and remember the true meaning of Christmas. Too often we get caught up with all that is expected of us by others and not what God wants us to do. Christmas is afterall the birthday of  our Lord, Jesus Christ. May you have the peace that only He can give.

Hugs and blessings,
Barb

Christmas Card 1

A few days before Christmas and no I am no where near ready! Spiritually, yes but physically no! Each year I say I will decorate early, bake and get everything ready. Well all I can say is that I did make every card that was sent to family and friends, though none were elaborate. This was one of the cards I made this month. The stamp set is called Christmas Postcard made by Stampin'Up. Would love to have made each card colorful but time made me decide to stamp them all in Cherry Cobbler to match the card stock and designer paper from Deck the Halls. The inside is Whisper White paper for the sentiment and is trimmed in the designer paper. A Jewel Basic Rhinestone adds a touch of "bling" to the poinsettia.
Hopefully, I'll post the other two cards I made in a day or so. Have a blessed day!

Thankful Reflections!

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I wish all of you my faithful friends a blessed Thanksgiving and coming year. Without the support of you, I would not have this blog or cards to share with you. You have blessed me with your friendship, love and understanding.
This has been a very busy time for me so I haven't kept up my entries as I should. This Thanksgiving will be a special time for my family as my daughter Sue, son-in-law Sam and grandchildren Ellie & Roman will be moving to Gulfport, MS area where Sam will be stationed for at least 3 yrs. For us this means that spending special times with them will be limited and we will all miss the family gatherings. I have had the privilege of watching Ellie & Roman grow for the past three years and shared their triumphs and joys. Hearing them say "Grandma, I love you" and the hugs that accompany the words are blessings beyond compare. I wish them happiness and success in their new school and neighborhood.

With the move, came changes for us here at home. Our oldest grandchild, Rebecca, has come to live with us so she can finish her high school years at the school she has become a part of. Being in the military brought many different schools for her and it has been so nice that she could stay in the same area for all four years of high school. I enjoy having her company although she isn't around much what with school, her job and her boyfriend. We share a special bond that began the day after her birth and has continued through the years spending most of her baby, toddler and preschool years with me as day care provider.

I am very thankful that my husband's health has been better and he is able to enjoy feeling well. My health is good and that is a blessing for me.
Most importantly I am thankful for all God has given me especially the love of His son Jesus Christ. 

Now to describe my card which was made a stamp camp that my upline had. All Stampin' Up products: Stamps-Autumn Splendor, Grateful Greetings & Woodgrain background stamp; card stock- Peach Parfait, Chocolate Chip & Confetti White; ink- Peach Parfait & Chocolate Chip; accessories- Autumn Spice DSP, Victoria Crochet Trim, Antique Brads, scissors to cut out acorns and blender pen.

Blessings to all!

Swap for Stampin'Up Regional

This is a swap for my first Stampin'Up Regional to be held in Baltimore, MD on October 2, 2010 which also happens to be World Card Making Day. While 36 swaps may not seem like much to seasoned swappers, it is more than I have ever made before.

I chose Wild Wasabi for the main layer and added it as the oval frame for my sentiment which was stamped in the Wild Wasabi ink. I used the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder on Whisper White card stock adding some color to the flower centers by dotting with Melon Mambo marker and Crystal Effects. The Melon Mambo butterflies  which were made with the Embosslits Beautiful Wings kiss the flower stems. The flower in the stamp from Oval All is accentuated by outlining in Melon Mambo marker and colored lightly with Pretty in Pink.

With summer winding down toward crisp fall weather, I wanted to make one last light summer card to savor. I hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings!

Special birthday

Tomorrow is my oldest granddaughter's 17th birthday so I gave her several pads of patterned paper to look at and choose what she might like me to use on her card. This floral from Basic Grey was one she said she liked. This being my inspiration I began planning. I chose the Stampin'Up set called Bloomin' Beautiful because it always makes a lovely card...The single flower is done in Soft Plum (ret.), Perfect plum and Always Artichoke stamped onto SU Shimmer White paper sponged with Soft Plum and accented with Stickles Diamonds. The card is over sized (6x6) Soft Plum textured with the words 'bloom' stamped on the left side and sparkle beneath the flower. To finish I used white organza ribbon I had in my stash and a stick pin made from the SU Pretties Kit with pearls and crystals.

Rebecca and her younger sister enjoy making cards with their mom or me, so I wanted to make this a very special birthday card. Rebecca has become a lovely young woman so I want her to know how special she is to us. I rarely stamp sentiments inside of my cards trying to write something especially for the recipient letting them know this card is just for them. The inside is Whisper White with a border of the floral paper and stamped with "may all your wishes come true" from the Heard from the Heart set. The rest is a personal note to Rebecca.

Those of you who are grandmothers know how special and unique each grandchild is just like our own children are. For those of you who still have grandmothers here of earth, you are treasured beyond measure in their eyes.

Blessings to all today and everyday!

Special anniversary card

On August 24th a very special couple is celebrating their 47th wedding anniversary. I say "special" because theirs is truly one of those rare and special marriages. They were high school sweethearts who have been "soul mates" ever since. Jan & Tony, you are the greatest!

The card has an Elegant Eggplant base with the lovely Level 1 Hostess stamp Because I Care as the image on Whisper White framed with designer paper "Lap of Luxury" as a frame. The hydrangea is stamped in Elegant Eggplant and Always Artichoke, accented with Pretty in Pink, Lovely Lavender markers and Dazzling Diamonds.Narrow ribbon and a gem finish the design which came from a class that I assisted with. The sentiment is from Hugs and Wishes.

School Day Friends

Yesterday I attended our team post SU convention meeting, an event that is always fun. For the 'Shoebox Swap' I decided to use this stamp which is in the Greeting Card Kids set. I just love the images of cute children and couldn't wait to make a card with one of the stamps.

Do you remember your first day of school each year with the excitement of seeing friends and meeting new kids? There were always new shoes, new dresses in my case, a new bookbag & lunchbox...dating myself?...you bet! Yes, those were the 'good old days'. Now school starts in August or sooner, kids (boys & girls) wear shorts and sandles but the excitement remains the same from generation to generation. There are friends to see, so much to learn and hopefully a good year for all kids!

Products are all Stampin'Up:
Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Fundamental Phrases
cardstock: Naturals Ivory, Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler and watercolor paper
Ink: Basic Black, various markers
Accessories: Spiral Border Punch, Aqua Pen, Paper Piercing Tool, Crystal Effects for the apple

I hope this card has evoked some memories for you as it has for me. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time....Have a blessed day!

Sympathy card

I really like "Thoughts and Prayers" stamp set from Stampin'Up because it is so versatile. This time I am using it in soft pastels. I have paired it with reitred Barely Banana textured paper, scraps of dsp from a few years agao and Very Vanilla. I colored the tree with markers using the 'huffing' method to stamp on the cs. Then I accented the leaves with Pretty in Pink marker. The tree inks are retired Mellow Moss and Close to Cocoa. I sponged the background in Mellow Moss.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Water spritzed floral

This is another card from yesterday's class, one that came from the SU Convention that Denise attended. Using watercolor paper the image was stamped by inking the stamp with SU Markers, then spritzing the stamp with a mist of water to give a muted look to the image. Bashful Blue cs was added then torn with the watercolor paper to give a ragged look. Pear Pizzazz ribbon and a Not Quite Navy button were added to the cardstock then mounted on Not Quite Navy. The Spritzer tool was use with NQN marker to add dimension. I have not added a sentiment leaving it to be added when I decide on how I will use this card. The stamp set is Just Believe a brand new set from the current 2010-2011 Stampin'Up! Ideabook and Catalog.

Soft smudged background

This card was made at a class yesterday. We took Soft Suede reinker smudging it onto Whisper White cardstock with a wet sponge giving the paper a variety of shades. The Medallion was stamped with Versa Mark. Craft White was used to accent the center of the medallion and for the words which come from a Level 1 Hostess Set called Afterthoughts. Whisper White cs and Soft Suede cs provide the framing.
The techinque of sponging the ink on the cs gives an unusual background for the stamp making your card a one of a kind look.

Fanciful Silver Mambo birthday

A friend for whom I made this birthday card, gave me Blossoms & Butterflies printed paper stack by DCWV which has some scrumptious designs so right for summer. I decided that the printed silver and deep pink went perfectly with Stampin'Up Melon Mambo cardstock. With the silver swirls, flowers & butterflies, I didn't need to add much embellishments. I mounted the patterned paper on a piece of textured silver I had as a scrap, stamped Happy Birthday on it and punched out the ovals which were mounted with demensionals. A very quick and easy card. My friend had forgotten she had given me the paper so she is happy to have a reminder of her gift to me. She was also happy to receive the retiring cardstock I had ordered for her and some surprise stamp sets that she didn't have. I really like to give my friends gifts that I know will make them happy, don't you?

Have a wonderful weekend and always remember to thank God for the friendships He has provided!

Birthday card

Today is my son-in-law Sam's birthday so I thought this would be the perfect image for him...he is an excellent cook using a grill and smoker for many of his meat dishes. An avid deer hunter, he can use venison in many adventurous recipes that even I will eat....

The stamp set "King of the Grill" is from the Stampin'Up Summer Mini Catalog which is available through August 31st. There are some really cool items and the new Clear Mount stamps are so easy to store; I am loving them! This stamp set has a Happy Father's Day stamp in it as well so it's also a great stamp for any occasion that a masculine card is needed.

Recipe: CS- Naturals Ivory and retired patterned paper from 2006
Ink- Basic Brown & Close to Cocoa
Accessories- Watercolor Pencils, sponge for distressing and brads

Clipboard project

This past Sunday afternoon my upline Denise, her upline Ruth, a friend Dodie and I got together to make clipboard projects. Each design was the sole idea of the designer and did we have fun with this project! We all used Stampin'Up products, but I found a sheet of unknown maker printed paper that spoke to me and this is what I came up with. The soft green plaid paper covers the back of the clipboard and edges of the front. The flower was on the other side of the patterned piece so I cut out the flower mounted it on SU Night of Navy to make it stand out and added it to the front panel. I used the swirl stamp from Baroque Motifs to accent the design in Night of Navy Craft ink on the front panel. The panel was created from the fabulous new Presto Patterns Specialty paper which is in the new Summer Mini Catalog. This paper is white with a lusterous sheen giving the imagination full range on how to use it! I chose the criss-cross design brayering it in Rose Red to bring out the pattern and a soft subtle look. To complete the clipboard I punched small flowers from the Boho flowers punch added pearls from the Pretties Kit which were also put on the large flower and swirls for accent. Paper was placed inside the pen casing and tied to the clipboard with stretchy silver cord.

We had a great time with this project!

Going, going, gone!

As many of you know Stampin'Up is updating their color lineup. For those who use Stampin'Up products, you may want to take a look at the new and retiring colors and order those you love before they are gone. The ink pads, re-inkers, markers, pencils, chalks and cardstock will be sold on a While Supplies Last basis beginning June 1 and ending June 30. As of then they will be gone, gone, gone!! I will miss many of the retiring colors that I use regularly, but have enough to last me awhile for personal use. If you don't have an SU demo and would like to get your favorite colors, please click on the links at the side of my blog one will take you to my SU web site for ordering.

The new catalog which will be available July 1st will have some scrumptious new shades for you to choose as well as the most popular returning colors. There will also be 5 new In-Colors added to the lineup. Why change? Stampin'Up has to change to keep up with current trends just as other companies have done in order to keep competitive with today's market. For those of you who use many companies' products, you know what I mean.

I know that I am late posting the links to the changes the reason being that I just figured out how to link the pdf. with the pictures...I can be a little computer challenged at times.... If I can be of any assistance, please contact me.

for my Special Friend

A few months ago I used this card front for an SU demo swap, leaving it plain so that I could choose the wording when I finished the card. My oldest and dearest friend has a birthday on May 18th and thought this would make a nice birthday card for her. I added the stamp Birthday Hugs & Wishes from the "Hugs & Wishes" stamp set, added a white cs base and added some SU dsp for a background. All Stampin'Up products were used as follows Colors: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery; Punches: Scallop Corner, 2 step Bird; Embosslets: Flower Burst, Beautiful Wings; Clear Rhinestone brad; glue dots; Dazzling Diamonds Glitter; 2-way glue.

The message inside is not stamped but written personally for the recipient as I usually do. Barb and I go back to being in elementary school together, but we didn't become close friends until high school. Though we rarely see each other we have continued to keep in touch and continue a true friendship throughout the years. She is the sister I never had, my prayer partner, advice giver and support through illness and loss of parents. I hope I have been the same kind of friend to her as well.

Blog Award from Becky

I am truly honored to recieve this award from my dear blogging friend Becky. I haven't done much blogging lately but try to visit her blog when I can to see her lovely work and read her inspirational messages. I was so surprised to see my name on the list for this award....thank you so much Becky!!

In following the guidelines of the award, I'll list 10 things that make me happy & 5 pieces of trivia....trying not to bore anyone...lol!!

What makes me Happy
1. The love of Jesus as my Lord & Savior
2. My family
3. Hugs & kisses from my grandchildren
4. Being told I love you by my family
5. Creating cards
6. The fragrance of sheets dried in the fresh air
7. Enjoying the beauty of Springtime
8. Being inspired to create card and scrapbook pages
9. Spending time with friends
10.My DH having a good health day

5 Pieces of Trivia
1. I was raised in a Christian home, loving the Lord from an early age.
2. I have 2 children and 5 grandchildren
3. Have lived in PA and NYC but most of my life in Maryland.
4. Enjoy creating cards & scrapbooks
5. As a teen & young woman, I made most of my own clothes, now I never sew!


And now to give this to 5 of my Blogger Friends: alphabetically
1 Chris
2 Grace
3 Janet
4 Linda
5 Teresa

Easter Blessings

He Lives! Christ Jesus lives in our hearts and directs us to live as He wants us to! As we celebrate Easter may your heart be filled with the love of Jesus knowing that Salvation is ours through His sacrifice for us. My prayer is that each of you will open your heart to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

My card is certainly not an original design, but one I'm sure many of you have used with other stamp sets. I chose Wild Wasabi and Barely Banana card stock because they remind me of Spring. The stamp set is a new Stampin'Up set called Abundant Hope which I colored in Wild Wasabi and various markers on the the daffodils. The background is textured with the Polka Dot embossing folder and sheer organdy ribbon finishes the card. All material is Stampin'Up.

May you all have a wonderful and meaningful Easter!

Swap for SU team meeting

This is the swap card front I made for this month's meeting. I wanted to focus on the new punches and Embosslits dies featured in the current Stampin'up Occasions Mini Catalog. My base cs is Melon Mambo, next is Pretty in Pink which I edged with the new Scallop Trim Corner. I used Certainly Celery for the stems/leaves and butterflies. The flower is made with the Flower Burst Embosslit, butterflies from Beautiful Wings Embosslit and the stems are made with part of the 2 Step Bird punch. I accented the flower center with a Clear Rhinestone brad and used Dazzling Diamonds Glitter for sparkle. Any sentiment can be added when I decide how I will use this and the whole front can be mounted on a regular 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card base.

Teen birthday card

You can see that I am a little rusty but am trying to get my mojo back. This design has been in my head for some time but had to get onto paper for my oldest grandson's 15th birthday on March 1st! I had never made a starburst before, knew how it should look but had some issues with cutting one out. Then I used the wrong glue for the glittered star which took overnight to dry even with heat setting it. Next my black embossing powder wouldn't brush off the card base so there are spots not supposed to be there..This is what I came up with and I know CJ won't notice all the mistakes that my critical eye found!
SU's Extreme Guitar is a great stamp for teens and blends well with Friends Rock set. My cardstock is SU Ballet Blue & Whisper White, the accent is a textured silver paper. The star chipboard covered in red glitter and black embossing powder are Stampin'Up. This card qualifies for the central theme of SCS Dirty Dozen Fan Club Interactive this month and color challenge to use Olympic colors this week.
Thanks for looking and have a blessed day!

Grandson's 6th Birthday!

Today is a very special day in our family because it is the birthday of my daughter Susan and her her youngest child and only son, Roman. I made this card for him because his loves to ride his bike when the ground isn't covered with snow. With all the snow we have had this winter he, Ellie and the neighbor kids have had a ball sledding, building snow forts with Dad and playing in the snow. This has been great for all the family since they haven't lived in many places where there is much or any snow...storing up snow fun for the next tour of duty for Sam which may be in a warmer climate.

For this card I chose Stampin'Up Brilliant Blue cs for the base and Green Galore for the accent and bike color (close to the acutual color as I could get). The stamp set is SU Just Riding, perfect for a growing boy! The helmut is Brilliant Blue with Silver Stickles for accent. I also used Stickles to give the bike a metalic paint look. The sentiment if from SU Birthday Whimsy. The patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Cupcake paper pack and shows bikes of all colors.

I am hoping to get back to posting regularly, visiting blogs and keeping up with all of you my friends. I have a lot of birthdays in the next few months to make cards for and I don't have enough in my 'already made' boxes which means I have to get busy. Luckily I have a lovely card already for Sue and didn't have to start from scratch.

Take care and keep stamping!