Black and White Wedding

Hello, everyone! Happy Monday, and Happy Labor Day to my American friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was busy with soccer and cross country, plus some time with family and friends. Now I'm ready to get back to some stamping!

Here's a card I made for some young friends who were married during the weekend. I kept it clean and simple with a black and white theme.

The stamps are from the Verve set Fairy Tales. The background was embossed with my Cuttlebug and Victoria embossing folder. I picked up the fun American Crafts ribbon during a trip to Archiver's a couple weeks ago -- I'm sure you'll be seeing more of it!

That's all for today! I think I'll be spending some time stamping today -- I need to get something inky! Thank you for stopping by today -- I always appreciate it! :)

Have a great day!

Christina

For the Graduate

Happy Friday, everyone! Today is the last day of school for my daughters -- this weekend officially begins my summer vacation! This summer I'll be doing some tutoring, and my older two will be working, but there hopefully will be lots of time for the pool and some crafting with my little ones! :)

Here is a card I made for my niece's graduation. I decided to do something a little bit non-traditional. She is a smart, talented and confident individual, and she has accomplished so much during her time in high school. I wanted this card to reflect her fun personality and style!

I used Jen's Sketch for You to Try. She always has the best sketches -- be sure to visit her on Saturdays if you need some inspiration for a layout! The stamp set is Fairy Tales from Verve Stamps, and the paper is June Bug by BasicGrey.

I made the flower by using my scallop circle punch on the patterned paper. I then crumpled up the scalloped circles, inked the edges, and layered them with a button on top. The top circle is folded and gathered in just a bit to make it smaller than the bottom circle. I used glue dots to hold the layers together. You can do this with several layers, or you can use other punches or flower dies to create a different look.

That's all for today! I appreciate you stopping by today and every day! :)

Have a fantastic Friday!
Christina

Spring Flowers and Good Wishes

Hi there! Have you seen this month's Project Parade over at Verve Stamps? You can find the details on THIS post on the Verve Blog. The theme this month is Fun with Flowers, and I wanted to play along! I chose this image and sentiment from Beautiful You. I really thought this winter would last forever, and I've never been so glad to see spring arrive!

I hope you're not tired of seeing this Beloved paper, because I still have a little bit left! ;) I used Cuttlebug dies to make the paper flowers. I inked all the edges and did lots of machine stitching. The half pearls and ribbon are from SU!.

This card will be going to Susan and Eric Liles. Eric has just been diagnosed with cancer -- you can read about it on Susan's blog HERE. I know they'd appreciate everyone's prayers and good wishes.

Thanks so much for stopping by on this spring day. I hope you're having a good one!

Christina

Mercy's Sketch

Hello! TGIF! Here's a card I made with Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #64. I did some machine stitching, and I inked all the edges of the cardstock and paper. The stamp is from the Plain Jane collection at Verve Stamps. I'm still using up my Be Loved paper -- this sentiment seemed to go with it perfectly! :)

That's it for today! I hope your weekend is off to a good start! Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Have a fantastic Friday!
Christina

Stamps: Psalm 37:4 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko), Vintage Touch Chai (PTI) Cardstock: Kraft, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla (SU!) Paper: Be Loved (My Mind's Eye) Other: Labels One Nestabilities, chipboard heart, twine, brads, border punch, dimensionals, sewing machine Card Size: 4.25" x 4.25"

Christening Card

Happy Monday, everyone! Here is the card I made for my nephew's christening. I kept it simple, all in white, adding interest with layers and embossing. There's not much to explain, so I'll just list the ingredients below! :)

Thanks, as always, for stopping by! I do appreciate you taking time out of your day to visit here!

Have a great day!

Christina

Stamps: Philippians 4:4 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko) Cardstock: Whisper White (SU!) Other: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft), Arched Lattice punch (Martha Stewart), ribbon, Glittered Garnishes (MFT), corner rounder, dimensionals (SU!)

For Drew

Happy Sunday, everyone! I haven't had many chances to stamp this week -- I had two sick kids, a sick husband, and two snow days! I did finally get some much-needed "me" time so I could finish this project for our nephew. Today is his christening, and I wanted to be sure he had something handmade from Aunt Christina! :)

I covered an unfinished wooden frame (from Michaels) and the chipboard letters with Cosmo Cricket Snorkel paper. I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper, then I sanded all the edges. Finally, I gave everything another coat of Modge Podge for durability, and I added a trio of BasicGrey buttons to the corner.

Although the opening is meant for a photo, I didn't want to give the gift with nothing inside, so of course I stamped something! I used three sets from Verve Stamps: Practically Perfect, Seeing Stars, and Starlight Starbright.

That's it for today! I have some stamps and some new papers that need attention, so hopefully I'll get some stamping time today!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day! :)

Christina

Winter Mittens

Happy Tuesday! 3 more days 'til Christmas... but I guess I didn't need to tell you that, huh? ;)

My Christmas crafting is finished, but I do have one more card to share with you. Verve Stamps has a free digi download available through December 25. It's called Winter Mittens, and you can find it HERE. I love the image and the sentiments in this set! I like that it's not just for Christmas -- it can be used for all kinds of winter projects!

I really like how this card turned out. There is a lot of stitching, and I used Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the snowflakes. I colored the image with Copics, and I sponged around the edges of the image and sentiment.

Today is the last day of school for three of my four kids (Megan was finished on Friday). Our Christmas vacation officially begins tomorrow! I'm taking a few days off, but I'll be back here next week! I have some previews to finish, and I'll be able to share them with you soon! :)

Have a good, safe, blessed holiday week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Christina

Stamps: Winter Mittens Digi (Verve Stamps) Ink: Soft Sky (SU!) Cardstock: Soft Sky, Old Olive (SU!) Paper: Eskimo Kisses 6x6 pad (BasicGrey) Other: Copics, Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU!), Royalty Ribbon (MFT), snowflake punches (Marvy, Martha Stewart), rhinestone stickers (Michaels), sponge, dimensionals, sewing machine Finished Size: 5.25" x 5.25"

Baby Boom!

Happy Friday, everyone! Today's card is one of several baby cards I needed to make. It seems that everyone around me is having babies: two neighbors, three moms of Caroline's classmates, and my sister-in law -- I'm not drinking the water, that's for sure! ;)

Anyway, here's a baby girl card for my neighbor. I used Verve's Practically Perfect -- it's one of my all-time favorite baby sets! The paper is SU! Razzleberry Lemonade. I paper pieced the bunny's belly, feet and bow, and I colored the rest with Copics. I did some machine stitching around the border, and I applied pearl stickers to the necklace. The eyelet border punch and Prima Caboodles add some more frilly, feminine touches to this girly card! :)

I have some baby boy cards to make, too -- so I'll be showing those to you soon! I think I'll get busy on them after Caroline goes to school. Thank you so much for stopping by today -- I always appreciate it!

Have a fantastic Friday! :)
Christina

Simple Boy Birthday

Hello! Happy Tuesday! Today's card is one I made for my nephew's birthday. He just turned 8, so I wanted to do something simple and "grown up" for him. I used two sets from Verve Stamps and some BasicGrey Archaic paper. I stamped the stars on the patterned paper and cut them out. I just added some distressing and piercing, and that was about it!

I often have a difficult time with boy cards, so keeping it simple really helped! Boys don't like all that frilly stuff, you know! ;)

That's it for today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a great day!

Christina

Stamps: Seeing Stars, Circular Sayings (Verve Stamps) Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!) Cardstock: Chocolate Chip (SU!) Paper: Archaic 6x6 pad (Basic Grey) Other: twine (PTI), paper piercer, circle punches, Cutter Kit, stampin' dimensionals (SU!)

Faith

Hi there! Happy Thursday to you! I have one last sample to show you from the recent Verve Stamps release. I used the new Hebrews 11:1 Plain Jane as the focal point of this card. The butterfly is from Floral Whimsy. I machine stitched around the yellow paper panel, and I sponged around the sentiment. The butterfly is cut out and popped up on a dimensional.

We're expecting more rain today -- UGH! It just hasn't felt like summer! Megan has a swim meet tonight, so I hope it isn't a wash out!

Thank you so much for visiting today! :)

Have a great day!
Christina

Stamps: Hebrews 11:1, Floral Whimsy (Verve Stamps) Ink: Basic Black, So Saffron (SU!) Cardstock: So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Urban Prairie (BasicGrey) Other: Rectangle Nestabilities, organdy ribbon, Prima Caboodles, eyelet border punch, sewing machine, sponge, dimensionals

3x3 Note Card Set

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today's project is one I made for the June Verve Stamps release, but I hadn't shared it here yet! It's a 3x3 box and notecard set made with 1 Peter 5:7. I used the Leaves Plain Jane for the envelopes.

The tutorial for the 3x3 box can be found HERE at Splitcoaststampers.

I used Bloom and Grow patterned paper on the notecards and the box. It coordinates perfectly with Tangerine Tango cardstock.

I really love the way this set turned out! It is easy to make, and you could fill the box with any small gift!

Thanks for taking the time to visit today -- I really do appreciate it!

Have a fantastic day! :)

Christina

Stamps: 1 Peter 5:7, Leaves Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) Ink: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango (SU!) Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Bloom and Grow (My Mind's Eye) Other: Circle Nestabilities, scallop edge punch, Prima flowers, Branch Punch (Martha Stewart), adhesive pearls, orange two-tone ribbon (May Arts), sponge, dimensionals

Remembering

Happy Friday, everyone! I have one more Verve preview for you today! This set is called Forever in Our Hearts, and it is a must-have set. Sympathy cards are often difficult to make, but the beautiful sentiments and images in this set make the task much easier.

I used BasicGrey Urban Prairie paper, organdy ribbon, and Prima Caboodles flowers to make my card. I embossed the background paper with my Cuttlebug and Swiss Dots folder, then I stamped the leaf image over the embossing to create an interesting texture. I stamped the leaf again on the patterned paper to create a continuous image, then I arranged the flowers over the stamped leaves.

On the inside of the card, I used the smaller leaf image and another of the beautiful sentiments from the set.

You can see more samples of this set at the Verve Stamps Blog. While you're there, you can find out how you can win your own set! Don't forget -- all the new stamps will be released tonight immediately after the Release Party at Splitcoaststampers.

Before I go, I wanted to tell you about Megan's adventures getting home last night! She flew from Nice to JFK in New York, and she was due to arrive at CVG 7:30 PM. Due to the terrible storm that hit around 7:15, she was diverted to Indianapolis, and she was scheduled to arrive from there at 9:00. So we waited. Because of the backlog of flights which were diverted, refueling was delayed, and we watched the arrival time on the monitor change -- from 9:00 to 9:39, to 10:00, to 10:46, which is when she actually landed. Then, as we (and 30 other girls and their families) were waiting for luggage, and waiting, and waiting, we heard the announcement that their carousel was moved from #4 to #1. So, we finally retrieved her luggage and headed out of the airport around 11:20 PM! But, she's home safe and sound, and she had a wonderful time! :)

That's it for me today -- thanks so much for visiting!

Have a fantastic Friday! :)
Christina

Verve Preview #2: Just for You

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday! It's day two of the Verve Sneak Previews, and today's set is called Just for You. This set has beautiful sentiments meant to let someone know you care. Just For You and all the new Verve stamps will be available after the Release Party this Friday night.

I made two projects with this set. The first is this card. It's a pretty simple design, but I just love this color combination! I used SU! Parisian Specialty dsp and Circle Nestabilities, and I embellished with ribbon, buttons, sponging, lace edge border and machine stitching.

I really love this next project! When I saw this sentiment I immediately thought of gift tags. Then I ran across a scrap of Let it Snow paper (Flair Design), and this Christmas tag was born! I did some sponging with SU! Close to Cocoa ink around the paper panels and the snowflakes to give it a vintage look. I pleated and stitched the ribbon on the bottom, and I added Icicle Stickles to the larger snowflake.

Stop by the Verve Stamps Blog to see more samples from the Verve Divas. While you're there, you can find out how you can win a set of your own!

There is one more day of previews tomorrow, then the release party tomorrow night! I can't wait! I'm also excited because Megan comes home tonight from France! I am really looking forward to seeing her and hearing all about her trip. We've missed her around here -- even with three kids still at home, it was a little quieter! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Have a wonderful day!

Christina

Verve Sneak Preview!

Hi, everyone! Happy Wednesday! I'm so excited to begin my Verve sneak previews as a June Guest Diva!! :) Today's set is called Kindred Spirits. It is filled with beautiful sentiments and fleur de lis images. I used them on this altered frame I gave to Chris for our anniversary last week. This photo is about eight years old, but it's one of my favorites! It was taken at his brother's house during a family party.

After covering the frame, I sanded and inked all the edges. Then I stamped the largest fleur de lis image several times, and I added brown Swarovski crystals to the centers. I used the smallest fluer de lis to create a decorative strip along the bottom of the frame.

If you want to see more gorgeous samples from the Verve Divas, stop by the Verve Stamps Blog. All of the new stamps will be released Friday night after the Release Party on the Verve Member Company Forum at SCS.

I'll have another preview tomorrow, so I hope you'll be back! Thanks so much for the visit today!

Have a great day! :)
Christina

Stamps: Kindred Spirits (Verve) Ink: Close to Cocoa, Soft Sky (SU!) Cardstock: Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Soft Sky (SU!) Paper: Wild Raspberry (K & Company) Other: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), scalloped ribbon (May Arts), Swarovski crystals (MFT), sponge, dimensionals

For the Graduate

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's card is one I made for a friend's daughter for her high school graduation. I decided not to use the typical graduation images, but I instead created a more feminine design to celebrate what a fine young woman she is. The flower images are from Serenity, and the sentiments are from Great Expectations, both from Verve Stamps.

I finished the inside as well.

Thank you so much for visiting today. I always appreciate it when you stop by!

Have a wonderful day! :)

Christina

Stamps: Serenity, Great Expectations (Verve Stamps) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink (SU!) Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Bittersweet (BasicGrey) Other: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Poinsettia Dew Drops (Robin's Nest), scallop edge punch (SU!), organdy ribbon, sewing machine, sponge, dimensionals

One Card Two Ways!

Hello, everyone! TGIF!! Yesterday's Ways to Use It Challenge was to use Kraft cardstock. I am Kraft-challenged. I love the way it looks in a design, but I don't use it as often as I should! My friend had asked me to make some First Communion cards for her, and I used Kraft as the base and matting for both the boy and girl versions! :)

Since I was mass-producing (6 cards total), I kept the layout the same for all cards. I just love this little lamb from Gingersnaps Spring Things by C.C. Designs -- it's just so sweet! I colored with Copics, and I used some white flock on the wool. For the boy card, I used SU! Parisian Breeze Specialty dsp.

I gave the girl version some feminine touches with rounded corners and ribbon instead of brads. The verse is the Philippians 4:4 Plain Jane by Verve Stamps. On the girl card I used SU! Delicate Dots dsp.

I don't mass produce very often, but I'm happy with how they turned out! Keeping the layout simple really helps! :)

That's all for today! Tomorrow I'll be MIA -- I'm organizing a crafters garage sale at our church, with the proceeds benefiting our parish summer mission. The sale is tomorrow, and you should see my house right now! I'm up to my eyeballs in stamps, ribbon, scrapbooking supplies, and all kinds of other craft goodies! I'll be spending the today sorting and pricing -- EEK! Wish me luck!

Thanks for the visit today -- I'm so glad you stopped by! Have a great day and a wonderful weekend! :)

Christina

Gift Card Holder

Hello, everyone! Happy Thursday to you! A couple days ago my friend Traci asked me to make a card for her niece's Confirmation, and she wanted it to hold a gift card. So, I put together this card for her. It's the standard A2 size with a pocket inside to hold the gift card. It could also hold money or a treat! I used the colors from this week's SCS Color Challenge, and I also used my new Verve Stamps.

I started with a 5 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock. I scored it at 4 1/4" and 8 1/2", leaving a 2 1/2" flap to fold up for the gift card.

I placed a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of dp on the inside of the card. I scalloped the edge of the bottom panel, and I applied red line tape to the sides.

(NOTE: after I took the photo I added a second line of adhesive on both sides, closer to the center, so that the gift card would stay tight in the pocket. This isn't necessary if you are placing something larger in the pocket.)

Here is the inside of the card with the pocket folded up and a gift card inside. I added a 1 7/8" x 5 1/4" strip of dp to the pocket.

I decided to add the smaller butterfly stamp on the inside to finish it. There is still plenty of room for a personal message!

This was an easy way to make a gift card holder, and I'm sure I'll be doing it again! If you make one, link back here so I can see it! :)

That's all for today! Thank you for visiting!

Have a great day!

Christina

Stamps: Beautiful Kindness, Plain Jane (Verve Stamps) Ink: Basic Gray, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette (SU!) Cardstock: Rose Red, Basic Gray, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Bella Rose dsp (SU!) Other: Labels One Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Button (BasicGrey), dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts), scallop edge punch, 1" circle punch, Sticky Strip, stamping sponge, dimensionals (SU!)

Practically Perfect!

Happy Wednesday! Here is my card for this week's SCS Color Challenge. It's a great color combination -- Bashful Blue, So Saffron, and Close to Cocoa. I have really been wanting to ink up this Practically Perfect set by Verve Stamps -- these colors were the perfect reason to do it! :)

It's a pretty simple design -- I just did some paper piecing, sponging, and machine stitching to give interest and texture. The papers were perfect for the challenge, and they did most of the work for me. I love it when that happens!

Thanks so much for visiting today! I always appreciate it when you stop by!

Have a great day!
Christina

Stamps: Practically Perfect (Verve Stamps) Ink: Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko), So Saffron (SU!) Cardstock: So Saffron, Close to Cocoa (SU!); Perfect Paper Panels (MFT) Paper: Delicate Dots dsp (SU!) Other: Copics, Circle Nestabilities, Button Latte, Bashful Blue striped grosgrain ribbon, circle punches, white gel pen, sponge, dimensionals, sewing machine, white thread

Challenge Cards

Happy Friday, everyone! I have two challenge cards to share with you today.

The first card is the one I made for this week's SCS Sketch Challenge. It was a fun sketch to work with, and I built the card around this BasicGrey Ambrosia paper. I have never been a big fan of orange, but this paper has made me a convert! I used the Verve Stamps set Fluttering By for the image and sentiment. I stamped the butterfly once on the image panel and again on a separate piece of dp. I heat embossed the second butterfly, cut it out, and mounted it over the first. I embellished with Dew Drops, black organdy ribbon, and piercing. The background paper was embossed with my Cuttlebug and Swiss Dots embossing folder.

My second card is for this week's SCS Color Challenge. This photo is really icky (that's my favorite technical term) -- I don't know what was wrong with my camera! I think this card is so much prettier IRL! Oh well...

The layout is Jen del Muro's Sketch for You to Try. Angel with Bunny and the sentiment are from American Art Stamp. I colored with Prismacolor Pencils and OMS, pulling the colors from the BasicGrey Sultry paper. I added Star Dust Stickles to the angel's wings. The background was embossed with the Cuttlebug and Birds & Swirls embossing folder. I embellished with ribbon and Prima Caboodles. I am in love with these flowers -- I've been using them on everything!! They are hydrangea flowers with the leaves attached. They come in many color combinations, and they are fun to work with!

Thanks for taking a look at my challenge cards! Thanks, also, for visiting today! I DO appreciate it so much! :)

Have a fantastic Friday!
Christina

Simple Stamping!

Hello! Today I have some very simple stamping to share with you! This weekend I am on a team giving a retreat to about 25 women. The team (18 women and 2 male spiritual directors) has been in formation for about 9 months, and I have come to really care for and admire all of them. I wanted to give each of them something, so I made these bookmarks.

This design serves three purposes: it's easy to mass produce, I can write a little note on the back, and there won't be any bulk inside the book when it's closed. I did two versions -- female and male -- and the whole process probably took about an hour. I used a pre-packaged set of bookmarks I found at my LSS for 99 cents. The sentiment on all of the bookmarks is one of the Plain Janes from Verve Stamps.

Thanks for taking a look at my simple bookmarks -- I hope it gave you some ideas for your own simple stamping! I have some posts scheduled for this weekend, so I hope you'll stop back. I'll be back Sunday evening, and then it's time to prepare for Thanksgiving!!

Have a great day, everyone -- thanks so much for the visit! :)

Stamps: Plain Janes (Verve Stamps), Houndstooth bg (SU!), Large Polka Dot backgrounder (CHF) Ink: Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky (SU!) Accessories: Kraft taffeta ribbon, black hemp twine, Soft Sky stitched grosgrain (SU!); black dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts)