Word Art Wednesday Offering Envelope & Personal Story

Hi there crafty friends! Today there's a new challenge over at Word Art Wednesday, and we have a wonderful sponsor again. Pretty Pink Posh is giving away a $30.00 gift certificate towards anything in their store, and they have some really cute things. I was just over at their site and on May 14 they have some new releases coming out. You'll see the snail if you go there. Oh my, he is so cute! You'll definitely want to go over and check them out!

And as always, our challenge is "anything goes" with the option of using the Bible verse, which is what I did this round. However, instead of making a card I made an envelope-specifically an offering envelope. A while back I used to make all my offering envelopes, usually using scraps that I had on my craft table. I've gotten away from that, but after seeing this scripture, I thought it would be a perfect match.

I'm also playing along with NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) because I just got this Spellbinders Die Set for Mother's Day this past weekend. (I bought it for myself of course!) And I'm also playing along over at Triple B (Birds, Blooms or Butterflies) because of all the blooms on this.

Before I go any further, I'd love to share a personal experience about this scripture in my own life. It's a little hard to talk about, but I think it may help others who may be going through similar experiences.

Back in the 1990's and 2000's things were really good for me and my family. We were making a fairly good salary and things were cheaper. The home where we raised our kids costs twice our annual income. Today that would be impossible. We easily afforded moderate vacations every year. Mostly a drive to Florida to visit the grandparents, but a trip to Disney for several days was not out of the question. Life was really good.

I attributed much of that prosperity to the fact that we gave regularly to our church. This scripture was part of that reasoning. Then troubles came. Nothing devastating. But my husband's company decided that they could make more money if they sent his job to India. He actually flew there for two weeks to train people to take over for him. He was laid off, but thankfully not for long.

A few years later layoffs happened again, only this time he wasn't rehired. He tried for months to find a job locally in Pennsylvania, but to no avail. He broadened his search to anywhere in the United States and continued to apply diligently. Again, nothing. Panic mode was setting in for me, who was homeschooling my kids at the time and didn't have an opportunity land a lucrative job.

We decided to move back to Florida, my home state. My parents were here and I had a job at their small business. I was even able to juggle homeschooling and full time work for a little while. Clark continued to look for work, but boy was it tough. He got a temporary job with a decent salary, but no healthcare for our family of four.

Finally it seemed that God had mercy on us and he landed the job that he has now. He's been with the same amazing company for 12 years, and indeed, we are blessed. Not with money so much. His salary is almost half of what we had up north. But God is faithful. 

So is this scripture true? Indeed I can say yes, but maybe not exactly in the way we think it should be. I created this picture that perfectly illustrates the way I feel about God's will and provision in our lives. I've seen the concept elsewhere but couldn't find it. Thankfully Canva helped me get the point across!

Feel free to share this!

I hope my personal story has been a blessing to you. I tried to keep it short. There are many more details. But the end is, God is indeed faithful. We may hit some bumps along the way, but if we trust Him, we'll make it to the top of that hill!

The supplies for my card are simple:

• Brown Dotted Kraft Scrapbook Paper
• Word Art Wednesday Bible Verse (below)
• Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms Dies
• Stampin' Up! Envelope Board
• Stampin' Up! Black Card Stock
• SU! Shy Shamrock Card Stock
• SU! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• SU! Calypso Coral Card Stock
• SU! Mango Medley Card Stock
• SU! Soft Suede Card Stock

Please be sure to go on over to Word Art Wednesday. We'd love to have you play along with us! And if you'd like, here's our scripture for this round:

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in a bit of my life!

Mother's Day Card For Two Challenges

The year certainly is flying by! Tomorrow is Mother's Day already and I finished this card in the nick of time. I had some inspiration from two challenges to help me get started. First, over at Retro Rubber #271 (#rrcb271) they have a lovely color palette to choose from. All you have to do in addition to that is to use a stamp that's older than a year. I'm often surprised when I go to look up the year my stamp was released and find that it's 5 years old. It seems like I just got that set a couple of years ago. 

Then over at Word Power Challenge you just have to make a word or sentiment the focal point of you card. Hopefully I was able to do that here, even with all the flowers around.

Here's my complete supply list: 

• Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Posies (2020)
• SU! Letters For You (2019)
• SU! Large Letters Dies (2019)
• SU! Highland Heather Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Bubble Bath Ink
• SU! Fresh Freesia Ink
• SU! Smoky Slate Ink
• SU! Basic Gray Ink
• Misc. Patterned Papers
• Jolee's Pearl Dots

I tried to keep the card as true to the Retro Rubber Challenge colors as possible, so I made the leaves from gray rather than green, as to not overpower the subtle colors.

Whatever your Mother's Day Weekend brings, I hope you have a wonderful time. And thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

Starved Rock State Park, Illinois

When you think of majestic waterfalls and sandstone canyons, a small state park in rural Illinois isn't usually the first place that comes to mind. Thankfully, my daughter was able to find this amazing place and visit there recently. 

Normally I just share quait places I've been to, but this place is so remote and spectacular, I have to include it here. Perhaps someone will stumble upon this gem as a result of this blog. And, it will be a great reminder of a wonderful place to go on my bucket list road trip!

You’re able to walk under the waterfall too!

My precious girls!

Of course it's the waterfall that's the most spectacular. When I saw pictures of it online and thought that may have been at its peak time of year. However, it was just as lovely the day my daughter visited.

The trails were magnificent too. Perfect for an easy to medium challenges. 

Best of all, the place is dog friendly. Maggie absolutely loved it! You can see her on her hike in the bottom picture.

Here is a screenshot from Google Maps showing how close it is to so many major places. And no doubt there is so much more to see and do there. And if you’re anywhere nearby, check out their website HERE too. In my book, it's worth a tank of gas for sure!

Lastly I have to share one of my favorite pics of Maggie on the hike. She had a great day for sure!

Big City for Two Challenges

Today I'm playing along with two challenges that really go hand in hand together. A few days ago I saw that The Little Red Wagon #856 is celebrating Billy Joel hits this year. How fun! And this round the theme is "New York State of Mind." I knew I had just the stamp for that. I bought this Times Square stamp a few years ago for a friend of my husband who loves New York City. 

The challenge had been floating around in my mind, and when I saw the newest challenge over at Colorful Options, I knew it was a perfect match. Black & White is their main theme this round, but they always have several different options to choose from. I chose Option 2, which is Black & White with a splash of color. It seems like I can't picture NYC without a splash of yellow from those taxis!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Deep Red's Times Square Stamp
• Michaels White Card Stock
• Memento Black Ink
• Yellow Flair Pen
• Stampin' Up! Black & White Paper
• SU! Crushed Curry Card Stock
• SU! Small Metal Dots
• My Favorite Things Oval Die
• Pink & Main Sentiment

This was a really fun card to make and I'm thankful to everyone over at The Little Red Wagon and Colorful Options who put all this together!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Stamp Simply Sunflower Season

Welcome crafty friends! We have another wonderful challenge for you to play along with over at Word Art Wednesday today. And the really good news is that our sponsor this round is Stamp Simply and they're giving away a 25.00 gift certificate!

For my card, I'm using a stamp and die set from Stamp Simply. It's called "Sunflower Season." It's one of my favorites. And the stamps are available just by themselves as well. You can find them HERE.

I really love this set because Ecclesiastes is my all-time favorite book of the Bible. A lot of people feel it's depressing, but I think it's so pertinent to today's life. And perhaps I am a bit of a melancholy in the way that King Solomon was. However I think we all can agree that  this verse from Ecclesiastes 3:1 is a big encouragement for sure.

Another thing I like about this card is that the patterned paper, with the rings of the tree trunk, kind of go along with the "seasons of life" theme. Just a little bonus!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stamp Simply Sunflower Season Stamp and Die Set
• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Stampin' Up! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• Pebbles "Harvest Cutting Board" Patterned Paper
• SU! Soft Suede Ink
• Copic Markers

And, as always, we have a beautiful Bible verse for you to download and use either on a card, in a journal or anywhere else you can think of! Here is that verse for this round:

Stamp Simply has some wonderful stamps that we know you'll love. As usual, our challenge is "Anything Goes" so create something beautiful and join in the fun! We always appreciate every one of our wonderful entries! 

Mazel Tov, Baby Girl!

This is my favorite one of the two. It's the one
I'm taking to the celebration tomorrow!

Tomorrow we're going to a very special celebration! My best friend's daughter recently had a baby and tomorrow is the B'rit Milah (I believe that is the correct name). It's where the daughter receives her Hebrew name. It's a really big deal and a Rabbi will be there and everything!

Of course I couldn't go without a card, and since I had just two days to come up with one, I had to rely on Canva to help me make one. I created two designs, because I wasn't sure how one would turn out. I like them both, but I decided to go with the dove. I just love that design.

After printing these images as FedEx, I trimmed them, mounted them on card stock and put some scalloped edges on the back. I finished each off with a small pink rhinestone.

Here are both of the cards. I hope that through The Angel Card Project I'll be able to send the other one out very soon!

Here's the free digis. As always:

1. Snag it to your desktop or photos.
2. Put it in a Word or Pages Document.
3. Resize it to the size card you want to make.
4. Print it out, either at home or at a copy center. 

I hope you enjoy the freebie! Remember that all images are for personal use only, please! Thanks for stopping by my blog today and have a wonderful day!

Wetlands for Cardz 4 Guyz

I just noticed when I logged on this morning that it's Earth Day! It's celebrated in more than 193 countries. So exciting! And my card, which I made last night, goes along with that theme too.

The card was made especially for Cardz 4 Guyz #385. Their challenge is to create a Clean & Simple card for a guy. I think that's my most challenging kind to create.

I noticed afterwards that Jolanda also used the same stamp set as me. It's a great guy set for sure, and I don't have nearly as many of those as I should have. 

Here's a fun graphic that I created in Canva.
Feel free to grab it and share!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Wetlands
• Michaels Brown 110# Card Stock
• SU! Early Espresso Card Stock
• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Copic Markers
• SU! So Saffron Card Stock
• Spellbinders Circle Dies
• Verve Sentiment

This was a fun and much-needed card to make. Be sure to check out the challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz and join in the fun! Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful Earth Day!

Spring Well Wishes

I stamped and cut the duck out of
Mint Tape and masked him so I could 
stencil around him.

Today's card was created for two challenges. First over at Retro Rubber (#RRCB270) they have a challenge featuring rain/water. This was a real challenge for me because I don't have any umbrella/rain stamps. They have been on my list of things to get. However, I dug around and finally found some things that could make this card work.

And that led to me playing along with The Neglected Stuff Challenge Blog. This stamp set was one that I bought because of the adorable bunny, but when I opened the set I realized I had never even used any of the stamps. I think that I need to keep this with my Easter Stamps rather than my regular stamps. Either way, it had been neglected since the day it arrived in my craft room!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Fable Friends (2019)
• Stampin' Up! Sorry For Everything (2017)
• Memento Summer Sky Ink
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Copics Y02, Y35, YR15, R20, C1
• Stampin Up Boho Blue Ink & Card Stock
• Papertrey Blueberry Bushel Card Stock
• Stampin' Up! Blueberry Bushel Card Stock 
• Weather Stencil (purchased from The Angel Card Project Fundraiser)
• Spellbinders Oval & Oval Scallop Dies
• Big Box Yellow Dotted Paper
• Doodlebug Designs Enamels

I think this card will be really sweet to send to a young person who is recovering. Those are often the most difficult cards to make, so it's nice to have this on hand.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Sending A Pastel Hug

Today’s card was made for a combination of two wonderful challenges. Over at Atlantic Hearts Challenge 678 I was inspired to follow their sketch. I loved the idea of the three panels in the back, and I always love stamping flowers, so this was perfect.

And I added to that inspiration by following along with Sunday Stamps (SSC384) for a wonderful color challenge.

I really like how this card turned out, but I do feel my dark pink and green could have been a little more accurate, but I did my best! 

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Beautiful Friendship Stamp Set
• Michaels Gray Card Stock
• Michaels Fashionably Chic Paper Pad
• SU! Lemon Lolly Ink
• SU! Bermuda Bay Ink
• SU! Coastal Cabana Ink
• Memento Angel Pink Ink
• Papertrey Lovely Lady Ink
• SU! Ribbon
• Spellbinders Grommet Tag Die
• Impression Obsession Sentimen (Warm Fuzzies)
• My Favorite Things Oval Die

These two challenges were a perfect combination! If you'd like to play along be sure to check them out! And thanks so much for stopping by today!

Three Skeins - Two Finished Pieces

I’m not a very fancy crocheter at all. I just enjoy the relaxing rhythm of making one stitch after another. I also enjoy crochet because it’s so easy to have a conversation or watch a TV show while doing it. Counted cross stitch can be a little bit harder for that. And since my card making supplies are in a back bedroom that’s always a solitary crafting venture. Crochet is really portable too. I’ve made many pieces while waiting in doctor’s offices.

So today the two pieces that I’m sharing are actually more for my own records, but perhaps they will inspire someone as well. I started with three skins of Herrschner’s Worsted Heather yarns. I used just under two skeins to make the virus shawl. And then I had enough left over with just over one skein to make a small lap blanket.

Here’s the info on my yarn:

At 489 yards per skein it took just approximately 900 yards for the shawl and 600 yards for the lap blanket.

Here are some measurements:

Across the top from wrist to wrist the shawl is 70”. From the top of the neck down the back it’s 34”.

For the virus shell pattern, I used this YouTube video from Coco Bella. She’s really easy to follow and even though the pattern looks a little complex, it’s really easy to do.

Since I had more than one skein Of yarn left over I wanted to do something with it. I created a small lap blanket, which will be perfect for someone in a nursing home, especially if they’re in a wheelchair. I did alternating rows of single crochet and double crochet. I did this to stretch the yarn to make sure that I had enough for this project. Even though it’s a small piece, I think it’s a nice size and will give someone some comfort.

Here’s a picture of the small lap blanket:

I did this to stretch the yarn to make sure that I had enough for this project. Even though it’s a small piece, I think it’s a nice size and will give someone some comfort.

For the trim, I used one of my favorite yarns from Michaels. It’s a fuzzy yarn that is super soft and it’s perfect for either using it by itself or adding a little accent which I did here.

You’ll notice a small wooden cross on this piece. I always try to share my faith with people in a small way when I make things. I thought these crosses would be nice for two reasons. They’re nice and lightweight. As crazy as this sounds, I didn’t want anything that could hurt a nursing home resident should they throw the piece over their shoulders in a certain way. I also like these because they come with a little ball and chain That makes them easy to attach to crocheted pieces. And lastly, it’s something that they can use somewhere else in their room for decoration. If you’re interested in buying some for yourself, I got them here at Amazon.

That’s all my crocheting for today. It feels good to have used up this yarn. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Seth Apter Pillow for Word Art Wednesday

The last time that Seth Apter was our sponsor over at Word Art Wednesday, I made a cross stitch pillow featuring his lovely autumn inspired fabrics. As I shopped for that fabric, I saw so many others of his that inspired me to make a skirt. But after reading the scripture that we have for this week, I decided to go with another pillow featuring his fabric as well.

You can see his whole line of fabrics HERE.

How wonderful is it this Bible verse to go along with a pillow for a bed:

Duplicating the font wasn't possible with the tools I have available to me. Instead I used a free cross stitch making website called stitchpoint.com. It's a great site where you can (fairly) easily create any words you want in any of their different fonts. It's great for names, Bible verses, favorite quotes, etc. 

Here is the pattern that I made using the Bible Verse on just two lines:

I wanted he Bible Verse reference in a different font, so I had to do it on a seperate image here:

It was quite wide and I had just enough room on the piece of aida cloth I uses. However, If you want you can use the following two screenshots to make the verse on three lines:

Hopefully this isn't too overwhelming. It's really fun and quick to stitch this up. The cross stitching part took just a long afternoon. I then made the pillow using Seth Apter's fabrics. We're so grateful for his support to our challenges!

He's also has a lot of other wonderful crafty things on his site, so be sure to check it out. And please play along with us over at Word Art Wednesday. We love having you join us!

And maybe next time will be the time I get to make that skirt! :)

Word Art Wednesday & Happy April Fools Day

Wow, here we are in April already! And for those silly enough to celebrate, Happy April Fools Day! And it's time for another round of fun over at Word Art Wednesday. This time, we have a great prize from a great company called Birch Press Designs. They're giving away a $20.00 gift certificate to a randomly drawn winner. When you see how cute their stuff is, you'll definitely want to play along. 

When I homeschooled my kids years ago, I always did something fun for this holiday. Now that they're grown and gone, I really don't do much. The older you get the less you want to be caught off guard. Perhaps I fear it could trigger a heart attack or at least a fall, neither of which we want!

But one fun thing I can do is make cards to celebrate.

However for this card I took a more serious approach. I thought about a famous quote that I heard from somewhere in time about not being a fool for following Christ. I traced it back to the famous missionary Jim Elliot. AI summed it up better than I ever could:

Jim Elliot, an American missionary, was speared to death on January 8, 1956, along with four other missionaries (Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming) by the Waodani (formerly Auca) tribe in Ecuador, during an attempt to evangelize them; their deaths became a significant event in the modern missions movement, inspiring many to follow in their footsteps, with Elliot's widow later returning to live among the tribe and leading many to Christianity.

His famous quote was written in his journal seven years before his death. While very few of us will meet his fate, his words about what foolishness means is true for us today. Living for God  is never foolishness, even though at times others may question our commitment to Him.

It is my hope to send this to someone in ministry someday. I wanted to keep it masculine so it would be appropriate for a guy as well.

Here’s my  complete supply list:

• My Mind’s Eye and Misc. Patterned Paper
• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Computer Generated Image (below)
• Stampin' Up! Soft Suede Ink
• SU! Splendid Thoughts Stamp Set
• SU! Splendid Stems Dies
• Memento Desert Sand Ink
• Memento Toffee Crunch Ink
• Bronze Paper (Hobby Lobby)
• Gold Paper (Joann's)
• SU! Metallic Pearls
• Ranger Gold Embossing Powder

And if you're interested, you can make your own using this simple sentiment:

And if you would like to use our scripture for this round, feel free to grab it here:

We would love to have you join us over at Word Art Wednesday. We are always “anything goes” and There are always great prizes to win!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a blessed day!

Mid Century Cigar Boxes

Today was a lucky find day for me. On my way to church to set up for a dinner tomorrow, I came upon a yard sale. It was mostly guy stuff and kind of junky, but these two cigar boxes jumped out at me.

My love for cigar boxes takes me back to a time when Florida was a much different place. Cigars were rolled by hand in a town called Ybor City, just east of where I live. Many of the old factory buildings still stand. I like to reminisce of what life was like for people back then, my mother, aunt and grandparents included.

Catalog Inspiration #1

I saw on a YouTube channel that there won't be any more full size Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogs. With so many people ordering online, and with the cost of printing and mailing, it seems much more efficient choice. There will be smaller seasonal catalogs 3-4 times a year, which will still be fun. 

Seeing as how this is the last Annual Catalog (as long as that YouTuber was correct), I'm starting something that I've had on my mind for a while. I'd like to copy, or at least be inspired by cards I've seen in the catalog.

So today's card is an inspiration from page 11. It’s actually a card kit featuring blue paper with white printed flowers on it. But I was able to recreate this look with some reverse stamping.

Word Art Wednesday Easter Card

There's a new challenge going on over at Word Art Wednesday, and this round's sponsor is a company called Stix 2 Anything. They are a UK company that is giving away a generous adhesive package. And if you're like me, adhesive is something that I go through very quickly and can never have too much of. 

For my card, I started with the Bible verse that Word Art Wednesday provided. Then I created the word  Jesus in Canva. It has a slight arch to it, and the font is called Mervale Script.  I ran this through the printer twice, knowing that I would cut it down to a 5 x 7 card. I thought I had plenty of room, but looking at it after I got the 3 images on the top, I wish I had made the printing a bit lower. That's why the pink hearts are there, to kind of balance it out.

Painterly Pears for # Challenges

My card is a 5 x 7 size. 

Today I finally got around to using some products that I "just had to have." I couldn't wait to get them, then they sat on my shelf for too long. When I saw the color challenge over at Sunday Stamps, my mind immediately thought the darkest color looked like Stampin' Up!'s Secret Sea. I was lamenting having only the card stock and no patterned paper to match when I remembered that I had the Painterly Pears Patterned Paper and that included not only Secret Sea, but all the other colors they were asking for as well. Perfect!

Then I saw the sketch over at Atlantic Hearts Challenge and thought that would be a perfect way to use up the patterned paper. And since it has never been opened (even though I had to have it right away!) I'm playing along with the NBUS Challenge too.

Love Those Pretty Papers Entry #2

I am having so much fun using my pretty papers this week. Today I finished four cards for Easter. They are all made with "pretty papers" from a paper pad called Springtime Travel from The Paper Boutique. I bought this pack a year or so ago and it has taken me so far with making cards. 

Below are all four, but I wanted to only feature one over at Love Those Pretty Papers. I thought the one with the bicycle and the lamb would be a good one. I love how it can be for Easter or Spring. Their optional feature for the March challenge is Circles. These four images were circular, so that worked out perfectly, but you don't have to use circles, only pretty paper!

I had to do some fussy cutting of some of the images, but it was pretty easy. 

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge

Today's card was made especially for a fun challenge over at Love Those Pretty Papers. Their March 2026 post is asking for circles (which are optional) in addition to most of your card having pretty papers on it. I started to think about circles, and decided that they would dictate the whole card.

I knew it would be a bigger card, since I wanted my circles to be about 2" in diameter and I also wanted a border on them. I ended up using a 5 x 7 card base, but the circle do stick off a little. It still stand up and looks cute and creative, however it doesn't fit into a standard 5 x 7 envelope. I think I'll get some nice kraft gift wrap from the Dollar Tree and use this on the top of a gift, kind of like a giant "to and from" tag.

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin Up! Always Mossy Meadow Paper
• SU! Flirty Flamingo Card Stock
• SU! Birthday Bouquet Patterned Papers
• Spellbinders Happy Birthday Die
• Spellbinders Circle Dies
• Spellbinders Circle Scallop Dies
• Doodlebug Designs Enamel Stars

I loved doing this challenge and may even join in again before the end of the month. I have so many more ideas (in addition to having way too much patterned paper!).  Many thanks to Diane and Darlene for putting on this and so many other wonderful challenges! And thank you for stopping by today!

Wildflowers For Two Challenges

Today's card was inspired by two challenges. First, over at The Alphabet Challenge their letter for this round is "W" for Wildflowers, which lines up perfectly with Triple B's March 2026 Challenge. They have a lovely inspiration board that features greens, and some wonderful cards to go along with that theme. But any kind of Bird, Blossom or Butterfly is eligible. And since my card has two of those, I'm playing along with them too.

Here's my complete supply list for this card:

• Stampin' Up! Garden Green Card Stock
• Whaline Bee Patterned Paper
• Michaels Ivory Card Stock
• Pink & Main Arch Dies
• SU! Wild About Flowers Stamp Set
• Memento Pistachio Ink
• Memento Bamboo Leaves Ink
• Memento Morocco Ink
• Memento Cantaloupe Ink
• Memento Grape Jelly Ink
• Hero Arts Sentiment
• SU! Burhsed Brass Butterflies
• SU! Wild Wasabi Ribbon

I used the bee hive patterned paper to keep in the theme of wildflowers. However while making this card I realized that I could really use a little bee stamp or some bee embellishments. I was grateful to have gotten the Stampin' Up! Butterflies, but they were much smaller than I thought they would be. Ordering online is funny like that. My need for more craft supplies never seems to end!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!