Two Quick 4th of July Finishes

I wanted to stitch something for America's 250th Anniversary, but didn't have a lot of time. These two patterns from Etsy come from Aliton Embroidery. The 4th of July pattern can be found HERE. The USA 250 pattern can be found HERE. They were both really quick and easy to stitch. 

The frames were a set of two purchased from Amazon. You can find them HERE. I love that they are a set and they are the perfect size for these two pieces.

Below is a step by step description of my (albeit primitive) framing process. Money is tight for many of us, myself included, and custom framing is just too much for me to justify right now. I did buy the Peel and Stick Mounting Boards for this project from Amazon. I've found them to be very thick and of good quality. And at $14.99 (as of today) for 10 11" x 14" boards, they're a real bargain.

After stitching and ironing the work, I gather all my supplies.

I use the plastic "glass" that comes with the frame to center my work.

After peeling off the protective film, I center the stitching on the piece.

I fold the edges upwards, creating a crease in the fabric. I do this on all four sides of the piece.

When I flip it over, it looks centered, but...

Once inside the frame I can tell it needs to be moved up and over to the left a bit.

Next I use the plastic insert to trace the lines onto the mat peel and stick mat board.

I don't have any professional tools for this, just an old box cutter and a pair of scissors. I cut the mat board along the lines. It doesn't go all the way through. However if you just fold it along the cut, you can then use scissors to cut the rest. It does give a rough edge, but that really doesn't matter because it will be well hidden once the piece is finished.

Next I position the piece in one more time to make sure it's straight.

Yep! That's much better. Reading for the gluing.

I use a hot glue that I felt is supposed to be acid free. However, I do have one piece of cross stitch that I made 30 years ago and the hot glue hasn't affected the piece at all. And since this is a small finish (as opposed to an heirloom piece that I want to last for generations) I feel confident that it will be fine for the time I intend to use it.

Next I trim the edges for a smooth fit into the frame.

Lastly I write my name, the date and location on the back. I love the fact that these frames come with backings that can be either hung or stood up on a table. So easy to finish any project!

Here are the finished pieces on the wall in my living room. My next project is to make a 4th of July quilt block cross stitch to hang where the larger piece is. 

Well that's all for today! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day and a very safe and happy 4th of July this year!

Retro Rubber Challenge #273

As I write this I feel like a contestant on the Great British Bake Off reality show. They're always running around at the final moments making something that just gets in seconds before the buzzer goes off.

In reality, I have over 1.5 hours to finish this before Retro Rubber Challenge #273 (#rrcb273) closes. Plenty of time! But up until now, every smudged sentiment and wonky twine was a real stressor. But here it is! I always love to play along with them, it's just amazing how quickly the weeks pass by. 

Happy Adoption Day!

Today's card was made for a family who has just gotten approval to adopt their two grandchildren. I read about the post on The Angel Card Project, but didn't think too much about sending a card because I didn't think I had anything that fit. 

But later when I was going through my dies for another card, I came across these flip flop dies that I have never used. I instantly remembered that family and thought that four pairs of flip flops would make an adorable card for them.

Happy Father's Day Card From Word Art Wednesday

Today's card was inspired by the scripture that we are sharing over at Word Art Wednesday this round. I took the verse and decided to make a Father's Day card with it. I used the digital platform called Canva. They have a free version, a paid subscription, or you can pay for most images for just a dollar or so. It's so much fun and so very creative.

But before I go any further, I want to thank Waffle Flower for being our sponsor this month! You can't miss all their amazing stamps, dies and stencils as you wanter around in blogland. Their postage collection is so cool and it's definitely on my "to buy" list. We're giving away a $15.00 prize to anything in their store, so be sure to play along!

Here's my supply list for this card:

• Stampin' Up! Shaded Spruce Card Stock
• SU! Crushed Curry Card Stock
• Michaels Brown Card Stock
• Printed Graphic with Bible Verse
• Brads
• Unbranded Arrow Dies (Amazon)**

Here's the scripture by itself:

And just below is my free digital printable. 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!

We'd love to have you join us over at Word Art Wednesday. You don't need to use the scripture, or use Waffle Flower products. All of our challenges are "anything goes." 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and have a wonderful day!

** I try not to purchase unbranded merchandise anymore because I'm not sure it's not pirated. But at the time that I bought these dies I wasn't aware of that. I don't have any proof that these are pirated, so I thought that tossing out the dies would be silly.

4th of July Freebie & My Card From It

Here in the United States it will be the 4th of July before we know it, and if you're looking for a free graphic to send to someone, or if you'd like to make a cute card, here's a freebie that I made and you're welcome to use it.

Vintage Valentines For Two Challenges

So today's cards aren't what I had in mind when I chose to participate in the Paper Players Challenge 788 (PPC788) and the Sunday Stamps Challenge 387 (SSC387). But sometimes cards have a way of making themselves and that's what happened today.

Originally I wanted a brighter card using the colors at Sunday Stamps. But when I saw "patterned paper" as a slot over at the Paper Players I went digging through my 12 x 12 box.

That's when  I came across these two pieces of patterned paper that were given to me years ago. One piece was mostly used up, but the other seemed to have all the colors, so I went in a different direction. I cut out the two hearts, didn't like the look and was going to trash it but decided I'd at least make something from it. 

Valentine's Day came to mind so I went with that. Then there were enough extras on the table that I decided a second card could be made and there's no sense throwing the extras out.

I used the middle column in the Tic-Tac-Toe board (flower, free and patterned paper) but also included a die cut and layers.

Here are both of the cards I made:

Without using my envelope board, I made a matching square envelope from the remainder
of the patterned paper. I cut it straight up and down as I didn't have enough paper to make it the traditional way. The second envelope is embellished to match that card too.

And here's my supply list:

• Unknown Patterned Paper
• Speckletone Madero Beach Card Stock
• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Spellbinders Dies
• Kohls Rubber Stamps (how crazy is that!)
• Stampin' Up! Border Die
• Misc. Rhinestones
• Misc. White Plastic Heart
• Dollar Tree Double Paper Heart
• Gifted Sheer Ribbon
• Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler Ink

I really do like to create cards based on the current season, but sometimes these craft supplies have a mind of their own! Next February I'll be glad I made these, but now it's on to some more bright and summery cards! Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Color Dare #706

Today's card was made especially for the Color Dare Challenge #706. The two required colors are coral and pinkish purple (as I see it). As much as I love Stampin' Up!'s Calypso Coral, my ink is older and it seems to stamp a couple of shades darker than the paper. That wasn't the look I was going for, so I used a Memento Ink instead. In addition, I added a green to round out the flowers. I love this challenge, as coral is my favorite color and the Rich Razzleberry is a color that I don't use nearly enough.

Here's my Complete Supply List: 

• Michael's Kraft Card Stock
• Close To My Heart  Promise of Spring Stamp Set
• Stampin' Up! Birthday Backgrounds Stamp
• SU! Rich Razzleberry Ink & Card Stock
  
• SU! Granny Apple Green Ink
• Memento Morocco Ink
• Memento Toffee Crunch Ink
• Versamark
• White Embossing Powder
• My Favorite Things Die
• Papertrey Sentiment
• Michaels Rhinestones

This 5 x 7 card has a coordinating stamped envelope and is ready to go to someone who needs a hug!

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

Card & Matching Bookmark

Today's card isn't for a challenge. I just went in my craft room and had fun. I'm trying to use things that I haven't used in a while, so I grabbed the first stamp and die set in my drawer, created a sketch on paper and this is what came out!  I used Stampin’ Up!’s Cross of Hope Stamp and Die set. I believe the double sided paper is also from Stampin’ Up!

When I was finished with the card, I had two scraps of paper on the table waiting to be put away. They were stacked on top of each other and my mind saw a bookmark, so I made one. I thought it would be nice to tuck inside the matching card. I’m pleased with how this turned out and hope to send it out soon. 

Before I go I want to share today’s Happy Thing. I got these three iron DVD racks at the thrift store for $5.00 each. My old Stampin Up! cases were in the chest of drawers and while they’re not necessarily easier to see now, it does give me lots of extra storage in the drawers. Plus I love how they look. They’re the perfect height for the mirror and wall. 

Well that’s all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy crafting!

Retro Rubber #272 Sketch on the Side

Today's card was made earlier in the week. I had a bunch of watermelons that I stamped and they were still laying on my desk. I remembered Retro Rubber's #272 Challenge (#rrcb272) to take your images up the side of the card. So I made the card and when I came back to post it I saw that another entry used the same watermelons. So I felt funny about posting it. This is actually the second time this has happened to me. 

So today when I went back in my craft room, the card was still there. So I thought that, as they say, great minds think alike! And I really want to play along and time goes by way too fast. So here's my card. It's not the lone watermelon card in the group, but with summer fast approaching I think we're all ready for some sweet treats!

Here's my supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Watercolor Melon (2024)
  
• SU! Flirty Flamingo Ink
• SU! Garden Green Ink
• SU! Soft Suede Ink
• SU! Daffodil Delight Ink
• SU! Granny Apple Green Ink
• Papertrey Blueberry Bushel Card Stock
• My Favorite Things Gingham Paper
• Impression Obsession Warm Fuzzy Sentiments 
• MFT Oval Die

The fun thing I did was to make the sun out of two halves of the watermelon. I used the seeds to form the rays around the sun. It's a fun look and I'll have to remember to do that again.

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

Word Art Wednesday with Newton's Nook Prize!

Tiny Tip: It seems like I'm always losing dies, so I left this set attached. It's just as easy to
use it and losing a little star isn't something that I have to worry about!

Here we are again with a new challenge over at Word Art Wednesday, and the sponsor this round is Newton's Nook! They're offering a $20.00 gift certificate for anything in their online store. There are so many wonderful things there, so you'll definitely want to play along with us!

One of their products that I have and love is their Sky Scene Builder, which I used for this card. I love it because it's so versatile. But what was really amazing is that the Bible verse this round goes perfectly with it! 

My inspiration for this scene was a dusk sky when the sun is setting but the moon is up high in the sky already. I Googled it and I think it's simply called a Daytime Moon. You can't see it real well from the big picture above, but the  stars are a bit shimmery than the clouds. You can see it a bit better in the smaller picture on the right.

Here's my simple and complete supply list:

• Newton's Nook Sky Scene Builder Dies**
• Stampin' Up! Balmy Blue Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• SU! Smoky Slate Card Stock
• Michaels White Card Stock
• PaperPapers Glimmery White Paper

Measuring 9 3/4" x 4 1/4" his card is a bit larger than I usually make, but I have some clear envelopes that I'm trying to use up, so I think that will look really good in one of those.

And of course if you'd like to use our Bible verse in your creations, you can download it below. However you're never required to use it and our theme is always "anything goes." We would love it if you stopped by and joined in the fun at Word Art Wednesday. And while you're on your way there, be sure to check our all the wonderful things that Newton's Nook has too!

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

**These were out of stock at the time I wrote this post, but I contacted the company and they said they'll be getting more in soon. It's definitely a set worth waiting for!

Party Cheers For The Color Hues Challenge

Today's card was made especially for Challenge #133 over at The Color Hues. Their theme is Lime Green and Violet. And neutrals are always welcome too.

Vintage Hymnal Card

I think it's best to stamp the image then trim
the page as I learned here!

Today's card seemed to be timed perfectly. Time Out Challenges has a great theme called Playing Music. And just last Sunday I was asked to make eight cards for our pastors at church. Usually Pastor Appreciation Day is in November, but in the United  Methodist Church, our pastors get new assignments on July 1. Even though we're only losing one pastor and gaining a replacement, I guess the board wants to give each of them a card. That's where I, the church card lady comes in!

I love doing this, but there is always so pressure when creating a card for someone you know. When you mail a card out, you do your best and hope they like it. But when it's someone I know, I always feel a little nervous.

After picking up this old hymnal a while back, I knew it would make a great background for a card, and today seemed like the perfect time to do just that, especially since it goes well for both pastors and for Time Out Challenges.

Here's my complete supply list:

• Garage Sale Vintage Hymnal Page
• Stampin' Up! Old Olive Card Stock
• SU! Secret Sea Card Stock
• SU! Curmb Cake C/S
• Papertrey Hibiscus Burst Card Stock
• Versa Mark Ink
• Memento Black Ink
• Memento Pistachio Ink
• Stampin’ Up! Embossing Folder
• Spellbinders Scallop Die
• Concord and 9th Filled In Florals Stamp Set
• Stamp Simply Pastor Appreciation Stamp
• Gifted Rhinestones
• Michaels Twine

After finishing the card I realize some changes I'll make on the next two. First of all, I cut off the hymn number. I think that's a classic part of the page and wished I had thought about that beforehand. Second, I think I'll make the leaves a bit darker. It's funny how ink changes when it dries. And lastly, I think I'd like the scalloped edge to not stand out so much. Anyhow, all things considered it's pretty close to what I had in mind.

This is only my first of three cards that I plan to make using this old hymnal. I wanted to get one uploaded to this challenge just to start. It was a good inspiration to play along over at Time Out Challenges and I'm thankful to everyone over there for putting this together!

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

Fuzzy Ruffles Lap Warner

This is folded into quarters. It's the perfect size for a lap, especially if someone is in a wheelchair.

Today I finished this super easy. It's a simple corner-to-corner crochet stitch blanket that measures 22 squares by 24 squares. I used a skein of Caron Cotton Cakes that was 530 yards long and combined it with a skein of Caron Latte yarn which is a fuzzy yarn. 

Because I used two #4 yarns together, it took an "M" hook to create this. 

I had enough yarn leftover to make the next lap warmer in a 24 x 24 square size.

Lastly I finished it off with s simple double crochet round all around then a "two double crochets in one loop" making it ruffle. I used white Walmart Mainstays yarn for this.

It's a fun piece to make, however yarn is expensive. I'm thinking this ran around $30.00 not counting any discounts that Michaels was giving at the time. 

Here are a few other pictures of the details:

LEFT: The first round of double crochets created a bit of a ruffle. MIDDLE: I made a chain stitch around the edges for the ruffle to attach to. RIGHT: I put a homemade gift tag with the words "You Are Loved"  (an Altenew Die) on it along with a wooden cross from Amazon.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

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)

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!