My Mom and Her Angel Project Cards

Mom holding just a few of her
cards that year.

My Mom just loves getting Christmas Cards in the mail. She says it's a lost art that the advent of the internet has taken away from us. So two Christmases ago, I thought my mom could use some happy mail at Christmas. She was alone, with my step-dad, Jim passing away a few years earlier. The holidays can always be a little lonely when that happens, and I thought she would like some paper cheer!

Now I send cards through The Angel Card Project each year, but have never been on the receiving end, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I told her that I submitted her name, but there are hundreds of names on the list. I hoped she would get at least a few cards.

She got over 300!

I don't think everyone gets that many cards, and some may get more. I think it's because she lost her husband that people were extra generous. Either way, I was so thrilled for her. 

We don't always get to see how it is when people open our cards, so I filmed her. This was totally impromptu, but we got some really good laughs here in this short video:

Sweet Friend Valentine

Valentine's Day cards are my absolute favorite to make. They just naturally seem so happy and loving. And with Christmas just a week away and my stash still fairly full, I'm ready for some pinks and reds.

Today's card is made from two Stampin' Up! sets. Here's my complete supply list:

• SU! Sure Do Love You
  
• SU! You're Wonderful
• SU! DSP
• SU! Melon Mamba Ink
• Memento Black Ink
• Joann Cardstock (Park Lane)
• Michael's White & Black Cardstock 
• Misc. Rhinestones

I love making some Valentine's Day cards for friends to give to each other. Love doesn't have to be limited to a significant other! And I remember being single on February 14 and it can be a lonely time for some. Next up is one for my daughter and one for my mom!

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Ornament Cards

Today I'm featuring a card that I made last year but am just sending out today. It's what I call an "ornament card." Quite simply, you make something of a tag that's not really attached to the card, cut a slit in the top of the card and string the ornament through. I used washi tape to hold down the top of the string on the inside of the card.

What I love about these cards is that you can make them with just about any image. But mostly it's nice for the recipient to have a little something extra to hang on the tree or wall.

I'm featuring this today because I'm using it as a Thank You/Christmas Card for someone who made a prayer shawl that I received at church this past week.

Our church had a special "Blue Christmas" service for those in our community who were struggling with sadness or loss. I didn't fit that category, but I was working in the tech room, and someone brought it back to me. I too make prayer shawls for others on occasion, but it was such a blessing to actually receive one! Just to know that I was in someone's thoughts and prayers this season meant so much.

Here's the note that was
attached to the shawl.

The only thing I know about the shawl is that it was made by Martha in the Tampa area. I'm mailing the card to her church and I'm certain someone there will pass it on to her.

My supply list for this card is:

• Stampin' Up! Wonderful Blessing Stamp
• Memento Green Ink
• Michaels Gold Card Stock
• SU! Poppy Parade Card Stock
• Patterned Paper by Anna Griffin
• Misc. Gold Twine

As an adult who basically has everything she wants (except maybe a room addition, but who's going to get that for me for Christmas!:) it's really nice how Christmas can turn into a time when we really want to be a blessing to others. I really feel that this year, not only through this gift, but through several things that have happened by way of the Angel Card Project. Connecting with others is such a beautiful part of this holiday season.

Here's the prayer shawl that I received! It's not too wide which is great because I can wear it as a
scarf or drape it over the chair like this. Thank you so much Martha!

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge 311

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with some of the vendors from our old antique shop. Since it's 11 days before Christmas I thought I'd bring a little gift to each of them. Thankfully there are only 3 of them, but one is a guy. Now I personally feel that guys need cards more than women do because women love receiving cards, but I don't think guys know that. Anyway, they all are getting cards, including the guy of the group! He's really nice and I think he'll like them, especially this one.

Anyway, the Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge was perfect motivation to get these cards together. Challenge 311 is to make something beginning with the letter "O." I was really hoping I had an octopus stamp-that would be perfect, especially for a little guy. You could stamp it with a sentiment that said "lots of hugs." But alas, no octopus stamp was in my stash. Then I thought "ornament" would be a good one, but truthfully I don't think most guys are into ornaments at all, although I could have made it work. So I played it safe with an oak leaf. Leaves are perfect for guys.

This is one of my all time favorite sets from Stampin' Up. Here's my complete supply list:

• 
  Stampin' Up! Vintage Leaves Stamp & Dies
• SU! Hardwood Background Stamp
• SU! Old Olive Ink
• SU! Baked Brown Sugar Ink
• SU! Mossy Meadow Card Stock
• Craft Card Stock from Michaels
• Sentiment from Verve Stamps
• Sentiment Die from My Favorite Things
• Copic YG61
• Raffia Bow

I loved seeing all the "O" cards over at Cardz 4 Guyz. So much talent! I did this one in duplicate and I'm thankful to get another two guy cards made for my stash. 

And before I go, here are my boxes of cards that are ready to go tomorrow! I used Stampin' Up!'s acetate boxes for these, but unfortunately I don't think they make them anymore. I still have a few left, but I'll have to order them on Amazon afterwards. I found some similar ones here. I've also put cards to give in baskets, brown paper bags and acetate bags from the dollar store.

I love having something to give to others that's not edible, and cards are perfect for that!

Thanks to everyone over at Cardz for Guyz, and a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa to everyone! :)

Retro Rubber Challenge 197

$5.00! What a bargain!

I saw this challenge about a week ago and thought I'd have to do some really creative thinking if I wanted to participate in it because I only have one stamp that's a coffee mug and it's a "pumpkin spice" theme. But this weekend while I was out yard sale-ing I came across this stamp set and the matching dies for $5.00 for both! At that price I would have picked it up no matter what, but it came in super handy for this challenge too.

Challenge 197 over at Retro Rubber is to get inspired by the picture below. I just love how cozy it is and I really don't know that I did it justice-I really wanted a glowing lights and kind of bokeh look. I saw a tutorial a few years back on how to do that, but with Christmas less than 2 weeks away I didn't want to attempt something too difficult.

My supply list is:

• Stampin' Up Time for Tea Stamps & Dies (2018)
  
• SU! Real Red Card Stock
• Anna Griffin Gold & Cream Paper
• Gold Paper from Michaels
• Copics YR23, Y22, R29, YG13, Y23, Y35
• Black Memento Ink
• SU! Real Red Ink

In addition to the stamp & die set, I got all these Copic Markers for $10.00. I thought most would need to be reinked, but I was wrong. Most color really well. Some colors are duplicates that I already have, but at $10.00, I'll pass them on to someone else at some point. I figured if I only use 2 of them I'll be doing well.

$10.00 for ALL of these!

Unfortunately the seller didn't have a ton supplies this time. I also bought some glisteny embossing paste and a Stampin' Up! embossing buddy, which I really needed. I've found the ones at from Michaels to not be as good, so I'm excited to try it too.

I really enjoyed making this card for their challenge. Now I've got to get busy sending out some cards to family and friends. It's hard to believe it's almost Christmas already!

Thanks again to Jane and everyone over at Retro Rubber for inspiring me to make something out of the ordinary this week!

Wishing everyone a blessed Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa this year!

Try Stamping on Tuesday Challenge 585

It's been a while since I entered a challenge, but it's something that I love to do in my world of stamping. It gets me out of the box and forces me to create something that I wouldn't normally make, and I love that!

This week over at Try Stamping on Tuesday their Challenge 585 is a sketch challenge with an option to do a non-traditional Christmas theme. Since I love black and white cards, and since the stamp I used was a single color stamp, I thought I'd give it a try. It's different, but I really like the way it turned out. I'm hoping that someone who gets this card will like it too.

Here's my supply list:

• Stampin' Up Wonderful Blessing
• White Card Stock
• Memento Black Ink
• Recollections Gold Glitter Paper
• Hobby Lobby Striped Glitter Paper
• Misc. Gold Ribbon

Thanks to everyone over at Try Stamping on Tuesday for another fun challenge! 

Rustic Christmas

There's just something about a manger scene that seems so rustic, so non-shiny; even so not red and green. Today's card seemed very much that way to me.

The stamp is from a Stampin' Up! set called "Best of Christmas." I picked it up at a yard sale this fall for $3.00-and it was brand new! My thought was to use the manger scene on the back of my more secular Christmas cards. I usually put a Bible verse or an inspirational quote on the back, but I thought a small manger scene would be perfect.

However, this is the first card I made with that little stamp and it's featured on the front. I used 15 different Copic's to color this in! Hard to believe since it's so small. The only thing I wished I had done differently is to make Jesus' robe a little less bright. Other than that I'm liking the card.

The inspiration to use the brown, which is actually Stampin' Up!'s Cinnamon Cider, came because I noticed today that it's really on sale for like $3.50 a pack since it will soon be discontinued. I wanted to check and see how much of it I had, and it ended up working perfectly for this card. I think I'll pick some more paper up because this is such an unusual color, and the price can't be beat!

The sentiment is from an old set of scrapbook paper that someone gifted me. It seems inevitable that as soon as someone knows I like to make cards they give me their unused paper, stamps, etc. I love it and am truly blessed in that way.

• Anyway, my complete supply list is:
• Stampin' Up! Best of Christmas Stamp Set
• SU! Cinnamon Cider Card Stock
• Gifted, Pre-Printed Sentiment
• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Copics Y13, Y21, YR23, Y91, C1, C3, E01, E34, E55, E35, YG63, R83, V04, B21
• SU! Basket Weave Embossing Folder
• SU! Mossy Meadow Card Stock

I dearly love this card and will probably find a guy to send it to through the Angel Card Project this Christmas. I'll save the frilly and elegant ones for the girls, but cherish this one in my rustic heart.

The "You Are Special Today" Red Plate

Years ago, before I was even married or had kids, an item came out on the market called The Red Plate. The history behind this tradition is that in early American times, when someone had a special day, they were served dinner on a red plate.

Being a lover of all things Early American, I picked one up right away. I was going to make it a tradition in my family too. It even came with a special pen that you could write on the back of the plate each time you used it and for what occasion. I was so excited to make this a part of my family's memories.

But alas, my Red Plate lay virtually unused through the years as birthday tables were set with paper plates adorned with sentiments like "Look Who's Two" and superheroes and princesses designed to match the bakery-bought decorated cakes. Pokemon and Snow White were much more appealing to my kids than a decades-old tradition that seemed boring in comparison.

Granted, we could have used it for my husband's birthday; or for mine. And I think we did use it a few times throughout the years. But it never had the place of prominence that I had hoped. It got buried and forgotten under everyday dishes. But perhaps it's not too late.

Now that the kids have moved out, and would be mortified at the sight of a cartoon character under their dinner anyway, I'm hoping to start a tradition that I had hoped for so long ago. Today is my husband's birthday, and while he's special everyday, today I'm reminding him of that.

At first I was tempted to go out and buy some birthday plates like I have for years, but with the struggling economy, I thought this would be a perfect time to get this tradition going again.

If you love the idea and want to buy one right away, here's the link to the official website. They also have some really cool stories on their too. However, I have seen them from time to time at yard sales and thrift stores. I've even seen a blue one made by The Pampered Chef that says This Is Your Day CELEBRATE on it. I'm pretty sure you can pick that up on eBay or such. As of this writing, they're both running about $25.00 plus shipping, so if you're out thrifting, keep an eye peeled for one.

And of course you could start your own tradition with any kind of unique plate too. Perhaps just a simple red plate from the dollar store would suffice. Or an old plate from your grandmother's house would be a special heirloom that everyone could enjoy.

Whatever you decide, keep in mind that no matter what stage you are in your life, like me, it's never too late to start a wonderful new tradition!

Masculine Get Well Card

I'm trying to make one card each day. Usually it's anything goes, or I turn to a challenge blog for inspiration. Unfortunately, the idea for today's card came as a Facebook post-a long time friend is having hip replacement surgery this week. He's definitely been in my prayers today and will be for this week too, but I thought it would be nice to make a card especially for him. He's not on Facebook (his wife made the post) and sometimes people can get overlooked. I'm hoping that something in his real mailbox will give him some encouragement.

Guy cards are virtually everyone's challenge to make, but Stampin' Up!'s "Vintage Leaves" and coordinating dies always makes it easy. In addition to that set, my supply list is:

• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Old Olive Ink
• Copic Marker YG61
• SU! Thanks & Prayers Stamp Set

I'm looking forward to a speedy recovery for Mike and that this card will be a blessing to him! Thanks for stopping by my corner today!

Signs of Santa (& Mrs. Claus too!)

There's a girl in a town near me who often sells her Stampin' Up! supplies at her yard sales. I was thrilled to get this set, which I should have ordered when it came out, for just a few dollars-and it came with the matching dies too!

This set is called Santa's Signposts. It was so much fun to color and easy to cut using the dies. I love the sentiment too! Perfect for Christmas.

I took the card to church this morning and put it in my card display rack there. I donate many of my cards to other parishioners who may want to send a card but not be able to buy one. But mostly it gives me an excuse to keep making cards!

My supply list is:

• Stampin' Up! Signs of Santa Stamp Set
• 110# White Card Stock (Michaels)
• Memento Black Ink
• Misc. Glittery Background Paper
• Silver Background Paper (Michaels)
• Black Card Stock
• Misc. Silver Ribbon
• Star Dust Stickles
• Copics: R29, E01, Y21, G17 and C1

I hope someone who receives this card will like it as much as I do! I look forward to making more with this adorable set, but it will most likely be next year. There's so much still to do before Christmas!