Cross Stitch Find with Sweet Stories

Today I hit a few yard sales in my neighborhood. I hadn't planned on going. I really don't need anything, but since they were so close, why not stop by?

It was at one sale that this cross stitch piece caught my eye. Old finished pieces always do, and the round frame really made it stand out. I liked the colors too. I tried to read it quickly, but it didn't quite register. Something about the seasons but it didn't really speak to me. I thought about buying it just for the frame, but it looked a little broken at the top. 

I set it back down and chatted with the guy about selling things online, my cross stitch pieces, Erie Pennsylvania and how old this piece was and the person who made it for him over 30 years ago, and how it hung in his kitchen all those years. Sweet stories. He only wanted $1.00 for it, but for some reason I passed on it, said goodbye and got in my car. But before I could drive away he was walking up to me with the piece. He handed it to me and told me he wanted me to have it. I was so touched.

It's not about the money. A dollar is hardly anything now-a-days. But the fact that he took the time to consider me and give it to me meant so much. I thanked him and went on my way. 

Only when I got home did I really read and comprehend what this says, and it means so much:

Every season

has its Gift for Living.

The seeds of the present season

hold Growth and Harvest yet to come,

May Gratitude become

a season in us.

What jumped out at me was that there are seeds in us today. Things that are going on in our lives that will grow into bigger things in the future. I like to think of it as God is always preparing things to develop in our lives. Sometimes it seems like things just happen, but I love this perspective. Things are slowly growing in our lives; transforming us little by little, day by day.

The giver loved the sentiment, but after enjoying it for 30 years, it was time to go on to someone else.

There's no way now that I'm going to pull this piece apart and use the frame for something I stitch. It's staying right there and has instantly become a special memory that I treasure in my heart. I love knowing a little about the pieces I purchase, but that's often difficult at places like thrift stores. 

And while I have no idea exactly who stitched this, it was framed Ann's Crafts in Madison, Alabama. I know the guy did live in Erie, PA for a while too. And if it ever gets back to the stitcher that this piece was sold, I hope they find joy in knowing that someone is still enjoying their work very much!

A "Just Because" Pretty Paper Challenge

A small piece of pretty patterned paper was left on my craft desk from yesterday's work and it was too pretty to put away. It's from Paige Evans, who designs just the prettiest papers ever. I thought that it would be nice to combine it with other patterned papers and create a card just for the Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge for April 2025. The optional theme is Springtime and I think this would qualify for that as well!

I actually used four different patterned papers here. The rainbows, which I hand cut, the flowers behind the rainbows, which are also hand cut, and the strip on the right are all from Paige Evans. The gingham is from Carta Bella. The base is Stampin' Up!'s Crushed Curry card stock, as is the card stock for the circles. The circle and scalloped dies are by Sizzix. 

Lastly the sentiment, which is by Papertrey Ink, was one stamp but I cut it into three to stamp each circle.

After looking at it as a finished card, it reminds me of girl scout badges. That takes me fondly back to not only my childhood memories, but that of my daughter's as well.

Patterned Paper is so much fun to work with and it's amazing how quickly you can make a cute little card from just a few scraps. Thanks so much to Darlene and Diane for creating just one of their many great challenges! And thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Hello In Afternoon Azure

Today I just felt like playing around with some of the new (to me) Stampin' Up! colors. I placed an order because I heard that card stock was going up in price and after I got my new catalog yesterday, I realized that it's going up $2.50 a pack, so I'm really glad I stocked up! 

One of the colors I bought was Azure Afternoon. Blues are a struggle for me. Sometimes they're too green, too muted or just confusing. But I really do like bright colors so I thought I'd give this one a try. Turns out I love it! I'm glad it's in the regular lineup so it will be available for a while.

To make this card I used the following:

• Stampin' Up! Azure Afternoon Card Stock & Ink
• Paige Evans Patterned Paper
• SU! Flirty Flamingo Ink
• SU! Shy Shamrock Ink (another fun new color I'm enjoying!)
• SU! Berry Burst Ink
• SU! Pumpkin Pie Ink
• Doodlebug Design Enamel Dots
• Hero Arts Sentiment

I really like how this one turned out and even though I didn't make it for a challenge it will be a joy to send. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Masculine Tri-Fold Card

Today's card was inspired by three challenges that work perfectly together. Over at Cards 4 Guyz they want you to create a fancy fold card. Then over at Try A Sketch on Tuesday they have a sketch that looks just like a fancy fold. And over at Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. Weekly Inspiration the D this week stands for dies, which I have used exactly nine of in this card.

Inside the card there's plenty of room to write!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Rooted In Nature Stamps & Dies
• SU! Soft Suede Ink
• Misc. Patterned Papers (from my scrap box)
• Memento Bamboo Leaves Ink
• Memento Northern Pine Ink
• Memento Olive Grove Ink
• My Colors Card Stock Base
• Sizzix Oval Dies

The sentiment, which comes from the set, is in three parts just like the folds in this card. I love it when little details like come together.

All the paper was cut just by eyeballing it. I did start with a 12 x 12 sheet of card stock and scored it at just under 4" three times. From there I just pieced it together. It was designed to fit into a slimline craft envelope which I bought a pack of way back Tuesday Morning stores were a thing. They had the best deals on craft supplies. I miss them!

Making a card like this is something I would never do on my own, and participating in challenges really stretches me to create something really different. Be sure to check out these challenges and play along too!

Word Art Wednesday Weeks 694 & 695

Wow, it's less than a week until Easter! And if you're celebrating Passover, Happy Passover too! The older I get the harder it is to fathom how quickly time flies. I remember back in high school four years seemed like forever. Now we're hoping to retire in less than four years and it's going by so quickly that it's scary.

Anyway, a beautiful new scripture was posted this round over at Word Art Wednesday and I took it and made it into a digital design that I printed out and mounted on a card. The background paper is from Paige Evans, a favorite paper designer of mine. 

I create my designs on a platform called Canva, which is so much fun.  The one thing I can't seem to do there, even with a professional membership, is to change the color of the Bible Verses. If they are black, the only thing I have the ability to change them to is purple, which worked so well for this challenge.

After printing the image at FedEx I cut it out with an Sizzix oval then used a scalloped Sizzix oval for the border. The purple paper is from a Michaels card stock pack. Lastly I popped the scalloped oval up with dimensionals giving it a 3D effect.

If you'd like to use the image, feel free to grab it and print it out too. And be sure to check out Word Art Wednesday for wonderful scripture challenges every two weeks!

Here's the free digi. 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!

Neglected Stuff Challenge Blog Post

Well I've discovered another wonderful challenge blog designed to not only get my creative juices flowing, but this one will help me use some of the stuff that I ignore on a regular basis. It's called The Neglected Stuff Challenge and is perfect for so many of us, especially if we've been crafting for some time.

My "Neglected Stuff" in this card are the pink and white gingham dots. I went a little crazy with the amount I included here, but I really need to use them up! I bought them at a rubber stamp expo about ten years ago. Have you ever been to one of those shows? They're downright overwhelming! And even though I love them, after stamping for many years it's still hard to decide what to buy.

Anyway, I picked them up and maybe used them once. Part of the problem with them is that they're hollow on the inside, kind of like a contact lens, so they don't stick real well. To adhere them to this card, I used glue.

Here's a complete supply list for this card:

• Stampin' Up! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• SU! Petal Potpourri Stamp Set
• SU! Timeless Textures Stamp Set
• SU! Biggest Wish Stamp Set
• Memento Rose Bud Ink
• Memento Dandelion Ink
• Memento Bamboo Ink
• Candi Mini Dimensional Dots

If you get a chance be sure to check out this great new challenge! Thanks for stopping by today!

Here's a close-up of the neglected Candi Minis, lost in the shuffle that is my rhinestone box!

Small Crochet Bunny Basket

A friend sent me a link to a cute crochet bunny basket she made for Easter. I'm much better at making the usual simple things like scarves, hats and blankets. But this looked really cute, and I just happened to have two skeins of leftover yarn in on my side table-and one was fuzzy which was perfect for making a bunny, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The video from Repeat Crafter Me was really easy to follow. It looks like a simple cup, but there are a few things she did to make it have it's shape. And I learned something new-a backwards single crochet. I've never done that before and it was really good for making a border at the top of the basket.

The eyes and nose are made from vintage buttons that I had in my button jar. I was thankful to have one pink and two black that matched at that had the loop on the back to sew them on. I think they look pretty good, but if I were to make many more little face I'll probably pick up some plastic snap on parts like she used.

I did prop up his ears with some white twist ties because my fuzzy yarn was on the softer side.

I guess this could be slightly considered amigurumi, although the top is open. I've always admired how they make all those cute little stuffed animals and such but have never done it. After making this I'm ready to try a few more projects like this.

So this is my little craft for the day. Thanks so much for hopping by and have a wonderful day!

Masculine Easter Card

I just revisited a challenge that I participated in a while back and really need to get back on board with them on a regular basis. It's a great masculine card challenge called The Male Room. This round, #197, is, in addition to making a masculine card, is to create one with geometric shapes.

A few years back I bought some Easter dies that would fit this challenge perfectly. Easter cards are usually light and airy with pastel colors, flowers and rabbits, but I thought, why not create a masculine Easter card? I was going for kind of a stained glass look, but in browns with would be the color of the cross. And the leaves in the back are supposed to resemble looking though a window.

Here's my supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Mossy Meadow Card Stock
• SU! Pear Pizzazz Card Stock
• SU! Early Espresso Card Stock
• SU! Cinnamon Cider Card Stock
• SU! Crumb Cake Card Stock
• SU! Baked Brown Sugar Card Stock
• SU! Green Leaves DSP
• Off White Card Stock
• Simon Says Stamp Inlaid Crosses Die
• Simon Says Stamp Clean Line Faith Stamps & Dies
• Versa Mark Ink
• Simon Says Stamp Ultra Fine Cream Embossing Powder

This was fun to make, but a little on the time-consuming side because of all the gluing the pieces together. But I really like the finished product, and I'm so thankful the The Male Room for helping me create something that I normally wouldn't have made! I'm going to visit them much more often, for I'm always needed those ever-so-challenging masculine cards!

I'm going to be looking to send this to a guy in the The Angel Card Project. I hope he'll appreciate the lack of pastel flowers!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Try A Sketch on Tuesday #667

There's a super-cute, whimsical sketch challenge over at Try A Sketch on Tuesday. And although it features a rainbow, a heart and a splash, you can substitute any shapes. I tried to stay true to the drawing while switching out some of the elements. Since it's Spring and almost Easter, I went with one of my all time favorite stamp sets. Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Springtime Joy Stamp Set
• SU! Coastal Cabana Card Stock
• SU! Soft Suede Ink & Card Stock
  
• SU! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• White Card Stock
• Newton's Nook Sky Scene Builder Dies
• Copic Markers
  

One little note is that I tore the top of the brown card stock so it would look like the flowers and bunny were popping out a little from the dirt. Just a little springtime touch!

It's always a joy to stamp, color and cut these cute critters out each year, and hopefully I've done a fairly good job following this fun sketch! Thanks so much for stopping by and Happy Spring!

Happy Retirement to A Wonderful Friend!

Today is a fun and exciting day for me. I get to take a wonderful friend out to eat at Outback Steakhouse for lunch to celebrate her retirement! It's such a big milestone after working for many decades.

I got everything ready with a gfit and a vase of jasmine from the garden, but I forgot about a card. Oh my goodness what's wrong with me!

Thinking more about card making than card sending, I was over at Simply Clean and Simple checking out their newest challenge when my memory was triggered. Their theme is anything goes with an option of "umbrellas." I like to try to use the option because it makes it more of a challenge for me. My first thought was a rain umbrella and I don't think I have one of those. Then I remembered that I do have a beach umbrella. Then I thought about relaxing at the beach and I remembered that this would be a perfect card for my friend's retirement!

So I scurried about making this one, just in time for lunch at 11:15 and in perfect time for the SCS Challenge!

My supplies are:

• White Card Stock
• Stampin' Up! Beach Happy Stamp Set
• Memento Danube Blue Ink
• SU! Island Indigo Card Stock
• SU! Balmy Blue Card Stock
• Darice Embossing Folder
• Sizzix Scalloped & Circle Dies
• Various Copic Markers

Looking at the card now, I wish I had made the circle going around the scallop in a darker blue to make the image pop more, but it's not too bad for a hurry up card! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

A Crazy Camping Trip

Over at Cardz 4 Guyz this time their theme for challenge #369 is "Fun and Games." So I went digging through my stamps to see if anything I had would fit and I came across this stamp set. I thought it was cute when I bought it at a yard sale. I think I'll pick up anything for a dollar! But I never used it, so it's also going to be entered over at the NBUS Challenge #73 this month too.

The funny thing about this set is that, while it's cute, I really didn't know what to do with the card at first, especially for someone that I don't know. Then it hit me: send it to someone who's going through a tough time right now. Inside I can write something like "sorry things are crazy right now." Then another thought hit me. I think I'll send it to my daughter! She loves the outdoors and plans on doing some big hiking trips this summer, but things are crazy for her right now at work, so this will be perfect.

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up!
• SU! Early Espresso Card Stock
• SU! Always Artichoke Card Stock
• SU! Soft Suede Ink
• Sizzix Ornate Labels Dies #3
• Darice Embossing Folder
• Various Copic Markers

It was really fun making this card, as long as this doesn't happen in real life! A bear getting a hold of your beans and a racoon getting into your smores is not good! But hopefully it will put a smile on my daughter's face next week.

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

Word Power April Challenge

It's already another new month and that means that Word Power Challenge Blog has a new challenge! My craft desk is usually pretty clean, but when I went there this morning Stampin' Up!'s Biggest Wish was left there-perfect for the Word Power Challenge.

After digging around in my paper bin and finding these stripes, I chose to make a masculine card. I love the colors and I always need more masculine cards anyway. It's ready to go in a craft envelope that will be perfect for any guy!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Biggest Wish Stamp Set
• SU! Balloon Adventures Stamp Set
• My Minds Eye Patterned Paper
• SU! Cherry Cobbler Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Baked Brown Sugar Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Mint Macaron Card Stock & Ink
• Memento Black Ink

If you haven't played along with Word Power, it's such a fun monthly challenge. Be sure to check them out and thanks so much for stopping by today!

Colorful Options Challenge for April 2025

Behold, the Lap Warmer! That's a name that I came up with when I saw a Facebook Post for a 95-year-old woman whose daughter was requesting some birthday gifts for her. She said her mother liked things that were soft. So I got thinking about what I could make and came up with this.

This one is actually the second one I made, and the colors were chosen especially for the Colorful Options Challenge Blog. I'm loving this blog because not only can you submit cards of course, but any craft that fits the theme challenge for that month. Plus, they give you a little heads-up for the following month so you have time to create something a little more time-intensive. (I already have my yarn for next time!)

But for now, the Colorful Options inspiration board features soft pastels in purple, pink, green, apricot and off white. I took the picture with me and went to Michaels and found an almost perfect match in a variegated yarn.

The way I've been making these is to use two #4 size yarns and doing a corner-to-corner crochet stitch, but using a large size M/13 hook. This creates a loose stitch which is perfect for draping. Of the two yarns, one is a fuzzy type yarn (in this case it's a solid white color) and the other yarn is the variegated pastel yarn. Using two yarns does dilute the intensity of the colored yarn, but I think it's still visible enough here.

The reason I created a "lap warmer" rather than a more traditional sized "lapghan" is simply cost. If I was making just one of these for a family member, I would certainly make a bigger size. But yarn is getting expensive and I volunteered to make 16 of these by the end of the year so they could be distributed to nursing homes. I love to crochet and it's an honor and joy to be able to do that, but I have to watch my costs too.

You can see the picture of the three yarns that I started with. They all came from Michaels (thanks to Joann's shutting down and totally abandoning me as a customer but I'm not bitter about it!). Just kidding, but I really do miss them, but I'm learning where to get other yarns and I'm really happy with these three. The fuzzy yarn had to be ordered online but the other two I picked up right in the store.

The Loops & Threads and Caron Latte Cakes were used to make the main section and the Caron Simply Soft was used to make the shell border.

The size of the lap warmer is about 24" x 24" which is just right for the average size lap. It took almost the entire skein of Loops and Threads (which was 315 yards) to make this, so that's the amount I have to count on to make others in the future.

I hope that these small but mighty lap warmers will give those in nursing homes a little bit of warmth, softness and comfort this upcoming holiday season.

Thanks so much to Colorful Options for giving me some great inspiration this month, and thanks to everyone for just stopping by today!

Comparing Over 80 Stampin' Up & Memento Inks

My day today began with me obsessing over turquoise ink colors. My demonstrator told me that the price of card stock is going up in the next Stampin' Up! catalog. I began to put an order together and quickly became obsessed with which colors I had, which ones I used and which ones I wanted to buy.

So instead of making a card today, I began by reinking all my stamp pads. Then I thought I would stamp each one in a bold flower so I could easily see the differences. Sometimes names don't always help. For example, Stampin' Up's Pool Party could either be a blue or a green, depending on what color pool you're in! 

After making these sheets, I thought I would share them here on the blog. Perhaps someone will find them interesting.

I am missing Memento's Bahama Blue and I don't have Stampin' Up!'s Temping Turquoise anymore, which started this whole thing. I'm not sure if the new Azure Afternoon is a good replacement. I may considering getting Pinkfresh Studio's Turquoise Ink. I think it's just the color I'm looking for, but they don't have coordinating paper. Ugh! 

If you're unfamiliar with Stampin' Up! and Memento Colors, the Stampin' Up! Colors are all two words and almost always begin with the same letter. For example, Lemon Lolly and Pineapple Punch are SU! colors and Dandelion is a Memento color.

There are a couple Papertrey Inks in here too. They are Hibiscus Burst and Lovely Lady.

Anyway, these aren't the most professional photos, but the collection is quite complete. I didn't intend on publishing it, but thought that it may be a good idea after all. Here are my pics:

I hope this helps someone, somewhere, someday! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sunny Birthday Wishes

Here are two fun cards I made using the digital design below. Dolphins are always a great subject for a birthday card because it seems like both young and old like them. And with blue and yellow as the main colors, they're perfect for a any gender too.

Starting with the images that I had printed at FedEx (she printed two because she said that one set didn't turn out right, but they looked fine to me) I mounted them on Stampin' Up! Crushed Curry Card Stock, then on a generic blue then back on the Crushed Curry. As you can see in the video below, they're made with Wobblers, which give them the perfect feel of the dolphin jumping in the water.

They're finished with generic clear rhinestones that I think I got at Michaels.

Of course you and take the image and create any card you want in any size. Below is the free digi. 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!

A Card Based on a Movie and an "NBUS"

What fun I had with this challenge! When I first saw the theme over at Time Out Challenges, I wasn't sure if I had what it took to play along. Make a card based on your favorite movie? Hmmmm... 

Here starring Tom Hanks just came out late last year and instantly became my favorite movie. 

It's the story of a piece of land and everything that happens on that land from prehistoric times through Covid. The entire movie is filmed in one room, and focuses on one main family. As someone who loves to reflect on the passage of time, I became one with this film.

The reviews are mixed, and I understand why. You either love it or hate it. If you've seen the movie I'd love to hear what you though of it. If not, I highly recommend it! You can check out the trailer below too.

Anyway, on to the card! Because it's about a house, I chose a NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) stamp set that I picked up a while back that features a door. Ironically, there is a saying in the set that says "So Happy You're Here." So perfect!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! At Home With You
• SU! Early Espresso Ink and Card Stock
• SU! Perfect Peach Card Stock
• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Copics C1, Y23, Y35, E97, R43, YG06, YR18 and E34
• Dimensionals

Here's the trailer for this heartwarming and poignant movie:

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Get Well Challenge Card

Tomorrow is my mom's 84th birthday! It's amazing and wonderful how active she still is. One thing she requested this year is that I make her some "get well" cards for her to send out. She's part of the local Garden Club, and undoubtedly there will be some friends from there who will be receiving those cards, so I thought some potted plants would be great.

I've found three challenges this week that are perfect for this card. Both Retro Rubber and Word Art Wednesday and Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. all have "anything goes" challenges. The only requirement at Retro Rubber is that the stamp has to be at least a year old. Easy peasy! There's no excuse not to enter!

Here is my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Cactus Cuties (2022)
• SU! Tangerine Tango Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Cajun Craze Card Stock & Ink
• Misc. Patterned Papers in Yellow and Purple
• SU! Calypso Coral Ink
• SU! Highland Heather Ink
• SU! Gorgeous Grape Ink
• SU! Granny Apple Green Ink
• SU! Pear Pizzazz Ink
• SU! Old Olive Ink
• Papertrey Sentiment

I still want to make mom a few more cards, so there's more crafting to do today. Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to check out Darnell’s Blog, Word Art Wednesday and Retro Rubber for lots of inspiration!

Seaside Card For Three Challenges

Today's card was created by inspiration from three different challenge blogs: 

Cardz 4 Guyz #368 - S is For ...

    (my card features the Seaside)

Darnell's Weekly I.D.E.A.S. Calendar (E for Embossing)

    (my card has a heat embossed lobster)

Retro Rubber's Challenge 250 "Under The Sea" #rrcb250

    (and the lobster lives under the sea!)

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! By The Tide Stamp Set (2016)
• Graphic 45 Patterned Paper "Sail Away"
• SU! Night of Navy Card Stock and Ink
• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Sentiment from Papertrey Ink
• Versamark Ink
• Brutus Monroe Embossing Powder in Vanilla Ice Cream

This card is a perfect addition to the assortment of cards that I'm making for my mom's birthday next week. She requested get well cards, and I think having at least one masculine card will be great for her to have on hand.

Thanks to Darnell, everyone over at Retro Rubber, and the Cardz 4 Guys team for helping me make something new! Be sure to check out their blogs and play along!

And thanks so much for stopping by today!

Jeremiah 29:11 Greeting Card Printables

Who doesn't love the Bible verse in Jeremiah 29:11? It seems like everyone who is familiar with the verse clings to it, myself included. What I love is that it reminds us that God does have a plan for our lives. And it's a good plan. Sometimes it can really seem like that's not the case, but this verse reminds us otherwise.

When I sent these out to be printed at FedEx, I made two of them because that's how much room I had on the sheet of paper. I'm glad I did. I know that it will be really easy to mail these out and will probably want to make more.

To finish the cards off, I used some paper doilies from Stampin' Up!, then mounted the image on their Pear Pizzazz card stock and then on their Bubble Bath card stock. I added flat glitter dots that I believe I got from the Dollar Tree. 

These measure about 6.5 x 4.75, but you can make the design any size you want and of course make the cards any size you want also.

Here's the free digi. 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!

Christmas (or Not) BINGO Challenge #12

It's been a while since I've been over at Christmas (or Not) BINGO Challenges and it's good to be back. As always with this challenge, you have to pick just one column going straight up and down and create a card (or other crafty items) with just that column. There's no across or diagonal allowed. 

The column I chose is "I" and the elements from that column are:

• Christmas
• Black/Gray
• No Stamping

I love making digital images and creating cards with them, so this was the perfect opportunity to do that with the "no stamping" spot. I did include a die cut element from white card stock and framed the image with Stampin' Up!'s Garden Green and mounted them all on SU! Real Red card stock.

Black and gray are unique elements on a Christmas card, but I love challenges like that. Plus black is one of my go-to colors to really make cards pop, so this was really fun. It's a super-easy image that I feel really captures the Christmas spirit in a fun way.

Feel free to use the image below in your own work if you want.  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! You can make a card out of it like I did, or use in as a digital image to send to someone on Facebook or in an email. Remember that all images are for personal use only, please! Thanks for stopping by my blog today and have a wonderful day!

Irish Blessing Cross Stitch

Yesterday I managed to start and finish a beautiful, well known Irish Blessing. I've seen this on more complex charts, but I felt like stitching it in an easy format, so I created the chart myself at a site called stitchpoint.com. It's a wonderful place that makes it super easy to write any font and turn it into a cross stitch piece.

Here's my chart, but the cool thing is that you can make a chart out of any saying that you want. It took me just a little getting used to it, and some of the fonts are an upcharge, but the one I chose, which is called Monaco, was free, and it was just what I was looking for!

Feel free to use my chart if you'd like to stitch this:

One other bit of helpful information... When I stitch something using a dark thread on light fabric, I often can see the floss through the fabric. One thing I did to combat this is to spray paint my mounting board a dark color. It worked like a charm. The picture below shows the threads underneath...

Below is the board after I spray painted it. It didn't matter that the green paint was a different shade than the floss. It was close enough to hide the threads underneath...

And here's the same piece on the green background. You may notice that it's laying on my computer monitor, which is laying face-up on my desk. Basically I'm using it as a lightbox because I'm too cheap to buy one right now! But notice how you can no longer see the threads underneath.