Word Art Wednesday Challenge #718 & #719

Hi stamping friends! It's time for another challenge over at Word Art Wednesday. This time the sponsor is Divinity Designs and one lucky random winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate from them! They have so many wonderful things in their shop that it will be hard to choose.

My card this time is made from their products. I'm so excited to finally have a quilt die in my possession. I love quilts, but am not good at making the real ones. However this die makes it so easy to create that same special feeling and made a card to mail to someone. The possibilities are endless. Small patterned paper would look great, but I decided to stick with solids to welcome the fall.

I kept the card simple to emphasize the quilt. Here's my complete supply list:

• Divinity Designs Star Quilt Die
• Divinity Designs Faith Card Sentiments
• Stampin' Up! Delightful Dijon Card Stock
• SU! Early Espresso Card Stock
• Memento Espresso Truffle Ink
• Pebbles Spring Fling Calico Paper
• Unknown Beehive Scrap Paper
• Vintage Buttons
• DMC Floss

We would love to have you play along with us at Word Art Wednesday. You don't have to use the scripture, which I've posted below, but you're welcome to. And you don't have to use Divinity Designs products. And the theme is always "Anything Goes." So pop on over and join the fun. You may even be a winner!

Sweet Birthday Wishes for Word Power

Hello stamping friends! Today's card really feels like it made itself. I went in to my craft room to clean my desk and this happened! Actually, I had some scraps laying around, and one thing led to another and now I have a sweet birthday card to send someone.

I knew I wanted to put a bold sentiment on this busy paper and therefore be able to play along with Word Power Challenge Blog this month. What was so funny is that when I went to the site, it says that the challenge ends in two days. Oh my goodness, where did September go! I'm 63 now, and it is amazing how time goes by quicker each year that I get older. 

Anyway, here's my complete supply list:

• Pink & Main Hello Sweet Stamps & Dies
• Stampin' Up! Old Olive Ink & Card Stock
• Glittery Paper from Hobby Lobby
• Italian Patterned Paper from 32º North
• Speckletone Oatmeal Card Stock

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

Scraporium Visit in North Tampa, Florida

Gayle Ann with one of her cards.

Just when I thought all the brick and mortar paper crafting store were gone in my area, I stumbled across the Scraporium in Lutz, Floria, just a couple miles north of Tampa. Oh my goodness! 

It started when my mom wanted to make a scrapbook for her friend for Christmas and wanted some nice papers. We stopped in at Michael’s, but their selection was terrible. We Googled scrapbook stores and Scraporium came up. It’s only about 1/2 hour from my house, so I thought it was worth a drive. I wasn’t expecting too much because brick and mortar stores seem to be dwindling. 

Boy was I wrong! This place truly has it all! It really does!

I actually went there twice this weekend. First on Friday with my mom. It was then that we met Gayle Ann who was teaching a class on fun fold cards. She was such a joy to meet and her cards were amazing. I couldn't stay for the class because they ran for about 3 hours and we had to get home. But the cards were so incredible.

A few of Gayle's cards close up.

Here are all 10 of the cards she made during the class!

Because I needed a bit more time to think and didn't want to hold mom up, I went back on Saturday to pick up a few things that stuck in my mind on Friday. I'm thrilled to have gotten this adorable Donut set from Trinity Stamps. The saying really sold me on it. My favorite being "Eat More Hole Foods." I love puns and that is so fun! I also picked up a much-needed Misti Magnet, and some small magnets for turning stamped images into little gifts.

I really wanted one of everything in the store, but these donut dies and stamps stole my heart.
I was also really happy to get the magnets!

On Saturday we could barely get into the parking lot because they were having another class. This one was really filled up, most likely because of the day. It was taught by Prima ambassador Sue Lelli. She comes in every so often to teach. Below is a picture of her class:

Sue's class was so full! So much fun! I signed up for their email list so I can join in next time!

I took a bit more time on Saturday looking around the store. Here are just a few shot of their amazing inventory:

I'm loving all the patterned papers!

Rows and rows of every style of 12 x 12 paper filled the store!

How pretty are all these coordinating items!?

This was one of my favorite papers! They had many other varieties in
addition to this dog.

I love these big bold images!

They even have a sale section in the back that had some old books, cigar boxes,
sewing patterns and other unique paper crafting items.

It's been years since I've seen so many lovely papers all in one place!

For scrapbooking or card making, their travel products were wonderful!

I love this line from Stampendous too!

More coordinating stamps and dies from Whimsy Stamps!

How pretty are all these Valentine's Day products!

I loved these coordinating sets too!

Of course there are plenty of ink and markers too!

I loved the selection of Avery Elle products and others too!

The new fall stuff was really cute!

Just to give you an idea of how big the store is, this is just one aisle of many.

The front wall has so much inspiration! I loved the little hay bales!

Who knew Mistis came in such large sizes? Plus all the accessories you
need to go with them are here too!

I loved seeing the card samples. So much inspiration!

The Lawn Fawn selection of stamps and dies was so complete!

Who knew there was even such a thing as Rice Paper Glue!?

If you're every anywhere in Central Florida, this place is definitely worth the trip! And be sure to check out their website for classes, hours and more. As you can see from the map below, it's not too far from the Orlando area.

A big shout out to all the ladies who let me take their pictures! And thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

3 Colors for 3 Challenges

Today's card was made especially for three challenges, using three colors! First, over at The Paper Players, LeAnne has color challenge to use Stampin' Up!'s Lost Lagoon, Soft Seafoam and Lemon Lolly. Fortunately I had all three in inks and paper. I wanted to combine that with the challenges to use doodles over at Try A Sketch on Tuesday, and over at their sister challenge Double Trouble. Although I don't think I qualify for the second part of Double Trouble, which was to use a bold pop of color.

I wanted to stay true to the Paper Players colors, which really was a challenge because Soft Seafoam and Lemon Lolly are such subtle colors. Thankfully the Lost Lagoon was strong enough for the doodle in this card.

I'd love to try some freehand doodling some day. Even those light bulbs below look like something I may be able to do. But I wanted to play it safe (and have it look good) so I opted for a doodle design stamp set.

After making the card to the challenge specifications, it felt a little bare, so I perked it up with a white ribbon and self-stick rhinestones. I wished I had some Lost Lagoon ribbon, for I feel it would have looked much better. But I had nothing that really matched. You don't realize how many different shades of green there are sometimes. But I'm happy with the card in general.

 Here's my complete supply list:

• White Card Stock
• WPlus9 Doodle Bugs Stamp Set
• Stampin' Up! Lemon Lolly Ink & Card Stock
• SU! Soft Seafoam Ink
• SU! Lost Lagoon In & Card Stock
• Darice Embossing Folder
• Unknown Ruffled Ribbon
• Stampin' Up! Iridescent Rhinestones

Here are the challenges I entered:

This was a lot of fun and I'm so grateful to everyone who worked hard to put these challenges together! Thanks to them, and thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful day! 

My Latest Lap Warmer

I’m in the process of making lap warmers for volunteers from out church to pass out to nursing home residents this Christmas. Most homes have at least 60 people. I would love to be able to make a little something for each resident, but that's not possible with time and money restrictions.

However, I have been trying to make around 15 of these little throws. I call them Lap Warmers. And they really are cozy. They measure about 26" x 26" and what makes them special is I try to crochet with two strands of yarn using a really big (size M) hook. I use a plain yarn along with a fuzzy yarn. The effect is really nice and warm. 

For this lap warmer I used a yarn that I found at the thrift store for just $2.00. I added that with a Herrschner's Yarn that had some sparkle. Because I was worried about running out of the thrift store yarn, I started the middle with just the Herrschner's. That made the pattern darker. Then when I added the fuzzy yarn, the colors became more muted. The border is Red Heart Super Saver speckled yarn.

One thing I also did was add a vintage button in the middle. This is genuine mother of pearl. I really like the whole look of this. I think I'll add more buttons to these because I have so many of them. It's nice to see the jar of them on my shelf, but even nicer if I can share them with others.

Here are a few more pictures:

The yarns I used for this. I love being able to incorporate some bargain yarns
into projects.

It's a really nice size for a lap!

Mother of Pearl vintage buttons are made from shells.

The underneath side of Mother of Pearl is brown, which is the inside of the shell.

I still have quite a few more buttons to use up!

Another thing I did with a vintage button this week was to use it to keep
the top part of a new dress in place. I even got a compliment on it!

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

Four Cards

I've spent most of the past two weeks finishing up my scrapbooks. Things that I've kept in boxes for too many years finally made it into albums and everything is documented. It makes me feel so good to preserve these memories for my kids. But boy was it a big job!

After cleaning up my craft area from all that, I was able to create four cards in total. They aren't for any particular challenges, just trying to get some scraps off my desk.

The first one on the left started with that patterned paper. I had a strip of it laying on my desk and created this sympathy card. The stamp and sentiment are both my Verve Stamps.

The second card is a digital image I created in Canva. It's an uplifting Bible verse reminding us that our help comes from the Lord. I thought that would really encourage someone. The PDF is available below for you to print out and use on your own greeting card-or just send the image to someone electronically.

And lastly, the two cards with the goat is one of my favorites. My son took this adorable picture of a goat at a dairy farm in Malaysia. I have been smitten with him ever since I first saw this photo. I thought it would encourage someone to just be themselves, like this goat! He too is available to print out and use on a card of your own too.

Here are 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!

Word Art Wednesday Weeks 716-717

Hi there, crafty friends! Today's card is made using Word Art Wednesdays Bible verse that says, "I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings." The way I like to think about this verse is "think about all God has done for me and talk about all God has done for me." 

Sometimes it's easy to get scared of life. At least it is for me. I've been having foot problems for a few years and I finally went and got an MRI this week. Truthfully, I'm scared of the results. What if it's something really bad? What if they don't find anything at all and they think I'm crazy? (That wouldn't be the first time.) And will I be able to easily afford the bill for all of this?

That's where scriptures like this really come in handy. Think about what God has done in my life and talk about it. I think that second part is really important because it has such an impact on how our minds work. When we're talking about our problems or unhappiness, it brings us down. But when we talk about the things of God we're encouraged.

One other confession. You've heard the saying, "there is always, always something to be grateful for." Secretly I sometimes think, "there is always, always something to be worried about." But that doesn't please God and I know it. He wants me to think (and say) "there is always, always something great that He has done in my life." I'm working on that, starting now!

Andyway, today's card is made using the Word Art Wednesday scripture, paired with a digital design that I created. It's a freebie for you to use below. You'll notice that there's a row of flowers on the bottom of my design that didn't make it to this card. That's because I bought some really great, and much wanted, arch dies from Pink & Main. I'm blessed to live only 35 minutes from their store in Palmetto, Florida. The arch dies have been on my want list for so long, and I knew they would be great when cutting out this picture. The trouble is that the picture was just a wee bit small and some of the white showed on the edges. So I used the next smaller die, but that had to eliminate the flowers on the bottom. I'm still pleased with how this turned out though.

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Blueberry Bushel Card Stock
• SU! Mini Pearl Embellishments
• Paige Evans Floral Paper
• Pink & Main Arch Dies

Below is the digital image that's free for your own personal use. You can make it any size you need and cut it any way that works for your card.

If you'd like to use just the scripture, that is here too.

We would love to see you over at Word Art Wednesday. You don't have to use the Bible verse. You can use any products you like. We would love to see what you're creating! And there's a really nice prize for a randomly drawn winner at the end. So come on over and play along!

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!

 

My Birthday Card Bundle 2025

Usually I scrapbook the events of my birthdays, but this year wasn't too good. My mom was in the hospital so we didn't do any celebrating. The best thing I did was start the day off with a Starbucks coffee, courtesy of a gift card from my daughter. The day ended with frozen custard in the Culver's parking lot (which is a really beautiful place). But I did receive several really nice cards. 

If I did scrapbook my birthday, I would have put them in there. But instead I bundled them up and tied them with a ribbon and made a little tag, stamping the year on it. It's a sweet way to remember the event because not everyone puts the year inside.

The dish that they're in is a little gift to myself of sorts. It's a 1950's Fire King divided dish that is in mint condition for just $5.99. I found it at The Salvation Army a few days later. According to one that's listed on Etsy, the rim is 22 karat gold. However it's stamped on the back that it's oven-proof. I'm not sure how it would hold up after years of use, but I'm glad that someone probably stuffed this in the back of a closet for decades.

As card makers, I'm reminded just how special those folded pieces of paper can be. The gifts are soon forgotten. The money spent. Even memories fade. But the cards we get are often saved and cherished. And that inspires me to get back to my craft room, hoping one of my creations will wind up in someone else's bundle some day.

The Culver's in Seminole, Florida is right on Lake Seminole. You can go through the drive through then park right in front of the lake and enjoy the view from your car. It really was a nice way to end the day!