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!