Thoughts of Friendship

I don't know about you, but there is something about this time of year and thoughts of thanksgiving that make me think about all the friends I have met in my lifetime. It also makes me so grateful for the those friends that I have been blessed to have in my life. I often think about those friendships on my walks with Bella. Some days it is so obvious to me why God brought a person into my life, and other times I wonder inquisitively why I have met a certain person, and what life lesson or value was I to gain from knowing them. So today, take a moment to think about the friendships and people you have encountered in your life. Maybe this will inspire you to send a card to someone you haven't talked to in a while. A card from a friend is always a welcome thing! Here are some Stampin’ Up!® card ideas to get you started!

Special hugs to my friends Denise and Tina who are battling breast cancer. You are strong and courageous. You will survive and share your story of hope and inspiration to others. I pray that each day gets easier as you are surrounded by the love and prayers of true friends.

Christmas & Friendship

Here are two cards (“True Blue” and “Bold & Merry”) created using a similar design theme and stamp set, however, I changed out the colors to show how holiday cards don’t always have to be made using Christmas stamps! To recreate these cards, I used the new Stampin’ Up!® Eastern Blooms set along with the Punches Three Hostess set and two scallop punches - the square scallop and scallop border punch. For the embossing, I used Gold Glory embossing powder with Whisper White cardstock layered on “In color” Kiwi, Red Riding Hood and Pacific Point cardstocks. The ribbons used are Riding Hood Red Taffeta and 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain. All of these products are available for purchase on my Stampin’ Up!® website; simply press the SHOP NOW button to shop for these and other items! You can type in these names to locate quickly using the search option.

These cards are examples using the Tip of the Month...making bold images “Pop” by using white gel pen accents. The stamping was done using ink pads that matched the cardstock and the white accents added by hand really take these cards to a new level of boldness. Try this technique on your next project.

A Perfect Pick from my Paper Pumpkin Patch

O.K. Crafters, try and say that phrase several times in a row! LOL! Just had to add a little humor and fun to this post. So by now, that perfectly carved Halloween pumpkin probably looks like a 2 week old refrigerator specimen or possibly your beautifully decorated masterpiece looks better suited for the retirement home than as a door step decoration. If this is the case, I have the perfect solution, just in time for your Thanksgiving festivities! Check out this cool Pumpkin Candy Dish creation I made from a clay pot, paper bag and a CD. It took some paint, papers, floss, buttons, pipe cleaners, leaves and Glue Arts adhesives to totally complete the look, but what a cheerful and functional pumpkin it turned out to be! Use this as a table decoration, fill with nuts or candies, and when it is time to store it away for next year, simply stuff some tissue paper between the paper pieces to prevent it from getting scrunched! If you would like to know how I created this project, send me an email!