Happy Birthday to the best 5 year old in the world! She takes here crafting seriously and loves her purple scissors!  Love you sweet girl!  Diamond Press Apron. Paper, Family Fun, American Crafts.

Diamond Press Cozy Cottage stamp and die set is featured in this card.  This set is so easy to work with.  The designer did a wonderful job of combining the small pieces into one die. It also prevents lost dies. 

I tried a few with craft cardstock.  I really enjoy working with it.

The little flowers are made using a die from the Nesting Sentiments set by Diamond Press.

The teal color card stock mixes well with the craft cardstock color.

The background die with the scallops and little holes is from Lawn Fawn.  Absolutely one of my favorite go to dies.

 

 Shhh, don't spoil the surprise!   I'm making a set of these house cards for my cousin.  She's in real estate.  I want to make her one for every month for two years.

 A Diamond Press shaker card!  I added my cousin's picture in the background for a perfect card.

• Check out these great little bags from Diamond Press!!  I had so much fun putting these together, I was planning to make one, but couldn't stop!!

 

Let us Grow Old like Beautiful Lace, Cherished and Treasured and Cared for with Grace

I made this embellishment for a birthday card for my sister.  You can see the full card toward the end of the blog.  It turned out to be one of my all time favorite cards.  Maybe that is because of the sentimental value.  Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are centered around watching my sister draw and design clothing.  When she was in high school drawing was one of her favorite past times.  My mother had a desk from her childhood that she refinished and put in my sister's bedroom.  My sister would sit for hours drawing ladies with fashionable clothing.  Her dream was to be a designer of couture clothing.  My grandmother, mother and sister all sewed clothing.  I remember once my mother making turquoise (my favorite color) look alike dresses for the three of us.  They had those twirly skirts and mine had a big black K in a beautiful font on the bodice. I loved that dress! My sister helped me with my first sewing project in junior high school.

I started with Ranger Archival ink and stamped the image below on Cryogen card stock.  The image is an unmounted rubber stamp from a show...so I'm not sure who it belongs to.  If anyone knows, I will be happy to add the name here.  

Colored with Copic Markers below:

I used the Brother Scan'n Cut to cut out the image.  It did a great job!  And then I tried free hand writing the poem that I wanted to use and cutting that out.  FABULOUS!  This just amazed me that it would cut such a fine line.  So much fun to use my new Christmas present!!  Thank you to my wonderful husband!!!

So Cool!

Next, some deckle edged vanilla cardstock.

I found this really cool paper, Botanique!.

Add caption

I cut out layered ovals and mounted the sewing girl with pop-ups.

Colored up some scrap lace left over from a wedding recpetion invitation...

Added some tiny buttons. And a row of edging cut out on the Broteher Scan 'n Cut.

Voila!

Green Pastures

 This latest card is called Green Pastures.  It is a tri-fold shutter card created with a Sizzix die.  The die both cuts and scores the cardstock.  It is a Bigz XL die.  The rubber stamps are from Stampscapes.  The sheep stamp is from an unknown company. The die was used twice.  Once with the brown background and a second time with a patterned paper.   The scene was stamped on the pattern paper, and then the panels were cut apart, trimmed down and attached with adhesive.  Cutting the scene paper from the die saved time and made this scene go much faster.  I keep trying to decide if this card is finished or if I should add some words.  There are several nice areas where I could add  sentiments.  What do you think?  The inks are Distress inks and Copic markers with air brushing.  I used the paper towel technique for the sky.  I plan to do some more cards with this Sizzix Die, it is a lot of fun to work with and it is a good die to show off coordinating paper.  The card doesn't fold up too tidy (below).  That is due to the type of card stock that I chose to use, not the die.  The cardstock is actually a chipboard and kind of bulky to fold, but I like the way that it makes  the card stand up which is how I would display it.

FABULOUSLY FUN SATURDAY! with Pathway Youth Girls Bible Study

"Oh, that my words were now written!  Oh that they were printed in a book!" Job 19:23

Had I written every prayer that was ever answered for me in my lifetime, the bookshelves could not hold them.  And those that I have committed to memory give me great comfort and lead my faith to higher peaks.  Saturday a group of girls chose to respond to Job's lament.  The Pathway Church Girls Bible Study met and put hands to their faith, by creating personal prayer journals.  

 Good company, 

 Beautiful colors and prints  

Fun, creative tools to play with, 

And Godly Inspiration,

 Thoughtful friends who think of others, 

All blended together and made for a very good time and some very beautiful books!