Christmas Pressies :-)!

I want to share my three card pressies received from cardmaking buddies and my Mom for Christmas!  My Mom is a wonder...she made homemade cards for each of her fellow BINGO players, in addition to all her relatives and other friends!  I LOVE to receive homemade cards...so glad a few of us share our cards with each other!

My first homemade card received was from my friend Sandy...aren't those little elf stocking legs and shoes just the cutest!  I LOVE them!  Sandy always find such cute embellies when we go on cardmaking shopping trips, and I get to enjoy her finds on my cards fom her.  Thanks Sandy for the darling card!

Next came my friend Charlene's card.  I have to tell you, I was so glad to receive this card with my favorite stamp/die bundle from Stampin' Up.  I had plans to use this set for my four children's Christmas cards and having one made up right in front of me, helped lots...it gave me courage to cute into the beautiful pieces ofChristmas patterns I had chosen for each of their cards...LOL!    I made my cards larger than any I had seen on Pinterest or Charlene's card, so I had to create my own dimensions, but it helped to have the smaller version in front of me.  Thanks Charlene...love those reindeer!  I am showing two views Charlene's card so you can see what it looks like when closed and then, open.

My last homemade card received was from my Mom, traveling all the way from northern California.  I love this snowflake stamp set that she used on the front, and also her inside stamped verse.  I'll have to figure out which stamp set it comes from.  So very pretty...LOVE it Mom!

 

Thanksgiving Pressies!

My good friend and cardmaking buddy, Sandy, sent me the cutest darn Thanksgiving card.  She has been on a bing of cardmaking using her flip-it framelit die, because, as she says, "I've had it for close to a year now and never used it...shame on me!  Don't you think it's about time!"  But, not only did she use her flip-it framelit die, but she also created her cute little scarecrow with punch art, added with felt leaves and a bit of washi tape.  Take a look at this darling little scarecrow with the goolies eyes and yarn hair!  Isn't it just the most adorable thing ever!

Next came a thank you card from my sister, using Papertrey Ink's Quilted: Autumn stamp and coordinating die set.  Love that copper metallic crocheted lace bordering the leaf panel and the bit of burlap setting off her quilted leaf!  Thank YOU, Heidi, for such a lovely card!

Halloween Card Pressies!

I received two really cute Halloween card pressies in the mail from cardmaking buddies.  My first card from my friend Charlene sports a wonderful broom-riding witch scene with ghosties lurking here and there.  I love the scary, foggy background created using the chalkboard-sponged technique.  It is such a darling witchy scene with lots of detail.  I just love this spooky card...you can almost hear a wind whistling in the dark and the ghosts swish to and fro and the little witch whisks from here to there in the dark night sky!   Below is a peak for you of  my happy mail card, and my big thank you to Charlene for my first lovely Halloween treat!

My second card pressie was from my fun-loving, cardmaking buddy, Sandy.  I remember our crafting shopping trip to Impress Stamps in Tukwila when she bought this Memory Box Halloween die that she used to make my sparkly shaker card window.  I had to buy one as well, but with wedding planning taking over my schedule of late, I did not get a chance to make or send any Halloween cards this year.  But, I certainly plan to try this die out next year!  Sandy also used her WRMK Photo Fuse Tool to make her shaker envelope and buried it in a double-layered card front that was embossed with a spider web behind the shaker circle.  The WRMK Photo Fuse Tool is the very tool she gifted me for my birthday that I love, love, love!  Aren't the little Halloween colored sparkles in the shaker window cute!  Below is a peak at my card pressie from friend Sandy, with my special thank you to her for such a wonderful Halloween treat!

Handmade Birthday Card Pressie from My Sister!

I'm always excited when I get a card from my sister as she is totally responsible for my developing cardmaking as a hobby!  Way back in 2009 when she opened her scrapbooking store in Redding, California, I became hooked.  I started out going to classes in her store while I was visiting our Mom two times a year and also giving them a hand with computer work developing an Excel program for tracking her income and expenditures.  First, I only made cards from her kits; then I expanded by adding a few tweaks to her kit cards to make them more me.  From there, I started creating my own card designs and little by little I've developed my own style (which is varied, I'd say).  I love my six-year old hobby!

Heidi loves Papertrey Ink products, and this card shows off one of their newest kits which includes a foursome of stamps and dies called Nostalgic Notions.  I particularly love the inside very large scallop rectangle with the matching dotted border stamp traveling along the scallops.  I'll have to share the inside so you can see what I mean!

Thank You, Heidi, as always I love my card!

Birthday Card Pressie from Mom!

Oh my Mom, you have outdone yourself. . .what a beautiful card, and thank you for birthday dollars, as well!  I can see many new cardmaking items coming my way!  I have to post your Card Pressie to share with my blog readers.  Love all the popped up embellishments. . .butterflies (one of my favorites) are beautiful!  I know my blog readers will be inspired by the gorgeous work that you do, and it also sends a message that one can be creative at any age.  You sure prove just that. . .love you Mom!

I thought I would share another card I received from my Mom back in 2011. . .isn't it just gorgeous!  Again, she know what I like. . .butterflies and flowers!

Thank You, Mom!

Card Pressies and Lunch Thank Yous!

My birthday is coming up at the end of August, and my two wonderful cardmaking friends took me to lunch a few days before my birthday and showered me with lunch, goodies, and lovely handmade cards.  It was such a wonderful occasion where we had the chance to catch up on our lives and fun events of our summer as we had not had the opportunity to make cards or visit with one another for several months.  I must share their wonderful card pressies for all who read my blog to enjoy!

My first round of thanks goes to Charlene for her wonderful handmade step card and gift bag holding my embossing folder goodies.  Isn't this gift bag just too cute!  She used her Circuit to make the large round doily that became the top of the gift bag. . .I absolutely LOVE it!  I must also applaud Charlene for the pro that she is in making cards with the step technique.  For several years, I have admired step cards from afar, but never worked up the courage to actually try making one myself.  Charlene tells me it isn't difficult, and I give her that skeptical glare with the "yeah, right" attitude.  I did tell her that now that I had her card as a sample right in front of me to follow, I might be brave enough to give it a try.  Isn't this card just too adorable!

 

Gift Bag by Charlene Inks

Step-Card by Charlene Inks

My second big round of thank yous goes to my good friend and cardmaking buddy, Sandy, for this beautiful shaker card, which was accompanied by the WRMK "tool" and the Memory Box die to enable me to make one myself.  I just love the idea of being able to heat seal my own shaker cellophane bags that can be customized to whatever size is needed.  What a great idea!  I can't wait to try it out.  Isn't this card just too feminine...I love cards in pink!

by Sandy Stroble

Thank you ladies, you are very special and what a lovely surprise starting off my birthday several days before it arrived.  Here I thought it was just a spur of the moment get-together to catch up with each other, gab, and shop at the local craft stores as we usually do when we go out to lunch!

Exciting. . .A Card Pressie!!

I'm so excited!  I just received a card in the mail from my sister, Heidi.  I'm excited for three reasons:
     1) Obviously, because she is my sister, and it is always so special to get a handmade card from a loved one; but also, 

     2) Heidi is my first cardmaking mentor.  Over six years ago, she taught me my first lessons on how to build a card using many different cardmaking techniques and ideas, including Copic Marker coloring, using the Big Shot with dies, choosing your papers, and layout and design.  Heidi makes the most wonderful cards.  I don't think I've ever seen a card made by my lovely sister that doesn't show off her incredible skills to the max; and 

     3) Heidi loves Papertrey Ink products, so a card made by Heidi will almost always use their products and show off some wonderful stamp or die that I haven't seen before and made by this company.  This card certainly does, and it makes me want to go right online and order them!

This card does not disappoint in meeting my list from above of why I'm excited, so, I want to share Heidi's card with you!  The stamp/ die combination set from Papertrey Ink.com is called Cutting Garden.  Aren't these hugh flowers just lovely.  Both the blossoms and the leaves look like the Ranunculus flowering plant.  These plants form large, perfectly round blossoms with a flat bottom surface and bloom in a multitude of deep and brillant colors.  Heidi has made such a lovely card, and her use of the argyle embossing folder on the front of the cardbase adds a very interesting backdrop for her Ranunculus blossoms.  I love it. . .thanks, Heidi!

Isn't is absolute gorgeous. . .I love the little Hi - ya! sentiment using Papertrey's Boutique Borders: Father Mini little mini curly border she used to frame her sentiment.  And. . .don't those flowers just pop off the card, asking to be cut and arranged in a vase for my dining room table!

Thinking of My Husband!

My husband had knee-replacement surgery in mid April.  One of my dear friends, and a cardmaking buddy, decided she would send him a Thinking of You card, unbeknown to me.  She asked to borrow my Stampin' Up Moon Lake stamp from the 2015 Occasions mini catalog, saying she wanted to use it for a card for her husband for Father's Day and that she couldn't decide whether to order it.  She is such a sweety. . .she has only met my husband once several years ago at ago. . .so a sweety she certainly is!

Lo and behold, what comes in the mail addressed to my husband late last month? It was a wonderful Thinking of You card using the very Moon Lake stamp she had borrowed.  (See Update Note below...LOL!)  I just absolutely love everything about this card. . .the woodgrain background stamping, the Work of Art faux watercoloring stamp, the lovely and serene color combination; but the piece de résistance. . . take a look at the dock pilings that she has handmade and finished off with hemp twine.  They absolutely look so authentic!  What can I say, a sweety she is, and I thank her for being just that!

UPDATE NOTE:  A funny thing happened after, I posted this. . .   When my friend returned the stamps she had borrowed, it turns out it wasn't the Moon Lake stamp set she borrowed, but several other stamps and dies.  Obviously, I wasn't using them or needing them, so didn't even remember them or miss them!

Card Pressie Gives Me a Smile!

My friend and cardmaking buddy made me a little card and delivered it yesterday morning to my doorstep!  It's absolutely adorable, and I love it!  She is using a die from My Favorite Things that I gave her. . .just because.  This was her way of thanking me, and I do love this kind of thank you!  

Charlene makes such cute and lovely cards and don't you just love the details.  I oohed and aahed over the clouds, because I would love to have that stamp, but she says she's had it for years!    I just had to share her card and her thoughtfulness.  THANK YOU! Charlene.

A Nice Surprise!

My friend and cardmaking buddy, Sandy, sent me another cute little card just to check in and hope I was back to "normal."  She used that wonderful masking tape technique that she just has a wonderful knack, making darling cards, and this one is no exception!  Love the ombre-style pastel blues and aquas, and the little bee with its "Hello, Friend" greeting.  Thank You, Sandy, for your warm and wonderful thoughts sent my way!

Card Pressies & Sharing Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish everyone a very HAPPY THANKGIVING!  I hope you are able to enjoy a wonderful day with family and friends, feasting on delicious Thanksgiving fare, and maybe even enjoying a football game or other games with your loved ones!  My family will certainly be glued to the television, as members of the Seattle Seahawk 12th Man, while we watch our favorite team battle the San Francisco 49ers!

Next, I want to share a couple of cards that we received from my cardmaking buddies and friends, as well as family!  This first card was made and sent by my Mom to wish all of us a great day with the family. . .such a warm and cute little house amongst the fall leaves. It looks so welcoming, like it invites us to go right in and share a meal with those inside.  Thank you, Mom. . .love your card!

My next card is from my cardmaking buddy, Sandy.  It is the cutest fuzzy bear peeking out from behind a huge pumpkin.  He is just darling!  This wonderful card is filled with gorgeous colors as Sandy shows off her newly established coloring skills using Stampin' Up's Blendabilities!  Way to go, Sandy!  To top it all off, the multi-colored fall leaves have lots of glittery bling.  Unfortunately, the picture does not due it justice.  I just love Sandy's card, and I'm so glad it is gracing my mantel, along with Mom's little house!

The final card I'm going to share is from my Stampin' Up cardmaking mentor, Liz Thayer.  She has done it again; the card is a stunner!  Liz used the Bigz die, Autumn Accents, with the lovely fall dsp from the SU 2014 Holiday catalog: Color Me Autumn.  Of course, it is a Liz card, so it must some glitter bling added to the leaves and acorn.  I am so thankful for your card Liz!

Sharing Halloween Cards from Friends!

I was away over the Halloween holiday and into the second week in November helping my daughter with a room renovation on her beach house in Seaside, Oregon.  I was pleasantly surprised to find two wonderful Halloween cards from two of my favorite cardmaking buddies had arrived in my absence.  I so love making Halloween cards, and I was delighted to receive some that I had not made.  These two ladies and I had lunch and went cardmaking shopping at a little shop in Tukwila, WA called Impress Stamps.  We made many wonderful purchases between the three of us.  Most of our purchases were going to be used for Halloween cardmaking, and the cards I received from them were using some of their new stamps and dies.  I want to share their cards with you.

This card was made by my friend, Sandy.  It depicts our neck-of-the-woods with the Seattle skyline stamp and the Space Needle die cut all from Impress Stamps in Tukwila, WA.  The picture doesn't do the card justice in that the little witch is flying across a glitter covered moon (made with adhesive spray and glitter).  Love, love the gigantic spider trying to make a home on top the Needle!  Thanks, Sandy, so enjoyed getting your card to let me know you were thinking of me this Halloween season!

My next card received was from my friend, Charlene.  She used two stamps from Impress Stamps as well, and applied the chalkboard technique.  She used white embossing powder to achieve this look.  Mr. Skeleton wears a little pirate hat embellishment and a martini glass, which I understanding she garnered from online.  See the cute little Googlie eye in the other stamped martini glass.  Love those eyeball olives!  Thank you, Charlene, for the wonderful chalkboard skeleton card!

More Birthday to Celebrate!

I wanted to share another card that I received for my birthday.  It is so special to receive a handmade card from one of your cardmaking buddies, and especially when it comes from a very good friend, as well. This one is from Sandy, a special person who fits that billing in my life. 

THANK YOU, Sandy...I love it!  Love that Pleasant Poppies stamp from Stampin' Up.  We have had the joy of making several wonderful card together using that very stamp...good memories!

Your special words inside made me smile lots.  Love and hugs, and thank you for being in my life!

 

Celebrated My Birthday!

I have a late summer birthday...the very last day of August!  Another very significant date in August was the end of World War II on August 14 with Japanese Emperor Hirohito's decree to surrender, which was announced over the radio.  I remember my mother talking about this and saying that I was a post-World War II baby; and, therefore, I have always considered myself of the baby boomer generation.  At a recent family gathering, my sister-in-law informed me that she and I were not baby boomers, and she went on to explain about the new baby boomer group in her retirement village.  When she inquired about joining, she was informed that she did not qualify, and then, the date-range to qualify was explained to her.  I looked it up: according to the Internet, you had to be born post-World War II, but between 1946 to 1964 to be considered a baby boomer.  WOW! what a shock...I'm NOT a baby boomer even though I was born post-World War II!!!  That is a difficult thing to adjust my thinking to after so many years of considering myself a baby boomer!  I think they have their facts messed up...don't you??!!  It should be anyone born post-World War II up to 1964!  But, I digress!

The purpose of this post was to show you the beautiful card that my mother made for me...it is truly beautiful and I absolutely love it!  Now, don't get me wrong...she has made me many very pretty cards over the last four years, but I so love this Toile paper...so Victorian...and such a pastoral scene.  My sister and I have to laugh at Mom, because when we all get together for a cardmaking retreat or just a home crafting day, she is always lamenting that she just can't make cards like Heidi and I!  NO! Mom, this is not true as we have said...your cards are absolutely lovely!  You stymie your creativity and put up roadblocks in your creative mojo when you voice that negative self-talk!

It is stunning, Mom, and I love it!  It reminds me of a picture I could have had in my head while reading Anne of Green Gables when I was a teen-ager!  Thank you so much...it will sit in the card place of honor displayed on the dining room table in the wrought iron glass tray with the pitcher of flowers.  Love you!