A Lonely, Lovely Tree

I LOVE TREES! Silhouetted against a predawn or dusky sky, they are just about my favorite part of nature. When I saw this set, Branch Out, which is retired (I'm sorry! You're welcome to borrow it anytime though), I knew I wanted it. Then I purchased it and was distracted by other stamping activities. Until the other day. I saw this card by Silke Ledlow and was inspired!

This look is one that's difficult for me. I'm not sure what it is about white space that intimidates me, but I find it hard to leave well enough alone. (When I was growing up, the household mantra was "if a little's good, a lot is better!") So, I followed Silke's design mostly, but I had to infuse it with a bit more Rich Razzleberry, for some reason.

Okay, here's the skinny on this card. It's a WW base, scored every 1/4" on the right side. There's retired Walk in the Park DSP anchoring the whole design. The tree and the tire swing are stamped in Chocolate Chip, with "leaves" of Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry. The sentiment is from Wow Flowers and the strip is curled slightly to give it some more interest against the White card stock.

This is one of the cards I'm offering at next month's--how can it be that NEXT MONTH is just 2 days away?!--Stamp-A-Stack, being held at my home Friday evening, Feb. 5, from 6:30-9:30p, Sat. morning, Feb. 6, from 10a-1p, and Sun. afternoon, Feb. 7, from 2-5p. I have slots available at all times, so feel free to leave me a comment if you'd like to join me!

Expressing Sympathy

...is never easy. There just don't seem to be the right words. Such is the case I was faced with when I heard that 3 sisters I'd been in high school youth group with lost their mother to cancer last week. I knew I wanted to send them a card, but I also knew I didn't want it to be a dark, dreary kind of sympathy card. Yes, they would be grieving, but I knew they would not be grieving as those who have no hope. Their mother was a Christian, so they are comforted by the truth that she is in Heaven.

So I started with the A Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper and let its color palette dictate the design. The 5/8" wide So Saffron ribbon and retired double-striped Kiwi Kiss ribbon paired perfectly and layered nicely to create a great texture detail. I added a tiny scrap strip of Rose Red, also in the palette, so that all the hues were represented in the layout in some way other than just the DSP.

The sentiment is from God's Blessings, and it was the best I had in my stash. I wanted to use an oval, and I had seen on someone's blog, sorry to say I can't remember whose, that a corner punch could be used to create a scalloped edge! To do this, the base of the punch has to be removed, and it snaps off just as easily as it snaps on! I started at the top in the center and worked my way around. I really like it, do you?

The funeral was today, and Janet, Joy, and Julie have been on my mind all day. I hope the card's arrival will communicate my sympathy and care across the miles. I'd like to have been able to hug them myself, but I had to entrust that to my parents. Life is hard; we need to be there for each other, in whatever way we can. I choose to do so with cards. How do you express yourself when someone you know is in pain?

Sweet Storage Reminiscent of Crayons...

The minute I saw this fabulous flip top box created by Kirstin Davies of PaperTreeLane.com, I knew I had to do whatever it would take to make one of my own. For the small price of $5 to purchase the tutorial, I had detailed, step-by-step instructions, complete with pictures, for 2 sizes of these great boxes. Think Crayola crayon box, but for cards!

The one I made is the smaller of the two versions she demonstrates how to construct, and it isn't really full with 9 cards in it! It uses 2-8.5" x 11" sheets of card stock, and it's quick and easy. The decorating was the part I lingered over, including a 30 min. experiment of creating the button closure, and it was a very relaxing, therapeutic venture.

The base is Baja Breeze (please bring it back, SU!), and the coordinating DSP is from A Walk in the Park, which I'd also love to see return.

I can't share the details of this creation here, but if you'd like to make this and some cards with some friends, I can make that happen. These will make great coworker, neighbor, teacher Christmas gifts. Why not get ahead of the holiday craziness and plan a time to get some of these socked away? You'll be glad you did and so will the friends you invite. Contact me for details.