I'll Be Back shortly....

In case you've been wondering where I've been, I'll let you in on a little secret.  Im recuperating from surgery.  So don't give up.... I hope to be back in a few more weeks and need a bit more rest?   So hang in there and check back a little later.   I miss you all!

Pine Leaves and Pine Cones

Christmas is almost here and I'm still scurrying around trying to get some more of my Christmas cards this season posted for you for another quick viewing.  

I recently went to a trunk stamp show near where I live and was able to find this pretty pine leaf stamp which very much reminded me of Stampin' Ups stamp set this is quite similar. So I grabbed the stamp and unfortunately I didn't see any pine cone stamp to coordinate with it.  However, I was in Jo Ann's Fabrics and did find this small pine-cone stamp there.  

I made this quick card just to see how they looked together?  I look a fine paint brush and used my white Acrylic paint to make dot's of snow flakes.  I used plain green ink to stamp the pine leaves and then took my Tom Bow pens of brown and darker green to color the leaves with more depth of color to them. I also added glue to the leafs and sprinkled white glitter onto the leaf that the lighting did not pick up. In real life it looks like snow is stuck to the leafs.   Lastly I shaded blue to the background.  I also put a pine leaf in the corner of the inside verse so that when you open the card  another leaf is there as well.  

Hope your almost ready for the most wonderful time of the year?  

Wishing you a few weeks early....

A Very Merry Christmas blessing to you and your family.....!

Music To My Ears....

 Hello ladies....I know that some of you may have noticed I've been gone a few weeks.  Usually I don't write much about my personal life.  However, today I will share a bit of sad news with you.  My sweet father passed peacefully last week.  He was 87 years old and in poor health for many years.  He lived a good full life and lived his life to his fullest despite his ill heath for many years.  I took care of all his needs the last ten years and I'm so happy that myself and my husband spent quality time with him the day before he passed.  He was happy and smiling and talkative and actually sitting up in the bed reading when we left the ICU.  He had been in and out of the hospital for two weeks as he tried to fight the pneumonia that had settled in his lungs.  He told the nurses moments before... that he was ready and waiting for the Lord to come for him.   "I love you Dad and will miss you.  May you enjoy the peace, love and gift of your new eternal home in Heaven now"!

On to happier things now....  I had put Versa Mark on the black music lettering and added fine glitter with my embossing gun.  It really looks prettier in real life.

The embossing folder was new and thought the music motif together would blend nicely. 

I have a lot of catching up to do and getting ready for the holidays.  May you enjoy your Thanksgiving holidays with family and loved ones.   Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas Card Exchange

SoAs the Christmas Holidays begin to approach so does anxiety.  I promised to show you the cards I made for my Tropical Stampers Club that I attend once each month.  I didn't want to have to much anxiety when I signed up at our club for the Christmas Card exchange so I began way back in Sept. to being making each card for the exchange at the club this month.  This was the card I created to exchangyue.

I made 15 cards. I made more than I needed so I'd be sure to have plenty to exchange in case a few extra girls signed up that I wasn't aware of.  I figured any left over certainly wouldn't go to waste.  I always like having a few extra to hand deliver when seeing special friends during the holidays. 

  I used this Christmas Embossing folder that I had never used before.  I bought this a couple years ago at a craft show that I traveled to in Orlando, Fl.  So what a better time than now to use it?

Below is some of the the pretty cards that I received in exchange.  Aren't they lovely? We have some talented stampers in our club and I enjoy and look forward to attending club each month. 

As the Christmas Holiday countdown will soon be under way I hope that this brought you some inspiration your way and you'll get stamping and creating with the Christmas spirit in mind!  

Jesus is the reason!

Fall Is In The Air...

I'm sure that where you live you are feeling fall in the air.  Cooler temps and the clocks turned back for most parts of the country,.  I'm one of many that dislike the time change and wish they would do away with this nonsense.  However, many of you are probably enjoying the beauty of the fall colored leaves.  

Today this card is for a special friends birthday, who I never forget.  Her name is Ann.  Ann has MS quite severely and is  home bound and in her wheel chair daily so I always try to make something hoping to brighten her birthday.  While her birthday is in November I'm hoping she'll appreciate this one with the pretty fall colored leaves?

This year I chose to incorporate these pretty fall color leaves that I bought one afternoon while shopping in a home decor store where I live. Yes...a home decor store not a craft store.  They came in a package and were tiny enough for my cards so I picked them up and said "what the heck"?   I added a few Diamond Stickles glue to the leaves to help glam them up. (It really didn't photograph well). I had these pretty pearls that are attached to clear wire and placed them on my card for added interest protruding from the sun burst..

I really like this sun burst embossing folder.  My sweet friend Peggy Dollar was kind enough to send me a few of these sun burst embossed images to me.  That was extremely sweet of her and I truly do appreciate it!  She sent several to me a long time ago but I waited for something that I thought would look special with it.  I felt it looked like the sun radiating behind the leaves.

It won't be long and with Thanksgiving around the corner  and we will soon be celebrating Christmas again.  So I'm off to finish more of my Christmas projects to share with you again later.  Next week I'll share my sixteen Christmas cards that I had to make for a Christmas Card exchange at my ladies card club that I belong to and attend once a month.  

Toodles girls....stop back again soon!  I loved having you visit!