100 Thank You Cards

So you may remember the wedding invitations I customized for a friend. The original post is HERE if you missed them. I added some simple stamping to invitations purchased at Michaels to tie them in with the theme and colors of the wedding. I just finished the second half of the project....making 100 thank you cards. These were a bit more involved since I didn't start with a pre-made card. I had a box of envelopes from a previous wedding project I did so I customized these cards to fit those envelopes. The finished cards are 5x3.5 inches with a side fold. The bride and I came up with a simple design using the Hero Arts stamp we added to the invites. The stamp is from the Stencil Art clear set (CL386). So here's the photo progression of the project....I completed them all starting with cutting the paper, scoring, folding, stamping and packaging in just under 4 hours...that must be a record for me because I thought for sure it would take me days to finish.

 After cutting, scoring and folding the cardstock..I used 8.5 x 11 Neenah Solar White 80# and cut it down to 10x3.5 and scored at 5"....I stamped the sentiment from Hero Arts Essential Messages clear set (CL371) all 100 cards with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. (I used my Tonic paper cutter and Martha Stewart Scoring Board for the cutting and scoring chores.)

To keep the stamping straight I used a ruler to draw a line on some scratch paper and added some removable tape above the line. It made is easy to line up the card and hold it in place while stamping.

The stencil flower and flourish design was stamped with Rusty Hinge Distress Ink.

My faithful Golden Retriever Digby provided the quality control for this project...along with the comic relief.

I packaged up the finished cards in bundles of 25, tied with rustic fabric ribbon.

Cards and envelopes tied up and ready to be delivered.

Ephesians 3:12 ~ "Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can come boldly and confidently into God's presence."

Hugs and blessings!
nancy

September Card Chain Challenge

Have I mentioned how much I love Deborah's Card Chain Challenge? I'm sure I have and I really love it! It is such a low-stress challenge with wonderful rewards. Every month I meet someone new and receive a gorgeous card in the mail, what could be better than that?

This month I was the lucky recipient of this stunner from my sweet hostess sister Barb:

Isn't this just exquisite? She used Webster's Pages paper and the ever-popular Hydrangea stamp....I love it!
In addition she sent along some sweet little crafting goodies. She has a wonderful BLOG, I'm sure she'd love to have you visit.
I had the wonderful opportunity to send a card to one of my favorite crafty people....the mega talented, Alice Wertz!  I played with the sketch and colors and settled on this:

It has a lot a sparkle and shimmer from some misting with Perfect Pearls and from the Starburst Lace in the background stamped with Brilliance ink.

If you want to participate in Deborah's in little global card exchange check out her BLOG the delightfully titled Society of Stamp and Scrap-oholics.

Continuing in Proverbs today ~ Proverbs 18:10 ~ "The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe".

Bless you,
nancy

Stamps: Hero Arts- Silhouette Grass S5316, Starburst Lace S5317, La Letter K5344, Antique Engravings CL383, Essential Messages CL371
Inks: Distress Inks- Barn Door, Wild Honey, Crushed Olive, Worn Lipstick. Memories Dye Ink: Artprint Brown. Versamark Watermark ink. Brilliance ink- Platinum Planet.

It's the Last Day of the Challenge

I've reached the end of my Hero Arts Flickr group Paired-Up challenge with Rachelle. I know I have had a lot of fun working to come up with new ideas and new ways to look at my stamps. I want to thank Rachelle for her creativity and for working so hard to make this an enjoyable endeavor. Make sure to visit Rachelle's BLOG and leave her some comment love!

So without further ado, here's my 2nd card using Starry Night. I really wanted to break out of my usual mold and do something really different with this stamp, so I put away the blue inks and brought out the warm colored inks. Then I paired the colorfully stamped image (which was misted with Perfect Pearls) with paper from the Snow Day collection by Crate Paper, and added a whimsical  sentiment. I had been hoarding the buttons for months (they were purchased on Etsy from Jane Beljo) and I tied them together with some sparkly string.

After I had this made I saw THIS absolute stunner by Tiffany and I knew this stamp had more potential for artistic expression than just a dark blue starry sky. Thanks Tif, I do believe we were on the same page.
Thanks for joining me this week, I hope you were inspired!
Make sure to visit the Hero Arts BLOG today....my fellow hostess Robin and I are up to some mischief and sharing our projects.

Proverbs 17:22 ~ "A merry heart is good medicine!" Don't you just love to be around someone who is cheerful? People who are welcoming, encouraging, enthusiastic and positive are always sought after because you just feel better when they are around.

blessings,
nancy

Stamps: Hero Arts- Starry Night CG224, Get Merry CL463
Inks: Hero Hues Chalk ink- Punch (sentiment) Memento Dye Inks- Lady Bug, Rose Bud, Tangelo, Cantaloupe.
Ranger- Perfect Pearls, Mini Mister
Paper: Crate Paper- Snow Day; Hero Hues Layering Paper- Mocha (card base)

Challenge Day #4 ~ Starry Night

I want to express my thanks to Rachelle for taking on this week-long challenge with me. I've been having a lot of fun making Christmas cards using non-Christmas stamps. I've discovered that any stamp can be pressed into service to make a Christmas card when the design uses fun papers and colors to convey the holiday idea. I think it is so fun that Rachelle brought a totally different style to this challenge; her cards are so creative and fun.
For the 4th and 5th days of our Hero Arts Flickr "Paired Up" challenge, we decided to use the same stamp and work to get different looks from it. We settled on Starry Night, a personal favorite of mine.
This card is a variation on a card I've done previously, I just really like how it all works together:

This is a really easy technique but it has a lot of impact. First I clear embossed the sentiment, "Hope is born..." by Penny Black, on a white cs panel. Then I stamped Starry Night with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink over the top and trimmed the panel to the image size. Then to bring out the design in the stamp I blended Stormy Sky Distress Ink over the stamped panel. When I was done I buffed the sentiment with a paper towel to remove any extra ink. For the background I stamped Hero Arts fabulous new Music Background with Versamark ink and embossed with silver on a white cardstock card base. The only embellishment is a thin silver cord tied to the stamped panel and a small crystal gem on the the large star.
Make sure to follow me over the Rachelle's blog HERE to see how she used this beautiful and versatile stamp.

 

Galatians 6:9 ~ "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."

bless you!

nancy

It's Day 3 of my challenge with Rachelle!

It's the last day of the non-Christmas stamp part of our challenge and I thought I would make it a bit more difficult for myself. My stamps of choice today....Lace Background and Crossword Background.

I stamped the Lace Background on the smaller piece of white cs with Versamark and applied Perfect Pearls in Perfect Pearl. It's very subtle, just gives a hint of pattern. Then I stamped the Crossword background with Victorian Velvet Distress ink. The letters are Harold's ABCs by Lawn Fawn, they fit the crossword squares perfectly. They are stamped with Forest Moss Distress ink. The Lace background is stamped on the card base with Victorian Velvet and then everything is distressed with more Victorian Velvet. A little paper tearing, some jute string and 3 punched trees with pink gems....voila!

This closeup shows the subtle lace pattern under the crossword background.

Don't forget to visit Rachelle's blog U Can or I Can you won't want to miss her creative spin on this challenge.

We will be back tomorrow with a 2-day challenge to use Starry Night, my new favorite Hero Arts stamp that just happens to be the Stamp of the Week at Hero Arts.com.

Psalm 16:7-8 ~ "I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me."

Blessings!

nancy

Paired Up with Rachelle, Day 2

Hi all, my wonderful new friend Rachelle really did a beautiful job with her challenge card yesterday and I'm anxious to see what she has done for Day 2 of our challenge to make Christmas cards without using Christmas stamps (sentiments excluded).
Today I used the Leaf Flourish and Old Letter Writing to make this simple Christmas greeting.

Make sure you visit Rachelle's blog U can or I can to see her Day 2 challenge card!

Micah 6:8 ~ "The Lord has told you what is good, this is what He requires of you; to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God."

Blessings!
nancy

All stamps Hero Arts- Leaf Flourish F5042, Old Letter Writing S4878, Three Holiday Messages LL956.
Ink- Distress Inks: Barn Door, Crushed Olive, Antique Linen.
Punch- EK Success-palm
Corner Chomper
Hero Hues- Latte Layering Paper,  Earth Mixed Accents
K&Co paper

Day One of my "Paired Up Challenge" with Rachelle!

When Joy Taylor and Jennifer McGuire did a week long challenge together on their blogs it was such a hit that Joy expanded it for the Hero Arts Flickr group. We all signed up and then we got paired up. I have met a wonderful new friend, Rachelle. On Flickr she's known as U can or I can.
This is the week for our challenge and we settled on a Christmas card theme. But not any Christmas card theme. The first 3 days we will present cards for Christmas made with stamps that are not Christmas stamps (other than sentiments). We are really thinking outside of the box on this one.
So for today, I used the Simple Things clear set (CL445) to create a little Southern California winter scene.

I used the new Mitten Weather collection of papers by Cosmo Cricket to paper piece the house, clouds and the trees. (The trees were my one concession, they are from the Sending Holiday Cheer set CL464, my sentiment is from the same set). I stamped the Cloud background with Milled Lavender Distress Ink.

Make sure you check out Rachelle's blog U can or I can to see what she came up with for our challenge. I hope you will check in each day this week to see how our challenge plays out!

Romans 15:13 ~ "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

blessings,
nancy

I'm so thankful for you prayers and well-wishes. I finally went to the doctor, who put me on massive amounts of medication and I'm so happy to report I'm on the mend. I'm looking forward to seeing everything I've been missing the last couple of weeks. Love and Hugs to you all!

Another Birthday, Another Card

September is a busy birthday month....lots of friends and family have September birthdays. Needing some fresh inspiration for a card for my daughter-in-law Kellie, I looked through cards that I have received from my crafty and clever blogging friends. I decided to use this delightful bit of card-making genius to pattern my card after....

.

This lovely is from Rikke Poulsen in Denmark. To see more of her fabulous work check out her Flickr photostream HERE.  I had sent her a card as part of the Card Chain Challenge in July and she was so sweet to send me a gorgeous card in return. She also sent 2 extra of that beautiful metal butterfly.  I love how the patterned paper wraps around the whole card...it's a really unique feature. You can also check out Rikke's blog HERE  make sure to leave her some blog-love while you're there.
So I decided not only to use the card as inspiration but to CASE it (heavy on the Copy and not so much Selectively Editing). I changed up the color and paper and used a birthday sentiment (a 1997 relic from psx).

The paper is from Tim Holtz Paper Stash-Lost and Found and the Starburst Lace is stamped in Crushed Olive Distress Ink.

Psalm 139: 23-24 ~ "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."

Blessings,
nancy

ps- I'm hoping to get back to commenting on your blogs soon....I've been really sick lately and even though I've been visiting I just haven't had the energy to comment much. Thanks for understanding!

Happy Birthday Pops!

Today is my beloved Father-in-law's 82nd birthday. He is a wonderful man who raised a wonderful son to be my wonderful husband! Pops (as Al calls him) is a remarkable man who has touched the lives of many people.

When he was 70 years old he renewed his pilot's license and got his seaplane rating so he could fly a J-3 Piper Cub float plane at the Salton Sea, in July of 1998. Shortly after this he built his own Piper Cub airplane.

Here's a favorite photo of Grandpa Krueger with Andy and Ben at Ben's SOI Graduation in March 2006....

In honor of his rural Colorado roots I made a fun card with a Western theme to celebrate his birthday. I posted it yesterday but I thought I should post it again on this post too.....

Birthday Blessings to my wonderful, loving Father-in-law!

Psalm 89:14-17 ~ "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before You as attendants. Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship for they will walk in the light of Your presence, Lord. They rejoice all day long in Your wonderful reputation, they exult in Your righteousness. You are their glorious strength. It pleases You to make us strong!

Blessings,
nancy

Sending Ben off on a New Adventure

It's been a busy last couple of weeks for our family as we've been getting our son Ben ready for a new job and a new adventure.  Ben learned of the job a few months ago and has been filling out paperwork and jumping through hoops to get everything in order. Today we took him to the airport for his flight to Reno for a week of training and then he'll be off to Iraq. Again.
In case you are a new to my blog, here's a bit of background. Ben went into the Marine Corps when he was 18, right out of high school. After four years of deployments that took him around the world, he was honorably discharged last September. For the last year he has lived with Al and I while he decided what to do with himself.  With his new job working for a security contractor, Ben will be using the skills and leadership training he acquired while in the Marine Corps.

Ben and Al at John Wayne Airport

It was very difficult to say goodbye to Ben again but I have peace knowing this is something he has prayed about and he believes that God opened all the necessary doors for him. He could be in Iraq for up to a year and I would appreciate your prayers for him.

My two handsome sons, Ben and Andy

I did manage to make a few birthday cards recently. Lots of birthdays this month!

I made a couple of masculine cards, the one above for our friend Richard and the one below for my FIL.

I used the wonderful Cosmo Cricket Wanted 6x6 Mini Deck for both cards and the fun matching chipboard for my FIL's card. He is grew up in Colorado so the cowboy theme seemed to fit. I used Hero Arts Designer Wood Grain Design Block for the background on the kraft cardstock on both cards.

Here's a card using another Cosmo Cricket collection- Togetherness. It's a birthday card for a special friend.

I used the cloud and kite from the Hero Arts clear set Simple Things (CL445). Although it's hard to see in this photo, I stamped the flowers from this set in the clouds so they would tie in with the whimsical clouds on the paper. For all of the cards I used sentiments from the HA set Birthday Messages (CL139).

 

 Blessings,

nancy

Scrapbook Project with Michelle

So I finally did it...I completed a scrapbook layout! I had some major help from my new friend Michelle. I asked her if she would help me with designing a layout and a shared project grew out of that. She created a  2-page sketch for me to use and gave me a lot of good advice and shared her design expertise with me. We decided we would both make a layout to share with you of our fun shared project. To check out Michelle's awesome layout visit her blog HERE.
I was wanting to do a scrapbook page about my little pack of dogs for a while and when Bruno left us a month ago today it just seemed the timing was right to get this creative project checked off on my to do list.
Here's the sketch that Michelle drew up for me to use:

Here's how I interpreted her brilliant sketch:

Thank you so much Michelle! I couldn't have done this without your help and your creative sketch to get me going! I'm looking forward to creating many more scrapbook pages...time to break out the military themed  stash items and get going on the album of Ben's  adventures in the Marine Corps.

Blessings in the Lord!
nancy

Stamps: Hero Arts- CG113 Write Your Own, S5101 Raindrop Background, S5317 Starburst Lace.
 B Line Designs- Ruff Quartet (RAK from Sue C. thanks!) Rubber Stampede- Paw. Lawn Fawn-Harold's ABCs.
Ink: Hero Hues Chalk ink-Cerulean, Poppy, Punch, Grass
Paper- Bazzil, My Mind's Eye, Sassafrass Apple Jack.
Ribbon- Michaels
Buttons- assorted brands from my stash
Cream Crochet thread
Punches- Hearts Fiskars and Creative Memories.
Computer Generated Title- font "Never Writes Back" (DaFont)