Inspired by Dawn McVey

It's no secret that I love all things Dawn McVey :), but I usually have a hard time translating her style into my projects, but I really liked this card and it's cute, ruffly flower. I made this card for my dad because he hasn't been feeling well lately and is waiting on test results (which is quite possibly the worst feeling in the world). My favorite Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 13 and I learned it and grew to love it as a kid when my dad would recite it when practicing his Masonic degree work. He even recited it at my wedding almost 15 years ago - that was one of my proudest moments!! So, to make this card extra special and personal, I typed the scripture, printed it out, and cut scallops from it. It's a very simple card, but with beautiful touches. On my next trip to the used bookstore, I hope to find a book of love poetry or other meaningful book that I can cut up to make more of these beautiful flowers. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

Secret Gift Card Holder

Take a look at this amazing Secret Gift Card Holder!! When I stumbled upon it, I knew it was the perfect project for my Tuesday Night Stamp Club! They LOVED it!! It's a simple but stunning card - the perfect presentation for a gift card! This would be a great card to make several of in different styles so you'll never be caught without something to give those wonderful Starbucks gift cards in :)

Martha Likes Me!! (ha! ha! ha!)

HOLY COW!!! I just found out through a comment on my blog from Think Pink that one of my cards is featured on Martha Stewart's website!!! I was so shocked!! I don't even remember when I submitted this card, but it is one I am very proud of! I haven't used this set, Ever After, in a while, so I'm going to have to dust it off and put it back into rotation. Have a great week!!!

Inspired by Jackie Pedro

Don't you just love it when you can use the supplies you have to make a card you see on-line?!? In keeping with my Valentine frenzy, I made this beautiful card based on one by Jackie Pedro. I didn't have the exact swirly she used, but I love how Doodle This works so well. And since I didn't have a hugs & kisses stamp, I hand wrote my sentiment. I usually don't do that because my handwriting varies wildly from perfectly precise to completely illegible, but I totally lucked out this time. The sentiment is another one from Stampabilities that I got at Hobby Lobby. I love huge sentiment stamps and this one is definitely HUGE!! But it fits perfectly on a horizontal card. Thanks for stopping by today and have a great weekend!!

Inspired by Laurie Schmidlin

I am so excited about making Valentine cards that I have already started!! Can you believe it? Target and Hobby Lobby have all their beautiful red, white, and pink decorations out and I am completely inspired! I found this adorable card by Laurie Schmidlin on SCS and thought it would be perfect for my 9-year-old daughter for Valentine's Day. A quick stop at Party City today yielded a ton of cute stuff for Bailey's Valentine gift, some as cheap as 25 cents, so her V-Day is set!! This card uses SU!'s retired set, Happy Heart Day, and I found the sentiment at Hobby Lobby for 40% off!! I think it totally ROCKS!! Thanks for stopping by tonight! Please remember the people of Haiti in your prayers.

Inspired by Geny Cassady

While blog-hopping today, I found this beautiful card on Geny Cassady's blog, Madison Avenue, and I just fell in love!! I love everything about it, especially the layout and the color scheme. I didn't have the glitzy embellishments that Geny used, so I went in a different direction. SU!'s Raspberry Tart DSP is my all-time favorite paper, so I used some of my scraps on this card. I used the Little Leaves Sizzlet (another fave) and the flower from God's Beauty which I stamped in Regal Rose on Pink Pirouette cardstock. While not as sparkly as Geny's card, I really like the result. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. Stay warm!!

Punch Drunk!

I just LOVE all of the cute critters I've seen on the Internet made with punches! Such clever ideas! I have never designed my own punch animal, but I have really enjoyed CASEing those who have. I found this adorable cardinal on SCS and couldn't wait to make it to use as a thank you note for an after-Christmas party. At first, I thought the bird's body was made with a heart punch, but that turned out to be too skinny. Then, I used SU!'s Wide Oval punch and it was perfect once I cut a little sliver off the end. The wing, beak, and branch are freehanded. This card went together very quickly and I love the finished product. Thanks for stopping by on this cold Sunday afternoon. Have a wonderful week!!

Kind and Caring Thoughts

I'm so excited to be back in the land of the stamping!! I'm afraid I did other things with my spare time during the holidays and then after Christmas, I scrapbooked like a fiend (almost caught up, though!!). But, I need a hostess gift for a party this weekend and what better gift than hand-stamped cards!?!? I found this pretty card set on Splitcoast Stampers using Kind and Caring Thoughts. I can't wait to really explore all the possibility this set holds. I hope you all are having a great year so far and I also hope to be a better blogger this year. Fingers crossed!!