Gifts for giving ...

Hello friends.  I hope you are enjoying these last few days before school starts.  Our kids have their supplies already packed in their book bags!  Yes, they are quite excited.  I am organizing too and am always surprised by what I find ...

Today I have a few treasures to share ... cards folded from Crumb Cake card stock and papers in black and red.  Glassine envelopes with vintage sheet music, an embossed lithograph of St Nick ... another of a small bundle of holly.  Dyed seam binding in a beautiful shade of green - tied with red and white bakers twine.  Shabby tags wishing you peace and happiness at Christmas.

There's more ... shiny silver jingle bells, star decorative pins and buttons in festive Holiday colors.

How about soft velvet leaves and a shimmery handmade vanilla flower with a sparkle of rhinestone?

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A beautiful handmade crocheted doily (perfectly sized for a card front), a red button burlap tag, and a sweet felt heart house.

 

The best place to keep these treasured finds?  In a pretty pouch filled with Christmas charm, of course!

Perhaps you remember this post ... a bundle of shabby crafty goodness for you or a friend?

 

Or you may recall this post made last year - the teachers at school were thrilled with this delightful package ... complete with a big chocolate cookie inside.

I hope I've inspired a new way to give gifts ... even the simplest things can be grand.  See you soon!

Wishing you treasured memories

Hello friends.  A quick post to share with you this evening, my son is patiently waiting for me to join him.  A baseball game is on, cookies are in the oven, he has his summer reading book in hand (we're on Chapter 22) ... and I have a doily half done.  The simple joys of life are those to be treasured most.

Today's card began with Crumb Cake card stock layered in prints of red and black.  Polka dots and herringbone - pure shabbiness.  A glassine envelope with vintage sheet music tucked inside ... as if it holds a precious carol.  A vintage St. Nick ... something I just "had to have" - it was love at first sight.  Can you blame me?

Layers of embellishments create a charming tag ... more polka dots from Four Frames stamped in the perfect Christmas shade of Riding Hood Red (so easy to create with the Decorative Label Punch), a scrap of natural burlap and two bright red buttons on top ... tied on with white string.  The bow is dyed seam binding, wrinkled to a shabby texture, and the bell is from my "where do I store this?" jar.  (You know the jar ... we all have one.)  Some more vintage goodness is added with Twine and a decorative star pin.

I have another project waiting to be shown .. but for now, I'll finish my doily while I listen to a story ... read by my favorite boy.  Wishing you treasured memories ...

Things I love ...

... crocheted posies and layers of lace ... bows tied in a shabby vintage feel ... buttons and pins ... vintage type set ... old bicycles ... and decorative papers (lots of decorative papers). 

 

Scraps of blue and green created a beautiful print background for my postcard stamped from Winter Post.  The bicycle is retired but a treasured stamp I'll always keep.  The pink flower was crocheted by me and then layered with lace and a pearl.  Velvet leaves in pink and green are tucked in behind.  The bow is dyed seam binding with a sweet white button ... pins and a tag are the final toppings.

The color inspiration (navy, pink, and green) comes from the talented design team over at The Play Date Cafe.  There are always amazing things to see there, you should stop by for a visit ... you'll want to add their challenges to your list of the "things I love ... "

Thanks for stopping by - good night ...

Autumn

Hello friends. I hope you are enjoying these last days of summer vacation. As much as we are busy making these moments count ... spending our days with the kids ...volleyball, swimming, bike rides ... I do look forward to my favorite time of year, Autumn.  Bundled in a sweater to keep out the chill, the colors of the leaves, campfires and smores ... everything about it is wonderful.  Today's post has me dreaming ... 

I adore the soft feminine look of a handmade doily layered with embellishments and admire the beauty that always inspires me at Midnite Lullabies Studio.  Rebekah's creations are gorgeous, I love each and every one ... I expect you'll agree - just pay her a visit - you'll want to leave a comment or two. 

Polkadot Door Designs gave me the opportunity this week to channel some of that sweet goodness that Rebekah does so well.. The card is Pink Pirouette card stock over which I've layered scraps of print paper and a handmade doily.  I've appreciated many a rainy night lately curled up in a big chair, crocheting these delicate beauties.  It's "busy work" that relaxes me and takes my mind away from the worries of the world for a while.  I've accumulated quite a few and am excited to share them with you.

 
Embellishments are piled on ... a chipboard butterfly (from Merry Medley) and a silk flower with a pearl center along with polka dot ribbon in warm shades of Autumn.  The heart punched tag has layers of stamps from French Foliage and Nature Walk.  The leaves are a mustard color of felt inspired by the felt flowers in this delightful photo collage.   I hope you are chasing your dreams ...
  

Thank you for stopping by - I always enjoy your visits!

Season's Greetings

I'm happy to be creating and planning for some card making fun at my house this weekend.  It's never too early to begin preparing for the Holidays so we'll be focusing on Christmas cards ... which I hope everyone will enjoy.  Although the colors in this project are not traditional, the patterned paper is so beautiful I had to stop hoarding and bring it out to share.  Our special this month is "Buy 3 Designer Series Papers get 1 FREE" (click here to see more).  So today I present ... Paisley Petals.  The colors are rich, regal, and so warm.  I paired this paper collection with the frame from Notably Ornate stamped in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink.  The sentiment is from Welcome Christmas .. a wonderful set with vintage silhouettes and more.  A bit of lace is always a good thing ...   

Seam binding dyed in blue with a sweet burgundy flower below....

 

And simple white buttons lined up in a row ...

I love getting ready for Christmas.  Enjoy your day!

Home for Christmas ...

Hello friends.  My vacation at home is nearing an end.  The week was relaxing and I enjoyed being with my two young ones.  We had hours of fun cooking, baking, crafting with a few errands and projects thrown into the schedule here and there.  Sometimes I don't "need" to go anywhere for vacation ... it's good to stay home.

Kirsty and the Design Team over at The City Crafter are featuring houses this week.  On cards, in scrapbooks, for home decor ... anything goes!  I thought about submitting a set of my embellished wood houses, but since I did that recently I decided to try something different.

My paper scraps are in the traditional shades of red and green.  The lace is Victoria and that sweet little tree stamp is from "Loads of Love".
 

Two bright red buttons with hemp twine add a splash of color.  The greeting is a rub-on I've been hoarding.  The decorative round "frame" is stamped in Old Olive Classic Ink and fits perfectly in my Scallop Circle Punch.

My house is made of felt with a fabric heart stitched on.  I think it's sweet.  Seam binding dyed a soft green with a millinery flower is added to finish my card.

A couple photo's of this week's fun.  Sabrina made these crocheted Apple Cozies and Lemon Tartlets!

Make it a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by!

Just Because

Hello friends.  Occasionally you need to do something ... just because.  No challenges, this time I'm creating for friends.  A wonderful group of ladies that spend the afternoon playing with papers, talking and laughing together.  It's our local "artist guild" and we have such fun.  August is our chance to get a head start on the holidays.  I wish you could all come over!

This project never made it to my blog when it was created long ago.  Since our "guild" has already created this beauty, I share it with you here and later on ETSY.  The flower is crocheted and you'll find more corduroy buttons on the Clearance Rack.

This next card uses scraps in shades of red and black along with Crumb Cake card stock.  The stamps are from Winter Post and the sentiment from a retired set.  Some stitching here and there adds interest and a button with Bakers Twine texture.

 

Before I go, thank you Sylvia for the little bird card ... it's adorable!
And thank you all for stopping by.   (Time for some banana bread!)