Cards for Bulgaria

This is the third year in a row that our church has partnered with Mission Bulgaria to provide Christmas shoe boxes for the Roma children in Bulgaria. What is different from the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes (which is also a very fine organization) is that their hygiene/school needs are provided separately so our boxes can be filled with the fun stuff like toys and candy. And the best part, is that we have a specific child to provide for complete with their name and a picture. One photo is attached to the shoebox top and one is to keep so that we may pray for them throughout the year. This mission sends around 3000 boxes and our church usually does about 300 of them. Click here for more info. 

I used some older products including a ready made PTI card front and the Reverse Confetti  (no longer in business) Joyous Holiday stamp and die set for the angel and an Illustrated Faith (retired) set for the nativity. Inside is a message from us that I typed in English and then used Google Translate to translate into Bulgarian. The sentiments (Christmas Blessings) were also translated and printed onto cardstock and cut out with an older Paper Smooches die. 

For Magdalena, age 7:

For Petar, age 11: 

Products: Reverse Confetti stamp and die, Illustrated Faith stamp, PTI card panels and cs, MFT, Concord & 9th cs and Michael's metalllic cs, MFT dies, Altenew and Delicata ink, Copic Markers

Copics for Angel: Skin-E00, E02, E11, R21; Hair- N2, N3, N5 N7; Horn/Halo-Y21, Y23, Y26; Dress-W00, E81, BG11; Wings-BG10, BG70

Copics for Nativity: Skin-E02, E11, E21, E15; Clothing-BG10, BG11, BG23, YG91, YG93, YG95; Baby Jesus-E00, E02, W00, E81; Manger-E30, E33

Both had to be done very quickly as I was running out of time. Due to lengthy overseas shipping all boxes are mass shipped in September in order to make it for Christmas.

Fall Mums

Today's faith based card was created for Grace Klein here in Birmingham (@grace_klein_community). This is a wonderful faith based organization that has many charitable endeavors both locally and globally. Their goal is to give out 100,000 scripture based cards this year to be included with the food, clothing and school supply boxes, etc. They want cards in bundles of 25 which is daunting to our kind of card makers but my goal is to donate 100 cards by the end of the year. If you have any questions or want to join me, please send me an email or comment on this post and I will give you the details.

This project has had a major stoppage on my part. I won't bore you with what all has happened to us in the past month but suffice to say there has been very little time to craft. 

There is a bit of fall here in Alabama. September is usually one of our hottest months so it has been a nice weather break. I love fall mums so I used The Greetery Sunflower BotaniCuts to create mine. I cut the flower from honey nut cardstock for the flower then blended on rusty hinge distress ink before assembling the layers. The leaves and veins were cut from two different colors of green cardstock both of which were in my scraps bag. I blended on forest moss distress ink on the leaves. The large sentiment from the Comforting Commands set  stamped in mowed lawn distress ink and then cut out with the matching die and the smaller one with rusty hinge cut with a strip die. Before attaching the images and sentiments I partially blended antique linen onto a stitched linen cardstock.

While my supplies were out I made a second card with another mum as the center piece and using all the same colors. That's the only way I am going to get this many cards completed before the end of the year. I included an older stamp and die Papertrey Ink Inspired:Lord for the sentiment. 

Products: The Greetery stamp and dies, PTI stamp, die and cs, Ranger Distress Ink

These cards represent card #31 and #32 of my second bundle of 25.

I am submitting the first card to the Color Hues (#94) Challenge - Rust & Green. 

And the second card to the Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes - Weeks #665-666 and also to the Freshly Made Sketches #653. 

A Merry Hello

I am like a turtle with the Christmas card making so far this year. This is actually Christmas card #4. 

I stamped the images from the My Favorite Things Chill Holiday (retired) onto Copic friendly cardstock, cut out with the matching dies and colored with Copic markers. For the clean and simple background I cut a piece of white linen cardstock using a stitched edge die then cut an opening with the Rectangle Peek a Boo Window die and lined it with patterned paper. I stamped the sentiment below the opening using cherry kisses ink. The images were attached using foam dimensionals. 

Products: My Favorite Things stamps and dies, MFT dp, PTI cs, MFT dies, Altenew and The Stamp Market ink, Copic Markers

Copics: Penguins-W00, E81, R01, Y13, Y17, T1, T3, T5, T7; Stockings/Scarf/Hat-R21, R22, R24, G000, G00, G02, G07; Branch-YG01, YG23, E30, E31

I am submitting this to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge #89 - Animal Antics. 

It's so-o-o hot here. It feels better to work on "cold weather"projects.  

{The Cat's Pajamas} Otter Love

Otters are one of very favorite cutie patootie animals. Their sweet little faces and devotion to family make me smile. The Otterly Amazing digital set from The Cat's Pajamas personifies their cuteness. 

I went old school for this clean and simple card. I printed the waves onto sno cone cardstock and the otter, sun and sentiment onto copic friendly cardstock using Silhouette software. The waves piece was cut using an older Nestabilities die dam I the only one who has kept these?). After coloring the sun/cloud and otter images I colored with Copic markers, then fussy cut out. 

After dry embossing the kraft background, the image piece was attached. Lastly the small images and sentiment were attached with foam dimensionals. 

Products: The Cat's Pajamas digital stamps, MFT cs, Darice embossng folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Otter-W00, E81, E40, E41, E42, E44, R20; Fish-YG01, YG25, YG17, W1; Cloud-BG70, BG10; Sun-Y02, Y13, Y15, Y35

Here is the product I used today:

Have a great rest of the week. I hope you can squeeze in some crafty time. 

Thinking of You at Christmas

Todays Christmas card was created for the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge #32 to feature cute critters. It represents exactly Christmas card #3 for the year. Sad but true. Christmas in July was a total bust and August isn't looking that great either. And while I am confessing my lack of Christmas cheer, I didn't even mail Christmas cards last year. After months of cancer treatments for my husband and the stress that entailed for both of us, I just really didn't feel like it. 

The Penny Black Cuppa images were stamped onto Copic friendly cardstock, cut out with an MFT die and colored with Copic markers. I blended on antique linen distress ink along the edges then secured the image piece to the patterned paper background with a layer of craft foam. Since the main image took up most of the real estate I simply added a preprinted sentiment strip. I wrapped twine around the card front several times, ending in a bow and curling the ends. A heart shaped enamel piece finished it up for hopefully what looks like a masculine style card. 

Products: Penny Black stamp, Simon Says sentiment strip, MFT die, Hemptique twine,  Doodlebug enamel dot, Altenew ink, Copic Markers

Copics: Bear-E50, E51, E53, E55, R01, R02; Hedgehog-E40, E41, E30, E33, R01, R02; Cups-R21, R22, R24, YG01, YG25, YG17

Have a blessed day. 

A New Creation

Today's faith based card was created for Grace Klein here in Birmingham (@grace_klein_community). This is a wonderful faith based organization that has many charitable endeavors both locally and globally. Their goal is to give out 100,000 scripture based cards this year to be included with the food, clothing and school supply boxes, etc. They want cards in bundles of 25 which is daunting to our kind of card makers but my goal is to donate 100 cards by the end of the year. If you have any questions or want to join me, please send me an email or comment on this post and I will give you the details. 

This project is going a bit slower than before as we've had many family issues including a death and a long term hospitalization of another. Obviously family takes priority. 

I used the Fresh Blooms Layering Die from The Stamp Market to cut a flower from cardstock from my scrap folder. For the background I cut white linen cardstock using a die from The Greetery Nordic Frames dies, then backed with bright buttercup cardstock. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Words of Encouragement set was stamped using pearfection ink. A few yellow pearls finished it up. 

This card represent cards #30 of my second bundle of 25.

I am submitting this to the Color Throwdown Challenge #805 with colors of red, yelllow and green and also to the Word Art Wednesday challenge of Anything Goes - Weeks #650-660.

Leaf It

Today's three faith based cards were created for Grace Klein here in Birmingham (@grace_klein_community). This is a wonderful faith based organization that has many charitable endeavors both locally and globally. Their goal is to give out 100,000 scripture based cards this year to be included with the food, clothing and school supply boxes, etc. They want cards in bundles of 25 which is daunting to our kind of card makers but my goal is to donate 100 cards by the end of the year. If you have any questions or want to join me, please send me an email or comment on this post and I will give you the details. 

I used the Concord & 9th Triple Set Stamp set to stamp the various elements using peacock, oceanside and grasshopper ink then cut out with the matching die. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Words of Encouragement set was stamped onto a peacock cardstock panel using Versamark ink and white heat embossed. The stamped piece was attached with foam dimensionals and a few pearls from my stash finished it up.

Products: Stamp Simply stamps, Concord & 9th cs, MFT and Concord & 9th dies, Versamark and Concord & 9th ink

For the second card I just used the Triple-Step Autumn Leaf  Die set for a cardstock only leaf.  Although it was triple step I just two colors instead of stardust and tidepool. The small leaf clusters were stamped using stardust ink. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Fear Not  set was stamped using Versamark ink onto a stardust oval then white heat embossed. Cording was tied around the leaf stem before attaching all the pieces to a tidepool cardstock panel.

Products: Stamp Simply stamps, Concord & 9th cs, Hemptique twine, Spellbinders, MFT and Concord & 9th dies, Versamark and Concord & 9th ink

For the last " leafy" card I first did some ink smooshing with mowed lawn distress ink and the Picket Fence Studios$ Trapezoid Stencil onto a stitched edge cardstock panel. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Fear Not set was stamped using the same mowed lawn ink. The two leaves were cut from cardstock scraps using the Neat and Tangled Oak Leaf die (no longer in business). Twine and pearls from my stash finished it up. 

Products: Stamp Simply sentiment set, Hemptique twine, Picket Fence Studios stencil, Neat and Tangled and MFT dies, Ranger ink

These cards represent #27, #28 and #29 of my second bundle of 25.

I am submitting the first card to the the Word Art Wednesday challenge of Anything Goes - Weeks #650-660.