Really Reasonable Ribbons For All Occasions

Yes, I love my ribbons.  There aren't many cards or projects I create that don't include some lace, ribbon, twine, or some type of spooled goodness.  That's another reason why I absolutely LOVE Really Reasonable Ribbon.  They have the PERFECT ribbons and trims for EVERY project, and all their products compliment one another so nicely.

I created this card using a super old piece of patterned paper from Daisy D.  I added a couple strips of vintage sheet music to that, and then added a paper doily onto which I stamped a sympathy sentiment in black ink.  Then.....the fun part - RIBBONS!

I used several of Really Reasonable Ribbon's FABULOUS trims on this card.  First, I added a length of Ariana Natural Crochet Lace across the top of my card, then I got busy embellishing the bottom portion of the card.  I used a small piece of both Cream Seam Binding and Rose Petal Seam Binding, and then topped those with bows made from Solid Wheat Baker's Twine and Deep Solid Pink Baker's Twine.  I also incorporated some of Really Reasonable Ribbon's SWEET flowers and leaves into this card.  I used their lovely Baby Pink Open Roses, Deep Pink Open Roses and Wild Orchid Crafts 30 mm Green Paper Leaves.  Really Reasonable Ribbon's many flowers and leaves come in several useful colors and sizes to accommodate all your crafting needs.  You will be pleasantly surprised to see ALL that they carry!

I followed pretty much the same recipe and design on this second sympathy card as I did on the first.  The only difference is that this card has a bit more of a green feel to it.  I incorporated Really Reasonable Ribbon's lovely Bay Leaf Seam Binding, Teal Baker's Twine, Deep Ivory Open Roses, and 30mm Green Paper Leaves into this one.

There are so many great ribbons, trims, laces, seam binding colors, flowers and much more available at Really Reasonable Ribbon.  Why not treat yourself today?  There's also a super fun challenge taking place on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog, and we would sure LOVE to have you play along with us.

I'm linking my cards in these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says Anything Goes

Little Scrap Pieces - Saturday Link it Up and Show it Off Linky Party

Joanna Munster's Inspired By Stamping - Challenge #100 - There's a BIG celebration for their 100th challenge!  I chose to follow one (of their many) cute sketches, and also used ribbon on my cards.  I also used an Inspired By Stamping stamp for my sentiment (sympathy).

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a creative week!
Karen

You're So Sweet

Hello, my friends!  I sincerely hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you had an opportunity to thank God for all the wonderful blessings in your life.  We all have our struggles; but God is good, and we are truly a blessed people.  Our family had a wonderful time together yesterday, and I am SO very grateful for all that God has given us.  Most of all, I'm grateful for His precious gift of salvation and for the assurance of knowing where we will spend eternity because of the faith we have each placed in what He did for us on the cross.  God is SO good!

It was nice to take a quick break from creating Christmas cards to make this one little card for CropStop.  I wanted to show off more of the AWESOME die-cuts sold at CropStop.  This card uses one of My Favorite Things dies called Rolled Daisy.  I cut it from wool felt and placed some buttons in the center of each flower.  CropStop carries SO MANY great dies, stamps, inks, and more.  You will be sure to find something useful.  CropStop also has a fun challenge each month where you can enter to win some goodies from the CropStop store.  The challenges are always Anything Goes, and we would really love to have you play along with us.

I used some super old Making Memories patterned papers that I inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut.  I added some yellow lace, some pink gingham ribbon, and a stamped sentiment from a My Favorite Things Stamp Set which is also sold at CropStop.  They really do carry a lot of great items.  I hope you will stop by to take a look, and be sure to link up in the current challenge.

I'm entering this card here:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Anything Goes"

Have a blessed week!

Karen

P.S.  Before I run off, I want to let you all know that Really Reasonable Ribbon is having a BIG SALE to celebrate Black Friday,  It will last through Sunday (Friday - Sunday) so be sure to take advantage of these great bargains on Really Reasonable Ribbon.

Pretty Little Studio & Imagine That

For those of you who know me at all, you know what Wednesdays mean to me......a new challenge at Word Art Wednesday.  God has blessed this little challenge blog SO much from the time it started.  It has grown from having just four entries in our first challenge to now having upwards of 200 entries per week.  God has also given us so many AMAZING and generous sponsors.  My cup runneth over with thankfulness for all that He has provided through this little ministry in blog land, and my prayer is that those who visit Word Art Wednesday will be blessed by the scriptures and encouraging thoughts we share from God's Word; and that we provide a fun place for fellowship to share the talents God has given each of us.  If you haven't stopped by yet to play along, I warmly welcome you to link up with us. We would LOVE to have you join us!

Our primary (product) sponsor this week at Word Art Wednesday is the ADORABLE and whimsical vintage goodness called Pretty Little Studio.  One lucky person will win themselves a $25 Gift Certificate to spend however they wish at this lovely shop.  I created my sample card this week using just a few of their little goodies including a piece of flair from their My Deer Flair Collection, and a sweet little piece of ephemera called Fern The Fawn as well as one of their sweet Together Tags (red polka dot).  Here's a close-up view of that sweet flair:

I used some old Making Memories patterned papers, vintage sheet music, machine stitching, green baker's twine, solid red baker's twine, and solid natural baker's twine (all trims are from Really Reasonable Ribbon).  I added this week's scripture (word art) on the inside of my card.

Our digital sponsor this week is Imagine That By Kris, and one lucky person will win three (3) images of choice from her sweet digi shop.  So, there are lots of great reasons to stop by and play along in our challenge this week at Word Art Wednesday.

I really hope that you will join us.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, and be sure to have a nice BIG slice of pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Anything Goes"

Counting my blessings,

Karen

The Gingerbread Man

As some of you may know, I've been Guest Deisgning for Frantic Stamper for a few months now, and I've been having a lot of fun creating with these awesome new die-cuts. These Precision Dies are wafer-thin, and they cut through EVERYTHING I've tried like sliding a knife through warm butter.  I've cut paper, vellum, cardstock, felt, material, and lace; and every single time I've gotten a crisp, clean cut.  And the selection.......well, let's just say that Frantic Stamper has just about every shape and sentiment you can imagine.  You will definitely want to check it out at Franctic Stamper.  I've been asked to stay on and design a bit longer, and I have to tell you that I am really LOVING this opportunity, so......stay tuned!

This is just a simple little tag that I created using a Grungy Prim Tag covered with Christmas patterned paper, and machine stitched a piece of vellum onto it; placing confetti under the vellum that was cut out using the adorable Christmas Confetti Die-Cut.  On top of that, I paper pieced my sweet little gingerbread man.  How sweeet is he?

The gingerbread man is actually Frantic Stamper's Gingerbread Boy Precision Die-Cut.  It has all the tiny little pieces that make it look like an authentic gingerbread man. The set has the gingerbread boy himself, eyes, a smile, a bow tie, frosting drizzles on his wrists and feet, stripes and buttons on his shirt.  There's not a single detail missed.  It's just SO sweet!

I  also added a piece of May Arts ribbon to the top of the tag, a stick pin, a Papertrey Ink tiny tag with stamped sentiment, and some Christmas colored sequins.  I like having lots of tags to put on each gift for Christmas gift-giving; but there are SO MANY other great projects you could create with these two great die-cuts.  If you do happen to create some Frantic Stamper projects, we sure would love to have you share them with us on our Facebook page so we can see your creativity using Frantic Stamper Dies.

I'm going to share my tag in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenges - Simon Says Christmas

Little Scrap Pieces Saturday Linky Party - Anything Goes

Dream Valley Chalenges - Challenge #120 - Stitching - Real or Faux - I chose to use machine stitchaing (as I almost always do). I LOVE stitching!

Scrapy Land Challenge Blog - Challenge #30 - Monochromatic - I'm not great at monochromatic, but I tried.  I used Frantic Stamper dies which are sold at Scrapy Land Dies.

Crafty Hazel Nut's Christmas Challenge - Challenge #257 - Christmas Using Die-Cuts/Punches.  Come play along!  Hazel Harris is a lovely lady who has been playing along in my Word Art Wednesday challenges for years, and she now has two lovely challenges running on her sweet blog.  I encourage you all to stop by, check it out, and play along.  I used several Frantic Stamper die cuts on this project.

I apologize if I have typographical errors in this post. I'm half asleep as I made this blog post at 4:00 AM because I was restless.  Time to go get some sleep!

Blessings,

Karen

Christmas is Coming!

Hello there friends, and welcome back to my little piece of Blogland.  I have been SUPER DUPER creative this past week as I prepare for my annual Craft Boutique.  I spent five WONDERFUL days with my BFF, and I whipped out 25 lovely cards, two mini albums, two toilet paper roll decorations, two french fry box gift holders, seven gift card holders, and a few other little goodies.  I actually feel like I'm getting there; and I'm truly hopeful that I will have a decent supply of items on hand for the boutique.  Now, I just have to pray for LOTS of customers!

All three of these cards were created with Carta Bella's new Winter Wonderland collection.   I fell in love with the sweet patterned papers, ephemera, stickers, and chipboard.  I created quite a bit with this lovely collection including the "french fry" boxes I posted yesterday in my Silver and Gold Post.  I will continue using it until every last  bit of it is used up because it's SO nostalgique and sweet!  This first card (above) also uses an October Afternoon journalling card, painted glittered jingle bells, a stamped sentiment, inking, machine stitching, and some lovely Solid Baker's Twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

The second card is super simple.....just a card stock base, Carta Bella Winter Wonderland patterned paper, sticker and ephemera, machine stitching, vintage baker's twine, Lipstick Red Seam Binding and Solid Red Baker's Twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and a tiny gold berry.

And the third card uses two patterned papers from the Carta Bella Winter Wonderland collection, along with a piece of the ephemera, a card stock bordered backdrop, machine stitching, and Lipstick Red Seam Binding, Ariana Natural Crochet Lace, and Navy Blue Tulle from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

I'm sharing my Christmas creations in these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says, "Christmas"

Little Scrap Pieces - Show It Off Saturday Linky Party - Anything Goes

52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge Blog - Friends and Family - My cards include several things that my family LOVES to do - Christmas carrolling together, building snowmen, and celebrating Christmas.  What a fun challenge!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a creative and blessed week, and please stop by again soon.  By the way, you're always MOST WELCOME to stop by and play along in our weekly Anything Goes/Family Friendly Challenges at Word Art Wednesday for your chance to win some AWESOME prizes.  This week, we have a $25 Gift Certificate to Stamp & Create and a digital prize from the gorgeous Moonlighting by Mary.  I'd really enjoy seeing your projects, so be sure to link up wth us.

Blessings,

Karen

It's All About Family

One of the (MANY) things I love about designing for Really Reasonable Ribbon (I mean.....besides their amazing ribbons, laces, trims, flowers, hair accessories, decorative bags, etc.) is that they understand and promote the importance of family.  We're all encouraged to put our families first, and our Design Team has even become a bit of an extended family with whom we share our struggles, our sorrows, and our achievements.  It's so nice to design for companies that care about our families.

This card was made with family in mind.  I intend to send it to my sister-in-law (Audra's sister, Pam).  She has really been missing Audra lately, and struggling to fill in the empty spaces in her heart.  Little things often remind us of someone we love, and it's just so difficult to get past it.  I'm hoping this card will lift her spirits a bit.

I started with some Simple Stories patterned paper.  Then, I added LOTS of great ribbons and trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I ran a length of 1.5" Champagne Netting across my card, and then made my big beautiful bow using some more of the 1.5" Champagne Netting, some Brown Plaid Ribbon, Burlap With Brown Center Stitch, Juliet Natural Crochet Lace, Burnt Rust Seam Binding, and a length of Natural Burlap String.  Then, I added a brown button and tied it with some Wheat Stripe Baker's Twine and some Brown Sugar Baker's Twine.  Once again, you can see how all of Really Reasonable Ribbons trims work together so well.

Really Reasonable Ribbon has SO many great trims, and you're sure to find the perfect embellishments for your next card or project.  I hope you will stop by Really Reasonable Ribbon to look around.  We also invite you to join us in our Current Challenge.  We love seeing your creations.

Have a blessed week!

Karen

Silver/Gold Challenge at RRR

Today we start a brand new challenge over at Really Reasonable Ribbon; and this time our theme is Silver and/or Gold.  I've heard people saying that they don't use a lot of silver or gold on their projects.  And so, for that reason, I've created a few projects to share with you all that use silver and gold, but in a very subtle way.  Really Reasonable Ribbon carries SO many great ribbons and trims; including some lovely silver and gold trims that are very thin, so that you can give your cards and projects just the right amount of BLING to make them pop.  These projects I'm sharing here are for those of you who just want a little touch of silver and gold.  But if you're the crafter who LOVES using silver and gold, and just can't get enough of it, then Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ribbon of the Month Assortment is just for you this month.  You can see this lovely collection and all the great silver and gold projects our talented Design Team has created by stopping by the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog.  That's also where you can link up your cards and projects.  The only rules are to use silver and/or gold, and to use some sort of ribbon or other trim.

My first project are these three little pillow boxes.  Pillow boxes are PERFECT for giving a gift card.  You can add a little to/from tag, and then tuck the gift card inside.  I covered the fronts of mine with vintage sheet music that I inked.  Then, I added a few embellishments (a small wreath on one, some gold glittered berries to two, and a to/from tag on one), and then I added my ribbons.  I used the sweet Red Chevron Striped Twill, Solid Red Baker's Twine, Lipstick Red Seam Binding, Solid Natural Baker's Twine, and the glimmery and gorgeous Metallic Gold String.  This lovely Metallic Gold String also comes in silver, and is such a MUST-HAVE item.  It adds just the right POP of bling to any card or project, and is also great for tying on jingle bells and other embellishments and accents.  Here's a closer look at it.

For my next project, I created some more gift-giving holders.  These are a bit bigger, and can hold some candies, a piece of jewelry, gift cards, etc.  I didn't have any Lindor Truffles to tuck inside my boxes (as I had planned) because a certain person in my house DEVOURED them.  Did I metion that I have a teenage son?  Yes, they eat EVERYTHING!  I did tuck in a peppermint candy stick and a gift card, but you can fit quite a bit in these sweet little boxes.  I covered them with patterned paper that I machine stitched and inked, and then embellished them with more of Really Reasonable Ribbon's FABULOUS trims.

or this first box, I ran a length of Emerald Green Grosgrain around the box.  Then, I added the chipboard piece and embellished it with some Lipstick Red Seam Binding, Solid Natural Baker's Twine, and again the lovely Metallic Gold String.  And here is a closer look at that one where you can again see that wonderful POP of gold.

The second french fry box is very similar but uses a different patterned paper, different chipboard accent, and is adorned with a length of Red Grosgrain (wrapped around it), and some more of the beautiful Lipstick Red Seam Binding (another MUST-HAVE all year round).

I also added the glittered gold berries to this one, and topped that with a sweet little bow made from the WONDERFUL Metallic Gold String.  It's just the sweetest string you'll ever see, and is so perfect for the holidays.  Here's a closer look at that bow:

There's that FABULOUS Metallic Gold String.  Now, call me crazy if you like.....but I'm going to see how many of you are paying attention.  For anyone who purchases some of this lovely Metallic Gold String (or subscribes to the Ribbon of the Month Club) from Really Reasonable Ribbon before Christmas (and Bonnie will let me know/verify who has purchased it) and comes back here to leave me a comment, I will personally send you some vintage lace and other crafting goodies as a thank you.  (US residents only, sorry).

I'm linking these sweet little Christmas projects here:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Christmas"

Little Scrap Pieces - Show It Off Saturday Linky Party

So you see, it doesn't matter if you're a big fan of silver and gold or not.  You can smother your project in silver and gold, or use just a touch like I did.  They're all beautiful to us, and we LOVE them all.  It doesn't matter.  As long as it has ribbon or trim, and includes silver and/or gold, it's perfect for our new challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon, and we would LOVE to have you play along with us.  I wish you all a happy and blessed week.  Until next time.....

Count your blessings,
Karen

Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop

It's that FUN time of the month once again for the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop.  If you arrived here from the talented Nancy Hill's Blog, you're in the right place.  However, if you just happened upon this post; you will want to go back and start on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog.  This month's Ribbon Club Assortment is filled with the most gorgeous Silver & Gold ribbons for Christmas and all the way into the new year.  Aren't these ribbons just beautiful?  The Ribbon Club Assortment is a great way to get montly ribbons that will help you be prepared for crafting in every season of the year, and it's a great savings.  There's LOTS of great inspiration at each stop along the way, and at the end of the hop you can answer the final question for your chance to be the GRAND PRIZE WINNER of this month's Blog Hop.  Thanks for joining us!

My hairbows were made using several of the lovely ribbons from this month's Ribbon Club Assortment including the GORGEOUS Crosshatch on Gold Satin Ribbon, Light Silver Satin With Grosgrain Edge, Diagonal Stripe Light Silver and Old Gold on Satin Ribbon, Shimmer Satin Old Gold, Judy White Crocheted Lace, Shimmer Satin Shell Grey, Christmas Ornaments Light Silver and Old Gold Satin Ribbon, Delicate Stitched Satin Old Gold, and Random Stars on Light Silver Satin Ribbon.  AND YES.......That's ALL of the ribbons from this month's assortment.  Don't they all work perfectly together?

Really Reasonable Ribbon not only has all the best ribbons, laces and trims for making bows and headbands, but they also carry ALL the clips and bands you will need.  You can find the French Clips I used (they come in six different sizes), and all of our Headbands and other hair supplies.  Really Reasonable Ribbon really has it ALL!

Your next stop on the Blog Hop is at the talented Kathy Clement's Blog and she is sure to have something AMAZING prepared for you.  Also, don't forget to answer the question on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog at the end of the hop.  We're SO glad that you've chosen to hop along with us this month.  Be sure to check out the Ribbon Club Assortment and get signed up to have these wonderful collections mailed to your doorstep each month.

Happy hopping and happy crafting,

Karen

Feeling A Little Flakey

Hello, crafty friends!  I hope you're all having a great week and staying busy making beautiful things to share on your blogs.  Whatever you're creating this week, I whole-heartedly welcome you to stop by and share ALL your art with us this week at Word Art Wednesday.  We have TWO WONDERFUL PRIZES up for grabs.  I've found a couple of challnges that I'd like to enter this week as well.

I created this card using solid red paper that I pressure (dry) embossed with a snowflake Sizzix Embossing Folder.  Then, I cut some patterned paper that I scalloped.  I stamped my sentiment onto vellum and embossed it in black to help it stand out.  Then, I added some snowflakes that I cut using an Impression Connection die-cut in both vellum and white.  They're held on with small white brads.  I machine stitched the vellum, and inked the edges a bit.  That's it!

I'm entering these chalenges:

Scrapy Land Challenge Blog - Challenge #29 - Anything Goes Using a Die-Cut - I used a snowflake die from Impression Connection.  I also used a Sizzix Embossing Folder for the snowflake embossed background.

The Sisterhood of Crafters - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Aud Sentiments Challenge - Challenge #144 - BINGO Plus A Sentiment - My BINGO is found diagonally (From Upper Left to Lower Right) - and the three elements I used are Embossing (Dry/Pressure Embossing AND Embossed Stamped Imaged), Rubber Stamp or Digi (I used a rubber stamp for my sentiment (Season's Greetings), and Die-Cut (Impression Connection Snowflakes Die-Cuts).

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek.

Have a blessed day,

Karen

Wonderful Wednesday Fun

It's Wednesday!  And it's not just any old Wednesday, it's the second Wednesday of the month.  That means it's time for a fun new challenge over at CropStop, and we really hope that YOU will play along with us.  The challenges are always Anything Goes as long as you use ANY product(s) carried at CropStop (which is just about everything).  From ink to burlap string, CropStop is sure to carry many of the products you use on a regular basis.  We sure would LOVE to have you join us for a chance to win some CropStop goodies of your own.

I created this fun Christmas sign using some fun CropStop supplies.  I started with a Jenni Bowlin 6x6 Chalkboard Sign, inked the edges with chalk ink; and then stamped the word JOY using cream acrylic paint and some super old Making Memories foam stamps. I embellished my sign with some gorgeous Petaloo Flowers including the lovely Petaloo Sugared Berries in Red.  I also added a bow that includes some seam binding, Red Burlap String and Ivory Burlap String. There are SO many great products at CropStop to help you create something wonderful.

I just LOVE the Jenni Bowlin Chalkboard signs.  They come in several different sizes at CropStop, and are super affordable and great for gift-giving.  Especially for those of us who enjoy giving hand-made gifts.

Another great thing about Wednesday is that it's the day of each week when a new challenge begins at Word Art Wednesday.  This week, our sponsors are Really Reasonable Ribbon (with a $10 Gift Certificate), AND Crafty Secrets (with a $20 Gift Certificate).  You won't want to miss out on this fun Anything Goes Challenge either.  Come by, and play along with us for your chance to win one of our AWESOME prizes.  It's always more fun when everyone plays along in challenges.

Have a blessed week, and thanks so much for stopping by.

Karen

Bundle of Joy for RRR

Hey there, ribbon lovers!  Today I'm sharing a sweet Baby Mini Album I created using LOTS of great ribbons and trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I used Simple Stories Baby Steps patterned papers and stickers to create this sweet little album, along with lots of other little goodies.

The cover of this album is sweetly adorned with Juliet Natural Crochet Lace, some Rose Petal Seam Binding and a nice long length of Ivory Burlap String.  It also has patterned papers, stickers, and a few other goodies to make it look soft and sweet.  Really Reasonable Ribbon has SO many soft, sweet trims for making baby albums.

The second page has a bow made from White Seam Binding which is also just so simple, while still super soft and sweet.  Really Reasonable Ribbon carries 24 gorgeous colors of Seam Binding so that you're sure to find just the perfect color(s) for your next project.  And at just $0.30/yard, it's priced just right so that you can get every color you need without hurting your pocketbook.

Page number three carries on the same soft, sweet theme, and is adorned with Bay Leaf Seam Binding (one of my personal favorites), as well as a length of Burlap Center Stitched Ribbon in Brown that I attached to a tag in a photo pocket.  This page is also place over a Decorative Bag so that there's a place for tucking in extra photos.

The next page (page number four) has a sweet little bow made from Soapstone Seam Binding.  This is another really great color because it can look more brown when placed with natural papers and embellishments, and can yet appear a tad bit pink when set next to the pink background.  That made the lovely Soapstone Seam Binding the perfect choice for this page with tan and pink mixed together.

The adjacent page is a very simple photo mat page, and it has the AWESOME Natural Burlap String wrapped around it several times, and holds a tiny little tag.  This is another one of my Really Reasonable Ribbon favorites.

Above is page six, and it's got lots of cute stickers.  I tried to make little hidden pockets for tucking in photos and/or journalling cards.  That's what makes our Decorative Bags so much fun......and they're all on clearance!

Page number seven gives a great journalling spot.  Those sweet little babies grow up so quickly, and new moms want to capture every precious memory.  I always try to include special places for journalling when I create mini albums.

And finally....."Page number Eight" isn't really a page at all.  It's actually the back cover of the mini album.  I put a tiny little tab on the back so that Mom can either put the baby's name on the album, the year of baby's birth, or some other special journalling memory.  Every little tab, pocket and cubby are what makes mini albums so special.  And trust me, Really Reasonable Ribbon has EVERYTHING you can dream of to help create your next adorable mini album for any occasion.

We're all SO grateful to have you stop by today; and we REALLY hope that you will join our current challenge taking place now.  You can check it out right here on this link for the CURRENT CHALLENGE.

Happy crafting!       -Karen

Feeling Creative Again

Like all of you, I sometimes fall into a slump and don't create for days.  On the flip side of that, I sometimes get into a groove and just start creating like wildfire.  Well, I went through quite a slump a week or two ago and didn't create anything in days.  In fact, I didn't even step into my craft room.  I shook it off, and got my mojo back.  I've been unstoppable ever since.  Now, I'm trying to finish up ALL my November and December Design Team assignments so that I can truly relax with my family for the holidays.  I hope to have in all wrapped up within the next two weeks.  Then, I can focus on other things.

This first card was created using lots of great new Crate Paper products.  These are the ones I blogged about finding on vacatin this summer as well as at Tuesday Morning more recently.  I've fallen in love with these lines, and can't seem to put them down.  This one has Crate Paper Confetti patterned papers, stickers, a doily, a Studio Calico die-cut (thanks), a tiny rusty paper clip, and vintage scotch tape.

My second card is also made from Crate Paper patterned paper.  I added a doily and stamped my sentiment onto that in black ink using a lovely sympathy sentiment from Inspired By Stamping.  I added some vitnage lace, vintage sheet music, lots of great flowers and paper leaves, some Solid Wheat Baker's Twine, and two stick pins.  I never seem to have a sympathy card on hand when I need one; and I've also got a craft boutique coming up soon so I really need to get a wide variety of different cards in my stash.

Inspired By Stamping - Challenge #99 - I used an Inspired By Stamping sentiment stamp (sympathy) as well as some of their lovely flowers.  I chose to follow the FLOWER inspiration for this challenge.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Thanks/Thanksgiving" - My first card is a thank you card.

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek.  I'm so grateful to have you visit my blog.

Karen

The VIP Guest

Should everyone feel like a VIP (very important person) on their Birthday?  I sure think so!  This card was created with a very important person in mind, and I intend to give it to her on her very special day.  I absolutely LOVE Crate Paper, and this card was created using lots of their yummy new Confetti line.  Isn't absolutely delicious?  I need to make a whole lot more of these cards for my upcoming Craft Boutique.  Birthday cards are always in high demand at these boutiques.

In addition to the Crate Paper Confetti patterned papers, stickers, ephemera and chipboard; I also used a paper doily, a miniature rusty paper clip, some vintage scotch tape, and machine stitching.  Absolutely delightful!

I have SO much crafting to get done before the boutique in early December.  I have a trip to my BFF's house to spend FIVE DAYS of antiquing, crafting, and FUN!  This is my ME-TIME vacation that I get each year, and I can't wait to have this time with her.  Not many friendships span over 45 years of memories.  We've been through thick and thin together, and I cherish my time with her.  I can't wait to get my ME-TIME.  My hubby is good to me; SO understanding, and willing to support my antique store shopping and crafting (not to mention the trip in general).  I am SO very grateful for the life I have.

I'm sharing my card in these challenges:

Lisa Sommerville's Challenge Blog - A Cake For You/Birthdays

DL ART November Linky Party - Anything Goes - I absolutely LOVE Diana's sweet seam binding, and always like to play along for a chance to win some!

Inspired By Stamping - Challenge #99 - I followed the FLOWERS option for this challenge.  I absolutely LOVE implementing flowers into my projects.  I used flower stickers on this one, and I also stamped my sentiment (Happy Birthday).

Wags-N-Whiskers - Challenge #165 - Not a Square - Lucky for me, I never make square cards.  I prefer the traditional rectangular shaped cards.  I also happen to LOVE Wags-N-Whiskers stamps.  They were the very first Design Team I ever served on!

Little Scrap Pieces - Saturday Linky It Up and Show It Off Party - Anything Goes

My Cup Runneth Over,

Karen