As For Me and My House

When I was younger, of course, I had no idea who I would marry or where we would live, etc.  I did, however, know for sure from a very young age that I would always be part of a family that loves the Lord and lives for Him.  When I first married my husband in 1985, we were just 19 years old.  We had much to learn about life.  But praise God, we knew that our household would always serve the Lord.  This card and sweet sentiment from Bonnie Garby Designs really celebrate that idea.

This card matches the Lord is My Shepherd card I posted a couple of days ago.  You could say that they're a set, I guess.  I used kraft cardstock and created a fun fold with a closure that opens to reveal a fun inside of the card.  The patterned papers I used are from the Colonial Americana 6x6 Paper Pad by Whimsy Stamps.  The little house I cut uses wool felt, patterned papers, a piece of Solid Red Baker's Twine and a very old die set from Papertrey Ink.

The sentiment I used can be found in the Scriptural Quotes Digital Stamp Bundle which is from Bonnie Garby Designs.  I added the sentiment to the tab enclosure that I created earlier in the process.  I attached the sentiment using Scor-Tape.  We all need Adhesives like Scor-Tape and 3-D Foam Tabs, so why not grab them from Really Reasonable Ribbon?

You'll always find lots of great inspiration on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog, and lots of great shopping at Really Reasonable Ribbon.  Thanks so much for visiting to take a quick peek at this sweet little card wrapped with Burlap String.  There are so many great trims (and SO much more) waiting for you at Really Reasonable Ribbon.  Happy crafting!

Blessings,

Karen

Let It Snow w/Really Reasonable Ribbon

It's no secret that I absolutely LOVE using ribbons, trims and twines of different kinds on my cards and projects.  There's just something special about the texture and depth that ribbons, trims and flowers add to our cards.  With that said, I am a HUGE fan of all things from Really Reasonable Ribbon. Not only do they carry the best assortment of ribbons and trims, Mulberry Flowers, Adhesives, Hair Accessories and more; but this fabulous company is also owned by one of the sweetest gals in crafting that I've ever met.  You'll always receive amazing Customer Service and fair shipping costs at Really Reasonable Ribbon in addition to having access to amazing products at great prices.

This darling card uses lots of patterned paper and ephemera from Crate Paper (my favorite).  I cut the birdhouse and bird using dies from Simon Says Stamp.  At the top of the birdhouse, I added a bow that's tied with Red Seam Binding.  Don't you just love these soft sweet colors and wonderful textures?

Down on the bottom left, I added some bundled Ivory Burlap String underneath all those leafy branches. I also added a few pretty Red Open Roses to the branches.   At the bottom of the birdhouse, I added a piece of Ivory Crochet Lace.  I used lots of Scor-Tape to secure everything in place.  I added some pretty White Flatback Pearl Accents to the chipboard banner.

No matter what you're looking for and no matter what your crafting style or skill level is, there are certain things at Really Reasonable Ribbon that every crafter needs.  I truly hope that you'll stop by and check out Really Reasonable Ribbon and support this awesome company and store-owner.  You'll LOVE what you find there.  Happy crafting, everyone, and thanks so much for stopping by today.

I'm sharing my card here:

Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies and Blooms - While I didn't follow the color theme of the inspiration photo this month, I was inspired by the use of BLOOMS by way of my pretty red roses, as well as the foliage and my sweet bird.

Colorful Options Challenge - November: Red - I used lots of red ink and red accents in my stamping

Blessings,

Karen

Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop

It's time for the November Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop.  You should have arrived here today by way of Bonine's Blog; but if not, you can catch up quickly.  This is a short hop and you need to leave a comment at each stop to be eligible for the PRIZES.  One lucky person will WIN a $10 gift certificate to Really Reasonable Ribbon and one digital sheet of stamps from Bonnie Garby Designs.

The card I'm sharing with you today combines a digital stamp (sentiment) from Bonnie Garby Designs with some fabulous trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I did a bit of coloring on the images in the sentiment which is from the Vintage Christmas Sentiments Bundle.  I cut the sentiment with the Crimped Frames Die from The Greetery.  I added a couple of stickers and a patterned paper from an old Crate Paper Christmas collection.

The 3-D ornament is also found in this old Christmas collection.  I added a small piece of looped Ivory Burlap String to the top of the Christmas ornament.  I ran a length of Bay Leaf Seam Binding across my card and tied a pretty bow with it.  I also tucked in several Double Head Stamens and I topped my bow with a fabric-covered brad from the Crate Paper Christmas collection.

Your final stop on this short Blog Hop is at the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog where you will answer one final question.  Thanks so much for leaving me your comment.  I wish you the best of luck in the random draw - especially if YOU have actually followed the rules.  Oh, and when you need any ribbons, twines, trims, etc., be sure to stop by Really Reasonable Ribbon.

I'm linking up in these fun challenges:

Peace On Earth Challenge Blog - Challenge #51 - I love the inspiration photo, but I sorta did my own thing here.  LOL

Colorful Inspirations Challenge Blog - November: Red - I didn't use a lot of red on my card, but I had to use some or it wouldn't be a Christmas card?????

Blessings,

Karen

A Pocketful of Christmas w/Really Reasonable Ribbon

One of my favorite little gift-giving projects has always been a good old paper bag pocket.  I have a wide assortment of paper bags for this very reason, and I always greatly enjoy decorating them.  With Really Reasonable Ribbon, I know I'll always find the perfect twines, trims and goodies to help me adorn them with style.  How sweet is this?

I used a basic brown paper bag, and I folded it halfway up, covered the bottom portion with a piece of vintage sheet music that I stamped on with a new Papertrey Ink stamp set.  I machine stitched that to my bag base.  Next, I ran a length of Scor-Tape along the inside lip of the brown paper bag, and I attached a piece of Ivory Crochet Lace at the top.  You can use any type of Crochet Lace to achieve this look.

At the bottom, I attached a piece of Black & White Bold Gingham Ribbon, some wool felt holly and berries that I cut using a Papertrey Ink die.  I also attached a nice long length of Ivory Burlap String and some Cherry Baker's Twine on the rusty jingle bells.  I tucked a gift card in the pocket along with two tags that I adorned with Red & White Bold Gingham, Moss Green & Cream Gingham Ribbon, and several Double Head Stamens.

Making a fun paper bag pocket is a great way to give someone something special without spending a whole lot of money.  You can tuck in some photos, a note, a gift card, candies, etc. because there's an automatic built-it pocket for this purpose.  Go ahead....grab a paper bag, some trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and give this a try.

Really Reasonable Ribbon will always provide the perfect products to help you create wonderful cards and projects.  There's lots of great inspiration on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog and lots of great shopping that awaits you at RRR.  Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Colorful Options Challenge - November: Red - I love all the RED accents in the candy canes, berries, trims and such.

Blessings,

Karen

Warm Wishes From Really Reasonable Ribbon

Welcome by my blog, everyone, and thanks for stopping by to say hello and to take a peek at what I've been creating.  Today I'm sharing a super sweet little project I put together using a few of the (many) wonderful products from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  This little thread-shaped tag/card will go on top of a gift.  I always know that, no matter what the project, Really Reasonable Ribbon will always have the perfect trims and adornments I need.

I started with a cardboard die cut thread spool shape, and I used a milky white acrylic paint for the base.  I inked the edges with some Burlap and Green Cut Grass Tim Holtz Oxide Inks.  I used some Spun Sugar Tim Holtz Oxide Ink to stencil some circles onto the background, and I dotted on a few pops of color here and there using pink and mint acrylic paints.  I did the same inking and stenciling on the miniature tag.

The spool image I stamped is Vintage Thread 2 from Inspired By Stamping, and the mini tag stamp is from PTI.  I wrapped a length of lovely Ivory Crochet Lace around the spool card.  There are many beautiful varieties of Crochet Lace in the RRR store in both ivory and white.  I used a Miniature Rusty Pear-Shaped Safety Pin from the Embellishments section to hang my tiny tag.

Finally, I added a few Miniature Double Head Stamens, some bundled Ivory Burlap String, and from our extensive Mulberry Flower category.....a White Sweetheart Blossom and two Pink Apple Blossoms.  I also used some Scor-Tape from the Adhesives section to secure the wrapped Ivory Crochet Lace.  Before I sign off, I'd also like to share this quick card with you using some fun Doodlebug patterned papers and embellishments.

I used white cardstock and inked the edges, added a few (4) different Doodlebug patterned papers that I machine stitched in light pink, and a Doodlebug acrylic ice cream cone 3-D acrylic sticker.  The sentiment is from Paper Sweeties, and was stamped onto a small die-cut doily using another patterned paper. The finishing touch to this simple card was a bow tied with Paradise Aqua Seam Binding and White Seam Binding.  Like I said, very simple.

We're so grateful that you stopped by today, and hope that you'll visit often for lots of great inspiration and so much more.  Below, you'll see the challenges where I'm sharing these projects.  Please visit again soon.

Blessings,

Karen

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says "Use 2 or More Patterned Papers" - I used FOUR fun Doodlebug patterned papers on my card (second project shown above).

Celebrate Family W/ Really Reasonable Ribbon

What a treat to have you stop by today!  I'm so glad you're here because today I'm sharing a warm and welcoming Autumn card and two matching mini albums that I created for Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I apologize that this will be a very long post because I took a photo of every page in the mini albums.  Sorry......kinda!  lol

For my card, I started with some sweet patterned papers, stickers and chipboard from an Echo Park line called I Love Family.  I used white Bazzill Basics for my card base, and then I layered a couple of the patterned papers.  I ran a length of the 1/2" Burgundy Wrinkle Ribbon just off the center left on my card.  I used the 1/2" Burgundy Wrinkle Ribbon, 1/2" Olive Wrinkle Ribbon and a piece of Cream Seam Binding to make my bow.

I also added some White Double Head  Mini Stamens, Red Double Head Mini Stamens, Blue Double Head Mini Stamens, Matcha Green Double Head Mini Stamens, and I topped that with a 15 mm Green Mulberry Leaf, 20mm Brown Mulberry Leaf, an Orange Open End Rose, a Burgundy Open End Rose and a Light Mocha Open End Rose.  I just LOVE how all the sweet Mulberry Flowers elevate our cards and projects, and give them such amazing texture and life.

Next, I made two coordinating mini albums from the same Echo Park line.  I used a large glassine bag for each mini album.  You can incorporate multiple glassine bags for this project, but today's minis use just one bag each.  I decorated the pages with the patterned papers, stickers and chipboard as well as some other ephemera (journalling spots, tickets, etc.) and some photo spots so that someone can simply pop a few family photos in there...and you have a cute little family memory album.

The pockets provided by the glassine bag gave me one more place to tuck in a photo/journal mat into each album.  I didn't embellish them much.   and secured lengths of Olive Wrinkle Ribbon to the front and back so that I have a tie enclosure for the album for when it's being stored.  The page below shows the left side of the open album.  There's a bit of Ivory Burlap String at the bottom of this page, and it's topped with a sticker.

Page 2, or the right-hand side of the open mini album, gives you a peek at the pocket (to the right) which contains an additional photo/journal mat.  There's lots of extra space for attaching photos, journalling spots and memories.  These make such great little gifts during the holidays, or any time.

On my second glassine bag mini album (pictured below), I added a few Sweethearts Blossoms to the front cover along with a 30mm Green Mulberry Leaf.  And similar to the first album, this one is tied shut with lengths of the pretty 1/2" Ivory Wrinkled Ribbon on each side.

How fun are these little albums?  If you need help finding glassine bags, please let me know.  You can use a simple brown paper lunch bag, or any kind of bag.  I just like the soft, pretty feel of these super sweet, thin little bags.  A few miniature rusty paper clips, wood-grain washi tape, some chipboard, a few journalling spots here and there.....fun!

This is a peek at the left-hand side of the open album.  There aren't any additional Really Reasonable Ribbon products inside this mini album because I wanted to keep them fairly flat.  Lots of paper, lots of places for tucking in precious memories.

The next photo (below) is the right-hand side of the open album, a.k.a. Page 3.  This is also very simple, and gives a peek at the journalling card that goes in the pocket.  It's sticking out just enough for you to get a peek at it.

And finally...the last photo I'm sharing is the back cover of the album.  You can always see that pretty 1/2" Ivory Wrinkled Ribbon showing.  It's GORGEOUS, just like all of the ribbons and trims at Really Reasonable Ribbon.

Thanks again for stopping by today.  I hope you'll remember to join us on the 13th of this, and every month, for our fun BLOG HOP.  We always love to have you join the fun for your chance to win the Ribbon Club Assortment for the month...not to mention a lot of wonderful inspiration as well.  There's always something happening at Really Reasonable Ribbon, so be sure to stop by often.

Blessings,

Karen

I'm playing along here:

Mini Album Makers Blog - September Challenge: Anything Goes - I made TWO mini albums (both shown above) by using glassine bags that are tied together with seam binding.  I love to play along in this challenge each and every time I make a mini album.  They're easy, and SO much fun to make.  What a great way to help others capture happy memories and show photos to friends and family.

Fun Cards With Really Reasonable Ribbon

Welcome by today, everyone!  It's always nice to have you visit me, and I hope you like what you see today as I share some Really Reasonable Ribbon projects with you.  As its name might suggest, this wonderful shop is filled with a very LARGE variety of ribbons, laces, and trims of all sorts....but that's not where it ends.  Really Reasonable Ribbon carries SO much more, including Mulberry Flowers, Embellishments, and SO much more.

So, for today's post, I'm sharing two sweet cards, and each one showcases just a few of my favorite products from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  This first card was created with an ivory cardstock base and a piece of Carta Bella patterned paper.  I used a second piece of patterned paper to punch a border, and just above it, I added a piece of the beautiful Juliet Natural Crochet Lace.  I added a journalling card and stamped my sentiment on that.  There's a flower sticker at the bottom right of my sentiment card; and at the top left, a beautiful floral treatment that includes a piece of bundled Ivory Burlap String, a 30mm Wild Orchid Crafts Mulberry Leaf, one Coral Open End Rose, and two Ivory Open End Roses.

I also added some Double Head Stamens including a few green, a few Baby Blue Double Head Stamens, and a few Red Double Head Stamens.  These sweet little accents, Wild Orchid Crafts Double Head Stamens are SO amazing; and at just $1.99 for a bundle of 160 pieces, they're a great bargain item that will add quite a lot of impact to your floral accents (as you can see).

My second card is another fairly simple card.  I used several patterned papers that I attached together with strips of Scor-Tape.  I also added some stickers and did some machine stitching in black.  While the card was nice.....it was missing something.  Ribbons!  I made a bow using a piece of Pink Center Stitch Burlap Ribbon and a piece of Brown Center Stitch Burlap Ribbon.  I also added some Baby Pink Double Head Stamens and Black Double Head Stamens, and topped the bow with a Pink Trellis Rose.

What I especially love about the Burlap Center Stitch Ribbons are their AMAZING texture.  They, like ALL of the trims at Really Reasonable Ribbon, add so much warmth and depth to your cards and projects.  Everything you need to make your "Simple Cards" look "Simply Lovely" can be found at Really Reasonable Ribbon!  Thanks again for stopping by today.

Have a great week,

Karen

I'm playing along at:

Scrapy Land Challenge - #90 Anything Goes - I used a Frantic Stamper Edger Border die set on the bottom of my first card to create the border just below the lace.

A Little Love With Really Reasonable Ribbon

Hello to all my ribbon-loving friends, and welcome by my blog!  I hope you're having a wonderful week.  Here in Las Vegas, it's been SO nice and warm (in the high 60's to low 70's).  It hardly even seems like Winter, and I'm loving it.  Today I'm sharing this super sweet Valentine with you that I made using some lovely seam binding and goodies from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  They have everything you need to create something extra special for your special Valentine.  Isn't this sweet?

This card started with an ivory base and some romantic patterned papers.  I used one as a base, and the other two to die-cut and hand-stitch layered hearts with dusty pink DMC floss.  I also added some tulle netting over the smaller heart to hold in some white sequins.  I attached the hearts together using Scor-Tape which is an amazing long-lasting Adhesive available in several different widths.  I use it quite a bit cuz it ROCKS!

I ran a width of GORGEOUS Bay Leaf Seam Binding across my card and also tied a bow with it.  I also added a bow tied with Cotton Candy Baker's Twine, and used that to attach a small inked hang tag with my stamped sentiment (Love) from a rusty pear-shaped safety pin.  I tucked some White Double Head Stamens, Baby Pink Double Head Stamens, and Aqua Green Double Head Stamens behind the bow cluster, and bundled some Ivory Burlap String underneath everything.

Be sure to stop by the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog each day to find inspiration, learn about special promotions, and take part in our monthly Blog Hops.  There's always something exciting to be found there, and LOTS of great products for you to enjoy in the Really Reasonable Ribbon Shop.  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today, friends.  I always appreciate your visits and your kind comments, but especially so now while I'm feeling crummy.

Bless you,

Karen

I'm playing along here:

Papertrey Ink - Make It Monday #311 - Using Different Patterned Papers - I used Heather's fabulous tutorial on mixing patterned papers to create my card.  The PTI products used include the Stitched Primitive Hearts die-cut set.  I just ADORE this set.

Frilly & Funkie Challenge Blog - All You Need Is Love - My card is mostly frilly, but just a little bit funky as well.  Or not!  LOL

Mod Squad Challenge Blog - Valentine/LOVE

4 Crafty Chicks - 1 Word (Love), 2 Patterned Papers, 3 Hearts (can you find my third heart??  It's hiding.  Hint:  Look at my hanging tag).  Fun challenge!

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge Blog - ANYTHING GOES

Happy Holidays With RRR

It's just a little bit early, but I ...along with all my friends at Really Reasonable Ribbon want to wish you Happy Holidays; and we hope that you will think of RRR when you start to create your Christmas cards, or when making out a "Wish List" for Santa.  Our lovely shop is filled with ribbons, trims of all sorts, flowers, embellishments, and SO much more.  Just look at this fun card I created with a few of my Really Reasonable Ribbon favorites.

I used some patterned papers and goodies from the Bundled Up line by Crate Paper and inked all my edges.  I laid a strip of Bright Pink Plaid Ribbon under the tag using a fabulous Adhesive called Scor-Tape (all over my card really).  Then, I wrapped some Teal Baker's Twine around the sentiment tag, and then tied a bow with the Teal Baker's Twine combined with Ivory Burlap String, and a couple of Baby Pink Double-Head Stamens, Red Double-Head Stamens, and Aqua Double-Head Stamens.  I topped it all with a cute piece of pink snowflake flair.  Here's a close-up of all that RRR yummy-ness!

There's a FUN CHALLENGE where you can link up ANY project with ribbon or trim of some sort. We'd love to have you play along with us!  And don't forget about all the fabulous inspiration on the RRR Blog every day, and all the AMAZING PRODUCTS in the Really Reasonable Ribbon store.  Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Blessings to you,

Karen

I'm playing along here:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog - Simon Says "Christmas" so I created this Happy Holidays card using non-traditional Christmas colors.

Just Keep On Creating - October Anything Goes Link-Up