Cat Lovers Hop 3 - Goody Envelope

Hi, everyone!  This is the third post of my blog blast of cat-themed projects for the Cat Lovers Hop!  A special thank you to Janis at Her Peaceful Garden for hosting this wonderful event to celebrate our love of kitties!  The hop runs until tomorrow so there is still time for you to join in the fun!  I'm excited to be joining this hop for the fourth year!  For an update on my husband's health, please see my first post here.

Last spring I was involved in a cat-themed swap, and part of the swap was to make some pretty packaging.  This is one of the envelopes I made to hold some swap items.

The cat image was fussy-cut from a recycled greeting card.  Behind the kitty are some layered doilies from my stash.  The thought bubble and sentiment are from MFT Stamps (Cattitude and I Knead You).  The heart die-cuts are from MFT Die-namics Heart Border Staggered. I used a 12x12" sheet of patterned paper from my stash to create the envelope.  I watched a few video tutorials on YouTube but made my own custom-size envelope to fit the items that went inside.  In this case, it held a pocket letter.

Here's the back.  I added a butterfly die-cut with some gems at the top.  The handmade stamp was received in friend mail. The envelope is held closed with a velcro half-circle so it is reusable.

I would also like to support the following challenges: Cardz TV 71 AG 3/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper October UE; Double D Stripes and Dots (inspired by lower right quadrant of mood board) 1/3; Just Keep on Creating AG UE; Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 3/3; Penny's Paper-crafty AG 3/3; Tuesday Throwdown Crazy Circles 2/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 3/5 wk1


Thank you for looking at my goody envelope! Wishing you a joyful day and Happy Hopping!

Cat Lovers Hop 2 - Planner Clips

Hi, everyone!  This is the second post of my blog blast of cat-themed projects for the Cat Lovers Hop!  A special thank you to Janis at Her Peaceful Garden for hosting this wonderful event to celebrate our love of kitties!  The hop runs until tomorrow so there is still time for you to join in the fun!  I'm excited to be joining this hop for the fourth year!  For an update on my husband's health, please see my first post here.

Last spring I was involved in a cat-themed swap, and I created some cat planner clips for my swap partner. She has a black kitty so I chose images with a black kitty (these are from Calico Collage and Images4You, both on Etsy).

I used a 1" circle punch to cut the image, placed an epoxy circle sticker over it, and then adhered them to the gold paper clips. I backed them with another 1" circle of patterned paper.

These clips are attached to an ATC (artist trading card), measuring 3.5” x 2.5”, the perfect size for tucking into a pocket letter, which is what I did with these.  The stamped sentiment is from Happy Little Stampers - Doodled Flowers, and I used some patterned paper from my stash.

I would also like to support the following challenges:  Cardz TV 71 AG 2/3; Carlin's Kaartenparadijs Cat plus Black 1/3; Crafty Friends Circles 1/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper October UE; Hiding in my Craft Room Freestyle 2/3; Just Keep on Creating AG UE; Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 2/3; Penny's Paper-crafty AG 2/3; The Corrosive October AG 2/3; Tuesday Throwdown Crazy Circles 1/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 2/5 wk1



Thank you for looking at my planner clips! Wishing you a joyful day and Happy Hopping!

Cat Lovers Hop 1 - Goody Envelope

Hello, everyone!  Long time, no see!  I'm here today because I really, really want to participate in the Cat Lovers Hop!  This is the fourth year, and I have not missed one yet!  I know I'm late to the party, but it runs until tomorrow (October 27) so you still have time to join!  Please go check it out and see all the cute kitty inspiration for yourself!

While I haven't had any time to craft lately (you can read why here), happily I already have a number of cat-themed projects that I made in the spring.  Since I have some time today (I woke up at 4:30 a.m.!), I'm going to share as many of my projects as I can.

I apologize to my followers in advance for the blog blast, but I have to seize the time when I have it!  Please do not feel obligated to comment on any of my projects.  However, I hope it will give you some kitty-loving inspiration and that you'll head over and join the Cat Lovers Hop yourself!

The good news is that Brian will be discharged from the rehab hospital within the next couple weeks!  After he comes back home, I hope to have some time to myself and will look forward to visiting your blogs and seeing what you made.  I can't wait to get caught up with everyone!  Brian has a long road ahead of him, but the doctors say it's possible he will fully recover.  It will likely take a year or more, but I'm praying he heals even sooner.  Your prayers are appreciated!

Now on to the Cat Lovers Hop!  A big thank you to Janis at Her Peaceful Garden for hosting this fun event again this year to celebrate our love of cats!

Last spring I was involved in a cat-themed swap, and part of the swap was to make some pretty packaging.  This is one of the envelopes I made to hold some swap items.

The cat image and sentiment were fussy-cut from a recycled greeting card and popped up on foam tape.  Behind the kitty is a doily from my stash.  The butterfly die-cut is from Joy Crafts, and I added some gems to the body.  I used a 12x12" sheet of patterned paper from my old stash to create the envelope.  I watched a few video tutorials on YouTube but made my own custom-size envelope to fit the items that went inside.  

Here's the back.  The bow punch is from Tim Holtz, and the handmade stamp was received in friend mail. The envelope is held closed with a velcro half-circle so it is reusable.

I would also like to support the following challenges:  Butterfly Challenge Spin the Butterfly Wheel with the Letter G (Gems plus Butterfly) 1/3; Cardz TV 71 AG 1/3; Crafts Galore Encore October AG 1/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper October UE; DL.ART October Linky UE 1/d; Hiding in my Craft Room Freestyle 1/3; Just Keep on Creating AG UE; Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 1/3; Penny's Paper-crafty AG 1/3; The Corrosive October AG 1/3; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5 wk1



Thank you for looking at my goody envelope! Wishing you a joyful day and Happy Hopping!

So Jolly

Hello, everyone!  I wanted to pop in with a quick update about my husband's health.  He was misdiagnosed in the local hospital's emergency room in August, and was sent home with some anti-seizure pills and a referral to a neurologist.  At that time, he didn't even know his own name, and he did not have a seizure.  Fortunately, as soon as the neurologist saw him on September 11, he was immediately admitted to the hospital (a different hospital, thankfully).  My husband had a stroke caused by a blood clot, and it has affected his thinking and speech. 

Two days ago, he was transferred from the hospital to the rehabilitation center.  He is where he needs to be, and I hope he can recover fully and come home soon.  In the meantime, I have been making the 4-hour roundtrip by bus every other day.  I've taken a few days off as I'm physically and emotionally exhausted.  I'm hoping to make the trip again tomorrow or Saturday, depending on his rehabilitation schedule. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for his recovery - your prayers are appreciated.

I will not be blogging for a while, but I am committed to Rudolph Day and do not want to miss it. I've cobbled together this quick card by recycling an old holiday card and using some stickers for the sentiment and bird. The snowflake-embossed background (Die'sire Embossalicious Let it Snow) and silver snowflake (Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes) were already made and waiting to be used. 

So sorry I cannot do any blog visiting at this time but I will catch up with everyone later, whenever I am able to have some time for myself. 

I would like to support the following challenges:

1. ABC Christmas S is for Snow UE
2. Cardz TV 66 AG 1/3
3. Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas AG Optional Patterned Paper UE 
4. DL.ART September Linky UE 1/d
5. Happy Little Stampers September AG with Dies UE
6. Hiding in my Craftroom Any Holiday 1/3
7. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 1/3
8. Rudolph Day September 1E C10
9. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 1/5
10. Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment Wk1 1/5

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!

Guest Designer at Cropstop

Hello, everyone!  This is a scheduled post.  As I mentioned in my previous blog post, my husband is going through a health crisis so I have not had time to be online.  Thank you to everyone who has been praying for his recovery - your prayers are appreciated.

I'm happy to be sharing a card today as a Guest Designer for Cropstop!  Thank you to Esther for inviting me!  Each month there is a Cropstop Link Party with a wonderful prize from Cropstop - I hope you'll check it out and join in the fun!  For my project, I decided to make a quick and easy anniversary card featuring butterflies.

Products used:

• Dies:  Memory Box Oriel Butterfly, Memory Box Lunette Butterfly, Poppystamps Butterfly Buttons
• Embossing folder:  Cuttlebug Floral Screen
• Clear stamp:  Sentiment (Hero Arts Everyday Sayings)
• Ink:  Lawn Fawn Peacock
• Patterned paper:  Echo Park Dots and Stripes
• Cardstock:  Recollections
• Equipment:  Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Spacer A, Cutting Pad B, Replacement Adapter C, Fiskars Personal Trimmer and Replacement Blades, EK Success Craft Tweezers
• Adhesive:  Scotch Advanced Tape Glider and Refills, Ranger Multi-Medium Matte
• Other:  Sequins from my stash

This quick and easy card worked out well for me considering my husband's health, which has left me with little time for crafting at the moment.  I started by die-cutting the Oriel Butterfly from patterned paper, the Lunette Butterfly from white cardstock, and then the Butterfly Buttons from teal cardstock.  I adhered the butterflies together, Lunette onto Oriel and Button onto Lunette.  I embossed a white cardstock panel and stamped the sentiment (I recommend stamping the sentiment before embossing, but I had no problem stamping on the embossed cardstock).  I layered the embossed panel onto teal cardstock and then onto patterned paper.  I finished off the cardfront by adhering the layered butterflies and embellishing with a number of sequins.  Lastly, the cardfront was adhered to a top-folding white A2 card base.

Thank you to Esther at Cropstop for having me as your Guest Designer!  It was fun to spend some time in my craftroom!

I would like to support the following challenges: Butterfly Challenge Spin the Butterfly Wheel with the Letter E (I went with E for Embossing Folder) 1/3; Cardz TV AG 1/3; Crafts Galore Encore September AG 1/3; Crafty Catz AG Optional Butterfly 1/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper September UE; Creatalicious AG Optional Pastel Colours UE; Creative Inspirations AG 1/3; Cute Card Thursday AG UE; DL.ART September Linky UE 1/d; If You Give a Crafter a Cookie 4th Anniversary AG 1/5; Jo's Scrap Shack AG 1/3; Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 1/3; Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 1/3; Penny's Paper-crafty AG 1/3; Poppystamps PSC48 AG 1/3; Simon Says Stamp Monday Stamp it On (the sentiment is stamped) 1/5; The House That Stamps Built Repeat Impressions DCC95 ~ Anniversary; The Outlawz Festive Friday FF090718 Anniversary 1/3; Through the Craftroom Door AG 1/2; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment wk2 1/5

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!

Holiday Deer

Hello, everyone!  I don't normally share personal information on my blog, but I wanted to let you know that my husband is having a health crisis and I won't be blogging much for the next little while.  Sorry I cannot visit your blogs at this time, but I will do so when I am able to blog regularly again.  I hope that will be soon!  In the meantime, I am sharing a holiday card; I didn't want to miss out on Rudolph Day!

I made this inky background a couple weeks ago. It was created with Distress Oxides on photo paper. I layered each colour using the watercolour ink-smooshing technique and dried in between each colour. It's best to work from lightest colour to darkest. When finished, it had a dull appearance but when wiped with a baby wipe, it became vibrant and all the layers of colour were visible.

Dies:  Memory Box Curved Happy Holidays, Memory Box Leeping Deer, Memory Box Twightlight Snowflakes (silver snowflake), offcuts from Memory Box Snowy Scene (white snowflakes)
Ink:  Distress Oxides (Tumbled Glass, Shaded Lilac, Iced Spruce, Blueprint Sketch, more or less, I made the background a couple weeks ago)

I would like to support the following challenges:

1. Cardz TV 62 AG 3/3
2. Crafty Gals Corner AG 1/2
3. Die-Cut Diva's Silhouettes 1/4
4. Happy Little Stampers August AG with Dies UE
5. Mod Squad AG 1/3
6. Outside the Box Memory Box Challenge 40 Keep Cool and Carry On 1E
7. Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 1/3
8. Rudolph Day August 1E C10
9. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 1/5
10. Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment wk1 1/5

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Pawesome Kitty

Hello, everyone!  Today I'm sharing a kitty card inspired by rainbow colours - I went with a pastel version!

Clear stamps:  MFT Stamps - Purrfect Friends (cat), MFT Stamps - Catitude (sentiment)
Colouring medium:  Markers
Die: MFT Die-namics Bold Stripes Cover-up
Other:  Sequins and butterfly sequin (stash)

I would like to support these fun challenges: 2 Crafty Critter Crazies AG with Animals 3/5; Cardz TV 62 AG 2/3; Craft Stamper Take it Make It August 2/3; Cute N Crafty Animals 2/5; Dare 2B Artzy AG 2/3; DL.ART August AG Linky 1/d; Happy Little Stampers August AG with Dies UE; Jo's Scrap Shack AG 1/3; Lil Patch of Crafty Friends AG 2/3; MFT Stamps Summer School Rainbow; Mod Squad Butterflies or Rainbow (both) 1/3; Pammie's Inky Pinkies AG 2/3; Penny's Paper-crafty AG 2/3; Show Us Your Pussycats Furrything Goes Cats UE; Stamped Blessings heARTful Stamping AG plus Stamp 1/2; STAMPlorations Summer Theme and Sketch Stamps and AG UE; The Artistic Stamper AG 2/3; The House That Stamps Built Repeat Impressions Anything Goes Challenge ~ A2218; The Outlawz Twisted Thursday AG Optional Twist Primary Colours 1E; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment wk2 2/5

Thank you for looking at my card! Wishing you a joyful day!