Hello Sweet Friend

 
It's snowing pretty hard here in Southeast Missouri, and I am off work today. What a perfect day to sit in the house, sip coffee, and create cards, right? Today's card was created for the latest AAA Card challenge. I created my card by layering some pretty patterned papers from Studio Calico's Take Note 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 card base. On a separate white cardstock panel, I stamped the Stampabilities Cherry Blossom Bird stamp using Memento tuxedo black ink and colored it using my Copic markers. I lightly water colored the background using Tim Holtz distress ink and then stamped the Unity Stamp Company's Small Details background stamp on the panel using Memento's London fog ink and 2nd generation stamping for a faint detail. I stamped the sentiment from Honey Bee's Sweet Sunflowers stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. I cut the panel down using a Spellbinders rectangle postage edge die and adhered it to the card using thin foam tape. 

Hello My Friend-Send A Smile 4 Kids

 

Hello, and happy New Year! This month at Send A Smile 4 Kids we are celebrating friendship, with a focus on making new friends, but keeping the old. I wanted to break out an old stamp set that I've not used in ages that celebrates friendship. I started by stamping the adorable unicorns from The Greeting Farm Hello Unicorn and Magical Day stamp sets onto white Copic-friendly cardstock. I colored them with my alcohol markers and fussy cut them out. Using some teal cardstock from my stash and a stitched scalloped border nesting die from Gina Marie Designs, I created the scalloped panel. Using white cardstock and a cloud embossing folder from Darice, I created a cloudy sky background that I adhered to the scalloped panel. Using my alcohol markers, I created some interest and shadow the embossed clouds on the background. I stamped the sentiment from The Greeting Farm Hello Unicorn stamp set using Memento tuxedo black ink onto a white panel that I die cut using a stitched speech bubble border die from The Cat's Pajama's. I adhered that to the top of the cloud background panel and added more interest with my Copic marker. I popped the unicorns up on the panel using foam squares and finished the card off with some sparkling clear gems from Recollections and some white gel pen detail on the unicorns. 

My Favorite-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

 

As many of my followers know, Debra Davison of Meticulosity and I have been doing a monthly collaboration called Coffee and Cards for many years now. What you may not know is she and I started this as a temporary one-month collaboration back in October 2016 (original post can be found here) that morphed into a permanent monthly installment. Debra and I became online friends through our mutual love of coffee and card making in 2014. I later found out that she is a nurse. I'm a medical assistant, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that we both work in the same line of work. 

This month we decided to end this year's collaboration, not by featuring our own cards, but rather a favorite of the other's work from the year 2024. I had a really tough time choosing just one, because I have been a fan of her work for over a decade! She really is a very creative person and has a much different take on card making than I do. She loves coloring and has a very keen eye for layouts. And though it was extremely tough to choose just one card, I opted for the fun cat Christmas card above from September 2024 (original post here). It reminds me of Deb and her white cat, Pixie! I love that she took a non-Christmas Penny Black stamp and created such a cute and clever holiday card with it! I love the image, the coloring, and the fun patterned papers she paired with it. Such a sweet and clever card. Well done, Debra!! Here's to another fun year of Coffee and Card collaborations and, hopefully, another decade of crafty friendship!

For my coffee this month, I couldn't resist the hot gingerbread latte from my local Ziggi's coffee shop! It really hit the spot while I was out fighting the hoards to finish up my Christmas shopping. Be sure to stop by Debra's blog and see what favorite card of mine she chose. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous New Year!

Oh, So Merry-Send A Smile 4 Kids

 

Hello, happy December! This month at Send A Smile 4 Kids we are creating winter cards. Nothing says winter to me like snow...or snowmen! I found inspiration for this adorable card on Pinterest, and just had to give it a try. I started by layering pretty red snowflake paper from My Mind's Eye Sweater Weather paper pad onto black cardstock and mounted it onto my white A2 card base. Using a stitched circle die from My Favorite Things, I created a circle out of simple white cardstock. I cut down to 2/3 of its size. I added the scarf by cutting down more patterned paper from the same paper pad into rectangles. I adhered them to card using more foam tape. The eyes were created with a small EK Success 1/4" circle punch using black cardstock, and the nose was created with a Spellbinders triangle die and orange cardstock. The entire snowman was adhered to the card using thin foam tape. The sentiment was stamped onto black cardstock using Pawsome Stamps Puffy Holiday Greetings stamp set and Ranger detail white embossing powder. I fussy cut the sentiment out and adhered it with foam tape as well. I finished off the card by adding some black gems around the image for a bit more interest. Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Be sure to head over to the Send A Smile 4 Kids blog and see how everyone else was inspired this month!

Have A Sweet Holiday-Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb

 

This month Debra and I are using this fun holiday photo as our inspiration. I created my holiday card by layering some plaid patterned paper from the American Crafts Hot Cocoa 6x6 paper pad onto my A2 card base. I die cut a focal panel using white cardstock and a Gina Marie Designs scalloped edge rectangle die. I layered another piece of patterned paper from the same paper pad at the bottom of the focal panel to look like a tablecloth. I die cut the focal elements using Momenta's Christmas Mug die set and a mix of cardstock and more papers from the same paper pad. I adhered them onto the focal panel using liquid glue. I stamped the sentiment from Avocado Arts Gingerbread Goodness stamp set at the right upper corner. To finish off the card, I did some shading on the whipped cream using a Copic marker and added a few shimmery red heart sequins around the sentiment. 

While I was crafting, I opted to sip on a delicious mug of Barissimo's Tiramisu coffee. It's positively delicious! Now, be sure to stop by Debra's blog and see how she was inspired this month by our inspiration photo! 

Fall For Autumn Leaves

 

My card today was created for the latest Color Throwdown card challenge. I started by embossing a panel of kraft cardstock using the Lisa Horton Knitted embossing folder and mounted the panel directly onto my white A2 card base. I die cut a white panel using a stitched scallop edge rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs, and stamped the focal image from Newton's Nook Designs Falling For You stamp set. I popped that panel up off of the card using thin foam tape. I stamped the pumpkin image twice and several of the leaves. I colored them using my alcohol markers and then adhered them to the panel. Such a cute and easy card! Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Joy

 

Hello, happy Sunday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Today's card was created for the latest Just Us Girls card challenge. I created this card by layering some basic black cardstock onto my white A2 card base. Then, using piece of patterned paper from The Paper Studio's Vintage Christmas 6x6 paper pack, I created a frame that I popped up off of the card base using thin foam tape. I then die cut the word Joy using Echo Park's Santa Claus Lane Wreath Of Joy die and red and green cardstocks. I adhered all of the elements to the card, and finished it all off with red gem stickers from Honey Bee Stamps Harvest Festival sticker pack and white gel pen details. Thank you for stopping today, and if you like my card, be sure to leave a comment. I appreciate and read them all!

Wishing You A Merry Christmas

 

It's a very rainy day here in Southeast Missouri, and I had the good luck to have the day off from work. I can't think of anything better to do on a rainy day than get crafty! I had a tag in my stash from a very old paper pad (so old that I forgot who made it), and I thought it would be fun to finally use for the latest Sketch Saturday card challenge. I started with patterned paper from The Paper Studio's Vintage Christmas 6x6 paper pad. I broke up the patterned papers with some beautiful black and white ribbon I picked up at Hobby Lobby for 99 cents. I adhered some of the gingham patterned paper to the top of the tag, and then cut it down smaller using an MFT pierced edge tag die. I used a hole punch and some twine and extra ribbon to add a nice bow to the top of the tag, and then popped it up off of the card base. Using the My Art C Holiday Sayings stamp and die set I created the wreath and the deer. I popped the wreath up using thin foam dots and then adhered the center flat to the tag. I added the deer to the right of the wreath and added a few black sparkling gems that I had in my stash for a finishing touch. Thank you for stopping by my blog! 

Thinking Of You

 

Hello, and happy Sunday! My card today was created for the latest Color Throwdown card challenge. I created my card by layering a square panel of kraft cardstock onto my ivory A2 card base. I then cut a small square panel using more ivory cardstock and embossed it using a Spellbinders embossing folder. I adhered it to the kraft panel and added some fun kraft colored twine almost to the top. I die cut 3 maple leaves using the stitched detail leaf dies from Jillian Vance, one in terra cotta and the other two in mustard. I popped them up off of the focal panel using foam squares. I stamped the sentiment from Stampabilities Card Phrases stamp set using Gina K ink in warm cocoa below the focal panel. I finished this card off with some pretty mustard colored gems from Honey Bee Stamps Harvest Festival gem sticker pack. I love how clean and simple this card turned out. Thank you for stopping by my blog this evening!

Let It Snow-Send A Smile 4 Kids

 

Good morning, and welcome to the November Send A Smile 4 Kids card challenge! This month we are celebrating Holidays. I created my card by stamping the adorable penguin and trees from My Favorite Things Snow Globe Singles stamp set onto white cardstock. I colored them and die cut them images using coordinating dies. Using the Snow Globe die set I die cut the elements for the snow globe using light blue, teal, and black cardstock from my stash. I embossed the sentiment on the bottom of the snow globe using the snow globe singles stamp set, Versamark ink, and Ranger detail white embossing powder. I die cut a piece of snowflake patterned paper from My Mind's Eye Sweater Weather using a stitched rectangle die from Paper Rose, adhered some black twine from Spellbinders at the top, and adhered it to a postage panel I die cut from black cardstock using a Gina Marie postage edge rectangle die. I adhered that panel to my white A2 card base and adhered the snow globe at the center. I finished off this adorable winter card using some Nuvo Crystal Drops in white blizzard to the trees and the penguin's hat. Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Now be sure to head over the Send A Smile 4 Kids blog and see what fun everyone else has created this month!