Steadfast Spirit

I don't have much to say about this card, other than the fact that I liked cutting in the curved shape to make room for the sentiment. The blues in this one didn't photograph well, so they don't appear to match too well, when in fact the blue of the flower and lace perfectly coordinates with the blues in the paper, in real life.

Sometimes I get a little too literal with these card ministry cards, and worry that I might be offending the recipient. Take this card, for instance: am I (me the card maker) asking God for a pure heart, or is it the implication that the recipient needs a pure heart? (I mean, we ALL do, but I think that's a conclusion for each of us to reach for ourselves, rather than me suggest that someone else clean up their act.) Sometimes it's best that I just get out of my own head and not worry about it. Does this happen to anyone else?

Mentally unbalanced or not, I'm glad you stopped by today! Have a great weekend!


Supplies:

Stamps - Verve Scripture Medley 1

Paper - Pebbles "Garden Party"

Ink -  Memento "Love Letter"

Dies - unbranded edge border dies; unbranded lacy flower die

Butterfly Doily

This designer paper is different in that it seems to change color depending on what colors it's around. When I saw it in the pad, it looked like a grayish hue. My husband saw it and thought it had some green in it. But I liked the look of it paired with this chocolate brown paper, which makes the print sort of a mocha color. I thought the little doily resembled the flowers, so that's how the card came together. The butterfly just happened to be something small enough to fit on the doily. I wish you could see the shimmer on the butterfly's wings though -- that's my favorite part of the card.

Have a great weekend!

Supplies:

Stamps - sentiment by Hero Arts "Everyday Sayings"; Butterfly from Penny Black "Enamor" clear set

Paper - from Love Nicole "Delicate Floret" 6x6 pad

Ink - Versamark for sentiment; Ranger Adirondack "Espresso"

Dies - unbranded doily

Accessories - White embossing powder

Purple Sympathy

I tried a different watercolor medium this week -- Ken Oliver's Color Burst powders. I've used the powders before to make beautiful abstract backgrounds, but this is the first time I used them with a brush to color "inside the lines." The colors are super vivid, and I found myself adding water and blotting to try to tone down the color a bit. It's amazing how far a few tiny flakes of powder could go! When I finished coloring the flowers ("Flower Fields" by Stampendous), I used the paintbrush "tap" technique to add sprinkles of color to the background. To do this, I got plenty of the color on the brush, held the brush firmly over the paper horizontally, and then tapped the handle of the brush with the index finger of my other hand, which allowed the color to be flung around a bit. I added the tag with the sentiment by Verve, and framed out my picture to complete it. This is an easy way to use some of those larger images, and is quick when you need a card to send out on short notice.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

Plaid with Flowers

This week's CAS challenge at Splitcoast asked us to use plaid in our creations. I actually had a piece of plaid out on my table with this teal textured cardstock that I thought could work together, and when I found this scalloped circle in a baggie of leftover elements, the card came together.

The flowers are from the "Enamor" clear set by Penny Black, and the sentiment is from "Kind Words" by Verve. I used copic markers to color the flowers. The plaid paper is from and American Crafts 6x6 pad called "#summer" -- which is filled with some of the brightest colors and designs I've ever seen in papers! Just using a small strip like this helps to tone it down a bit.

I have a special coupon code for Hambo Stamps that is good thru the rest of this month. Mention "CAS35" when you order to save 35% on all Hambo stamps thru next Tuesday (31st). This code is not referenced on the Hambo website anywhere, and is a special code just for my blog readers.

Have a great day!

Lacy Grace

Here once again is this beautiful "Grace" saying by Verve. I just love the typewriter font that the word "grace" is in! To make this clean and simple (CAS) card, I layered the floral designer paper (from Teresa Collins "Stationery Noted" 6 x 6 pad) over gray card stock, with a little strip of paper lace, made with a Crafter's Companion die. This is a design that would be so easy to mass produce, and you could use any print with coordinated card stock. Yep, I'll be doing this again...

Have a great week!

God of Hope

Cards don't get much easier to make than this one -- even with the added step of framing the designer paper with a solid color of cardstock. This is more of that gorgeous paper from the Love Nicole "Aquarelle" pad. The stamp is from a set called "Gifts From Above" by Penny Black.

Short & sweet -- just like any Monday workday should be. Have a great week!

Watercolor Sympathy

Today's card features an old stand-by stamp set, "Close as a Memory" by Stampin' Up. This set is so old, it's wood-mounted! I've become so spoiled by clear stamps, I'm not used to the guessing game of stamping and hoping I've lined it up straight. But besides that, this set is a great go-to for sympathy cards, because it's kind of fool-proof with the flowers and the great sentiments.

I started with Tim Holtz's "speckled" stencil and rubbed distress oxide ink to get the random spots in the background. I also used the oxide ink to sponge around the edges. Next, I inked up the flower stamp using Tim Holtz distress markers, and spritzed the inked stamp with water before stamping it. The sentiment was stamped onto the "Classy Label" die by Verve, and popped up with dimensionals.

Here is the inside sentiment:

I love the wording of both of these sayings!

About my cardstock: Like many, my first introduction to stamping was through Stampin' Up!, back in 2001. At the time, I bought a lot of packs of their cardstock families, and inherited more when my sister retired as a demonstrator years later. Since then, SU has gone through so many "in colors" and have retired and replaced colors, but I still have my original stash. This blue cardstock is from SU, but I don't know the color, and even if I did, chances are good that it's either retired now or called something different. So please forgive me in the future for not giving the name of the color of cardstock, because frankly, other than a few of my favorite classic colors (old olive, eggplant envy, chocolate chip), the names really didn't register with me.

Have a great week!

Pretty Poppies

It's been forever since I played along with a Splitcoast sketch challenge, so I'm patting myself on the back a little, because I found this one to be kind of tough. I had several images that could take up the longish space on the left, but what would coordinate for the smaller boxes on the right?

I really wanted to use my Stampendous "Poppy Scene" stamp on the left, but adding further to my problem was that the frame around the image was irregular. My solution? Doodling!

That's right - those boxes on the right were doodled with a Micron pen. I stamped poppies from a Technique Tuesday clear set, but they didn't look right. I settled on keeping the stems from that stamp, but then re-stamping the Stampendous one, and cutting out some of the poppies to glue on top of the Techique Tuesday stems. Then I used a sentiment from Hero Arts to complete the layout.

I always like a red/white/black combination (maybe because of my love for the Detroit Red Wings?), and I think this pops. Hah! Appropriate for "Pop"pies! LOL (I crack myself up.)

Enjoy the last few days of June. See you in July! OH - And look for a big Hambo Stamps sale coming up next week! 40% discounts on everything - spread the word!

Have a great weekend!

Supplies:

Stamps - Stampendous "Poppy Scene"; Technique Tuesday "Growing Wild" set (stems); Hero Arts "Everyday Sayings"
Paper - "Garden Party" by Pebbles (DP); Stampin' Up real red cardstock
Ink - colored with Copic markers; sentiment embossed with white powder
Dies - banner from Becky Higgins set

Sunflowers

I mentioned last week that I found some great deals at Tuesday Morning; this Stampendous "Sunflower & Ladybug" stamp was one of them. The large cling stamp was $2.99, I believe. I love deals like that!
The image was water-colored with distress oxide inks, and then cropped with a Spellbinders oval die. The Hero Arts sentiment finishes it off.

Have a great week!

Rusty Rose

If you're like me, when you flip through a designer paper pad, there's usually one or two patterns that you kind of say "Aaack! What in the world will I do with THAT??" This was one of those patterns for me. While I really love almost all of the prints in Love Nicole's "Aquarelle" pad, this one was quickly skipped past. And, as has happened before, what I originally didn't like ends up being a favorite. Go figure.

The thing that originally stumped me was the color combo, I think. Powder blue, mixed with rust, mixed with purples? Oh, and some olive green for good measure. I was trying the print out with different solids, and when I hit upon this SU rust color, I liked it! Suddenly, it seemed like the color combo made sense. I added this flower from the Penny Black "Enamor" set, which I colored with Copics. This is probably the first time I've used my Copic markers in at least a couple of years, but I'm happy to say they were still mostly juicy.

I added the Hero Arts sentiment, stamped on a banner die from a Becky Higgins (American Crafts) die set found at Tuesday Morning. There are 8 really useful dies in the package, for $4.99. Score!

Since I still have time, I will enter this into Jeannie's "Rose Garden" challenge that ends this weekend. There's time for you to play along too!

Have a great weekend!

Such a Joy!

When I heard that Verve was closing, I hurriedly placed one last order before everything was gone. I was excited to get a couple more scripture sets, as well as a nice general-purpose set called "Be Kind," from which this sentiment comes. Inside, I stamped "hugs and smiles" from the same set. I won't bother linking to the set now, since it has sold out and will no longer be available.

The "Classy Label" die is also from Verve. When I stamped the sentiment, which is lined up at an angle as you see above, there was room left on the label for something else. This "Be Kind" set also included a stamp with a couple of solid flowers, so I chose it for the corner. However, the flowers didn't match exactly, so I got a purple pen and added some outlines to match the design on the patterned paper (from Love Nicole's "Blooming" 6x6 pad). I'm not sure I LOVE the result, but it DID make the flowers coordinate a little better, so I kept it. What's your vote, yes or no?

Clothed with Strength

Here is another of those easy cards where you let the pretty paper do all the work. Here, I used a floral design from the Love Nicole "Aquarelle" 6x6 pad, and stamped the Verve sentiment. This verse is included in the "Scripture Medley 4" clear set. (In real life the ink color is not purple as it appears in the photo, but rather a deep pink that matches the flowers.)

My kids get out of school today, so I while I HOPE to be clothed in strength and dignity, I will DEFINITELY be clothed in a sundress and flip flops in the near future! Have a great weekend!

Walk by Faith

Gray is my husband's favorite color. Of all of the beautiful colors in the spectrum, he chooses gray. The fact that he's an artist would make me think he might be drawn to color, but that has not been the case. Then again, given Baskin Robbins' 31 flavors, or Cook Out's 40+ milkshake flavors, he'll choose vanilla every time. So the fact that he married me ... does it mean I'm dull? Or am I a classic?? I digress...

I don't make a lot of gray cards because I DO prefer color. However, in this case, I think the gray looks elegant. It's paired with navy blue card stock to frame the DP. (Love Nicole's "Bouquet of Color") The sentiment is from Hampton Art's "Hope & Faith" set, and says "I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see. - II Corinthians 5:7."

Have a great week!

Grace

I mentioned this "Grace" verse in my last post; it is part of a Verve scripture set, and I love it!

I pretty much only make easy cards, and this one is no exception. As mentioned before, I can't add lots of layers, because with my card ministry, I will have other people mailing the cards who might not know that a thick, fussy card could require extra care or postage. I keep it easy for me and easy for whoever will end up sending this card off.

Here, I used a floral paper from Love Nicole's "Delicate Floret" 6 x 6 pad. I have a lot of the Love Nicole papers, because I live within walking distance of an AC Moore, and they always have these pads on sale.

Card ministry tip: This card, like all of the others I make, is an A2 size (4¼" x 5½"). I use this size exclusively for the card ministry because lots of times people who send cards don't know what to write inside, and thus are scared off from sending a card. For a card this size, with a scripture or simple "thinking of you/missing you" greeting stamped inside, there is only a half page or so of white space left. All you'd need to add is a sentence or two with a signature, and the inside looks full. I found through experience that this size card is sent much more readily than a regular greeting card size, which would sit on the card rack for months. These small cards are grabbed quickly, so it was easy to see that this size is preferred.

Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.

Have a Great Day!

This card uses the same "dogwood" patterned paper that I featured on my first blog card. The paper is from a 6 x 6 Love Nicole pad called "Bouquet of Color." If you add this background, plus the strip used on the other card, you will see that I got 2 cards out of just one 6 x 6  sheet of paper. I finished this super simple card with a sentiment and butterfly stamp -- both from the Penny Black clear "Enamor" set.

I might be drawn to dogwood trees, because not only is it the state tree here in Virginia (and we have 2 beautiful ones right in front of our dining room window), but I also grew up with one outside of my bedroom window in Florida. That tree had also been pretty, until I tried climbing in it one day, and split the tree in half. It was never the same after that, and something that I always regretted! Funny thing about our trees now in VA: the 2 trees grow so close together, that they appear to be just one tree. The giveaway, though, is in the spring, when they bloom different colors -- one pink and one white. It still looks like a tree that's been grafted together, but if you look closely, you can see that they have 2 trunks.

Wishing you all a great day!

Monochrome

This card was originally going to be a Mother's Day card for my mom. Problem was, while she can appreciate a hand-made card, she likes the mushy verses found inside Hallmark cards. I'm not a mushy writer, and though I attempted some nice lettering and a verse inside, and I even put the card in an envelope with a stamp on it -- I ultimately pulled it back out of the mailbox. Instead, I decided the Hallmark card was less of a gamble, so I bought and sent her one of those. (I actually sent a Hallmark birthday card instead of a Mother's Day card, because I liked the verse better.) Still, this card was salvaged. I cut the front off and mounted it on a new white card base. The monochrome look is very pretty in person.

The flowers are from a Penny Black clear set called "Enamor." It's a handy set for general purpose cards because it has several different flower stamps, a butterfly and a saying. You'll see that I used more of the stamps from this set on my next card.

Thanks for looking!

What's a Card Ministry?

I've seen a lot of posts on message boards saying "I've made these cards -- now what do I do with them?" If you are a person that only makes cards for specific occasions, then this would seem like a dumb question. But cards are often made with no special occasion, or even recipient, in mind. This could be the case for those on design teams who need to feature certain stamps or supplies as part of their requirements, or a person who loves to create, but maybe doesn't have family members who appreciate hand-made things. {Clutching my pearls!} Either case could result in a pile of cards with no intended destination.

My own card ministry serves my church, but a card ministry doesn't have to have religious implications.  The main idea is to make/provide/send cards to someone who will appreciate receiving them. It's that simple. Hospitals or rehabilitation centers are often receptive of cards for their patients -- both to receive, as well as to send out. Elderly care facilities might love donations. (The assisted-care facility where my in-laws live has a small "general store" where they sell these cards. Not only does it allow the residents to be able to find inexpensive cards to send, but the proceeds are added to a fund to buy games and things for the residents to enjoy.) Then you have the military option. While Operation Write Home is no longer collecting cards, you might find other agencies who will accept them for our troops. The main thing to keep in mind if you wish to donate cards is to keep your target audience in mind, and only send cards that would be appropriate for those recipients.  When in doubt, ask a representative of the organization or facility for guidelines as to what would work best.

My card-making tip for today is: when you have beautiful paper, don't fight it and don't cover it up! Such is the case for this water-colored design. It is so pretty that I hate to even use it! I would love to just put it in a frame on the wall so that I could admire it every day; luckily, this comes from a pack ("Aquarelle" by Love Nicole) that has more than one sheet of each design, so I have some to share. ;) I used the white space of the design for my scripture, which is from the Penny Black set "All Great Things." This set has scriptures in large sizes that are also great for making bookmarks. Though super simple to make, I'm quite satisfied with the end result of this one-layer card, and know it will be a hit (= immediately selected) in the card rack at church!

Hello, and Welcome!

(Click for a larger photo)

Hello! It has been YEARS since I've had a blog, perhaps because I eventually ran out of things to say. Well, that's not really true, but things certainly changed in my life when I decided to put my stamp business, Hambo Stamps, on the back burner and focus more on my family. My stamp biz was taking over the house, right at a time when my kids were entering their teenage years, and needing more space. So while I didn't close my business completely, I DID quit promoting it, and spent my energy instead on my kids, a partial house renovation, and eventually -- as I began to itch to stamp again after taking so much time off -- the creation of a card ministry for my church.

I've been leading out in this card ministry for a few years now, and as my profile on the right says, I learned some things in the process. My hope is that the things I have learned will benefit others who might be doing a card ministry themselves, or wanting to start one. No sense re-inventing the wheel, right? Let my experience help you sidestep the potholes that I fell in, and one-up my successes.

I will share some cards with you along the way so you'll have something to look at instead of/in addition to reading my ramblings. You'll note that my card style is CAS (clean and simple) for the most part, which actually works quite well for card ministry, because you'll want those cards to fit in an envelope and be sent at regular postage rates!

Today's card has layers though, and was made with a GORGEOUS designer paper that was included in the spring edition (Apr/May/Jun 2018) Stampers' Sampler magazine. It is called "Budding Thoughts" by Eirene Nguyen. This was the background paper for my card. I had a piece of scrap paper with what looks to me like dogwood blooms, which I coordinated with the background. The papers were so pretty, I didn't want to cover them up, so I used a vellum tag with a Hero Arts "Hello" die and a rose gold brad. The brad will cause a small bump in the envelope, but it shouldn't cause any mailing problems.

I hope you'll check back in from time to time, and be sure to let me know if you have any specific questions about card ministries that I might be able to answer by email or in a later post. I'm not claiming to be an EXPERT, but hopefully the experience that I DO have will help!