For Sharron...

Hello, friends.  It’s been a while.  But I couldn’t miss the opportunity to honor a beautiful soul.  Today, my friends from the 12 Kits of Occasions are doing a special blog hop in tribute to Sharron Gregory, our sweet, sweet friend who passed away suddenly a few weeks ago.  Sharron was as kind as they come.  Always encouraging, uplifting, supporting.  She was quick to help and had a softness and sincerity about her that I much admired.  

How do you make a card fitting to honor such a wonderful lady?  As I try to always do when I make a card of such importance, I started with a prayer.  Next, I headed to Sharron’s blog, On Papillon Wings.  I chose to use her blog header (grey with orange butterflies) as my inspiration.  I used The Stamp Market’s Papillon stamp set as an added nod to the blog name.

While visiting her blog, I noticed that Sharron’s very last card she made (even when she wasn’t feeling great) was to lift a friend.  I think that perfectly shows her character, serving and loving others right to the very end.  And so I wanted to follow her example and made this card with a specific friend in mind.  

My last bit of inspiration came from one of Sharron’s past kits that she mailed to us.  I still had a few of the papers, so I pulled them out.  After all these years of many kits, I’ve never forgotten that these particular papers came from Sharron.  They were gentle, soft colors with music notes…perhaps the song of a bird because I know she enjoyed birds.  You can see them on the leaves tucked behind the butterfly.

If you have some time, please take a moment to visit my friends’ blogs (start HERE), to share in our memories and love for Sharron.  She is sorely missed.  Her family is still in my prayers, and I pray that peace may rest upon us all.  Have a blessed day!

12 Kits of Occasions - THE FINALE

Hello, friends!  The end of the month (and year! Can you believe it?!) is upon us, which means I get to share with you my projects for The 12 Kits of Occasions. When I received Marcia's fabulous kit in the mail I thought it was the most brilliant December kit ever and immediately wanted to sit down to create with it.  I LOVED her "Tags of Christmas" theme!  Making homemade tags is my favorite Christmas craft.  I know for many of you Christmas has passed, but I hope that my projects can still bring a smile and maybe even inspire you for some upcoming Valentine tags. :)

Marcia made everything so easy, and these tags came together in a snap.  I'll just let the photos do the talking. (If you are wondering about supplies, you can find all the details on her kit HERE.)

I made 5 tags and had LOTS of leftovers, but I wasn't sure if I'd have any more time to create.  Happily, I did, so here are a few bonus projects.  I made a couple cards for good measure.

PS The darling peppermint fillers in my shaker card were one of my very favorite items in the kit.

And one last tag to add to the bunch.

 And I know I say this every time, but seeing them all together is my favorite...

Normally the end of the month is something I look forward to, but this month I've been wishing would not come to an end.  You see not quite 6 years ago I was asked to guest design on The 12 Kits of Occasions blog.  And then the next month I won the chance to design again.  And then I was shocked and thrilled a couple months later to be asked to join full time.  My teammates have become dear friends, and I have loved receiving these kits and creating with them each month.  But more than that I have loved and been so blessed by the friendship and love and support I have received from this special group of friends.  I wish I had the words to express how deeply grateful I am for them, but no matter what I say, it could never be enough.  I suppose you can see where this is going...my heart is so heavy as I write...but in the last 5 1/2 years we have gone from a family of 3 to a family of 5, and I just can't keep up.  I've been selfishly hanging on, but I know it's time.  And so today is my last official post as a member of the 12 Kits of Occasions.  It's been a joy! 

One more tag...

Hi!  Back in November I shared a couple tags I had created for the 25 Days of Christmas Tags here.  Well, I love creating ornaments for my kiddos and my nieces, so I decided to I needed to make another one. 

My super sweet friend Lisa even sent me a cute stamped image from Pretty Pink Posh's Winter Wonderland, so I could have a cohesive set.

My sister started turning the tags I made for them into ornaments for the kids' tree after the packages were open.  We do it now, too.  Here is the set all together.  

 I hope you are having a blessed weekend.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

12 Kits of Occasions: All Is Calm, All Is Bright

Hello!  I'm thrilled to share my projects for the 12 Kits of Occasions today.  This month I am the hostess and got to create the kits for my friends.  I knew what I wanted to do right away, but admittedly I struggled lots while creating the kit.  Here's why: I was trying to portray something close to my heart.  As I explained on the 12 Kits Blog, this kit represents what brings so much peace and happiness in my life - the beauty of nature and more importantly the Lord Jesus Christ.  When I focus on these things, truly all is calm and all is bright.  And so I love the Christmas season, this beautiful time of year when we all strive to focus on what is good in the world, when joy abounds, and when hearts are full of giving.  And I hope that somehow you feel all of that as the 12 Kits team shares their creations today.

I've long loved Neat & Tangled's So Foxy stamp set and have big plans for lots of Christmas tags with it, but today he is the darling star of my first card.  This card features so many things I love: Festive Florals from Lil' Inker Designs, Snowflake Die from The Stamp Market, and Sentimental: Winter from Winnie & Walter.  From here on out I kind of created the cards in sets.

I love so many of the background stamps from The Stamp Market, so I used them to create patterned papers for the kit.  These cards feature Jumbo Plaid (my favorite background stamp!) and Diamond Design. 

Don't you just love hand lettering?  This Merry Christmas Greeting from My Favorite Things is another favorite of mine.

This tag is so simple, but it was one of my happiest discoveries from the kit.  The background die is from PTI's Scene It: Bethlehem with the Christmas star, but I found that if  it is tilted just the right way, it makes it look like the tree (from PTI's Tinsel & Tags kit) is lit up and glowing.  The image of a peaceful, clear night, the world covered with freshly fallen snow and the single glow from a Christmas tree brought me so much happiness.

I purposely created the kit with a very neutral color palette.  I wanted it simple, but I added just a few touches of metallics that I think are so fun.

This card features more beautiful lettering.  This time from MFT's Hand Lettered Christmas.  The greenery comes from Concord & 9th's Just Because dies and in case you are wondering, I would love an ornament just like this on my tree. :)

 Another simple card, but I think the Stemmed Leaves from The Stamp Market are so pretty.  I added a few gold jewels from Pretty Pink Posh (thank you, Jeanne!).

Concord & 9th's Ornamental die is huge, so it really felt like I was creating an ornament for the tree with this project.  I wanted C9's Merry Die to stand out, so I tucked PTI's rustic wreath die behind the vellum.  I almost didn't include the patterned vellum in the kit, but I adore the softness it adds to this ornament tag. (It's much prettier in person.)

Honestly, it doesn't get any simpler than this, but I gotta say...this next card makes me smile big.  The Stamp Market's Skinny Upper Alpha paired quite nicely with PTI's Wet Paint: Holiday stamp set.

And for the the finale, a favorite message.  I used some oldie but goody products on this one - Papertrey's O Holy Night stamp set and Sketched Stars dies.

I have more to share in the coming days...sick kiddos didn't allow for me to finish up a few of my projects using some of my very favorite critters and elements in the kit. But regardless, this pile makes me so very happy...

Thanks so much for sharing some of your time with me today!  And please do stop by the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog to see what my teammates have created.  They are one talented bunch, and I sure do love them!  Have a blessed weekend!
PS I think I mentioned most everything I used today, but you can find a full list of all the supplies I included in my kit here.

25 Days of Christmas Tags

Good morning!  To say I am happy to be participating in the 25 Days of Christmas Tags event today would be an understatement.  I adore this event!  Truly.  So much inspiration...so much fun...so many generous sponsors...so many prizes to be won! 

And I couldn't be happier to featuring products from Pretty Pink Posh.  I've been a long time fan and follower of Paulina.  I still remember the days of the "10 minute Craft Dash" fondly.  It was one of my favorite challenges ever.  But I digress...

Back to today's projects!  When I first started thinking of my tags I had a plan right away.  Two months later when I actually sat down to create them, I still had the same plan in mind.  And then, I saw these cute kiddos from Pretty Pink Posh's School Friends out of the corner of my eye, and I instantly switched gears.  As I looked at them I realized they easily could be kiddos in Christmas jammies holding gifts, and the rest is history. :)

After coloring Christmas jammies and mittens, I used a fine point sharpie to add a bow on the "package" to make it look like a gift.  The Scallop Diamond Tag was the perfect size backdrop.  I used a craft knife to slice out a diamond in the center of the die cut and backed it with this cute buffalo plaid.  I decided to personalize these tags, and it just so happened that Pretty Pink Posh's Thoughtful Greetings stamp set had all the letters I needed. I masked and selectively inked the letters to build the name using the MISTI.  It was surprisingly easy to do.

My second tag is basically the same but just fancied up a bit to reflect my daughter's personality more. (I imagined little elf jammies as I colored this one.) Pretty Pink Posh's Decorative Tag 1 is cut in gold glittered cardstock with the center removed, and then I used scripty letters from Thoughtful Greetings and School Friends to create the name.  I added a few of Pretty Pink Posh's Raspberry Jewels to accessorize her hair.  It's such a small detail, but it's one of my favorite parts.

I can't help but smile when I see these tags.  I had a blast creating them.  I just need to make one more for my littlest one.  Many thanks to Tracey for letting me join the fun! 

Make sure you head to Tracey's blog for oodles of inspiration and to join in creating some tags for the 25 Days of Christmas Tags Event.  Fingers crossed you win one of the fabulous prizes. :)