Some things I've worked on lately...

I'll admit, I'm still not very good with keeping up with my blog.  That does not mean that I'm not crafting!  I've actually been pretty busy in my scrap room the past couple of weeks.  I don't know about you, but I find it very therapuetic.

This first card is a birthday card I made for a co-worker.  I'm not sure what company makes that paper, but the green dot paper is the backside of the hat paper.  I used CTMH stamps for the focal point and the brads are from my stash.  The card base is CTMH cardstock in "Moonstruck".

The next 3 pictures are of another birthday card I made for a co-worker.  I used paper from CTMH's Topstitch papers.  I also used ric rac in blush.  I embossed the blush piece of paper with a cuttlebug folder and highlighted some of the detail with itty bitty sparkles.

This stamp on the inside is from PaperTrey Ink.  I love their signature series stamps!

My recent OBSESSION are pinwheels.  I love making them, I love how simple they are and I love how simple and clean the cards turn out.  I have some finished cards I'll post soon...but here are some of the pinwheels finished, just waiting for a card to be attached to!  There are a variety of papers used here...Basic Grey (Lime Rickey & another one I'm not sure of the paper line), CTMH, DCWV.  For the centers we used big brads, paper flowers or buttons w/floss.

This is a card that my sister finished with a pinwheel I had made a little while ago.  The pinwheel paper is from the Sweetheart paper pack from CTMH.  She scalloped the bottom edge of the card with a Fiskars edge punch.

The next card is yet another birthday card for a co-worker.  The papers used are from the Fanfare paper pack from CTMH.  The party hat is shadowed with glitter paper from DCWV.  I used a cuttlebug embossing folder and then inked over it.  This is a 5x7 card.

This card is a 5.5 square card.  The card base is DCWV, the rest of the paper is from the Mistletoe paper pack from CTMH, as well as the poinsietta embellishment.  I love this quilt block pattern.  I think I will make some more of these for my personal Christmas cards this year. :)

These next two cards are Thank You cards made with the Bliss paper pack from CTMH.  The flowers are Prima.  The cards have the same pattern, just rotated...however, the 2nd card should have the scallop on the bottom, but I wasn't paying attention and realized after I glued all the paper down that the fold of the card was on the wrong side!!  Oops!  I still think it's OK.



We Are So Blessed...

I continue to be surprised (although I know I shouldn't be) at all the amazing things God is doing in our family.  I KNOW that He will not give us more than we can handle.  Since my dad's passing, although we are saddened, grieving, and feeling empty...God is providing for us on different levels every day. 

It is a blessing to me to see the outpouring of love from the many he ministered to during his life of service to the Lord. 

It is a blessing to me that people near and far, those who are close to our family and those who don't know us too well, have reached out to us to give support in various ways. 

It is a blessing to me that although we had doubts in the past about how mom would be taken care of should dad die first, his phrase "trust your father" has never been more true.  I often wonder now if that phrase had two meanings...I see now what he meant.

It is a blessing to me that my mom has been able to stay strong, in the moment and that she understands she can rely on her children to help carry her and help navigate all the new normals we all face. 

It is a blessing to me that we can talk about my dad with laughter and happy memories, not just dwell on our sadness.

It is a blessing that through his passing, doors for conversations with the young ones in our family have been opened.  I think it's important for the small ones to see how we grieve and to be able to share their grief in their own way.

Camp 2010 - Saba, Tyler, Branden & Gracellyn



It is a blessing to me that I had the dad I did...even if I didn't always show it when he was here on this Earth.

Morning my morning new mercies I see.  We are SO blessed.