Pink Persimmon

Quick Thank You Notes

Now that Christmas is over, I'll bet you have a few thank you notes that need to be sent.  I know we do!  I wanted to whip up some quick cards for the kids to use and found the "thank you" flower stamp from the Flower Greetings set would be perfect for this project. 

The simplest card uses white cardstock, ink and a stamp.  Easy peasy, right?  My secret is the acrylic block with a grid line that helps me line up the stamp image to create a background pattern.  I placed the stamp on the block, lining up the image with the cross hair on the block (see photos below).
Now stamp in the lower right corner with an accent color.  The placement of this image doesn't have to be exact, you'll line up all the others around this one. 
 
Pick another color for the background and begin stamping around your accent image. 

Move to the left and use the grid to line up the bottom edge with the image on your right.  Complete that row and then move up to the next row. 

I used the grid line to line up the image with the top of the row beneath and vertical line in between each image, so my two rows would be evenly off-set. 

Don't forget to put a masking paper on the folding edge of your card if you don't want your stamp image to continue on the back of the card.  

Super easy card, one you can make multiples of quickly once you have the format set up. 

But what if that is just a bit too plain?  Here's a couple of variations with the same stamp set.

Grab an embroidery needle, embroidery thread, some ribbon and a butterfly punch.  Use your paper piercer to create the holes for some hand embroidery on the card.  Don't forget to put a piece of foam behind your card as you are poking the holes. 

Punch holes from the butterfly with a curving trail like the butterfly has just taken flight. 

Use the embroidery thread to do a running stitch.  Add some coordinating ribbon and the punched butterfly.  I punched the butterfly in two colors (the pink and orange) and layered them.  Only took a few minutes to do the embroidery, but adds a nice handmade touch to the card. 

Here's another version with some paper layers with the ribbon. 

I like to cut out stamp images, then layer with pop-dots.  This takes a bit more time and patience, but makes a great bouquet of "Thank You" flowers on this card. 

Use two different thicknesses of the pop-dots (or stack two together) to created the layers for the flowers.

One stamp set, and a few simple supplies = Quick and easy thank you notes. 

 

Holiday Party for a special friend

This weekend I had the honor of hosting a Birthday Party for my dear friend Jane.  We are neighbors and close friends, our children have "refrigerator rights" at both homes as they travel back and forth from each house.  Originally from Ireland, Jane has enriched my life with many hours spent over a cup of tea talking about our kids, her life as a drama teacher at the local high school, the latest wee bit of neighborhood gossip and some political discussions as well, all with the plan of solving the worlds problems.  We'll let you know when we have a solution. ;-)

The party was great because I was able to get the dining room ready a full week before Christmas and I had to share what I added to each chair as a holiday decoration. 

Not the clearest picture, but I used the Big Banner with Rosettes stamp on vintage music paper and then cut each one out.  I glued the music paper to cardstock first to give it a bit of weight, using the Claudine Helmuth Studio's multi-medium.  Highly recommend the multi-medium (I like the matte finish) for all kinds of projects.  It glues paper beautifully, curling a bit for a short time and gradually settling back flat as it dries, with no bubbles.  I added these cute little circles from a Making Memories "Mistletoe" paper pad with pop-dots and attached each banner to the back of the chair (my favorite is the one that says "Naughty or Nice?") Some greenery from the redwood tree in our backyard and red ribbon to tie it all together. 

My dining room is tiny, but add a little holiday decor and you have a very cozy, and fun place for a dinner party. 

Here's Jane and friends with her birthday cake.  Happy Birthday Jane! 

Copy Cat Christmas Card

I have been secretly stalking another blogger (just kidding, but I am following her blog) and she does these amazing layouts with hand stitching.  Her name is Kinsey Wilson and you can see her blog here.  Her layouts don't have just a little hand stiching, but ALL OVER the layout.  I don't know where she finds the time, but they are beautiful and she is cranking them out almost every day.   She even sells her stitching templates in her Etsy Store.  So creative. 

The other day, Kinsey posted a template for a Christmas card using circles to create a tree.  I was thinking about how many of our stamp sets have  circles that I could use to make my own tree!  So here's my "copy cat" result, using the circles from Banner with Rosettes, You're a Jewel, and Cute as a Button stamp sets.  The base of the tree is the sentiment from Cathe Holden's new stamp set Holly & Mistletoe.   

I don't think I would want to make these for all my handmade cards (that's a lot of circles to hand cut), but is fun to make for a few special gifts. 

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So I procrastinate on laundry as much as I possibly can, but when I left the laundry basket in the living room with a blanket inside that needed washing, look who moved in:

This is our dog, Cricket, who is always looking for a soft spot to curl up.  If only she would help with the sorting and folding...