With a Stamp and a Song

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Hi y'all! Happy Holy Week, and Happy Easter!

My card for today represents a journey! It might even be called a pilgrimage of a sort.

A pilgrimage is a purposeful, often spiritual, journey to a sacred place or shrine, undertaken for devotion, penance, or personal transformation. It signifies a deep, respectful visit to a meaningful site—either religious or secular—representing a break from daily life to seek profound meaning.

I'll share the card first and then you can scroll further to read more about the inspiration for it. You'll see why, when I sat down to stamp, I was immediately drawn to these beautiful greens! Definitely a case of one craft influencing another! If you're here for only card-making, you can check out the card and then skip the rest.

While the colors were inspired by Iona Abbey and my freshly finished hand-spun yarn, the verse on the front was why I chose to make another gate-fold card. He is The Way. The Shepherd sits at the gate and His sheep know His voice.

I used beautiful papers in various shades of green from three different Craft Consortium paper pads for this project.

I also used verses from our Good News series (product of the week) and the Eucalyptus leaves from one of our sympathy sets. If you look closely, you'll also notice a tiny bit of gold heat embossing on the top left of the inside.

Here's a close-up of the verse at the bottom right corner of the inside.

Stamp Simply

Tomorrow (Easter Sunday) there'll be a new product of the week, which means that TODAY is the LAST DAY for a discount on the Good News series!

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - The Good News Bundle
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Eucalyptus Silhouettes Bundle
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Jesus
Craft Consortium Beach Hut 6x6
Craft Consortium Ink Drops Organic 6x6
Craft Consortium Over the Rainbow 6x6
Gems
Seam Binding Sampler - Rich Pastels - 40 yards
Petaloo Botanica Sugared Minis - Gold Sienna
Brilliance Pigment Ink - Graphite Black
Versamark ink
gold embossing powder
tulle
metallic gold cord
various distress oxide inks

Two years ago I took my first tour of Scotland and one of our stops along the way was the Abbey of Iona. Upon my return I purchased some spinning fiber inspired by the lichen-covered stone of the Abbey. (The fiber was prepared by the Green Orthodox nuns of Inglenook Fibers. Steffie, one of the Inglenook nuns, had also taken a trip to Iona at around the same time I had, and had come back with a collection of gorgeous photos that inspired several color ways).

Here is the Inglenook fiber in the Iona Abbey color way, and Steffie's photo that inspired it.

The next year I took another Scotland tour and took my spindle and Iona Abbey fiber with me.

I continued to spin throughout that trip, and after returning home. It took me months to leisurely spindle through all those little tufts of fluff. I started September 28, 2025 and finished just last week, March 27, 2026. You can probably imagine that spinning, especially spindling, is quite calming, soothing, and meditative (revisit that Pilgrimage definition!). It is a really wonderful prelude to other "slow stitching" crafts. I love it so much! The colors and textures really speak to me.

In the end, when I lined them up in pairs in gradient color order, all those little turtles looked like little Brussels sprouts waiting to be roasted. LOL!

I joined them end to end and wound them into a two-ply plying ball.

I plied them on one of my spinning wheels and this is the resulting skein, ~ 700 yards of sport-weight yarn. (So think about that...1400 yards of spinning singles and then another pass through for 700 yards of plying). Once it is plied, it is soaked and then hung to dry to set the twist.

I was very excited to have finished this very sentimental spin, and immediately went searching for an appropriate pattern for the yarn even though I really already have too many projects on my needles. I couldn't help it, I couldn't wait to make something with it!

I'm so excited to see how the stitches will play out in this tweedy yarn, and to watch the gradient develop as this shawl becomes larger. So far, I really love it. This is a mystery knit, so the pattern is released in a series of clues. I'm currently working on Clue 4 of 7 (the last clue will arrive on April 25th). This next section is a bit of chevron lace.

I am so happy that I have several more Scotland-inspired Inglenook color ways to spin. I will meditate my way through the series, savoring every second of this silky fiber as it slides through my fingers and winds its way onto my spindles. Who knows...maybe you'll see another spinning inspired project or two as time goes on!

Next up: Iona Golden Sunrise!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and a very blessed and happy Easter!

With Sincere Condolences

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

It seems as we get older, we need sympathy cards more and more frequently. On this particular occasion I wanted a simple card with understated elegance, with scriptural references and Christian symbolism. The card measures a standard 4.25 x 5.5 but with the score lines offset so that when closed the edges meet slightly off-center.

This photo of the belly band captures the colors of this project a little more accurately. There's a peek of beautiful Grunge Light designer paper from underneath a die cut quatrefoil pattern that reminds me of stained/leaded glass, topped with our layered cross dies and accented with pearls.

Here's the inside, with the belly band along side. Every time I see this sentiment, it always reminds me of the hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." I hope it brings comfort for this family in the loss of their beloved brother/husband/father/uncle/grandfather.

Supplies:

Here's a reminder of this week's product of the week!

Stamp Simply

Blessed are the Peacemakers

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome, friends!

Today's Stamp Simply project brings together a couple of paper pads and a couple of stamp sets for a quick and easy vintage style card. I've used this particular plaid for several masculine cards...it is one of my favorites in a collection that is largely Christmas themed.

The Vintage Emporium paper pad has a few sheets featuring sepia photographs. I'm no historian but I believe they range from the Victorian era through maybe the 1920s (?!). They sorta remind me of a photo I've seen of my dad when he was around three years old (late 1920s), so I wanted to use one. That's what prompted the use of this particular verse.

So here's one of those photos alongside another sentiment from the same stamp set, with some random partial stamping using the "Love is patient..." verse from one of our background mini stamps. I think this combination of verses works very well together, making a nice card for anyone in a leadership role...first responders/police, military, government service, etc. I'm praying for all of the folks in those roles.

Supplies:

Stamp Simply

Easter Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Hello again!

If you're like I am, your projects are most often fairly fast and easy, often even clean and simple, but every once in a while it just feels right to make some extra effort to make something a bit more special. Today's card is one of those projects. It is a little bit fussy to put together but imho, the end result is worth it.

The card begins with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch piece of card stock scored at 2 1/8 (yay for using some paper scraps!). When I made my card I mistakenly thought that I could glue the mat and designer paper layers onto the card base and then cut through the entire thing with one pass of the circle die. WRONG! So I will advise you to do as I say and not as I did! Carefully measure and die cut the separate pieces before glueing them together. While you do need to accurately measure so that everything will align properly, doing it this way should be much easier and neater in the long run!

One more word of wisdom! It would be a good idea to use heavier card stock or even cut and glue an additional layer for the gold "frame" and for the flowers to give them extra strength. That will help prevent bending when this uniquely shaped card is opened/closed.

I mentioned that I wrestled with cutting through all those layers! The inside edges on mine looked a little ragged, so I found a way to neaten them and make them a little more presentable. I really love how green and full of life this designer paper makes this card feel! I also enjoy putting that little trio of pearls onto the card front...threes are repeated here in a couple of places and it feels so right to include a little symbol of the Trinity on an Easter card. ❤️❤️❤️

If you have been visiting my blog for a while, you might know that this is one of my favorite Stamp Simply stamp sets! One of the reasons I wanted to make this card with this stamp set was because the graceful curve of the daffodil stems looks so lovely against the edge of this card's circular window.

Stamp Simply

For God so loved the World

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hi y'all! Hope you're having a great week!

The days are getting longer, and hopefully even in places other than Florida there are a few signs that Spring is on its way, or at least just around the corner. It's the time of year when people of faith turn their hearts toward God and celebrate His greatest gift.

Those ideas came together for a (masculine?) card for this week's Stamp Simply project. I love this Vintage Emporium paper and the way it lends itself to this particular scripture. Thumbing through paper pads and die cuts, this is what came to mind. The tree line is cut from a scrap of a print from the Grunge Light paper pad which had colors that echo those in the Vintage Emporium map.

Here's the inside. From this angle the sentiment seems quite camouflaged because this print is definitely "grungy" but the sentiment is easier to see IRL.

I love it because it feels so earthy and garden-ish which is the way Florida feels these last few weeks.

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Salvation
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Farmhouse Pierced Nested Hearts
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Country Church
Craft Consortium Vintage Emporium 6x6
Craft Consortium Grunge Light 6x6
Gems
distress oxide inks
white acrylic paint "snow"

Stamp Simply

Fresh Springtime Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hello friends!

I hope you're having a great week! We have been having some yo-yo weather down here in Florida! Spring is trying to make an appearance (the redbuds have blossomed, the azaleas are blooming) but we have had several overnights in the low 30s recently. So crazy!

I've been spinning lots of undyed fiber/fleece lately, alongside a couple of colorful spins. You can sorta see where my color inspiration for card-making has come from lately. (These "turtles" from one of those spins were spun leisurely over a span of six months, and recently completed! Now I'm spinning the undyed fiber as a plying partner, so it will still be a while yet before the actual two-ply yarn will be finished).

This project includes some of those lovely pinks, corals, purples and blues. I so LOVE gingham and dotted Swiss!

These little scraps of paper were from a 6 x 6 paper pad that had a hole to accommodate hanging from a pegboard display. Rather than trimming them into even smaller pieces to avoid those holes, I decided to just make that a focal point and stick a couple of jewels in there!

I love mixing and matching designer papers and found a print that had all those lovely Spring colors to go along with the floral. A bit of spattering with white acrylic paint added some interest and tied all the designs together.

One of the stamp sets I used (for the sentiment inside) is a set that is currently on sale as part of our ongoing Product of the Week series. This particular one goes through the end of February.

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Typewritten Year Round Greetings
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - All Occasion Sentiments Set 1
Echo Park My Favorite Spring 6x6
Craft Consortium Ink Drops Candy 6x6
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Farmhouse Signage (tiny heart)
Spellbinders - Labels 59
Kaisercraft Mini Paper Blooms - Fairy Floss
Dotted ribbon
Distress oxide ink
diluted white acrylic paint for spatters

Easter is Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hi friends! With Mardi Gras now behind us it is time to get serious about Spring and Easter! Memories of Easter always include lots of ruffly pink, pretty lace, white lacy gloves and something sparkly! Mom always wore a corsage (usually an orchid) and all the ladies wore hats to church on Easter Sunday! The sanctuary was always filled with lilies.

Of course, the kids were always much more concerned with whether or not the Easter bunny had made an appearance the night before and what candies and chocolates were in their Easter baskets when they woke up. And usually there was an Easter egg hunt!

As an adult I've attended lots of sunrise services, but in childhood we typically went for 930 Sunday school and then 1100 services. Then we'd go home and have a big Easter lunch with ham, potato salad, Spring vegetables and deviled eggs, with chocolate candy for dessert!

All these happy memories are what I tried to capture on today's project!

Here's the inside. I wanted this simple, rustic cross to take center stage so I used beautiful sunrise colors alongside a quatrefoil-style print that makes me think of stained glass.

The tab needed to be quite narrow to remain invisible. I die cut two layers of heavier card stock and glued them together for the cross to make it nice and sturdy.

Supplies:

Don't forget to check out our product of the week!

Stamp Simply

Happy Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hello again! I hope you're having a great week! We have been enjoying watching the Olympics and pulling for Team USA.

I even knitted Patrick the opening ceremonies hat that he requested! I was really excited that I finished it in time for him to wear it during our recent cold snap!

I remember sitting and watching the Winter Olympics "nap-trapped" with Matthew when he was a brand new baby! I thought that was a sweet memory to capture in his birthday card for this year since once again it is time for the Winter games.

I used Spellbinders circle dies to cut a window into the card front, then built a scene with our tree line and slopes dies that are part of the Church die set. There's only a small peek through the front but the full scene is visible once the card is opened.

I love this pretty designer paper for a wintry blue sky. It's so much fun to fully personalize a card this way.

Supplies:

There is still (at the time of this post publishing) a little time left for our Valentine's Day sale! I hope you have a lovely Valentine's Day and a wonderful week!

Stamp Simply

Farmhouse Mercies

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hello friends! I hope you are doing well! We are gradually returning to normal after having each had the flu for a couple of weeks. It has been rampant in our area so I suppose it was really only a matter of time. So thankful to be feeling better.

For us, the flu has been such a small thing on the comparative scale of things that some of our friends are currently dealing with. One of those friends is in the hospital after having had a neurological event. Thankfully her condition is gradually improving. She is a farmer/shepherdess so I thought a card using our Farmhouse Series might cheer her up. I had a lot of fun choosing papers, stamping and die-cutting farm animals and finding the perfect sentiments to go with it all.

Since she is a shepherdess (I have purchased a gorgeous fleece from her!) I thought I should include a paper sheep on her card! I used a combination of punches and dies to come up with this little cutie!

Here's a closer look. The body is a scalloped circle, the face and ears are small and larger ovals cut in half. The "topknot" is several clouds and a tiny flower topped by a silk ribbon. The legs and hooves are fishtail banner dies. All super easy to die cut and layer together. For eyes, I used a stylus to dot a couple of white acrylic paint dots. I opted not to add ink dot pupils but it would not be hard to do.

You might prefer not to have a sheep inside your version, and it looks perfectly fine without it!

Supplies:

For the sheep:

Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners (legs and hooves)
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Country Church (clouds for sheep's topknot)
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Welcome Baby Basics (flowers also for topknot)
scalloped circle die (body)
ovals dies (cut in half for face, ears)
white acrylic paint for eyes

Y'all know that I love to mix and match paper pads! Now is a good time to stock up!

Stamp Simply

Happy (Yooper) Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Today is my father-in-law's 95th birthday! Although he and my MIL winter in Arizona, they are originally from the U.P. of Michigan, so Stamp Simply's Michigan themed sets are really popular for cards for our extended family members.

I just recently added the lower peninsula set to my collection and thought it would be fun to use the two together to make a card for him.

And here is the U.P. I paired the Michigan sets with a set/sentiment from our birthday collection which just happens to be on sale this week! :) Keep scrolling for more info!

And here's the inside. We spend a lot of time out on the lakes fishing when we visit up there, so this is just perfect!

Here's a closer view! I hope you can see the sparkle!

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Yooper) Bu...
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Lower Peninsula of Michigan TRIO
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Birthday Blessings
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
Craft Consortium Ombre 6x6
Memento ink
Copic markers
clear Wink of Stella glitter pen

John 3:16

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone! An order of stamps, dies and papers arrived from Stamp Simply yesterday, and after a quick flip through of this paper pad, the idea for this combination of designer print and scripture came to mind. At first I had planned to cover most of the map with vellum and stamp the scripture on the sheer top layer, but the text didn't show well enough that way, so the plan evolved to this framed version.

This pretty Spellbinders Label 59 die has a very detailed coordinating die set, but I opted to keep this project really clean and simple.

It seemed appropriate to use a piece of Ink Drops Earth for the inside.

Just out of curiosity, I decided to experiment with adhering the vellum to the underlying layers on the inside. Rather than covering the edges with a frame as I'd done on the front, for the inside sentiment I adhered the vellum to a same-sized piece of ivory card stock using a very thin line of Mono Multi glue along the edges and then added that to a larger piece of blue card stock.

While I was pleasantly surprised that the glue didn't show, the edges were a little gummy and sticky so I still prefer the cleaner, more elegant look of the frame on the front. (I'll add one to the inside too if I can find another bit of blue card stock...no luck so far! I might have already used the last!)

Supplies:

He First Loved Us

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hi y'all! I realized as I sat down to type today's post that Valentine's Day is only one month away! I know that it is traditionally celebrated as a romantic holiday but I have always thought of it as an extra opportunity to express my love not just for my husband but for my family and friends as well. While I've used a romantic rosy red here, this card would really work in just about any color, and with Craft Consortium's Ink Drops series there are a lot of choices!

This was a really quick one to put together because there is not much stamping. It took several passes with the fishtail banner die through the die cutter, then I stacked them all, sliced them into three pieces (keep them in order if you care about the print aligning!) and then glued them onto a rectangle of card stock. Two of the three portions go on the card front.

The sentiment was stamped in the space in between.

The remaining small square third portion is on the inside.

Supplies:

Love Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone! With the Christmas and New Year holidays behind us and the Mardi Gras season firmly under way, it's time to turn our eyes toward the Spring holidays! I'm here today with a romantic love letter for Valentine's Day. Cards like this make me smile because as a back-in-the-days-before-email Navy wife, my husband and I have written and received many old-fashioned real paper love letters from each other over the years. Those six month deployments sure felt like they lasted forever!

Today's card is a combination of one stamp set, two paper pads, scraps of metallic paper and several die sets. So easy and so much fun to put together!

A very frilly bow of white tulle holds the "keys to my heart" (keys - Man of Knowledge dies set; heart - Farmhouse Hearts dies set) and slightly obscures the "zip code" (our wedding year) which is adhered to a "stamped" envelope of love letters (Tim Holtz Postales die set).

The sentiment on the inside is another from the same Farmhouse Simple Sentiments set.

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Farmhouse Simple Sentiments
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - A Man of Knowledge Books (key dies)
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Farmhouse Pierced Nested Hearts
Sizzix Thinlits Dies by Tim Holtz - Postale
Echo Park Love Notes 6x6
Craft Consortium Grunge Light 6x6
Luxury Pearlescent Metallic 105# Cardstock - Silver 6 ct
white tulle
various distress oxide inks
button from stash

Celebrate!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Welcome to all of you, and welcome 2026!

I'm here with a clean and simple "Celebrate" card that might be for the New Year, or maybe to celebrate longer daylight, or it could even be for Easter! It was inspired by all the Narcissus bulbs (and amaryllis too!) that I've been seeing for sale at the garden center lately. Have you ever "forced" bulbs to bloom inside during the Winter? I used to force paper white narcissus almost every year, but I haven't done it in quite a while. It's not too late, maybe I need to try it again! It is a great reminder that Solstice is behind us, the days are getting longer already and Spring is indeed coming!

It is hard to capture pale colors and sparkle on camera even inside a light box, but hopefully you can kinda see the pale blues, blue-greens and yellow-greens on the flower petals and the clear Wink of Stella sparkle that I layered on top of the Copics. I used a gold metallic jelly roll marker to color the tips of the stamen. Sometimes it seems like the flowers in real life almost look like spun sugar, and that is what that sparkle reminds me of, even on paper.

The card's inside is super simple. Do you do a word focus for the year? Maybe this should be mine.

My wish is that this new year will be filled with hope, warmth, love, health and happiness for everyone. Blessings to you and yours!

Supplies:

Year End Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Hi friends! It's our Stamp Simply design team custom to post our favorites at the end of the year. I always find it so difficult to narrow it down to only 8 or 9 cards because there's almost always something that I love about each and every card that I've made.

I've posted a photo of each card with a link below it. If you click on the link a new page will open to the original blog post for that card so that you can see the supplies/techniques that were used to make it. Simply close that window to come back to this page.

With Heartfelt Sympathy

Square Column Fold Card

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have enjoyed my 2025 favorite cards review! Stay safe, happy and healthy. See you just around the corner in 2026!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Hello friends! Merry Christmas!

My project for today is a simple card which includes two profound passages of scripture that go straight to the heart of the Christian faith.

I hope that in the midst of all of the crazy hustle and bustle of this Christmas season you'll be able to set aside some quiet time to ponder that miraculous moment when Christ was born, when He stepped down from heaven, setting aside His deity and taking on the form of a helpless newborn baby. Of course, His story goes all the way from the cradle to the cross because He loves us so much. He is God's Love personified.

A lovely sheet of designer paper did almost all of the work for me in the making of this card. I used distress oxide inks to stamp the star and sentiments. White acrylic paint, both full strength (dotted with a stylus tip) and diluted (spattered on with a paintbrush) gave the illusion of a nighttime sky scattered with stars. A little painting with a clear Wink of Stella marker added some sparkle to that special Star.

I used the remaining scrap of that same designer paper for the inside of the card.

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Merry Christmas Bundle
Craft Consortium Retro Summer 6x6
Gems
distress oxide inks
white acrylic paint for "star" diluted spatters and a few full strength dots
clear Wink of Stella

Merry Christmas with lots of love!

Deb

O Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Hi y'all!

On any given Thursday morning I'm usually Zooming with my friend Callie, but this morning I'm participating in one of my favorite annual activities. I'm with a group of my ukulele friends, ringing and singing for the Salvation Army. We have a fun repertoire of songs that include secular and religious songs for Christmas as well as a few for Hanukkah and of course, a few Hawaiian melodies and Hapa Haole songs as well (referring to a genre of Hawaiian music with English lyrics). I wish you could see the joy on shoppers' faces as they exit the grocery store and find us there with our happy instruments and silly Christmas garb! I'd like to think that our exuberant performance inspires them to drop a little extra into the red bucket!

If you've been visiting my blog for a while, you might remember how my love affair with Hawaiian culture, especially music, dance and my beloved ukulele, got its start. My husband and I lived in Hawaii for the first four years of our marriage when he was stationed on Oahu at VQ-3 Barbers Point. I took hula on Monday evenings at Halau Hula O Maiki the entire time we lived there and loved every minute of it.

We were back on the mainland for quite a while before I seriously started playing the uke. One of the first "real" songs I learned to play was Iz's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, so it's a bit tongue in cheek to say that my card for today, with its pink and green Over the Rainbow designer paper, was thus inspired. I really do love this bright, happy retro color combo!

For the Christmas tree, I used the tree die cut to cut a negative space into that gorgeous green designer paper, then adhered it to a white mat and stamped the tree into the negative space. I used Copic markers, a clear sparkly Wink of Stella glitter marker to color it in, with some strategically placed tiny dots of white paint to make the tree's ornaments look like 3-D rhinestones.

But there really is only one rhinestone on the card front, the pink one on the white snowflake above the banner, so if you're after a flat card for easy mailing, this would be a good image to use. Just leave the gems and ribbon off and there you go.

Here's the inside, with more of that beautiful bold green, a little pink and a couple of die cut embellishments. And...this greeting is from another Christmas song!

I hope you leave here today with a song in your heart! And please give a little extra when you see the Salvation Army bellringer wherever you shop! Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - O Christmas Tree Bundle
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Worship & Praise (music)
Craft Consortium Over the Rainbow 6x6
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Christmas Stockings & Mittens (snowflake)
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Classic Hearts
Seam Binding
Gems
Copic markers
clear Wink of Stella
white acrylic paint for highlights and spatters
button and twine from stash

JOY of the Season

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

The beautiful white fluffy stuff is making an appearance across a lot of the US this week, and here in Florida we are enjoying "sweater weather" even though snow and ice rarely make it this far South. A family member sent us some photos of his property with the deer out in the snow and so I have been thinking about how God sustains of all of the beautiful wild things through the Winter, with or without our help, just as he so faithfully provides for each of us.

One sheet of beautiful designer paper inspired the colors for this project. The red cardinal and berries stand out so brightly in all of those lovely blues with just a hint of lavender.

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Vintage Christmas Images Bundle
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Snowflake Blessings Border Strip
Craft Consortium Over the Rainbow 6x6
Seam Binding Sampler - Rich Pastels - 40 yards
Sheer ribbon / Dots
Tulle/Net/Mesh
Copic markers
distress oxide inks
glitter marker
small red button

Gift Card Holders

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Welcome back! How's your week been? For my American friends, how was your Thanksgiving? Ours was peaceful and our turkey dinner was delicious (if I do say so myself)!

Each December I usually make a couple of gift card holders to have on hand. They make a great back-up plan in case you've left someone off your Christmas list, so it is a good idea to stash at least one just in case!

I have two cards for today. One is stamped, and the other is made only with printed paper cut-outs (also flat for mailing). Both use the Carta Bella Winter Time 6x6 designer paper.

Over the years I have made lots of different styles of gift card holders. These two have a special "W fold" inside (a 4.5 x 11 inch piece of card stock scored at 5.5 and also 2.75 from each end), the very back of which forms a pocket for money or a gift card.

A few "words of wisdom" regarding construction:

plan and decorate the various pages of your W fold element before adhering it to the decorated card base! Once adhered, it will not lay flat for stamping.
remember NOT to glue the entire back panel of the W fold in place! Leave one side open for the money/gift card pocket!

decorate the card base, then adhere the pocket to the inside back, leaving one side and the interior open so the gift card will slide in (yes, it is worth repeating!)
then fold the W fold mechanism, add adhesive to the front of it, then simply close the front of the card base and it will line up just right!

My second card has no stamping at all. It was made entirely with the Winter Time designer paper pad and various printed paper cutouts. Easy peasy and so cute!

See that red cording?! I decided to add it after constructing my card and had to use a stylus and a crochet hook to get it through! So yeah, planning your entire layout before-hand is so much simpler!

My first card has a notch in the middle of the pocket opening, whereas for this one the pocket opening is cut on the diagonal. It's kinda fun to change things up a little.

I hope you like them both!

Supplies:

Spirit of Christmas

SNOW!

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Hello to everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends! I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful time of celebration with dear family and friends.

My project for today uses a bounty of stamps and supplies all from Stamp Simply.

I was going for a sparkly, slightly but not too far over-the-top elegance with close-but-not-quite traditional colors.

Gathering together for Thanksgiving is exactly what this day is all about! Enjoy!

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Vintage Seed Packet Bundle
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Boho Pumpkins Bundle
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Boho Fall Leaves (Blessings)
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Give Thanks (Thanksgiving sentiment)
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
Carta Bella Gather at Home 6x6
Craft Consortium Ink Drops Sunset 6x6
Craft Consortium Grunge Light 6x6
Seam Binding Sampler - Rich Pastels - 40 yards
May Arts Vintage Sampler - On Fire with Orange & Yellow (beads)
Melissa Frances Self-Adhesive Round Pearls - Cream
gold cording
various distress oxide inks
Copic markers

Stamp Simply

Holly Jolly Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Hi y'all!

It has been a very busy November around here so far! Last weekend and the weekend before were chorale concert weekends so life felt all sparkly and aglow and a-flurry! Now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Christmas is truly in sight the holiday hub-bub has started in earnest!

I've been doing some planning for our ukulele group's annual Christmas ring/sing for the Salvation Army, and so when I sat down to stamp this week's project this sentiment/stamp set caught my eye! We'll be singing this song!

I had lots of fun combining designer papers to create this scene. Hopefully the whole fireplace/mantel idea comes across clearly! Those little touches of plaid give a nod to my Scottish heritage once again which brings more sweet memories of my recent trip to mind.

The inside has a little strip of plaid designer paper to add to the warm cozy atmosphere of the scene and the sentiment that reinforces the idea.

Supplies:

The Edmund Fitzgerald

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Today is the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I was a senior in high school in November of 1975 at the time of this mysterious tragedy, and had recently graduated when Gordon Lightfoot's song was released in August of the next year. The song reached #1 in Canada and #2 in the US and helped to bring a midwestern disaster national/international recognition.

My card for today commemorates those 29 souls lost. I chose papers and embellishments that I hoped would reflect the swirling mists, thick ice, and perilous storm that overtook the ship on Lake Superior on that awful day.

I was inspired by this post for the fold/measurements of this project.

Supplies:

Edmund Fitzgerald Resources:

Great Lakes Maritime Museum
National Museum of The Great Lakes
Lake Erie Living article
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot (song on YouTube)
Gordon Lightfoot's website (full lyrics and revisions)

2025 Fall Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone! A special welcome to the Fall Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop participants!

Stamp Simply

Stamp Simply is honored to be a Super Sponsor of the hop, and Sharon is giving away a $25 gift code. Visit her blog for information regarding how to be eligible to win.

So how are things with you?! If you're like I am, you've been leaning a little harder on your coffee cup this week while trying to adjust to the time change! My body clock has been struggling for most of October anyway...that 5 hour time difference between here and Edinburgh has been hard to get over! I was just about back on track, but this one wee hour of time change will throw me off again! 🤪

I had a lot of fun creating today's project. I have an ivory Christmas tea cup with holly branches imprinted on it that looks a lot like this die cut paper coffee cup!

I love projects like this that use up the odd bitty and bobbly scraps of paper, all while showcasing how various prints work so well together! I love that little peek of tartan plaid in rich coffee creams and browns! Just a hint of Scotland! And y'all know how much I love an interesting card fold! (This one is super easy. It's just a 5 1/2 x 11 inch piece of card stock, scored at 1 1/4, 5 1/2, and 9 1/4 inches, held closed by a belly band).

I stamped the bird and branches directly onto the die-cut mug (just needed a tiny bit of masking) and colored it all with Copic markers. (I debated inking the edges with tea dye distress ink but ended up leaving it just the way it was.) All of the stamping was in brown ink, and for a little extra emphasis I took a fine point marker and lightly added a little black to the note "dots" on the music scores.

Here is the inside. I could have done more with those extra surfaces but decided that I really liked the more minimalist look for this particular card. It kinda has a more masculine feel except for that big red bow!

So grateful that His mercies are new every morning and that He is indeed a place of refuge because sometimes life can be challenging or just downright hard! But still, I am thankful! And it is November so gratitude is in sharp focus this month!

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - God Will Take Care of You Bundle
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - A Cup of Java (Coffee)
Sizzix Thinlits Dies by Tim Holtz - Tag Collection
Craft Consortium Scorched Wood 6x6
Craft Consortium Tartan Plaid 6x6
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - A Cup of Java (Coffee) (coffee beans)
Red ribbon
Copic markers
spattered with diluted Delicata ink

Thanks for visiting! Have a great weekend, and Happy Veteran's Day!

Shaped Masculine Birthday Card

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Hi y'all!

I'm here today with a card whose shape was inspired by a "front pocket wallet" that I gave my husband for Christmas years ago...less likely to be pick-pocketed and perfectly shaped to fit into the front pocket of his jeans.

Here you can tell that this gift has been well loved and daily carried for a long time!

No fancy how-to's for this project either...just a pot lid aligned along the top and side edges of a piece of card stock, traced with a pencil and cut with scissors. For more control I chose to cut the front and back separately. Distressing the edges helps to hide any imperfections in your cutting, so you don't even have to be too particular about being precise.

I love the way this stamp set and the leaf dies go so well together! I tucked a few sprigs (die cut from white card stock and colored with Copics, as were the pearls) behind a fish tail banner sentiment panel. The twine wraps around the card front and through a tiny hole in the fold to tie into a small bow. (I don't usually put bows on masculine cards but I felt like this tiny twine one would work out just fine!)

The inside reflects the same fonts and patterned paper as the card front. Relatively clean and simple and super easy.

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Floral Cluster Fall Flowers
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Floral Cluster and Sprigs
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
Echo Park It's a Boy 6x6
Craft Consortium Scorched Wood 6x6
Melissa Frances Self-Adhesive Round Pearls - Cream (colored with Copic markers)
May Arts Baker's Twine - 110 Yard Spool - Kraft
Copic markers
clear Wink of Stella

Sunny Days to Come!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb) — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well and enjoying the beautiful colors of Fall! They may already have peaked where you live, but here in the Deep South we are still in the very beginning stages if there's color yet at all. Fall Foliage Map 2025

We did witness the most beautiful rainbow a few evenings ago when we were coming home from dinner at a local restaurant. It was one of the biggest, brightest, most vibrant rainbows I've ever seen (the photo does not do it justice!), and the skies behind us were an incredible, intense yellow gold. I have never seen a sky glow quite like that!

I wanted to make a card that would reflect the look and feeling of that "Sunny Day." (The original idea was to make get well cards for two of our nephews who were each in the hospital recently...but that little hint of pink in this lovely background paper got me side-tracked so I might need to revisit that intention!)

I stamped the Sunny Days sentiment directly onto a scrap of paper from our Coffee or Tea pad. The daisy pitcher was stamped and colored with Copic markers and accented with Wink of Stella. To tie everything together, I splattered it all with diluted distress oxide inks in hues of gold and pink, and then again with diluted white acrylic paint.

There's a strip of that same paper inside. I die cut a heart from it and inserted one cut from pink paper into the negative space. More splatters here too.

Well, what do you think? One nephew has a wife and little daughter so maybe I could get away with sending him a card with splashes of pink?! The other is 14 so it might not work so well there! ☺️

Stay golden!

Supplies:

Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Daisy Pitcher Bundle
Craft Consortium Over the Rainbow 6x6
Stamp Simply Paper Pads - Coffee or Tea 6x6
Seam Binding Sampler - Rich Pastels - 40 yards
Melissa Frances Self-Adhesive Round Pearls - Cream (colored with Copic markers)
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Farmhouse Pierced Nested Hearts
Copic markers
distress oxide inks in golds and pinks
diluted white acrylic paint
clear Wink of Stella pen