A Teacher Thank You

This next thank you card was difficult for me simply because I can't believe we're at the end of the year already! My son is graduating the first grade and moving to a whole new school and his teacher this year has been absolutely wonderful. No one ever tells you that the hard part about having such an excellent teacher is having to deal with the prospect of leaving them at the end of the year. First grade was such a tough transition for him but I really think he never would have succeeded the way he did without this dedicated and nurturing woman. She just understood him and encouraged him on a level that I never had to worry about him falling behind or feeling lost. Kinda makes you wish you could pull a Mr. Feeney and have her follow him to his next grade level. 😄

For this card I wanted to use supplies I hadn't touched yet (slowly but surely getting to everything!) This After the Rain die from Hello Bluebird caught my eye because I wanted to use the rainbow. I discarded the clouds for favor of stenciling my own with Tumbled Glass distress oxide (I do so love this technique) I roughly eyed my Copics and tried to recreate the colors of the rainbow. The mistake I made was gluing everything first and THEN coloring. I tried to keep it neat but it wasn't easy. For the sentiment, I wanted to give it a 3D feel and I asked my son what color it should be. Purple is her favorite color and I have to say- it popped really well!

So here's to teachers who are amazing superheroes who most certainly don't get enough recognition. (or money for that matter) 💜 

Friendship is my Favorite Adventure

It's funny how effortlessly this next card came together because the person I made it for became a friend just as quickly. I tend to think the older you get, the harder it is to make real, genuine friends. And that's still true but sometimes, life surprises you! I sat down to make this and usually, I spend hours deciding on what to do, but this card just came out in a little more than an hour and I haven't worked on a card that quickly in ages. It was really calming and fun too which is how I would describe my new friend as well. 😊

I wanted to try some stamps I haven't touched before and these from Hello Bluebird were still in the original packaging. I wanted to make the bear resemble a polar bear and I'm pretty proud with how the coloring came out. For the background, I wanted to create a darkening sky so I blended Salvaged Patina, Salty Ocean and Wilted Violet but that top layer looked waaaay too bright still so I mixed some Speckled Egg to darken it a bit. Then I went in with my MFT cloud stencil and with Chipped Sapphire, I blended all the way down. 

Once I adhered the images and stamped the sentiment, it still looked a bit too plain so I made a border with an MFT diecut and tried to trim both sides equally (I failed) But looking at the finished product, I am so happy with how this thank you card came out.

Heart Shaker

For Valentine's Day, I was only able to make one card. However, I forced myself to FINALLY sit down and create a shaker card. I should preface this with every SINGLE Christmas, I buy all the supplies to make a holiday shaker card and I always get too intimidated to do it. My fear is that the recipient will open the card only for the whole thing to fall apart. 

But I told myself to just try and worse thing I just throw the whole thing out (you'd be surprised how many times THAT does happen)

I bought the heart cover from Waffle Flower which if you are going to create shakers, they are the folks with the most idiot proof supplies. The insides were a Recollections glitter palate from Michael's. I used the Waffle Flower heart background stencil and kept the pink and purple color theme throughout. I was really happy with how it turned out until I realized I adhered the whole thing onto the card crooked. I did let out a few expletives there, but overall, I decided this was really good for a first try! I decided to send this to my close friend Rachel who is always encouraging me to craft and try new things. She would always tell me shakers are totally doable so I knew my first one should go to her.

And what do you know- it arrived all in one piece. 

Thinking of You

I made this next card for another coworker who sadly lost his mom over the holiday break. Sympathy cards are undoubtedly my least favorite to make for obvious reasons, but I also want the person to know that I am truly thinking about them. When my dad died a few years ago, I remember getting notes from people and just putting them aside. Then a few weeks later, going through them again, the sentiments hit me in such a powerful way. After all this time, it's still hard to navigate a reality without him. 

I wanted to create a twilight effect with my distress oxides and I used Spiced Marmalade, Peacock Feathers and Chipped Sapphire to make that. The dandelions are from a Simon Says Stamp set and looking back (because I always have to be nitpicky) I wish I would have stamped the sentiment sliiiightly lower in the lighter shade. Sigh.

Happy New Year.... a little too late

This card really should have been posted last month, but here we are. I made this card for a close work friend who just moved into her first apartment with her boyfriend over the holidays. I was so happy for her and excited for her to start this new chapter with her wonderful guy. I found this adorable background stamp from Michaels and I was going to add some sparkle to it but then chickened out before I could ruin it. Instead, I added the HNY sentiment from Waffle Flower and tried to match the background color. 

Who says simple cards can't be nice?

High-Five Birthday

For my nephew's 5th birthday, I was able to finally break out my Rachelle Anne Miller stamps that I bought from My Favorite Things before they closed. The images were so cute but I hadn't realized how difficult it would be to color since they were small! I tried blending as best I could but now I know why all my critters are so large normally. I was going to try and add something to the background since it looked so bare, but at that point, I didn't want to mess anything up. (the sentiment already got screwed up a bit so there was a lot of yelling at that point) I was proud of the ombre effect I created with the 5 though!

Christmas 2025

Despite starting this year's batch of cards in October, I only managed to create 6 final cards. I spent a chunk of time coloring images that didn't even make it past that stage but at least I have them for next year's set. (I am determined to do what other sane crafters do and just create Christmas cards all year long) 

While Hello Bluebird isn't producing as many stamps as they used to, they are still coming out with sporadic releases and this fall themed pack entitled, Book Buddies became my whole identity this year. If you know me, then you know I am a reader and these critters were SO cute and quite large so I spent a majority of my time coloring them in. (I really am crap when it comes to making up color combos) I also started leaning heavily on my distress oxides instead of patterned paper trying to come up with subtle winter themes. 

My one outlier this year. The distress oxides used were Speckled Egg, Mermaid Lagoon, Chipped Sapphire, Black Soot.

The Distress Oxide colors here were Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness, Salvaged Patina and Black Soot

Same as above. I do have to say, this is the one I'm most proud of. The coloring of this bear took forever to perfect since my browns just kept drowning out his features. Once I got it, I was so happy with it.

I can't find the combo I used for this one! But if I had to guess, Tumbled Glass, Mermaid Lagoon, Cracked Pistachio 

Same as above. Sometimes, I'm not the most organized! Taking a guess, Fired Brick, Festive Berries and Carved Pumpkin

These stamps are so versatile so I know I will be using them again this year, but it's nice to have some conformity with my holiday cards this year! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday full of love, rest, good food and of course, books! 2025 was a very transformative year for my little family so I am looking forward to seeing the possibilities that 2026 holds. 

 

Dandelion Wishes

For my 8-year wedding anniversary, I wanted to make something for JP since I can't remember the last time I made him a card. I also wanted to keep it simple because like always, I get grand plans in my head only to realize I am out of time.

I wanted to play around with my distress inks because I want to use them for upcoming Christmas cards and I've forgotten all my color blend combos. (Thank Christ for Kristina Werner) The combo I used was Chipped Sapphire, Mermaid Lagoon and Scattered Straw. I used a cute Bunny stamp from Mama Elephant and used Copics to color it in. I'm also starting to realize that some of my markers have dried up (I mean, some of these are 10+ years old so I think that's a pretty good run!) so I am trying to discover new combos for my critter stamps. Thankfully, I DID write those down. But this just means I get to ask for Dick Blick gift cards for Christmas! 

We Make a Great Combo!

Good news was recently shared in my family- my brother-in-law got engaged! To be honest, he's been with his girlfriend for so long, I cannot remember what life was like before her. It'll be nice to make it official though!

I wanted to make them a congratulatory card and I knew the exact stamp set to use. Years ago, I bought this set from My Favorite Things (RIP to a real one) entitled We Make A Great Combo and it's all different kinds of food that go together. I thought the burger and fries was beyond adorable and before I had put everything back into storage, I had started to stamp and color but never made anything with it. Until now!

I used the stitched heart die from Waffle Flower and colored it with Fired Brick, Scattered Straw and Squeezed Lemonade distress ink. Using copics on the stamps, I also used a white Posca marker that my husband gave me a long time ago for accents. The next part literally took me two hours. I had different letter dies that I cut out to spell combo and I tried embossing the first half of the sentiment on black paper, but I haven't embossed in years and I forgot just how tricky it could be! I kept messing it up and then the letter dies were too big so I just went for a simple sentiment. (finally got the hang of embossing again!)

Excited for a fun wedding! I know my son is looking forward to ring-bearer duties. =)

It's all coming back to me now

I finally got to a place where crafting was possible again. While my craft room now also doubles as my office and my son's playroom (Legos everywhere is super fun!) it's still a space I've been carving out for myself. When my friend Rachel's birthday was coming up, I knew I wanted my first card in over three years to be for her.

It took me a LONG time to figure this out. At one point, I had all of my birthday stamps laid out on my table and it was just overwhelming. So I picked something simple and looking at the card now, I'm kind of disappointed and how simple it actually turned out, but baby steps.

I used a balloon die from Waffle Flower partnered with the corresponding stencils which helped me use my distress inks to shade them red and yellow. Rachel shares my love for Disney so I grabbed another Mickey stencil I had and used it only for the larger balloons. I was going to add a border but then it looked too cluttered and then I tried balloon strings, but it also looked messy so I left it as it was. To end it, I added a small sentiment on the bottom. 

Not my best work, but I was dipping my toe in. It certainly opened the floodgates because I've been creating other things since then (oh the fun of discovering Copic markers that have dried up!) 

I'm tackling Christmas cards next.... in October. 

2025

 An unexpected hiatus- probably one of my longest, but unavoidable. Life has completely transformed since that last post in August 2022. Crafting took a backseat for a long time. I managed to make a few cards but it's been so long that I no longer remember colors, techniques or even who they were for, sadly. So I'm just going to post them without comment. 

I've recently created a new craft space for myself and hope to get back into the swing of it by the holidays. Wish me luck.

One in a Million

This next card is another thank you. This summer, JP and I made the decision to hire a babysitter for the afternoons and it was honestly, the best thing we could have done for both our son and our sanity! I've been able to get work done uninterrupted knowing he was in good hands either at the park or splashing in his pool in the backyard. I was worried about how he would get along with someone who was essentially a stranger, but being a teacher herself, she was SO good with him and he really got along so well with her. (he talked about her a lot over the weekends 😏) 

Sadly though, with the school year approaching, her days with us were coming to an end.  I wanted to make something to show our deep appreciation so along with some goodies, I knew I wanted to make a card. The crayons are from Lawn Fawn and I couldn't wait to finally have an excuse to use them. I used copics to color them and placed a smiley face on one of them. Instead of using the sentiment that came with them, I went with this one from Mama Elephant. To finish it off, I let my son decorate the inside. 

Overdue Thank You

Well, that was a bit of a hiatus... There was so much going on the last couple of months that it was impossible to sit down and craft.  I even had to *gasp* purchase cards for some events which really annoys me. Last week I did a major cleaning of my desk so hopefully that will inspire me to get crafty again (because God knows I'm still PURCHASING crafting supplies....)

This card was waaaay overdue. It's also the first one I've made in almost 4 months so I had to ease my way back in. The background was made with a stencil I got for my birthday from Waffle Flower. I wanted to make something colorful and upbeat. I thought about dry embossing glitter instead, but I figured I should stick to something foolproof. I'm not sure where the sentiment is from, but I made it in two tones of Blue since this is a thank you card for an incredibly sweet coworker that sent me some Bluey merch for my son. (we're wackadoo obsessed over here, kids) I thought of adding sparkles or embellishments, but then I thought it looked complete as a simple card.   

Have you watched Bluey? It's a daily occurrence in this house and it helps that the show is entertaining for both kids and adults. My husband says it's the Seinfeld of preschool shows. 😁

A Kawaii Hello

This bunny card was made for my friend Rachel. When I first started crafting years ago, her website was one I would go to for inspiration. She was always winning card challenges and for a newbie like myself, getting to her level was something to aspire to! Fast forward a couple of years, I realized we actually had more in common than just crafting (including living quite close to each other!) We'd leave comments on each other's blogs but with the introduction of social media, we actually started having real conversations. She's such a close friend at this point despite the fact that we've never actually met face to face! Hopefully if this pandemic ever calms down, we can leave the kids with their dads and have a proper craft day.

I wanted to send her a card to say hello and Happy Spring. I was also sending her a Tuxedo Sam memo pad because we talked about how much we like Sanrio and I honestly don't know anyone else into Sanrio and Kawaii stationary. (Pochacco 4 lyfe!) This cute set was from Darcie's Stamps and it was quite fun to copic color. The sentiment, cut from glitter paper is from Lawn Fawn. 

Happy Spring from Pochacco!

Welcome Baby Girl!

Recently, I had to make a card for my husband's cousin who is having a girl! I had gotten these adorable bunnies on a cloud stamp set from Mama Elephant so I knew I wanted to make something with them.

To begin, I created a pink cloud background with Picked Raspberry and Kitsch Flamingo distress oxide. I added one of the stamps (I got the dies with it so it was so easy to cut!) and stamped the sentiment below it. I was already really excited because I had purchased embellishments from Trinity Stamps so long ago but kept forgetting to use them. This color palette was perfect so I added them randomly around the stamp. I think it gave the whole thing an extra pop. I really liked how this simple and sweet card turned out!

A Muggle Birthday!

This card was made for my sister-in-law who is a big Harry Potter fan.  I was trying to decide what kind to make and really wanted to keep it simple and classy.  I also wanted to use my distress oxides but not flood the entire card with it. So I did a few messy swipes with Festive Berries, Spiced Marmalade and Scattered Straw, trying to showcase Gryffindor colors.  I also (for the very first time!) messed with water and the oxides using a paintbrush. I simply dabbed it very lightly and honestly, I could have done more, but I was paranoid it would oversaturate the cardstock. Maybe I'll get a little more adventurous with my next attempt! I added a little Harry and Hedwig below and colored those with copics. They are (of course) from The Sassy Club. The banner was from a set I got months ago from Concord and 9th and I really wondered why it had taken me so long to use it! 

Parlez Vous Français?

For this next card, I wanted to do something different and make a postcard. My friend Scott has a fancy job working in Paris. (he's an animator on the new Super Mario Brothers movie!) He was kind enough to indulge my massive Disney pin addiction and purchase two really cool villain pins when he was at Disneyland Paris. Were we not currently in a pandemic, I would have shown up on his doorstep a long time ago pretending to be Emily in Paris except instead of showcasing an amazing wardrobe, I'd have colorful Mickey ears. 

For the postcard, I used a Mickey stencil from The Sassy Club to try and create an ombre look with different colors, but it kept turning into a disaster no matter how much masking I used. So I chucked it and decided to go with a very simple color palate. The castle is from a Sassy stamp set and the words are from Simon Says Stamp. It still looked a little bare, so I used Squeezed Lemon distress oxide on a border.

For the other side, I created a stamp also from a Sassy set (she has the best Disney stamps) and then used my fanciest script writing to make it look sophisticated. I snapped this photo before writing out my note to him. I also blurred out his last name for this post. And of course, I had to include a picture of the pins! Paris had a really awesome villains release last Halloween. They glow in the dark! 

Unfortunately, my current pin collection is in storage or I would post a picture of that as well. However, I do have a picture of the pin bouquet I made for my wedding. I saw someone selling Disney pin bouquets on Etsy for a crazy amount of money and I realized I could just make it myself and be able to really personalize it just the way I want. It was a little heavy, but soooo beautiful and totally worth the effort. Lasts a lot longer than flowers too!