Bird Love

Valentine’s Day used to be my absolute favorite holiday. However, over the past few years it’s fizzled in the background to St. Patty’s Day and all the great food I make to celebrate my husband’s heritage.

This year, though, I’m rekindling my fire with Valentine’s Day as I create cards and develop a new concept for my main blog, NOTE TO SELF: Daily Reminders from God. During the month of February, Daily Reminders from God will be replaced by Love Notes from God. It is divinely inspired and I know God is truly going to pour His love on so many people! So please be sure to check out my site and follow along next month.

Okay, onto the cards.

Here is The Deconstructed Sketch for this week:

 

Here is my take:

See these cute birds, hearts and heart tree? $1 for a pack at Wal-Mart, and I still have a whole lot more I can use, including some adorable journaling cards that I’ll use on the back. The paper is from Hob Lob, and the polka dot tape is from the Smash line, which I’m sure every crafter on the planet owns. The heart stamp is from the Portfolio line by Pink Paislee that I bought at Two Peas in a Bucket.

Now the next card is taken from another sketch from a few weeks ago, but I wanted to try it anyway. For some reason I’m not receiving their email alerts.

And here’s my inspiration:

Papers are from Hob Lob single sheets. And the stickers I bought a while back at JoAnn Fabrics.

I’m enjoying throwing vellum into the concepts, but sometimes it can get a bit tricky, especially if you are using dimensional tape. It’s also not easy to use in the Cricut, as it seems to tear easily even on the lightest setting.

Well, onto the weekend…

Missing You Today

I’m currently reading the book, “Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe,” and yesterday’s chapter was about how so many mom’s face the daily battles and routines alone. One thing that fascinated me was how the author, Sally Clarkson, described our current culture as living in “hostile isolation.”

I do this mothering thing alone 90% of the time now that my husband works these very strange hours, but worse yet, with my mother dying in May and my in-laws having moved to Utah a few months before that, we lost all hope of family connections and someone helping us with Tavin.

And while I cherish the deep friendship I have with my best friend Pennie, she lives 865 miles away and all we can ever do is talk on the phone…that is when Tavin lets me is sleeping.

With that said, today’s Mojo Monday card challenge is based on how much I’m missing my friends today. Here’s the sketch:


And here’s my inspiration…for you, Pennie!



Ironically, I was actually talking to her on the phone when I was putting all the pieces together.

Supplies:

Twig, outside; paper, DCWV The Timeless Type Stack; Missing You Today stamp, Wal-Mart; vellum paper and Kraft Card, Hobby Lobby; door knocker, Jolee’s Boutique (Marshal’s).

Glue is still drying…



And for my friend, Melissa, in Oklahoma (Yee-ha!), this is what I had to drink tonight:

Before:


After:



Drink your heart out, sister!

True Love Valentine’s Dial

So I’m new to this card making phenomena. I don’t pretend to be an expert, or even remotely creative. I think my photos are proof at that aspect.

Last weekend, as I was browsing stalking obsessing over Pineterst, I came across this amazing site, Cardabilities, and I was immediately (p)interested in this concept of challenging myself with their sketches. Since I don’t have a unique or creative idea of my own {yet} when it comes to making cards, this inspired me to think and create on my own, instead of trying to duplicate those gorgeous cards done by professionals that I’ll never live up to.

Apparently there is a contest for each design(er) based on the sketch to be considered a “Featured Designer.” (Can you hear my screeching laughter?!) That’s not why I’m doing this, because I know it’ll never happen in a million years at my novice level. However, I did want to link it up to their site as part of the challenge so I can be wowed and weep at my inexperience and see how mine compares with other ideas of this sketch. So…here it goes.

Here is the sketch (you can click on the image and it will take you to the site).

Now here’s my concept:

Ugh! Have I mentioned how much I hate my camera. Nine hundred photos and this is the best it could come up with…or it could be the user, I’m not entirely sure. But I don’t have those fancy “pricky” card holders, no pretty backdrops. Just the card: True Love Valentine’s Dial.

I don’t think the idea is to duplicate the sketch exactly, as I could figure from the team of designers at Cardabilities. The main point is to let it inspire you, and I won’t lie, although I was incredibly excited to do this, I was not deeply inspired at first. I sometimes get caught up in this idea of how it “should” look, and then realize I’ll never be that good, then I get really frazzled and frustrated. And as I begin, everything soon becomes trial and error (is this normal?).

Anyway, I used a Kraft cardstock pre-scored card and Cupid's Arrow 12X12 Love Struck Paper by We R Memory Keepers, that I purchased at Two Peas in a Bucket (don’t visit this site unless you have an extra 12 hours to browse and drool). Seriously: one of the best craft sites online! I also used True Love Pennants, by Elle's Studio, from Two Peas. The calendar dial is a free download from Simple Stories. It is the Life Documented Circle Punches. And as I’m a huge supporter of Hobby Lobby as they brave our current dictator’s President’s healthcare agenda, most of the other stuff I bought there: Spare Parts by The Paper Studio (Vintage Icons, Brad Assortments, Epoxy stickers), pink vellum (used my Cricut Mini, Elegant Edges cartridge), and various Valentine’s paper used with the epoxy stickers (which I stocked up on when they were half off at Hob Lob because I love them SO!) . I also want to throw in that the tiny heart border on the top is part of cute collection of Studio G Die Cut Shapes that I bought at…wait for it…Wal-Mart for $0.97. Yes, that’s right: ninety-seven cents! They had a nice little variety, too. I also bought the gems at Wal-Mart for $1. Cannot beat it!

So here’s a closer look.

Dial set: February 14.

1 inch circle punch = perfect fit with Spare Part Epoxy Stickers!! I can’t for the life of me remember where I got the heart ribbon…maybe Michael’s for a $1.

The inside is kind of boring, but it’s “love love love” (you get the picture) “you.”

So this was my first Cardabilies challenge, and I really enjoyed working on it. I’m going to try my best to keep up with it as a way to keep venturing on this card making journey.

By the way, if you care to follow me on Facebook or Pinterest, please visit my other site: NOTE TO SELF: Daily Reminders from God and click on the appropriate icons!