With Love & Sympathy

Last week I posted my video for my recent swap cards.  Last weekend the dear husband of our swap hostess passed away.  Poor Kimie-kins and family.  My heart goes out to you.  Here is the card I made for Kimie and her family.

In theory it is a good idea to make sympathy cards in advance and have them on hand to send when the need arises.  My problem is that I never go to my craft room thinking, "I want to make sympathy cards today".  I'm sure nobody else does that either.  

Personally I have found that making sympathy cards is a way for me to minister to those who have lost someone they love.  While making the card I spend time praying for the loved one's family and friends.  If I know the person who has passed away I will think about them and remember them while I make a card for their loved ones left behind.  It is a way for me to memorialize the person.  During that 30 minutes or hour or however long it takes to make the card I have thought about and prayed for those needing it most.  In that way I hope to bring some comfort to them when they open my card.

If the design of this card looks familiar to you, then you may have seen my card last week using the Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  This sketch is definitely going into my favorites folder.  If you want to see that card CLICKY.

My heart goes out to any of you who have recently lost someone you love.  If you know somebody who could use a hug in the mail, please send them one.  It's never too late to let others know you care.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe (SU supplies)

Paper: Crisp Cantaloupe (New InColor), Basic Grey, Pink Pirouette, (Retired) Christmas Scrappin' Kit
Stamps: Love & Sympathy
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe (New- available May 30th), Basic Gray, Pear Pizzaz
Misc: Basic Grey Satin Ribbon, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (Retiring), Basic Pearls, Scalloped Trim Border Punch

Sew Saturday ~ Quilt Class 101

Welcome to my second Sew Saturday post.  Did you see the card I posted on Monday?   I must have quilting on the brain because I did not intend to make a "sewing" card, but...

Don't you love when your hobbies overlap?  :)

Most of what I know about sewing and quilting has come from books, trial & error, and friends/family sharing what they know with me.  I had never taken a "formal" class before last week.  I will be taking a total of 3 this month!  Two of them on free motion quilting, then a fun one on making a Star Shadow quilt.  I have several quilt tops made, but they've never been quilted together.  For those of you who aren't quilters, a quilt is made of a quilt top (the pretty part), batting (the fluffy stuff in the middle), and quilting backing all sewn together, then a binding is added.  I can quilt the layers together as long as the quilt isn't too big and I sew in a straight line, but that is boring.   I haven't found anyone local to do the quilting for me, so I decided to take a class to learn how to do free motion quilting.  This way I can quilt the lap quilt I am making later this month.  

The free motion class comes in 2 parts.  Part one was last week.  For the most part, it was just review for me.   I'm looking forward to next week when we really get into the quilting.  Although I'm already afraid I need a bigger machine.  We had to come to class with a few things, including a practice "quilt".

Right away I was impressed with this teacher because of course we need something to practice on that we don't plan on keeping or showcasing.  We (I) are going to make mistakes, and this is perfect for a perfectionist who hates making mistakes.  ;)   Just because it was a practice piece doesn't mean it had to be ugly.  I knew I liked the colors I was working with I would be more likely to practice on it.

Our instructor had us divide our quilt into different sections to try different techniques on each.    Sewing (semi) straight lines was the easy part.  So was "stitching in the ditch" as that is basically the kind of quilting I have been doing.

There was one part I messed up on and the instructor showed me how to fix it.  I was glad for that because it is a mistake I make often.  She also explained why some common problems happen and how to avoid them.  That part was great, because even though I didn't have those problems on this little piece, I usually do on my bigger quilts.

Next she had us use stencils.  I did better on that than I thought I would.   Not perfect, but good enough for me.  :)   I traced another stencil to practice on later.  (You can see it in blue.)

We put our free motion foot attachments on and "wrote" our names in cursive, then worked on stitching lelelele in cursive.  I was terrible at writing my name, but at the end of the "r" I started going freeform and loopy.  The teacher said I did great on my "stippling" but that I wasn't supposed to try that yet. lol.   What surprised me was that I really liked how my l's and e's looked.  I didn't think I would be good at them, but I really like them, so I'm happy that I am on my way to being able to make loops and scrolls.

When I came home I made another practice quilt and actually practiced on it.  I was getting frustrated because my stitches were being pulled, so I left it and went to my laptop to look for fabric.  :)  Then it dawned on me that I had forgotten to put my feed dogs down.  :D  I went back to my machine and put them down, then tried to raise them and nothing happened.  I thought I had broken my machine.  Turns out all I needed to do was turn the dial and they lifted.  :)

I know all this is probably pretty boring for you.  I promise it will get better.   Next Friday is quilting 201.  You can see the picture above of what we will be making.   Then on Saturday I get to take my first real quilt class to make a quilt top.  I can hardly wait!  One lat picture for you.  This is another class being offerred by the same teacher as my Quilting 101 & 201 classes.  I wish I had signed up for this one.  I love log cabin star look this one has.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Garden Happiness ~ FMS86

This morning I went into my hobby room and filmed 2 videos and made 3 cards.  It was so much fun to play with new paper and stamps.

I went to my stamp room with a few sketches and a new pack of paper.  When I saw this sketch on Freshly Made Sketches challenge website, I knew I want to try it with the Gingham Garden patterned paper.  The paper is fun and fresh and I wanted to make a card that would highlight the DSP.  

When it came time to add a sentiment to this card I chose the word "Happiness".   It makes me happy when we have a rainy, gloomy day outside so that I can play with my paper inside.  :)

I'm so glad that I could take a break from pulling weeds, trimming bushes and plating flowers to play with my paper and stamps.  Thank you FMS for providing a great sketch to get me going.  Perhaps I will try out this sketch with the other new paper pack I just got????  

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe (All items are SU)

Stamps: Loving Thoughts

Paper: Gingham Garden DSP (available 5/30/13), Night of Navy, Whisper White

Misc: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch, Bitty Banner Framelits, 1/8" Night of Navy Taffeta Ribbon

Just Because ~ Swap Video

Do you remember me showing you my swap cards last week?  (Clicky if you want to see them) I mentioned that I had filmed a video, but that it was too long and I was having trouble editing it down.  Well, I decided to give it one more try and I'm glad I did, because it was almost ready to go.  Please bear in mind that this was filmed at midnight in early February when Sale-A-Bration was still going on. 

***Note- If you are reading this in your email, you may need to go to my blog to watch the video below.  Simply click on the post title "Just Because..." and it should take you right to this post.

The second video is on how to make your own ruffled ribbon using Seam Binding. 
***Note- If you are reading this in your email, you may need to go to my blog to watch the video below.  Simply click on the post title "Just Because..." and it should take you right to this post.

Now for the best part... the cards I received in exchange for the swap.  <3   So many lovely cards!  I've chosen 3 of them to CASE.  Can you guess which ones? 

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe: (all items are Stampin' UP! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Collage Curious; Vintage Verses (SAB-Retired)
Paper: More Amore DSP; Primrose Petals Core'dinations Cardstock
Misc: Pool Party Seam Binding; Pool Party SAB Ribbon (Retired); Honeycomb Embossing Folder; Punches




Pool Party Seam Binding




Honeycomb Embossing Folder




Collage Curios



Quilted Thanks

Aaahhhh.... all is right in my world again.  The rain has returned to my corner of SouthWest Washington.  In truth, I think most of western WA is wet today.  :)  That means I got to play in my craft room!  YAY! 

With my recent return to quilting it only seems fitting that I should choose a "quilty" stamp set.  In all honesty, it was an accident, but it does look like a quilt pattern to me now that it's done. 

For the colors in my card I joined the challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

These are not colors I would normally choose.  Mostly because I don't care for Summer Starfruit, but I stamped off before stamping it on my Whisper White cardstock, and I liked the color much better.  It was nice to be able to use Bashful Blue again before it retires.  That's the biggest reason I chose this color challenge for my design. 

The forecast tomorrow is for sun, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another rainy day in the craft room.  Otherwise I will have to be outside pulling more weeds.  :(  At least the rain will make them easier to pull.  :)

Either way though, I have a video ready to go for tomorrow, so be sure to come back and check it out.  Looking forward to seeing what YOU do with this challenge.  Let me know in the comments below if you decide to enter. 

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe: (all items SU)
Stamps: Oh, Hello
Ink: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Real Red, Summer Starfruit
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black
Misc: Basic Black  1/8" Taffeta Ribbon 



Oh, Hello




Basic Black Taffeta



Happy Mother's Day

First off I want to send big {hugs} to those of you who do not have your mothers or children with you on this special day.  This day can be a hard one for you and I want you to know my prayers are with you. 

Second, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you if you are a mom or even if you fill the role of "mom" to those in your life.  I especially want to give this wish to my mom and mother in law.  We don't get to spend the day together, but you are both in my thoughts today. 

Last month I had the pleasure of spending some time with my mom and grandma.  (her mom)  I asked my husband to take a picture of the three of us.  This is one of my most treasured pictures.  I can hardly wait to scrapbook it.  (Be looking for it in a future Scrapbook Sunday on the blog. ;))

 

I wish I could spend today with my mom and grandma, but I am so glad that I was able to talk to my  mom this morning and spend the day with my own children.  It's wonderful to be a mom and daughter.  I hope you have a special day too.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

P.S.  I'll post more details on the card soon.  I think I will film a video on how to make a card like this.  It's my new favorite card and I have it sitting on my inspiration shelf right now.

Kindness Matters

I've fallen a bit behind in my blog posts this week.  Sorry they have been going up so late.  The thing is we have had warm, sunny weather all week and I have been outside every day trying to get our yard under control.  The flower beds are my responsibility to weed because the boys cannot tell the difference between tulip leaves and dandelion weeds.  :)  All the traveling we've been doing lately means that our yard was a mess.  My dear husband has been working every night after work to help weed-eat and spray, etc.  It's supposed to rain this weekend, so we've been working hard to get as much done as we can before it does.

Anyway, back to the reason  you came here today.   I was hoping to make a couple more mother's day cards to show you guys, but the rain just wouldn't come so I could play.   Instead I have a card to show you that I made last month, but I don't think I've shown on my blog yet.

My favorite thing about this card is that you can easily change the sentiment to fit most occasions, and if you use different papers you change the whole look and feel of the card.

I used Polka Dot Parade for my banners, and threaded them with Baker's Twine.  Next I added a white flower punched out with one of the punches in the punch pack and put a Basic Pearl in the center of each flower.

When making "clean and simple" cards, every detail counts.  I added three score lines at the bottom of my card to finish it off.

Next time you finish a card or scrapbook page, consider turning your paper scraps into banners for a quick, clean card.  :)

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Polka Dot Parade DSP

Kindness MattersWSL- Retiring

Punch Pack

Mom's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner.  Unfortunately both my mom and mother in law live over 600 miles away so we won't be seeing them on Mother's Day.  I had to send out both of their cards early in hopes they will get them by Friday.   Below is the card I made for my mom.

My inspiration came from Dawn Griffith.  She made a card very similar to this, and I loved her color combo.  I didn't have the same stamp set she used and I don't have any Sahara Sand re-inker, so I improvised and came up with my own version.

The inside is stamped with the sentiments from Wonderful Mother (retiring).   The sentiment on the front is from a Verve set I won. :)   I loved this card so much that I made a second one for my friend.

Here is the inside of her card.  The clear stamps make it so easy to place your words together.   I changed "Mother" to "Friend" for her card.

Did you know that you don't just have to send a card to your own mom?  You can send it to any special woman in your life who has mothered you or is a great mom to her own kids.  For that matter you can send it to a nurturing dad.  :)  Consider giving a card to someone who has lost their mother or child, especially those who have passed away in the past year.  It means a lot to know that somebody cares about their pain.

For many of us Mother's Day can be difficult.  Those who do not have a mother or child to spend this special day with are hit the hardest.  My heart goes out to you.  I pray you have some fond memories to hold you close.   I feel blessed that even though I won't be with my mom on Mother's Day I will be able to call her and tell her "I love you".

Creative Blessings,
Heather North


Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Wonderful Mother, Love Deepens (Verve Stamp)
Paper: Basic Black, Wisteria Wonder, Very Vanilla
Re-Inkers: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder
Misc: Aqua Painter



Wonderful Mother
Retiring - WSL




Serene Silhouettes



Color Spritzer Tool
WSL - Retiring



Aqua Painter



Spring Occasions Swap ~ Just Because

Back in February I was in a Spring swap.  The swap hostess had some serious family emergencies to take care of, so getting our swaps back was delayed.  A completely understandable reason to wait for our swaps.   When the package finally arrived I knew it was worth the wait.  Oh my!  These ladies are so talented.  I'll show you their pictures later this week, but for today, here is mine. 

I ended up with 2 designs for this card.  The original one used the Pool Party ribbon available during Sale-A-Bration, but I ran out of it and didn't have enough time to get more before the swap was due.

When the SAB ribbon ran out I pulled out my Pool Party Seam Binding and came up with a plan B for the rest of the swap cards.

This time I ruffled the ribbon and tied a bow instead of a knot.  I also changed the placement of my stamped image from Collage Curios. 

I filmed a video on how to mass produce these cards, but I filmed the video late at night and it took about 45 minutes.  That's a LOT of editing to get it down below 15 minutes for YouTube.  I did try, but I wasn't successful.   At this point I am thinking about starting over with a new video.  :) 

Swaps are so much fun.  If you ever have a chance to do one, you should give it a try.  I always learn something in the process and waiting for that package to arrive with your swap cards is half the fun.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Stamps: Collage Curious; Vintage Verses (SAB-Retired)
Paper: More Amore DSP; Primrose Petals Core'dinations Cardstock
Misc: Pool Party Seam Binding; Pool Party SAB Ribbon (Retired); Honeycomb Embossing Folder; Punches


More Amore DSP




Collage Curios



Honeycomb Embossing Folder



Primrose Petals
Core'dinations Cardstock