By Day the Lord Directs His Love

This is a card I made for last Valentine's Day for an unmarried elderly woman at my church who has been confined to a nursery home and unable to attend our services.  I wanted her to know that she is still thought of and loved on Valentine's Day.  

I didn't use traditional Valentine's colors or stamps, because I wanted to keep the focus of the card on the love of God and the church for her, and not a romantic love.  So I chose a scripture stamp from retired Stampin Up! 'Elegant Inspirations' and light, spring colors from 'Sweet Fairy' by Prima.

 My sketch is by MFT (MFTWSC164).  I used Spellbinder's Nestabilities and MFT dies to cut out all the shapes.  I added prima flowers, brads, and adhesive gems for embellishment.

Have a great day!  Amy

The Best Part of Waking Up

Now that I don't have to work anymore, I really enjoy waking up in the morning.  I love that feeling of knowing I have the entire day to do whatever I want, and I don't have to do anything I don't want to (well, other than exercise and household chores that is.) My absolute FAVORITE part of waking up is my morning brew!  I have my little routine every morning where I drink my coffee and spend a few hours on the computer chatting with my on-line friends and blogging.  I even have my special 'spot';  my husband and I call it 'Sheldon's Spot' because if someone else is sitting in that spot we say 'Your sitting in my spot' just like the character Sheldon does on 'Big Bang Theory'.  It's just the perfect spot in our living room because I can put my coffee mug on the end table to my right.  So, it's my spot.  :)  Of course, when my husband is home he thinks it's 'His Spot', and that's when the trouble begins. LOL!

I made the card below for a man in our church who is also a coffee lover.  This card actually has a cute coffee story to go along with it too.  The man is on our worship team, and whenever we are scheduled to sing together, I always ask him to make the coffee because I'm terrified of our church's coffee maker.    He bought the coffee maker, and has one of his own at home, so he knows how to make a pretty good cup of coffee with the contraption.  He has thus become known as the official coffee maker of our worship team, so when his birthday rolled around, I made him a coffee card and wrote inside 'Happy Birthday to the Best Coffee Maker on the Worship Team'.  

 To make my card I used a stamp set I won in the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop.  Yay for free stuff!  It is from Evalicious and is called 'Wake Up'.  The paper is from DCWV 'Dots, Stripes, and Plaids.

I used my sewing machine to stitch on the white panel.  I popped the main image up onto a circle shape and added just a touch of ribbon behind it.  The sentiment was stamped on a banner made from an MFT die.

So what about you?  Do you have any special spots in your house you like to sit?  What are your favorite beverages?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great day!  Amy

Wearing Eyelet

Got holes?  Well if you do, you are in style this season!  Just like lace was all the rage last season (and still is), eyelet is the hit fabric this season.

When I think of eyelet, I usually envision the crisp white curtains hanging in a farmhouse in Grandma's kitchen, or the pretty eyelet cotton dresses I wore as a child.  But today designers have updated the fabric so that women of all ages and fashion styles can wear it…it's not just for little girls anymore!

I chose to incorporate this new trend into my wardrobe with an eyelet tee shirt.  I wore it with a white denim jacket (old, Kohls), blue ankle pants (old, Fashion Bug), silver sequined sandals (JCP), and lots of silver jewelry.

 I found this eyelet tee shirt at Old Navy….wait, drum roll please….for only $12.00!!!!  It is normally $22.94, which is still a great, affordable price, but I happened to be in the store at just the right time and got it on special.  I really like it because it is basically just a tee shirt, and the holes are very plain and simple, so it has a more sporty look, instead of an overly feminine look, which eyelet can sometimes be known for.

 I wore a white tank underneath my eyelet tee shirt, but I can see wearing a colorful tank underneath as well to create a different look.  I chose a simple, silver pendant from Express to wear as my necklace.  It has several round designs on it which mimic the holes in the tee.  Because of the simplicity of the necklace, it doesn't compete with the top.

 Another new trend I tried with this outfit was wearing bracelets on both wrists.  Heavily adorned wrists are really in style, but until now, wearing bracelets on both wrists was too flashy for me.  I think it worked in this case because my outfit in general is very simple, clean, and crisp so I didn't feel like Mr. T. wearing too much jewelry.

 I carried a nude bag…very old.  I have had it forever.  Bags, shoes, and jewelry are three items I usually keep and never get rid of unless they are damaged.

My earrings I bought at J.C. Penney on clearance for less than $4.00.

 My sandals I also bought at J.C. Penney on clearance for less than $12.00.  Have I sold you on becoming a JCP customer yet?  If not, you really need to check them out.  Their sales are amazing!  I literally buy several hundreds of dollars worth of clothes, shoes, and accessories every month for only about $50-$70.00 dollars.

 The back of the eyelet tee is a solid cotton.

 If your wondering about my pants, I have had them ever since Capri's came in style over twenty years ago.  Unlike jewelry, shoes, and bags, I don't normally hang onto clothes.  When I tire of a clothing item I either sell it online at my Poshmark shop, give it to my daughter, or donate it to Goodwill.  But every now and then I keep an item and put it in the back of my closet either because of the price and quality of the item, or the style of the item.  Such was the case with these pants.  Powder blue pants aren't found that often, so I decided to keep them in case they ever came back in style….and they did!  

Well, have I sold you on trying eyelet this season?  If not, here are some more trendy eyelet items I found on Pinterest.

First up this beautiful coral eyelet dress.  I don't think I could pull it off because of the cut and style of the dress, but I'd love to see my daughter in this!

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Doesn't this top look cool and comfortable!  Into my closet, now, please!

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I really wanted to purchase an eyelet skirt like this one, but I couldn't find an affordable one in my area.     Maybe next year.  Where I live, the stores always seem to be behind a year or two in the trends I see on-line.

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Aren't these shorts cute?  I would never wear them, because they are too short and girly for me, but I do admire them!

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Now here is something I would love to wear!  This top is totally my style!  I love the color and the shape.

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I really liked this outfit.  The top looks so crisp and clean, and I love it paired with the floral shorts.   Notice the bracelets on both wrists?  Trendy! 

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 So what do you think of eyelet fabric?  Would you wear it?  Have you purchased any eyelet items this season?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up With:  Style Swap Tuesdays, Tucker Up, Trendy Wednesday, Pampers and Pearls,  Jersey Girl, Texan Heart, I Feel Pretty,  Because Shanna Said So, Style Me Wednesday,  The Mummy Chronicles, Cappuccino and Fashion, Sydney Fashion Hunter , Oh, Hey Girl! , Style Sessions, and Confident Twosday.

'From the Desk' Notecards

I'm on a mission this year to not only use all my stamp sets that have never seen ink, but also to use every little stamp within that stamp set as well.  As most of you already know, I put myself on a stamp buying freeze (which I've already broken several times) awhile back because I had acquired the hobby of collecting them but never using them.  I bought a whole bunch of Flourishes stamps when they had a sale over a year ago, and most of them I never used…until now.  

I decided I really needed a set of generic cards to have on hand for those rare occasions when you need to correspond with someone and it's not for the typical reason you would send a card like a birthday, anniversary, etc.  The Flourishes stamp set 'From the Desk of' was perfect, because USING EVERY STAMP IN THE SET, I was able to create five all-purpose cards.  And to my surprise, I've actually already used two of the cards already.  I must need generic cards more than I thought. :)  Here is my collection:

 My first card is the only card I used designer paper on.  The paper is from DCWV 'Tattered Time'.  All the rest of the paper is Blush Blossom, Basic Grey, Black, and White.

 If you don't like to color, or perhaps your coloring skills aren't developed very well yet, Flourishes stamps are the stamps for you.  Unlike outline images that other companies primarily offer, these stamps have the shading already done for you…you don't have to shade like I did to have a pretty effect.  You could just color the image in solid and it would still look great.

 I changed the color in the papers for this card because I chose to color my flowers as Black Eyed Susans.  But, I could have created pink daisies as well and then I could have kept the paper colors the same.

 Here I added a scallop top border using an MFT die.

If your familiar with this set and wondering where the card is with the pretty large floral image is, I already shown that beauty to you in this post HERE.

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with Something to Talk About and Motivational Monday.

Flying Geese

Yesterday when I picked up my husband for our weekly lunch date, we noticed the ducks were back in town.  My husband's company has a large pond outside their corporate headquarters that the ducks migrate to every spring.  One flew right over our car and did a beautiful landing into the water right in front of us.  It was exciting to see.  I actually live near a river, so I get the privilege of seeing ducks, cranes, and other waterfowl every time I get into my car to leave home.   They are so fun to watch.  I never get tired of it.

Well even though I,  as a female,  enjoy ducks too,  today's card I made for a man.  To make my card, I used retired Stampin Up! sets 'Definitely Decorative Pines', and a sentiment from 'Wishing Well'.  I stamped the pines and ducks, and then just colored in a sky using different Copic Markers and made some little earth hills.  A very simple card, with the exception of the sky.

Have a great day!  Amy

Fashion Over Fifty: Spring Florals Revisited

If you read last week's Fashion Over Fifty post I humorously mentioned I was considering renaming one of my weekly shopping posts 'What I Wore Shopping', since I only wear 'real clothes' twice a week:  once to go shopping every Friday,  and once to go to church.  Well this week's outfit I also wore on Friday, to go shopping, BUT instead of meeting my husband for lunch, I met him at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire to watch our son perform with his Fusion group at Jazz Fest.  Because of the special occasion, I wanted to be a little more dressy than normal, but I still had to be practical, because I had about three hours of shopping after the performance to do.  So this is what I wore:

 You may remember this floral blouse from Francesca's from THIS POST.  I always like to link to past posts if I'm showing an item I've posted before, because I like to show you many different outfits you can create with one item.  Because it was in the upper seventies on this day, I chose lightweight cargo pants from JCP, and skipped the jacket.  Even with sandals, and a sheer blouse, I was still too warm.  I actually saw a lot of people wearing tanks and shorts that day, but that would not have been appropriate  to wear at the Jazz Fest.

 I'm still experimenting with these downward selfies…someday, I'll get it.  Bear with me! This blouse is super sheer, so obviously you have to wear a tank underneath.  But it is nice in warm weather, when you need to be covered for the occasion, to still be somewhat cool.  Because the pattern on the blouse is so busy, I chose very simple jewelry like this multi-strand, gold chain necklace and simple gold bracelets.

 My son had some items he wanted me to bring to the Jazz Fest, so I chose to carry this large tote so I could fit everything he needed, plus everything I needed for the day, inside.  You will never believe where I found this cute tote:  Stein's Garden Center in Milwaukee, WI.  And can you believe I only paid $11.99 for it!  Score!

 And here is a picture of my son performing at the Jazz Fest.  We were so proud of him!

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with:  Passion for Fashion, Casual Friday, and Fashion Should be Fun!

Happy Birthday with a Cherry on Top!

It won't be long before we see cherries in the grocery store!  And I will be definitely scooping them up as I love cherries!

I made this card for a little girl in my church using a sketch from MFT (MFTWSC213).  The image is "Pure Innocence:  Girl with Cupcake", and the sentiment is from MFT 'Make a Wish'.

 I used a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder to create the hugs and kisses background.  The rest of the paper is from DCWV 'Dots, Stripes, and Plaids'.  I put Stickles on the cupcake sprinkles.

 The cherry embellishment is a brad from Martha Stewart,  and I used MFT dies to create the banner and scallops.

Have a great day!  Amy

Blooming with Happiness

This card really represents how I'm feeling lately:  blooming with happiness!  Watching the earth come to life again, and the wonderful feelings and emotions I experience as the flowers bloom and the air warms…I'm blooming with happiness!

I made this card for a woman at my church who loves flowers as much as I do.  It's a very simple, one layer card (well, two, if you count the card base.  Copic Markers bleed through to the other side, so you have to have a separate card base).  I simply stamped all the images and sentiment from the retired Stampin Up! sets 'In Full Bloom' and 'Love Blooms' onto a sheet of white card stock and colored away!

 I added Stickles to the Bumble Bee wings and the centers of the flowers.

 The little dots are acrylic stickers or 'water dots'.

I hope your day blooms with love and happiness too!

Have a great day!  Amy

Having Fun with Fashion

If I look happy in these posts, it's because I really am.  It's my favorite time of the year:  SPRING!, when the weather is absolute perfection, there are no bugs, and my garden is coming to life.  I'm so excited to be able to photograph outdoors again, and have such pretty backdrops behind me, such as this gorgeous white tree!  

I absolutely love today's outfit, but I fear I may be a walking J.C.Penney ad because both the sweater and pants are pictured in this ad HERE.  I was actually in JCP months ago and spotted this sweater and just had to have it.  ( I pre-viewed it already in THIS POST.)    After I bought it, I started to wonder what I would wear with it, so I looked it up on-line and saw the sweater paired with the striped pants.  I thought, 'That's really cute!'  So then I ordered those too.  Of course I made the outfit my own by adding the scarf, different shoes, and accessories!

 I wore a white denim jacket (old, Kohls), as my outerwear, because it was still too nippy to wear just the sweater.

 The stripes on the pants are very light, and there is even a faded spot on the thighs, so the pattern is not too loud.  I know a lot of women shy away from printed pants, but if you want to try them, this would be a good style to try because of the softness of the print.

My shoes are old (Payless).  They are just elastic white stripes with a wedge cork heel.

 In my previous post I mentioned how much I love the Stylus brand at JCP.  I have purchased so many new items from that department, I think I own just about everything now. The Stylus brand is so casual and fun…so me, and so perfect for my casual lifestyle.

 And if your wondering how I could afford it since I quit my job,  here's how:  JCP always has great sales and coupons, and their coupons are good on sale and clearance items too (most stores don't offer that deal).  I bought these pants on sale, plus I used a coupon, so I only paid $17.00 for them.  What a deal!

 Even though I loved the boat neck shape on the sweater, I really liked the look when I added this scarf too.  It's a lightweight, gauzy scarf with white dragonflies on it.  I purchased it from The Icing several years ago  and this was the first time I ever wore it.  I've always loved this scarf, I just never had the perfect outfit to wear it with until now.

 It started to rain when we were taking these photos so I never got close ups of my jewelry, but you can see them a little bit in this photo.  I wore coral drop earrings and a coral, beaded bracelet.

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with:  Style Sessions, Turning Heads Tuesday, Confident Twosday, All About You, Tucker Up,  Oh, Hey Girl,  Style Me Wednesday,  Trendy Wednesday,  Jersey Girl/Texan Heart, I Feel Pretty, Look What I Got, and Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me.

April Christmas Cards

Yes, it's that's time of the month again….Christmas Cards that is!  As most of you already know, I play the Christmas Card Challenge on Splitcoaststampers where we make Christmas Cards all year long so that were not stressed out during the busy holiday season.  I make five Christmas Cards a month, so that I'll have about sixty cards at the end of the year.  I make a tall card:  4 x 8 so that I can fit a photo collage and Christmas letter inside.

This month all my cards were made using old Just Rite stamps and the same sketch from Mojo Monday 347. 

 All the paper in all five cards is from the same stacks too:  DCWV "The Christmas Combo Mat Stack" and DCWV "The Xmas and Winter Combo Mat Stack".

 All the images were colored with Copic Markers.  For the blue cards, I added a white organza flower for embellishment, and I put Stickles on the main image and also on all the little dots on the designer paper.

 I used an MFT die to make the banners.  All the circles were cut using Spellbinder's Nestabilities, and I colored them with markers.

 I put Stickles on the Holly Berries of all the red cards.

 And this time, instead of using a banner, I chose a green ribbon.

 Liquid Applique was used for the white fluff on the stocking.

 For my final card, I chose brown/gold shades of designer paper to match the gold in the shed.  I added Stickles to the holly berries on this card as well and chose an olive green ribbon for embellishment.

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with Motivational Monday.