Set Sail for Adventure with a Handmade Nautical Card

Hello crafty friends!  In this week's craft post we are setting sail into a wave of creativity with the gorgeous  Spellbinder's die set "Set Sail" from the Fair Winds Collection (no longer available).  This set is perfect for crafting a delightful, ocean-inspired handmade card for summer greetings, birthdays,  Father's Day and anyone who loves the water!

Also used in this set is  Spellbinder's "Tunnel Clouds"  to create the sun.

I created this card when I saw the Splitcoaststamper's sketch SC1121.  The sketch reminded me of waves so I wanted to create a nautical card with it. 

To make the card I started with a dark blue piece of cardstock then I hand cut a lighter blue for the "wave" and glued it on top of the dark blue.

Once I had the base of the card completed I simply cut out all the die pieces from the two Spellbinder's sets, glued them together, and then adhered it onto the card base to create my nautical scene.  I popped the sun up on dimensionals.

To keep true to the sketch, I added a sentiment from a retired Stampin' Up! set "Live Like You Mean It" and then stuck three epoxy dew drops near the sentiment.

 Whether you're crafting for an avid sailor or just sending a little sunshine, a nautical card is the perfect way to anchor your warmest wishes.  Happy crafting, and may you always have fair winds and following seas in your craft room.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Take a Note! You're Going to Love This Stitched Handmade Card

There is something incredibly special about combining the texture of textiles with paper crafting which is why I am so excited to share this week's craft project with you.  In this post, I am diving into the beautiful Spellbinders "Stitched Taking Notes" die set (on clearance now!) to create a handmade card that is truly "note-worthy" 😀.  Whether you are an experienced paper-stitcher or looking to try sewing on cardstock for the very first time, this design strikes the perfect balance between cozy texture and classic stationery.

The die set creates the look of a notepad with the spiral coil cut outs at the top of the die, and then the piercings on each side where you "sew" your thread to create the look of blue lines. There is even a margin piercing where I used red embroidery floss;  just like a real notepad!

The die set comes with five different sentiment tags, I used two of them on my card and then I added a little birdie stamp from the retired Stampin' Up! set "From the Heart".

For more interest, I added another little stitched die from a different set called "Stitched Flowers" (no longer available).  

This was such a quick and simple stitching die to use as the die is as large as the card front and it doesn't require a lot of stitching (if you don't add the stitched flower like I did).  It really delivers a lot of punch with very little effort.

 The A2 sized note card would make a wonderful, personal card for friends, teachers, and thank you notes. 

I find stitching on paper so relaxing, especially with an easy, large die like this.  A lot of Spellbinder's stitching dies can be a bit more complicated or a lot of work.  This one was so simple and a great die for mass producing cards if you'd like to have extra cards on hand.

So what about you?  Do you ever combine sewing with paper crafting?  I'd love to hear from you.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

 

How to Make a Christian Sympathy Card Using Spellbinder's Dies

This year my church lost the wife of our former pastor.  She led a long, full life, but no matter how old someone is when they pass, we still miss them and consider it a great loss.  I will always remember her for her gracious smile and greetings every Sunday.  I still look for her as I leave the sanctuary, even though I know she is not there.  I see her faithful husband sitting in their usual seats, surrounded by people that make sure he is not alone.  She was a pillar of our church for many, many years.  She will always be remembered.

I went to the funeral, and frankly, it was probably one of the best church services I had been to in years, as the message and music was so inspiring.  Yes, tears were shed by loved ones over the loss of their matriarch, but stories that made people laugh were shared as well.  But perhaps what amazed me most of all was how loving this family was.  "In-laws" spoke about how they were "welcomed in" and were so "appreciative to marry in to such an incredible family".  It made me envious and caused me to experience a pang of pain, because that has never been my experience and it is something I have wanted my entire life:  a real, loving Christian family.  Yes, my nuclear family is great!  God has been so good.  But I always wanted this big, loving, happy, Christian external family and instead I received insanity, betrayal, greed, and turmoil. I know my experience is not unique so I shouldn't feel sorry for myself, after all that's why so many people dread dinner around the Thanksgiving table.  But it's hard when you do see an extended family that got it so right, and you wonder "Why couldn't it have been your family?" .  I do know as a Christian that God has given me that loving external family in His church, the body of Christ, but I still feel I missed out, especially when the holidays roll around.

 So we celebrated this amazing woman's life who somehow managed to keep a huge family of three generations together who loved and cared for each other;  that is incredible, and what a testimony.  As my family grows, I pray that is my legacy too!  Here is the card I made for the dear husband who was left behind as his wife continued on to glory.

Because the recipient of the card was male and a former pastor I chose a cross for my main image and I used neutral colors.  The cross is from a retired Spellbinder's set called "Crosses Two".  It is no longer in production, but you can find it on Amazon.

I cut the intricate cross out first with a metallic silver paper, then I cut the background cross out with shiny gold Paper.

The designer paper in the background has a soft, subtle metallic shine.  It's always hard to capture metallics/sheen in photographs.  The card is so much more prettier in real life, because of the shine of the paper.  I adhered the designer paper to the gold paper so it created a nice gold border. 

The sentiment is also gold metallic and it was pre-printed on a sheet that I just cut out.

I kept the design simple because the recipient was male, but also because I wanted the image of the cross to do all the talking.  Our beloved pastor's wife is now in heaven because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross and her acceptance of that sacrifice.  She is no longer in pain, she can walk again without using a walker, she is in His presence experiencing sheer joy.  Hallelujah! 

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

 

Cute as a Bug: How to Make a Spellbinder's Stitched Ladybug Card

I am back from vacation;  we had a wonderful week even though we faced severe storms and flooding almost every day.  I will be sharing more when I begin a new travel series on Wednesday.   I hope to visit your blogs soon and return the love you all have graciously left on my blog in my absence, but as you are all probably aware, when one is away from home for a while, there is so much to be done when you return...especially if you have a garden.  There are so many tomatoes that need to be picked, and I had to toss at least a dozen cucumbers because they had gotten so big on the vine!  

In the meantime, I want to get back to a regular blogging schedule, starting with a craft post.  Below is a card I made for my daughter and son-in-laws birthdays which are just a couple of weeks apart.  This card was a labor of love as the stitching took forever, but I love the way it turned out.  The frame is just breath-taking to me.

To make this card I used Spellbinder's Stitched Ladybug die set (It's on clearance right now, so if you want it I'd scoop it up right now as it's half price!).   I cut all the pieces out using different shades of card stock, then I did the stitching and assembled everything together.  I used white floss for the frame, ladybug head, and dots and red floss for the wings.  I didn't do anything creative with this card but just followed the example given on the back of the die card set.  

For the background, I used a "Meandering Floral" embossing folder (no longer available) and dry embossed a beautiful shade of green cardstock.   

The hardest part of doing a card with die cuts is cutting all the different shades of cardstock, stitching, and then piecing them all together.  Once that part is done, it's basically just creating a layout on your card front that you like.  

 I love ladybugs and I love how this card turned out, it's as "Cute as a Bug".

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!