#LadyEmCrafts · Card Making · Honey Bee Stamps · StampinUp · SweetnSassy

Card Therapy?!

Dear Readers,

I am starting to make cards again! Marque (my hubby) said I needed to use the stuff I have…

And y’all it’s so relaxing. It’s like therapy…. I used to make a card every day… and post them all the time. Then FB took over my life, it seems, and I really lost track. So – I’m back at it. I’m even starting a local card group here in Italy. We shall see how it goes…

Anywhooooo… to ease back in, I went to my Paper Pumpkin kits. I had five shoved in a drawer. It has been a super fun week. These kits come with everything you need to make cards and other things. Check them out here: Paper Pumpkin by StampinUp!

I embellished and changed some things in each kit. In the kit below… I added color to the capital letters. They are meant to be all white… but that seemed BORING. lol I hope you like them.

Kit #4… It is just so fun to play with these kits. Everything you need is there. It’s awesome. ❤

By the 5th kit (fruit/popsicles) I realized I must have given away the stamp set, so I had to ad lib! I looked up YouTube’s that gracious crafter’s create to show you other things to do with the kits. Alicia from Crafty with Al is where I watched this video: April 2021 PP Kit and took my inspiration from.

I’m not saying I did exactly what she did, and I added sentiments from StampinUp!, Honey Bee Stamps, and my favorite – Sweet N Sassy Stamps. I’m pleased with how they turned out. I can add ribbon if I like or leave plain.

The last two cards are not from kits… One is an image I colored years ago… and one is from an old thank you card that I repurposed!

The below is an image I printed out easily 6+ years ago. If y’all knew the amount of things I had to use in my craft room, you’d be amazed… and know this obsession is real. Anywhoooo… My dear friend Lori Boyd used to have a company and she created (aka drew) the cutest stamps. This girl blowing bubbles is her stamp. I have so many colored images, and this was one I found. So, I trimmed the image, added glossy accents to the gum ball machine, and a little wink of stella to the bubble. So cute.

This last image is really the funnest. Well sort of. I trimmed a thank you card front. Have a small bin of already matted cards… with no picture on front. Added a sentiment AND some embellishments. I love repurposing. I mean – why not!

Thanks for looking. I really have enjoyed creating again. And I’m thankful for the opportunity. Let me know what you think.

Love, Hugs & Blessings,
LadyEm

#LadyEmCrafts · Catholic Faith · Davis Family · Italy · Lent · StampinUp · SweetnSassy · Valentines

Shrove Tuesday And A Couple Valentine’s Cards

Dear Readers…

How I wish I was a more regular blogger. I will make attempts to do better, and stop apologizing. Because I’m bored with the apologies. HA I hope you are all well. Life is life… Sigh. Hugs.

Today is Shrove Tuesday. Do you know what Shrove Tuesday is? Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras – they all mean the same thing. Today – historically – WAAAAY BACK. People would empty their pantries of eggs, milk, and sugar so that they could fast for 40 days of Lent. In my house, one wants pancakes and the other wants waffles. I’m low carb, so I will figure it out. LOL Breakfast for dinner is NEVER a bad thing though. Information about traditions below.

Tomorrow – we kick of Lent with Ash Wednesday – this year we will be sprinkled with Ashes instead of receiving on the forehead. UGH But we know everyone is doing the best we all can. Of course, NOTHING I ordered for Lent is here. But never fear, let me give you a list of Free or Inexpensive Lenten Printables. This way, if you are in the same predicament with mail (with all the weather in the states, the delays must be similar), you can still get your Lenten Plan together. Here are a few things I love:

And perhaps my Favorite – Prompt Me To Pray Through Lent via Monica at Arma Dei. She has so many Lenten Printables from her Lenten Pack of Prayers to a Lenten Quest to her Stations of the Cross. You really should check out her site!

Plus I have a couple books here with readings and devotions for Lent. I’m disappointed that the NEW hasn’t shown up, but it’s ALL GOOD! Catholics are versatile and able to overcome. LOL

Now – I think it’s ok to show you a few Valentine’s Cards I sent to lovely folks I know.

Card #1 – Card Recipe
Stamps: Sweet ‘N Sassy Stamps: Some Buggy Loves You, Texture Tiles 5 and Texture Tiles 7
Paper: PaperTreyInk, StampinUp, and Scrap DP
Ink: Jet Black Amalgam Ink-Gina K Designs, Various Copic and Spectrum Noir Yellow Sparkle Pen.
Embellishments: Blue Scrap Ribbon

Directions: I have bins with scrap paper and precut layers in it. I stamped the X’s and O’s on a piece of chartreuse paper (PTI) and I believe the DP with dragonflies is from StampinUp. I just layered it and tossed some ribbon on. I wish I’d have taken a picture of the inside, because I stamped Happy Valentine’s Day, and Somebuggy loves you! Put it all together with tape adhesive and dimensionals.

Card #2 – Card Recipe
Stamps: Sweet n Sassy Stamps: Kitty Image – from Lots of Love, Sentiment from Valentine Critters, and Background from Rose Background.
Paper: PaperTreyInk and StampinUp
Ink: Jet Black Amalgam Ink from Gina K. Various Copic Markers, and Wink of Stella
Embellishments: Pink Scrap Ribbon.

Directions: I cut and layed out layers from scrap paper. I stamped the Rose background and colored with comic markers… then I used the teeny hearts from the Sweet n’ Sassy Donut Worry set and stamped in various colors with SU Ink, and used a water brush to move the ink around to give a little dimension. I stamped the kitty and colored her with Copics, then put it all together with tape adhesives and dimensionals. Scrap ribbon from my bin. Easy Peasy.

Card #3 – Card Recipe
Stamps: Sweet n’ Sassy Stamp Sets: You & Me, Donut Worry, and Texture Tiles 9
Paper: PaperTreyInk and StampinUp
Ink: Jet Black Amalgam Ink from Gina K, Various Copic Markers, and Stampin UP Inks: Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso and Soft Suede.
Embellishments: Red scrap ribbon.

Directions: I stamped the coffee words image on a scrap of ballerina pink paper, and stamped the coffee and donuts in various browns, and sprayed with water for a spill effect. I colored the main image with copic markers and used a piece of pink/red gingham paper for a layer. Then I added the red ribbon and put it all together with tape adhesive and dimensionals.

It was one of my funnest evenings in a long time. Music, mess and fun! I get messy in my craft room. I hope to do it more. Anyway – I got them into Military Post, but who knows when the receivers will receive.

We’ll talk about Lent tomorrow. Ash Wednesday Y’all.

Happy rest of your Tuesday.

Love, Hugs & Blessings,
LadyEm

#LadyEmCrafts · Card Making · LadyEm · Me · PaperCrafter · StampinUp · SweetnSassy

Quarantine Crafting: Craft Room & Mojo…

Dear Crafty Ones,

I hesitate to say I am starting to make cards again, but if I keep buying things and don’t make anything, I will be in the dog house. LOL So – I have purposed to spend some time every day in my craft room. I may or may not have told you (yes, I know I have like 10,000 times)… Everything and I mean EVERYTHING takes longer in Italy.

So, my chores took longer… and when I got to my craft room, God sure smiled at me. I am trying to make Thank You cards for the USO, and I have several Graduation cards to make. And I need to get packages out, Mother’s Day stuff. I’ve lost my organizing and crafting mojo…but I think it’s coming back.

My craft room has been mostly organized chaos. I have so much stuff in this tiny little space, I literally can not concentrate. It’s HARD! lol Last evening, I spent some time organizing things, and today, I came down here, and I was determined to craft. I started looking for something and I found this folder of printed out images, but I’d forgotten that I had colored a few.

Then, I remembered I have a bin with half-started cards or leftovers from old card group classes. I have tons of scraps, fronts of “thank you” cards, and random papers I have stashed. And y’all, just like that – I started creating. I’m super excited.

I have been doing a weekly video update on Facebook. I’ll be back with cards and wit. Quarantine Tips & Trials tomorrow – It’s gonna be a fun post.

Today in Italy, we had our first food delivery AND a walk on the beach to boot. We are happy campers. I won’t keep you longer. I do hope you enjoyed my cards. I’ve missed being in the right frame of mind to craft.

Tomorrow marks eight weeks of Quarantine for our kids, 64 days for me (due to the hubs surgery), and my mind is discombobulated. Anywhooo…

Have a great rest of your Monday.

Love & Hugs,
Lady Em