In The Mail

 

I've received some beautiful cards in the mail recently. These are all from swaps I participate in.

This first card was part of a Catherine Pooler Stamp Nation swap, with the theme being "rainbow". Don't you love those leaves? The metallic shimmer is lovely.

This card was also part of a CP Stamp Nation swap with a color theme. Love the colors and sparkle.

I also admired the folded card stock strip technique used here to pop up the image. I recently saw a Jennifer McGuire YouTube tutorial on this. Great idea for adding dimension, but also keeping cards flat and mailable.

Here's another CP swap with a fall-inspired theme. I loved the shiny metallic lantern.

And finally, the amazing Amy Tsuruta sent me this card for November's Espresso Yourself coffee swap.

And she sent these fun stickers with it, too! So pretty!

Don't you love getting fun mail? It always brightens my day.

A Rainbow of Cookies

 

I needed a card for a swap that featured a rainbow of colors. Hmmm. What to choose! A rainbow of coffee cups? A rainbow of leaves?

How about a rainbow of Christmas cookies?

This stamp and die set from Catherine Pooler didn't get nearly enough use last year during the holidays. And it is really fun, too. I decided to make this one into a shaker card. The die set makes it so easy, too.

{Today's Brew: Jar Full of Joy (CP), CP inks, CP paper, CP sequins, shimmer spray}

A Memorial for Mom

 

My mother-in-law went home to the Lord last month. After several months in hospice care, she had taken a swift decline. But thanks be to God, her passing was peaceful and we were by her side throughout the entire journey.

After 35 years of having her in my life as my other mother, I can say that she was loved and she will be missed. We grew closer than ever in our last years, and I will cherish the time we had with her.

We had a memorial for friends and family this weekend, and it was lovely, and just how she would have wanted it...nothing too fussy, but lots of memories shared, as well as sharing her faith and the impact that she had on so many others. And there was food, and cookies. She loved cookies!

She also loved tea, and had collected a lot of tea cups (and bells) on her travels throughout the years.

I decided to offer these as a gift to anyone who wanted a memento of her. I found this stamp sentiment in my stash, and it seemed perfect for the occasion. We used the tea cups and bells as centerpieces, and had small gift bags and tissue for wrapping and transporting.

At the end of the day, we had one tea cup and saucer leftover. 

This one is from an Ironstone pattern called Moss Rose. How perfect. I decided Mom meant this one for me.

We've been sorting through some of her belongings from storage, and going through lots of photos and mementos. We've been giving boxes of photos to her family as well. The photo sorting has been tough. It's something you can only do for about an hour or so before you start to feel a little melancholy over the passing of time.

Today, we are holding on to the good memories and finding comfort in a cup of tea.

Coffee and Pie

 

It's pumpkin pie time! woo hoo!

Is Pumpkin Pie the holiday tradition for your family? Or do you prefer pecan or some other variety?

I made this pie-inspired card yesterday. The sentiment (Hello Bluebird) inspired me to pull out this cable knit embossing folder (Taylored Expressions) for a sweater feel.

I made a "practice run" Thanksgiving dinner this week. I pulled a bone-in turkey breast out of the freezer and thought I'd try it in the slow cooker, with a little chicken broth and a butter and sage rub. It came out great! We've been eating some great turkey meals this week...turkey and stuffing casserole, turkey and avocado sandwiches. Yum!

Our Thanksgiving may be a bit smaller this year, so I'm thinking of this as a potluck. Simplified, in any way possible!

And yes, there will be pie. Maybe not homemade, but "good enough" pie.

Easy Color for Line Art

 

Sometimes I like to color. And sometimes, I just want to stamp and save the coloring for another day.

Have you ever tried reverse stamping?

Here's how it works.

First, you stamp the line art (acrylic stamp) in black ink. Then, you clean that stamp and flip it over, so that the detailed side is hidden and the flat acrylic side is up.

Next, you take that flat side and ink it in a colored ink, then stamp that on top of the line art. Voila! Instant colored image! It's not meant to be perfect. It's meant to be a little wonky but fun.

After I stamped these images, I went in with a white Signo gel pen and added a little detail.

I made this card in wintry pastels, but I bet it would be fun in some red and green for Christmas.

Morning walks now require hats and gloves. Brr! Thanks for visiting the café today!

Planners and Journals: Reality Vs. Fantasy

 

Occasionally, I get the silly idea that I can be a dedicated journaler. 

Silly.

I look at pretty pictures where people are tracking their habits and recording their schedules and scribbling their prayers and dreams.

And then I look at my own planner.

I don't have time for that!

And honestly, if I had so much time on my hands that I am recording my glasses of water (why?), then I really need to rethink my life and examine my vocations. How is that time serving my neighbor?

I got this sweet Archer and Olive journal last year, with the thought that I'd draw cute little designs to record my month. And I did...for about three months, before it became a dreaded chore.

So today, I cut out those pages. I'm going to use the journal for a better purpose.

I bought this beautiful book called "Enduring Grace" from Concordia Publishing House. It is a devotional and journal for the 52 weeks of the church year. And it is lovely! I think this will be such a wonderful addition to Sunday worship throughout the week. (I will use my A and O journal to record any additional thoughts.)

I loved it so much that I bought one for my pastor's wife, too, along with the children's edition. She's a homeschooling mom, and I knew she'd love it.

I will be using this as soon as Advent begins.

This book is currently on sale here:

https://www.cph.org/enduring-grace-a-church-year-journal-year-c#product-review-container

Advent season will be here soon. I still LOVE my planners from Lang. I use them to record my deadlines and story assignments, my dulcimer jams and lessons, my church and community events, my family celebrations and birthdays. I write it ALL down. And the bonus? Pretty artwork on every page, with plenty of room to record any notes.

Why would I complicate life when I have a system that works just fine?

November's color is...

 

Things are looking very Novembery outside today. Cloudy skies, more and more bare-limbed trees, and a mellowing of October's showy colors.

I read an article about design trends for 2025, and the prediction was that shades of brown would be making a big statement in home décor.

Brown may not seem very exciting, but I think it's a warm and earthy color that brings balance to a room. It's not nearly as harsh as, say, black. Leaves, earth, tree bark. Coffee, tea, chocolate. Fresh baked bread. Brown is cozy.

I found this Granny Square afghan in my mom-in-law's storage recently, and I knew I had to wash this family heirloom and get it on display.

Brown transferware? Yes, please!

Brown crockery? Love it!

Brown Betty? Check!

Brown linens? Love them all year long.

Brown woods? They make my heart sing.

Brown plays well with other colors, too...like orange and yellow and blue and green.

Obviously, I'm not an "influencer" or a trend follower. I like what I like. A designer is never going to add a Granny Square afghan to their list of "must haves". But in my home, where we like things with a little history, these elements fit right in.