Make Your Own Card Kit

 

Sometimes, I need to do some simple marathon crafting to replenish my card stash. Kits are great for simplifying this process. It was easy to make my own "kit" with just a few items and some shopping in my own stash.

I started with this Simple Stories paper pad. Tea Garden has lots of cute spring images and colors.

I grabbed these coordinating "bits". I dumped each one into a tray so that I could see what I was looking for. I also grabbed some sweet paper doilies, made some card fronts, and die cut some frames with patterned paper. Then I got to work.

The first batch uses Concord and 9th card front dies, doilies, and enamel dots.

This batch uses patterned papers and die cuts. I also added some fun sentiments from Concord and 9th.

Some of the images from Simple Stories were larger, so I decided to make some 5 by 7 cards with them.

Happy cards. And I really needed some happy this week.

It also makes me happy to use the pretty things in my stash.

I think I'll be repeating this process very soon with some more of my favorite Simple Stories products. Maybe a set of nature-inspired cards suitable for men?

St. Patrick's Day

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I needed a card for my monthly coffee swap, and wanted to give it an Irish theme. I thought it'd be fun to make green hills, so I used this stamp and die set from Concord and 9th and added some CP coffee cups and this hysterical sentiment.

I went to visit Mom yesterday, and brought her a little present to celebrate the day. I found some yummy Irish soda bread and a potted shamrock at my local grocery store.

I also made her a new stitched pillow cover and this card:

I love that this mug die from Papertrey Ink looks exactly like the kind of mug you'd serve an Irish coffee in. 

And here's the stitched pillow.

I'm lucky to be loved by such a sweet Mom.

Don't forget to wear green today!

Pickles and Appliances

 

Why is it that things just do not last like they used to?

I have a GE alarm clock that is over 45 years old, maybe 50. And it's still going strong.

And I had a refrigerator that died after five years.

Five years?! That's as long as we can expect from a $ appliance?

We purchased new kitchen appliances during the great shortage of the pandemic. We went nearly a year without a working oven. We had hoped to get a matching set from Kitchenaid, but it looked like that would be impossible. So we eventually got a matching stove and microwave, a close-enough dishwasher, and a white Samsung refrigerator.

Well, this January, our fridge started making weird noises, and before we knew it, the freezer wasn't freezing and the fridge wasn't cold. The repairman gave us the diagnosis...bad compressor. So expensive to replace, you'd be better off getting a new fridge.

The good news? The matching Kitchenaid was available now! Yay!

The bad news? It wouldn't get delivered for three weeks.

Lucky for us, we have a small fridge and freezer in the basement. And with the help of two coolers outside on the deck during a Polar vortex January/February freeze, we managed to save most of our foods.

We really like this new refrigerator! It's a bit smaller than our last fridge, which is fine for two people. That's because it is counter depth, and doesn't stick out too much. There is a water dispenser inside the fridge, the ice maker is in the drawer. I love the clean look of the front, and the vintage-inspired style.

We were briefly in a real pickle, but now all is well.

And speaking of pickles...

I had to have this Dill-lightful stamp and die set from Concord and 9th. We are a pickle-loving family, and I could think of a lot of uses for these fun images.

I made my eldest pickle-loving son this card for his birthday.

And here is the inside sentiment! I love a good pun.

It's a chilly, winter's last gasp kind of day. I think I will make some creamy cauliflower soup and bring it to my Mom for lunch today.

Happy Friday the 13th, friends!

Spring Flowers

 

We've had some early spring days this week. Birds were singing, sun was shining, and bulbs are starting to pop up out of the hard winter ground.

Will it last? No, of course not. This is Michigan. We will likely have snow again next week.

But one day, spring will come to stay.

These stamps and dies from Concord and 9th speak to those spring days ahead. So fun! And that ladybug is precious.

Aldi had some pretty spring flowers last week. I really needed some wreaths, and these were a great deal.

I've been covering some fun local stories this week. The local spring craft show was well attended, with lots of pretty items from talented crafters. Then we went to a cool local brewery that was hosting a Scholastic-inspired pop up book fair for adults. How fun is that? This Saturday, I'm covering a vintage hanky sale at our local quilt shop that will be showcasing over one thousand hankies.

What fun things are filling your calendar this month?

Spring Lambs and Spring Hills

 

The Happy Herd stamps, stencils and dies from Concord and 9th called my name. I just love sheep.

I made these sheep using Distress Ink Picket Fence. This one is a one layer card.

I gave this to my brother-in-law this weekend, after having visited all of the boys and having them add their birthday greetings inside. Perfect! The whole herd!

And then, I needed a baby shower card, and thought this one would do the trick! I combined the sheep dies with the new Hillside dies, and added a card front stitched die panel at the bottom.

The Hillside dies also come with stamps and stencils. They look like a fresh breath of spring air. And who isn't craving that right about now?

I paired this with a sunburst panel.

Full of happy!

And speaking of happy, I managed a trip to see all of my sons over the weekend. We even had a chance to celebrate my birthday together, and that's the best gift of all.

Silly Goose

 

The goose is back!

You know how certain animals will suddenly become trendy and you start seeing them everywhere? Sloths. Hedgehogs. Llamas.

Well, I'm officially declaring this the Year of the Goose.

Target had a bunch of fun goose things in their Dollar Spot. Meijer also had goose things in their Dollar Spot.

And the porch goose? Yes, that's a thing once again!

Concord and 9th had a fabulous February release. I ordered...a lot. And one of the bundles is a set called Silly Goose.

It features die cuts of geese in various poses, with hats and boots and ribbons to accessorize.

So fun!

Tell me. Are you seeing gaggles of geese everywhere?

Sweet, and Not So Sweet February

 

Hello, cafe friends!

It's hard to believe that we are in the last week of February. What a wild month, weather wise. One day, it's snowy, and the next day it's 60 degrees and sunny. And then back to frigid cold and snow. That silly groundhog probably knew what he was talking about when he predicted six more weeks of winter!

Did you have a special Valentine's Day? We attended a fun shop hop event in our little downtown. As for the gifting, I was excited to pull out my my shortbread pan for these lovely heart-shaped treats. I made a pan for my Mom and a pan for my beloved.

This gave me a good reason to use these new shortbread supplies from The Greetery. This embossing folder really reminds me of my new pan!

I made it using PTI's Fine Linen cardstock, and brushed it with some white ink to give it a powdered sugary look.

I used another embossing folder to make this fun coffee and cookie card and bookmark...

...and this birthday card.

I will be making some more pans of shortbread soon to give to my family. We're going to visit our sons soon for a fast trip to Illinois and Indiana.

But I won't be eating any shortbread because Ed and I gave up sweets for Lent as part of a fasting discipline. One week in, and I'm staying strong!

I have a few fun spring things to show you soon. You know that New Year's resolution we make every year to spend less money on craft supplies? Well, I'm two months in and failing miserably. 😊

During the long, tail-end days of winter, I need to fuel my creativity in any way possible.

Fear not, cafe friend. Spring is coming!