Scenes in a Sip cards

 

Altenew released their Scenes in a Sip stamps and dies in July, and they sold out quickly. My local stamp shop/now online shop was offering an online class with this order, as soon as the restocks were filled. My order came last week, and I couldn't wait to give it a try.

I knew I'd need some festive elements to go with these cards. I pulled out some dies from Hello Bluebird, and look what I found in the storage envelope: Mary Rose 2025 had saved a bunch of die cuts for future use!

Mary Rose 2025 had also saved some embossed panels that were perfect for these cards. It sure made the crafting session a lot easier yesterday.

This was a really fun set to play with. It was easy to get the layered images with my MISTI, and that spoon is just too cute.

I chose to die cut the mug and layer it on top of the embossed panel. But this set also comes with a stamp that gives the mug a nice shadow if you chose to make a one-layer card. I'll be trying that soon.

These cards all got a little Wink of Stella snowy sparkle. I'm going to try them with some WOW embossing powders, too.

I don't have a plan for Christmas cards this year, other than trying really hard to get more creative and use what I have.

Have you seen any new trends for Holiday 2026? I think my trend will be "frugal". 

A Trip to my Hometown Orchard

 

I needed to get down to my Mom's house to do some sorting and organizing. It's a process, and it feels overwhelming. We are chipping away at it, one drawer and one cupboard and one closet at a time.

I decided to pop in to the orchard that was such a big part of our family's yearly traditions, Erie Orchards and Cider Mill.

The minute you walk into this building, you are greeted with the smell of freshly baked apple fritters. Resistance is futile. I had to buy them!

The reason I come to this orchard every autumn: they grow the most delicious golden delicious apples! I bought a BIG bag. I also got the last of the summer peaches (yay!) and a quart of their homemade apple cider.

It's such a cute homey, country orchard. Soon, it will be packed with school buses bringing children for their field trips. Every weekend will feature craft fairs and festivals. I managed to get their on a quiet afternoon, and I'm so glad I did.

If I had an Autumn Bucket List, this would be at the top.

25 Years, and Full Circle

 

Many of us know exactly where we were 25 years ago when we heard the terrible news. It was a day that none of us will forget.

I was a teacher at my local church preschool when we heard the news.

And here's the funny thing.

Twenty-five years later, I am making plans to return to the preschool once a month to play music for the children and lead them in song.

I'm calling this my "grandma fix". 

Even in the midst of sorrow, we need to find our joy.

I have been blessed. And I want to be a blessing to others. The school is not exactly down the road. It will be a 45 minute drive to get to them. But I'm comfortable with them, and happy to do it. It's a homecoming, of sorts. And I find I need to comforts of home at this stage of life.

Comfort and joy.

Blessings on your Friday, cafe friends!

In a Rock and Roll Mood

 

I was working in Mom's garden last weekend when I got a text from my husband.

"Want to go to the Rush concert in Detroit tonight? I've got free tickets."

Sure!

Because a free concert is hard to pass up! And Rush are rock legends, for sure.  It was a packed house, and a great show.

A friend at church has retired recently, and he's stepping down from his committee work to prepare for a move. We hate to see him go! Dave was our tech guy that kept our church going during the pandemic...YouTube services, live streams, computer glitches, Zoom meetings. Dave was our go-to man. We will miss him!

I made Dave a rock-inspired card. I think he will appreciate it.

A little retro, just like me.

End-of-Summer Walk in the Woods

 

Hello, friends! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend.

Sam came to town this weekend to attend the opening football game at U of M with Ed. We've been enjoying some lovely end of summer weather, too.

After church and brunch, we decided to visit Kensington Metropark for some hiking.

We saw  a LOT of sandhill cranes at this park!

And a LOT of BIG turkeys.

This doe didn't seem to mind that we'd interrupted her search for lunch.

Fish and turtles, birds and butterflies. It was a perfect walk in the woods.

Too Soon?

 

Is it too soon for Halloween cards? Not if the stores are any indication. I think the big box home improvement stores have had Halloween on display since July!

I'm not normally a big Halloween card maker, and I only own one stamp set (Hello Bluebird) that is Halloween-themed. But I recently placed an order with Scrapbook.com, and this Ghostie die from Catherine Pooler came free with my order. Yay!

I thought it would be fun to make a tent topper card with this floating ghost. The papers are also from Catherine Pooler's new Halloween collection.

While I was already getting inky, I decided to stamp a few more sentiments and pumpkins. I tucked these in with the paper pad for future use.

This pumpkin stamp is my favorite of all time, and that's saying a lot. I've been stamping for over 25 years! It's from Catherine Pooler's Pumpkin Season stamp and die set. I can't remember how long since this set was introduced (probably 2020?). I just remember seeing a card that the fabulous crafter Wanda Guess (A Blog Called Wanda) had made with this, and I knew I had to have it. I think it's the set that had me jumping on the Catherine Pooler bandwagon.

Today is the last day to receive another free die set with $50 order at the CP website called Witchy Wardrobe. Do I need a witch's hat? Probably not. But I'll probably get it anyway. 

Happy Friday, cafe friends!

Slimline Village

 

When I first saw the new collection from Catherine Pooler Designs called "Mitford Falls", I decided that I'd be referring to it as Stars Hollow. And the funny thing? A short time later, they offered a sequin mix called Stars Hollow! I guess we were all thinking of the same inspiration.

I thought these images would be sweet on a slimline card design.

One of the things I love about this set is that they've included dies that will allow you to customize the images: for example, there's a die for the bakery sign so that you can stamp and cut and layer in another color. Same for the roofline, tree trunks, lamppost and sign.

I went one step further with the tree trunks by stamping them with a woodgrain stamp (from CP Mod Textiles).

I used some of the little images to decorate the envelopes, too.

The town next to mine (Dexter, Michigan) looks a lot like this little village, complete with a town gazebo. It's a fun place to visit, especially in the fall. The drive winds through tunnels of trees. And Dexter has a cider mill that people travel to every year.

Cider and donuts season is here!