It was in God's hands...

Hello peeps, it’s the Canada Day long weekend here and we are having great weather, although it certainly didn't start that way!

 

Why am I on the computer you’re probably thinking right? Well I have a special post for you today, because I made a special card for a friend’s daughter and I must get it packaged up with a little gift.

 

My friend’s daughter, Paula, recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Now one would think that this is a wonderful occasion, but this time there is a sad factor to this otherwise wonderful blessing.

 

For many years Paula was unable to carry a baby to full term, but recently the medical reason was discovered. As a result of this discovery and subsequent treatment Paula learned she was carrying twin girls.

 

As with most multiple births, statistics go against carrying them to full term and this indeed did happen to Paula. Heartbreakingly, one twin was stillborn; her name was Charlotte.

 

Thankfully her sister Claudia survived and is presently thriving so I am told. I will be meeting Claudia for the first time very soon, so of course I had to make a card to go along with my gift.

 

I chose Saturated Canary’s Butterfly Baby for a couple of reasons. 

 

Reason #1; it is my understanding that Krista designed this image for another special baby who suffers from a rare illness. Krista did this in order to raise money to help the family with their medical costs.

 

Reason #2; this image has wings, and I thought it could also represent angel wings, as in Charlotte is now and angel watching over her sister.

 

I discovered this CAS layout somewhere out there in blog land and instantly fell in love with it, but unfortunately I cannot tell you where or I most certainly would.

 

Sleeper - R00, R20, 21, 22 and colorless blender

Wings - BG0000, 000, N0, R21, 22 plus Stardust Stickles

Skin - E0000, 000, 00, 11, R20

Eyes/Sleeper bottom - BG93, 96, YG 03

Hair - E50, 51, 53, 55, 57

 

I found this beautiful quote online and thought it appropriate for this occasion as well.

 

So peeps, I have taken enough of your valuable time, and I must get back to enjoying the remainder of this long weekend with some friends.

 

Take care and thanks for stopping by JS

 

 

A Kindred Spirit...

Hi crafty peeps!

What exactly is a Kindred Spirit? Well, in my eyes a kindred spirit is a term that mean someone you feel a connection with, or someone who understands you. A kindred spirit can share all of your goals, ambitions and thought processes or they can simply share with you only one unique quality. They're people that you connect with on a deeper level than just basic intellectual and emotional interaction.

One would think that you need to have direct contact with an individual, right?  Well I can tell you for a fact, that direct contact is NOT necessary, for I have found one such kindred spirit right here in blog land.

Her name is Brigitte, or as she is more affectionately known here in blog land; Bricolage de Brigitte.

You are all probably asking yourself why I am tell you all this, right?

Well this past Friday, Brigitte and I took advantage of a rare opportunity to meet in person, as she was attending a conference very close to where I live. During the logistical planning stages, I knew of course that I had to make Brigitte a special card. After all, that is our first and foremost connection to each other, but trust me when I say we do have many very personal things going on too. 

 As all my faithful followers know by now, I usually design my personal cards to reflect some form of physical or emotional connection.

Brigitte and I are both Canadian, and she is in fact part of our Armed Forces, so I decided to take advantage of that fact, and Nicecrane Designs had the perfect image for me to use…

 

Nicecrane Designs has a pretty awesome collection of vintage pin-up girls, and I totally had fun creating this card for Brigitte!

Here is a close up shot...

 

I printed the image onto Neenah cardstock and then coloured it with my Copic markers. Choosing a colour scheme was pretty much made for me, given the fact that the military is basically limited to earth tones. (LOL)

 

Shirt/Hat - BG93, 96 G 94

Boots/Gun/Hair - N0, 03, 05, 07, 10

Skin - E0000, 000, 00, 11, R21, 22

Boxes – E0000, B0000, BG0000

 

And I used DeconstructingJen sketch #1

 

 I hope you enjoyed my card as much as I enjoyed the reason behind creating it.

Brigitte, I hope you had a safe flight home, and thanks again for the wonderful evening. I can't believe how fast our evening together went, let alone the fact that we were able to meet face to face.

 

Cheers, to what I hope will be a very long friendship!

Jusqu'en notre prochaine rencontre ... (I hope this translates well, my French Canadian Ami)

Thanks for stopping by :) S

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Father and Daughter recollection...

Hello and Happy “1^st” day of summer crafty peeps!

Before I show you my card, I would like to tell you a little bit about it. Firstly, it is one of many adorable famous illustrators’ children images from Nicecrane Designs.

 

This particular image is from the “Sweet Twelvetrees Babies Collagesheet". You simply print onto your own papers or other medium for your cards, ATCs, altered books and boxes, decoupage, ornaments, tags, assemblage, scrapbooking and other paper crafts.

 

When I first saw this adorable image I had an instant personal attachment to it.  I coloured the image with my Copic markers, and the sentiment and inside message is completely personal between my Father and I, which I will explain after you see the card; so without further ado….

 

 

This picture isn’t the greatest, but it will have to do because my husband’s camera, which just so happens to be the best camera, wasn’t available at the time I needed to take this photo.

 

A closer look...

 

 

One of the nice things about most of the images that can be purchased from Nicecrane Designs, is the fact that many of the images show shadowed areas. Thus taking out all the guess work when it comes to figuring out exactly where you need to add darker hues for the necessary dimension. Don’t get me wrong though, you still need to know how to use your markers, but it helps when you see the areas, and aids as a way to learn at the same time. I hope that makes sense?

The inside message...

 

My Father was a fire fighter for 31 years, and I use to play with his dress uniform and old boots when I was a kid. The only difference though, was I wanted to grow up and be a police officer, not a fire fighter. So now perhaps you understand the message.

So, that’s it for today, but just to let you know, I’ve made another card using another image from Nicecrane Designs, but I want to get out and enjoy some of this sunshine. So you’ll just have to pop back in tomorrow or Saturday. Until then, take good care and thanks for stopping by.

JS

 

 

 

 

 



A Wedding card...

Well hello there crafty peeps!

I am “slowly” picking up my Copic markers these days and when I say slowly, I mean slowly!

 In the hope of trying to find my mojo, I came up with the idea to print several digi images onto one sheet of Neenah cardstock, and because I don't have a "craft room" per se, I presently have everything set up on the dining room table. My Copic markers are nearby, and I thought by constantly walking by these colourless images I just might be motivated into colouring again. I am happy to report that so far it seems to be working.

 Yesterday, I read my friend Penny’s blog, 9 Hawks and a Dragonfly, where she announced the start of a wedding/anniversary card challenge now on over at the Outlawz Greeting card challenges.

Interesting enough, I just so happen to have made a wedding card for my dear friend’s daughter’s wedding and I thought I would share it with you today.

It is an adorable “Lili of the Valley” rubber stamped image called Wedding Couple, and I had so much fun creating this particular card for her.

 

 

Copic Colours Used:

Bride & Groom - W00, 1, 3, 5, 7

Skin – E41, w00, R30

Hair – E41, 50 W01

Flowers – BG0000, 000, 01, 93

Ribbons – BG93

The designer papers that I used are a mixture of individual sheets that I’ve collected along my way and some basic card stock. The embellies were either purchased such as the jewels, cheesecloth and doily. I also handmade some such as the flowers (Sizzix) and hearts (Close to My Heart Stamp Set).

I also used Spellbinders and Memory Box die cuts, and of course, what would this card be without a bit of Stardust Stickles here and there!

 

Naturally I will be entering my card over at the Outlawz Greeting Card Challenge this week, along with

Fussy and Fancy Friday – Challenge #90 - Bling It On

Milk CoffeeChallenges – Load On The Flowers 

 

So there you have it, my most recent creation; I hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by :)S