Sympathy card

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The card base was from DCWV Chateau Lavender Stack.  The green die cut was made with the Anna Griffin Cuttlebug Flower Bramble die.  The sentiment embellishment was cut with the Cricut Explore, Anna Griffin Summer Soirees cartridge & stamped with an Anna Griffin stamp using white ink.

 

The three butterflies on the front are from Martha Stewart.  For the liner, I used this Carina Gardner digital paper but lightened it up a bit so the verse would stand out more.

My Mother's birthday luncheon 2014

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As some of you know, my mother passed away in 2012 a couple of months shy of her 95th birthday.  In an effort to not be sad on that day, I decided to start a new tradition of having a girls luncheon celebrating my mother's birthday every year.  I do it up all girly, use my wedding china & crystal & we have a great time.  Since this is a pretty long post, I'm going to start out showing the invitations, favors & photos.  Then, if you're interested in how I made the items, that will be later in the post.  Since I'm still honeymooning with my Cricut Explore, all the electronic die cuts were made with it.

So let's start out with the invitations. 

The favors:

Each gift bag included a purse sized anti-bacterial sanitizer in a nice, summer scent from Bath & Body Works, a "vanilla" & chocolate Walker's shortbread scottie (people cookies shaped like Scottie dogs), a Close To My Heart Delicate Wings stamp set, Close To My Heart mini ink pad, and a Close To My Heart 1 inch block.

The greeting at the door...

 

Normally, I forget to take photos during the event because I'm busy or enjoying my guests.  But one guest said I really needed to take a photo of the color coordinated desserts.  (LOL!)  So most of the photos are pre-event.  But I did at least get a couple of photos during the event.

 

The menu...

My Mother's memorial candle...

The guests!

  

 

The color coordinated desserts...  M&M's, homemade cupcakes & fresh figs!

Roxie & Timmy ready to party down!

Now...on to instructions.  

The invitations:

My mother was a very accomplished seamstress & made most of my clothes until I was in my 20's.  I started out with this digital paper because it reminded me of a skirt she had made for me about 40 years ago.  But as I continued to look at it, it was too "fallish" for my tastes for this event.  I am often drawn to bright colors & in recent years, I've been on a bright pink, purple and chartreuse binge.  SO...I modified the original digital paper from a brown background to a pink background.

Original digital paper by Adrienne Looman's English Rose collection:

After I changed the background from brown to bright pink:

The front label/frame is from the Cricut Lacy Labels cartridge.  The font of the text is Rhumba Script NF & it was SO NICE to be able to use the pen and cut in one pass!  Currently, this is the feature that sets the Cricut Explore apart from the other electronic cutters on the market today!  I took the teal from the digital paper above & made a solid color of that to make the flower.  Then I added a gem as the center of the flower. 

For the "liner", I used a software application that is new to me, Craft Artist 2 (hereafter referred to as CA2).  I used this digital paper...

...a frame from CA2 and a photo of my mother & I one Easter Sunday.  My mother made our mother/daughter outfits.  The photo is black & white but the suits were a light green linen

 

Font is Undercurrent BTN

The envelopes were stamped with the butterfly (CTMH Delicate Wings Petite Perks (W2028 - not available for purchase)) and the phrase is from the CTMH Art Philosophy Celebration stamp set (D1497) with CTMH Desert Sand ink.

 

The favor boxes

All boxes were cut from the Pennants Treat Bag cut from Anna Griffin Summer Soirees cartridge...

 

...cut at this size...

Each one was different either because of the paper or the flower embellishment.  The embellishments were from these cuts:

The welcome sign for the door:

The frame was from the Cricut Cindy Loo cartridge & the font was from the Cricut Chalkboard cartridge.

The menu

Font is CAC Champagne (I think that's a font from my very old greeting card software Create A Card).  Digital paper is 

 

 

 

20th Anniversary card

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A good friend & her husband recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.  

The photo above doesn't do the front of the card justice because you can't see the shimmery paper, embossing or glitter paper.  So below is a scan that shows those details.  However, you still don't get the look & feel of the shiny, gold, Anna Griffin cardstock used for the frame.  (You can see that better in the first photo.)

The base is grey shimmer paper. Then I layered some black shimmer paper that had been embossed with Anna Griffin's Poppy folder.  The frame was cut on the Cricut Explore, from the Lacy Labels cartridge, using grey shimmer paper, shiny gold Anna Griffin cardstock & red glitter paper for the hearts.  The text on the front was also done on the Cricut Explore (how neat to be able to cut AND write in the same pass!)  The font is Rhumba Script NF.  I adhered the frame to the black shimmer with pop dots for dimension.

For the inside or liner, as I refer to it, I used digital paper from Carina Gardner via Jessica Sprague.

The gold sticker on the inside top is from Embossmints Foil Stickers Everyday from HSN.

The verse is:

One by one, each year flew by, since you both said "I do"

Twenty years of memories shared by the two of you.

From big events and holidays to simple daily pleasures.

Some tearful times along life's way, some joys that can't be measured.

One by one, each year now gone, but still they're yours forever.

Each & every memory of twenty years together.

More Pet Sympathy Cards (Sophia, Vinnie & Ben)

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Last year, I had several friends who lost their dogs.  I had not made a pet sympathy card in many years.  I really like the Cricut Paper Pups cartridge, so I used it to make variations of this card for them.

The verse on the front reads:

"They are your friend, your companion, your guardian.
They live for you, love you and will follow you anywhere."

This one was for Vinnie (my sister-in-law's dog), I added a charm (Epiphany Crafts) with a photo of Vinnie that didn't turn out too well because I glued it to the card.  The dampness of the glue discolored the photo.  Lesson learned.

For Sophia & Benjamin:

For Katchie...

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A couple of months ago, my neighbor had to put down the dog she's had for 17 years.  I only knew Katchie for a couple of years, but I can certainly relate to the heartache when you have to let them go.  This one is for Miss Katchie...

The dog was cut on my Cricut Explore & is from Nate's ABCs cartridge & the glitter paper heart was also cut on the Explore from Ashlyn's Alphabet cartridge.  The flourish is a Spellbinder's cut I had done a while back on some scrap paper, the butterfly was from the dollar store, added some baker's twine and topped off with a strip of washi tape.

The inside was digital paper I bought & downloaded from Laureling Studios via Etsy.  It's from the "Paw Prints Basic" collection here.  But I made it a bit lighter so the text would be more visible.  The glittery heart on the inside, top was the inside cut of the heart on the front, the verse on the top was from "The Invisible String" by Patrice Karst, but I incorrectly attributed it to Geoff Stevenson who was the illustrator.  (Sorry!)  The font is "A Year Without Rain".  

 

The verse on the top reads:

"Those who love each other are always connected by a very special string made of love.
Even though you can't see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and
know that you are always connected to the ones you love."

--- Patrice Karst
 

The verse on the bottom:

They will not go quietly, The dogs who've shared our lives.

In subtle ways they let us know Their spirit still survives.
Old habits still make us think We hear a barking at the door.
Or step back when we drop A tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place The food dish used to be.
And sometimes coming home at night, We miss them terribly.
Although time may bring new friends And a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts belongs to them…
…and always will.

And yes, Miss Katchie, you will always be in our hearts & we miss you.