Oldies but Goodies And Thanks to Eddie and Lisa

Eddie and Lisa both sent a fresh batch of cards for Karen’s Card Shop. Muchas gracias, ladies! They are beautiful and VERY much appreciated!

Sometimes it’s fun to pull out old sets and just play around. Today’s cards are the result of play with some old Papertrey and Hero Arts sets. 

First up, PTI’s Beautiful Butterflies. I added white spots to the earthy butterfly colors with a white gel pen. 

I sorta messed up the sentiment by stamping the “birthday” too low. It would look better snuggled up closer to the “happy.” With how busy the card is, however, it’s not as noticeable. 

Second, PTI Botanical Silhouettes flowers with Hero’s From the Vault Bugs for the butterfly.

I used Distress inks and spritzed water to stamp the second card, which results in a very different look from the first card with its bold solids. The softness makes for a good sympathy card. 

Happy nostalgia stamping!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Sweet Circle Sparks Memories

Most of the stamps in today’s card come from an old Hero Arts set called Spring Hello. I drew a circle and stamped around it until it was filled in. 

Bright pinks and greens remind me of the early 1980s and the preppy trends. I LOVED dressing preppy and going to a very preppy prep school. But the 80s were very complicated for me and not a time for the best mental health of my life. 

In fact, my mental health was pretty terrible way back then, which is one reason why I’m so careful to support my students’ mental health. Late teens and early twenties are such hard ages. When I wore colorful pink and green wrap-around skirts and carried a purse with wooden handles and replaceable covers that matched the skirts, I remember how insecure I was, how I didn’t want anyone to find out about my father’s neglect and narcissistic abuse, how fat and ugly I thought I was (I wasn’t). The 1980s have me trying to practice some selective amnesia.

And then there was the year of the pink cancer: 2022. Ugh. I’d love to forget that…except so many people were so kind and supportive. 

Now it’s 2025, and I’m okay. Yay! But now I wear a lot of red, black, blue, and gray, and the wood-handled purse disappeared years ago. My hair is shiny silver, and that’s empowering. 

Do you have a decade you found to be complicated? Or a year? Or an age? What was the color scheme that takes you straight back?

I challenge you to flip the script: make a card in those colors and ENJOY the process and the results. 

It’s a good feeling.

Or maybe I’m just crazy.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

More Old School

The frond stamp here is an old Hero Arts mounted rubber stamp. It’s fabulous and lends itself to a variety of techniques, but this one is my favorite…and also old school. Color with markers, spritz with water, and stamp. I gave the sentiment the same treatment and sprinkled ink for a more interesting background.

Just got back from a visit with my mom, sister, and her family. Here are a few pictures.

My beautiful mother

My silly mommy

My sister, the top of grand-nephew M’s head, my niece Rory,
who asks that we not put pictures of M online

My sister with Steve the Abiguously Female Cat,
who kindly requests you use the pronouns they/them
In reference to “them.” Thank you.

My son Jack and nephew Grady

All photos that do not include my sister were taken by her with her cool camera.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Old School

I took out some older stamps to play with, including Papertrey Ink’s Heart Prints. I made two very different cards with very similar colors.

First up, a super-fun layered background paper to spotlight a most excellent sentiment from Simon Says Stamp. 

Next up, floral hearts for birthday wishes! The black centers of the flowers are dots of black diamond Stickles. 

What fun to play around with a spectacularly well-designed set!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Something Different

A few weeks ago, I fell into a slump creatively and pulled out a few of my books on bookbinding. Something different might be just what Dr. Creativity prescribed.

I think it worked.

Sentiments are from Simon Says Tiny Words Faith set, and the design is a simple fold you can find in a wide range of bookbinding books. It’s made from one sheet of textured paper I bought at Marco’s Paper, sized it to fit a small envelope I have. 

If you’re ever in a slump, try something completely different. See what happens. It’s fun!

On another note, I bought my hubby the Lego Titanic set for Christmas. He savored the build and finished last week. 

The thing is a BEAST. He joked about building an iceberg out of his architecture Lego set…all the bricks are white. I can’t decide if that is too disrespectful of a tragedy, or if it highlights the hubris of the “Unsinkable” ship. Is it still too soon to joke about it? Inquiring minds….

Mercy, grace, peace, and love, 

Susan

Flower Power…and a Blessing

Amidst my new acquisitions is a die set from Eileen Hull for Sizzix. They are pretty dies, and I had fun with them. 

First up, white-on-white—I know, you’re shocked—with some texture from a handwritten script embossing folder I just adore. The pink on the flowers was added by flicking a bit of color with a Copic marker. The rhinestones are not that dark in real life. The sentiment comes from Simon Says. 

Next up, more white-on-white (surprised?). This time, I colored the white, die-cut flowers and leaves with ink scribbled onto an acrylic block (Memento markers) and spritzed with water. The totally random effect made me so happy! The centers of the flowers are filled with black diamond Stickles. It’s much more sparkly in person. 

Both of these cards are light, fresh, and pretty. Which makes me happy.

____________

Now for a God moment. Even if you’re a nonbeliever, my experience last Wednesday may bless you in this time of chaos and conflict.

Feeling groovy and upbeat, I walked across campus from the Adjunct Support office to my classroom. I passed a woman who was walking slowly, made eye contact with her, and smiled. After a few more steps, she called out to me. 

“I have to thank you,” she said. “As you passed me, I felt the spirit of my mother. She died two weeks ago, and feeling her again with me was such a blessing. Your energy reminds me so much of her. Do you mind if we pray together?”

No, I did not mind at all. 

We spoke for a bit, and I shared that I am a Stephen Minister. She’d never heard of Stephen Ministry, but wanted to know more. By “coincidence” I had a copy of the first volume of a 4-volume booklet from Stephen Ministry written to help people through their grief. My plan had been to give it to a colleague in the English Department who lost two loved ones in very quick succession, but God clearly had a different plan. I offered it to my new friend, and she gratefully accepted it and gave me her address so I can mail the remaining three volumes at intervals during the first year of her loss. 

She asked for a selfie with me and her diploma, which she had just picked up. I obliged, a stand-in for her mom who would have loved to see that moment.

I’ll pick up another set of grief books for my colleague this weekend.

God is good, all the time.

All the time, God is good. 

And for those who doubt or believe differently, I hope you will take away from this story that there is good in the world: real humans reaching out and caring for one another, without reference to politics, power, or conflict. Blessings abound, if only we greet them with a smile.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

My New Favorite

EEEP!!!!

This card, which evolved slowly from the ombre panel of blues I didn’t know how to use, is now my favorite. 

The boldness of the blue practically glows off the white background. The ink is Hero Arts ombre blues, and the butterfly dies are from Poppy Stamps. The crisp clean style of this card warms the cockles of my heart. 

Then, I made another card using the scraps of the blue panel. It doesn’t make me quite as happy because it’s a little busy, I like the way the leaves hug the sentiment about hugs. That’s pretty cool. 

A fun day overall crafting!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan