Friendships Make Me Happy

Look at this beautiful card that my good friend Colleen sent me. Isn't it the yummiest?? I "met" Colleen on Splitcoast earlier this year and we've developed a wonderful friendship. She's the one who encouraged me to start this blog o' mine, too! She has an excellent eye for color and design and is always on the lookout for cardmaking inspiration in the world around her. I so admire that! I love reading on her blog, Dietrich Designs, how things like a child's swimsuit or a fancy tissue box inspired the beautiful cards she creates. Genius!! She is one talented lady. :)

So, last week I received this unexpected package from Colleen. In it was this gorgeous card with the sweetest message and an amazing collection of beautiful SU paper scraps, both solid card stock and designer paper. I was in heaven!! That's the kind of thing I can really use. She wrote that she couldn't wait to see what I would create with them. And I couldn't wait to get started creating!!

By the time you read this post, my family and I will be on the road for our vacation (I scheduled this post ahead of time). On Thursday I was in the throes of packing and doing all of those prep tasks that must be done before leaving on a trip. I was getting panicky and worked up and figured it was time to take a short break for some paper therapy to get re-focused. What a huge help!! I made several cards, two of which I'll share here because--da, da, DA!!--I used some of those wonderful scraps that Colleen sent me. Check it out, Col!!


I made this first CAS card for an SCS Ways to Use it challenge to use buttons. No problem! I love buttons and have tons, both my Gramma's vintage button collection and the ones I amassed when I sewed and sold fabric handbags and totes for a number of years. It is also for last week's Ippity New Release Challenge #1, to use {ippity} stamps and ALL the colors of the rainbow: RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE. Easy peasy!! The butterfly stamp from the {ippity} set Now & Always was perfect for the job. Even with the fussy cutting, which is far from my strong suit, it only took me about 30 minutes. A super quick card for me!! I am not what you'd call a speedy stamper. So this card was perfect as my break-from-packing paper therapy. And see those red, orange, and green butterflies? Cut from some of the scraps that sweet Colleen sent my way. Thanks, Colleen!!


And this CAS card was an even quicker card. I was on a roll!! Colleen will recognize that scalloped card base as a bit that was in the scaps she sent me!! It was already cut, folded, and ready to go. Yahoo! And it was perfect for the Ippity New Release Challenge #2, to use {ippity} stamps and make a shaped card. I don't have any die cutting tools, so this "scrap" was a godsend for this challenge. I did a little background stamping in Versamark and then used a vintage button from my stash for the center of my big beautiful flower (another image from the {ippity} Now & Always set--my fav {ippity}) and topped it with a celery rhinestone for sparkle. Added a leaf and a twist of ribbon, and I was done!! A super quick and easy card, made possible only by Colleen's scrappy care package.

Once I'd finished with my paper therapy, I was ready to roll on with the packing and had a productive rest of the day. It was just what I needed to calm myself and refocus. Creating is just so restorative for me. :)

If you like the {ippity} you saw here and want to check it out for yourself, be sure to head over to Emily Niehaus's blog for her {ippity} store. I'm sure she could hook you up with some!! And I believe that she is offering FREE SHIPPING on the new {ippity} release.

So, thanks for stopping by today! And thanks, Colleen, for your wonderful RAK and for all the ways you support me. I treasure your friendship!!

Card Details:
Butterflies
Stamps: {ippity} Now & Always
Paper: The Paper Company CS, lots of various scraps of card stock including SU bits from Colleen
Ink: Palette noir black
Accessories: scissors, SU word window punch, CM corner rounder, glue pen, buttons from my stash, grosgrain ribbon, glue dots, dimensionals
Techniques: paper piecing

Dahlia
Stamps: {ippity} Now & Always
Paper: SU taken with teal CS, SU whisper white CS, SU certainly celery CS
Ink: Versamark, SU certainly celery, Palette budoir blush
Accessories: scissors, vintage button, celery rhinestone, dotted ribbon from Mark's Finest Papers
Techniques: paper piecing