Friday, January 29, 2016

The Gratitude Project - Week 4

\ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

The quality of being thankful:  readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  


Today I bring you my “adopted nephew”.  He’s the son of my dear friend and I’m grateful for his little life.  His momma and I have known each other for a number of years.  She volunteered in the youth ministry when we were Youth Pastors, my husband performed their premaritals and wedding and over the years we've gotten to know each other really well through a mentoring relationship and friendship.  She’s one of my favourite people.  She has such a warm genuine heart, she speaks with authenticity and kindness and really values people in ways they can feel.  She’s loyal and fun and kind.   

I remember one time when we were doing some mentoring and were supposed to keep it to an hour.  After at least an hour and a half I looked at her and said, “we’re just not one hour people”.  :)  

So, this fall when this little guy was born, they became a family of three and we were so excited for them to become parents.  It’s SO fun to watch her as a new mama and see the ways that God is shaping her through raising this beautiful little guy.  

He is so sweet.  I described him this week as “soulful”.  He looks at the world with such attention and  thoughtfulness.  It’s so delightful to watch him grow.  I told his mama before he was born that because of how much I love her, and couldn’t wait for him to arrive, that I was going to be his adopted auntie :)  



Look at those sweet baby blues!  Can’t you see that sweet little personality starting to grow?  




Here are he and his mama together.  I am so grateful for them!  



A Breath of Spring


Can you believe that while all the people out east in the US were experiencing all that crazy snow, we were having rain this week?  That is so unusual for us.  Snow yes, cold yes, but not usually above freezing and rain.  It’s given me a little foretaste of spring that should be arriving here in a couple of months.  

So today’s cards have a definite flavour of spring to them.  They are the last two cards I added to an order my co-worker requested for general cards she could send out to people.  

This first card showcases the lovely daffodil arrangement from our Daffodils stamp set.  


Finishing details are pretty straightforward with cotton lace and seam binding.  




This second card shows off the lovely windowsill arrangement from Go Wild.  I just love it’s serene feel, so I kept a nice blue-green-purple palette with the gingham paper and seambinding.  



Here’s the Bloom Brigade playing along today, I know they will inspire you!  



Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber

Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Tosha Leyendekker

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Tons of Fun


My sweet little nephew turned five this weekend and we celebrated with a party together.  He just cracks me up, he is such a character.  Right now he is slightly nutty about Star Wars, as was his Dad before him....a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.  He’s also sweet, silly and snuggly and we love him.  He has a stuffed animal aptly named “Elephant”, who is of course, and elephant.  So, despite his Star Wars addiction, I went with this sweet little elephant from MFT called Adorable Elephants.  

I masked off our sweet little elephant and added 5 balloons, masking them as I went as well.  I think he’s pretty cute.  I used an older MFT sketch for the design, embossing the sentiments and popping them up.  



Just some simple enamel dots finish it off.  I chose to keep it really simple on the details as his little 5 year old self is really more concerned with the nerf gun that was wrapped inside :)  



See you back here tomorrow for some Power Poppy fun!  


Monday, January 25, 2016

Happy Hearts

With Valentine’s day quickly approaching I thought I’d show another couple of lovey designs that I made with the New Release at The Cat’s Pajamas.   It’s such a fun one!  


This first design was one that I thought would work for Valentine’s, but also even for a new baby boy.    I used TCP’s new Small Envie CutUps Die cutting it in vellum and putting a sweet little Nested Heart CutUps Die inside that I had stamped with our new Conversation Hearts stamp set.  

Then I just took some pieces of designer paper (Echo Park - Little Man), rounded the corners and added some accents.  



I used White Craft ink on the wood veneer elements to give them a better match to the design.  Oh I just love how that sweet little envelope looks!

Next up is a very lovey design also using the Nested Hearts CutUps Die, but in a much more feminine way and incorporating a shaker design.  I used the dies to create some negative cut outs and filled them with some microbeads, sequins and wood veener hearts.  Then I added some more hearts in patterned paper (Echo Park - Bundle of Joy).   The sentiment is from TCP’s Word’s of Love.  



And there you have it, some more LOVE to inspire you!  

By the way....there’s two fun challenges going on over at TCP right now.  One is the January Blog Hop where you could win a $50 TCP Gift Voucher!  And next you could jump in on our TCP Tuesday Challenge Anything Goes....a great way to get some Cat’s Cash for the store.  

Thanks for dropping by today!  



Double Tutorial Day!

Hi Friends!

Today I have two posts in the blog-o-sphere, I’m guesting at CardMaker Magazine Blog and I have an Inspire Me Monday post over at Power Poppy.  They’re some fun tutorials that I hope you can check out!

Here’s a preview of what you’ll see....





Saturday, January 23, 2016

The Gratitude Project - Week 3

The Gratitude Project.  

\ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

The quality of being thankful:  readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  

Here we are at week 3 of my photography project for the year!  This week was a very hectic one for me.  I’m a person who has a hard time winding down at night, and I’m a pretty light sleeper too.  So don’t get me started about the 3 am call we had one night from that was a scam....sorry off topic!  One of my favourite ways to wind down at bedtime is this week’s thing I am grateful for.  


Reading is one of my treasured activities and something I’m so grateful for!  These are my current reads in the picture above.  At night, to help me wind down, I read fiction.   It’s nice after a long day of helping solve problems at work and home, to enter into someone else’s world for a little bit and not be responsible for what happens :).  Of course, because I read at night that also means it takes me a couple of weeks to work through a book because I get about 10  - 20 pages in and I’m out like a light :)  Works like a charm for me!  

I just finished Kate Morton’s The Lake House a few days ago.  I liked it so much I read it twice back to back.  I’m very fond of books that weave in mystery, unexpected twists or secrets and then I find myself having to go back and read it all again to see how it all came together - once I know how it ended. Anyone else like that?  I want to know how the clues led to the final story.  This book like most of her books also goes between two stories  - current day and sometime in history and weaves that together.  

I don’t read a lot of general popular fiction, but Kate Morton is one of my exceptions.  I’ve read all her novels she’s put out so far, but the one I like the best is The Forgotten Garden.  Man that one knocked my socks off when I put the pieces together.  Highly recommended!  She weaves character and plot so beautifully.  

I’m currently reading Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden.  It’s another of my favourite genres, Historical Fiction.  It’s set in 1898 New York between a family home owned by a very wealthy Dutch family (a little bit like the Vanderbuilts), and also has the backdrop of the early roots of what became the National Weather Service.  I’m about 60 pages in (so about 3 nights :) and so far so good.  

For non-fiction I have to read during the day, not at night!  I picked up The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst.  One of my new areas of responsibility in my work is working with women and I knew this would not only help me, but also really be a good book to share with others.  It’s really good.  The premise is living out what it looks like to invest yourself in “your best yes”, and what it means to feel the freedom to say no to what isn’t really calling your name, or the best way you’re wired or called.  As women who strive for far too much all at the same time it has some great stuff in there.  I’m looking forward to the rest of the book. 

As always, you’re always welcome to join me in The Gratitude Project :)  But whatever your day brings I hope you can choose to have eyes that look for something to be grateful for.

Thanks for stopping by today!



Friday, January 22, 2016

Everything’s Rosy



Delighted to bring you another Friday round of inspiration at Power Poppy!  Earlier this week Marcy released a gorgeous new digi called Everything’s Rosy, and today I’m excited to show it to you!  It’s perfect for our Valentine season coming up, but also for any day you want to send a really LOVELY card.  

I printed the image on my go-to for digis - XPress it Blending card stock and then found a stash of paper I’d want to pair it with.  This one was from My Mind’s Eye - Market.  I just love the peachy and cream tones.  Because we’re in a TALL theme this month with our Power and Spark Challenge, I chose again to do a tall card design, only on the horizontal.  



Sigh...aren’t these roses just beautiful?  And I just love the cups too!   I used a stitched die and my machine to stitch all around the design as well.  The rosy trim was perfect and I finished it off with little wood veneer hearts.  



Here’s the inside of the design showing off a sentiment from this digi set.  Perfect for an any-day sort of design.  



Here’s the Copics I used.  


Here’s the Bloom Brigade Sisterhood in action today! Pop on by, I know you’ll be inspired!

Christine Okken 
(you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Monday, January 18, 2016

Hop for Popcorn Love

Hi Everyone!  We’re kicking off a new challenge this week and the celebration of our Sneaky Peeks with a Blog Hop today!   It’s been a fabulous week of sneak peeks at The Cat’s Pajamas and now all of the sets and dies are available for purchase!  

You should have come from Brenda’s blog along the hop, or you can start right at the beginning at Deborah’s blog.  Either way there’s great stuff in store for you to see!

Today I’ve got a fun design to show you today that makes a really cute treat for someone special.  Perfect for Valentine’s or any day you want to show some love.  






GAH!  Who doesn’t love popcorn in a popcorn box!  Once I saw this awesome image in the Just Let it Happen Set, I knew I wanted to make a treat bag from a popcorn box.  

For the tag, I stamped the image from the set onto Neenah white cardstock and then added a wee bit of colour with my Copics.  Aren’t their 3D glasses adorable???.  I cut out the tag using the Toppers CutUps die and rounded the corners along the bottom.  

Then I used a popcorn box file from the Silhouette store, (I was so giddy when I found it!), and then stamped the sentiment on the label and added some hearts from the Small Envie CutUps die.  This die has a little different shape for the heart than the Nested Hearts CutUps.  



Some simple twine ties the tag onto the treat bag.  



Inside is white chocolate and M&M popcorn I made, which was yummy.  


I love how eye-catching the colours are, and it’s such a sweet gift! 


Now you can head on over to Nancy’s Blog to continue the hippity-hop fun!  And be sure to join in with us on the Anything Goes Challenge!  


Sunday, January 17, 2016

Brown Bag Love

Today we’re showing off some of the awesome CutUps Dies available with this release.  Alma always does such a good job giving us creative fun things to play with.   Today I’m using the Love Topper CutUp to make a cute little treat bag.  



This is so simple everyone!  I began by stamping the solid heart from our new set Conversation Hearts in white Craft ink on a mini paper bag on both sides.   Then I stamped the stitched heart over a few of the hearts and added one of the heart dies popped up in red cardstock.  I cut the top of the bag with our Toppers CutUps die (the scalloped one), and added another heart to the front after it was folded down.  On the backside of the bag I added the Lover Topper in red card stock and tied a wee bit of twine around it.  And that it all it took!  

Inside the bag are Peanut Butter Blondies.  But I’ll be honest, though I consider myself a pretty decent cook, this was the first time for this recipe and it really didn’t turn out!  They look ok, and the kids said they liked them but something did not go right!  You could fill these with any snacky thing you choose - probably one with a tried and true recipe :)


 




Tonight is the night!  Our Pajama Party starts at 6 pm Mountain Time on our Facebook Page.  We hope to see you there for the extra Sneaky Peek, chatter, fun and games.  



Are you In it to Win It????  You could win a $10 TCP voucher just by commenting on The Cat Pack’s Blogs!  Alma will pick a random commenter each day and the winner’s will be announced on our TCP Facebook Page and the blog.  


Here’s the Cat Pack playing along today....


Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)
Deborah Anton
Nancy Thomas
Wendy McGaffey
our Guest Stamper Wanda Cullen
and Alma at the TCP Blog!

Saturday, January 16, 2016

The Gratitude Project Week 2


If you’re looking for my The Cat’s Pajamas Sneaky Peek please scroll down :)

The Gratitude Project.  

\ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

The quality of being thankful:  readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  

Today I’m back with my second week of The Gratitude Project.  A way for me to give voice in picture form for what I am grateful for this year.  If you want to read more about what this project is this year please click HERE.  



Today I bring you a person!  She’s a pretty special one to me.  She’s my mentor and friend.  I’ve known her for a lot of years already.  Though her kids are now young adults, they were students in our youth ministry.  As I embarked on a Girls ONLY ministry night about 12 years ago, we really connected over it and a real trusted friendship was born.  When I needed a mentor a few years ago I asked her if she’s consider it.  Gratefully she said yes!  What I love about her is that she lives life with a real joy and enthusiasm.  She’s full of life and energy and a can-do attitude.  We laugh a lot, and I’d say that’s a real hallmark of our friendship, but she and I also have a good trust where we can go quite deep pretty quickly.  I value that so much.  We have REAL conversations about things that matter and it doesn’t matter how much time has passed between our conversations.  She speaks words of grace and encouragement over me, and also encourages me by listening and relating as a fellow struggler in this walk of life.  She’s really authentic about her walk with God and is passionate about Him and about other people.  She’s also such a servant heart and when she sees a need she can fill she’ll jump right in.  She’s a person who sees  others through a lens of love.  She loves her husband and kids with a great grace and in practical ways that are a big example to me.   She’s just fun, and I’m so grateful to have her in my life.  PLUS, she and her husband can cook the best beef stroganoff I’ve ever had :)  One of her many talents.  And, even though it meant her getting her picture taken at lunch this week, she was such a good sport about it and I hope it encourages her too, to know how much I value and appreciate her.  

So there’s my week 2 of The Gratitude Project!  

Anything or anyone you’re grateful for this week?  Care to join me?  Take a picture, post it and let me know and I’ll come by and see.  How much encouragement we can give each other by really SEEING all the things and people in front of us that we can be grateful for!  I know this has an impact on our joy and contentment in this life. That’s really what’s on my heart this year, eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to speak it out.  




Kitschy Kitchen


Let’s go a little retro today shall we?  Wow, we have the cutest set to show off today!  It’s called Kitschy Kitchen.  It’s full of the cutest little animated kitchen things and punny sentiments that really make a fun statement.  


There’s just something about this set that totally inspires a retro feel, so that’s what I tried to do.  I coloured up our little spooner with Copics on Neenah cream card stock to match these fabulous papers I had in my stash, Cosmo Cricket Early Bird.  I love an aqua and red palette, to me it says 50’s kitchen wallpaper :)  So, on the background layer I wanted to capture that wallpaper feel stamping elements of the set in the different colours.  


I coloured up my ric-rack with my Copics to match and then added those awesome Nested Hearts CutUps Dies to accent with a couple of enamel dots.  Super fun and simple too.  


Here’s the Copics I used for the design.  



Are you In it to Win It????  You could win a $10 TCP voucher just by commenting on The Cat Pack’s Blogs!  Alma will pick a random commenter each day and the winner’s will be announced on our TCP Facebook Page and the TCP blog.  

We’re inviting you to our Pajama Party on January 18th on our TCP Facebook page where we’ll have games with chances to win, more sneak peeks and all around fun.    

Here’s the Cat Pack and their Kitchsy Kitchen fun today...

Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)
Julie Elak
Wendy McGaffey 
our fabby Guest Designer this month Wanda Cullen
and Alma at the TCP Blog!


Friday, January 15, 2016

Hello Yellow



Hello Yellow and Hello Friday!  Today we’re bringing you another round of inspiration at Power Poppy!  We’ve got a great challenge going on this month to STRETCH yourself and create a tall card and also to use something new you haven’t done before.  So, here’s my latest tall design showing off our set Countryside Bouquet Deluxe.  

I really wanted to play a bit with a softer more monochromatic design, so I stamped the bouquet in a soft gray Memento Ink, and then only added colour in soft yellows and warm grays.  To work with this piecy layout I stamped a second time with another stamp in the set just showing off the two little cosmos blooms.  Then I put it all together with some pretty patterned paper (and old MME pack In Bloom), and added in some sewing to define the space.  



Just a bit of Baker’s Twine and enamel dots complete it.  There’s just something soothing about stamping in a softer colour and then using soft colours to fill it in that I really like, even though I’m more of a bold colour girl.  




Here’s the Copics I used in the colouring.  


And....now you can jump in!  Join us in STRETCHing yourself!  Playing along gets you in the running for a Power Poppy set of your choice!



Here’s the Bloom Brigade showing off more today...


Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker



Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Lacey Hearts


Today at The Cat’s Pajamas we’ve got a fabulous Valentine Heart CutAble Die that will make your little heart swoon.  It’s called Lacey Heart and it really captures love and old-fashioned elegance.  


Recently I saw a really awesome design by Debbie Hughes and wanted to use that as an inspiration to create this design, still making it my own.  I love how it turned out because it’s so different.  I used non-traditional colours and yet it still feels very romantic and lovey :).  

I started by watercolouring the background in some limey-greens and turquoise loose wash, adding some flicked on dots of silver paint as it began to dry.  Next I die cut the beautiful lacey heart.  It’s just so lovely and intricate!  

Then I chose another of our new dies, Always, a beautiful scripty font, and die cut it out 3x gluing the layers together and then once it was dry, daubering silver paint onto the letters to make them shimmer with silver.  I layed that on a strip of vellum so that the heart is still visable but softened.   



Sequins and rhinestones and a sweet little felt heart finish it off.  I think I’ve used these new Nested Hearts CutAbles that we’ll be releasing on every project!  I just love them.  







Here is the Cat Pack in action....


Brenda Nakandakari
Christine Okken (you are here)
Jessica Rone
Julie Elak
Nancy Thomas
Wendy McGaffey
our fabby Guest Designer this month Wanda Cullen
and Alma at the TCP Blog!


A reminder for the Release...

Are you In it to Win It????  You could win a $10 TCP voucher just by commenting on The Cat Pack’s Blogs!  Alma will pick a random commenter each day and the winner’s will be announced on our TCP Facebook Page and the blog.  

We’re inviting you to our Pajama Party on January 18th on our TCP Facebook page where we’ll have games with chances to win, more sneak peeks and all around fun.