In another world...

My cousin and his wife are missionaries in Kenya,
and I'm embarrassed to say that, although they have
been there for close to two years, this is the first time
we have sent them anything. After reading their last
update, I was really touched by the way their entire
family is involved in and impacted by their ministry.
You see, they have two little girls close to the same
ages of our oldest children. So I spent some time with
our kids, looking at my cousin's family pictures and
talking about what life is like for them and the things
they are doing in Kenya. We decided to send a little
package to them, specifically with the girls in mind.

The kids each drew a picture with a short note:

So cute!!

And Gracie Jo and I made bookmarks for the girls:

I thought these would be something kind
of special and personal for them. I definitely
had shipping in mind when we created these,
but was actually surprised how relatively inexpensive
it was to send a package all the way to the other side
of the world! (Three letters, 2 bookmarks and a CD for only $8!)
I'm thinking next time we'll get a little more ambitious...
Do you have any ideas? What would you send that could
be mailed, and special for a 4 and 6 year old girl? I'd love to
hear your ideas! And speaking of ideas, this has definitely got
me pondering other ways I can use this craft I enjoy so much,
to bless others. I know there are a lot of different card drives
going on, but perhaps there's something a little more
personal and close to home. Just something to think about...

Thanks for visiting! Be blessed!

Bookmark Details:

Hannah's
Stamps: Collage Alphabet (SU!)
Ink: Pirouette Pink, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron
Other: Ribbon (SU!), flowers and brad (from my stash),
rounded corner and slot punch (SU!)
Beatrice's
Stamps: Collage Alphabet (SU!)
Ink: Pacific Point, Real Rose, Tangerine Tango
Other: Sunflower embellishment and ribbon (In A Scrap Creations)
rounded corner and slot punch (SU!)

For the girls...

All those sweet new babes needed a little number
to welcome their arrival into this world...and to keep
their bald little noggins warm!

I think these fruity little numbers should do the trick :)

I used a variegated yarn, and I'm not totally sold
on the way it worked up. Kind of a weird girly-camo
pattern. I think next time I will probably stick to a
solid colour yarn. But, all in all, I'm pretty happy
with the way it turned out. And that cherry
on top? Pure sweetness!

Thanks for visiting the Scrapyard today :)

April HCCC

I fell in love with the kraft/pink/white combo
on my last baby card and since then we've welcomed
two more baby girls into friends' families.
Something in the water, maybe?
So, I kept the colours the same, for this card
but changed the elements for this month's HCCC.

At first I wasn't lovin' this card, but I think
it just wasn't what I had in my head when I
started out making it. Now, the more I look at
it, the more I like it. It seems to be growing on me!

This is the first time I've ever made a circle card.
I didn't take a picture but I just attached the kraft
circle to the front of a 3x3 notecard. Not sure if this
is how people normally do it, but it worked for me!

I received some flocking for Christmas, but
hadn't used it yet. I had really wanted it, but
wasn't quite sure how or when to use it. I thought
a baby card would be a good occasion to break it
out though - and I love how that sweet, fuzzy
little footprint turned out! The pink lace
trim was also something I had been hoarding
and admiring and I'm glad I finally put it
to good use. It looks much better on the card
than on my shelf! Note to self: using pretty things
is a lot more satisfying that just looking at them!

So glad for these challenges - they always push me
to do something new or different. Can't wait till next month!
Thanks for visiting :)

A cheery hello!

I had just mastered making little crochet flowers

and just wanted to stick them everywhere!
My purse, coat, sweater, our daughter's hair...
there's not too many places that couldn't use a
little bit of hooked loveliness - in my humble opinion :)

I had never put such a large embellishment on a
card before, but thought I'd give it a try, so
I made this card to share are cheerful hello with
a friend. I tried to keep the card fairly muted so the
flower could take 'centre stage'. I hope this layout
did the trick, without being too simple? I also stamped
the polka-dots in Versamark and then heat-embossed
with clear powder. I love the look of clear embossing
powder on Kraft cardstock! It really adds to your
background without adding a lot of layers or bulk to the card.
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that these flowers will go
through the mail without having to add extra postage (can you
tell I'm Dutch!! LOL!) ...we'll see!

Card Details:
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, DP (all SU!)
Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Vintage photo (Tim Holtz Distress)
Stamps: Best Blossoms (SU!), Savor the Journey: Jan KOM (Unity), Kelly Panacci clear stamps
Other: Scallop Edge Punch (SU!), clear embossing powder

A little sweetness...

So, there must be something in the air because

babies are popping up everywhere! :)
It may just be the early spring we're having, but
we seem to be celebrating new life all around us.
Between baptisms, new babies and pregnant friends
I've been needing a lot of extra sweet cards.

Here's a little one I made for our friends' new
baby girl. I love that tiny footprint - isn't it adorable?

This card came together pretty quickly and
I love the sweet, soft look. Although, I
am wondering if I should have maybe put
a sentiment on the front? What do you think?
I do know that I will definitely be
trying the kraft/white/pink pirouette combo
with distressing on more cards...stay tuned!!
Thanks for visiting :)

Card Details:
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White (SU!), Sugared (Basic Grey)
Ink: Pink Pirouette (SU!), Versamark, Vintage Photo (Tim Holtz Distress)
Stamps: Canvas background, I'm Here (SU!)
Other: pearl (Kaiser), twine (Dollar Store)

Mojo Monday Madness

After seeing this rockin' card on my friend's
blog, I couldn't help but check out the sketch
challenge at the Mojo Monday site.
Wowzaa! It was way snazzy and much
more elaborate than I'm used to, but
that's why they call them challenges, right?
This is my first time playing along, but after
seeing the sketch, I just couldn't say no!

So here's my take on the sketch. I'm actually
really happy with the way it turned out.
It's a lot different than anything I would have
thought of on my own.

I tried to stay as close to the sketch as
possible, as my natural tendency would
have been to make things simpler with
less layers and elements. And although
this card is definitely not my usual style,
I think I may be falling in love :)
Now, if only I can figure out how to
make a card like this in under 15 minutes...

Card Details:
Stamps: Organic Grace (SU!)
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Bravo Burgandy, More Mustard, Mellow Moss (SU!), Walnut Stain (Tim Holtz' Distress), Versamark
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla (SU!), Sugared DP (Basic Grey), vintage book print
Other: Blender pen, Twill tape (natural-SU!, kraft-Cosmo Cricket), Oval cutter (Creative Memories), dimensionals, sewing machine