February is: Birthday-Sympathy-Encouragement-Love

 

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you", says the LORD, "thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon Me, and you shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

I am pleased to have been invited to participate in Inspirational Designs on the ‘Create-Inspire-Share!’ website for a few months.  I made scrapbook layouts for two groups for January.  They are posted here:  http://www.aneleganttouch-lynden.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html    - and here:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Elegant-Touch-/162889457132788

The card challenge for February was to use the colors pink, brown, cream, antique copper - and include some fabric and something metal.   While I was making the initial card this week (which is a birthday card for a Special Friend of mine) to post on that site and here on my blog, I was told of the unexpected death of someone close to someone I know.  I decided to make a Sympathy card, also, and then to use some of the same materials to make an Encouragement card for my Dear Friend and a Valentine card for my Daughter and Grandchildren.  Might as well get as much as one can out of a few pieces of paper and an evening of creating!

*  I used Kraft paper for the cards and parchment for the insides.

*  I used basket-weave wallpaper and patterned wallpaper, which I embossed. 

*  I ruffled and machine stitched the cream ribbon.

* I used a Martha Stewart punch to make ‘lace’ and an EKSuccess punch to make the ‘photo corners.’  

*  I cut the ‘sentiments’ frames, leaves and lacey heart with my Cricut/SCAL2.

*  I used brown satin fabric remnants (from a Shakespearean costume I made for me last year) to make the flowers, then spritzed them and the leaves and heart with ‘Copper Penny’ Shimmerz Spritz by Vibez.  I put Recollections ‘jewels’ in the centers - and in the corners of the second two cards and on the lacey heart.

*  I used Recollections Copper Brads in the corner of the first card. 

*  I ‘stitched’ around the edges with a brown LePlume marker.

I’ll be posting the other two projects - a Mini-Album and an Altered Art Project - that I’m working on in the next few days.  Watch for them!  Let me know what projects You are working on!  I’d love to hear from YOU!