The Color Your Season promotion is almost over.  It is an exclusive Blended Season stamp set and Stitched Seasons framelit die set and also has a set of WaterColor Pencils with colors that have never been in watercolor pencils before. 

I just had to have the Stitched Seasons Framelits dies when I saw them, and I’ll tell you why!  Not only is there a pretty flower with vines die, and a beautiful leaf die (with fall just around the corner, I know this will get a lot of mileage!) and a twig/berry element and a few stylized fleur de lis framelits, but the 3 nested stitched shapes are just awesome!  The framelits cut the shape and add the stitching detail on both sides of the cut!  This means when you cut the shape, the shape has stitching and the negative also has stitching!  You can bundle and save when you order both the stamp set and framelits dies together.

I shared a card I made on my last blog post where I cut out a stitched shape from a piece of Gorgeous Grape cardstock and used the negative shape to make a card which framed the beautiful flower stamp.  You can see that blog post here.  Today I am sharing the card I made using the piece that was cut out, so I got two projects from one piece of cardstock and one run thru the Big Shot!

I used the nesting size of these Stitched Shapes and cut the next smaller size from Whisper White cardstock to stamp my sentiment and layered it on top of the Gorgeous Grape layer after adding a piece of Gorgeous Grape 1/4″ mini striped ribbon.  The flowers and vines were cropped from Pear Pizzazz and Highland Heather  cardstock and accented with a glittered enamel dot. Once I had this piece together, I had a decision to make!  My original idea was to put this on a Highland Heather background.

But then…..I tried it on white.   This gives it a whole different look!  This is the exact same stitched shape element just placed on a different card base.  The first example features a lighter shade of purple textured with the Subtles TIEF, where the white just brightens up this card.

But, I still wasn’t done.  I wanted to try something else too.  So I made another card and this time, I used the Pear Pizzazz as my background layer.

So which color is your favorite?

I love that I can make  card elements so easy just using the nesting sizes of the stitched seasons shapes.  This stamp set and framelit die set are so versatile and have year round elements.  I hope that you will be able to grab this bundle before it’s gone on August 31st.  Don’t wait, don’t delay – just order it now.  You’ll be so glad that you did.  And don’t forget that you can earn a $5 Bonus Day coupon for every $50 you spend in August.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  Please leave me a comment with your favorite color background from my 3 projects today.  And if you order from my online store, please know that I am very grateful.  I am SO CLOSE to reaching the monthly sales goal I set for myself and if you are considering this set, I would ask that you order it from me.  Thanks!

 

When I saw the Stitched Seasons Framelits I just had to have them!  And of course, I’m a sucker for water coloring so the new colors of Water Color pencils was calling my name too!  Might as well get the whole bundle, right?

Well today was the day I pulled out that new bundle and started to play!  The Stitched Seasons framelits dies are to die for! (get it?  of course you do!).  Anyway, similar to the Stitched Shapes framelits dies, the die cut a shape, and inside the cut shaped, there are tiny ‘stitches’ around the shape.

Unlike the Stitched Shapes framelits, the Stitched Seasons framelits also put the tiny ‘stitching’ on the outside of the cut shape too.  So when you cut away a shape, you can still have the sweet stitch marks.pap

My first order of business then was to create a card where I cut out the shape and used the negative left behind to show off the stitching on the outside.  Look closely at the stitching detail.  I made my card base with the new Gorgeous Grape cardstock.  I used the largest die to cut the shape out.   I used a piece of Whisper White cardstock to stamp the floral image in Sahara Sand.  I used the new Water Color Pencils to color the flowers and a Blender Pen so soften and shade.  When this was finished, I used a few glue dots to adhere this layer behind the card front so that it shows thru the negative space.

Heather Highland was a perfect coordinating color to stamp the sentiment.  A piece of ribbon adds the perfect finishing touch!

Of course, since the cut piece also has stitching on it, I couldn’t just throw that away!  A coordinating card using this piece will be my next blog post so please come back!

Remember, this Color Your Season is a Limited Time Promotion that will be available to customers on August 1st.  It will be available only while supplies last (or until August 31st) but I would mark your calendar and jump on it as soon as you can on the 1st so you get yours before its sold out!  To see what is in the Color Your Season bundle, click here.

Sometimes I feel like everything falls into place. Like the cut piece making my 2nd card.  And my friends over at Paper Players posting this challenge right AFTER I finished my cards:

Using the negative space of this framelit die fills the bill for this weeks challenge with the Paper Players so I get to play along!  I feel like I’ve been out of commission for a while (because I have been!), and it was good today to get back in the groove AND to be able to participate in this challenge. #Lifeisgood!

Hop over to the Paper Players to see what others have done with these challenge.

Do you love the Gorgeous Grape?  This is part of the new Brights Collection, my favorite collection.  You can get all 10 of the new ink pads in the Brights Collection, or any Collection, for FREE when you sign up as a Demonstrator during July. 

So, what would YOU have to get from Stampin’ UP! for you to join?  A discount on your purchases?  Check.  A chance to earn extra income while doing something you love?  Check.  The chance to fellowship with like-minded stampers, and attend corporate events?  Check.  If you think you’d like to join but still have questions, email me and let’s set a time to talk and see if it’s a good fit for you.  If you are ready to join, click here to get started.

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think of these new Stitched Seasons framelits.  Thanks,

Stop by again soon to see the 2nd card I made.

Nancy Gleason

 

 

If you follow my facebook page, you probably know that my step-daughter Jennifer passed away this past week.  Jenn was only 42 years old.  Having difficulty breathing and pain in her chest, she was rushed to the ER, but an hour and a half later, she was gone, the result of a pulmonary embolism that sent her into cardiac arrest.

Jenn’s passing has taught me a few things that I would like to share with you.  Some things may help you when facing a loss or when dealing with someone who has just lost someone.  These are in no particular order.

It is possible for pain and peace to co-exist.  While there is much pain in the loss, there is also peace. The supernatural peace that comes from God. The peace doesn’t replace the pain, it doesn’t crowd out the pain, but it lives alongside the pain, making the pain bearable.  The bible says “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7.    I am experiencing this kind of peace.

While Jenn’s passing was totally unexpected and a complete shock to us, IT DIDN’T CATCH GOD OFF-GUARD!  God has numbered our days before our days even began, and he has prepared us to do His work.  I believe Jenn accomplished her work here on earth and God was ready to call her home.  It is His timing, and He is in complete control.  This didn’t happen because God let go of the steering wheel!

Life is short; make the most of it.  Pick up the phone and call that friend you slipped out of touch with.  Hold your kids a little tighter and kiss them more often.  Tell you love them.  We aren’t promised tomorrow.

Don’t be afraid to say something to someone who just lost someone.  There are no words to change the situation, but there is comfort when someone just shares your grief by simply saying “I’m sorry for your loss” or “She was so _______, and I”m going to miss her too”.  Don’t be afraid that by saying something you are going to ‘remind’ me of the loss.  I may be going about my business as normal on the outside, but trust me, I didn’t ‘forget’.  It’s on my mind.  And if I well up with tears, you didn’t make me cry.  I will cry anyway.

Hugs are healing!  So many people who visited or attended the viewing and/or funeral hugged me, even several people I didn’t know.  But there was  a bit of healing in every hug.  When you don’t know what to say, just give a hug!

Tears are part of the grieving process, and the healing process. If I cry when I’m with you, just know that I am on the road to healing.  Just hand me a tissue, hug me, and let me cry.  I’ll stop soon enough.  – Thanks 🙂

There is comfort in company.  Having someone close when the raw pain of the loss is so fresh is comforting.  Be there when someone you love loses someone.  I realize that people tend to avoid being around someone who just lost someone so close because they don’t know what to say.  You can provide comfort by just being there, you don’t even have to say anything.  Just be there.

There is comfort in a casserole.    Nourishment and rest are so important, yet the thought of preparing a meal seemed insurmountable.  Bringing a meal to the family will always be appreciated.

There is comfort in a card.  I’ve always said that making Sympathy cards was not something most people want to do, but I always said they are the most important cards we as card-makers can make.  Make a stockpile of sympathy cards and mail them out!

Social Media has made the process of letting people know much easier.  But be respectful and allow time for the family to advise the family in person before posting anything.  Be respectful and don’t use social media to gossip or speculate on what may or may not have happened.    Social media has made it so much easier for people far away to share their condolences and for friends and family to share memories, pictures, etc.  Social media has also taken away a lot of the  ‘in-person’ interaction.  Post and comment, but don’t forget about the comfort in company or the comfort in a casserole.

Charitable Donations:  While is is fashionable to make a monetary donation in memory of the deceased, if you are going to send a donation, consider a monetary gift to the family, especially if  the deceased passed away without life insurance or a burial plot.  Please don’t think that I am against making a donations to charitable organizations, because I am not.  I support several non-profit organizations on a regular basis.  However, there are many expenses, other than the obvious funeral expenses, such as clothing, travel, flowers, etc.  If the deceased was ill, there could be tremendous medical expenses as well.  A monetary gift to the family to help offset those expenses is extremely appreciated.

Get right with God while you still can.  The Bible teaches that there is a Heaven, and there is a Hell.  Our souls are created to live forever, the only question is where.  (He has also set eternity in the human heart… -Ecclesiatstes 3:11). The Bible teaches that “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” -Romans 3:23 and that “the wages of sin is death.” – Romans 6:23.  Therefore, we all deserve death (hell).  The answer to this dilemna is Jesus.  “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9  Jesus forgives our sins, and then  takes away the punishment we deserve (hell) and gives us eternal life in Heaven.  Because of this promise of Jesus, I know in my heart that Jennifer is in Heaven and that I will be reunited with her in Heaven when it’s my turn to  depart this earth.  That is why I can have peace even in loss.  God’s promises are true and dependable.  I can bank on it.  Many people spend their entire adult lives planning for retirement, but don’t think about life after retirement.  If you want to talk about eternity, call me.   I want to see you in Heaven too!.

Thanks for listening to me.  I hope that this may help you when facing a friend or loved one who just lost someone.

I did finally get my class schedule for July & August finalized and posted.  You can find that here.  And I will get back to posting some projects real soon.  Thanks for letting me talk, that’s part of my healing journey as well!.

Nancy