Friends 24-7

I've been on a mission to create (and actually send!) thank you notes. I have been having a ton of fun with Stampin' Up's "Friends 24-7" stamp set lately. Some of the general ideas are coming from Split Coast Stampers, a really great site for stamping ideas! Enjoy!

The Brightess Stars

Months before December arrived a wonderful friend of mine purchased two tickets to
The Canadian Tenors.

Her husband is not exactly the type to listen to this genre of music without being forceably subjected.

I became the lucky recipient of the second ticket!

I was estatic! I could not wait!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Tenors!

With Granny and hubby's Grandma both sick and dying in the hospital, my days and thoughts were preoccupied and the concert snuck up on me quickly.

Just a couple days before the concert I had made my final trip to see Granny.

My heart was low and my spirit depressed.

And then I heard angels sing.....

As I cried my way through Hallejuah from the front row, I remembered that everything works out the way God intended it to. He knew I needed these bright stars in my life. He knew just the moment I would need them. He knew months before the concert that on this particular day my heart would need a lift. Praise God that these young men have followed their passion and gifting right to the place I needed them to be. Bless you, boys! Very much anticipating our next meeting!

Christmas Came

Despite my broken heart, Christmas came.

Despite our family's pleas for me to come visit on Christmas Day,

I stayed home with my boy and built Lego.

When I wasn't building, I was breaking down.

It was the saddest Christmas on record for me

but being alone is just what I needed.

I needed to cry

and that's something I prefer to do with no witnesses.

I made these coasters for gifts for the men in our families. I LOVE THEM!

I still (as of Nov. 2011) have not finished my own set

but everytime I visit my parents I remark on how beauitful their set is! HAHAHAHA



Welcome Back

Welcome back to my world. I have been missing for a very long time. Over a year, in fact. It's been a very challenging past 13 months for myself and my family. We have faced many trials, losses and disappointments along the way. But I know that my God carries us when we are weak. I've held on to a good deal of sadness this year and through my friends, my family, my church, and my creations I am processing and healing.

Not long after my last posting, both my Granny and my husband's Grandmother fell ill. Both left this world within three - four weeks. Two different women, two different backgrounds, two different illnesses, but ultimately, the same end.

Before I saw my Granny for the last time I stayed up most of the previous night creating a gift for her. She was always one to send a Christmas letter, a birthday card, a thanks for thinking of me call....Christmas was approaching and though I knew she was weak, I was hoping she would be able to pass on a few of these cards to those who helped her in her medical struggles. But that never happened. Her illness increasingly robbed her energy and her life. The cards were returned to me in the box, along with the pen and postage stamps I had included. I put the box in a drawer and didn't look at it again until just a week ago. My heart broke with the flood of memories.

...the love I poured into making the cards.

...how the box didn't turn out perfectly but I knew it was ok

because I never saw Granny as one to expect perfection,

just that you did the work in the first place.

...how I prayed that night for her to regain her strength,

to suddenly become well and be able to return home.

I knew what the prognosis was, but I also knew a miracle could take place. That miracle came as the release of her soul to Heaven on Dec. 24th. She was free at last. We were left to mourn.

I miss her daily. I hope that by taking these cards out of the drawer and eventually passing them on to my loved ones with my personal messages for them, that my love for them will be felt the way I felt my Granny's love for me when she last hugged me and told me how glad she was that I came; that she was afraid I wouldn't.

These aren't my best cards.

They are not near perfect.

None of us are and we probably shouldn't expect to be.

Just do the job anyway.

Love, Trina

(no idea why some of these insist on uploading sideways!!!)

Drumroll Please.....

And finally my all-time FAVORITE card of the day! The vintage look is right up my alley and wouldn't you know......it has BLING!!! A very time-consuming card but it was worth every minute of pain-staking coloring!

More Cards

These are among the last of the cards we made with Dorothy of Stampin' Up. Again, all beautiful and can't believe these are handstamped and homemade! Way to go in choosing cards for us to create!

Another Sampling

Here's a few more cards we made at the Stampin' Up 20/20 day. Aren't they gorgeous?!?!?!?!?!

This tree one was a really cool technique (which I did wrong!) where we used the stamp covered in glue to adhere our glitter! So cool!

The fireplace one was really cool in that we used Irridecent Ice embossing powder to cover the image so it's all sparkly and beautiful!

Again, Irridecent Ice was used on the blue snowflake card. I love love love the color combo and have put this stamp set on my Christmas Wish List. I NEED this stamp set!!!!

The dove was amazingly simple to do but is one of the most beautiful cards we did. It is a simple resist technique....stamp image with VersaMark on glossy paper, heat emboss with white powder, then sponge the blue ink on....simple, simple, simple!

Have a great day everyone! I will post the rest of the cards in a day or two. Until then.....

Christmas Cards Already!!!

This past weekend I joined some of my family and friends to create Christmas cards. It's really a pleasure to get this out of the way in October because as the season crashes down upon us the last thing I want to do is be trying to create last minute cards!

This is just a sneak peak of the 20 cards we created. Each card was not too difficult but definately made the class worth going to! And every card is so beautiful I don't want to part with them! hehehehee....Thank you to our Stampin' Up consultant, Dorothy! I will post more cards tomorrow.

The angel has a shimmer over her...so pretty!!!!

Kittens are one of my favorite things, so you know I just love this card!

I love the vintage look of the card on the right... this entire card (exept the wording) was created with one stamp. Very cool! Yes, I am ordering it! :D

My Thoughts

I don't like the fact that I need sympathy cards, but I do, so I am trying to make a few ahead so I am not caught attending a service with no card in hand. These are created using Stampin' Up stamps and paper. Love love love the Stampin' Up papers! VERY nice to stamp on. :D

Here I Go Again....

A couple more cards to add to the pile. Actually, one of these is going postal tomorrow!