Gratitude Bookmark

The last day of 2017 seems perfect for posting the "gratitude" themed bookmark I made for a friend.  I'm thankful for all my blessings in 2017, including her friendship.  And I was blessed by another friend's gift of the "counting my blessings" stamps and dies that I used for this project.  (Thank you, Sandy!)  I know that in 2018, too, I'll continue to find blessings and joy each day.

The bookmark is double-sided, with each side monochromatic - one side bright and the other softly subdued.  To reduce bulk and keep it flexible, I used more patterned papers than heavy weight card stock.  The two sides are adhered back to back with scor-tape.  To protect the banner tips, I rounded them slightly with scalloped scissors.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white.
• Patterned papers are raspberry fizz (bright pink) damask print and ocean tides (muted teal) bitty dot print from PTI pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and a pale aqua print from PTI pretty pastels (8x8" pad - retired).
• Dies are Impression Obsession thankful, PTI counting my blessings (blessed), and the solid die from PTI notched star banner.  I inlaid the "blessed" word. 
• The sentiment "today because ..." is from PTI counting my blessings, stamped with Hero Arts unicorn white pigment ink pad, then heat embossed with white.  The sentiment "beyond measure" is from the same set, stamped with PTI ocean tides ink cube. 

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Sunburst Stencil with Teal Dots

A bright and sunny card with some deep teal for contrast.  I like the curving script of the sentiment across the angled sun rays.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) tropical teal.
• Patterned paper is the polka dot print from PTI tropical teal pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and my homemade patterned grid paper, as described here.  In real life, though the aqua grid is pale, it's much more visible than in the picture.
• The wide and narrow ray stencils are PTI sunburst, sponged with PTI harvest gold (medium yellow) and summer sunrise (deep yellow-orange) ink cubes, using the round Ranger ink blending tool to apply the ink.  
• For the center circle, sponged with PTI summer sunrise ink, I made a stencil with PTI clear cardstock and an EK Success 1" circle punch.  I'll keep it with my two sunburst stencils to use again. 
• I edged the sunburst panel with Copic marker Y19.
• Die is PTI big basics: sunshine.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Cardinal on Birch with Blue Dots

A bright cardinal on a birch tree trunk, with blue dotted sky for a simple scene.  The narrow red border strip helps to unify the design.  I'll enjoy using this birch pattern in different color combinations, but for my first time stamping with it, I stayed with natural colors.

I'm taking a bit of a card-making break in December, enjoying the season and also working on my annual Advent calendar.  It's posted here, with updates (at least weekly) as I complete my daily drawings.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red) and vintage cream.
• Patterned paper is the polka dot print from PTI blueberry sky (blue) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Dies are My Favorite Things many thanks (retired) and PTI winter woods.
• The cardinal details are stamped with PTI winter woods, using PTI dark chocolate (dark brown) ink cube.  
• The birch pattern is stamped with PTI background basics: birch, using PTI cocoa bean (medium brown) ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Christmas Card 2017

Our Christmas card this year has an oval manger scene with the Holy Family, angels, shepherds, animals, and a border of vines and flowers, with the words "Silent Night - Holy Night" above and below the oval.  The card has a wide white border and is computer-printed on Neenah card stock. 

Since 2010, we've used one of my annual Nativity drawings to print our cards.  This one is from my 2016 Advent calendar.  If you'd like to see past years' Christmas cards that I've drawn, click here, then scroll down.

And here on my Mostly Markers drawing blog, you'll find my 2017 Advent calendar drawing (work in progress through Christmas Day) with a link to the other eight years of calendars, and more of my Advent-Christmas drawings as well. 

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