Colorful Birthday

Papertrey's Balloon Banner set with the dies is a fabulous little set! This card used up some small colored cardstock scraps, so yay!

The dimensionals are very thin and perfect for mailing. They are Thin 3D Foam Squares. If you don't have some, get some!

These colors pack a punch!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Post Christmas Fugue

I hope your Christmas was peace-filled, calm, and bright...full of love and hope and joy and good gifts to help you create in the New Year!

Well, I tried to stamp today and came up blank, wanting nothing more than to flee my craft desk for a cup of coffee and a good book by the fire.

Hope springs eternal, however, and maybe tomorrow will be better. But fortunately, I have some birthday cards to share until the post-Christmas fugue has played itself out.

This fun little card in blues and greens takes advantage of the Hero Arts Infinity Dies I bought courtesy of a gift card from my friend Liz. LOVE faux postage, and this little die will make that so much easier. I paired it with PTI's Balloons and Banners, Simple Alphabet, and Keep It Simple Happy Birthday.

These $1 stamps aren't as improbable as I thought (couldn't find a cent symbol in my stamp stash). USPS is raising rates next year. Go buy a bunch of forever stamps before the price increase!

I like how the spiky font of the sentiment echoes the spiky edges of the faux postage. Sometimes, very rarely, but sometimes, we have just the right sentiment in just the right font. How splendid that is!

The book I'm reading right now is Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. It's the second in a trilogy about vampires and witches, and it's delightful. I spent most of last semester reading work-related texts, and it's been so much fun to dive into fantasy fiction and escape into a work with a magical book at its center. Because books are magical. Truly.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Christmas Peace

For the last four weeks, Christians have waited in the growing light shone by candles...a new one each week. Hope. Peace. Joy. Love. More light each week as the daylight grows shorter.

Tonight is Christmas Eve, when we will eat fish and go to a candlelight service where over a hundred candles will shine in the dark. We will remember the Reason for the Season.

We need to remember.

Peace. Especially now, peace.

In times of conflict, chaos, government shutdowns at the hands of people who are proud to shut down the world to get their own way...in these times, it's important to remember that the Greatest Power in creation came down to us in the form of a baby in a stable, born of a powerless girl and guarded by the nicest step-father ever. His first visitors were the lowest of the low...poor shepherds who heard the angel song of courage and love and hope. Wise men and women still seek this Light in the darkness, this King of Kings, this Prince of Peace.

Remember. Peace is not the absence of conflict. It's the presence of Hope and Love. Love came down and ignited a hope that we still feel today, no matter what happens. Love, hope, peace, and the joy that comes with them. Advent is fulfilled tonight.

Peace be with you. Tonight. Tomorrow. Next year. Always.

Christmas peace,
Susan

Three for One

After seeing a color combination on Pinterest of violets and grays, I made these three thank-you cards.

Which do you like best? I can't decide. But the colors are restful, aren't they? Perfect for Christmas thank-you notes.

I'm finding it hard to believe that Christmas Eve is a week away. Wow. If you're having a hard time this holiday, remember that you are so loved by your Creator that the number of hairs on your head is known to Him. And two millennia ago, He humbled Himself and took on human form to show you His love.

That's worth being thankful for, I think.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,
Susan

Well, That's Weird

It's not often I take an inspiration piece and make it more complicated. But that's just what I did with this pin by the fabulous Maile Belles. Her wreath card is lovely, but I was more interested in the piece behind it. The individual lines of text popped up over a small image called to me, especially because of that one word stamped at the end of the raised text.

So I shopped my stash until I found stamps to make the idea work. The result has far less white space than Maile's beauty, but I like how it turned out anyway.

This card took FOREVER to make, and there was plenty of pretty trash fallout as well. In the end, it makes me happy.

But we never, ever have just the right word in just the right font, now, do we? It's almost enough to make a stamper resort to her computer to generate text.

No, no. That's crazy talk. My apologies. We are stampers, not graphic design artists. We adapt and overcome. Just like I did here.

So yay!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: various Papertrey sets
ink: Archival 
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: dimensionals 

Blue Birthday

Today's birthday card was inspired by THIS PIN, which uses negative space for the sentiment and for the darling little hearts die cut out of the colorful, raised panel. I didn't have the tiny heart dies but did have some starburst stamps from Papertrey that worked well when heat embossed with clear ink and embossing powder.

The rest of the card owes thanks to Tim Holtz inking tools and distress inks.

This is the time of year I start making birthday cards for my extended family for the next year. (The above card goes to my nephew Mac...who never reads this blog so he'll be surprised!) Don't you be surprised if you see lots of birthday cards in the next month or so. I even ordered some new birthday-themed stamp sets with gift cards given to me for my birthday last month.

How sad is it that I'm just now getting around to spending those gift cards? First-world problems.

And yes, I'll take a picture of the goods when they come in. One order has already shipped. So yay!

And I'd like to share my inspiration board. These cards have been sent to me over the last year. More resided on another board over my work desk (as opposed to my craft desk). After snapping this shot, I took all these down and moved the ones from around the corner to here, expecting to have plenty of room left over for incoming Christmas cards. But the board is mostly full again.

How lucky am I to receive so any beautiful cards from so many talented artists?

So much awesome! My heart is full.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Happy Beyond Words

Y'all.

I turned in final grades for students yesterday, and so ended my first semester teaching college English in 20 years.

I'm so sad it's over. Students hugged me and thanked me and wrote me notes that made me cry happy tears, and some even signed up for my Composition II class next semester. (Of course, there were also students who walked out the last day without making eye contact and an air of relief that it was over...but we won't dwell on them.)

And I'm so glad there are three new classes on my schedule for next semester.

Seriously. Happy beyond words. Teaching composition again feels right. And perhaps overdue.

So I celebrated yesterday and made some cards because now, well, I have time.

The color combination came from Pinterest. Blues and greens are my favorites. There's something so happy about these colors for me. The stamps used above are from Papertrey (Out on a Limb, Turning a New Leaf, and Life), with an Altenew leaf thrown in for good measure.

The second card also uses a Pinterest color combination, a Papertrey sentiment, and Concord & 9th's Just Because.

Since I felt a little rusty, I stuck to my dependable and much-used layouts, but as you will see tomorrow, I quickly got comfortable and went outside my comfort zone.

And on that note, I leave you with deep gratitude for your patience and for sticking with me as I make this transition back to working, teaching, obsessing on student performance and how to reach them, teach them, help them grow. Oh, my goodness. It's so satisfying.

But I've missed you, and I've missed making things.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,
Susan

Thank You!

In the past two weeks, I've received three boxes of cards for Karen's Card Shop. Many, many thanks to Lisa, Kelli, and Mary for their generosity in sharing their beautiful art with my church! Here's a picture of my craft desk tonight.

Can you believe the mess? It's pretty, though, isn't it?

I scrolled around in my photos and found a card that I'm pretty sure didn't get posted before. I've been in grading hades for the past few weeks and have had no crafty time. The next few weeks should be better (until the research papers are turned in!), and hopefully, I'll have time to use my new order from Simon Says Stamp that includes some new Hero Arts goodness.

Anyway, here's a card I made before school started. Yay!

I'm rather proud of the Copic coloring, seeing as I do it so rarely.

And that's all I have to say about that. Other than I miss you. I miss my craft desk. I miss getting inky fingers. I miss creating something other than lesson plans.

But oh, I do love teaching again!

Suggestions on finding balance, anyone?

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Supplies
so long ago I can't remember! 

Pretty Cool

Now that fall has hit southwest Ohio with full force, I'm happy as a girl with a pumpkin spice latte. Sweaters. Turtlenecks. Purple mums. Candy corn. Apple fritters and apple cider and apple doughnuts from our nearest over-priced upscale farm/coffee bar/bakery.

Of course there's not much time for stamping amidst lesson planning and grading and parenting and doggos and husbands with new hobbies.

And of course I only have one husband, but it sounded weird to add an "a" before a singular husband after all those gerunds and a plural not requiring an indefinite article.

Don't you love it when I talk grammar? I hope so. It's my life now. If I have to explain comma splices one more time, I think I'll turn into a semicolon.

Here's a card I made that's all water-colory and sparkly and uses one of the oldest stamp sets I own.

First, I stamped part of the big stamp from StampinUp's Lovely as a Tree in Archival black ink...which is waterproof. Then, I used a water pen and StampinUp cool Caribbean and Sahara sand to give a wash to the ground and sky. Once that was dry, it looked a bit flat, so I used a Wink of Stella clear brush pen to add shimmer over the whole thing.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Vintage Christmas Post set (I think). The way the ground part of the stamp cut off looked at tad odd, so covering up the gap with the word helped the design by unifying it.

My original plan was to put the sentiment up higher, but that looked so strange and floaty. My designs rarely go as planned. Sort of like my life.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and pumpkin spice,
Susan


---------------------
If you are interested in my teaching life, keep reading. Otherwise, I hope to post a card about once a week until the holidays. Fingers crossed that next semester will be better for crafting.

First up, let me explain my philosophy of teaching, such as it is. My goal with each class is to create an Active Learning Community where students and I cooperate, collaborate, and actively participate in tasks that help students learn to write college-level, formal English with confidence and skill. An Active Learning Community can't be forced, though; it takes cooperation of the majority of the students to grow. Students need to trust me. Sometimes trust is slower in coming, but once it does, the class moves from "I think I can" to "We know we can!"

Two of my three classes are there. In the near future, those two will start growing away from me, not needing to ask so many questions and impatient with my questions. "Well, duh, Susan. Of course that comma splice needs a semicolon."

Dan (name changed) is a ray of sunshine who decided to trust me when he failed his first paper. I told the class repeatedly that failure is a part of learning, and this class is a safe place to fail, try again by rewriting, and grow into success. I grade them like college students out of the gate, but they are just beginning to write college-level English. It's hard and rarely do students do well early on. I ask them to trust me. Their final grade will be fair and something they will be proud to share with the world.

After I returned that first paper, Dan emailed me and said he was going to take a chance and trust me. He asked if I would meet with him because he had never written an essay before (Bad High School!) and had no idea what he was doing. Y'all. This kid is amazing. He's the glue that holds the class together.

Wednesday, we had a peer workshop scheduled. Students exchange papers and critique each other's work. The comments count for a grade, so students take the workshops seriously and do their best to help each other. Most of them are really good critics.

Dan emailed me before class to tell me he was sick and wouldn't be there. He asked me to tell the class to have a great day. (See? He's the glue.) I did, and the class echoed with "Awww. He's the sweetest!" and "Hope he feels better soon!" A few minutes after that, a student walked into class late and said she needed to talk to me. "Dan's not going to be in class today. He's sick. But we texted and are going to exchange papers by email for the workshop. Is that okay?"

Is that okay? THAT'S AWESOME!

Today, one of the students asked if I will teach Composition II next semester. I am and told them which section. They wrote it down, y'all. One told me that he's going to register first thing so the class doesn't fill without him. Another said it would be so cool if everyone signed up and we could have Comp II with the same class. Everyone nodded and smiled like lunatics at a family reunion.

These students did it! They became an Active Learning Community! Yay!

And yes, Dan was back in class today. Everyone was happy to see him.

The second class, which is taught at a high school to seniors rather than college students, has a completely different personality, but they trusted me almost immediately and already had a great community. They asked last week if I'd be back next semester, and when I said I wasn't sure, a few of them begged me openly to stay. They are now on my schedule. Yay! Although I'm not sure how I'll handle senioritis. I teach college for a reason.

Now, if you're the praying sort, please say a prayer for my third class. It needs some divine intervention.

Many thanks to those of you who are sticking with me through this season of life. I miss blogging and stamping and being crafty. This WILL get better, but it's just taking time.

Hugs,
S

Getting It Done on World Cardmaking Day

As soon as I saw the email from Ellen Hutson about World Cardmaking Day, I knew I had to make something no matter how many papers I have to grade this weekend.

So I made this.

Yay! It was inspired by this card by Shari Frost-Job in Stampers Sampler.

You might be wondering how I got my card from Shari's bold and funky Halloween card. I can't really recreate the hour-long path that lead to my card, but that path started with Shari. So thank you, Shari.

This is my favorite kind of creating: receive inspiration, meander through supplies, adapt, make a big mess, make something that is mine.

What did you do this World Cardmaking Day? I'd love to see!

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Peaceful Pinecone, In the Meadow; Hero Arts Vintage Christmas Post
paper: Papertrey white
ink: Memento rich cocoa, StampinUp old olive, Hero Arts soft pool
accessories: markers, ribbon, corner punch (StampinUp)

Well, This Is Fun

I am sorry for the long delay. So very sorry. You see, Friday, September 19, the chair of the English department asked if I would take over a class whose teacher quit. I am now teaching three sections of Composition 1 on three different campuses. So things have been more-than-average crazy around here.

By the way, I'm loving every minute of it.

Except for missing crafting and blogging. I miss you, my readers!

So here's a card I made before the chaos worsened (or improved, depending on how you look at it). Happy Fall, Y'all!!!!!

The card features a very old Papertrey set called Fall Elegance and a newer set from Hero Arts Stamp and Cut series called Wonderful.

Isn't it interesting how a set from, say, ten years ago is "very old"? I'm 51 and feeling "very old" at the moment because I'm having a colonoscopy tomorrow and am extremely hangry because I've eaten nothing solid since last night.

I hope that's not too much information. And here's a PSA for you. The new protocol for first colonoscopy is age 45. I'm already almost seven years overdue. Are you? Overdue, that is? Get scoped!

Fact is, I'm not at all "very old" but am still a lot older than the stamp set. So I guess the point here is that we should all be celebrating that we don't age like stamp sets because in stamp set years, we'd all be dead...even the youngest among us currently active stampers.

Don't you feel better now?

I hope so.

The die cut is double-stacked to add some dimension. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the ink on the die cut is Hero Arts butter bar to orange soda ombre pad. I stamped the paper with a large shadow stamp inked with the ombre pad and then die cut the wonderful.

And now you know why posting has become even spottier than it was. Karen's Card Shop is well stocked (thanks to several of you!) and is perking along nicely. I'm teaching a bunch of college freshman how to write better and am so very, very happy. My elder son is enjoying college and my husband started a new sport (cyclocross) and is very, very happy. My younger son attended homecoming dance last weekend and had a blast. It's all good.

But I'll be even happier when I can make pretty things again. Soon. I hope. Very soon.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Fall Elegance, Hero Arts Wonderful
ink: Hero Arts ombre, Archival potting soil
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: wonderful die (Hero Arts), rhinestones

Sparkle Berries

Stickles is one of my favorite products for adding touches of sparkle to images. Take, for instance, these festive sparkle berries on a pretty wreath.

This card uses the exact same layout as the last card I posted; the only changes are the wreath image, colors, embellishment, and sentiment. Hmmm. That's quite a lot to change. But the layout is identical. It's always fun when you find a great design and can riff off it like a cool jazz musician.

The Stickles adds lovely shine, texture, and variety to the berries, saving the card from flatness. Nobody wants to be flat. Right?

Let's switch gears.

Frann asked for a definition of comma splice. A comma splice is a flagrant abuse of the comma. You see, commas signal weak pauses in sentences while semicolons and periods signal complete stops. Commas do a lot of important work in sentences, but they simply aren't strong enough to hold together two independent clauses (complete sentences) all by their lonesomes.

Commas can't hold together sentences without the help of a conjunction, semicolons and periods can. 

That right there is a comma splice. Two sentences are stuck together improperly. (Don't they look embarrassed?) And yes, I found it difficult to type that incorrect sentence. Ugh. Comma splice.

To correct a comma splice, you may change the comma to a semicolon or period, add a conjunction after the comma, or subordinate one of the two independent clauses to the other.

While commas can't hold together sentences without the help of a conjunction, semicolons and periods can.

The corrected sentence has "while" before the first independent clause, turning it into a fragment. The comma after the newly dependent clause is perfectly appropriate and proudly does its job.

Frann, perhaps that's more explanation than you wanted, but my students got an earful today. Teaching grammar is so much fun!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey A Wreath for All Seasons, Keep It Simple Christmas
paper: Papertrey white
ink: Hero Arts charcoal, red royal
accessories: red Stickles, craft foam

More Wreath!

I dislike the "More Cowbell!" skit from Saturday Night Live and also dislike the mass ringing of cowbells at Ironman Wisconsin because, well, noise. I have cowbell on the brain right now because my husband has taken up cyclocross (an obstacle-course bike race for crazy people), and I've been told I need to buy my own cowbell to cheer racers on. Cyclocross crowds aren't as big as Ironman crowds, so there were fewer cowbells to annoy me. But should I add to the cacophony? I'm not sure I can.

I saw a meme today that said, "Some people have an inner child, but I have an inner old woman who just wants everyone to be quiet."

More Wreath! That's a rallying cry I can get behind.

Wreaths are, after all, very quiet.

And pretty. Like this one.

The wreath is from A Wreath for All Seasons (Papertrey). The sentiment is from I don't know where. I chose it because of the rounded serifs on the letters. They echo the round berries on the wreath nicely, and they add some whimsy to the card that brings energy into the design.

Note that I was careful to position the holes in the wreath image so I could put the banner across it without totally covering up any of the berries. I like how the two rhinestones peek out from under the edge of the banner.

And now I'd like to comment on the current state of English education. When I taught 20 years ago, college freshman writers mostly struggled to come up with thesis statements and sufficient paragraph development to write well-crafted essays. They also committed a horrifying number of grammar errors.

Today, however, students have a surprisingly good grasp of how to develop a thesis statement and organize an essay, but they can't write concise, clear sentences to save their lives, and they still commit a horrifying number of grammar errors (especially sentence boundary problems, which are major errors, people!). I'm revising my syllabus to take this shift in student needs into account.

This shift, however, is a huge improvement. High-school English teachers need to keep doing whatever they are doing, but for the love of little green apples, please, please, please teach also students to avoid fragments, comma splices, and run-on sentences. Oy vey!

And while you're at it, promote the Oxford comma because well-placed commas win lawsuits.

Thank you for listening.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey and some other company I can't remember
ink: Versamagic tea leaves, Hero Arts red royal
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: rhinestones, craft foam

A Determined Set

Many years ago, while poking around through books on bookbinding, I read an explanation of how art supplies can be highly "determined," meaning they are already invested with a lot of specific meaning before you use them, or highly "undetermined," meaning they don't convey a lot of meaning by themselves. This explanation applies to stamp sets as well. Some sets are incredibly flexible and can be used in lots of different ways for different purposes (undetermined), and other sets are not as flexible (more determined).

A Wreath for All Seasons by Papertrey is fairly determined.

It's challenging to make fresh-looking, clean-and-simple cards with it because its images are so very strong. Where do you put a wreath on a card so it doesn't look weird? There aren't that many places, actually. Also, in real life, wreaths appear on front doors as a decoration of hospitality and welcome. They can be adapted to seasons, of course, with different sentiments, colors, and embellishments, but the message and meaning are basically the same.

So what do you do with a set that's determined and hard to adapt to CAS designs? Well, one thing I like to do (because I adore this set immoderately) is make as many different color and embellishment variations as possible of a simple design that works.

Today, I'll share two of those variations that feature sparkly, shimmery inks. First up, a Delicata ink, gold-and-silver confection that is way more gorgeous in real life than my photo can convey.

Note that the design itself is very straightforward. The wreath is one-third the way down the card, while the sentiment is two-thirds down. Both are centered, and the matting is simple white-on-white. The birds are facing each other. Peace and harmony abound!

The birds were die cut out of paper that had been stamped with a shadow stamp loaded with Delicata gold. This adds to the harmony of the card because the birdies are the same color as the berries. The golden stars (not nearly so red in real life!) are subtle and festive. They're from a sequin packet from Hero Arts. Without the stars, the card seemed to be lacking something. With them, it's so much better!

After making this card, which had me humming "Silver and Gold" from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I decided to try again with more traditional colors...Brilliance pearlescent thyme, chocolate, and poppy. Could the result feel any more different?!?!

For the traditionalists out there, I'm sure this is your favorite of the two cards. Eeeep! It's so strong and packs a wallop with those darker colors, doesn't it? Red and green are complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel), and complementary colors automatically up the energy of any card.

My original plan for this card was to add some red Smooch over some of the berries because, in my head, two-colored berries would make it more interesting. Once I stamped that fabulous thyme, however, I knew it was interesting enough as it is. After all, the berries on holiday wreaths are generally red.

Do you ever get good ideas that shouldn't see the light of day? That's what I call my idea about adding red Smooch. A good idea that shouldn't have seen the light of day.

Maybe you have a set you love that is highly determined. Maybe you wonder if you can ever do anything useful or different with it again. Maybe you should pull it out and give it a try. Change up inks, colors, and embellishments. Mess around and see what happens.

It's only paper after all. And you might just get some great cards out of it!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey A Wreath for All Season
ink: various shimmery inks from Delicata and Brilliance
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: Poppy Stamps cardinal dies, dimensionals, Hero Arts star sequins

Amazing Inspiration from Others

Today's photos are brought to you courtesy of some amazing crafters.

First up, my gift package from Brechtje in The Netherlands. She makes handmade paper cards. These are stunning, textured, almost too pretty to send. Whoever gets one of these needs to know they are special to me!

She also sent a lovely letter--a real, handwritten letter!--die cut butterflies, and a stamp set...all sent in a fun, polka-dotted and washi taped package.

Then there are cards from Kelle for Karen's Card Shop. She sent two boxes that arrived on different days!

And a card for me that celebrates my favorite season.

The second package came with another handwritten note. So sweet!

Linda sent me this patriotic stunner for Independence Day.

Eva sent me this CAS beauty. We're going to try to have coffee this week. It's good that I have stampy friends close by.

Shannon sent this encouraging and awesomely designed card to celebrate my new job. Which I'm loving, by the way.

I am blessed by so many of you, near and far. Thank you so much.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,
Susan

All That Glitters

Before we get to the card, I want to thank Kelle S for another package of lovely cards for Karen's Card Shop. Pictures will be coming.

Also thanks to Shannon A. and Eva R. who sent me wonderful cards for my inspiration board, and to Brechtje from The Netherlands who sent me an amazing packet of handmade paper cards, some pretty butterfly die cuts, and a birthday sentiment stamp set. Pictures will be coming for all this wonderfulness as well.

I feel so very grateful to all of you who encourage me with your art, your words, your generosity. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And now for a glittery extravaganza!

Today's card was inspired by this pin by Jenny Lee. I changed up quite a bit, including the scale of everything, but without her card, mine wouldn't have happened. So thank you, Jenny!

Glitter paper rocks, by the way. And it die cuts beautifully. So yay!

Supplies
stamps: none (except on envelope...Papertrey Winterberry, Simon Says Envelope Sentiments)
ink: none (except on envelope...Hero Arts soft granite)
paper: Papertrey white; Michael's glitter paper
accessories: Papertrey die (Winterberry), Hero Arts alphabet die, rhinestones, craft foam, glue, red Smooch (for envelope)

Adjustments

It's sort of crazy how periods of transition in life wreak havoc on our time. Having a son go to college, starting a new job and a new volunteer opportunity at the same time, and life in general require adjustments in time and energy.

The only thing suffering (if you can call it that) is my stamping. And this has made me sad...when I've had two seconds to think about it. Fortunately, I'm finally adjusting enough to spare time to actually stamp, which is delightful and fun and very, very satisfying.

This past weekend, I made two cards that were inspired by pins and took me in new directions that made me feel like I was coming home.

I know that doesn't make sense and is mixing my metaphors, but so what? Those mixed metaphors created this.

This pin from Altenew was the inspiration. I took a design that filled the card and shrank it down to leave a nice mat around it. But when I went to put the bling on the snowflake, it looked weird and incomplete...until I added rhinestones off the panel. THAT made me giggle with glee.

The card also allowed me to use up a bunch of light blue bling that I rarely use. So yay!

While I won't manage five posts a week quite yet, I'm on my way back to it. Thanks for sticking with me!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: StampinUp, Papertrey
paper: Papertrey white
ink: Hero Arts Dusty Blue, Memento Paris dusk
accessories: rhinestones, dimensionals