Copying a Design I’ve Copied Before

Do you have favorite layouts? I do, and this is one of them, inspired by another stamper’s design (can’t find it…but she was amazing).

It turned out to be perfect for the Ellen Hutson tile set I bought last year and gave me a chance to play with lots of colors from my collection of Simon Says Pawsitively Saturated ink.

Up first, three cards with colored card stock bases: a very old gable green (StampinUp), a pretty pink (unknown), and a salmon-y orange-pink (unknown, but perhaps Papertrey). 

And next, white card bases for a different feel. 

I varied the sentiments a bit, but otherwise the cards are identical in all except color. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the blue tiles on white. Do you have a favorite color?

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

PSX Never Goes out of Style

The old stuff from PSX has a timelessness that I adore…plus, this leaf is perfect for Copics!

In the closeup, you can see the gold spatter and edging. 

And that’s all I have to say today!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love, 

Susan

Gina K for the Win!

In the past year, I’ve picked up several sets from Gina K, all in the same style of outlined flowers. The outlines are dainty, the images darling. As I’ve made a commitment to use—actually use—my Copic markers more, these sets are simply perfect. 

First up, Garden of Wishes, in three different color schemes and the simplest of card layouts. This set has a very balanced design, and its size means it fills the card nicely, with plenty of space left over for clean margins.

I chose to omit the colored mat on the yellow card because it didn’t have enough contrast with the white and looked weird. Y’all know I love me some white-on-white card stock for the clean lines and simplicity.

The second set, Tall Stems, begs for a few butterflies to adorn the space above! The larger design didn’t need a mat, so I used colored card stock to match. 

I really like this sentiment from the set and am blessed with a number of people to send these cards to. 

In the future, I will experiment with different layouts, cropping, and coloring. But for now, the simplest designs make me ever so happy! And no, Gina and I are not in cahoots. I just really love these sets I bought!

Do you have any favorite sets for coloring with Copics? Inquiring minds, and all that!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors Americans who died in service to our country, from the Revolutionary War through recent conflicts. For me, the day has always been a chance to reflect on WHAT, exactly, these brave soldiers, sailors, aviators, and marines died for. I was taught some rather basic principles that are at the heart of the United States of America as it should be: 

• Freedom. Of speech, assembly, religion, press, thought, political affiliation.
• Separation of church and state.
• Due process and equality under the law, and innocent until proven guilty.
• The freedom to move around from state to state without interference.
• Checks and balances of power between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
• Respect for police, firefighters, emergency workers, and anyone committed to serving our country in the military or civil service.
• My rights end where someone else’s begin. That’s not a bug; it’s a feature. It means if I have an opinion or belief, I’m entitled to it, but I am NOT entitled to harm someone else just because they think or believe differently from me. There will always be people saying, believing, or doing things that I disapprove of, but as long as I am not being harmed by them, too bad. They’ve got the same rights I have. 

I remember so vividly my childhood trust that our government was just, balanced, and fair. As I grew older, I realized the ideals listed above ran more like guidelines than rules in the real world. For instance, more African Americans than white people receive the death penalty, even though whites commit more murders. Police officers can behave very badly, as can politicians and civil servants. 

In fact, anyone can be an angel, an asshole, or a psychopath, no matter what their position in life. 

But the ideals serve a purpose, a goal, an aspiration for a better world, a kinder world, a fairer world. They’re the lighthouses we should seek in tempestuous times. 

And hundreds of thousands of men and women put on the uniform and gave their lives for those ideals. 

Today, I’m sharing a few sympathy cards. Karen’s Card Shop ALWAYS needs sympathy cards. They seem appropriate.

And as you eat a burger and watch a parade or whatever you do to mark the occasion, take a minute to reflect on how we are (or are not) living up to those ideals. Are we betraying their sacrifice and trust?

I wonder.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Menopause Brain and a Few Cards

The spring semester has closed, and what a weird one it was, somewhat captured in the following photo:

That’s what my feet looked like Sunday, two weeks ago, at church. Just call me Miss Matched. The rest of my photos for today are (hopefully) proof I haven’t completely lost my mind. 

And if you’d like to feel better about yourself—especially those of you who are women of a certain age—check out @justbeingmelani on Instagram. I’m a card-carrying member of her new club for perimenopausal and menopausal women: The We Do Not Care Club. We do not care if our shoes match. We do not care if we have makeup on. We do not care what people eat for dinner. 

It is very liberating, actually. 

A most relevant entry for this blog might be “We do not care if we make pretty things and no one cares.”

And now for some cards, the making of which led me to buy the large and small sets of Simon Says blending brushes because I wanted something better than the Tim Holtz blender pads.

First up, a delightful posey stamp from Gina K. Blues and greens are my go-to colors. They are so peaceful and soothing. I embossed the stamp, masked the border, sponged the inks (Distress ink), and added bling and a sentiment.

Next up, a very similar card using a stamp from an old set by Mama Elephant. Similarly, but embossed outside the masking. I like the look, even if it doesn’t show up well in the photo. 

For the remaining backgrounds, I brayered Kaleidacolor ink on scraps and cut shapes out of them, layered on die cuts, and let the color do the work! The color truly is spectacular with this technique. 

I’ve bought a LOT of new stampy stuff recently and am working my way through it all. One thing that has changed my life (in a small way, of course, but seriously, it’s cool): the Pawsitively Perfect Tacky Mat. I put it into my MISTI, and it’s so much nicer than using magnets to hold paper down.

What have you added to your supplies recently that has made your crafting better? Inquiring minds and all that….

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Oldies but Goodies And Thanks to Eddie and Lisa

Eddie and Lisa both sent a fresh batch of cards for Karen’s Card Shop. Muchas gracias, ladies! They are beautiful and VERY much appreciated!

Sometimes it’s fun to pull out old sets and just play around. Today’s cards are the result of play with some old Papertrey and Hero Arts sets. 

First up, PTI’s Beautiful Butterflies. I added white spots to the earthy butterfly colors with a white gel pen. 

I sorta messed up the sentiment by stamping the “birthday” too low. It would look better snuggled up closer to the “happy.” With how busy the card is, however, it’s not as noticeable. 

Second, PTI Botanical Silhouettes flowers with Hero’s From the Vault Bugs for the butterfly.

I used Distress inks and spritzed water to stamp the second card, which results in a very different look from the first card with its bold solids. The softness makes for a good sympathy card. 

Happy nostalgia stamping!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Sweet Circle Sparks Memories

Most of the stamps in today’s card come from an old Hero Arts set called Spring Hello. I drew a circle and stamped around it until it was filled in. 

Bright pinks and greens remind me of the early 1980s and the preppy trends. I LOVED dressing preppy and going to a very preppy prep school. But the 80s were very complicated for me and not a time for the best mental health of my life. 

In fact, my mental health was pretty terrible way back then, which is one reason why I’m so careful to support my students’ mental health. Late teens and early twenties are such hard ages. When I wore colorful pink and green wrap-around skirts and carried a purse with wooden handles and replaceable covers that matched the skirts, I remember how insecure I was, how I didn’t want anyone to find out about my father’s neglect and narcissistic abuse, how fat and ugly I thought I was (I wasn’t). The 1980s have me trying to practice some selective amnesia.

And then there was the year of the pink cancer: 2022. Ugh. I’d love to forget that…except so many people were so kind and supportive. 

Now it’s 2025, and I’m okay. Yay! But now I wear a lot of red, black, blue, and gray, and the wood-handled purse disappeared years ago. My hair is shiny silver, and that’s empowering. 

Do you have a decade you found to be complicated? Or a year? Or an age? What was the color scheme that takes you straight back?

I challenge you to flip the script: make a card in those colors and ENJOY the process and the results. 

It’s a good feeling.

Or maybe I’m just crazy.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

More Old School

The frond stamp here is an old Hero Arts mounted rubber stamp. It’s fabulous and lends itself to a variety of techniques, but this one is my favorite…and also old school. Color with markers, spritz with water, and stamp. I gave the sentiment the same treatment and sprinkled ink for a more interesting background.

Just got back from a visit with my mom, sister, and her family. Here are a few pictures.

My beautiful mother

My silly mommy

My sister, the top of grand-nephew M’s head, my niece Rory,
who asks that we not put pictures of M online

My sister with Steve the Abiguously Female Cat,
who kindly requests you use the pronouns they/them
In reference to “them.” Thank you.

My son Jack and nephew Grady

All photos that do not include my sister were taken by her with her cool camera.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Old School

I took out some older stamps to play with, including Papertrey Ink’s Heart Prints. I made two very different cards with very similar colors.

First up, a super-fun layered background paper to spotlight a most excellent sentiment from Simon Says Stamp. 

Next up, floral hearts for birthday wishes! The black centers of the flowers are dots of black diamond Stickles. 

What fun to play around with a spectacularly well-designed set!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Something Different

A few weeks ago, I fell into a slump creatively and pulled out a few of my books on bookbinding. Something different might be just what Dr. Creativity prescribed.

I think it worked.

Sentiments are from Simon Says Tiny Words Faith set, and the design is a simple fold you can find in a wide range of bookbinding books. It’s made from one sheet of textured paper I bought at Marco’s Paper, sized it to fit a small envelope I have. 

If you’re ever in a slump, try something completely different. See what happens. It’s fun!

On another note, I bought my hubby the Lego Titanic set for Christmas. He savored the build and finished last week. 

The thing is a BEAST. He joked about building an iceberg out of his architecture Lego set…all the bricks are white. I can’t decide if that is too disrespectful of a tragedy, or if it highlights the hubris of the “Unsinkable” ship. Is it still too soon to joke about it? Inquiring minds….

Mercy, grace, peace, and love, 

Susan

Flower Power…and a Blessing

Amidst my new acquisitions is a die set from Eileen Hull for Sizzix. They are pretty dies, and I had fun with them. 

First up, white-on-white—I know, you’re shocked—with some texture from a handwritten script embossing folder I just adore. The pink on the flowers was added by flicking a bit of color with a Copic marker. The rhinestones are not that dark in real life. The sentiment comes from Simon Says. 

Next up, more white-on-white (surprised?). This time, I colored the white, die-cut flowers and leaves with ink scribbled onto an acrylic block (Memento markers) and spritzed with water. The totally random effect made me so happy! The centers of the flowers are filled with black diamond Stickles. It’s much more sparkly in person. 

Both of these cards are light, fresh, and pretty. Which makes me happy.

____________

Now for a God moment. Even if you’re a nonbeliever, my experience last Wednesday may bless you in this time of chaos and conflict.

Feeling groovy and upbeat, I walked across campus from the Adjunct Support office to my classroom. I passed a woman who was walking slowly, made eye contact with her, and smiled. After a few more steps, she called out to me. 

“I have to thank you,” she said. “As you passed me, I felt the spirit of my mother. She died two weeks ago, and feeling her again with me was such a blessing. Your energy reminds me so much of her. Do you mind if we pray together?”

No, I did not mind at all. 

We spoke for a bit, and I shared that I am a Stephen Minister. She’d never heard of Stephen Ministry, but wanted to know more. By “coincidence” I had a copy of the first volume of a 4-volume booklet from Stephen Ministry written to help people through their grief. My plan had been to give it to a colleague in the English Department who lost two loved ones in very quick succession, but God clearly had a different plan. I offered it to my new friend, and she gratefully accepted it and gave me her address so I can mail the remaining three volumes at intervals during the first year of her loss. 

She asked for a selfie with me and her diploma, which she had just picked up. I obliged, a stand-in for her mom who would have loved to see that moment.

I’ll pick up another set of grief books for my colleague this weekend.

God is good, all the time.

All the time, God is good. 

And for those who doubt or believe differently, I hope you will take away from this story that there is good in the world: real humans reaching out and caring for one another, without reference to politics, power, or conflict. Blessings abound, if only we greet them with a smile.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

My New Favorite

EEEP!!!!

This card, which evolved slowly from the ombre panel of blues I didn’t know how to use, is now my favorite. 

The boldness of the blue practically glows off the white background. The ink is Hero Arts ombre blues, and the butterfly dies are from Poppy Stamps. The crisp clean style of this card warms the cockles of my heart. 

Then, I made another card using the scraps of the blue panel. It doesn’t make me quite as happy because it’s a little busy, I like the way the leaves hug the sentiment about hugs. That’s pretty cool. 

A fun day overall crafting!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Variations

One of my favorite crafty self-challenges is “variations on a theme.” It makes me feel better about having so many products because, let’s face it, I have a problem addiction passion for products. 

I keep a bin under my desk for products I’ve used to death or can’t quite like anymore. A few months ago, all my Hero Arts ombre inks went into that bin. I already have over a dozen Kaleidacolor ink pads, and they seem to work better anyway. 

Yesterday, I pulled one of those Hero pads out of the Bin of Doom and applied the ink direct to paper. It looked stunning! So I made this card.

The thinking of you die and sentiment stamp are from Hero Arts, and the butterfly dies are from Poppy Stamps. I liked the effect so much that I pulled all the ink pads out and made samples with them. Some looked better than others…the darker color combos went back into the Bin of Doom. 

Then, I applied the same concept to a very different color scheme. 

The black card stock is speckled with iridescent watercolor in gold and pink. It reminds me a bit of the 1980s. 

For a third variation, I tried something other than butterflies with the tide pool ombre ink. It looks a little cramped but fun, nevertheless.

Stamps and dies from Hero Arts. It’s been a Hero-Arts-intensive variation. 

___________________

On a completely different note, my hair grows fast, and the chemo curl is completely gone (yay), leaving me with very straight, coarse locks. My hairdresser, Tracey, had an accident, was hospitalized for 5 days, had three surgeries, and still has broken ribs. I’d intended to get my hair cut two months ago, but she was (obviously) unavailable. Several people, including my husband who does NOT like long hair, suggested I try a different hairdresser. 

Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels that would be cheating on Tracey. No way! 

So Tracey is now back at work, limited in that she cannot comfortably wash hair right now, but she can cut it. She took about three inches off mine. 

The curls didn’t last long, despite the fact Tracey used half a bottle of setting spray. Like I said, my hair is naturally straight, sort of like the rest of me, LOL! But this length suits me better anyway. George still thinks it’s too long, but he’s wrong. 

Men.

Mercy, grace, peace, and love, 

Susan 

Thanks to Eddie and Donna!

Eddie and Donna sent boxes of cards for Karen’s Card Shop. Many, many thanks! Even with their generous donations, we are still in need of sympathy and get well cards, if anyone has some of those to contribute. Otherwise, we should be good for a while.

I am blown over by the generosity of so many of you. I take every opportunity to sing your praises when I get positive feedback about the shop…which is just about every time I’m at church!

Today’s cards showcase some of the embossing folders I bought from Simon Says Stamp during their recent sale. Love these folders so much because they add just the right amount of interest for the white-on-white designs I favor. 

White on white benefits from texture! 

Mercy, grace, peace, and love, 

Susan