Hi, friends. I promised yesterday that I’d be back every day for the next week to share with you scrapbook.com’s 7 Sizzling Days of Summer promotions. Scrapbook.com generously sent me a set of freebies and some extras that I am sharing with you each day!

The following links are affiliate links, which means that if you click a link or make a purchase, I will receive a small commission which helps keep this site running! Thank you!

This little card uses Today’s Free Gift (6/19/2018): 1/8″ Permanent Double Sided Adhesive Roll.  Did you know that scrapbook.com has started their own line of paper craft products and accessories? They’ve created their own line of adhesives and I’m so excited about the selection that is available.  I love this thin paper tape double sided adhesive roll. It tears easily and keeps things exactly where you want them to be.

I used the adhesive on the paper piecing on this cute flamingo. I also used it to adhere her to the base of the card. You can get your very own roll for free with each purchase made at scrapbook.com today (6/19/2018). Supplies are limited.

7 of the most popular brands in paper crafting are also 20% off for the next 7 days!

Scrapbook.com sent me these wonderful Prima Flowers and I’ve decided to give them to you! Comment on this post and I’ll randomly pick a winner to mail this 100 piece embellishment set! Winner will be chosen at 7:00 am CDT on 6/20/2018.

ETA: A winner was chosen on 6/20/2018 and this giveaway is closed! Thank you!

Check back tomorrow to learn about that day’s Free Gift! Sign up for email updates below so you don’t miss a thing!

Friends, it’s been a rough couple of months at The Creative Blend HQ.

My dear friend, my sweet “sista”, Sara, passed away two weeks ago.  She became cancer and pain free. She fought a lifelong and courageous battle. Her sister never left her side and fulfilled every promise to her. To know and love such strong women is an inspiration to me.

Sara loved life, no matter what was thrown her way. She loved to laugh and lived with a servant’s heart, when it would have been understandable for her to be angry, bitter and questioning. She was never afraid to tell anyone that she loved them and just how much. She leaves behind a devoted sister and a wealth of cousins and friends who will honor her memory forever.  Sara was talented and creative, one of our favorite pasttimes together was to make cards. We shared ideas and supplies, frustrations and triumphs. She was so supportive of me and my creativity and I will miss her positive spirit so much.

I made this card above to send to our favorite charity, Pilots for Patients, with a group donation in Sara’s memory. This organization was so important to Sara and her sister, as it helped them go to treatments without having to worry about the time and expense of travel. It helps so many people relieve the burden of travel to get the treatment and care that they need all over the country.  If you are led to meet a need or have a need that needs met, please check them out. They are the very definition of loving your neighbor.

Sara wouldn’t want me to stop creating, to stop doing something I enjoy so much just because I’m sad. On a whim, I submitted to promote scrapbook.com’s (affiliate) 7 Sizzling Days of Summer. I was selected to participate and was sent products to use in my posts this week and product that I’ve been gifted and chosen to give away to some of you lucky, wonderful people! I hope you’ll join me starting Tuesday for a look at projects, to learn how you can earn free product and get great discounts on your scrapbook.com orders, and for an opportunity to get freebies sent from me to you! If you’re not receiving emails each time I update, you’ll want to enter your email address below to get an email each time I update this week. I don’t want you to miss out on anything going on this week!

With love and hugs,

Donna

My wonderfully sweet friend, D’Arcy sent me this uplifting card in sympathy of losing my girl, Hope, two weeks ago. I couldn’t love this card more with all of the personal touches and the beautiful  note inside.

D’Arcy is a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator based in Montgomery, TX. She used the set Pretty Kitty and this adorable, mischievous image reminds me so much of Hope when she was a kitten with her pink nose and pink ears and getting into everything. The color scheme D’Arcy used was the perfect balance of sympathy and uplifting that I needed. I keep every handmade card I’ve ever been given because I know how special they are. This one is one I’ll cherish for a long, long time to come.

Thank you so much for thinking of me, D’Arcy. Your card was just the happy mail that I needed.

I hope you enjoyed D’Arcy’s card today and I hope that if you have a dear friend going through a bit of a trial, you’ll take a moment to send a note along to them. It helps to know we’re not alone in our troubles.

Hi, everyone! I hope you’re gearing up for a great weekend! I’m back with a quick and easy graduation card with the help of Simple Stories.

This card goes together so quickly with the Simple Stories Rad Grad 12″ X 12″ Collection.  I pulled some gold foil from my stash to layer the sentiment card on top of my Basic Black card base from Stampin’ Up! and I found some random gold chipboard stars that I didn’t even remember having in my stash to embellish. I’m glad I found these stars; they are the perfect complement and I used up something! I used the “Congrats!” sticker from the card stock sticker sheet and I love how this whole card turned out.  From layout design to finished product, it took about 15 minutes.

I’ve added some links below on where to find the gold foil card stock that I would purchase to replenish my stash. I wasn’t able to find a good replacement for the gold chipboard stars – – these would be easy to make with the right supplies.  Look for a tutorial post on that soon.

This post contains affilate links, which means that if you click on a link or purchase product from these links, I get a small commission, which keeps this site up and running! Thank you!

On a personal note, we’ve been a little sad and teary-eyed this week around my house. On Tuesday, I had to let my beautiful baby girl, Hope, go.  She was 20 years old and it was her time. She was my unfair weather friend and constant companion since she was six weeks old. She is dearly missed.

I have two cards to share with you today. I’m playing with BoBunny’s Summer Mood suite.

(This post contains affiliate links to scrapbook.com, which means that if you click the links below, I will get a small commission, which keeps this website up and running! Thank you!)

The first card begins with a base of retired Stampin’ Up! Baja Breeze card stock. I couldn’t have asked for a better match to the color theme in BoBunny’s Summer Mood suite.  Baja Breeze is my favorite Stampin’ Up! color ever. This color combo just screams SUMMER to me! Sunshine truly is the best medicine. I think this would be a wonderful card to send to a friend who’s been under the weather and needs reminding that brighter days are ahead.

The pinwheels and this patterned paper were meant to be together! I love these sentiment banners stacked with the reminders we all need from time to time!

All of the die cuts and embellishments are from the Summer Mood Noteworthy Journaling Cards. Look, ma, no stamping and no ink needed!

The patterned paper is from the BoBunny Summer Mood 6″ X 6″ paper pad. I love these 6″ X 6″ paper pads, you get such a selection of paper sized just right for cards for a great price!

Speaking of savings, Scrapbook.com is celebrating National Scrapbook Day! Save 10% with code: NSD2018

I hope you find some bargains today! I hope you were inspired to bring a little Summer into your world and were inspired by the colors, layout and sentiments used in my cards today.  What are your plans to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day this weekend?  Share with me in the comments!

These are the birthday cards that my friends and I made for the charitable organization that we support, Pilots for Patients. These are the ones made for April. Making these cards is a blessing, but it’s also been a great way for me to use up my stash.  I pulled the paper from the retired Stampin’ Up! set, It’s My Party and used Crushed Curry as my color, keeping it more masculine, as these cards are going to the Pilots in Pilots for Patients.

The Happy Birthday stamp is from Altenew’s (affiliate) Birthday Builder stamp set. This versatile set features 18 unique fonts and loads of different combinations and ways to say “Happy Birthday!”

You may recognize the layout from a previous card Birthday in Perfect Plum. Take a look at how this layout can go from masculine to feminine!

I hope you enjoyed this masculine birthday take on a previous layout. I hope you’re inspired to use this layout for a multitude of your cards in the future!

Check out this card in my Etsy shop here.

The following links are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase from these links, I may get a small commission, which helps keep this website up and running! For more information, visit my Affiliate Disclosure page. Thank you!

This beautiful card started with a technique idea – Embossed Vellum. I knew I wanted a bold image behind the vellum to stand out. I found the perfect one in the Concord and 9th set Happy Words.

Starting with a base of soon-to-be retired Stampin’ Up! Chocolate Chip and a piece from the Kaisercraft Ooh La La paper pack, I stamped the large floral design in retired Stampin’ Up! Watermelon Wonder ink. I embossed the piece of lightweight vellum paper using my Big Shot and the retired Stampin’ Up! Brick Wall Embossing Folder. With a piece of Chocolate Chip card stock and adhesive sheet, I die cut the Happy with the Happy Card die set. I stamped Mother’s Day in Chocolate Chip ink on a piece of retired Stampin’ Up! Crisp Cantaloupe and die cut it out with the banner die from the Happy Card die set. I love this color combo. It reminds me of ice cream and summer and pretty clothes.

I hope you enjoyed this card today. I hope that you were inspired by the technique, layout or color combo. It’s not too early to start on Mother’s Day cards for the special women in your life. Only two and a half weeks away!

This card is listed in my Etsy shop here.

Below is a list of products used to create this card. If you shop at the links below, I could earn a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. For details about these affiliate links, see here.

If someone could tell me why I forget how happy card making makes me from day to day, I’ll send this card to them. 🙂

So, it’s only been three weeks since my last post. I do apologize. Every now and then my mind plays tricks on me. Makes me think that no one is interested in what I have to share with you.  And I know that’s just not true, is it? I’ll try to do better….

This card was inspired by a little weekend trip I took over Easter weekend.  I like to get in the car and drive. On my drive, the red bud trees, spirea and wisteria were in full bloom.  I always forget that Spring is coming, too.  It was a beautiful weekend, if a little chilly.  And I’ve been seeing those glorious colors in my mind’s eye ever since.

I thought the On My Mind and In My Heart stamp set by Gina K fit my desire to recreate Spring with the pinks, yellows and purples I’d seen on my trip. I’d never used Gina K. stamps before. I am pleased with the quality and the level of detail on the stamp. I stamped this in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on X-Press It Blending Card and used the very first set of colored pencils I got, Rose Art, to color in the stamp. I liked how this stamp inked up and stamped on the paper and I liked coloring with the colored pencils on the X-Press It Blending Card. It gave a smooth, crisp finish.

I used the retired Stampin’ Up! Spring Flowers embossing folder for the background. Any floral embossing folder will do to recreate this layout.

I hope you’ve been inspired today by my colors, technique and layout to recreate a little bit of Spring. And seriously, comment below to tell me why I forget how happy making cards makes me and I’ll mail you this card. Because we could all use a little happy mail every now and then. Have a great weekend!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase items from the links below, I get a small commission at no extra charge to you.

This week, I’m playing with The Paper Players. I needed a last minute Easter card and this sketch layout was a great inspiration.  I’m using more paper from the Celebrate Easter 6″ X 6″ paper pad from Echo Park.

This card went together so quickly. The hardest part was figuring out what papers to use from the paper pad! Using the colors in the papers I selected, I used this color combo:

I love these soft pastels for this time of year.

I colored the bunny from Technique Tuesday’s Bailey the Bunny Animal House stamp set with only four Copic Markers (R20, W0, W3, W5)

He is really too adorable! I want to squeeze him and call him George! Anyone remember that?

With the sketch for inspiration, all the paper from the paper pad and a few swipes of Copic markers, this card went together in about 20 minutes! I hope my post inspired you today.  Happy Easter, everyone!