Fresh Wreath Birthday Card

This weekend was better than most. My health left me very tired but I was able to help with some cleaning-which doesn't happen very much. Ken does the cleaning and says he doesn't mind. Rare quality in a guy! Thankful that he's willing to clean but can't wait for the day when I can do at least half of the work. I'm kind of a clean freak! 

Ken and I went over to mom and dad's tonight for dinner. Mom made homemade GF sesame chicken,  rice, and a cranberry apple salad with an amazing vinaigrette! She can really throw it down in the kitchen! 

Lymie Pinterest finds:

Made me laugh

Hope

Because of Jesus there is always hope! "He gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Freshly Made Sketch:

I made this birthday card with inspiration from Freshly Made Sketches. I hadn't used the Wondrous Wreath set so I thought I'd try it out on this card. 

I love that this stamp set can be used for different occasions, not just Christmas! 

I'm thankful that I was able to do some stamping over the weekend (mostly to fill Etsy orders). I plan on featuring different cards from our Etsy shop on the blog! You can find our store by clicking the link at the top right of the home page. But here's the link if you want instant access :) TRC Etsy Shop.

Have a "wondrous" Monday!

*Robin

When I Need a Friend...

...you're there! It's such a blessing to have friends like this. After being diagnosed with Lyme I realize just how special it is to have faithful friends. And near and far God has brought friends that I didn't know/didn't spend much time with before this journey began.

A Card Challenge:

Most of the time the card challenge sites have sketches or colors that are somewhat challenging but THIS challenge from Stampin' Celebration was the hardest yet! I love a challenge though! I took a bit of artistic liberty but tried to stay true to the sketch as well.

I think the hard part for me was that the banners were on top of the half circle. And that the flowers/shapes needed to be scattered on the banners. I give props to Wendi for the sketch. It is important to be challenged to become better at anything you do! 

Paper (SU): Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Soho Subway DSP, and Park Lane DSP

Stamp Sets(SU): Choose Happiness and Petite Petals

Embellishments(SU): Twine and Pearls

Tools (SU): Pansy Punch, Petite Petal Punch, Circles Framelits, Banner Framelit from the new Gift Card Framelit as seen in SU's holiday catalog. 

This Weather:

Despite the nasty weather, I'm thankful that my rheumatological symptoms are not as pronounced today. It's a perfect day to cuddle up in a chunky sweater with a cup of coffee or tea in hand and a favorite blog or book. 

I want this sweater! ...and the ring looks cool too.

If you could please pray that I'd be able to read more. I really miss it. My cognitive skills have declined, making comprehension difficult. Good thing SAT's and ACT's are way behind me :). I'm thankful for stamping. It's such a great creative outlet that keeps my mind going with out making my head feel like it's swelling. I love it! 

*Robin 

Coffee Lovin'

Coffee Themed Card:

Like many around the world I love coffee. There's mixed reviews about if it's good for you or not. Caffeine isn't great for Lyme. The question about coffee came up early in the string of doctor's visits and I was told that one or two cups a day is OK but not ideal. I usually stick with the "OK" option ;)

I was so happy last year when Stampin' Up came out with a coffee themed stamp set, "Perfect Blend". I love the color challenge this week at The Paper Players but was having a hard time choosing a stamp set. I didn't want anything fall related even though the colors lend themselves to that. "Perfect Blend" seemed perfect for the project!

I also got my groove on at Freshly Made Sketches. I love their challenge site. And the stamp set worked with the sketch.

This bold roast may show up in our Etsy Shop or in my person stash! 

Materials: Always Artichoke paper and ink, Cajun Craze paper and ink, Whisper White paper, Baked Brown Sugar paper and twine, Blackberry Bliss paper, Color Me Autumn DSP, Bitty Heart punch, Square Framlits, Project Life corner rounder, Sweet Essentials, Gorgeous Grunge, and Perfect Blend stamp sets.

Some Pain Relief:

I started medical massage on Wednesday and was near a pain attack before the masseuse began the session. She was able to reduce my pain and the relief lasted throughout the evening! I'm thankful for a therapy that helps with pain and that's covered by insurance. Insurance coverage is a big deal when dealing with chronic Lyme. Praising Jesus for this blessing!

*Robin

First Christmas Card of the Year!

Fresh Challenge:

I've been holding out on making Christmas cards because I want to hang on to summer stamps (I didn't even get to some of them!) Flamingo Lingo is one that I really want to ink up. Who says there can't be Summer in December in place of Christmas in July? :)

I enjoy using the sketches at Freshly Made Sketches! Here's the sketch and my card!

How it's Made:

I used the White Christmas stamp set from the new holiday catalog. I've had a hard time getting the photopolymer stamps to make a complete image but this stamp set makes nice images. Any one have ideas to make the images clearer? I had fun designing a Christmas scene. Loving this stamp set!

Materials: Framelits, White Christmas Stamp Set, All is Calm DSP, Smoky Slate, Whisper White and Lost Lagoon card stock, Smoky Slate, Lost Lagoon, Pear Pizzaz, and Cherry Cobbler ink, and lots of bling to make a sparkly white Christmas look.

Health Update:
The doctor is concerned with my teeth so I'm off to the dentist tomorrow. My teeth often throb throughout the day because of clinching due to pain. Please pray I can make it through the appointment. I may even come out with a cool mouth guard-hope it's sparkles :)

*Robin

Support for You

Lyme Support:

Life has been status quo. I've shared a lot of my Lyme symptoms. Some have gotten better, some worse. And then there are those nasty ones that just stay the course and try to drag you down. There's a reason why people say "fight cancer", "fight lyme", etc... If the disease is persistent you have to be persistent. It gets tiring. Jesus is my strength. My Hope.

Today Ken and I met with a Lyme support group in Raleigh. We got mixed up on the time but two ladies stayed behind to chat. They were a real encouragement. I was overwhelmed with all of the nutritional info they shared. I've changed my diet a lot since I was diagnosed with Lyme. No gluten-no dairy-no eggs-no lamb (lamb, that's the hardest one to let go of). The way these ladies eat make me look like a junk food addict! Ahhhh. I could definitely make more changes in my diet. We'll see how it goes. Thankful that there is a support group near by...the next meeting is a lecture on juicing.

He's by my side while we fight Lyme! 

For You Card:

I walked back to my creative escape this evening and decided to make a card based on FMS 152 from Freshly Made Sketches.

This sketch is a lot like the card in my last post but I like it :)

I used the Perfectly Preserved stamp set and the A Round a Ray set, neutral chevron ribbon, some thick twine I picked up at Hobby Lobby, oval framelit, woodgrain EF, and the new Flower Pot DSP

Colors: Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar, Garden Green, Tangelo Twist

I really enjoyed making this card-it's for some special people! 

*Robin

When Skies are Gray

I can hear thunder outside right now! So that fits perfectly with the card I made for the Mojo Monday challenge. I've been wanting to make some cards to have on hand for personal use, not just for the shop. But I have been feeling gray skies and haven't felt up to making anything. I just finished a parasite protocol that is used in conjunction with my Lyme treatment. Whew, it sucks the life right out of you! But last night I felt well enough to go back and craft. 

I always have a hard time choosing which stamp set to use. I knew I wanted to use the Mojo Monday sketch. 1. Because it's awesome and 2. Because I saw that my aunt and cousin had uploaded their creations. It's usually hard to pick the challenge as well but these 2 reasons made it easy :) I chose the See Ya Later stamp set by asking Ken to pick a number and a letter and this was the set that I landed. 

I wanted to paint a picture with the colors and patterns I used on this card. I used Smoky Slate, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White for my main colors. The new Sweet Taffy DP and large dot embossing folder came in handy. I wanted paper that gave a cloud effect. I used the Stampin' Write markers to distinguish the sun from the cloud and the HAPPY from the rest of the words on the stamp. Happy should always be in yellow, right? A strip of rainbow Sweet Taffy DP was a must because there's hope in and after the worst storms!  I finished the card off with paper piercing and bling! 

I'm not sure if this card will show up in our Etsy shop or in my personal stash. Check out our shop HERE! I really enjoyed some stampin' therapy. I encourage anyone to give stamping a whirl but especially people with chronic pain who want a creative hobby that you can do in the solitude of your own home. 

I think I might use this great sketch again in the future! 

*Robin