Note: November 17, 2015
ABC Christmas Challenge DT Call (ends Nov 30, 2015)
Hi, Blogging Friends! A warm welcome to new followers Vicky, Angelique, Shalu, Carrie, Kren, Carol Crafty-Stamper, Catherine. Thank you for following me, and I look forward to seeing your blogs, too!
Apologies for not leaving comments as much as I used to, and for not even posting many cards.
My hands have been very uncooperative, and the dexterity and neurologic issues are becoming extensive. And in all honesty - my brain is not functioning well, either,
but
Slow is better than Stop
- right?
And maybe Contentment and Peace are by products of Gratitude?
Being content in the midst of Life regardless of what it brings?
So that we may grow in ways we might otherwise have never grown?
And be exposed to ideas and thoughts we otherwise would never have known?
I do want you to know how blessed I am to have you in my little life,
Being content in the midst of Life regardless of what it brings?
So that we may grow in ways we might otherwise have never grown?
And be exposed to ideas and thoughts we otherwise would never have known?
I do want you to know how blessed I am to have you in my little life,
and to share in your artwork and photos of your homes and loved ones.
Hopefully you all know how appreciated and valued you are. Since I am home-bound, it is my highlight to visit your blogs and see what you are up to.
I couldn't resist!
Having fallen deeply in love with this wonderfully detailed Christmas Wreath image by Kim Gwin of Scrapbook Stamp Society, I was delighted when sweet DTC Sher sent it to me.
It was remarkably easy to color because the image reveals the places to lighten and darken.
I decided to try a Twisted Easel style card, and though Christina Griffiths' video tutorial was very simple, and contained wonderful tips about placement of images both top and bottom, I had trouble with the placement of the sentiment on the bottom portion of the card, so if you try this fold, you might want to use longer, thinner sentiments, or something extremely small, rather than a squarish size sentiment.
When closed, this is what the top looks like:
Except for the printed paper, all of the green is vellum. I'm ashamed to say that vellum has been in my stash at least 10 years, and this is the first time it has been used!
While it worked with MS punch around the page, it did not play well with the Deep Edge MS Trim punches which cut both sides.
The pink pearls are from my mom's crafting stash (that means I have had them over 21 years - no telling how long she had them!) {smile}
The bottom looks like this when closed:
A computer-generated sentiment with a variety of fonts was fun to create.
Here is a close up of the bottom when opened:
My girl friend will be surprised when she receives this, especially knowing Fumble Fingers here made it (giggle).
thanks for stopping by!
Fondly submitted to the following wonderful challenges:
- Created With Love Challenges - #67 Anything Goes (11-25)
- Path of Positivity - #8 Gratitude (please see my little comment above) (12-2)
- City Crafter Challenge Blog - #186 Card Using a Wreath (11-26)
- Incy Wincy Designs - Easel Card (11-25)
- Addicted to Stamps - #69 Dies and Punches (9 dies, MS punch around page) (11-25)
- Crafty Calendar Challenge - Anything Christmas (12-3)
- Tok Bobok Challenge - TBC#6 Christmas (11-29)
- Fan-Tastic Tuesday - #10 Make it fancy SQUARE (Square top, square bottom) (11-26)
- Party Time Tuesdays - #147 Color Challenge (bright pink, green, purple with deep teal) (11-26)
- Sweet Stamps - #144 Anything Goes! (11-25)
Sweet hugs for you always,
66 comments:
WOWSER!!! Words fail me. Just beautiful
Wow, this is simply drop dead gorgeous, look at those flowers and design. Where are the words to describe this awesome beauty and magnificent attention to details. Simply a work of elegance.
Hugs my friend
wow;woow;wooow, I look at your card with my mouth white open , it's stunning , so beautiful, it's a real masterpiece, the one who will receive this will be very , very happy, what a pretty picture and what a pretty details!!! I really hope your heath will be better soon!!
Greetings
Maria
Oh, gasp! I was looking at your bathroom remodel project when this beauty just popped right up in front of me. I cannot believe my eyes. A gorgeous card front that opens to reveal the most lovely Christmas garden. Your eye for beauty and design never ceases to amaze me!
Your project is simply gorgeous! Beautiul, elegant, stylish. And I love the vellum on your card. You should use it more often. And your mom's pearls-it's worthed waiting. Great work. And last but not least - get well soon!
Regards, TokBobok.
WOW!! This is stunning Donna, such a gorgeous image coloured perfectly. I love the twisted easel design and all your detailing is so beautiful too.
Take care, hugs
Sue xx
Hi Donna, this is stunning and I love the subtle shades you have used, thank you for sharing with us over at Fan-Tastic Tuesday...
Hugs
Suzy B
XX
Oh my Donna, fumble fingers or not this is amazing and oh so pretty. Such a lot of you shows in this gorgeous creation everything is perfection. Love it to bits.
Crafty hugs from Shirl x x
Stunning, the colour combo is gorgeous and the card is a work of Art. love it, thanks for joining us at Fant-tastic Tuesday this week.
I'm in awe of your beautifully coloured wreath! This is such a stunning card ... Thank you so very much for sharing your talent with us at CCCB!
wow Donna what a goreous card you have made and so bequtiful decorated, love it.
Kim would be pleased with this card.
gr karin
Over the top, girl this is gorgeous!!!!! Love the flowers and all the details!
Hi Donna,
You are such a dear blog buddy, Your humaness makes you shine and I love that.
This card shines equally and the wreath is just so breath taking. The roses look wonderful and so do all the details. The vellum leaves look so pretty.
I admire you no end, Donna.
Much love and healing,
M
Fumble fingers did it again! An amazing work of art Donna. The colors are just gorgeous. The little piece of the wreath on the base by the sentiment, the exquisite little flowers and vellum leaves - all are yummy eye candy. A card obviously full of love.
Beautiful De! You may be having trouble with your hands, but your card says you are feeling create! Love all the details with the dies, the flowers and backgrounds and swirls. And the coloring on the image looks sooooo professional! The only thing missing is glitter! lol
De, if this is what you produce on a bad day, then look out world for what you can produce on a good day! Spectacular card. Love the soft greens and touches of brown.
great card, love the wreath and how you have colored it, just stunning card, thanks for joining us at created with love challenges, good luck and hope to see you again
caroline DT
Donna, lovely card as always. Love the flowers and die cuts. Love all the little details. Thanks for joining our Anything Goes Challenge at Created With Love Challenges
~~Chris
WOW!! This is stunning!! Love everything about it!
WOW Donna!!! I LOVE your gorgeous easel card. The colours, layers, flowers and the wreath are all so beautiful. You are amazing to push to create such beauty with the issues you are having with your hands. You are an inspiration, thank you for sharing. Please do not worry about commenting when it's difficult, I'm sure everyone understands. Take good care of yourself. Hugs, Shirleyx
This is absolutely beautiful Donna,I love the wreath how you have framed it, the beautiful colours well all of it really :o)
Kevin xx
Beautiful card, wonderful colors and embellishments. Thanks for playing along in the SweetStamps.com challenge!
Saw this card on the Sweet Stamps challenge-and had to stop by and take a closer look- what a Gorgeous card! I love all of the attention to detail, and your twisted easel and sentiment are lovely! I hope you will come join us again- and good luck in the draw!
This is absolutely stunning Donna, I can see why you were delighted to receive it. You have coloured it beautifully and I love the green and purple combination. Your twisted easel design is fabulous.
There is nothing wrong with slowing down a little but please don't stop making fabulous cards like this when you feel able, it is such a joy to visit and find such beautiful creations.
Pauline
x
Absolutely a beautiful creation! I can see every inch was done with great care and thought. It is wonderful you could use your Mother's pink pearls. I'm sure your friend will be overjoyed to receive this card.
I'm so sorry you're having difficulty with your hands. Wishing the best for you and sending hugs your way.
What a fabulous card! You have done an awesome job! I also love the greens and purple together. Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous card! Thank you for joining our challenge at Party Time Tuesdays. Good Luck! -
Sandy, DT Member
Hallo liebe Donna,
was muss ich lesen, es geht dir nicht so gut. Lass dich mal ganz fest in den Arm nehmen. Ich schicke dir einen ganz besonders lieben Gruß und wünsche dir gute Besserung. Es wird die hoffentlich bald wieder besser gehen. Du weißt doch wir denken immer positiv.....
Nun zu deinem wunderschönen Werk. Ich bin absolut begeistert. Du hast wieder all deine Liebe zum Detail in das Werk gelegt. Es ist wunderschön coloriert. Das es vereinfacht war finde ich absolut genial. Bei Licht und Schatten habe ich nämlich auch ab und zu so meine Probleme.
Die Karte ist einfach perfekt und deine Freundin wird sich ganz sicher riesig darüber freuen.
Ich bete für dich und schicke dir viele liebe Grüße Hugs Silvi
WOW absolutely stunning,very elegant and classy -love it all,the beautiful image the gorgeous embellishments including your Moms pearls and great layout and design absolutely beautiful
carol x
Oh my gosh Donna, this is so beautiful! The use of vellum for the die cut elements gives such an elegant feel to the card and all the flowers and images work perfectly together. I tend to shy away from fancy folds because I always end up with something or other that doesn't fit right but you did an amazing job as always. LOVE the color combo of light green and lavender. Did I say WOW?!!!
Forgot to mention that I too have vellum in all colors in my stash, and they are at least as old as yours! Good for you, pulling it out and using it on this fabulous creation makes it even better! Using old stash always feels good and you gave it a new, fresh and contemporary look! Bravo!
Wowser De!!!
Fumble fingers - will have to remember that one lol! It's much politer than I what I normally call myself when I have a touch of klutziness lol!
That is a really beautiful card De and a funny coincidence I've recently found some parchment paper that I had forgotten about and dug it out to start using. I love the holly leaves and the dotty leaves too and such a gorgeous colour scheme. Keep well sweetie, as well as you can and don't stop! xx
Absolutely beautiful card design. All those details. Wow! You always amaze me but this one is really gorgeous! I feel so inadequate compared to you.
Gorgeous Donna! Love the color combo, perfect choice. And I can see why you fell in love with this wreath. It is fabulous!
Hugs,
Debi
Such a beautiful card Donna, beautiful coloured image, love your colour combo, gorgeous embellishments and design.
pam
Gee Donna there isn't much I can say to top all the comments you have received but this one is over the top stunningly beautiful. I love it. It is so eye catching love the velum and you should use it more it is fun to work with. LOVE IT. Thanks for sharing this week at Created with love Challenges Anything goes.
Linda K. DT
Donna this is a wonderful little piece of art and a stunning twisted easel design. Those roses are just so scrumptious.
Hugs Desíre {Doing Life}
Jaw dropping gorgeous, Dee!! How interesting I just finished a twisted easel too! People don't realize how really easy they are and the receivers are delighted too. What a beautiful keeper! Your detail is just wonderful and I love everything right down to the lace!!!
OMGoodness, Donna, your blog post brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry you are suffering like this. As one of your newer followers, I was not aware of your health problems although I gathered you had some. I'll be including you in my prayers. You bring so much joy to others with your kind comments on our blogs.
Now, about your card. You are one talented lady. I can't even imagine creating such a spectacular piece of art. I have never attempted a twisted easel - I will be checking out the tutorial you mentioned.
Your friend is going to be over the moon when she receives this. I don't even know where to begin - because I love everything about it. I guess I am particularly taken by the vellum because I too have a hoard of vellum that I'm not using. Your leaves really stood out because I was wondering what they were made of.
A beautiful card, Donna, and a beautiful and very touching blog post.
Take care, my friend.
Hugs,
Kitty
Ohhhh my !!! This is stunning , the colors, the flowers , every single detail come together amazingly !! I am always in awe of your beautiful creations !!!
Hugs,
Mayra
Mayrasdesigns.blogspot.com
It most certainly does not look like a 'fumble fingers' made this card - the detail and precision is just fabulous!
The twisted easel design is gorgeous and obviously gave you lots of space to fill with pretty flowers :-)
Now, that stamp design is so lovely and coloured so beautifully.
If I could pick just one little favourite bit it would be the pearl sprays...but I love it all!
I have been enjoying your bathroom renovation pics and so happy that you have found the time to stop by and leave me some lovely comments as well :-D
Sending you lots of hugs and smiles,
Kat xx
Its Gorgeous in green !! I loved the color combo..green n purple look wonderful and you have colored the wreath beautifully !
Wow!!!!! All I can say is you are one talented lady!! Soooooo pretty!!!!
I hope your pain easies up for you I think your quote is just fantastic and very true indeed :) I hope everything is ok and keep up the AMAZING work :)
Hugs
Vic xx
Donna I am back with a DT hat on:
Your creation is amazing and your inspirational message today even more. This is so perfect for our THANKFULNESS theme this month. Thanks for sharing your talent with us and good luck.
Hugs
Desíre
{Path of Positivity DT Member}
{Doing Life – my personal blog}
Donna, WOW is all I can say. You've outdone yourself with this card. I have made a twisted rasel card-once! It's a beautiful presentation but a lot of work. Your work paid off in spades! Love your write-up on gratitude, too. THANK YOU for sharing your art!
I love every single thing about this card. Absolutely stunning! Thank you so much for sharing at Sweet Stamps!
Gorgeous twisted Easel card love the colours too! Thanks for playing along with us this week at Incy Wincy,
hugs Samantha :0)
I love what you've done with the wreath image, Donna, both inside and out! You put so much effort into all the small details on your cards. I love the pearls and that die cut mistletoe is fabulous. The vellum is lovely and reminds me it's time to look in my stash. I bet I have some that's nearly that old and Christmas cards are a perfect excuse for using it. Love the lace and your flowers are so gorgeous!
That is beautiful, thanks for playing along with us at CCCB!
Oh, I thought I was going to leave a comment on a new card, but there isn't one. Boo Hoo.....Anyway, to answer your question, I go by Brenda/Benzi, Benz, Mercedes....any you choose. Mostly Benzi, Benz, or Brenda on Splitcoaststampers. Yes, it's a long story about all those names. LOL
Third time is a charm.....I'm back again. Silly me, I meant to wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Gorgeous card. Love the punched borders and the beautiful blooms.
Gorgeous! Your twisted easel card is fabulous. Love the wreath image and the colors you chose are awesome. So many pretty details, and the vellum looks so leaf like. The flowers , the pearls, it just all goes together perfectly. Lucky recipient!!
Hugs
Sue
Happy Thanksgiving from you Neighbor to the North. I bring best wishes for a Happy Turkey day. Your card is just exquisite. You beat me to the twisted easel. I have been wanting to do one for some time. And look at that beautiful image-oh my, that is gorgeous. Love the softness of the green velum. It's just beautiful. I love the colors too! Even though I decorate my home in traditional colors of Christmas, I love non-traditional colors for cards and such. It really speaks to me. Your girlfriend will treasure this just knowing the hours it took to create it. Super spectacular.
Bear Hugs,
Carol
Hello, my friend - just popping in to say congrats on your win at Sweet Stamps and your Top 3 and Incy Wincy. Well deserved for this beautiful card - I get happy when I see someone I know winning challenges :-)
Take care and I hope you are having a good day today!
Kitty
Hi Luv, stopping by to wish you a blessed Thanksgiving and healthy holiday season.
Hugs and kisses.
Berni
This is absolutely stunning!! The image is gorgeous and so are all the pretty details. Love the vellum and pearls, your beautiful rolled roses and the pretty lace. Every detail is perfect! You are such an inspiration, both with your art and in life. Big hugs, Dawn
Donna Thank you for your visit & sweet comment at my blog. I followed your link to pay a visit, will be joining as a new follower. I was interested in seeing you are a Florida lady, as I'm a 42yr+ Floridian who relocated to SCarolina. We are down visiting our Dtr (near Tampa) for T'giving, will return at Christmas, God Willing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post, and if you're having dexterity problems, it certainly did NOT show on the lovely card you have posted. This is absolutely gorgeous. Those MS punches can be so aggravating on some papers, and your borders looked marvelous. I loved everything about this beautiful card, and will be off to check on that digi (I love wreaths!) as soon as I join as a follower. Hope you will come back again to visit, after I get home, and post some cards once again. I just couldn't drag all the supplies along - I have in the past and that's all I end up doing. Dragging the stuff down, then taking it home to unpack it again! I got smart this time! Hugs & Happy Thanksgiving. Hope to hear from you again soon.
This is such a great card, your rolled flowers are awesome! Thanks for the inspiration! and thanks for stopping by my blog to say HELLO! : )
Hi Donna,
This card is just wow, wow, wow. The colour combo is so sophisticated and rich. Love the wreath with it's delicate details and ribbons. The vellum leaves look
soft gentle and it is indeed a superb creation.
You are an amazing lady - going through health issues and handling it with such deep understanding and wisdom. Bless you.
Love,
M
My dearest Donna,
What you achieve with 'fumble fingers', I could only dream of creating something so stunning one day!!!
Sometime it can be difficult to find things to be thankful for, especially for those of us who are bombarded with so many difficulties that me must endure. However, even the smallest things, are things that we can show gratitude for. Just being able to get out of bed on our own, take care of personal matters, be able to talk and walk without aid, are all things that we can be grateful for. I like what you wrote about contentment and peace maybe being by products of gratitude. When we come to accept our unique circumstances and be thankful for what we still have, there really is a sort of peace that falls from that.
Thank you so much for being able to add to our Pathway, once again this month. Your creation is simply gorgeous. I love that image and the peaceful greens emanating throughout the piece. And, as always, your thoughts provoking. Your blog is always one I look forward to visiting along the Pathway each month.
Hugs,
Lisa
Stunning and gorgeous again De, have voted for you sweet friend.xx
So happy and excited to see your card as one of the Top 7 over at PoP - I just voted for you! Good luck, my friend! I loved this card the moment I saw it!
Absolutely stunning artwork. And, love the sentiment at the bottom of the easel.
Hello there my friend! this is so beautiful Donna - your colouring is totally amazing. Definitely worth my vote!
I think your twisted easel is great, I will have to try one myself.
Take care!
Love and hugs Sue Pxxx
Hello, my lovely friend. I hope all is well with you. Just wanted to say Congratulations on your win over at Path of Positivity with this beautiful card - you deserve it! Wishing you a Happy New Year and all the best in 2014!
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