Some Kinda Wonderful Thinking of You Cards

Good morning. I am sharing more cards I made with the Some Kinda Wonderful kit. I like having "generic" themed cards on hand for those moments when I feel like sending out a card just because. 

Here are 2:

I played around with some sketches I had on hand, and finally used last year's (really, 2016 is last year already?) special stamp set "Share the Love". I  also added a partial sentiment from the retired Artfully Sent cricut combo. That stamp set has become my go-to for cards. The sentiments are just perfect. 

Have a happy, crafty kind of day!

Casandra

Some Kinda Wonderful PML Cards

Today is a sad day for me. I know that there are parents out there that are happy when their kids return to school from winter break, but I'm sad. Of course, they are likely happy to return and share Christmas break news with their besties. 

On that note, I would like to share a pair of cards I created with the Some Kinda Wonderful kit. These cards use the same PML card.

I kept them simple. You may notice on the bottom card that there is paper peeking out from inside. It's a little trick I like to do when trying to use up extra scraps. Why should the front of the card be the only decorated part? The Some Kinda Wonderful assortment comes with sparkly black arrows and I adhered one of them to the inside. A little something unexpected for the recipient to enjoy when they open their card. 

One last quick note for you. The new black and white dots featured with this kit are awesome. I have been longing for something similar to my beloved brads. These dots have that flat appearance of a brad, but with shine. 

Hope your day is a crafty one!

Casandra

LTCCB #6 Birthday Card

Good morning.

I'm back again.... Just going to let that sink in. LOL

Cricut Design Space offers free cuts every week. Normally, I'm too busy to take them up on the free cut, but who can resist a snowman?

I think this card will be sent to my mother-in-law, who has a birthday later this month. For now, I am entering it into a new challenge that I found on one of the blogs that I follow. (Thanks, Lori! You never fail to inspire.) It is called "Love to Craft Challenge Blog". This challenge is "Anything Goes" and will run the entire month of January. Love it! Monthly challenges are more my speed. 

Enjoy!

Casandra

MFTWSC313 Owl Card

Happy New Year! 2016 was good to us. My resolution, this year, is to find balance in work, family and life. 

I made it a personal challenge to use up every scrap of paper from the new "Some Kinda Wonderful" kit. Here is a card that I made 3 of:

I cut the owl in Cricut Design Space. If you've followed my blog, you may recognize those owls. Back in November, I made a bunch of owls in various sizes and used them as decorations for my sister-in-law's baby shower. I had one sitting on my desk and was inspired to create some cards with it, this time around.

I would like to enter this card into the current MFTWSC313 Challenge. Thank you, MFT, for a great sketch!

Here's wishing you all the very best that 2017 has to offer.

Casandra

Life Events and Baby Shower Decor

I have been away for far too long. I feel it's time to elaborate what has taken me away from my beloved crafting.

This past Spring, shortly after we returned from our first family vacation in 7 years, my husband's place of employment announced it would be closing its doors. He had worked for this company for 18 years. It was a very hard time for us emotionally. We were trying to make adjustments to every day life, and figuring out where we could cut to make ends meet, and still provide for our family. 

You know that saying "When God closes a door, He opens a window"? Well, that is exactly what happened. Suddenly, we were starting up our own business. Believe me when I say we never expected this. And as such, I have found myself juggling 2 full-time jobs among other things. 

On to other news: My brother and his wife are expecting their second baby this winter. A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I threw a baby shower for them. We went with an owl theme, and thanks to Pinterest (love Pinterest!!!), I found inspiration for some of the decorations. Below, you can see some photos from the special day.

I bought the owl download from Cricut (I think it's from Create A Critter cartridge). We found these adorable milk glasses at Hobby Lobby, along with the faux flowers and curly wooden accents. I used all Close To My Heart products on the owls, including our limited color of the year "Sea Glass". I wish I'd bought more of that pretty thistle ribbon before it retired. It was such a cute addition to these uber adorable owls. 

The banner will serve a dual purpose. It was created as a decoration for the baby shower, but instead of putting some random word on it like "Baby" or "Welcome", I included the baby's name so my sister-in-law can hang it in the baby's room. As you can see, we are very excited to meet the newest member of our family. She is loved by so many already.

Since it's been a while since I blogged or crafted, it's also been a while since I participated in a challenge. H2H has a challenge this week called "Anything But A Card". I think this fits the ticket, so to speak.

Thanks for being so patient. You have no idea (or maybe you do) how much I miss crafting. I am dreaming about it in my sleep. LOL

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. While I did not make the cake, I was inspired by Pinterest to have a talented cake artist create it. I did make the cookies (oatmeal raisin and molasses). Drop me a line if you would like the recipe.

Happy crafting!
Casandra

Flamingo Parade

Hello. 

I'm determined to make more time for the things that make me happy. Flamingos make me happy. Crazy, right? 

I had so much fun crafting these cute flamingos, last month.

I used up every scrap I had of this cute Calypso paper. Hopefully, I can find some time soon to share the layouts I made from this kit. 

Have a happy, crafty day.

Kind Regards,

Casandra Bennett

Fundamental Layouts

Good afternoon. I've been a way for a while. I've missed crafting; missed blogging; missed having quiet time just for me.

Last month, I found some time to cut into paper. Maybe you find this to be true, too, but when I've been away from papercrafting for a bit, it can be intimidating to know where to begin. Forgive me if this sounds silly, but having a set of how-to patterns is sometimes all it takes for me to get back into it.

Below, you will see a couple of my first layouts in months.

I'm so glad I bought this fundamental paper pack before it retired. And it can also be said that I wish Close To My Heart hadn't retired these fundamental complements. They were so quick and easy to add. I made 5 layouts in 3 days, in my limited spare time. I haven't decided yet which pictures will go on these layouts, but one things for sure, almost anything would work.

Sorry I've been away so long. I hope you, my blog followers, are all doing well, and I wish you good health and happiness, and most of all, extra time to craft!

Kind Regards,

Casandra Bennett