Blessed By Cards w/Renae Novak Creating Beautiful Cards w/ Love

Simply Thankful!

Fall-Halloween-Thanksgiving Cards, Paper Crafting Ideas, Thank You / November 11, 2020

I just love a beautiful fall day and that is exactly what we had here yesterday. But as they say in Mary Poppins, the winds are a changing and I think today we are in for some much cooler weather. But hey, after all it is November.

My card today is a little fall fun on the diagonal to celebrate all the colorful changes of the seasons. I began with a Pretty Peacock card base and added a matching diagonal accent using the Plaid Tidings Designer Series Paper. I added a small strip of Bumble Bee cardstock and then followed the diagonal with some leaves and acorns from the Beautiful Autumn Bundle.

I stamped the greeting from County Home in Pretty Peacock ink and yes, I actually cut my greeting to separate “Simply Thankful” from “For All Good Things”. I love both of those greetings, but I do admit I use the Simply Thankful a lot! The leaves are stamped in Mossy Meadow, Pumpkin Pie and Bumble Bee. The acorns are stamped in Cinnamon Cider.

For the inside of my card I added a piece of Very Vanilla, stamped the greeting in Pretty Peacock ink and added a few leaves and acorns to the bottom corner. I really love this fall set and have made tons of cards. I am really hoping it carries over to the annual catalog this summer. Let me know what you think of this set!

Now here is a real picture of my backyard! While it is so pretty those fall colors, I am not looking forward to racking! YIKES! Thank for stopping by today. Feel free to leave a comment ! Until next time, be blessed!
Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae

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Bring on the Sunshine!

Anniversary & Love-Weddings / November 10, 2020

It may be getting darker earlier, but the weather here in St. Louis has been amazing! We had another warm day yesterday, so I thought I would post another spring-like card. We have plenty of time for cold weather, right? For today’s card I continued the Misty Moonlight flower theme to create a one of a kind Anniversary card for a very special couple. This was an easy and quick card to create. Can you tell that I absolutely love the Flowers for All Seasons paper and the new In-Color, Misty Moonlight?

I started with the Misty Moonlight card base and 2″ strip from the Flowers for All Seasons Designer Series Paper. Along side of that I added a thin strip of Night of Navy cardstock. I wanted to pull out the darker blue in the floral pattern. The Happy Anniversary sentiment from Many Mates is stamped in Misty Moonlight ink on some Whisper White scrap. We all have scraps, right?

I cut out the sentiment and a piece of Misty Moonlight with the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss using the Layering Square Die. To pull it all together, I added three small pearls and a simple bow using the 1/4″ Misty Moonlight ribbon.

I hope you have a beautiful day. Thanks for stopping by! Come on by tomorrow for some more crafting fun, until then Be Blessed!
Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae

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November Brings Indian Summer!

1 Comment / Thinking of You / November 9, 2020

The weather here in St. Louis has been absolutely gorgeous. Yesterday it was a balmy 78 degrees, which is unusual for this time of year. Here in the Mid-west we call that Indian Summer, which is fine by me and I’ll take it as long as I can.

My husband and I just got back from an amazing visit to Virginia Beach to see his Mom. The visit and the weather were both perfect. We even got a chance to walk along the oceanfront boardwalk with my sister and brother-in-law. It was perfect, so warm and beautiful! This spring like weather has inspired me to post flowers instead of snow drifts!

I started with a card base of Misty Moonlight and added some square layers of Whisper White (3.5x 3.5) and Misty Moonlight (3.25 x3.25) cardstock. I then added a 3 x3″ square of the Flowers for All Seasons Designer Series paper.

In Misty Moonlight ink, I stamped the Thinking of You (Many Mates set) on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and using the Heart Punch Pack, punched it out with the smooth heart. I adhered this greeting to the scalloped heart, punched from Misty Moonlight cardstock using the other heart in the punch pack. For a delicate finish I added three large pearls to the left of my heart.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you enjoyed this project. Feel free to leave a comment. As always I would love to hear from you and if you place an order that is less that $150, don’t forget to use the host code: 4SFDFVEX
Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae

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Sunday Wisdom: In the Present Moment!

2 Comments / Sunday Wisdom / November 8, 2020

The priest who married my husband and I became a very dear friend to us. Years ago he developed pancreatic cancer and while he was suffering taught us many valuable lessons about living in the present moment.

I remember asking him if he was anxious or worried about dying and he replied, “Not as long as I remain in the present moment.” He went on to explain that staying focused on the here and now brought him peace, but when he stepped outside the present moment he began to worry about the many friends and family members he would be leaving behind. Staying in the present moment and be ready for the Lord to move freely is something Fr. Ed lived out daily.

How is the Lord moving in your life? Are you opened to being blessed at any given moment? I know I often allow myself to be too busy and while many times I am busy doing good things, still I am distracted from the present moment and miss opportunities for grace to move freely in my life.

The past is the past and when we continue to look back, we are no longer able to move forward. However, be careful not to move too far forward. Living in the future only invites fear, worry and anxiety. We must try not to be obsessed with the things we cannot control. The future is not hear yet so why worry about something that may never happen. Right? Easier said that done!

Fears or worries about the future only causes undue stress and with all that is happening in our world, it is easy to give into fear. So let us seek to live in the present moment, where there is peace, and strive to remain open to the Grace and Mercy the Lord offers us all. Today, I am asking for the intercession of my dear friend Fr. Ed Schramm to bless all who read this message. Jesus I trust in you.

Have a blessed day,
Renae

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Fabulous Floating Snowflakes!

Christmas 2020 / November 7, 2020

Ok so I might be slightly obsessed with the Snowflake Wishes Bundle, but they are so much fun. I wanted to create a quick and easy card so I began with a Whisper White card base and added two simple layers; Smoky Slate, 4 x 5 1/4 and Balmy Blue 3 3/4 x 5. I stamped the larger snowflakes in Balmy Blue and the tiny ones in Smoky Slate on some Whisper White cardstock, 3 1/2 x 4 3/4.

This is a very different look than the Highland Heather, but I like them both. The sentiment is stamped in Balmy Blue and I added a few tiny pearls to some of the larger snowflakes. This was a super easy card and would be great for beginner crafters.

My card is blank on the inside, but you could certainly dress it up with a few more snowflakes and a greeting. I used several of the stamps to decorate the front of an envelope in Balmy Blue and Smoky Slate. They would also be great for making some homemade Christmas tags.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please feel free to leave a comment! Have fun creating those one of a kind Christmas cards and tags!
Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae

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Snowflake Wishes For All!

2 Comments / Christmas 2020 / November 6, 2020

Today’s card features the amazing Snowflake Wishes Bundle in the August-December mini catalog. I began experimenting with our watercolor paper, water painters and a few re-inkers. I choose Balmy Blue and Highland Heather and began playing around with how these colors interacted.

I have to say I love the softness of the snowy effect and decided to cut a piece for the side of my card that measures 4 x 2 1/4. I ran this through the Stamping Cut and Emboss Machine with the Winter Snow embossing folder and added a touch of sparkle with my Wink of Stella, which you probably cannot see in the photo, but trust me it is there.

I used the dies to cut some snowflakes from what was left of my watercolor experiment. I really love it when an experiment that is in my head actually turns out great! That does not always happen! LOL I stamped the sentiment in Gorgeous Grape ink, as I wanted it to be a bit darker, but did not want to go with black. I layered two small snowflakes on the corner of the sentiment with liquid glue. I am sure you could use a tiny Stampin’ Dimensional, but here I just used a titch of glue.

For the inside I cut a piece of Whisper White 4 x 5 1/4 and stamped the greeting in Gorgeous Grape. Of’ course I could not resist adding a few more snowflakes. After all what are snowflakes wishes with only a few extra flakes! I even decorated the envelope with some of the Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper!

I had a great time playing with these colors. I hope you are encouraged to create something beautiful today. Thanks for stopping by and please stop back tomorrow for some more snowflake fun. If you would like to add any of these supplies to your stamping stash, just click below. If your order is less that $150, please use the host code: 4SFDFVEX
Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae

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Tags, Tags and More Tags!

Christmas 2020 / November 5, 2020

Hello stampers and crafters! Today is all about tags. I used the products from the Tag Buffet Kit featured in the August – December catalog. There is still plenty of time for you to get yours! What a great gift this would make for a friend, family member, or co-worker.

And it comes in an adorable box! It is so cute you won’t even need to wrap it. Just create the tags, add some Christmas-like tissue paper and you are all set! Simple Simon! This Tag Buffet Project Kit has supplies to create 30 beautiful holiday tags in just minutes. It comes with pictured tutorials or you can go crazy and create your own designs. It is perfect for new crafters, busy crafters and even kids!

You can step up your tags by adding a little bling or some extra bows. I stepped up the Christmas tree tag with some of our Red Rhinestone jewels and added an extra bow on the top of the tree. The Tag Buffet Stamp Set is sold separately and incudes 14 photopolymer stamps to help get you ready for Christmas. If your order is less that $150, don’t forget to use the host code: 4SFDFVEX

Once you give away your tags in the box, don’t worry you can continue to use the stamps to create more tags. Wouldn’t it be fun to decorate a mason jar and then put your handcrafted tags inside? Use these stamps to create a greeting card or even a Christmas border on your scrapbooking pages.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope these tags got you thinking about all the ways you can add a homemade touch to your Christmas packages this year.
Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae.

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Christmas in the Pines!

Christmas 2020 / November 4, 2020

Hello my stamping and crafting friends. Today we are sliding into some snow drifts that I created using the curvy die from the Curvy Celebration Bundle and the snow dies from In the Pines Bundle. I am not sure if you have had a chance to check out the trees from this bundle, but they are spectacular!

I started my snow scene with a piece of Whisper White cardstock 3 3/4 x 5. I think the Shimmery White would also add little glisten to the snow drifts. Oh well, next time! I cut the drifts from scraps of white using the snow dies and the curvy die. To add a bit of dimension, I sponged them with Smoky Slate ink. The trees are stamped in Memento Black on Shaded Spruce and cut using the pine dies.

I added some Smoky Slate falling snow with the snow stamp from the bundle. My card base is Shaded Spruce with a side layer of Cherry Cobbler 4 x 5 1/4. The Merry Christmas sentiment is from Tag Buffet, stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink.

There are so many possibilities from this set! I do hope they carry if over for next year! By the way, did you know there are only 50 days until Christmas! Yikes, I better get busy! I’m so glad you stopped by today, feel free to leave a comment. Join me tomorrow for some more crafting fun!

Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae!

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A Heartfelt Birthday!

Happy Birthday / November 3, 2020

Good morning all, hope you are having a blessed day! Today I am using the buffalo check background stamp to create a special birthday card for a friend. I used the new Curvy Celebrations Bundle, which you can now purchase and craft along with me, yay!

I would love to see your creations. I began with a Whisper White card base and using the Stamparatus, stamped the Buffalo Check background in memento black in on the bottom of my card. I added a curvy layer of Basic Black and Whisper White to the top portion of the card.

I stamped the birthday greeting from the Quite Curvy set. The large black and white heart is from the Heartfelt Bundle and I cut off the outer edge so it would mount on top of the Real Red scalloped punch. The red and black hearts were stamped in Memento Black on Real Read cardstock and yes, I did fussy cut them with my Paper Snips.

I used Real Red cardstock to punch a smooth heart from the Heart Punch Pack. I really love those punches. Change the greeting and this would make a great Valentine’s Day card! Just sayin’. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you will join me tomorrow! Feel free to leave a comment and have a great day!

Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae

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Curvy Celebrations Begins November 3!

Christmas 2020 / November 2, 2020

Today’s card was created using the Curvy Celebrations Bundle. I began with a Cherry Cobbler card base and added a layer of Sahara Sand. Using the curvy die, I cut a piece of whisper white cards stock and added the Merry Christmas greeting from Itty Bitty Christmas , which can be found in the annual catalog.

I also used the Cherish the season bundle to cut out the small Cherry Cobbler bells and the Shaded Spruce evergreens. The snowflakes are from the Snow Wonder bundle and stamped in Sahara Sand to match the paper. Notice the awesome new paper. It is a new 6 x6 pack of Designer Series Paper, Classic Christmas.

This is such a fun bundle and also has a Christmas version that will carry us through the holidays. This bundle will be available for purchase beginning November 3rd. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you will come back tomorrow for some more curvy creations. Feel free to comment, I love hearing from you. Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae