Thank you

I'd like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all of you who have taken part in sending young Elizabeth a card of encouragement. I have to share what I've been able to learn from this experience.
In planning this card I looked up the meaning for Elizabeth, a name found in the Bible only twice. It's meaning is "God's promise", and as Psalm 145:13 says, "The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made." We don't always know the reasons for which children suffer, or why innocent lives have to endure pain or discomfort, but I can attest to the faithfulness of God in the midst of all our troubles. To those of you who were touched by this little girl's circumstance, I ask that you pray for her family, and if I'm fortunate enough to find out any good news, I promise to share it. May God bless you all!-Raquel

Graduation Card/ Mojo Monday

I was inspired to use the Mojo Monday sketch from last week to get started on some Graduation Cards. It made the presentation a lot easier and I loved the final result. TFL!

Cap and diploma are from A Child's Year. I also added a MS punch for the scalloped edge.

The colors are representative of the local High School. 

Card for 70?

My DS has a wonderful teacher who just hadababyitsaboy. He and his band mates needed a card for approximately 70 kids to sign. Thank God in heaven or 12 by 12 paper! Anywho-I used New Arrival-because it has it all, and I see no need to get yet another baby cart since my babies are on hyper-drive and growing like weeds. I loved making it! It measures 6 by 12 inches, and I matted the entire inside to allow room to sign away. The little train is cut in the top layer, blackout (to add stability I used Kraft cardstock) and shadow in white. Enjoy!

I added sequins for the steam, and hand-wrote the title of the card in white ink.

The characters all got eyelets for the eyes, inking here & there, glaze smiles, and the yellow cart is dry-embossed. 

I also added ric-rac on the background, twine to connect the carts, and little felt stickers to the centers of the wheels in different sizes. 

Pregnancy Survival Kit

There's a fairly new Cupcake place that I recently got treated to and it has the most amazing cupcakes! I decided to send a little concoction that I lovingly named "The pregnant cupcake" to someone I know is expecting and had overheard my plans to visit the shop. It was fun to personalize it, and I went with a chocolate cupcake-vanilla frosting- topped with pretzels mix! YUM. I made a simple and fun topper and stamped the bag with some adorable cupcake stamps. TFL!

Cricut-tastic Award

Tisha from Tishascraftcove was so generous as to share this award with me! I am so thankful and to receive it, I must "Wear this badge proudly on your blog and share it with friends. Share this award with 10 people that you think have Cricut-tastic blogs. You also have to tell 5 cricut related things about yourself."
So here goes:
I think there are so many Cricut-tastic blogs out there, but I have to mention:

1. Mary from Cardz TV

2. Joanna from Scrap-making

3. Janice from Cricutology

4. Brian from Scrapguy

5. Sandra at 365daysofcricut

6. Pam @ Simply-pam

7. Suzanne @ cricutcraftinggrammy

8. Gina @ Ginascraftingspot

9. Sherrie @ Sherriescraps

10.  Lis @ Lizspaperloft

Now for 5 Cricut-Related things about myself:

1. I currently own a Cricut Expression and a baby bug. One matches my nails, and the other matches my wardrobe!!

2. I own several carts, but don't see the need to have them all.

3. Cricut has been a great link to meet other crafters and I'll always be grateful to PC for that.

4. I also own a Gypsy, and WOULD LOVE TO ADD FEATURES TO IT :)!

5. I love welding shapes on my Gypsy and coming up with my own version of Cricut cuts.

When a card stops being "just a card"

Hi there,

If you're reading this, chances are you were drawn to the colors on the page. You see a cute little dinosaur card, a giraffe, and a fish. What you don't see is the story behind the cards. The irony behind the fact that I never started out as a "card maker", and I've been known to say "I don't even like making cards!" Furthermore, the fact that this little thing called a hobby has led me to meet some incredible people who have blessed my life in ways that they'll never know. If you're still reading, I may be writing about you. You see, God has provided me with this insatiable need to be creative, and despite circumstances that have at times left me feeling so depleted that I can't even as much as look at a pretty piece of paper, the need to create, and the look on someone's face when they receive a card I've made, or tell me "that's so much better than what I imagined" lets me know that this messy little craft is so much bigger than little old me. That God doesn't "just" make us, He intentionally makes us the way we are. Our unique talents are usable, and He can bless us when we put our lives in His hands. So maybe on occasion you might just see paper, glue, paint, and a big mess on a table, but consider how our maker didn't just see dust when He made man, He saw so much more, and for that, I am so grateful. Thanks for reading and  May God Bless you abundantly!-Raquel. 

Cricut Cardz Challenge #74

Hi friends,
Someone I know just had her first baby a little earlier than expected, so I made her a card for the occasion and decided to enter it into the Cricut Cardz Challenge for the week. I used New Arrival, and sticky back canvas, as well as some adorable little stamps to go along with the theme and a little ribbon to finish it off. TFL!