Embossed Card Repair!

Hello Readers!

I hope you and your families are doing okay, both physically and mentally. These are trying times and we must all do our part to get through these days.

One of the activities that has really helped me is creating my handmade greeting cards. It is a way for me to ‘escape’ the realities of today’s world and focus on something positive.

Yesterday I took a solid piece of card stock and embossed it with one of my favorite ‘swirly’ designs. The paper had a white core, and part of the embossed design revealed several white spots. Well, that was not going to work with the card I had in mind.

Since I do not like to waste papers, I decided to fix the exposed white spots. I turned to my tried and true (and old) chalks. I found the perfect shade to match my paper and started covering up the spots! It worked! I went ahead and lightly dusted the entire surface to give it a more consistent look.

I was very pleased with the results of my repaired background. You can see cracks in the chalks, but they still work beautifully when I need them!

This is the card I created. I love this little squirrel stamp, (also very old) and hope the person I am sending it to will like enjoy it.

(The background looks darker, but it is the same background. I need to work on my photography skills!)

Sending cards is more important now than before, as so many seniors, veterans and others are feeling isolated since they can’t have visitors. If they receive a card it will help them remember they are not alone.

Thank you for supporting HorseMark Cards. Stay Safe.

~~~ Vickie~~~

Two-Sided Floral Papers

Hello!

Today I am sharing a couple of cards I have created using some two-sided floral papers. I have had these papers in my stash for a few years, so it is good to use several sheets of these nice papers to design these cards.

Floral papers can be used for some many types of cards. I will be creating more cards using this paper ~ then I can buy new papers! Isn’t that what it’s all about?

I hope you take some time and check out my Instagram page for other cards I have created!

Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by for a visit!

~Vickie~

My Turn to Say ‘Thank You!’

Hello Readers!

I am sending out a special ‘Thank You’ to welcome the new followers on my blog and my Instagram and Facebook accounts. Of course, I continue to be thankful for my longtime followers. Much appreciation to you all! I hope you enjoy the cards I create and share them with others.

Remember to say ‘Thank You’ to the people in your lives that give or do something special for you. Giving them a thank you card is like the cherry on top of your appreciation gesture!

Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by for a visit!

~~ Vickie

A Very Different Retirement Party!

Have you ever been to a retirement party that was very different and original? My husband and I recently attended such a party for a dear friend, Lisa. This was not your typical celebration. It had a few surprises and so much laughter, mainly due to one thing…

It involved making greeting cards!

There were several women, but the best part was seeing five men sit at a table to make 5 different greeting cards! Needless to say, it was so much fun to watch these guys try to attach tiny embellishments and fiddle with the backing of the miracle tape adhesives. You would think that using tweezers would have helped ~ well, it just added more laughs to the process!

These men had very different day jobs that may have helped them, (or not), navigate the process of making their cards. One was a chef and another man was an event supervisor. A retired TV station technician, a CEO of a food safety organization, and an event coordinator rounded out the career backgrounds of these talented men.

Card-creating party men!

The men were very focused on creating the cards!

Here are some of the cards we created at this fun party! These cards were designed by my friends, Sharon and Ann. Thanks ladies for creating these great cards for us!

Stand-up card with Owls.

Fishing card with gift card slot inside!

This card was the most challenging for all of us! But isn’t it cute?

Cute elephant taking a selfie!

Camera Elephant Note Card

Cute mouse!

Thank you for retiring Lisa and bringing this great bunch of people together to enjoy way too much fun and laughs! Happy Retirement!

~~ Vickie ~~

Paper Trip to Paris!

The opportunity to visit Paris has not crossed my path. Yet. I have been fortunate to have visited other places — Japan, Singapore, England and Australia, to name a few. I hope to travel to more places in the future, but for now I will stay near my zip code.

I have visited the sale aisles of several craft stores in my area though! On one such visit, I came across a selection of craft paper books that normally sell for $20 that were on special for only $5. Well, every crafty person knows you can’t pass on a deal like that! Especially when they have several selections of themed craft paper books!

These papers were purchased a few years ago and I have used many of them. Today I would like to share some handcrafted cards I designed using the Paris collection of “My Favorite Things.”

Several papers in this collection have larger images on them that can be used for scrapbook pages. Since I need smaller images on my cards, I cut out portions of these images. I also use them as backgrounds on my cards.

It feels good to use older papers that have been in my paper stash. When I see new papers I always want to get them, but then remember that I already have so many. A true case of ‘too many papers, not enough time to use them!’

Since these papers are probably out of stock, I will only be able to create one or two of these. If you know someone who loves all things ‘Paris’, I would like to create a card for them! Contact me at horsemarkcards@gmail.com for more information.

Enjoy your creative day and thank you for stopping by my little creative corner of the blogging world!

~~~ Vickie