Some new cards, a tutorial and an update

Hi everyone:

Hope you are headed towards a great weekend! I have a few cards to share with you - and a tutorial for the Box Card. This first one was created with a dress form stamp and some paper piecing.

The dress form stamp actually had a "stand" printed with it - but I cut that off and added some wire behind it to give it a more dimensional look. It was really pretty easy and I think added a nice visual POP to it.

I used:

Jenni Bowlin Ink

October Afternoon: Thrift Shop

Copic Markers to add shading

Rock Candy Distress Paint: Ranger or Rock Candy Distress Stickles: Ranger

Liquid Pearl Dimensional Paint: Ranger

Spellbinders Nestabilities Die

I stamped the dress form stamp multiple times on different patterns of the 8x8 paper pad (I like the smaller version of the papers for cardmaking, as they patterns are rescaled/resized).

I shadowed the edges

of the various pieces with Copic Markers to give a bit of visual dimension to the dress too. For a little added sparkle, I added a bit of Rock Candy Distress Stickles. What a love about the Distress Stickles is that it is TOTALLY OK to speed up the drying time by zapping them with the heat gun. WARNING: don't try this with any other type of Stickles as it will ruin your project. Here is a closer look at the dress form.

This is another card I did with paper piecing.

I used Basic Grey: Curio 6x6 paper pad for the patterned paper. So pretty.

Here is a totally different look on a card....more of a COLLAGE.

I love these stickers and buttons from Jenni Bowlin. You will also see just a bit of tissue tape by Tim Holtz....love that stuff...feel like I could use it on just about everything!

This is a close up (and perhaps clearer view than on the video) of the Box Card Valentine that I made.

And what it looks like when it is open.

Yes...there is a little Distress Stickles in there too (I can't help myself!). The vintage valentine is from Tim Holtz Seasonal Sticker pack...so much goodness in that particular product...I keep going back to it again and again!

Finally, I want to give you a bit of an update on my Dad. He visited another doctor today and we got some encouraging news about his prognosis with the Leukemia. This doctor walked in the door of the room and said, "Well, you are certainly not what I expected to see based on your test results!" He went on to explain that prior to meeting Dad and just looking at his results he expected to see an 84 yr old man that was VERY frail and VERY sick. Dad may be 84 - but he is robust and energetic...having played golf very recently. This doctor did say that Dad has a very aggressive form of leukemia - but because he seems to be MUCH stronger than he expected, that he wants to pursue a couple of treatment options. We will not really know which one he will recommend until he conducts some more tests - but this was enough encouragement for us - and more importantly - for Dad. Prior to today, we had just felt like the doctors were saying there were no options and that we just needed to ready ourselves for saying good-bye. Those of you that know me well, will understand that I have no fear of death...as I am confident that I will see my Dad again and that if he were not able to be here and healthy and active that I KNOW he would be in a better place. However, it just seemed too strange to go from one extreme (he has LOTS of options) to the other (sorry, but he is just to sick for us to try anything more) in the space of 10 days. His health had not seemed to deteriorate AT ALL, in fact he had no adverse reactions to the chemo and had been feeling BETTER. So - we just wanted to hear what had changed...and make sure that the bad prognosis was really true. After today, we all feel that we are on solid ground to move forward with more tests...and perhaps pursue treatment options. If after these tests, Dad decides that he does not want to pursue treatment - then my sister and I are ready to support him in that decision and help make his transition as easy as possible. We also want to do whatever we can to support his dear wife, Ruby through this process as well. Those of you that have dealt with the health of your parents, know that there are times you want to be "the kid" and need to be "the adult!" Not my favorite - but a role we must all eventually take on...right? Thank God for His continued presence, support and PEACE!

Thank you all for your love and encouragement. I am so blessed to have friends like you! Have a great weekend!