I get by with a little help from my friends

I love the new Vintage Vogue set and matching wheel from Stampin' Up! Love them. So I have been reaching for it a lot. Here are two of the cards I've made recently.



This one is a little busy, but I'm fairly happy with how it came together. The satin ribbon fulfills a void in my crafty soul I never knew was there. I made this for a swap I was in last month. Pink and green are my favorite colors, and I have been indulging myself by using them together more often lately.




This card is a little bit more crisp and clean. The "F" has been cut out and is popped up with some dimensionals. I had no reason for making this card. These "no pressure" cards are my favorite. It's fun to just sit down and make something without obligation. I sent it to someone special. The sentiment on this one is much nicer than yesterday's. It simply states, "Life happens. Love helps." So true. So today when life happens to you, I hope love does help. And if all else fails, whack your love upside the head and say, "Help me, dadgummit!"

All products are Stampin' Up!
Stamps - Vintage Vogue, Very Vintage wheel
Ink - Choc chip, very vanilla, pretty in Pink, Mellow moss
paper - Same as ink
accessories - pretties kit, dimensionals, pink satin ribbon, scallop edge punch, clear EP

Yin and yang

I have a confession to make. There are two very distinct sides to my personality. The evidence is here in these two cards.

On the one hand, I recognize that every human being struggles with something. Sometimes people are going through very difficult times. I feel for them. I pray the good Lord will give them strength and courage to carry them through. So in these times, I may send them a nice, little card like this one.





I actually made this one for my Grandma. She broke her tibia and is struggling in rehab. And since I can never get her on the phone, I went the archaic route of snail mail. Crazy! I know.

Then there is the other half of my personality. It isn't as nice. It says, "What the heck are you belly aching about?" and "Would you like some cheese with all that whine?" I know. It's not pretty. It was this little devil inside of me who encouraged me to make this next card.



It looks pretty, right? Did you see the sentiment? Oh yes. It does say, "Suck it up, Buttercup!" This is for all the times I read FB and tire of my friends constantly complaining. Quite frankly, I don't care that you have the sniffles, it's cold outside, or that your dog farted and is stinking up your house. Okay, I probably do care unless 99% of your statuses are complaints. This is for the people who never say "fine" when you enquire about how they are doing. Instead, they give you a diatribe about ingrown toe nails and unfair bosses and global warming and their large hineys. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! You're a grown up. Sometimes life sucks. Deal. I told you it was not pretty.

So this is where I come back to my senses. I remind myself that God did not equip everyone with the same set of coping mechanisms. Some people can't just suck it up and roll with the punches. I cannot control how other people behave, but I can control my reaction to it. So I make a mean card that I will pull out and laugh at, but never send. I make 2 more like the one for my Grandma and I pray that the good Lord grants me restraint the next time someone annoys me. I will try to offer encouragement and not just a big old cup of "Suck it up!"

All products used are Stampin' Up!
Nice card
Stamps-Thoughts and Prayers
Ink - Whisper White, choc chip
Paper - Choc chip, Kraft
Accessories - Scallop edge punch, scallop corner punch, pretty in pink satin ribbon

Naughty card
Paper - So saffron, Choc chip, Very Vanilla
ink - So saffron sponged on flower's edges
Accessories - XL flower punch, big brad, double stitch ribbon, mover/shaker die, oval punch