Gratitude Blog Hop with Gina K Designs

Welcome to another Gina K. Design Team blog hop. Today we're featuring cards with a Gratitude theme to them. If you came from Cat’s blog Cat’s Creations, you're at the right place. If not, make sure to head over to StampTV where you will find a list of all those participating in today's hop.

This time of year especially, we may need more Thank You cards than usual with dinner parties, gifts and other acts of hospitality that may be extended to you or your family so we can show some gratitude with a handmade card.  So I made a set of Thank You cards to have on hand, actually I needed some to send out that are long overdue so this was the perfect theme for me this month!  I used the new Nature’s Greeting stamp kit which I love (especially this whimsical bloom). 

I thought it would be fun to make a set of cards using some Basic Grey Indie Bloom papers which I just got from the Gina K store! Believe it or not, these cards came together in about an hour because I kept them simple, using the same layout and putting them together mass production-style. Here is what I did: 1. picked out all my pure luxury cardstock colors (red hot, pumpkin spice, sweet corn and lovely lavender), cut them and scored them. 2. Picked out my matching ribbons, buttons and pattern papers. 3. Stamped all the flowers and greetings, colored them (prismacolor pencils blended with odorless mineral spirits) and cut them out. 4. Cut all the layers at one time. 5. Assemble all layers (focal image is popped up with foam tape) 6. Placed liquid pearls in the flower centers.

I just love the centers of the flowers!
I want to extend a special thank you to everyone hopping with us today and for those who stop by my blog…I appreciate you!!  P.S. I apologize for the quality of my photos – I cannot find my camera so I had to use my phone. 

Please head on over to Giovana's blog to see what she's sharing with you today!

Many Thanks

Here is a a pretty busy card I made using the most recent GKD stamps, Timeless Textures and the one free with 3, Garden Silhouettes.  I wanted to make a card to get the thanks message across and I think I did!  Cardstock is White Passionate Pink, Key Lime accent and Black Onyx pure luxury!  Inks used are all Vivid: Raspberry, Aqua, Wild Lime, Straw.  Finished it off with some black stitched ribbon and a few green brads. 

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Stamp Simply - Think Spring

Do you read Sharon's blog No Time to Stamp? Well, each week she has a fun challenge (with no time limit) to Stamp Simply and I FINALLY played! #33 is to Think Spring - use pink and green in your card and a flower. That was easy! I needed to make a Thank You card and this would totally fit the bill for my special friend! I used SU! Always set and Absolutely Fabulous (because she is) and randomly put rhinestone bling for the centers of the flowers. No layers. Pretty in Pink, Pink Passion, Gable Green & Green Galore.

Librarian Thanks

April 15th is National Library Worker's Day so my Bookwormabella was perfect for a customer who requested a card to honor their school's librarian. I used my Basic Grey Blush pad and a brown prima for my embellishment. Used my Papertrey Ink Faux Ribbon set for the sentiment.

Lots of Thank Yous

I made this card quickly so I could send off a hostess packet (with catalog & invitations) to my customer who's having a workshop in March. I'm excited - it's been nearly 2 years since I've held a traditional workshop with someone else as hostess! I hope she likes it.

Gratitude Flowers

A co-workers stopped me to ask if I had any Thank You cards today, and much to my surprise, I didn't so I had to make some. I got my inspiration from today's CC149 Rose Red, Apricot Appeal & Sage Shadow. These colors are pretty together! I kinda cheated and added Chocolate Chip, though. Since I was using Papertrey's Spiral Bouquet, I really felt like the big flower needed to stand out. I ended up making 6 of these plus 2 other different ones (but I'm only showing you the one I liked). I used my scallop nestability on the first one, those lend such a nice elegance to it.

Simple Gratitude

This is a simple card of Gratitude that I hope makes a big statement. It's going out to several ladies I've been fortunate enough to win blog candy from recently that I am thankful for the goodies.

It's also going out to my two sisters (and their DH's) for blessing me with my recent trip to CA to see them & my precious niece. There really aren't enough words to express my gratitude for those wonderful memories a few weekends ago. Doesn't matter I came back with the worst cold EVER (that I am still nursing but with lessened congestion), doesn't matter I was away from my DH and my fur babies for 4 days (and I missed them), doesn't matter there were a few frustrating moments while I was there (won't re-hash the details).

What does matter is that I had a ride from/to the airport, I had a wonderful home cooked meal when I arrived (and my sister was hurting the whole time she made it), the fact I got to see my Godson Avery for a little while that evening (thanks, Don), the happy faces as I doled out handmade gifts that night (that brought tears to my oldest sister's eyes), the fun my niece had as I showed her all the clothes I brought her (and she was thrilled about them even though they are second-hand), the fact that my sister is going to have another baby I can love on, the sweet moments I saw my niece acknowledge the baby with lifting her momma's shirt real high & patting her tummy and giving a kiss to her little brother (or sister-we'll find out Dec 27), the sacrifice of time friends and family made to come visit me that weekend, the fun we had playing the new cranium (and laughs at certain people's expense), the night I got there my niece called me 'Auntie' for the first time, the one-on-one time her and I had playing, eating, and changing (where I taught her what sound the blender makes, how to say 'Upsy Daisy' and how after every time I finished changing her she hugged me, kissed me & patted me on the back, the endless laughter at her antics, teaching her how to do the new puzzles I got her (and she actually put a few pieces together without my help that last night), how she quickly started to kiss me just like she does her mommy & daddy only, and how utterly blessed, loved and missed I am by my family. I look forward to talking to them several times a week (thankfully we have unlimited long distance) and hope to some day get webcams set up so we can make our visits more 'real'.

My heart aches as I write this because I am not there to see them every day. I don't get to see my niece learn new things every day. I hang onto the sweet memories I have and I find myself counting the days until I see them again. What matters is family and this is the one God put me in and no matter how many miles separate us...there is an invisible thread that passes between our hearts that no one sees but is an instantaneous link up via our love & many memories. Each trip brings more precious memories than the last, I know...I have the pictures & my heart to prove it.

*E.T.A* What does matter is that the morning Gabby's daddy took me to the airport (and I had to kiss her forehead to say good-bye because she was sleeping) my sister called to tell me that morning once she woke up & was eating her breakfast, she heard the front door open and she excitedly said, 'AUNTIE?' and her mommy had to tell her, "No, Auntie had to go back on the plane to Texas. But she'll be back to see you again" you bet I will! That made me cry like a baby when she told me!

I Love & Miss Y'all!