Sympathy Card

Hi there, this is another twisted easel card I made because I wanted to dive into the winnings from the Link for Pink blog hop held in October. The ladies were extremely generous to enter everyone into several giveaways and I was fortunate to receive some beautiful paper from The Robins Nest! I was able to use it on the base of this card, and the lighting in the pics does not do it justice, because the colors are subtle but beautiful. Some of the papers were very glittery too! I was not familiar with this company outside of their dew drops which I have purchased in the past. So, a huge thank you once again to Celeste from Touched by a Butterfly, please stop by her beautiful blog and give her a visit!

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

rbessette@rochester.rr.com

Quinceañera, are you invited?? (Dilo en Español challenge #3)

To those of you who are unfamiliar with the traditional Spanish birthday celebration of the Quinceañero, please sit back and relax. You are about to get schooled. 

The quinceañero is a beautiful coming-of-age ceremony which takes place on a Hispanic girls 15th birthday, in which she traditionally would be introduced to society as a young woman, ready to meet the young suitors who would see her dressed in white, in all her virginal beauty, and at which point they would all try to get her attention and her father's so that courtships could be arranged, and promises of weddings would follow.Typically, the party consists of 14 of the young girl's best friends, as well as 15 young men, and dances are choreographed, the birthday girl receives her first set of earrings, high heels, jewelry, and whatever else mom and dad can afford to add to her dowry bestow upon her. Fast forward a few years, and add to the same society a dose of Americanism, Facebook, and a few cell phones and the same tradition is now a big party where the same number of teenagers get together, only each invites another 15 teenage boys and girls, mom and dad hope the birthday girl doesn't get married but stays in school and gets a college degree, a DJ decides what music is played, and because we're still Hispanics, there's somehow plenty of food for everyone, and of course Grandma is on the dance floor swiveling her hips to the latest Salsa song ( to which she can recite the chorus)! Nevertheless, it's a great celebration, and even though I made 60 invites for this one, I'm sure it won't be enough. Enjoy!

The theme of the party will be candies. These are from Joys of the Season. 

The birthday girl wanted Turquoise, Green and Pink as her colors. Her initial is on the Lollypop. Hand-written in Martha Stewart glitter. 

Each will have a pink bow added to the handle, once the tags have the names written on them.

One of the Pink Purses! All the candy was embossed with the Swiss Dot Cuttlebug folder.

These invitations are  finished with a Martha Stewart Punch and enclosed in the purses, which will be handed out personally-a really nice touch!

I'd like to enter these into the following challenge: Dilo en Español, challenge #3 by Abby to use glitter or bling. I used glitter on the initial, and bling on every enclosed invite, right in the center of the flower.

Thank you Card/ Paper Cutz Challenge #115

Hi there, After a few days of illness, and a lot of hectic life stuff, I'm back. I decided to enter the Paper Cuts Challenge # 115 to :  "Make a card, LO or craft project for Fall using LOTS of leaves and any colors you'd like, EXCEPT NO GREEN or BLUE!" 
I love fall colors and leaves, so I decided it should be easy enough. Well, I really wanted to use green, but I'm glad I had to use other colors, because I was happy with the result. So, off it'll go in the mail.
Recipe for this swivel-easel card:
Papers: American crafts, My Minds Eye, Bazzil, scraps
Carts:
 Leaves:Straight from the Nest pg. 56
 Font: Songbird
Top Note: Songbird pg. 51 Frame 1-s and shadow
Cuttlebug :leaves embossing folder
Ink: Ranger Vintage photo
Butterfly: K and Co.

Tutorial for this card by Beate Jones on Splitcoast Stampers.

Fall Explosion Box ( LOTS of pics).

Hello there,
I made this little explosion box that is exploding with detail. The top has a "Fall" paper corner that I cut with the Cricut and used it as a title. I also used the Cuttlebug and only one folder throughout to keep the same leaf motif in the box. The orange and gold flowers are my own creation. The individual layers are all stamped differently, glimmered and the brads are metal and felt. I also added a green ribbon to the border of the Fall die, and a cream ribbon to the border of the box. I used several techniques and was really challenged by the small size, but I hope you enjoy it as I have!

This is the top of the explosion box.

This is the side profile.

This is what you see when you open it.

This tag has an origami flower attached to it and I stamped and colored it.

This is the back-side of the same tag. Stamps are Close to My Heart.

I embossed the paper with the Cuttlebug and stamped the tag, colored it and added  the flower and button.

This is the tag outside of the pocket.

I used several stamps and freehand doodling for a journaling spot.

Another pocket with a felt flower embellishment.

The "lace" border here is actually a stamp that I fussy-cut and added to the border of this tag. The flower is also stamped and hand painted. 

Here's the inside with a small journaling spot. 

I stamped other images and popped them off the page to add interest.

This bird is from the Cricut, I hand cut the paper behind it to make it into a sleeve. I also embossed and inked the paper to match.

The little owl is in a "window". He is popped against the background.

This tag I stamped and embossed, and repeated the flower image in different colors,  and popped them atop the ribbon. Then I finished it with hand-stitching around the border.

It also has a journaling spot.

It fits nicely in the embossed pocket.

I used another bird image and repeated the technique on the opposing page.

This is a cute little slider I made with my Cricut, stamped and inked to match the paper. 

Update on Elizabeth

Hi there, this post is for those of you who were so generous as to join in to send cards to a young girl named Elizabeth (Lizzy)  I mentioned to you in this post. When I heard what had happened to her, my immediate reaction was to share it with all of you and try to show her family that they were not alone and that others would be praying for them. Well, it turns out you can follow her story on Facebook and see how this young lady is inspiring others and keeping a positive outlook on life and the outpouring of support  from her community is truly beautiful to see. As I stated before, I am not acquainted with the family, nor do I know her personally but I love reading about her and you will too! Again, thank you to those who took the time to show your support! Sincerely-Raquel

****Update****
It is with great sorrow that I share that Elizabeth (Lizzy) passed away despite fighting the horrible disease that took her life. Hug your loved ones, and keep them close. Thank you to those of you who joined me in sending her family a little encouragement. Hugs~Raquel

Hope Frame with Bible Verse

I was inspired to write this Bible verse to go along with this picture frame and Hope banner. It can be found in Psalm 31: 24, and it reads: "Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the Lord." Suffering from any type of cancer is devastating, and the words of David in what is one of the most beautiful books of the  Old Testament can really shed some light into a relationship in which the only comfort that really made a difference was the one promised by our very maker. If you, or someone you know is suffering from this horrible disease, my hope is that you find comfort not only in your surroundings and those you know, but also in the love of our God, just as David did in the darkest moments of his life.

For this project I used the Cricut to make the banner and flowers. I hand-painted the Bible verse and background with watercolors, color pencils, and ink. TFL!
I'll also be sharing this over at Link up for Pink.

Fundraiser labels

This is a simple post today to share what I made in a jiffy for a fundraiser. I couldn't believe how easy they were to make, and I was happy to use the Forever Young cartridge for once! TFL!