love to create

My husband is the worship leader at our church. It's a volunteer position, but technically that makes him the music pastor. Which makes me the pastor's wife by default. We've been ministering this way for years and it suddenly occurred to me that we haven't properly thanked our team...

I got Elegant Notes because my 12yo dd made me. She was mad (that's figuratively mad) I didn't order this set right off this past summer. I could have used it for all the Bible teachers under my husband's direction at the music camp we teach at. She's such a smarty pants and she was right. However, I have it now and am using it for these token gifts we are giving to the members of our worship team.

I used Baroque Backgrounds designer paper from Stampin' Up! along with always artichoke, river rock textured and shimmer white. I stamped the bass clef with Versamark and "painted" it with pearlex, then stamped the musical phrase stamp over top in 2nd generation river rock, ending with the sentiment in always artichoke. I used the wide chocolate chip satin ribbon (boy I really hope Stampin' Up! comes out with more of this de-lish ribbon!!!!) to finish it off.

This is the set for my hostesses that Artsy Fartsy built... The card background was done in bashful blue stamped with a flourish from fancy pants, enfrancais in going gray, and sanded once in bashful blue and once in tea dye from distress inks. Then it sat there for about 5 weeks because I chained up Artsy Fartsy so I could get lots of other very necessary things done in a short period of time. You should have heard her yelling to be let out!

I kept looking at all the backgrounds she did this way (LOTS of hostesses...) thinking - oh jeepers! that's a lot of cardstock that looks like it will have to be re-used on the flip side!!! I don't think anything will make it look okay. But the flourish is kinda nice. And if I squint it's not too bad - even better if I close my eyes *sigh*.

Then all the other pressing things I needed to do were done, and these card backs were still sitting there. And I really needed to get my hostesses's gifts done. SO I went through all my designer paper, because deisgner paper can make everything look lovely and I came across this pack of fruitcake paper. It is Christmassy and it has blue in it! And it's a little distressed looking like the blue background... SCORE!!!! So I pulled cardstock that went with because I had nothing that matched. I pulled out my beloved Snowflakes set and inked up some old olive snowflakes and rock 'n rolled that baby in ruby red. I put it together and it was hideous! The card just didn't make sense despite all the assurances from Artsy Fartsy that it was working. I sponged blue around the snowflake and that was the touch it needed to keep it loosly together. Throw in a little bit of stickles for some bling and a little flower rhinestone(what the heck?!) from the dollar store and Artsy Fartsy has a not too shabby Christmas card under her belt.

Now I have to fill out all those cards and deliver them all...