Hello stampers and happy Tuesday to you. Today I have two cards for you, the first one is a teepee card using Painted Poppies and the second one is fun flap fold from yesterday but with Painted Poppies. It is ten o’clock in the morning here in Holland and thus far there is no happy mail, so I am going to write a blog post using my own cards. Revolutionary!

Teepee Card with Peaceful Poppies

Last night I actually worked. I hadn’t really done much all day and Gerard had had a very busy day and he just wanted to chill in front of the TV. This squirrel couldn’t handle that. I still had a blank teepee card left over from last week’s Facebook live video, so it was a quick and easy card for me. Then I found a lovely surprise in my stash, something I had thought I had brought along but couldn’t find! Do you what it is? It is the Peaceful Poppies elements. They are so much fun and include two sheets of printed thick watercolour paper that is embossed and perfect for the emboss resist technique, two sheets printed thick cardstock with various poppies, two sheets of printed vellum and two sheets of black elements. I will do a video so you can see them all in action.

If you would like to see a video on how to make this card, you can find it here. There is an interesting story in this video on Dutch toilets as well! The black circle and the double poppy image are both from the Peaceful Poppies elements. You can see them here or in the product list at the end of my blog.

I entered this card into the Joy of Sets Tic Tac Toe challenge, #JOSTTT013 and you can read all about it here or join in yourself! I used red, pink, floral.

Fun Flap Fold Card with Peaceful Poppies

Here is my fun flap fold card that was inspired by Faye Molladay’s happy mail card yesterday. I made this card last night as well and I was really happy with how it turned out. My job was easy since I could just  copy Faye’s measurement. I did accidentally put my flap on the other side of the card, but I don’t think there is a right or wrong way for this.

You could definitely add more interest and texture by embossing the mossy meadow diamond piece in behind the black square but I only have two embossing folders here with me and neither of them were suitable. Here is another angle of the card sitting up a bit.

This card will also be in my soon to be released Peaceful Poppies pdf and it will also be one of the cards we make at my Suite Sweet Saturday class on February 29. If you order any of the bundles you will get this pdf for free.

I purposely left the middle section blank rather than stamp a sentiment in it. Birthdays are super personal and you would hate to have the wrong thing stamped in and not be able to use this great card for just the right person. Never underestimate the power of your handwritten words!

A Personal Story about the Past

Being in the land of my roots is very powerful. So many times I see a name or a place that conjures up childhood memories of my mom or my pap telling stories about their life in Holland. Gerard lives in the town right beside the town where my mom grew up. In between those two towns in a beautiful nature preserve called the Staelduinse Bos. She walked there and rode her bike there, and I am sure she had some romantic moments there as well. I can see why! This forest is an area that used to be all dunes and tidal ponds. Fisherman would set up stakes (stael) and string up their nets to catch fish, and that is where the name came from. I always thought it was named after one of the local families whose name is Van Staelduinen. Good guess, right?

On Sunday afternoon we went for a leisurely walk there. It was a gorgeous sunny day with little wind and 8C. My heart was so happy to be walking amidst the huge trees, the rolling landscape and the singing birds. It was only January 19 but it felt like spring. At one edge of the park there was a beautiful, whimsical garden beside an old cow shed. Inside the cow shed was a visitor centre showing all the flora and fauna of the area and the creatures.

I could add lots more pictures but I think this gives you an idea of the tranquil beauty of this place. When you know how densely populated this little country is, you will understand what a lovely surprise this was for me. I felt so connected with my mom and I had a wistful thought of how lovely it would be to walk and talk with her here along the path.

Thanks

Thanks again for joining me today! I’m so glad you stopped by. In one week I will be flying home and getting into serious saleabration mode. I must say, I am really hoping that some of you faithful readers in Canada will want to join my team. In the next few years I have a dream of doing a cross Canada trip and visiting all my team members along the way. Maybe you would like to be one of them! We do have a great tribe of stampers and most of them are doing this just for their own discount and to be a part of a fun group.

If you have any questions, please contact me. I don’t always like clogging my blog with “sales”. In the meantime, if you do need any products, now is the best time to get them. WIth every $60 purchase you get a free saleabration item. If you live in Canada, just click on the products below and you will be in my online store. Happy shopping!

Product List