Warning: Long post - lots of pics!My mom used to be a florist - well, I guess once you learn a craft/profession, it's never really a past thing. So I guess I should say that my mom used to be employed as a florist. Now, she is a grandma. :o) For Mother's Day, my mom made me this beautiful flower arrangement, a super yummy fruit salad with
mangos, pineapple, kiwi, papaya and blueberries and gave me money to buy some plants for my garden. Oh, and the
EK Success slim line punches that I used on a few of her cards. Aren't my flowers pretty?? I love them - such a burst of sunshine.
My mother is definitely the woman that influenced my love of flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, frogs and snakes. I remember when I was like 8 or 9 there weren't a lot of girls in the neighborhood, so I always had to hang out with my older brother and his friends. We were always bringing home snakes that we had caught down at the pond or in a ditch somewhere. She would let us keep them and build them little houses - that is, until one got out in the house. We never did find him... But I'm a little off of the subject. Here is the gift that I made for a fantastic woman that has been such an inspiration in my life.

I really wanted to make my mom a set of monogrammed cards/envelopes and use the My Timeless Template All Boxed Up to package it up for her. Then I started second guessing myself that she wouldn't want all those plain monogrammed cards. Of course, I made this decision mere days before I actually needed to give her the gift! I am the Queen of Procrastination! So all day Saturday before M day and the actual morning of, were spent making a few cards to put in the gift. The center box is also a My Timeless Template called Get a Handle On It. I forgot to take more pics of it, so the
deets on this little box are: Rose Red
cardstock stamped in Memento tuxedo black with the small blossom from Verve's Grateful Elegance. The
viney floral image is from Verve's Because of You. Each blossom has a dot of Fruit Punch Stickles in the center for a little pop! The large blossom is stamped again, colored with
Copics and popped up on a dimensional. The mother image is from
PTI's Mother set. It is filled with yummy,
nummy Lindt chocolates in caramel,
hazelnut &
cappuccino. The
cappuccino ones are kind of like crack -
don't try one, you'll become addicted!!
Here's the All Boxed Up package. The DP is from
PTI - Black and White Basics. I just took a couple
Copics and colored it to suit my needs. Top portion is run through the
Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder. Ribbon and buttons are
PTI as is the monogram. It is from the Simply Stationery set and is cut out with the Labels 3
Nestabilities.

Inside I tucked the following cards:

This one is
SU! From the Garden and
Inkdinkado Garden Delight. I colored it with my pencils and OMS and then made a 'sky' background with a couple of colors of
pearlescent chalks. {I have a real issue with stark white backgrounds and one layer cards!!} The center of the flower is super sparkly with some more Fruit Punch Stickles.

I truly just copied this one from Dawn
McVey - purest form of flattery!! BTW, this was her favorite card! It uses Dawn's set, from
PTI, Damask Designs. I didn't have black rhinestones, so I colored some light green ones with a black
Copic. I love this card so much, I made one for my own stash.

I was channeling
Heather Nichols for this Birthday card. It uses my all time favorite stamp set ever (at least for now) Guide Lines 2. Inks used are
PTI fresh snow and ripe avocado &
SU! Chocolate Chip. I inked up all the edges with the fresh snow ink as well. It helped me to be okay with how flat the card is. :o) Hey, I may have issues, but I'm willing to admit it!

This uses the beautiful Penny Black stamp, Modesty. I colored it with
SU! Pale Plum (ink spot & blender pen) and Perfect Plum (marker). The stems and leaves are outlined and colored with the
SU! metallic pencils. The sentiment is from
PTI's Life set.


This card uses chocolate chip, bravo
burgandy and more mustard. I was trying to do the Kristina Werner color challenge, but once finished, realized the color was supposed to be rose. Oh well! I really liked how simple this was to make, but how much punch it has still. Plus, it could be easily used as a masculine card. A little distressing to the bravo
burgandy layer, some sponging of some Ranger Tea Dye ink around the main image and some brads finish this card off.
The last card I showed on my last post. Her actual M Day card is in the post below. If you've made it this far, I am so very proud of you! Don't forget to scroll down a bit to my blog candy post - I made it easy, all you have to do is leave a comment!
Also, check my sidebar for a couple of other amazing blog candy giveaways!
Thanks for all the comments on everything ladies, it truly means a lot to me! Hope you are having a fantastic day! Toodle-loo! :o) lyss