A Milestone and the Joy of Reading

Did you hear it? A big sigh of relief coming from our household, as my dear hubby turned in his final assignments for the semester - his last semester of coursework for his PhD. Ahhhh! Three years of craziness have finally wound down. Granted, the next few years will hold their own kind of obligations and deadlines: book lists, dissertation, conferences, comprehensive exams, but the roller coaster ride of mid-terms and finals has come to a stop. Whew!

And now, on to the crafting!

I have been so excited this year to begin sharing some of my favorite chapter books from childhood with my daughter, Shannon, who is becoming an independent reader. The Narnia books, Paddington books, and Little House books are just a few of our favorites so far. I really enjoy seeing her discover these treasured stories for the first time.

One of her classmates, who also loves to read, is having a birthday this weekend. I contacted her mum for some book suggestions for gift ideas, and I made her this card with a bookmark pocket on the front, personalized with her initials:




Details:
Stamps - Crafty Secrets - Story of Me
Ink - Ranger Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Patterned paper - DCWV - Berry Street Farmers' Market
Cardstock - K&Company (red); Gina K. Designs (natural)
Accessories - markers - Copic Sketch; chipboard letters - Prima; embroidery floss - DMC; ribbon - Michaels; clear plastic - leftover packaging; eyelet - Making Memories

Thank you for taking time to stop by today!

A Bookmark for Karin

This week, I am hosting the Crafty Secrets' forum challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers. I challenged everyone to use pockets on their projects, and the gallery is full of wonderful creations.

I made this bookmark pocket card for my best friend, Karin, who's a nurse. She told me yesterday that it had arrived, so now I can share it with you. I used CS's Feeling Yucky set and colored the images with Copic markers.

I was so thrilled to see that my card was featured on Sandy Redburn's blog this week, along with a bunch of other really fabulous creations. That really made my day! Not only is Sandy the owner of my favorite stamp company, she is also an amazing, generous person.

Hope everyone is looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend!