a little bit of love today

today i have a sick toddler.  i am pretty lucky in the fact that he doesn't get sick very often.  but when he does, it breaks my heart, as i'm sure any of you know if you have children.  he has a cold with a mild fever so it's nothing serious but the way his little voice talks to me in that congested squeak makes me want to scoop him up and hold him all night long.  

last night i had to go to class and i didn't want to leave when he gave me a hug and said "Goodbye, Mommy" in his soft, stuffy rasp.  we're also lucky that he remains in pretty good spirits when he's sick and as i left the room to leave for class, he went right back to his cars and singing "Wheels on the Bus."  that really tugged at my heart strings and i hate to be sappy, but i just love that little guy so much.  

so today, i thought i would share some love with all of you.  although the cards i have today celebrate a different kind of love than that of a parent and child, everyone needs a little bit of love, right?

first up is a wedding card with a shabby chic style.  i haven't done a shabby card in quite awhile so i thought a wedding would be a great excuse to make one.  i've had the 7Gypsies Conservatory 6x6 paper pad sitting on my desk for months waiting to be used.  it's got so many beautiful, nature-inspired collage designs and i fell in love with the collection the first time i saw it but have yet to use any of the papers.  i finally chose one as my background paper and you can glimpse the written text and bird cage there on the right side of the card.  

the bird is an old Maya Road chipboard piece that i covered in French book print long ago for a different project but never used.  yet it's been sitting on my desk waiting to be put to use.  it seems that this card actually has quite a few elements i've had for awhile, waiting to be needed.  the eensy-weensy "together" piece, for example, came in a Making Memories Valentine kit that i got at least 2 years ago--it's also been sitting on my desk.  

i stamped "Best Wishes" on a scrap of paper and adhered it with a ripple in the middle to add a 3-dimensional effect.  the stamp is by Cavallini and again, it was probably laying around wondering if it would ever be taken out of the box and introduced to an ink pad.  

lastly is a sweet pink bow of bamboo yarn.  bamboo yarn is soooo soft and cozy and if i knew how to knit, i would make myself a bamboo yarn blanket and live in it during the winter.

my next card is completely different.  i made it as an anniversary card for my husband.  it's very simple and clean which makes it a great masculine card.  

because it was for my husband, i stuck to a red, white, and blue color palette, choosing a few different washi tapes from my stash.  i love working with washi because it is the easiest thing to use yet it adds so much color and design.  

i took a plain scrap of white card stock, typed "i love you" on it with my vintage typewriter, and sewed it onto a Whisker Graphics Itty Bitty Bag.  the notebook paper design of the bag matched perfectly with my color scheme and works as a pocket to hold a tag.

for the tag, i typed out a little poem (i'm fairly sure i made it up) and used some torn pieces of washi.  i tied a bit of Whisker Graphics airmail twine to the top, and just for an extra element, stapled it down. simple and clean, but certainly heartfelt. 

that's it for me today, but i just wanted to remind everyone that you can still get 15% off of your purchase at my Etsy shop.  you only have a few more days if you want to take advantage of the sale.  just use the coupon code NEWBABY2 at checkout.  i will be adding these two cards in the next day or two.

i hope you're in love with someone today...have a great Wednesday!