cards for my mother

i know we're fast approaching Father's Day, but i'm in the mood to talk about my mom tonight.  without even knowing it, she cheered me up today.  i'm sure she has no idea she did so, but she put a smile on my face when i needed one. 

i had been feeling a bit discouraged earlier today and then i saw something my mom had written to me and it instantly made me feel better.  it was almost like she knew i needed some encouragement.

the cards i'm posting today are cards i made for her recently.  the first one was her Mother's Day card--which i was happily able to deliver in person since my parents were visiting us at the time.  i made it using mostly products from Crate's DIY Shop.  (you might remember that i love that collection!)  all of the beautiful colors, florals, and lacy prints here are so feminine, which is exactly what i was trying to achieve with this card.  

the second card was for her birthday back in March--i tried to deliver a baby on her birthday but unfortunately, we missed March 4th by a mere 27 minutes!  so she had to settle for this card instead...

it's very simple--almost the opposite of the Mother's Day card.  the banner, which i adore, is from CP's Valentine line, Fourteen.   washi tape, lace, and a few punched butterflies, plus the stamped sentiment complete this look.  it was so quick but there's something about it i love.  sometimes the most beautiful cards just come together in a matter of moments.  it doesn't happen often for me, but when it does, it makes me so happy.

i thought i'd try playing around with adding some text to my photos.  i'm seeing it a lot these days, namely in photos by some of the talented new Design Team gals at Crate.  (i say new--i mean new this term, though we're already 6 months in!)  Evelyn, Marie, and Magda use it regularly and i love it.  i'm always attracted to a fantastic-looking font so that's probably got something to do with it.  (their photography and design work are amazing, also--it's a truly talented Team!)

i was just kind of having a little fun here.  i don't know that i'll use this technique often as it's time-consuming (i'm really nit-picky about that sort of thing, looking for the perfect font, placement, color, kerning, etc).  but these were fun.  and i'm also really trying to take my photos to the next level by making them look better--i am NOT there yet!  i have a long way to go, but i'm trying...

thanks, Mom, for cheering me up today!  {i love you}