Spellbinders Add to Cart Mother's Day Card

To all mothers in every circumstance, I say, be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. 
 You are doing better than you think you are.   Jeffrey R. Holland

Hey there from Nannyland,

We celebrate Mother's Day at our house from afar, since both my husband's and my mom have passed, and my two lovely daughters live far away...one in Pacific Grove, California and one in Copenhagen, Denmark.  My husband always spoils me and I love having a "group call" from my girls, along with some delightful surprises in the mail.  To make it even more enjoyable, my BFF invites my husband and I to their home every year to celebrate with their children and grandchildren.  What a treat it is to commemorate motherhood with three other moms, two of them who still have young children.  I always like to take a small gift for them, but it can get difficult choosing something unique and useful.

Gift cards are always an option, but there's the eternal conundrum of keeping them from being generic and impersonal.  The first thought I had this year was this darling 3D shopping cart from Spellbinders.  I've been dying to make a card with it and, in this case, I loved cutting and embellishing all the cute little dies three times.  At first, I thought I would make each card different and fill it with goodies that would match my recipients' personalities. How would I accomplish that, you ask?  Well, I've been collecting all of the themed shopping cart die sets from Spellbinders since the beginning, because why not?  But all the gluing and assembling turned out to be a bit daunting for three cards, so I settled on an assembly line approach for my sanity.  I'll have a good time changing the cart up for other occasions. My mind is brimming with ideas already! 

I added a Target gift card and a sentiment to the inside, et voila!...a fun little treat for some seasoned shoppers who will get a kick out of this adorable cart full of cute stuff.  Now I just have to figure out how to deliver it to them, since it obviously will get smooshed in a regular envelope.  As a last resort I could just hand it to them "as is" and watch them smile. Yes, I think I'll do that. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #198

Try Stampin' on Tuesday Challenge #606

Dream Valley Challenge #293

Creative Fingers Challenge #254

Addicted to Stamps #445

The Crafty Addicts Challenge 1

A Place to Start May Challenge

613 Avenue Create May Challenge

Classic Design Challenge #5

Morgan's ArtWorld #5

Lori Whitlock Wreath Pocket Pop-Up Box Card - Gift Card Holder and More

No one has ever become poor from giving. 

Lori Whitlock svg, Copic markers, ribbon bow, assorted gems, dotted blue cardstock,
Cricut cutting and writing, red and white card stock, glitter Nuvo Drops

Hey there from Nannyland,

When I first downloaded this beautiful Lori Whitlock pocket box card, I was confused at a seemingly unnecessary box protrusion. I was delighted when I realized it contained a perfectly-sized  pouch to hold a gift card, cash or a note.  Immediately,  I went to work creating cards for appreciation gifts to my hairdresser and cleaners.  I also made them for friends and family whose gifts have to go through the unreliable mail.   I love the way they turned out!  It makes a  generic gift card a little more personal and festive. 

As usual, I cut most of the pieces in white card stock on my Cricut Maker.  It's much easier to color and shade the small pieces with copics.  It was also much simpler to print the sentiment directly on my front panel with the writing feature in Design Space than to cut out the detailed sentiment in black card stock.   I had the best time adding beads, bows and gems to embellish.  

It's a lot more rewarding to present gift cards or money to my loved ones in a way that shows I care enough to make something special for them.    As it turns out, this pocket pop-up box card has become a favorite and I can see many fun uses for it in the future.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit.  

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Make My Monday Challenge #163

SheepSki Challenge #57

Crafty Catz Challenge #576

Cut It Up Challenge #240

Just Add Ink Challenge #584

Moving Along With The Times Challenge #137

Through the Craft Room Door December 7

UnstampaBelles Challenge #118

Blingy Gift Card Purse for Christmas - Lori Whitlock SVG

👉The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.     Dieter F.  Uchtdorf

Gone are the days when I worried that my friends and family would be disappointed if I presented them with a gift card instead of a meticulously wrapped package with a well-thought-out and tirelessly-shopped-for gift inside. I'm elated that gift cards are the acceptable, and in many cases preferred, option for gift giving.   

                                         

My family is more into cards than presents these days and I understand completely.  I can see why they don't want their mom picking out their clothes and electronics...and since we're being honest here, I don't want them at the mall trying to guess my size either! However, my heart was touched when I saw a man in Joann's yesterday buying a sewing machine and a cart filled to the brim with  fabric and notions.  I don't know his story, but I'm going to believe that someone very dear to him is going to wake up Christmas morning and be overcome with joy.  So yes, I guess a real heart-felt gift wins in the end....but I digress. Back to the joys of gift card giving.

If I choose to give a gift card, I can still create a classy presentation. These adorable little purse gift card holders are a fun place to tuck my gift card.  I downloaded this darling purse SVG from Lori Whitlock's shop and cut out several on my Cricut using glitter prints and solids for my layers.  I used Tombow mono glue to attach my blingy accents.

                                     

The pouch for the gift card is included in the download so all I had to do to finish my cute bag was add a self adhesive velco dot for the closure.

I love that these can be tucked into an envelope with one of my handmade cards (or a small gift bag) to make a very personal gift for a friend. I usually give a gift card for a movie or lunch at their favorite restaurant and sometimes I even get to tag along.  Win, win!!!

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you and yours!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous

Nancy

Playing along with:
        International Art and Soul
        Sparkles Challenges
        Mix It Up Challenge
        Brown Sugar Challenge
        Emerald City Crafts Challenge