Stamping was lots of fun in August, with the Safelight Project and making some thank you cards for friends. When I have a number of cards to do at once, I sometimes will use elements from other cards I have received. I’ll cut up those cards for bookmarks and gift tags, and sometimes I keep a pretty element to use on another card. This time I had several cards to make at once, so it was stamping fun time.
I needed to send several thank you cards to friends in the longarm group that helped me complete all the Quilts of Valor I had. Each lady is unique, so I made unique cards for each of them. Starting with this one, I used an element from another card, the Thank You sentiment was very sweet, and the flower so pretty, it didn’t need much more. So, I mounted it on a printed paper with a ribbon accent. The envelope got a butterfly stamp.
This one has a printed vellum paper over beige card stock, with the sentiment stamped on the vellum in blue ink. I put a blue patterned paper over the vellum, and added the gold flowers to echo the flower in the vellum. A flower sticker also went on the envelope.
I have a huge flower stamp that will cover almost the whole card front on a 4×6 card. I stamped the image in purple ink on lavendar paper, with the sentiment on two frames. The lacy dark purple accent is washi tape, on both the card and envelope.
Inside these cards had this sentiment, and a personal note was added.
Then the winner of the Safelight project needed a card too, for her gift card. So, I used that same patterned paper (I love that one!) with ‘Celebrate’ stamped in dark pink on light yellow paper. The rose is a resin element glued to the top of two scallop frames. The top frame is stamped in green with the design made for that size scallop.
I showed you these cards before, they are the ones I made for the Safelight Project.
I bring this up again because I have another story to tell you. I had lunch at their Dandelion Cafe a couple of days after the delivery of the bags. While I was there, Laresa came in and saw me sitting with my friend enjoying their wonderful tomato pie. It is a deep dish pie, layers of tomatoes and cheese with melted cheese on top and a perfect, flaky crust.
She told me that just the night before, they had 7 women driven to the shelter from another county because that shelter was full. Imagine, having the courage to finally seek help, only to be shuttled off to a shelter many miles away in another county. Well, these women arrived exhausted and depressed, but they got a big lift from the spa bags they were given. It made them feel special at a truly awful time, made worse by the long trip, and it is all due to the wonderful readers who helped with this project.
Last night I got this email from Laresa, and want you all to see it. She wrote “Just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you again for the spa bags and lovely gifts inside for our shelter residents. They are enjoying everything in them and feeling pampered every time they use them! We have also taken in new clients almost every day this week and they are receiving bags, too. What a lovely gift when they are so traumatized and just settling in to a new place with new people. Thank you very much. ” She also left a comment with more information on the previous Safelight post on the final delivery. You can see that comment HERE, just scroll to the last comment. Thank you again, dear readers, from the Safelight shelter and the directors, and me.
I talked DH into having lunch there again yesterday. The Dandelion Cafe is open 9:30 – 2:30 Monday through Friday, and is a training program for shelter residents, and the food is really good. He got a turkey and apple panini with a side salad, a bargain at $8.95.
And I had a tomato pie slice with a salad. It is a huge amount of food for $8.25. Both meals filled us up so we really didn’t need much supper later. Yes, I will soon begin work on a tomato pie, this is just too good for harvest time, and I expect to have a lot of tomatoes ripening at the same time.
It seems like I have made more cards than this, but it is possible I sent them out without remembering to take pictures.
But if you need inspiration, just click on the stamping category on the sidebar to see more card designs.
Are you stamping or playing with paper? Do you like tomato pie?
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From My Carolina Home 
Like you, I enjoy asking cards and I do like tomato pie, especially now with tomatoes being so yummy.
LOVE tomato pie but haven’t made it myself yet. Found a small farm stand that makes this, & other things. . . they have a single version, because my husband isn’t too fond of it & a whole pie would be too much. So, I buy the mini & enjoy. Have been stamping cards like crazy! Two friends’ surgeries in the last week! I like to send a variety of cards during their weeks of recuperation, & used an idea from our Sr. Center. . . they make up bags of “sunshine” to hand out randomly to the folks who deliver Meals on Wheels, someone who is having a rough patch, the handicap van driver, etc. Told our small group of friends from gradeschool (The Fun Bunch) about my idea, maybe they’ll join in, but not sure about that. I don’t live nearby. Anyway, I found some peach tea I know she likes, some peanut M&Ms & mini hand sanitizer – all in yellow packaging with a card saying “Sending a little sunshine your way!” If she doesn’t like M&Ms, she can share with her granddaughter, who lives with her! Satisfying project, tho quite a bit smaller scale than Safelight! Enjoyed your post!
Your cards are all beautiful. I especially love how you used that pretty delicate washi tape and the printed vellum! I wonder if they still sell printed vellum because I think it is making a comeback!
I have not had that kind of tomato pie (what we call tomato pie is kindof like cold pizza with parmesan on top) but it looks absolutely delicious. And what a good price!
So glad to hear that the cards and gift bags are still making an impact. How wonderful!
I’ve not had tomato pie, but I love cheese pizza with marinara sauce, so I’m ready for your recipe! So nice to know the spa bags are still bringing a little joy to those who need hugs! I enjoy your cardmaking ideas although it isn’t a hobby I am involved in. Very creative!
Your cards are soooo sweet, I love the crazy quilt sentiment, but that tomato pie photo caught my eye! That looks delicious!
I, too, enjoy your card making ideas and that tomato pie is to DIE for!! It must be so gratifying to know that your spa bags are bringing a little sunshine into the lives of these women who have been through so much sadness and hardship. Bless you, Carole.
What great cards and food. Thanks for posting
What a wonderful project!
Thank you for sharing such a touching story re the spa bags! Have never had tomato pie; looking forward to seeing your recipe.
I have never had tomato pie. It looks yummy though. Your cards are lovely. What a wonderful story about the spa bags. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! I have some of those same stamps. Thanks for sharing your designs.
More pretty cards, and another tasty recipe. Thank you for sharing it all with us 🙂
I LOVE tomato pie…have one great recipe but can always use more. Your cards are wonderful…my quilting friend (the one who gave me all of her fabric?) is also a stamper…thank goodness I have NO talent in that area (I have tried) so I don’t have to have any stamps in my house :~)
I got teared up reading about the shelter travels….for as you said, those who need help finally ask and then it’s full. Knowing your spa bags made a different is just a wonderful feeling! Congrats on such a worthy accomplishment. Okay…tomato pie…YUM!!!! I so am awaiting Fall.
I’m looking forward to seeing your version of tomato pie. I made my first one recently from a recipe in the paper. My mother & I enjoyed it very much but my husband did not. He is not a huge fan of basil and I had put in less than the called-for amount but it was apparently too much for him anyway. My recipe also wasn’t as cheesy as the one in your picture. Looks yummy to me!
Carole, you make such pretty cards. Love the quilt stamp. I never had tomato pie, looks good.
I really want to try a tomato pie – the pictures of it look so good! My mother didn’t like to cook and when we had an abundance of tomatoes from the garden she would just chop them up, put them on cooked rice with cheese on top and put it under the broiler – unconventional but it was dinner a la Mom. Glad to hear the Safelight bags are appreciated but I have to say it’s sad to think there are so many who are searching for shelter as that is a decision one makes only when desperate…