Joy in a Cup

I am so hopelessly behind on creating my Christmas cards this year that I think I am only going to send them to half the people on my list.  I hope that I can make welcome to 2019 cards for the rest of the list.  I was working like a mad woman on cards a couple of days ago when my heat embossing tool died on me.  No warning.  Just working one moment and dead the next.  It was tragic as I was in the middle of a card.  Sentiments were stamped and ready to be heated.  But no the heat tool gave it's last bit of heat to the previous card and died.  This meant I had to battle the traffic and lines at Michael's to get a new one because there is NO WAY the Christmas cards would be complete without embossing. A new heat tool sits on my craft table waiting to do it's magic.  But first one of the final cards created with my original heat tool.

Today's creation is a shameless rip-off of a card made by Robyn at What's Brewin' From Robyn's Nest.  If you haven't checked out her blog, I highly recommend that you do.  Her cards are amazing.  I needed inspiration for a coffee themed card for the Coffee Loving Paper Crafters blog hop, as soon as I saw Robyn's version of the card on Facebook I knew I had to make one for my coffee loving friends.  The stamp used is from Unity Stamps called Comfort to Go.  

Have a lovely weekend,

Traci

Happiness in a Cup Plus GIU Week Winners

Coffee Loving Papercrafters is having a Fall and Winter themed blog hop right now.  If you haven't ever heard of them and you love coffee stamps, I high recommend checking out their Facebook page and blog.   Today's card is a coffee themed card that I am entering into the blog hop.  The coffee stamp is Java Friend by Unity stamps, the background is Heartfelt Creations and coffee rings are altenew.  I believe all of these companies are sponsors of the hop.

Coolmomcreations 2018

On to the winners from my Growing in Unity Week.  The winners of the Unity Stamp assortment for commenting are: Scrapin GA Peach and Kathy H.  I need both of you to contact me ASAP with your address to claim your prize.

The winner of my stamp set for new followers is Sylvia Haynes.  Please contact me with your address to claim your stamp set.  

Have a great week.
Traci

Christmas Tea

Every year with the exception of a few we have dinner of Christmas Eve with our friends.  The awesome thing about this dinner is the fact that it is always the same. Our kids have grown up together, my oldest and her only have gotten married (not to each other) and are now starting their own traditions but our dinner is still the same.  My husband goes to the Christmas Eve service at church to play in the orchestra but the rest of us over the years have decided to not attend the service. We each have our own reasons for not going and I love the judgement free zone that her home is for me.  We all need a place where people don't judge our choices.   

While my husband (and now son) play in the orchestra for the people who do attend the service.  My friend and I get dinner prepared.  By prepared I mean call our favorite Chinese restaurant and place our order.  Which we try to time perfectly to be ready when my husband gets there to pick it up on his way to the house from church.  Oh,  we might bake some cookies or we may have just bought some from the store.  

Anyway, my friend cannot drink coffee for health reasons.  I always keep her favorite tea on hand at my house and she always reminds me to bring coffee when we come visit.  This year, I am bringing coffee and tea.  I decided to make her a little hostess gift with packs of her favorite tea.  

©CoolMomCreations 2017

©CoolMomCreations 2017

I figured why reinvent the wheel so I searched Pinterest for an idea and found this easy tutorial by Loven Stamps.  This can also be used for chocolates if you prefer.  All together this took about 30 minutes to create.

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This my final entry into the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  For those of you who prayed for my friend's husband yesterday, I  appreciate your prayers.  He is still in the hospital but out of the ICU.

Traci

Enjoy Your Coffee

Last night I was reminded how precious my life is.  My dear friend posted a status on Facebook asking for prayers for her chronically ill husband.  I quickly sent her a text asking her what was up, I will not go into details but she was at the ER with her three kids waiting to find out if her husband has survived the trip in the ambulance to the hospital.  Thankfully, he did.  But he will be spending a few days in the hospital to try to stabilize him.  

The difficult thing is they cannot figure out why he is having these episodes.  The issues aren't linked to his diagnosed illness and they cannot find a cause even though this is his third trip to the hospital with the same life threatening issue.  I covet your prayers for them today. 

©CoolMomCreations 2017

In light of these events, I have been thinking of how blessed I am.  It's not that we haven't had our share of troubles but we have come through those closer to God and each other.  So, I created a card today using Heartfelt Creations Coffee Talk set.  The steam rising out of the cup says "Enjoy" and is a reminder to enjoy what I have and the days I am given.

 

Thank you for dropping by, please consider following my blog.  This card is an entry into the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  

Traci

Coffee = Love

Today is  Hot Chocolate day, at one point in my life this would have made me a very happy person.  But I when I was expecting my youngest child Gestational Diabetes cured me of my love of overly sweet drinks.  I do occasionally crave a cup of hot chocolate but most of the time my hot beverage of choice is coffee with cream but little to no sugar.

©CoolMomCreations 2017

Today's card honors my love for coffee rather than celebrating hot chocolate.  Peace, Joy and Love are all things that a nice hot cup of java bring me each morning.  

©CoolMomCreations

All the other hot beverages can step aside because all  I need is coffee. 

This card is being entered into the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  

 The card stock is Tempting Turquoise and the ink is Baked Brown Sugar by Stampin' Up.

Stamps used are Stampin' Up Peace This Christmas, STAMPlorations All You Need is Coffee, Lawn Fawn Pumpkin Spice and St. Louis Stamp Design Coffee Bean Bag.

Let's Craft Together

Today is my 25th Anniversary.  I have to say I have the most amazing husband in the world.  I know, most people feel that way but I really do.  I will take a minute to brag about him.  When I came home from visiting my awesome sister in-law, Robyn,  about 8 years ago and told him I was going to start crafting.  He was a bit apprehensive about the space I would need, the cost etc.  But he encouraged me to give it a try.   So, off to Michael's I went to add some supplies to the cool stuff that Robyn sent home.  

©CoolMomCreations 2017

He didn't blink an eye as the supplies multiplied and his space in our shared office got smaller and smaller.  We have a double sided desk that he regularly has to remove my craft supplies from to fit is little computer.  But the real reason I have the most amazing husband is because when I started seeing all these images colored with Copic markers, I knew that was out of my wheelhouseSo, my husband being an artist at heart went to the art supply store and bought a few Copics and began coloring images for me.  I recently got the cute hot chocolate mug image which is colored by my awesome guy.

©CoolMomCreations 2017

If you begin reading my blog on a regular basis (please do!) you will notice that although I have gotten over my fear of using Copics most images I post are colored by my awesome husband of 25 years.  I pray that God gives us 25 more years of crafting together and that they are as blessed as those that we celebrate today. 

©CoolMomCreations 2017

Bonus card for today: this is the card I made from my hubby with his Copics.

Thanks for dropping by.
Traci

Hot Chocolate card entered into the 2017 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.

Cup of Christmas Cheer

©CoolMomCreations2017

I love a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter morning, actually I love a hot cup of coffee anytime.  But there is just something about a fire in the fireplace and a hot coffee cup in your hand to start the morning off right.  Rarely, do we get to have a fire in our fireplace in sunny FL but when the temps drop into the 50s my dear husband knows there has to be a fire.  Thankfully, just in time for Christmas we are having temps in the 30s. For the last two days we've had a lovely fire roaring in the family room while I finished up my Christmas cards.

This card is made with all Stampin' Up items and it is a Pinterest CAS card. When I started stamping Stampin' Up was my go to place to shop because it makes things easy, everything coordinates.   But I have to say I am not happy with these stamp sets, Merry Cafe and Coffee Cafe.  They are large sets with great sentiments but the cup stamps are not solid, it is just the outline of the cup.  While this might be nice if you are using a stamp positioner like the We R Memory Keepers Precision Press because you can add the sentiments at the same time.  But if you aren't it was a pain to get the cup lines straight on the clear block.  

If you are not visiting from the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop, please check it out. 

Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Thanks for stopping by,

Traci

Joy. Love. Peace. In a Cup.

©CoolMomCreations2017

It's amazing what power there is in a  warm cup of coffee.  On a cold morning it can warm your hands and your body.  Sometimes, when you are sad, it can bring you a sense of peace as the warm liquid flows through you.  Other times like when it's shared with a friend coffee can bring an overwhelming sense of joy to you.  Such power in a cup of coffee.  

I love this Comfort to Go Unity Stamp because all forms of coffee are truly comfort in a cup for me. 

 

 This card is being entered into the Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  

Thank you for dropping by, please consider following me.

Traci