Good morning! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend enjoying, remembering, and giving thanks for the fathers in our lives! My grandpa was able to join our family along with several of my aunts and uncles for brunch yesterday. I made my mother-in-law’s recipe for Slivered Almond Club Crackers which are becoming widely requested at our family gatherings (see recipe below)! My dad is a pastor at a church here in town and he’s always excited when he has handmade cards to send to his members. So I grabbed my Summer Afternoon and Care & Comfort sets to make several ‘Thinking of You’ cards for my dad. I wanted the cards to be completely flat (for easy mailing) so I had to get creative with the embellishing. I inked the large swirly frame in Rose Coral Colorbox Chalk ink and then before stamping I inked only the edges of the stamp in Tangerine Chalk Ink and the butterflies/dragonfly in Deep Lagoon Chalk Ink. I love the variation that gives the image without any layering! For the poppies card, I stamped the image in Rose Coral ink and then used Carrot Smooch to highlight specific flowers in the bunch. Of course, the set of cards wouldn’t be complete without a storage box. They’ll look much prettier sitting on his office shelf this way! *grin* I decorated the Perfect Package Card Box pretty simply with a little patterned paper, a felt branch from my stash, and some Patchwork Thickers. If you ask my dad what his favorite part of this gift is, you know what he’d say? The free refills! I told him that I’d refill the box with whatever occasion he needs anytime. I’d better get started now! Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Stamps: Summer Afternoon, Care & Comfort (Taylored Expressions)
Cardstock: Blush Red Medium, Intense Teal, Choice Buttercream
Patterned Paper: So Sophie Clever (My Mind’s Eye)
Ink: Rose Coral, Deep Lagoon, Tangerine (Colorbox Chalk Ink), Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Perfect Package Card Box, Patchwork Thickers, felt branch (Prima), Carrot Smooch, Illuminate Glitter Top Coat, Word Window Punch

Slivered Almond Club Crackers

Place approximately 42 Club crackers in a single layer on a foil-lined 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.

In a saucepan over medium heat melt 1/2 cup margarine. Add 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour evenly over crackers. Sprinkle with 1 cup slivered almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove from the pan, cutting between crackers if necessary, and cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.