Shopping Our Stash Challenge #75 "Flowers"

Shopping Our Stash Challenge #75 

Flower Power- Use your handmade or 3-d flowers!  (your project can include stamped images but it also needs to have at least one flower that is either handmade or a 3-d flower you bought.  Think Wild Orchid Crafts, puffy stickers, Prima's, etc.)

Please join us this week at SOS with your card or project that includes a 3-d/handmade flower of some type! Can't wait to see what all you creative people come up with! For inspiration check out my fellow DT  members' blogs...listed in my sidebar!

My card features a flower called a "Gardenia" that I purchased at www.stampingscrapping.com about a year and a half ago...when they stopped selling them! Now they only carry the white ones (which you can color yourself!). The leaves and stem are Stampin' Up stamps; the HB stamp is from Bildmalarna.

The edge border punch is a Martha Stewart called "Doily".

I am also entering this card in the special anniversary blog hop challenge #4 at Perfect Sentiments.
 The "challenge with a twist" was to make a card with a sentiment that has a bird or a bloom on it, or a combination of both! Obviously I did just the one flower!
http://perfectsentimentschallenge.blogspot.com/2012/10/psc53d-birds-blooms.html

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #163 "Time"

Wow! Time marches on...so quickly! Here it is the end of October already. Yikes! Are we ready for winter? With all the wind and rain we've had lately almost all the leaves are down in our woods already. We can see sunsets again!
This week I am honored to be the hostess of the challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ.
Here is my card:

A b-day card for my brother. Inside it says,

"Yes, little bro, it's time for another birthday! Hope it's happy!"

Challenge theme:
TIME - Use clocks/watches, calendars, sundials, etc. OR use black and white only (to represent night and day).

Sponsor:
Inspired Stamps - http://www.inspiredstamps.com/servlet/StoreFront   They are generously offering a$15 gift card to one randomly chosen winner from all participants!

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

² A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
³ A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
⁴ A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

⁵ A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace,
                                                                     And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
⁷ A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
⁸ A time to love,  And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

On our main challenge blog (SSiC) I have a devotional about the scripture verses above. I actually chose this passage quite some time ago, before I knew I would be stepping down from this design team. But this is so very "timely"...yes, I have decided this will be my last week as a DT member of Stampin' Sisters in Christ. Life has gotten very busy and even though I have tremendously enjoyed my time on this great team, it is definitely time to focus on other things...like my family, my grandkids, my neglected Bible study group, my house cleaning (!), etc. etc. You get the idea! It has been wonderful getting to know these strong Christian women on this design team...I sure hope we work at keeping in touch! I thank them for the amazing influence they have been in my life the past six months. Through their prayers, devotionals, emails, and their creativity they have encouraged and inspired me. Love you girls! Thank you so much for sharing yourselves with me! Blessings to you all!

Please consider joining in this fun challenge this week. Make a card or project using the "Time" theme and link it up to the SSiC blog for a chance to win a lovely prize!

Shopping Our Stash Challenge # 74

Good morning! And Happy Tuesday! Are you ready for a new challenge at SOS!?
This week its a really fun one! Here's what we want you to do:
Challenge 74 - "Out of the Jar": use anything that came in a jar- flower soft, glitter, perfect pearls, embossing powder, etc.,  OR a jar image - OR make something using a jar! (decorate a jar) I chose that last one...use a real jar for something. I needed another button jar so I decorated one for white buttons. My craft room has kind of a black and white and pink theme so that's what I went with! What do you think?

Here's the "before" picture!

I will list my ingredients later today when I have a few minutes!

Thanks for stopping by today! Check out the SOS blog and my fellow DT members' sites for some inspiration...join our fun challenge this week!

Merry Christmas Moose

The Perfect Sentiments Challenge blog recently had a blog hop and asked people to enter 4 challenges for a chance to win a grand prize. So I decided to participate! The samples by the DT were very inspiring and the 4 challenges are a nice variety! So here is my 3rd entry:

This challenge (PSC53C) required a Christmas theme card with a "critter" of some type on it, as well as a sentiment (always required!). Another Christmas card done and its still October! Yippeee!

http://perfectsentimentschallenge.blogspot.com/2012/10/psc53c-christmas-critters.html

Ingredients:

Cardstock/DP - SEI "Alpine Frost", Paper Studio (green)

Stamps - ??? (borrowed from a friend!)

Die-cut - Spellbinders "Frou Frou Tags"*

Rhinestones - kimemories "Wild Life"*

Glitter Glue - Stickles* "Star Dust", Hampton Arts "Copper"

*items purcahsed ast www.stampingscrapping.com

A "Perfect Sentiment" for a Bingo Challenge

http://stampingscrappingchallengecentral.blogspot.com  - wet or dry embossing

(I used dry embossing)

http://perfectsentimentschallenge.blogspot.com/2012/10/psc53b-bingo-with-sentiment.html -

Challenge #PSC53B, which is a challenge with a twist: create a card (with sentiment) using 3 items from the Bingo chart (below), in a row or column or diagonal.

I used the top row and the right column and the left to right diagonal so I've included pearls, ribbon, flowers, glitter, Die-cut, and dry embossing!

Here is my list of ingredients:

Cardstock/DP - TPC Studio "Blue Floral", SEI "Alpine Frost"

Stamps - JustRite "Kaleidoscope Medallions Set"*, ODBD "Keep My Lamp Burning set"

Die-cut - Spellbinders "Anglaise Lace Circles"*

Punch - Martha Stewart "Frond"
Glitter - Stickles* "Star Dust"

Pearls - KaiserCraft "Snow"*

Glue Dots* (LOTS of Glue Dots!)

The ribbon and flowers are from my stash.

*these items I purchased at www.StampingScrapping.com

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #162

Well, after taking a week off, I'm back! Refreshed...peaceful and calm! Fall camping...wonderful! We (DH and I) went to Pokagon State Park in Indiana for just 3 days. The first day, when we got there, was cold and wet and we stayed inside our little trailer reading (hubby) and crafting (me!). But Tuesday and Wednesday were absolutely beautiful! The sky was that deep blue you get only on really clear days and the leaves were just glowing in the sunshine. We biked and hiked until our legs felt like rubber! LOL

But now we are back home, refreshed and already immersed in reality!

 God is good... all the time!

So here is this week's challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ!

Hostess:

The precious Peggysue!

Challenge:

Make a card that to you represents peace or calm; with an image, color scheme, CAS layout or verse, something that speaks peace to you, but peace symbols themselves are excluded. The card has to speak peace through your own style.

Scripture:

 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)

Sponsor:

Daydream Designs (by our very own DT sweetie Diane Noble!)

She is generously offering a $20.00 gift voucher for store product to the one randomly chosen winner!

And here is the CAS card I came up with, using one of the pre-colored digital images from Daydream Designs (the "Sunflowers and Pumpkins Colorized" set):

(So sorry for the poor picture quality...I took this photo with my phone because

I loaned my camera to my daughter!)

Autumn is my favorite time of year! It does make me feel "Ahhhhhhh!" Yes, there is a bit of sadness about seeing plants die and the trees become bare but there is always the promise of spring and the wonderful reminder that God IS in control. And, yes! He has already won the victory! He has overcome the world... and sin, and death, and sadness! Because of that great truth I can experience peace and calm, and so can anyone who believes that Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins, then rose again victorious and has secured a place in heaven for us.

Please join in our challenge this week! For more inspiration you can visit the main blog at SSiC and also check out my fellow DT members' blogs which are all listed in my sidebar!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a blessed week, my Friends!

Birthday Card for Mom

This morning I am posting a new birthday card which I made for my mom. On October 31 she will celebrate her 87th birthday! So I made a Fall themed card:

I am entering this card in 3 challenges:

http://Perfectsentimentschallenge.blogspot.com - "Birthday or Anniversary", blog hop Day 1

http://thedutchmagnoliachickies.blogspot.com - #30 "Bingo" (Swirls, Charm, Ribbon)

http://magnoliastamplovers.blogspot.com - "At least 2 Spellbinders dies"

Here is a close-up of my little ribbon bow and charm!

Ingredients:

Magnolia stamp*- "Fall Tilda" (??)

JustRite stamp* - "Birthday Wishes"

Clear Dollar Stamps - Little Leaves

Tilda is colored with a combination of Noir Markers, Memento markers and colored pencils!

And i used just colored pencils on the tiny leaves.

Sizzix -Tim Holtz dies* - Elegant Flourishes

Spellbinders dies* - Standard Circles Lg, Fleur de Lis Pendant & Accents, Labels 15 

Pizzaz Aplenty Flatback Pearls - Ivory, Dark Chocolate

S.E.I. Cardstock - "Alpine Frost"

Western Crafts - heart charm

Scrapbook Adhesive* - 1/4" and 1/2" foam squares

Smooch Spritz* - green, rust

Everything except the background has a fine coating if shimmery Smooch.

*ALLof these items can be purchased at my favorite online store, www.StampingScrapping.com

October Calendar

I recently downloaded and printed some new FALL images, beautifully pre-colored, from the "Sunflowers and Pumpkins" set by Daydream Designs. Because I am on their DT I try to post a project made with their amazing images at least twice a month, usually more! These colorful images were just asking to be used on something!

I love the fence and really wanted to use a nice long one (this is 2 sections together) so decided on a slightly bigger project than usual. A not a card! This calendar is 11"x 9". The numbered calendar I made as a Word document and printed on white cardstock, rounded 2 corners and distress-inked the edges. 

I fussy-cut the pumpkins and birds...the fence was much easier to cut around! Then I added Stickles and a few glitter flowers, a small ribbon/bow and a button. Daydream Designs has several beautiful Fall image and sentiment sets...worth taking a "look-see"!

Now I hope to use this calendar in my craftroom by writing on it all the occasions that I will need a card for in the month of October. I can add in names of people from church who are ill, recovering from surgery, "shut-ins"...anyone mentioned in the church bulletin as having a special need. Sometimes for me the hardest part is not making the cards but actually getting them in the mail! I'm a terrible procrastinator! Lots of good intentions!

10 minutes later...

Another "duh" moment! (I think that's the second one this week! Yikes!)

I just went to the Daydream Designs online store and saw calendars! So my project would have been an even better showcasing of Diane's stuff if I had just used her calendar (instead of spending a half hour making my own!) One is called "Wall Calendar" and is 5 1/2" x 6" which would have fit quite nicely.

Hind-sight...its a wonderful thing! (sorry Diane!)

A Tic Tac Toe Challenge at SOS!

Happy Tuesday, my Friends!

Its time for another Shopping Our Stash challenge again! So here we go!

Challenge 72: A Tic Tac Toe Challenge

I chose the top row:

Brad, Kraft, Embossing

and decided to make a birthday card for my grandson Daniel. He will be 3 on October 21.

He loves tractors, especially John Deere...green & yellow!

My brads are 3 cloth-covered ones that I've had in my stash a couple years and have no idea where they came from. You can see the kraft which I embossed with a Sizzix folder. The stamps of the earth-moving machinery are a 1990 Stampin Up set. The HB stamp is also Stampin Up.

We'd love to have you join us this week at SOS with your creation based on the Tic Tac Toe choices!

Our 35th Anniversary! Plus, a Fall Card!

Yes, today (October 8) is my 35th wedding anniversary! I married a wonderful guy 35 years ago and haven't regretted a minute of those 35 years! He is so perfect...perfect for me, anyway! God blessed me with just the right guy and I'm still thanking Him!

Here is the card I made for Jerry, my dear hubby:

The train is a free digi image I found online. If interested, you can check out the site I got it from: "Free Vintage Images"...in my sidebar under My Blog List.

A friend asked me today to email her a picture of us on our wedding day and since I've got it on my computer now I thought it might be fun to show it to you all too!

Now, the card below is very appropriate for showing on our anniversary because almost every year we take a little "color tour" by heading up north here in Michigan. We usually don't get any farther north than Traverse City, but once in while we go all the way to Macinac City and cross the bridge! But one place we always stop on our way home is Ebel's in Falmouth! I love that place! Big crates of apples outside so you can select a bushel or two, and groceries and hardware inside. But also inside is a really nice clothing department...I bought a beautiful sweater there several years ago and still love it! We were going to go up north tomorrow but the weather is supposed to be rainy and cold so we put off our annual trip for a week.

So here is my "bushel of apples" card in honor of Ebel's!

The pre-colored digi stamp is from a set called "Bushel and a Peck" by Daydream Designs.

The green and white gingham background is from another DD set called "Rustic Gingham".

They keep adding new digital images and paper sets all the time! The new Christmas ones will be there any day now! Check it out @  Daydream Designs !!

Boxes! New Challenge at SSiC!

Challenge #160

Make a box or use an image that includes a box.

Scripture

Eph 3:17-19 "...that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge."

Hostess
**  Michelle  **

Michelle has some wonderful devotional thoughts about her scripture choice!
You can visit her blog or the main blog, Stampin' Sisters in Christ to read that.

Sponsor

The Digi Garden

I used 5 of their images on my gift box! They have so many adorable digi images...you really should go check out their website: http://thedigigarden.weebly.com/index.html

I made my box out of 2 sheets of 12x12 cardstock. I scored all the fold and cut lines on my Martha Stewart scoring board. Each side, top and bottom are all 4x4, but I subtracted 1/8" from all the measurements on the bottom part of the box so it fits easily into the top part.

My "Snowmen" box is the right size for a mug...or any small gift!

Below are the 4 sides of the box. I added punched snowflakes, a sticker, Stickles and rhinestones on each side.

"Snowman 5"

"Snowman 3"

"Snowman 1"

"Snowman 2"

Here is the top of the box: "Snowman 4"

and I added a little "sign" with my computer-generated sentiment.

The cute matching die-cut background papers are a digi print from Daydream Designs from the set called "Merry and Bright Christmas"! I just love all those snowflakes!

I love all the seasons...even winter! Mainly because it is SO beautiful! All of that glistening, pure white snow reminds me that Jesus died for me and washed away my sins, making me "whiter than snow"! THAT is the "love of Christ which passes knowledge"! 

Well, thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed the show!

Be sure to stop by the other DT "Sisters'" blogs (listed in the sidebar)...lots of amazing projects!

And I hope you are inspired to join in this fun challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ this week...make a box or use an image that has a box in it!

Shopping Our Stash Challenge #71

Hello! Yes, its Tuesday already! Time for the next Shopping Our Stash challenge!

Here are the details:

Challenge #71 "Go Green", either use the color green or RECYCLE something!

You have until 11:59 pm on October 8 to enter your project in this challenge.

With the cooler temps lately I'm starting to mentally prepare for winter...

 so I came up with a snowflake card.

Obviously I didn't use the color green so can you guess what recycled item I used?

In the picture below you can see a couple seals taken from Jif peanutbutter jars.

I used a couple "Fleur de Lis" Spellbinders dies to cut out the pieces of my snowflake & glued it together with Glue Dots (minis).

The medallion stamp is a CDS that I purchased last year and stamped in several colors 'cause I was so excited to get  it...then forgot about it! I found this gray-stamped one while hunting for something else and decided it would go well with the silver snowflake. I did add little "extenders" around the stamp with a tiny stamp from the "Frou Frou" set from StampingScrapping.com. Also added lots of Stickles to the stamped image, then clear rhinestones. The "Merry Christmas" stamp is a Stampabilities.

The background was embossed with a Sizzix folder, "Dots, Circles, & Stars".

All the cardstock is from my stash and/or scrap box.
I hope you can join us this week at Shopping Our Stash!

Check out the other DT members' blog for more inspiration...they are all listed in my sidebar.