Happy Fourth of July!

Yes, Happy 4th of July to you all!

Thanking God today for this great country I live in and the many freedoms we still enjoy. But the values and standards we live by have been eroding over the years and I am reminded that we all need to pray for the USA, it's leaders and it's people. Word Art Wednesday has chosen for their Bible verse this week

Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." ....very apt. Excellent reminder!

I did not use their artwork this time, instead I used I Peter 5:7, which tells us not to worry but trust God, also a wonderful reminder for uncertain times!

Ingredients:

Spellbinders dies - "Labels 15" & "Fleur de Lis Squares"

Stamps - ODBD "Scripture Series 3" & All Night Media "Classic Rose Frame"

colored with colored pencils and Memento markers

Red Ribbon & Twine - from my stash

Bling - EK Success

Challenges:
http://OurDailyBreadDesignsblog.blogspot.com - #160 Patriotic/Red, Wht, Blue
http://WordArtWednesday.blogspot.com - #87 Anything Goes
http://clearitoutchallenge.blogspot.com - Make someone's Day + Sparkle
http://pileitonchallenge.blogspot.com - #26 Bling
http://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com/ - #108 Red, White, Blue/Flag Colors
http://scrapbitzcopics.ning.com/group/cmccopicchallengegroup - #71 Colors of Summer
http://TuesdayMorningSketches.blogspot.com - Sketch

Thanks for stopping by today!

I hope you all have a happy, safe and blessed 4th!

An Old Fashioned Wish

Good morning, blogger friends!

Today is the last day I can enter the "Roses" challenge at SweetStamps...so here goes!

I have combined four of the SweetStamps stamps...my favorite is the "Corner Roses"...one of my newest stamps! But the frame stamp is also a favorite...I've used that one quite a bit lately! The design lends itself easily to adding pearls or rhinestones for an elegant touch.

Close-up of the touch of glitter added, Stickles...my oldest embellishment!

List of supplies used:

Spellbinders die - Standard Circles Lg.

SweetStamps stamps - "Pretty Parchment Frame", "Margery", "Gentleman Joe", "Rose Corner Lg."

colored with Memento & Spectrum Noir markers

Sentiment stamp - JustRite "Special Occasions"

Pizzazz Aplenty rhinestones - 2mm & 4mm Pink

Inks - TH Distress Ink "antique linen", Memento "Tuxedo Black"

Ranger Stickles glitter glue - "Star Dust"

Challenges:

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - #122 "Roses"

http://pileitonchallenge.blogspot.com - #26 "Bling"

http://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com - #107 "Oldest Embellishment" (Stickles)
http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #86 Anything Goes

http://sketchandstashchallenge.blogspot.com - #117 Sketch

Embossing on Vellum

SweetStamps challenge is asking for a technique to be used that includes parchment/vellum...piercing, embossing, etc. ON parchment/vellum...so I tried it! And I DO like the results. The white heat embossing on the vellum looks very lacey. I even used 2 of their stamps: "Queen Anne's Wildflowers Silhouette" & "Pretty Parchment Frame". I also tried a bit of piercing but that doesn't show up very well.

Here's the challenge:

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - "Parchment" #121

A Wedding Card...White on White on White

Here's the latest card, a wedding card for this weekend.

For Jenny and Cam.

Congrats!

I'm entering this one in just one challenge:

http://diecuttindivas.blogspot.com - A Sketch #118

The dies I used are Spellbinders "Fleur de Lis Accents and Border".
The sentment stamp is from Bildmalarna.
The layered flower is from K&Company "The Kiss".

Butterflies in a Jar

Happy Sunday!

So far, quite a lovely day!

The past few days I have spent several hours creating one special card...

this one, for my grandson Clayton who "graduated" from 5th grade on Friday.

Clayton is very much an outdoors boy...he loves to fish, catch frogs and toads, and collect insects. So while looking through my Magnolia stamped images I found this empty jar, the butterflies and Edwin with the butterfly net. I wanted to put some of the butterflies in the jar somehow and came up with a clear round window...the butterflies are really mounted on the inside of the card. Lining it all up correctly took a little work (and LOTS of trial and error!) but I'm happy with the results.

Edwin and the butterflies are colored with Spectrum Noir markers, Memento markers, and a few colored pencils. The Congratulations is stamped in Memento "Tuxedo Black", the sentiment on the inside is computer-generated, the Bible verse is in a generic royal blue ink.

Here are the challenges this card was created to"fit" into:

http://clearitoutchallenge.blogspot.com - "Male Card + Use Metal"

http://craft-roomchallenge.blogspot.com - "Use Your Scraps"

http://ourdailybreaddesignsblog.blogspot.com - #157 "Prayers, Blessings Encouraging Scripture"

http://pileitonchallenge.blogspot.com - #22 "Stripes &/or Plaid"

http://thedutchmagnoliachickies.blogspot.com - #46 "Circles"

http://Tuesdaymorningsketches.blogspot.com - #201 

Ingredients:

Spellbinders dies - "Standard Circles Large"

Sizzix embossing folder - "Tim Holtz Dot Matrix"

Card stock (scraps) -American Crafts "Soho Garden" & DCWV "Nana's Nursery"

Foil - coffee can seal

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Congrats stamp - Stampabilities

Magnolia stamped images - Edwin with Net, Jar, Butterflies

Verve Bible verse - 1 Peter 5:7

A Set of Sympathy Cards

Once again I needed sympathy cards for two different families in the same week...and I was out! So I decided to do it right this time and make a whole set of them all the same. But if you know me, you know that is really impossible! I did use the same printed card stock and a similar theme for all six cards but they were still all different. I gave away the two I needed immediately...even forgot to take pictures! But here are the other four:

 My favorite is the one with the butterfly, which is some sort of sticker with a double layer for the iridescent wings and tiny gold wires for the antennae. Each of the cards has a solid color base card stock and a cream color layer which is a printed and embossed card from a set of print-yourself wedding invitations. I just chose an accent color or two and stamped tiny flowers near the branches in the those colors. A little embellishment on each card and the computer-generated sentiment....voila! All done!

The butterfly card is being entered in two challenges: 

http://flourishes.org/category/challenges/timeless-tuesday - #221 "Butterflies"

http://Wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - Anything Goes

My list of supplies used:

Wedding invitation card stock - American Crafts "Blossoms"

Solid card stock - from my stash

Small aqua roses - Prima

Butterfly - Jolee's Boutique/EK Success

Turquoise flower - StampingScrapping.com "Gardenia"

Purple/lavender silk flowers - Hobby Lobby

Foliage die cuts - Spellbinders

Ranger Stickles "Star Dust"

Tiny flower stamps - generic foam stamps (my stash)

And here are the insides of two of the cards. Another piece of the inviation card stock with little stamped flowers and a hint of Stickles!
Thanks so much for stopping by to take a peak at my latest creations!

Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day! Hope all of you had a lovely day today...a very blessed day!

I got to have only 2 of my 6 kids here for lunch today...the others all had plans with other mothers! I had told them that was just fine...we can't get together every year the same now that most of them are married or have steady girlfriends. I had a great day anyway! All of them called or stopped by at some time today and 2 of them brought me hanging flower baskets and my husband gave me the most precious card! 

Tonight I just finished one last Mother's Day card (sorry, I think I said that last week too!) and I will have to just put it away for next year.

Here is my list of supplies used to make this one:

Digital rose & Bible verse image - Imagine That Digi Stamps "Rose Blessings"

colored with Spectrum Noir and Memento markers

Happy Mother's Day sentiment - computer generated

Spellbinders dies - "Labels 15" & "Fleur de Lis Squares"

Patterned card stock - K&Company "Merryweather" &

Webster's Pages "Petite Papers"

White card staock base - Bazzill

Ranger Stickles glitter glue - "Icicle"

Flatback pearls - Pizzazz Aplenty "Pale Pink"

Paper doilly, pink ribbon and pink card stock - from my stash

Challenges being entered:

http://Celebratetheoccasion.blogspot.com - #111 "Happy Mother's Day"

http://clearitoutchallenge.blogspot.com - Anything Goes + 2 or more patterned papers

http://imaginethatdigistamp.blogspot.com - #6 Mother's Day, Rose Blessings

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - #116 "For Mom"

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #79 Anything Goes

http://sketchandstashchallenge.blogspot.com - #113 Sketch 9
(new stash= digi image, neglected stash= old doilies)

Children Say "Happy Mother's Day!"

Mother's Day is fast approaching! I had high hopes of putting several Mother's Day cards on Etsy but time is running out! I'd rather make cards than try to sell them...too bad 'cause that would help pay for my "habit"!

My thoughts on Mother's Day

Mother's Day is such a special celebration of our mothers...mothers of all ages and all generations.

Of course, without being blessed with children a woman may have trouble celebrating the day. But its good to remember that our "physical" children are not the only ones to bless us...often we have spiritual children, and nieces, nephews, neighbors, students, friends...special children who mean so much to us. And not just youngsters, but any one God has placed in our lives to nuture and care for. 

My own dear little mother is now 88 years old and lives in another state with my siblings. I'm sure she never thought she would someday live with them again when they, one by one, left home to begin their own lives.

But God had a different plan and they are now caring for her...a role reversal. It took over a year to adjust but they are doing well and I'm thankful for their dedication to her. When I talk with her I can sense in her calm responses a sense of security and peace.

I myself am facing the "empty nest" very soon...next week, in fact. The last of our six children is moving into his own house! He's been remodeling and buying appliances and a lawn mower...he's excited and so are we, but I will miss him terribly. We have such good conversations and laugh together and discuss God's word and share a special adult relationship. He is one of the special reasons I get to celebrate Mother's Day!

(Yes, I've got tears in my eyes!)

So this is one more card to honor all the "mothers" out there...ALL varieties!

My ingredients:

Embossing folders- Sizzix "Ribbon" & "Dots, Circles, Stars"

Stamp- Sweet Stamps "Singing Children"

Bible verse- digital image from WordArtWednesday

Die cut- Sweet Stamps "Elegant Leaves"

Card stock- Lt blue: One Heart...One Mind

White: Bazzill

Sentiment- computer generated

Silk flowers, handmade flower, ribbon, trim- from my stash

...and Stitching.

And the challenges I'm entering this one in:

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - #115 "White on White + 1 Color" (blue)

http://ourdailybreaddesignsblog.blogspot.com - #152 "Needle It, piercing/stitching"

http://celebratetheoccasion.blogspot.com - #110 "Anything Goes"

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #78 "Anything Goes"

http://tuesdaymorningsketches.blogspot.com - #196 "Sketch by Melissa" (which I turned on it's side)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! May you all have a truly blessed Mother's Day!