Willow shopping

Hello friends! It's Sunday and time for another Stampin Sisters in Christ! Today will be a short post as I have my Granddaughter staying with me this weekend and getting two girls ready for Church takes longer than I'm used to! LOL! Today's hostess is Rebekka, and I know you all love her as much as I do! Be sure to stop by Stampin Sisters in Christ to read her devotional today!

The Scripture Becky has chosen is
Psalm 9:10 "Those who know your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You."

Becky is challenging us to use
"Things that Secure... Buttons.... No Less than Three!"

I'm so grateful to know that my salvation is not dependent on my own works! God's promise to us is that He will never leave us or forsake us! He tells us that those who seek Him with all of their hearts, will find Him. He desires to have a relationship with us. He loves us, pursues and and He keeps us! There was a once popular song that said "To know, know know you is to love, love, love you, and I do.... " In human terms... that love may come and go, rise and wane, but God's love is constant and sure, and He never changes. We can trust Him to always have our very best in mind, even if He needs to discipline us to bring us to where we need to be! We can never lose His love! What a precious promise! He will never forsake us!!!

Our sponsor this week is Whiff Of Joy and I just had to use one of my Elizabeth Bell WOJ images today! This image is Shopping Willow. I thought she'd be perfect this weekend, since I have my Granddaughter here and what do all little girls love to do? Shop!!! (Especially if Grandma is buying!!!) LOL! I have used a base of Papertrey Srping Moss, and all the designer paper is BasicGrey Sugar Rush. I used this week's Midnight Madness Sketch 92 for my layout.

I stamped Willow on Express It with Memento and colored with Copics. I paper pieced her bags with scraps. The circles are cut with Spellbinder's Lacey Circles and Classic Circles. I love my Grand Calibur for things like this because you can put different dies and papers on the large platform and cut them all with one pass! I ran the classic circles through with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder as well. The lace is Websters Pages and the flowers and buttons are from my stash.

We want to thank our Sponsor, Whiff Of Joy for their Support and Generous Prize! This is the adorable image being given away!

To read the devotional thoughts and full details on the challenge and prize please visit the

Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge Blog!

For more inspiration on this challenge, please visit my DT Sisters:

Chris, Linda, Peggysue, Miesje, Rebecca, Lisa , Randi (on leave)

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Spots/Dots
Do You Stack Up? - Anything Goes
Guylou's Inimitability - -anything goes
Lili of the Valley - Circles
Moving Along With The Times - Fashion
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Paper Romance - Anything goes
Pixie Dust Studio - Create a card/project using Summer colors
Samuel Taylor's Challenge - use Copic or Promarkers
Stampin' B's - Use a flower
Create with Connie & Mary -Inspiration photo (I pulled the colors)

Creative Cottage - fabulous florals
Forgotten Scraps - Spring or flowers
Stars and Stamps Midweek Throwdown - any occasion (no glitter!)
Copic Creations - Warm Colours
Creative Craft Challenges - Cards for Teens
Partytime Tuesdays - Anything Goes
Sweet Stamps - Flowers
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - flowers Everywhere!
Lexi's Creations - Flowers
Stamps R Us - For the Girls

Sneak Peek at Eternity

Today I'm sharing a little sneak peek at a special die and matching stamp set that will be released Mar. 1 at Our Daily Bread designs.! I made this using the stamped frame and die cut custom made for Our Daily Bread designs by Spellbinders Label 1. The stamp set is called Eternity. The verse is from Grow in Grace. I also lightly stamped the image from Sing to the Lord behind the verse in VersaMark for just a watermark effect. The designer paper is DCWV La Creme Mat Stack and the base is Papertrey. I used a new MS Punch and the ribbon is May Arts. The flower is Prima and the pearls are ZVA Creative. Be sure to come back Mar. first for a BIG release and lots of chances to win! You're going to love them!

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenge - "Q" is for Quotes & Sayings
Guylou's Inimitability - anything goes
Stamp Something - something with flowers
Stampin For The Weekend - monochrome
AiFactory - Monochromatic
Do You Stack Up? - Anything Goes
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Paper Play - Get Sentimental
Paper Romance - Anything goes
Shelly's Images - Ribbon
Stampin' B's
ABC Challenge - "O" is for Ovals
Freshly Brewed - ribbons and bows
Top Tip Tuesday - Bling It On
Incy Wincy Designs - use punches or dies
Lexi's Creations - Flowers
Simon Says Stamp and Show... - some stripes!



Thanks for stopping!

Layers of Color Cake Decorating Party!

Welcome to the

Layers of Color

Cake Decorating Party!
If you came from Diana Queens delish confection, you are in the right place.

Today The Layers of Color Design Team, and friends of LOC have baked up some wonderful sugar free, fat free, calorie free confections for your enjoyment! We are having a "Cake Decorating Party" just for you! We hope you will enjoy all the yumminess you will see along the way... and be sure to pick up your free template and check out all the special sales going on at the Layers of Color Boutique! Of course, any good party also has prizes... and we do too... more on that in just a bit! But first... here is the cake I created.

Does it look yummy enough to eat? I hope so!!!

My cake, is sitting on a pretty green "plate" decorated with a "doily" made with the Layers of Color Vintage Medallion art stencil sponged with Vanilla on white and cut and embossed using a die cut by Marianne.

I have used a template from Easy Papercrafts because I loved the alternate option to have a removable lid! This makes it much more "useful" to give yummy treats to a special someone.

For my sugary flourish, I used Layers of Color Natural Flourish Art Stencil and Snow Tex and spread the snow tex on with a palette knife and allowed it to dry. I had purposely run a couple tips of the leaves over the edge. I cut them out and slipped my punched strip under them and adhered. Then I covered the flourish with Stickles. My "icing" shells are Puffy Glue which I put in a cake parchment tube with a tiny shell tip and squeezed just like icing. It wasn't quite the same consistency, hence a little different look, but it gives the idea. Pretty pearls accent the icing shells.

My butterflies are from the LOC Flutterescent clear art stamp set, stamped with Stazon on acetate, cut out and colored with Copics on the back, then dotted with Stickles on the front. I used floral elements from LOC Merci Bouquets clear art stamp set, also colored with Copics.

I made all the ribbon roses and tied up little green organza leaves for them. I love the delicate feel they give!

You're invited to feast your eyes on the Layers of Color Design Team and Guest Designer's Cake Party treats! From here you should go taste what GUNN has for you!

Here is the complete list in case any links are broken!

Layers of Color

Beatriz Jennings

Dawn Burnworth

Diana Queen

Grace Nywening (You are Here)
Gunn

Guro Aarre
Heather Wombacher

Iwona Palamountain

Janice Whiting

Jennie Harper

Jessica Fick

Joan Ervin

Julie Overby

Kazan Clark

Keri Lee Sereika

Linda Lucas

Lynn Stevens

Maxine Diffey

Nina Brackett

Sharri Seffens

Suzanne Czosek

Be sure to swing by Layers of Color Boutique and grab a FREE Cupcake Card Template! In celebration, there are some SALE items and Special Bundle offers with fabulous pricing on Spellbinders Dies! And when you subscribe to this blog and leave a comment, you will be entered into our Party Favor Drawing to have the chance to WIN this yummy Layers of Color art stamp set: Birdday Party!

A special Happy Birthday to all our February birthday girls and to Laura's brand new grandson, Landon!

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Copic Creations - 2nd week Warm Colours
Partytime Tuesdays - Anything Goes
Sweet Stamps - Flowers
Top Tip Tuesday - Bling It On
Tuesday Throwdown - 3 D
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - flowers Everywhere!
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge - Plastic (acetate for my butterflies)
Cupcake Craft - Cake n Ice Cream
Incy Wincy Designs - use punches or dies
Kaboodle Doodles - Break Tradition (try something new- my first paper cake slice!)
KB Cute monday - Glitter
Lexi's Creations - Flowers
Stamps R Us - For the Girls
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Anything but a Card
I Did It Creations - Anything Goes
One Stitch At A Time - Anything but square

Hope you enjoyed the cake... now enjoy some more calorie free treats!

Birthday Gift Set for a friend, SSIC Challenge & LOC

With Sunday comes another Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge! I really had fun with this one! Our hostess this week is the sweet and talented Peggysue. The Scripture she chose is Exodus 8:9-11

⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”

¹⁰ “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.

Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the LORD our God. ¹¹ The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”

Peggysue's challenge is to use green on your card or project.

Today I am sharing a gift set I made for a friend for her birthday. She has had a stressful last few months and I wanted to give her what has become my most favorite of all bath products... the Bath & Body Works Stress Relief Aromatherapy line. I wanted to package them in some way that would be pretty and unique. I bought a template from My Time Made Easy for this box. It is about half this size, so I had to do a LOT of altering. After I got the container constructed, I decided that with the weight of these bottles, I needed to line it with a heavy cardboard liner for support.

So I made the liner, and covered it with the same card stock I used for my container, which is Bazzill Safari. I also layered with this gorgeous Graphic 45 designer paper. I then decided to make more vintage looking labels for the lotion and body wash. I had this vintage label saved in a sheet of about twelve on my computer. I cut it out of the sheet and added the text, adjusted the size and printed out. I hand cut the label but decided I wanted a bit more color for my set, so I added this yummy peachy Graphic 45 designer paper. I cut a large rectangle and adhered the label to each, then adhered the whole thing to each bottle.

The bar of soap is wrapped in the same papers and has a belly band added with the designer paper. I hand made the flowers with my Cricut Accent Essentials cartridge and cream card stock. I touched the edges with Distress Ink in vintage rose.

I stamped the Layers of Color Butterflies from the Butterfly Collector clear art stamp set directly on the peach patterned paper with Our Daily Bread designs Olive Ink and hand cut. I used various punches for my circles and leaves, added veining and sponging, and a touch of olive tulle, and adhered it all on. The tag is also Graphic 45. I tied it on with twine.

To give it to her I cut the largest circle from my Spellbinders Grand Circles Dies, and cut out first a piece of stiff cardboard and then a piece of coordinating dp to cover it. Using the Grand Caliber machine made the cardboard a snap to cut and was wide enough to handle it. I used a clear gift bag designed for a plate of goodies, gathered it up and tied it at the top, adding more tulle and peach seam binding.

I love how it came out and I hope my friend does too! It was labor intensive, but for that special gift... well worth it!

Our Sponsor this week is Doodle Pantry!
The prize is a $10.00 gift certificate to the store!
We want to thank them for their generosity!

To read the devotional thoughts and full details on the challenge and prize please visit the

Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge Blog!

For more inspiration on this challenge, please visit my DT Sisters:

Chris, Linda, Peggysue, Miesje, Rebecca, Lisa , Patti, Randi (on leave)

I am entering this in the following challenges: A Day for Daisies - very vintage
Card Makin' Mamas - happy birthday - this was made for a friend's birthday
Fashionista Friday - birthday
Res-Q-Challenge - make a card including something that makes you happy-my fave bath products!
Stampin With The Dragon - birthdays Tellen's Place - birthdays C.R.A.F.T. - not a card Digi Doodle Shop's Best - anything goes Lili of the Valley - use your favourite colours Meljens Designs - happy birthday Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes Shelly's Images - show us what you got/anything goes Stamp Insanity - anything but a card Karber Monthly - use a digital stamp & love & friendship (Label is digi) ABC Challenge - "O" is for old-fashioned Creative Card Crew - friendship For Fun Challenges - happy birthday Forgotten Scraps -Spring or flowers Simon Says Stamp - make your own embellishment (flowers are handmade)
A Spoonful Of Sugar - Anything but a card

Thanks so much for looking!

Help for Katie Thank You... Sassy Cheryl and some awards!

Today I am sharing a card I made with one of the images you receive when you donate to the "Help for Katie" fund headed up by Jak Heath. Katie is a fellow stamper with three young children who has been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer and the stamping community has come together to raise funds to help her and her family during this time. There were tons of images donated by wonderful companies and a great package was given out to anyone who donated. Now, Jak is holding a "thank you" challenge, and we are all invited to share a card we made with one of the images. I chose this cute little guy from Sassy Cheryl. I colored him with Copics. My sentiment is from My Sentiments Exactly. The sketch I used was from CDASC17, but unfortunately I didn't use the freebie image you had to use to enter this challenge, so .... I won't link it. My base is SU! Marina Mist and my designer paper is BasicGrey Marjolaine. I added 3 brads from my stash. I kept this one simple... I need birthday and get well cards for the Church, so this was made for that.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Claudia & Co - About a boy
Flourishes - Three pattern papers
My Time To Craft - circles (hard to see but the large dp is large circles, the small is dotted and the pattern on his clothes are circles as well)
Karber Weekly - DIGI STAMP and Birthday
Catered Crop - Recipe challenge: I chose Pattern paper with repeating patterns, Copic Markers with Black ink and Brads for embellishments.
Creative Inspirations Paint - Keep it Sweet and Simple
Stampin Vacation - No No flowers
Little Claire's - Anything Goes
Annabelle Stamps - say it with polka dots
Simply Create - bold & bright
Stampin With The Dragon - anything goes
The Outlawz Copic Challenge - Copic Markers- shading & highlighting
Samuel Taylor's Challenge - use Copic or Promarkers - a monthly challenge where anything goes as long as you use these markers.

Now on to another subject.... Beautiful Blog Awards from sweet friends!


I need to get caught up with some wonderful awards that have been given to me! The first award was from a dear friend Carla Suto and it is this lovely Beautiful Blog Award. I have the great joy of having met Carla in person several times and we have a date set aside in March to meet again, so I'm looking forward to that! She is every bit as sweet and fun as she is creative and talented! Here are the rules of acceptance of this award:

Right-click on the award and save it to your computer to add to your blog.

• Choose FIVE (5) worthy recipients and list them. Next to their blog name, give ONE reason why you think their blog is special. What catches your eye about them? What do you love?
• On your blog page, list 5 things about yourself. Include at least one thing you enjoy about your craft.

I was also honored to have been given this lovely Stylish blogger award by Lori and Sherry. Both these ladies are truly remarkable women who love the Lord and do beautiful work in their craft as well! Please take a minute to stop by their blogs and see their beautiful creations!
For this award, I am to list 8 things you probably don't know about me and pass this on to 8 other lovely ladies. I realize that not everyone is comfortable posting personal information on their blogs and understand if those I pass this on to choose not to list something we might not know about them, but I hope they will know that I sent this because I enjoy their blogs because they inspire me with all the great work they do.

So... I'm going to pull a no no here and combine these awards.... because I don't know if I can come up with 13 "new" things about myself to share, so by sharing the 8... I hope that will be sufficient! LOL!

Here is my list of 8 things about me:

1. I am a graduate of LeTourneau University in Longview, TX. My hubby and I both went there as married students right after we got married in the summer of 1971!
2. So if you are good at math... #1 gave you the hint, but I am coming up on my 40th anniversary!!! Yikes!!!
3. I have lived in 9 different states and my hubby and I have moved 18 times in our 40 years of marriage!
4. I am the survivor of an extremely bad hit and run accident that left me with a broken back, shattered spleen and several other injuries. I actually almost died but God apparently wasn't done with me yet, and He answered the prayers of people all over this country, from coast to coast I was covered in prayer! I have much to be thankful for!
5. The accident did trigger a chronic pain syndrome and I have Fibromyalgia. I am not complaining though! God has blessed me in many ways and even this is something that He has used in many ways!
6. I am actually very shy, though through my various jobs I have had to learn to be an extrovert.... so I guess you'd call me a "learned extrovert".... but still shy on the inside!
7. Before I found paper crafting, I was an avid quilter and still feel the tuggings at my heart to quilt again, but papercrafts seem to have filled every nook and cranny of my house and spare time now! So to get my quilt fix... every now and then I have to make a quilt card! I love patterned paper so much because it reminds me of all that fabric I have stashed away! :)
8. My hubby and I love to take weekend drives to little towns and rural areas... we enjoy the mountains in the fall, and the coast in the spring. We love stopping in quaint little towns, visiting their shops, viewing God's glorious creation in all the beautiful scenery we see, and of course... we love finding great little coffee shops! Yes... I am a coffee-aholic!

Now I need to pass these awards on, and again I am combining them, so those mentioned can choose which award they want!

I am always inspired by these blogs, and I hope they will each accept this award in the spirit it is given.... to let them know how much I admire them and their work.

Sabrina - SJButterfly Dreams Sabrina is a DT sister whom I have come to love dearly. She is the most supportive person! She is always faithful to leave encouraging comments on everyone's blogs, and she does the most beautiful work on her own! She loves the Lord and lets her light shine everywhere she goes!

Chris - Twinkles Glow with Stamps I know Chris is very busy and might not have time to post her award but I want her to know she's on my list of most treasured people and her blog is an amazing thing to see! She is on many DTs, including two with me, and we have become real life friends as well as DT sisters. She lives near to my DMIL and so when we go "home" we meet eachother. We talk on the phone all the time and I treasure her more than words can say!

Nina - Crafting in Croatia. Nina also is a very busy and talented lady who might not be able to post her award, but I am truly inspired by Nina in so many ways! I have become a fan of her stamp designs and have bought several, and I love her classic style of cards! I love her Christian testimony and how she never misses a chance to tell of her love for her Savior.

Diane Noble - Diane's Designs. Diane and I first met when I just started blogging and she invited me to write devotional thoughts for Women to Women. I fell in love with her heart, and boy does she have talent too! She shares lots of tips and how tos on her blog and is a joy to know!

MariLynn - Mississippi McGyver MariLynn is a sweet paper crafter I first met on SCS. She always creates the neatest designs and is extremely creative.... and she loves the Lord with all her heart as well! I was so glad to see her start a blog as well!

Christine - ChristineCreations I first met Christine on SCS, and was in awe of her talent. Then we were DT sisters on Our Daily Bread designs together for a while. Christine is an extremely talented artist! She blows me away with her creations! I know she also is very busy with her DTs and her youth ministry, and might not be able to post this award, but when it comes to people who inspire me, she is high on the list!

Betty - Stamping to the Wright I first met Betty on SCS and again was in awe of her talent. I was a DT sister with her on ODBD too, and happily, she still is present with us there as she hosts the Stamping in Time Challenge every other Thursday. Betty has a unique style that I just love! She is fun too! She lives on the other end of NC and one of these days, I'd love to meet her in person!

Melisa - Paperlicious Designs I met Melisa when she came on to the Layers of Color DT. She is such an organized person and so encouraging! She has sent me several gorgeous cards in the short time I have known her and I just love her style, her wit, and her support!

I realize many of you are too busy to post these awards, but they come from my heart to you personally, and I fully understand if you can't post them.... just enjoy what they represent!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a H.E.A.R.T.

Today I wanted to play along with Our Daily Bread designs Shining the Light Challenge.

This week the challenge is to use the "Have a H.E.A.R.T." recipe. You must use three of these ingredients.

H= Hemp

E= Embossing

A=Any Our Daily Bread Images or Sentiments

R= Ribbon or lace

T= Tearing or distressing


Well I got all but one in my card! I used this month's release of the Nail Fish Stamp and the He Shall be Called Background stamp. I also used the newly released Fish Embossing plate. I inked the embossing plate and used the negative side of it so I could over stamp it with the "He Shall be Called" stamp, which I did with Memento Rich Cocoa. I highlighted certain names that have touched me in some way with a yellow Copic #11. I stamped my fish image and cut it out then colored the nail image with Copics. I stamped it again on acetate with Stazon Black and cut out again, adhering it to the back of my cut out nail. I popped this up on dimensionals over the background of His Names. I thought being able to focus on the name Jesus while still seeing through to the names behind had a great effect. My base is Bazzill and the dp is Pink Paisley Queen Bee and the rest is Gina K Pure Ivory.

For the challenge, I distressed my edges with scissors and distress ink, I used hemp twine, embossing and Our Daily Bread designs stamps. So why not play along this week! It's a great challenge and we'd love to see what you come up with!

I am entering this into the following challenges:
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge - Plastic
Allsorts - It's all about the sentiment
Sugar Creek Hollow - Use No traditional Valentine colors
Fairy Fun Fridays - use fine print as a design element
Stampin With The Dragon - anything goes
CCEE Stampers - dry embossing
Samuel Taylor's Challenge - use Copic or Promarkers
Incy Wincy Designs - Color me Wonderful (use at least 2 mediums) I used Copics and Distress Inks
Cards For Men MASCULINE and a Recipe: 1 Image, 2 Design Papers, (my yellow and gray layers are dp from pink paisley) 3 Embellishments (either 3 the same or 3 different)


Have a great week!

KISS card... Keep It Simple Sister - single layer!

Hello everyone! Welcome to another Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge! This week our hostess is Patti! She has chosen Hebrews 13:5 for today's Scripture:

"Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

Patti's Challenge:

Since it is Valentine's Week, let's make a KISS Card (Keep it simple, Sisters!) - One layer card.

Ai yi yi!!!! This was REALLY a challenge for me! Single layers and I don't really get along! I did have fun however playing with a stamp set my hubby gave me for Christmas that I haven't had time to ink up until now. It is from Heartfelt Creations and is called Clematis/Cottage Pre-Cut Set (HCPC572). I have a love for everything Chickadee, so I have many items in my home that are Chickadee themed, and I love stamps of Chickadees! My sister has also fallen in love with them so we tend to give each other these kind of things! Anyhoo... this card came only after about 3 others hit the round file on the floor. I so wanted to layer and I found doing a single layer ANYTHING but simple! LOL! In the end, I do like how it came out, but I did have to add a few embellishments to be happy with it. I used Gina K Pure Luxury card stock, colored the image with copics and ran the front of the card through the Big Shot with this bird and leaves embossing folder from Sizzix (I don't know the name of it). I colored the background with B0000 and then blended it out to almost nothing with the blender pen. Because I used this photo inspiration from

Happily Scrappin, I wanted to keep my birdhouse in a white washed look. I just lightly added a touch of blue-green and some warm gray to it but left most of it white. I used Spica glitter pens on the Clematis, though you can't see that. The ribbon is May Arts Silk, the Tulle is from my stash, and the Wild Asparagas flowers are a gift from Melisa! Thanks sweetie!

Today's verse is a great one. God wants us to be satisfied with Him... He wants to be the object of our greatest affection. He is our All Sufficient One, and because we know He will never leave us or forsake us, we can be completely filled with joy from that knowledge, and don't need to fill our lives with all the "things" that take our hearts away from Him. Sadly, often times, the love of money and things go hand in hand with an attitude of never being satisfied. There's always more to want... always more to strive for. God wants us to be satisfied with all we have in Him, because He is far greater than any "thing" this life has to offer. It comes down to priorities... when He is our All Sufficient One... everything else pales by comparison.

Our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamp. The prize is

You=Cherry on my Sundae set
How fun! Wish I could play!!!

We want to thank Simon Says Stamp for their continued support! For the most complete offering of stamps, please visit their store!

To read the devotional thoughts and full details on the challenge and prize please visit the

Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge Blog!

For more inspiration on this challenge, please visit my DT Sisters:

Chris, Linda, Peggysue, Miesje, Rebecca, Lisa , Patti, Randi (on leave)

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Less Is More - One layer
Little Claire's Anything Goes
Secret Crafter - Stamped Flower
Mami Doodles – flower card
Phindy’s Place - Spring is on its way
Totally Papercrafts - clean & simple
Off the Wall Craftiness - picture inspiration
CCEE Stampers - dry embossing
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - nature
Create with Connie & Mary - COLOUR (red, pink, blue, green)

Thanks so much for visiting! Have a blessed week!

Mo's Digi and Outlawz Showdown!

Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing a card I made using the Mo's Digital Pencil image that you get in the bundle of image when you donate to the help for Katie Drive linked in my side bar. Katie is a wonderful stamper and I have worked with her at Clear Dollar Stamps and I just love her. She has been diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer and this drive will help her and her family with the many expenses involved in her treatment. Please have a look at all the images that have been donated and consider donating if you are able!

Anyway... this is the first time I have gotten to color this image up and I had so much fun. I love doing cutesy images... I just don't get the chance very often! I challenged myself on this to do a CAS card. I kept the layout very simple, using the sketch from this week's Card Positioning Systems. My base is Flourishes White and it is layered with BasicGrey Kraft designer paper, and the scalloped rectangles are Real Red, cut with a Nellies Die Cut. The sentiment is SU! Best Yet. I added a simple twine bow and left it there. Sometimes less is more, and I thought this might be one of those times. I hope she likes it.

Some of you write and ask, so this time I remembered to take a pic of the Copics I used to color this image.


I am entering this in the following challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday - frame it
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Cupcake Craft - Seeing red
Ooh La La Creations - For someone special
One Stitch At A Time - Use a Digi
Outlawz challenge - Clean and Simple
Quirky Crafts - In the Spring Garden
BasicGrey - BG ITEM and Hearts (heart on her pants)
Bee Crafty- DIGI and Hearts
Little Claire's Anything Goes
Raise The Bar - hearts
Polkadoodle - with hearts
Stamp Something - use a digi
Totally Papercrafts - friendship
Crafty Cardmakers - Hearts
Paper Take Weekly - have a heart
Digital Tuesday - (must use digi) - from the heart

***********PARTY ALERT! PARTY ALERT! PARTY ALERT! ***********
You are invited to The Outlawz Showdown!!

I have to tell you about this new site I joined! It's a great community with all sorts of challenges and fun to be had! To get things kicked off they are throwing a party and there are a TON of great prizes!!! So hop on over to Outlawz and check it out!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrapbook Page: Murphy

I made this 12 x 12 scrapbook page for this month's Scrapbook Challenge on  Our Daily Bread designs, Let Your Light Shine!  The challenge is a recipe.  The challenge is to use one striped designer paper, one Scripture and one embellishment.  (More is ok, but you must use at least one).

Back in the fall, ODBD owner, Kelley Holland and her hubby Rick gave a puppy to their daughter Summer.  They became the proud "grandparents" of Murphy!  Kelley has been sharing photos with us bread sticks as he has grown by leaps and bounds. She has fallen head over heels in love with this guy!!!  So anyway,  I decided to make my scrapbook page as a surprise for her.... this cute little guy playing in the leaves was great inspiration.

Here are the supplies I used:
Our Daily Bread designs stamp sets" Friendship, Let Us Begin, Sing to the Lord and Randi's Song
Card Stock: Bazzill and scraps from scrap box
Designer Paper:  BasicGrey Max & Whiskers, Karen Foster (Dog Bone Times clip)
Tools: Spellbinders Frame, Cuttlebug EF, MS and EK Success Punches
Embellishments: Metal Letters- Making Memories, Ribbon and Slide- from my stash
Coloring Medium: Copics, Alcohol Inks for the leaves
Ink: Memento, Stazon

We'd love to have you play along~  Here are the guidelines!

**You must use ODBD stamps on a scrapbook page of any size!
**Other stamps allowed, but ODBD images need to be the focus!
**Use Keywords ODBDLYLS2 and ODBD when linking to SCS or other public galleries.
**The same keywords will be used for this entire month of February!
**To be eligible for the $25 gift certificate, leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz.
**All entries for the entire month must be linked to this first post of the month using Inlinkz.
**If you use either your blog link or online gallery, please give a link back to this challenge page.

The challenge runs from today through Monday, February 28th, at 6 pm EST. You have all month to enter. You can enter as many times as you like, just remember to link your creations to this first post. We will select a winner from ALL of the February scrapbook challenge entries for a $25 gift certificate to the ODBD Store! The winner will be announced with our new challenge that will begin Wednesday, March 2nd!

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Corrosive Challenges   -Red, orange and yellow
Little Claire's   Anything Goes
Fuzzy Wuzzy - animal, anything goes
Sew Many Cards -  anything goes
Stampin With The Dragon -  anything goes
Totally Papercrafts - friendship
C.R.A.F.T. - in the roll of a die (use die cut)
CCEE Stampers -  use your punches
Delightful Challenges - something that flies or has wings (bird at top)
Cooking It Up With Katie -  metal, brown, 2 design papers


Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you'll join us and have a chance at winning that gift certificate!

No Greater Love

Hello everyone!  It's time for another Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge!  Today our hostess is the sweet and talented Miesje.  The verse she has chosen for this week is 1 John 3:18

 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Her challenge is:  Make a card/project that uses no words on the front yet signifies love.

What a great verse and challenge this week!  Of course my first thought was to make a Valentines Day card but as I thought about it, this verse that is on the inside of my card kept coming to mind.... Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (Jn 15:13)  I tried to make a valentine and nothing would come because I knew this was the verse I needed to share today.  The love we share with our family, friends and spouses here on earth may seem like the strongest kind of love there is... so intense at times we can't even bear the thought of being without them.  However, our earthly love doesn't even compare to the love God has for us!  His love is totally unconditional... in fact it has nothing to do with our behavior at all!  He loved us before we were even born!  He loved us so much that He gave the ultimate sacrifice... He sent His one and only Son to bear our sins on the cross, so that we could be cleansed, forgiven and able to have a relationship with Him!  We will never understand the cost of what Jesus did for us!  We know He suffered terribly with rejection, beatings, scourging and dying in the most painful way possible... but the pain of leaving His position in Heaven and being separated from the Father, and the pain of bearing the sins of the world on His own sinless body is more than our finite minds can comprehend.... yet He loved us that much!  So... as I thought about love and a symbol of love, I decided the cross was the greatest symbol I could share.  

The image on my card is from this month's Our Daily Bread designs release and is the "Stone Fish".  The Scripture on the inside is also Our Daily Bread designs and comes from the Friendship set. I stamped the verse on  white and splattered distress inks on in various colors using a stiff bristled paint brush.  My base is Bazzill and the gray designer paper is Pink Paisley Queen Bee.  I colored the image with Copics and cut it all out, including the inside background around the crosses.  I created the background by running a piece of Georgia Pacific white cs through the Grand Caliber with the ODBD Fish Embossing plate, inking the negative side with Distress Ink.  I then colored the rays of light along with gray to represent the darkness with Copics.  The Bible says that Jesus is The Light of the World.  When He died,  there was darkness,  but we know He did not stay in the grave... but  rose again, victorious over death .  Because of this knowledge we have assurance that if we have placed our faith in Him and Him alone... we too will live in the light of His glory!  So much joy is ours today because of  His love! Just as He demonstrated His love for us... He tells us to love others with a self sacrificing kind of love!  Words of love are nice to hear... but it's  actions that really convey love!  

Our sponsor this week is Clear Dollar Stamps! 

Lori has a wonderful line of stamps with many Christian sentiments and Scriptures as well!  Be sure to stop by her store to see it all!  

The prize this week is a $15.00 credit to the CDS Store!  

We want to thank Clear Dollar for their support of Stampin Sisters in Christ!

To read the devotional thoughts and  full details on the challenge and  prize please visit the 

Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge Blog!

For more inspiration on this challenge, please visit my DT Sisters:

Chris, Linda, Peggysue, Miesje, Rebecca, Lisa , Patti, Randi (on leave)

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Catch The Bug  - Anything Goes

Little Claire's  - Anything Goes

Phindy’s Place - embossing

Sew Many Cards - Anything goes

Stampin With The Dragon -Anything goes

Southern Girls - dry embossing

Bearly Mine -  for men/boys

Cards For Men MASCULINE and Love

Thank you for dropping by today!  Have a blessed week!

Our Hope

Hello everyone!
I hope you all had a chance to do the ODBD Blog hop yesterday! There were some incredible projects shown with this month's release! Today I have another sample for you that I made for the SCS Sketch challenge. I used the new Anchor set and this yummy designer paper is K&Co Julianne on a base of SU! River Rock. The flower is a gift from a dear friend, the butterfly is Prima, and the lace and tulle are from my stash. The Spellbinders is Label Fourteen.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
C.R.A.F.T. - in the roll of a die (use die cut)
Paper Play - stamp it out (use a stamp)
ABC Challenge - "N" is for nesties
Sisterhood of Crafters - anything goes
Anything Goes - butterflies
Paper Take Weekly - anything goes, optional: flowers
Magical Mondays - Flowers
Gingerloft- Things that fly (butterfly)
Let's Ink It Up - NO DIGI and Anything Goes
Stamping Vacation - Paper that resembles Material (Damask)
Stamptacular Sunday (must stamp) - Whateva'!
Crazy 4 Challenges - Vintage or Shabby Chic

ODBD Feb. Release Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Feb. release Blog Hop for Our Daily Bread designs!  If you got here from Becca's fantastic Blog, then you are in the right place!  If not, you might want to start at the ODBD Blog and hop from there so you don't miss anyone!
 
The Hop will run from 8am eastern Feb. 1 until 8pm Feb. 2.  Winners will be announced on the ODBD Blog on Feb. 3rd, along with Sandee's fabulous Time With Project!

Kelley is giving away SIX prizes this month!  FIVE people will win one Single Fish Stamp of their choice, and ONE blessed person will win the FEBRUARY BREAD BASKET BUNDLE!  

To be eligable to win, here is what you have to do:

• Hop to each blog on the list and leave a comment for each designer
• Return to the ODBD Blog and tell us you completed the hop, letting us know if there were any blogs you could not comment on
• Answer the question on the ODBD blog... you do not need to answer it on the designer's blogs... just the ODBD blog

This month we have some great stamps that among other things,  are perfect for those difficult "guy" cards and gifts.

I had fun playing with the Fish Single stamps.  The idea for this project came from my grandson who is just getting in to Christian jewelry for guys. (He's 13)  He pointed out several at Christmas and that gave me an idea.   I stamped each of the three  Fish Single stamps onto clear Shrink Film that I had lightly sanded in a crosshatch pattern.  I then colored with Copics and cut out.  I punched a hole  and inserted a ring in each to be sure the hole would stay open and large enough, and then I set them on a piece of cardboard and baked them at 350* until they shrunk down and flattened out again. (While they are baking they do curl up, but when they are "done" they flatten out). 

I then chose three different types of leather and vinyl jewelry rope from Michaels, added wood beads to two of them and strung my fish onto the ropes.  I used crimp ends and alligator claws for my closures. (I watched a couple videos on the internet to find out how). I also used a tad of Aileens Jewelry Adhesive before inserting the end of my rope into the crimp end and crimping it.  Between the two, these are not going anywhere!   

                                              
I also made another project with the Nail  Fish Single stamp. I found this box at Michaels a few months ago. It's a great wood box that is well constructed and the flap is a thin piece of real wood that is flexible. While I'm not sure you can still get this exact same size, I did notice this week they do have similar boxes made with the same wood... that would be great for a similar project!

For this project I stamped the Nail Fish directly on the wood after just lightly preparing the wood with fine grit sandpaper.  I used Stazon Ink and then very lightly colored grey on the bent nails.  I sponged T Holtz Distress Ink all around the edges inside and out.  At this point I have not put a sealer on this and I'm not sure I will because I love the way it looks as is, but you certainly could spray this with a sealer or rub in an oil if you wanted to.  I just wanted to give you a few ideas of some different uses this box could have:  Perhaps a gift box for the jewelry you make....

Perhaps a glasses case...

This box is the perfect fit for glasses, pens, knives and probably a bunch of other things guys would think of!

So there you have it... a couple great guy gifts, useful for so many things.   My hubby found the necklaces downstairs and came up wearing one and said he really liked it.  These would make great things to make WITH your kids, but they don't come out looking like kids crafts!  The box has also received his approval.  Both these projects were quick and easy!  I hope you'll be inspired to give them a try! 

From here, hop on over to the talented and sweet Chris to see all the inspiration she has for you!  Thanks for looking and blessing me with your comments!  Have a wonderful day!!!