Enjoy Your Day and a Recipe!

Hello friends!  I'm popping in with another quick fun summer card using the Aug. ODBD release, to be released Aug. 1!

I used Flip Flop Fun for my little flip flops, and stamped them with Bermuda Bay ink.  I cut them out with the new ODBD Custom Flip Flop Die.  I stamped the sentiment from the same set on my "sand" layer also with Bermuda Bay.  I sponged some sand "dunes" on craft paper, using torn post it notes, and then sponged some blue water lines in the background.  My "towel" is a piece of fabric which I cut to size and then fringed on the ends.  I think it looks cute here.  I added some tiny shells from another new set (Anchor the Soul) and some bling on my flip flops and called it done. 

Thanks so much for looking!  I have been  making Roasted Tomato Sauce and putting it up! It's my newest "thing" that I just love!  The roasted tomatoes taste so yummy and it's an easy way to make sauce, and if you like chunky sauce along with other veggies on top of your pasta, this is the perfect base for it!   I'll be glad next winter when I pull out some yummy home grown and roasted sauce, even though right now it's a bit time consuming. I am making huge batches of this at a time, but I thought I'd share the basic recipe in case you'd like to try it.

Roasted Tomato Sauce with Garlic (makes about 2 cups)

Olive oil

2 pounds fresh tomatoes

8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Chopped Fresh Basil (to taste... I use several leaves per pan full)

4 TBS unsalted butter (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees and spritz 9 x 13 baking dish with Olive Oil.  I use spray for this but you can just use a little oil and spread it out.

Chop the tomatoes roughly but evenly.  Spread them in the baking dish.  Stir in the minced garlic,sprinkle with Basil, add a drizzle of olive oil, and about 1 tsp salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Cut the butter in to small cubes and scatter evenly over the tomatoes.

Bake for about 3 hours.  You can do it less if you just want to go until the juice has started to release, but I find that 3 hours is best for my oven. I like to wait until the tomatoes have started to blacken a bit because you pick up a bit of a caramelized flavor and the sauce has started to thicken. 

Let me know if you try it!  We love it here at our house!

Today's blessing from the Word:

Ps 145:9 NIV

The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.  

Blessings,

Wish You Were Here!

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Hello friends!  Did you think I fell off the face of the earth?  I'm so sorry I have neglected my blog for a couple weeks but I have been busy with a number of different things going on, and also, I've been working on the upcoming August release at Our Daily Bread designs!  So today I am sharing a sneak peek with you of just one of many varied and different sets coming out  Aug. 1.

For this card I wanted to play along with this week's Shining the Light Challenge, which is sponging, so I sponged on white card stock with pastel chalks and created my background. I spritzed the whole thing with Pearl Glimmer Mist, which not only gives a great shimmer, but also seals the pastels. The fence is a double stacking of the ODBD Custom Fence die, sponged,  and the Flip Flop Border (from one of the new sets called Life is Better) was stamped with Archival ink, colored with colored pencils, and blended with odor free mineral spirits.  I cut it out with the new ODBD Custom Flip Flop Border and "hung" the flip flops on my fence.  The sentiment is from another fun set, Flip Flop Fun. The little kites are simply cut out from some designer paper I had (Websters Pages Sunday Picnic Pack), and I cut a few very thin whisps of green paper for some grass by the fence. I added some iridescent bling to the flip flops and called it done.   Very clean, simple and quick, but very fun. 

I hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek and are looking forward to the release!  We hope to see you on the "beach" on Aug first!

Before I go I wanted to mention that ODBD is having a big sale this week!

Our Daily Bread Designs Sale Items of the Week - Flower/Garden Stamps and Custom Dies

Our Daily Bread Designs has some new sale of the week items to feature for you today! From now through Saturday, August 2, 2014 11:00PM EDT, you can *save 20% on the stamps found in our Flowers and Garden section and on the ODBD Custom Flowers and Garden Dies, when you use code Flower20. (Sorry, no rain checks, offer is for our retail customers only.)

Click here to shop the website, or call our Toll Free Number 1-877-451-4909, to place your order.

When ordering from the website, be sure to add the code Flower20 to the DISCOUNT CODE area in the shopping cart and then click APPLY CODE.  If ordering over the phone, please mention code Flower20.

Today's Blessing from the Word:

2 Chronicles 30:9 ESV

"The Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away His face from you."

Thank you Lord!

Blessings,

A Look Back!

Hello friends!  Today we are taking a look back at Our Daily Bread Designs July Release.

 For my card, I used the new Pennant Swag 2 Set,  ODBD Custom Pennant Swag Die Set, and previously released dies: ODBD Custom Decorative Vase Die, Quatrefoil Pattern Dies, Asters Dies, Fancy Foliage Dies.  My base is Crumb Cake and I made a tent topper card.  I matted the ODBD Quatrefoil die on to the base, then for the popped up panel I used a Spellbinders Adorning Squares die to for the mat for my ODBD Decorative Vase die, which is the one I had originally designed and do love using!  I filled my vase with three white Asters, cut with the custom Asters dies, and sponged with Pink Pirouette ink.  I added Twinkle Goosebumps by Queen & Co (from AC Moore) to the flower centers.  I then stamped the Get Well message with Pink Pirouette ink using the Pennant Swag 2 set, and die cut with the matching Pennant Swag Die.  So easy... and so fun!  I tucked in a few Aster leaves I had die cut from a scrap of designer paper, and flourishes from the Fancy Foliage Dies.

This card was pretty quick and easy, yet I love how it came out. I hope you were in some small way inspired by my design, and thank you so much for stopping by!  I so appreciate your comments and love!

Here are the new products I used for this card

Here are the past releases used:

 

To see more inspiration, please visit the ODBD Blog, and visit my DT sisters:

Julie * Grace (me)* Lori * Cathy * Chris * Sandy * Dawn * Paula * Wanda * Silke * Stacy * Angie 

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I love hearing from you!!

Have a blessed weekend!

Grace

A masculine Birthday... clean and simple!

 Hello sweet friends!  I hope you are all doing well!  I'm glad to say that for now we have cool air again!  There is still something wrong because we are leaking freon, so our serviceman needs to come back when he has time to dig in to the inside system and possibly trace the lines, but I'm sooooo thankful to have cool air again!!! 

Today I have a masculine card to share with you that was inspired by the following wedding cake, which came from a site called the Perfect Palette.  It's a site that helps brides in the planning of their wedding and pulls together all kinds of great color combos and themes.... some of which I would NEVER have thought of!  So... needing a masculine card... I decided on this totally cool cake for my inspiration! 

 

 So I used this month's release from ODBD, Patriotic Pennants, and past releases Little Boys (sentiment) and Anchor.  I cut the anchor out from the background that the stamp has, and tried to color it up like the one on the cake, using SU! markers.  I stamped the striped pennants with Midnight Muse ink and cut out with the ODBD Custom Pennants Dies.  The sentiment is cut with two different Spellbinders Grommet Tag Dies. I used a clouds embossing folder (Embossaliscious)  for my white layer, added some twine to hang my pennants from and to hold my sentiment, and that was it.  For the one who asked for a simple card.... I think this fills the bill!  

Ironically, we are meeting friends tonight at a funeral of a mutual friend and co-worker... but then going out to dinner to celebrate our friend's birthday.  I still need to make a sympathy card right quick!  But the past few days, as I was thinking about this friend who "fought the good fight" and was taken home to be with His Saviour Sat. morning... I couldn't help but think of Paul, while in prison, writing to the Philippians.  In Phil. 1:21-24  he said....

"For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.  But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.  But I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;  yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake."  What a beautiful picture of a life lived for Christ and His glory.... but also filled with assurance that when we are believers, when this body has passed away... our spirits are with Christ in Glory!  On the cross, Jesus said to the thief who acknowledged Him as Christ... "this day you will be with me in paradise."  It brings to mind too, a favorite saying of mine which we used in our wedding: "Only one life... 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last".  We can't earn our salvation... that's why our Savior had to die to pay the price He did not owe, but we could not pay... but our purpose while here on this earth is to be busy doing whatever it is He has called us to do... to bring Him glory!  I know our friend Larry is in heaven now, casting his crowns at Jesus' feet and resting in that place that is "far better".  We have that hope ... assurance in us, but in the mean time, it is our job to be busy doing what brings Him glory.  May it be so in my life!

Thanks so much for looking today!  

Blessings,

A card to CELEBRATE and how to keep cool with no AC!!!

 Hello sweet friends!  I hope your week is going well!  It's been hot here in NC!  Yesterday we hit 94 and our AC decided to quit. Needless to say, we didn't sleep much last night!  I am however keeping cool today by working in my craft room in my basement,  since it's pretty comfortable down here.  My big 16 1/2 pound cat, Ricky, loves to follow me around all day long, so this is how He decided to keep cool today:

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Ricky always knows how to be comfortable.  As a side note.... this is a fairly wide chair and so when I say he is a lap full, you can see why!  He's one of those cats that always wants to be with me... and if he sees me heading for a chair he'll race me to it... and then climbs in my lap.  He literally hangs over in all directions! LOL!

Anyway... on to my card for today!

I made this for today's Tantalizing Texture challenge on SCS.  I used Our Daily Bread Designs July release, Pennant Swag Alphabet to spell out the letters "Celebrate" and punched them out with my circle punch.  I then die cut the Pennant Swag Die from some ODBD Blushing Rose designer paper, and adhered the letters to it.  The card base is A2, cut from Baked Brown Sugar cs, and all the designer paper is from the Blushing Rose pack.  I used 2 Cuttlebug folders, and one Ecstasy Crafts spring fun pack folder for the rose panel.  I cut the printed birthday sentiment from the Blushing Rose pack with the ODBD Custom Vintage  Label dies, and then matted that with a label from the Vintage Flourish Pattern Dies.  I added some twine and burlap, and a rolled ribbon rose for embellishments.  This card folds flat for mailing because the ribbon is so very thin... almost like nylon stockings! 

That's it for me today!  I hope you are staying cool where you are!

Blessings,  

HUGS!

Hello friends!  For all my American friends... I hope you had a wonderful July 4th!  It feels good to be home again after being gone this past week helping my daughter and family move to a new mini farm they bought.  It was a LOT of work and I am exhausted... having a bit of trouble getting back my groove!  I got home Sunday but had to spend yesterday putting up vegetables from the garden that seemed to ALL come in while I was gone!  Anyway... it was good to get in to my craft room and play with paper again (besides packing with it that is! LOL!)

Today's color challenge on SCS was my starting point for this card: Old Olive, Calypso Coral and Daffodil Delight.  I found this designer paper (My Mind's Eye Howdy Doody) and thought it was perfect.  I used the newly released Our Daily Bread designs Pennant Alphabet Solid stamps set, stamped the word HUGS with Old Olive ink, cut with the custom Pennant Row Die, then matted and cut the coral pennant row.  The Aster is a die set from last month's release and I cut it from various papers from the same pack.  I embossed my circle (cut with SB Petite Circles and Scalloped Circles) with a swiss dot folder.  I added some leaves from the ODBD Custom Fancy Foliage Dies.  My embellishments are little baker's twine bows made on the Bow Easy, and one crystal stick on for the flower center. 

For those who asked for simpler designs... this one went together really quickly!  I hope you'll give it a try!

Thanks so much for dropping by... and for taking the time to leave a little love!  It means so much to me!

Blessings to you all!

Welcome Baby!

Hello friends!  I hope you are doing well!

I am popping in to share a sweet Baby card I made using the July release from Our Daily Bread designs.

I started with a base of Bazzill and added a layer of cute designer paper from Crate Paper called Little Bo Peep.  It's full of sweet vintage images and I fell in love with this one.  I stamped the letters  from Pennant Alphabet with Memento Ink to spell  Welcome and  Baby on the designer paper.  I cut  the pennants out with the ODBD Pennant Row Dies.  I cut two rows of scalloped pennants from some coordinating pink paper from the same pad and adhered my word pennants to the scalloped rows. I did offset my stamped flags for the baby  row so that none of the letters would be hidden by the Welcome row.  That's why you see three unstamped pennants at the top. Next time I might try doing something different, but for this one, I decided on this approach.  The sentiment is from a past release, Precious Girl and is cut out with an ODBD Custom Vintage Flourish Pattern Die.  I matted that with a Spellbinders Card Creator Eloquence die cut that I ran through a Cuttlebug Embossing folder with what reminds me of a quilt pattern.  I then cut several of the tiny flowers from the ODBD Custom Oramental Cross Dies and some leaves from the ODBD Custom Fancy Foliage Dies.  I curled up the petals and added tiny opalescent pearls to the centers.  I also cut out two of the little yellow birds from scraps of the designer paper and added them to the sentiment panel and the shabby bow I created.  

I think the sentiment from the Precious Girl set is so wonderful.  What better way to welcome a new baby than to pray for that child?  I know I prayed for mine, and my grandchildren before they were born, and I continue to pray for them.  We have been blessed with this  prayer answered for each one of them!  It's been such a blessing to watch them grow up loving the Lord and growing in their knowledge and understanding of Him and really trying to live their lives they way He wants them to live.  I also think it's important for all the extended family and church family to be praying for these little ones!  Just think of the power in all those prayers, and the covering of protection over the children who are blessed to be prayed for in this way! 

I hope you enjoyed my different and kind of vintagey card today. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and for blessing me with your comments!

Welcome to the ODBD July Release!

Welcome to the July Release from ODBD!  I hope you've seen the full release!  If not, you can view it on the ODBD Blog.

 Before I get on to my card, let me give you the details on how YOU can qualify to win a prize!

Three winners will be randomly chosen from the comments left on the designers blogs to receive a $15 Gift Certificate to the ODBD Store, to be used toward the purchase of ODBD Stamps. You have until July 2, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. EDT to leave your comments! The Winners will be posted on the ODBD Blog on July 3rd, so be sure to check back there to see if you won!

 For the card above, I used new releases Pennant Swag 2, ODBD Pennant Swag Custom Dies, plus past releases Cake Single, Beautiful Border Dies, Ornate Borders and Flowers Die, and the ODBD Rustic Beauty Paper Collection.

I stamped the Cake image with Memento, colored with Copics and fussy cut it out.  I die cut a "pretty table cloth" to put it on using a die from the Ornate Borders and Flowers die set, which I also embossed with a swiss dot folder from Crafts Too.  I used Crumb Cake to create my card base, which is 5.5" square, added a layer of gingham designer paper from the Rustic Beauty Paper Collection which I had embossed with an Embossaliscious folder (Crafter's Companion) and had lightly sponged so it would stand out a little better.  I added another piece of paper from the same paper pack, a white lacy edge die cut from the Beautiful Borders die set,  a strip of loosely woven burlap which I fringed a bit on the ends, and then added the cake using foam dimensionals.  For the banner... it was so easy!  I just stamped the two rows of pennants from the Pennant Swag 2 set  with Cherry Cobbler ink, die cut them with the Custom Pennant Swag die, and I cut off the far right pennant of the word Happy so it would fit under the word Birthday without obscuring any letters.  I did lightly distress each layer with distress inks for a more "country" feel.  The only embellishments are two little red heart buttons with bakers twine bows.

 For my second card below, I created an easel card using the new Patriotic Pennants set and the Pennant Dies, as well as a past paper release, the ODBD Heart and Soul Paper Collection.   I used a Spellbinders Belly Band in 2 sizes to create my shaped easel.  This die has slits on the sides for ribbon or anything else you want to pass through them.  I thought I'd create a paper ribbon using the pennants in the die set, along with the stamp sets.  I also created a swag which I "hung" with twine.  I cut a smaller size of the Belly Band die and embossed with a star folder (Cuttlebug).  My base is Baked Brown Sugar and I used Midnight Muse and Real Red inks.  I added a strip of paper from the Heart and Soul paper to the inside panel, and I stamped both sentiments from the Patriotic Pennant set with Midnight Muse ink.  I added some brads and some sponging and kept it very simple.

Here are the NEW sets I used today:

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Here are the other ODBD products used today:

 

In case you missed my sneak peek, here is a card I had posted earlier.  You can see the details on this card, other views, and a short TUTORIAL by  clicking HERE.

Please be sure to stop by each of my DT sisters for more inspiration, and to not miss a chance to win, leave a little love in the form of a comment!

Julie *  Chris * Lori * Cathy * Sandee * Dawn * Angie * Lisa * Wanda * Audrey * Sabrina

Thank you for stopping by,