Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge - Thank You!

Hello everyone!  This week's Stampin Sister's in Christ Challenge was based on 1 Chronicles 16:34 "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever".  What a great verse to hold on to!  For our challenge we were to create a card that expressed thankfulness for someone or something they have done, or that encourages someone to be thankful.  Well... I am behind on making Pastor Appreciation cards for Oct. October is Pastor Appreciation Month and Oct is almost over!!!   This should complete the number I needed so I made this for our Senior Pastor.  He has such a heart for the Lord and gives of himself sincerely day after day and I wanted to thank him for all that he does. My expressions of thanks will be written on the inside in the form of a personal note.

I used the sketch from this week's challenge on SCS which I had not gotten to try yet.  I also used some fantastic new designer papers from Our Daily Bread designs that Kelley sent us this month with our stamps.  This paper is by S.e.i. and is called Moravia.  There is a copper foil in it that just glistens in the light.... of course, it's again dark and gloomy out so my inside shots never show that quite as well.  But you get the idea.The card base is Not Quite Navy and the copper is Prisma Metallic, also from Our Daily Bread designs.

The cross image is from Our Daily Bread designs called The Cross of Christ.  I embossed it with Copper embossing powder by Ranger.  I pulled out a tool I haven't used in forever... my spritzer... I can't even remember if that's the exact name for it! LOL!  I spritzed my Very Vanilla layers with some Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip, then sponged with T Holtz Distress Ink.  The sentiment is My Sentiments Exactly which fit perfectly in this Spellbinders Label Trio.  I used Spellbinders Label #5 for the main panel, SB Lattce Pendant element for the copper decor around the image, Sizzix corner die cuts and an EK Success edge punch using the negative parts for my blue scrolly decor.  I used copper brads and that's all the decor... I wanted to keep it masculine and fairly clean.  I hope he will like it.

Check out the Stamping Sister's in Christ Weekly Challenge! A new one is given every Sunday and there are great prizes up for grabs!

Before you go... let me remind you to come back on Sunday, Nov 1  for the Our Daily Bread designs November Release Blog Hop!  Start at the NEW ODBD Blog for a complete list of Design Team participants, then hop along, commenting on each blog and collecting their secret word/words.  Those who complete that simple requirement and return to the ODBD blog to tell us they have done so will be given an email address to write to me with the secret words and the names of the girls who had them.  One very Blessed winner will receive the ENTIRE new release!  You will have until 8PM EST on Tues. Nov. 3 to complete the hop, and email me at the special email address on the ODBD blog.  Do not email me from my own blog... it will get lost and not be in the drawing. 

Also... check out the ODBD DT Challenge beginning Nov. 1!  Our challenge will help you get your Christmas cards made and give you a chance to win a fabulous prize besides... so check back for that as well!

Have a blessed weekend and see you Sunday!

MMSC25 ODBD Sneak Peek - Luke 2:11

Hello everyone! This is my submission for Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge 25. I will try to get a better photo in daylight tomorrow, because IRL this really glistens! But here is what I did:

I used one of the great new sets being released by Our Daily Bread designs on Nov. 1 called "Luke 2:11". I just love these sets! There are so many wonderful verses, Scriptures and the images are so finely detailed... they look wonderful heat embossed! So Kelley sent us all some great designer papers this month to use on our cards... and this one is S.e.i. Moravia. In real life the copper foil design really really pops... but in my photos, I had "spots" of shine so I opted for a photo that didn't have much at all rather than blind you with spots of shine. Maybe tomorrow when I can get outside.

The image itself is stamped on Very Vanilla and embossed in Copper Embossing Powder by Ranger. My base is Papertrey Dark Chocolate, mat is Very Vanilla sponged with Chocolate Chip, then the S.e.i. dp. I used a Spellbinders Lattice Borderabilities double cut for my center panel, the Spellbinders Buckle is cut from CopperMettalic (Prism) and the flowers are Spellbinder's Poinsettias (smallest 2 sizes). I used my embossing tool to vein the flowers and then sprayed with glimmer mist. You might see that if you click on the photo to enlarge. I sponged all the vanilla layers and sprayed all layers with Bronze Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. I used a Martha Stewart Punch for the holly leaves and veined them with my embossing tool. I used an EK Success Edge Punch to get the negative parts for my scrolly copper elements. I finished off with Copper Microbeads.

This looks so much better IRL, but I was hurrying tonight to get this posted. I hope you have a blessed night and don't forget to check back on Nov 1. for the Our Daily Bread designs release Blog Hop. Hop along the DT blogs for a chance to win the ENTIRE release!!! Start at the ODBD New Blog here.

A Sneak Peek in the Rain!

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday! I decided to play along today in the SCS Color Challenge: Black, Kraft and Cameo Coral. I had fun making this card as I am using some brand new toys from Our Daily Bread designs. There are three absolutely gorgeous sets to be released Nov. 1 and there will be a blog hop and the chance for you to win the Entire Release! So please check out the Our Daily Bread Designs Blog on Nov 1 and good luck!

So today I am so sorry my photo is so bad. In reality this card has lots more color contrast and pop than shows in my photo, but as is so often the case with glimmery cards on rainy days, you just can't capture the glimmer. In any case, here is what I did:

I started with a Kraft tag and with VersaMark Dazzle Champagne, I stamped the sheet music from Amazing Grace the Hymn. Then I lightly sponged on cocoa pastels to pop it out a bit. Then I stamped just the corners of the Poinsettia Corner stamp from the soon to be released set "Luke 2:11" in T Holtz Distress Ink. I sponged all around the tag with various T Holtz inks. I then stamped the Scripture from "Christmas Blessinge" with Stampabilities Black Pigment Ink and clear embossed. My poinsettias are also stamped with Stampabilities Black Pigment Ink on Watercolor paper and clear embossed, then water colored with SU! Markers and cut out. The set actually has lots of gorgeous scrolly vines and leaves that make a gorgeous corner treatment, but I cut a lot of that off for this more vintage feeling card. My base is Papertrey, then there is a layer of SU! Kraft, then the DP is from Memory Box Spiceberry. Everything... all layers and even the lace is sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Suede Between the black embossing and the glimmer mist, there is a pretty glimmer to this card. Perhaps Thurs. when the sun is supposed to come out I can get a better photo.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek and I hope you will be back on Nov 1 to hop along for a chance to win the entire new release!!! See you at Our Daily Bread Designs' Brand New Blog!

God's Gift of Love Stair Step Card

The Stampin Sister's in Christ Challenge this week was to make a card that depicted the Nativity or in some way reflected the true meaning of Christmas.  I immediately thought of this older SU! set.  I used the Stair Stepfold technique found here to create this card.  My images are stamped with Memento Ink and colored with Copics.  The card itself is made on GP White and then designer paper from The Paper Co. was added.  The framing for the star/cross is Not Quite Navy.  I overstamped the star with the cross from Refuge and Strength (also SU!) using So Saffron.  I then added  Hero Arts crystals to the rays of the star.

This was a super quick card to put together and would be very doable in mass for a Christmas card. 

Thanks as always for looking!  Your visits and comments mean so much!

MMSC24, FTTC38, Elegant Poinsettia with lots of bling

Hello everyone!

I made this card for a couple of challenges. I used the Midnight Madness sketch24 and Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge to use Watercoloring.

I stamped my Flourishes image in VersaMark and heat embossed with Fine Detail Gold embossing powder by Ranger twice. I cut out the image twice so I could pop up some of the petals. The paper I used is that semi glossy cs I have used before that came from an office supply store. To see my description of this technique on this cs click here. I love using this glossy paper because there is a rich gloss to the finished design. (I am not sure whether a very glossy cs would work the same way or not.) I lightly wet the paper and then touched SU! Markers in appropriate places using Pretty in Pink and Blush Blossom to color the poinsettia. I did the same to the two die cut panels from my Spell Binder's Fleur de Lis center die.

For my sketch, I used a base of Papertrey Dark Chocolate, then Old Olive and then the Designer Paper is SU! Holiday Treasures. I still love this paper and am so glad I hoarded a bit of it last year so I can use it now! LOL! I used my SB Label #6 to cut the green label and embossed it, then did the same with Brushed Gold from the Paper Co.. I added the small Fleur de Lis die cuts in the green behind the gold, added lots of pearls from ZVA (available soon from Our Daily Bread designs). The image is popped up on dimensionals on both layers. I love how this one came out! I hope you do too!

As always, thanks for looking!!! Have a blessed week!

A Blinged Up Snowy Blast!

Anyway, I got up this morning eager to do some stamping and then a neighbor needed a ride to town... so I'm off to a late start, but I made this card for today's Sketch Challenge on SCS. Anne (jdmommy) had originally inspired Roxi's choice and I just had a blast with it!

The image is Impression Obsession and is stamped with Memento onto Neenah CS and colored with Copics. I masked the scene and sponged the sky with Bordering Blue and Brocade Blue, then some Memento London Fog. The base of the card is SU! Kraft (thanks again to Dawn). The designer paper is The Paper Studio and the blue is Bazzill Textured.

I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dot EF and added Fun Flock to the pom poms. There are Dazzling Diamonds on the snow lines. The pearl flourishes are from ZVA and will soon be available from Our Daily Bread designs Store. I added some blingy snowflakes from my stash.

Hope you enjoyed this wintry blast! I have a passion for snowmen and just hope we get a little snow here so I can go play in it!!! LOL!

Have a wonderful day!

If you'd like a little spiritual inspiration, please visit Women to Women. My devotional is up this week and I'd love to have you visit!

A Little Book of Encouragement

Today I'm sharing with you a project I made with the October released Our Daily Bread Designs sets. I love these sets because they are so versatile. They are all coordinated and work beautifully for Sympathy cards, Masculine cards, and even Christmas cards! (Click here To see a Winter Scene I made with this image where I masked out the boat and cat tails and gave it a wintry look.) Anyway...My husband gave me a Zutter Bind It All for our Anniversary in August and this was my first project with it. I started out small, using the 4 X 4" covers. I used the Zutter 1/2" Antique Brass O Wires and the 1/2" Corner Rounder for this project.

I wanted to keep this little booklet masculine, and I decided to use verses and sentiments from the sets that could be encouragement for anyone going through a rough time.

Project Details:

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs With Deepest Sympathy, Praying for You, With Heartfelt Sympathy
Ink: Archival Sepia, Jet Black, SU! Sahara Sand, THoltz Distress Ink in Tea Dye
Card Stock: Chocolate (Martha Stewart), True Thyme, Very Vanilla
Designer Paper: First Blush (Prima Marketing), K&Co, Brushed Gold - The Paper Studio, The Painted Desert (unknown brand)

Cover - Spellbinders Label #3, Stamped image from With Deepest Sympathy onto The Painted Desert DP (see photo to Rt... it's on the back side of the cover too) I thought this DP already had such interest to it with the waves of color so I stamped in a position where some of the gradations of color formed the horizon line in the background. Then I very lightly added some color with Prisma Pencils & OFMS. This Designer Paper is my theme that runs through the whole book. I covered my Kraft covers with the Chocolate, then added a layer of True Thyme followed by The First Blush DP, both of which were sponged with TH Tea Dye. Added a strip of trees punched with MS Edge Punch, linen twine, Punched greenery, strips of chocolate paper topped with the punch outs from my Fleur de Lis Spellbinder used on page 1. I glued these cut outs to recreate some cat tails outside my scene. Added the Hope brad. The main panel is popped up on dimensionals.

Page 1 - Covered page with Chocolate CS. Sentiment from With Heartfelt Sympathy. SB Label #5 sponged with Tea Dye and Choc. Chip. Mounted sentiment on a Spellbinders Fleu de Lis Pendant cut out of the Painted Desert DP. Added antique bronze brads.

Page 2 - Base of Chocolate, then layer of K&Co DP. Spellbinders Label #7 cut from Vanilla and Chocolate. Stamped verse from With Deepest Sympathy in Archival. Used gold gel pen to draw in some pages and added chocolate ribbon for book mark, and antique brushed gold cut with SB Flourishes.

Page 3- Base of Chocolate, then two different DPs from The First Blush. Stamped cat tail image from With Heartfelt Sympathy lightly in Sahara Sand, then over that stamped verse in Sepia from the same set. Cut and embossed SB Label #5. Added bling from BasicGrey.

Page 4 - K&Co DP, SB Labels 4 for sentime nt and 2 behind that in Chocolate. Stamped the dragonflies from With Heartfelt Sympathy lightly in Sa hara Sand, then the verse from "Praying for You" in Sepia. Added piercing and bling.

Punching all the layers was the last step, and I had no problem punching through them. I added the 1/2" O Wires and did have a little trouble getting that perfectly round... I guess there's a "knack" to it as mine is just slightly off round. However it's close enough that the pages flip freely and you really can't notice that they are not perfectly round. I had a blast with this project. We have so many friends right now who are struggling with life threatening illness, and while it is often difficult to make good cards for men, I think this little book would make a great gift of encouragement for any man. Thank you for stopping by and seeing my project! Have a blessed week!