SSIC~117 Christmas Cardinal

Good Sunday morning!! I hope you had a special time over this past Thanksgiving holiday if you were celebrating!! In my family, Thanksgiving is a matter of survival!! I really don't know how the pilgrims managed, as I have a challenge just getting a turkey on the table and the fixin's for my big crew...I can't imagine dealing with frigid temperatures or making friends with the natives!! I guess I don't have the fortitude the pilgrims did, that's for certain~!
So the day after Thanksgiving, full of gratitude as I was for my family and the blessings they are to me...I happily sat at my stamp desk and created this card!! Not a care in the world...just like the birds in this week's verse!!
You can read all of today's challenge and this week's devotional on the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog.
Our challenge hostess is the amazingly talented Linda from Lovely Linda's Craft Central.  Linda chose this scripture:

Matthew 6:25-34

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

The challenge this week is to create a project that has a bird on it, as designer paper, image, or charm.
The Prize: A Sweet and Sassy gift card!! Go look on the Sweet and Sassy website!! They have so many wonderful products!!
My card uses Flourishes stamps and a sentiment also from Flourishes. The paper is Basic Grey's Jovial. The paper reminded me of warm flannel...which seemed an appropriate backdrop to this wintry scene!! I also added SU's striped grosgrain ribbon, a big 'ol button, and a "fancy tags" nesties for my sentiment. The cardinal was colored in with copics, and a little bit of snow added on the branches with liquid applique.
Thanks so much for stopping in...please visit all the talented design team to see what they've created this week. Sure hope you can join in the challenge!! Blessings on your week!

SSIC 113~Christmas Tree

Another week has flown by so quickly...and it's time for a new Stampin' Sisters in Christ card challenge!

This week our hostess is the wonderfully talented Lisa from The Craft's Meow.  You can view the devotional on the SSIC blog and read along with the rest of the design team. It's always exciting to see each week's thoughts  and applications.

Well, we had a "sneak peek" of winter here a couple of days ago as overnight the snow caught us by surprise, leaving a scene of winter wonderland along with many damaged trees in our town and neighborhoods. The beauty of the fist snowfall of the year sparked the creativity in today's card. This week's challenge was to use "fall colors like crimson, orange or golds."

Crimson it is...and this Christmas striped ribbon reminds me of today's verse:

Isaiah 1:18" Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

I stamped the tree and gave it a gold halo with Tim Holtz antique linen and tea dye inks...(my touch of gold) and added a bit more gold with stickles along the branches. The crimson was added with the back panel and the red and white striped ribbon tied in a big fat bow. These oversized bows seem to be my trademark!

I see this verse as such a "gift" from God...the one we as Christians can celebrate any day...and that is the complete wiping out of our sins by a completely Holy God. Some may ask, "What is sin? " Sin as used in scripture means to "miss the mark." God has set a perfect and holy standard in the Bible. Just reading the Ten Commandments, none of us has to go far to realize that we don't meet any of them perfectly. God is holy, which means he is completely without sin. In order to enter in to his presence and enjoy fellowship with him...we also need to have that holiness imparted to us. Thankfully, we don't have to wait until some distant day far off into the future. God provided a way...and that is by believing in His son, Jesus Christ and repenting (turning away from) our sin. If any of this is confusing or you would like to know more about how to have your sins completely removed (past , present, and future) now and forever...please leave me a comment and we can reason together through the scriptures.

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This week's prize sponsors are a 10 pound gift card from Lily of the Valley. I just received an order from them yesterday, and can't wait to make a card with one of these adorable images!

 I hope you can join in our challenge this week...and be reminded of the weight that has been lifted as we rejoice over the promise of this scripture when we confess our sins and turn away from them...putting our trust in God's son as the perfect sacrifice for all of our sins.

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Today's card is also being submitted for this week's Flourishes

card challenge to use a tree or leaves on your card!

And one more submission for this month's Flourishes Christmas Card Challenge FLLCNOEL18!

Stampin' Sisters in Christ~Doves and Holly

Good morning my stamping friends! Today's challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is a really unique one based on such an encouraging scripture selection. Miesje from Creative Craft Room with a View has chosen our verse and challenge this week. You can read her devotional on the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog or here.  I hope you can join in the fun this week!!

The verse:  Matthew 11: 28 – 30  "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The challenge: Sharing. Use two of everything on your card. 2 Designer papers, 2 flowers, 2 stamps...etc...whatever you choose, double it!
The Prize Sponsors: This week's wonderful sponsors are Designed 2 Delight~a 10.00 gift certificate!

I don't have a devotional to add to this week's scripture, but am always so blessed reading this week's devotional along with you!

I purchased this stamp last Christmas, and it was still uninked! So I was happy to bring it out and use it for today's card challenge. As you can see, there are two doves on the image, two sizes of the same Labels 18 nestability, and two sets of three pearls. I also used two designer papers.
I am also submitting this for this month's Flourishes Christmas challenge to make your card shine! I used gold embossing powder for my stamped images, stickles for the holly berrys, and glimmer mist for the entire image.
Here are the card details:
Stamps: Doves and Holly, Christmas Classics (Flourishes)
Paper:  PTI white, SU! Brushed Gold, Basic Grey Jovial
Ink: Tim Holtz Spun Sugar and Antique Linen, Memento Black
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels 18, Copic markers, Pearls, Red twill ribbon and white crochet ribbon, Gold Embossing Powder, Diamond Stickles

Thanks so much for visiting today and hope you can join in on the challenge!!

Stampin' Sisters in Christ ~Challenge #109

It's another Sunday and another scripture verse challenge on Stampin' Sisters in Christ!! This week's challenge is brought to us by the fun and talented Kris Breach of "Ink Something." You can visit the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog and see the devotional as well as the design team's samples for your inspiration.
This week's Scripture:
Galatians 5:22
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
The challenge:
Include FRUIT in your creation. (could be designer paper, digi paper, stamped image, charm, etc...)
*By definition, a pumpkin is a fruit, and so are other "harvest" produce such as gourds.*

I received a crate of peaches from a friend a couple of weeks ago; just before we were to leave on a trip. Not wanting to waste any, I went to work peeling, slicing , and freezing. So when I viewed this week's challenge, I was excited to bring out this Magnolia stamp featuring Tilda holding a peach! Isn't she sweet? I have long admired these stamps that have been water colored with distress inks, so this week, I challenged myself to try this technique. It is a different look than coloring with copics, and I like the softness the water coloring medium lends to this sweet image!

This verse is one I have not visited in awhile...and it was such a good reminder that when we have Christ in us; he enables us to live by the fruits of the Spirit.  I did a little inventory of the fruits...not peaches, strawberries, and kiwis...but those fruits that Christ alone can accomplish in us. I know when I am short a fruit (or two or three)...it means I am not walking by the Spirit, but I am relying on my own strength.
This week I am concentrating on one of the fruits of the spirit listed in this verse, "peace." What I learned is that "our peace is an inner calm that is promised to those who believe who have a thankful attitude based on an unwavering confidence that God is able and willing to do what is best for his children." That perspective has really helped me this week...knowing that I can be thankful even in light of difficult circumstances...because I can know that God is doing what is best for me.
This past week I was given the "peace that passes all understanding..." that is promised in Philippians 4:6-8. " The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." There was a situation that would send any mother into a tailspin of worry and anxiety...and yet I experienced so much peace. I prayed a lot during the day, and slept really well at night.  I was talking it over with my husband today and asked...so what was different? The situation remained, nothing changed on the outside...but I felt different on the inside. Could it have been the prayers of others, my own prayers...and then I realized...the difference was I could see a tiny window of God at work. It was as if  the heavens were parted just enough to see something minuscule on a universal scale, yet so large in my life from a heavenly perspective. So then, the question I asked myself, So did that mean that God wasn't at work before? No...it just meant that God was really gracious in allowing me to see a speck of what he was doing in the grand scheme of things. And so I can only thank Him.
I hope you are encouraged by this week's verse and I look forward to see what you do for today's challenge.
Have a blessed Sunday!

A Picture speaks a Thousand Words!

Good morning, blogging friends!! I could tell you where I am...but I imagine you can guess by the above photograph...which by the way, took forever to upload from my hotel room!! But here it is, and it is really beautiful!! Right now I am tucked away in a beautiful but secluded hotel outside of Chantilly, France. Since I have no car, I am relaxing in the room while my husband attends some planning meetings. Our room is surrounded by a miniature forest...so I think a walk exploring the grounds is in order. When I return home, I will upload more pictures from our trip.
The best thing about Paris...Rue de Cler...a quaint street with vendors and sidewalk cafes. If you walk to the end and around a corner, you'll have a great view of the above!!
The least favorite thing about Paris...shopping on the Champs de Lysse...(I think that is misspelled)...so crowded and people walk right through you...I had to get out of there without a single souvenir. I am thinking the streets of New York city may be similiar, at least that is what I've been told!
Missing: Starbucks coffee.

The Church Door~Stamin' Sisters in Christ 106

Good morning! Today at Stampin' Sisters in Christ we have a new challenge!! This week, Rebekkah is our challenge host. You can read her devotional on the SSIC blog or on Rebekkah's blog, "A Diamond in the Rough."  Rebekkah has chosen this verse:

Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks the door will be opened."

The challenge on your cards this week is : To us a door or window on your card!
One card will be chosen winner and receive a special stamp set from Simon Says Stamp!

I searched and searched for a stamp that had a door on it...and remembered this lovely Flourishes image from "Christmas Postcard," which had a small church in the background of this dreamy winter scene. I thought it appropriate for this challenge...you could use a door of a building, a door image, make a small door in your card, use designer paper with a door on it, whatever you wish!! And if you can't find a door, use a window!
I wanted to use my new fleur de lis rectangles to frame this image. I stamped this initially on some Jovial designer paper to give it more of an antique feel. (Leslie from Running with Scissors gave me that idea!) I then used frosted lace and diamond stickles to add snow, colored it in with various copics in soft colors, added a wrinkled distressed ribbon and gold cording...and have one Christmas card done!! Or this could be a winter birthday card, I used the "Warm winter wishes" so my card could be used for any winter occasion! Of course, today is a sunny day in Colorado, and this picture may be hard to capture the winter feel and all the sparkle, but it is there!
So...please jump in and join the challenge this week!! In my week the church is a door I enter through frequently...it is a place of worship, study of God's word, a place of renewal, friendships, encouragement, and a place to be real with others who are earnestly seeking God and want to know Him better!!
Thank you so much for coming by...have a blessed week!



A Quiet Life~ SSIC Challenge #105

Welcome to today's Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge! This week's verse and devotional was chosen by the wonderfully talented  Peggysue at Roses by my Window! Her devotional and all the design team cards will be featured on the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog also!

I will be traveling to the mountains over the weekend...which was part of the inspiration for today's card. I wanted a scene that depicts living a quiet life...so I combined two Flourishes stamps and did a distressed ink tutorial for my sky background. I have to say, I like the way it turned out...though a bit bright for the muted colors of today's challenge...I am pretending that this is a Seattle blue sky and anyone who has ever visited there knows that when the sun is shining, the sky will be blue!!

The verse:

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

"Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living, just as we told you before. 12 In this way you will win the respect of those who are not believers, and you will not have to depend on anyone for what you need."

The challenge:Nothing bright. Use quiet colors in your card creation; either pastels or earth tones; soft muted shades of neutrals

The Prize:  Clear Dollar Stamps GC

My card recipe:

Stamps: Flourishes Kids at Play, Forest of Trees

Paper: SU! Always Artichoke, SU! other, PTI Rustic

Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia, Ranger Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Broken China

Accessories: Twill ribbon, Metal Nailheads colored with copic marker, Circle Nestabilites, Dimensional

Thanks so much for visiting today...and your kind comments! I can't wait to see what you create with today's challenge if you play along!! Have a wonderful weekend!

This is the Day the Lord Has Made!

I can't believe it is already time for another Stampin' Sisters in Christ card challenge! Some days fly, and this week has been one of those weeks!

This week's challenge is brought to us by Miesje. You can find her verse along with accompanying devotional and the Design Team's challenge cards on the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog.  I am always excited to visit and read the devotional and this week is no exception!

This week's verse:

1 Corinthians 10:17 "Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf."

The Challenge: Recipe challenge: Create a card choosing at least 3 of the following:

ribbon, button, swirl, hat pin, brad, charm, popped up image.

The Prize: Sweet and Sassy Gift Certificate!!

Today's card uses the verse from Psalm 118:24, one of my favorite verses! After checking, I think I have these elements on my card: ribbon, swirl (found in the labels die cut and the doily,) hat pins, and popped up image. The timepiece on the far corner is a cut out image that I took from a piece of the Webster's Pages designer paper and then adhered it to another paper from the same pack. Because the verse has to do with honoring this day, I wanted to use an element of time. Just don't look too hard...it may seem like my clock is turned on it's side, but I really wanted those florals facing that direction! I also used a new-to-me product, Allene's Paper glaze on my fancy labels. I wanted the image to pop, and this left a glassy glaze on the surface. I think I like it.

I hope you are inspired this week and would love to see your card or creation when you play along with this week's challenge!!

My card is also made with the Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge to use a doily.

This card was also meets this week's Flourishes challenge to make a card using a sentiment as the focal point.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Flourishes Lenten Rose

Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa, Antique Linen distress ink

Papers, Prima DP, SU! Cocoa, PTI Kraft, SU! Blush

Accessories:  Crochet Lace, 1/4" satin ribbon, Making Memories Vintage Findings Gem Pins, Fancy Tags Two Nestabilities, Martha Stewart doilies, brown pearls, Allene's Paper Glaze

Stampin Sisters in Christ ~2 Timothy 1:7

Good Sunday morning to you!! This week's Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge was challenging for sure. But as with any good challenge, the outcome can be so gratifying! Today's challenge was given by MariLynn from Mississippi McGyver. 

You can view today's devotional and challenge in detail by visiting the Stampin Sisters in Christ blog. I'm sure you will be blessed!

The Scripture:  2 Timothy 1:7

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."

 

The challenge:

Try something that you have been AFRAID to try before. Examples: A color combination, a different style than you would normally use (layers instead of CAS or CAS if you normally lay on the layers...) You get the idea!!

The Prize:  A 15.00 gift voucher from the generous Paper Fashions Etc.!!

I really had to rack the recesses of my tired brain to figure out what to do for this challenge. I thought and I thought and I thought...and I could not think of what I was afraid to do. Most things I have wanted to do (stamping related,) I have attempted before. The reason I don't do it is either because it isn't my style, or I've discovered I don't do it well. And I have learned that over spending hours and hours on a card or project and wondered why I tortured myself?  I call that a learning curve...and happily I have moved on to a style that reflects me and doesn't leave me frustrated. Except every once in awhile I see something one of you does and have to give it a try! It's always good to challenge yourself a bit! 

When it comes to living life, I know I am not nearly as brave as I would like to be. In the past two years I have found my knees weak and thoughts rambling and my fingers trembling.  The word that can evoke so much fear has touched all three of my family members...husband, oldest and youngest daughter. Each have required numerous surgeries to rid of tumors. I am afraid of cancer. I am afraid of surgery.  While in this waiting mode of wondering if the cancer recurs in another suspect looking mole on one of my daughter's bodies...I find myself avoiding the sun and being fearful of the damaging rays. I still go outside, but I am not one to go uncovered...I have shade and a hat. 

Those relationships that I have consistently relied on for strength have been slowly taken away.  My mom recently made the decision to be permanently placed in a nursing home in the town where she and my Dad live and I grew up in. I am fearful for her physic  well being as every day she loses weight and she is so frail to begin with. I am worried for her emotional well-being as she is such a lovely woman and yet she spends most of her time alone.  But more than that, I am afraid at times of not being the daughter to her and my Dad and the support that I need to be when they live in a town that is many miles across several mountain passes. How do you flip family responsibilities and become the mother to the mother when you miss your mother? And how do you let go of being the daughter that could go to her mom when she was scared?  I wrestle with this often and the role I now play.  And am I able to meet the responsibilities of handling all the financial and health decisions when the time comes?

These are just a few of the ways the Lord has steered my life and those I love recently. And at times I feel I have lost my equilibrium.I have had the feeling of being suspended in the unknown rather than walking a steady path the Lord has set out for me. When feeling this way, the one thing that has helped is confessing my fears to the Lord...not that he doesn't already know them!!  Reeling in those thoughts that tend to take me captive and down a side street of doom. Lately I am coming to the realization that whatever the Lord is doing...it is truly for my good. I am growing closer to Him. I am putting away the distractions and spending much more time in seeking him out. We have a lot of conversations on my bed at night.  When I find myself unsteady, I think on his attributes and how he is unchanging...He is a rock. He is my rock.

We all need encouragement in this life...and I have found so much through God's continued grace and the ways he continues to reveal his care, his goodness, and provision over me and those I love...oftentimes through friends like you!!

2 Samuel 22

"As for God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

(23) It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (24) He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to stand on the heights. (37) You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn."

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 One thing I am a little intimidated by is alterable items.  They usually require more time than a card...but the results can be gratifying! This gift tin has been sitting in my closet for a long time. I went to work with paper, dies, stamps perfect for food gifts, spritzing roses, adding ribbon, etc...

I filled it with pretty gold foil wrapped candy. And for now it will sit in my stamp room or kitchen...until I find the perfect occasion for gift giving. You can click on the picture for a closer view. I love these stamps from Waltzingmouse work for the canister lids also!

Paper: Daisy D's designer, PTI rustic

Ink:  Versafine Sepia, Always Artichoke

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse Victorian Fripperie and Labels Four

Accessories: Spellbinder dies, prima roses, shimmer mist, satin ribbon

Thanks for visiting today! I hope this project encourages you to try something you've been afraid to attempt before. I just thought of something else I am afraid to do...digital!! Oh my goodness, I would need a class for that one!! But I need to learn, because that seems to be a trend here to stay!!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Reeling in Colorado's Beauty!!

I rarely make male cards...but this Thomas Kinkade image combined with Flourishes "What a Catch" set had me swooning. My guy is a fly fisherman, and the combined images made a pretty handsome card, don't you think?
I copper embossed the background and colored a decorative brad with a copper copic marker to antique it...adding the cool "fly" in versamark to give the background some interest. A couple of weeks ago I actually went with my husband while he picked out to fish with. They were so tiny, all in these little bins, and really detailed...pretty cool art in and of itself.  I added a simple handmade flag banner. The main focal image is so detailed, it doesn't need any color added. I kinda like that!

This card was a complete CASE because I love love love it. The blog, "Joyful Creations with Kim" caught my eye awhile back...Kim also lives in Colorado and she captured the beauty of a Colorado pine forest in her card here. She also gives a great tutorial for this one layer beauty. I can't say that I completely honored her card with mine, but I tried. Combined with the twine and a button, I am happy with this card's outcome. I made several using a masking technique and 3 colors for the sponging in background, Baja Breeze for the sky, Old Olive for the base, and So Saffron in the center going upwards to mimic sunlight filtering through the trees.
One thing that really helped me line the masking up is using a large lined post it note pad (I needed two pieces for each side and one for the top) combined with a grid paper underneath to match the lines. I used SU!'s large ruled sheets for this. I made that purchase a long time ago, and they are so handy to have!

Thanks so much for stopping in today!! I will be back on Sunday to share a project I am working on for Stampin' Sisters in Christ!
Hope you're having a wonderful end of summer!

Sing to the Lord!

It's a new week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ!! Today's devotional is from the most talented Teresa Kline of Paperie Blooms. I am so looking forward to reading Teresa's thoughts this morning and hope you will join us in today's devotional and stamping challenge! 

Teresa's chosen verse is:

Colossians 3:16

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

This is such a beautiful and encouraging scripture, don't you think? I think music speaks to all of us...whatever our tastes or genre might be! But there is something very unique and wonderful and transforming when we all combine our voices heavenward in praise to the Lord!

The challenge:

Use music in some form, sheet music, musical notes, instruments, or singing.

The Prize:  Simon Says Stamp gift certificate!!

I love this stamp from Flourishes...it reminds me of my Mom singing our wake-up song when I was a little girl....The Red Red Robin! Do you know it? Anyway, this bird brings me a smile and combined with the sentiment from the same set, "Sing a New Song," is perfect for Teresa's challenge today!

Stamps: Flourishes Singin' Along, Country Charm Labels

Paper:  Papertrey Ink white, Bazill blue

Ink: Memento Black, Versafine Sepia

Accessories: Nestabilities, pearls (colored blue with copic,) copic markers, Martha Stewart punch, prima roses, pink plaid ribbon, white crochet ribbon, twine

New Mercies

This week the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge is from the (lovely) Linda Lucas! Her scripture verse is :

Lamentations 3:22-23 
"The faithful love of the LORD never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. "

When you visit the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog, you will be able to read this week's wonderful devotional by Linda. I did this morning, and it was so uplifting!

This verse was the inspiration behind my card.  When meditating on God's mercies being new every morning, God impressed something "new"to me this past few weeks. I have felt very hard-pressed on all sides by trials for over a year now. And the thing is, new trials keep coming into my life!!  Sometimes we have seasons like that where so many concerns for family's health, fragmented relationships,  those we love being far from the Lord...all these can bring a sense of  despair and hopelessness.  The feelings can come at night when you are alone and in the dark and most vulnerable, or in the day time when you are surrounded by people that seemingly have no cares or concerns weighing them down. While these feelings are not healthy, they are very human. They don't feel very spiritual...but I can attest that God is there in the midst of the trials and the dark times. I had been trying to deal with the difficult situations by either distraction, avoidance, or worry.   Finally, out of desperation, I changed my direction... and  I asked the Lord to bring something "new" into my life. My heart basically cried out from a feeling of such a low spirit, that I needed to see God's hand at work performing something new...and something I could perceive and say, "This is from God. God is working in my circumstances!"  A new way to resolve an old issue, a new attitude for me,  a new way to see my present difficult circumstances, a new light shed that might ease a difficult situation.  I prayed this prayer over many nights..and God answered in a "new" way. Charles Spurgeon's commentary on this verse stated that sometimes God's mercy was a new mercy, something we had never experienced before. And sometimes his mercy was presented in a new way, by a new deliverer...in my case it was both!! I had a neighbor who I had not seen in almost five years come to my door one day shortly after these prayers... with a cheery bouquet of bright summery flowers. She said she had hosted an outdoor dinner and they were left over and she thought she'd share them with me. This woman had been pastoring a church for the past few years and was gone from home during the days. She had recently left her pastoral position, and for some reason had come knocking on my door. Later that week we enjoyed a special time of fellowship over lunch and catching up on each other's lives and it ended in a sweet time of prayer in the car in front of our homes.  She was a "new" mercy, and God's perfect timing! While the trials remain, it is so true that burdens are lessened when shared, and this friend certainly did that.
When I made this card, I pictured the freedom, the innocence,  the sweetness a new day brings when the Lord is part of it. We have fresh mercies available to us each morning.  A new day unfurls like a gift, wrapped in ribbon, and if we have eyes to see, the hope it brings with it may be as close as a neighbor with a bouquet of flowers! 

The challenge this week is to look deep into your stamp supply cupboards and find something you bought because you had to have it...but have not used it!

The prize:  Clear Dollar Stamps is offering a generous 15.00 gift certificate this week!!

My "digging deep" produced these prima flowers...I stacked two on this card!! I bought these in every color and have only used a few as usually they are the wrong size or the wrong color. These shaped petal cards are a new purchase I recently bought on a trip to Victoria, B.C...and this challenge helped me to use one up!!

I hope you will visit the SSIC blog and read Linda's devotional and be challenged this week to see a  fresh mercy the Lord has blessed you with!!

Supplies:
Paper: "The Papery Petal Cards", Papertrey Ink Vanilla, PTI white, SU! Pink Pirouette, Designer Paper
Stamps: Flourishes "Kid's at Play"

Accessories: Labels Nestabilities, Prima Flowers (layered), Pearls, Pearl Flourishes,  PTI twine, EK Success punch, SU! Scalloped Punch,  Iridescent Ribbon, Glimmer Mist, Charm

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Guest Designer!!

Good morning!! I am excited to tell you I've been  invited to be a guest for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge blog for the next few weeks! Since this is one of my favorite groups I love to visit each Sunday , I am so honored to be stampin' along with this wonderful group of gals!! The other wonderfully talented guest for the next six weeks along with myself is Teresa Kline of Paperie Blooms!
So this week, the scripture and devotional were chosen by my friend, Peggysue.

Psalm 148:7-10

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds..."

The challenge issued was use any type of creature from tiny (like an ant or bug) to a  very LARGE creature (like a whale or elephant) on your card or project.

The sponsor this week is a gift certificate to Doodle Pantry!!

Peggysue had asked us to share a praise song for this challenge. The song that was going through my head as I created my card was "All Creatures of our God and King" by the David Crowder band. I was able to find an inspirational video with music on Youtube here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cObXwn-EgGY&feature=related

My card was created with this tiny hummingbird in mind...I love watching hummingbirds from our bird feeder up in the mountains!! The last time I was there, I actually spied one of the tiny hummers perched up in a large pine branch! I had never seen them still, and I was surprised at how tiny these are! My stamp is Flourishes "Humming Along" along with SU! designer papers in soft subtles, PTI white, Webster's sparklers, white satin ribbon, white crochet ribbon, and mosaic tiles.

So hope you can visit the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog and play along with this fun challenge. You may just be a winner of a darling Doodle Pantry gift certificate...but you are sure to be uplifted in spirit and may find a new song in your heart!

Keepin' it Simple!

Simple is as simple does...not!! Hi friends! I am back to sharing a few creations in the next couple of days here. Every once in awhile I get tired of my same 'ol style and want to branch out...this time I tried a new card fold featured on the Papertrey Ink blog which worked well to showcase the focal botanical image.  Basically you just cut away the card front approximately an inch and that way you have a narrow flap to add a decorative border or strip. I wanted to try some fresh summer colors, so teamed up PTI's  Hawaiian shores ink with Enchanted Evening added just around the edges. The sentiment from Flourishes "Country Charm Labels" fit this set, so I inked it in the Enchanted Evening ink. As a side note, don't you think it would be fun to come up with all the names of inks? I would love to be on some Hawaiian shores with an enchanted evening, wouldn't you? The inside flap was stamped in a itty bitty flower stamp from the same "Country Charm Labels." The botanical are from Inkadinkado and were given to me by a friend, a "just because" gift, which is the best kind. Thank you, Joanne!! They are beautiful!
Thanks so much for stopping by! We are in a heat wave here in  Colorado...high 90's and I am feelin' it for sure! If my teeth weren't so sensitive to cold, I'd like to be sucking on a Popsicle right now! Maybe I'll just listen for the ice cream truck, instead...

Flourishes Farm Fresh Challenge

Today's card is for this month's Flourishes Farm Fresh Challenge! I combined two of the Flourishes sets, the "Seeds of Friendship" with the "Strawberries" for this card. The paper is from SU's designer papers in pure poppy and Papertrey Ink's white, and the pretty ceramic button was purchased awhile ago from an Etsy store online from "Tessa Ann."
I took this photograph outside, and as soon as the camera clicked, a bit of breeze blew my card off the upperstory deck railing into our lilac bushes. It rained last night. I was able to retrieve it with the help of a mop handle and hope it dries. Have you ever had one of those weeks?? I love this card and will be mailing it off soon, anyway!!
Edited: After an hour, the card looks fine, the waterspots have dried flat and you wouldn't even know it had gotten wet! I am relieved!

Happy Independence Day!!

Happy Independence Day to the U.S.A! This is a simple embedded embossed card my stamp club made...I love the flag (S.U.) embossed in white and then a wash of reinkers over it. It is simple , but I like it!
We went to our first rodeo in years last night...and at the beginning, a beautiful horse galloped around the circle with the rider holding a large flag...it was so beautiful. This is the last of my three red white and blue cards...will be back later this week with something pretty, I hope!! Happy Fourth of July, and Canada Day!!

Making the Time

Hi, friends of mine that take the time to visit me here!  I have been absent from here, as you know. But my absence here means I have been more fully present somewhere else, and that is a good and sometimes necessary thing. As many of you are rounding the corner of a busy time of year with graduations, end of school year events, or preparing to send a college student on their way to a new and exciting adventure...this past week I have been doing something that I had hoped I would never have to do. But it is alright. I will write more about that at another time...but for today, I came across this quote on another blog and wanted to share it here as it sums up my thoughts on the subject of "time"so well. I am thankful that my family took the time to be with me and support me and my parents during this past very difficult week. I am thankful I have had the ability to take the time this past year to make the needed trips across our state to my parent's home at times which were not always convenient and many times rushed and had a feel of emergency. I am thankful I took  the time to listen to my mom on what could be her last day living in her own home and hear her memories she shared. I am thankful.
The way I see time is we are all given 24 hours in a day. Each and every day. We make choices how we spend our time, and if we say we are always busy, or there is never enough of it...then I think it is time to reevaluate our time in light of what is truly important to us. Time is always moving, it is fluid, it does not wait for us. We are wise to wait on it, to seize it when the opportunity presents itself...and to let go when it has moved on. I am working on all of these in my life right now. How about you?



"As busy as we can make ourselves feel, or sometimes as busy as we want to seem to others, there is nothing more important than just making time. For a friend. For a daughter. For someone who wants you and needs you for something. There is always something else you can do, somewhere else you can be. We all get the same amount of time each day. If we say we don’t have the time, what we really mean is that we don’t want to make the time. Because if you can’t make it for one thing, it means you made it for something else. Something else took priority. Today, choose to make the time. Make time for yourself. Make time for someone else. Make the time for something you’ve been putting off. I doubt you’ll regret it. – Emily, Remodeling this Life "

Baby Card

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon here! My great-nephew and his wife just had their first child, a baby boy last month~! This card was made using Flourishes stamps...the background was stamped with the baby rattle and I love this sentiment so much I wanted to use it on the front of the card. Since it is so overcast today, my card needed some editing. The colors are PTI lemon tart, and SU bashful blue. This was made for this week's Flourishes May sketch found here. Thanks for stopping in, enjoy your weekend!

Sing a New Song

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things."  ~Psalm 98:1

We've had a deluge of rain here for the past few days...more than I have seen in all the years of living here in Colorado. I think we came close to a record...but today, the sun came out and it is glorious with all the visible signs of spring following the rain!!
This card was made with the season of spring in mind...a season of renewal and flowers blooming, trees budding, birds singing, mallards quacking, geese ...well, what do geese do...hmmm?? We have a gaggle of geese that frequently visit the pond behind our house!   Oh, yes, geese honking!!
Flourishes is issuing several challenges this week on their blog to welcome their new release for the month of May!! I chose this challenge, "Three in a Row." My card uses three elements:  a die cut, lace, and pearls! There are actually two die cuts layered that my little singing bird is perched on! To view this challenge, visit here on the Flourishes blog.
Today's card is also being submitted to this week's Stampin' in Christ challenge to make a card using all things beautiful!
For my card, I used two nestabilities dies, the blossom and labels 4, Flourishes stamp set, prima papers, pearls, crochet lace, blue ribbon, and prima roses from the Flourishes store, and a bit of stardust stickles. The image was colored with copic markers!
Thanks for stopping in today!

A Wagon Full of Love

Well, it's been quite a long while since I've picked up a stamp and I must admit that the process is a bit overwhelming! As much as I was inspired by our recent trip, I didn't have any stamps that matched the inspiration. So I found the My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge and used it as a springboard to bring this sweet image to life. I have to say, I love paper piecing...where else could you have a red polka dotted wagon except in the world of paper and scissors? I also was excited to use this sweet paper I've had on my desk. I hope this little girl finds you enjoying your day and brings you a big smile!
Blessings on your day!

Mother's Day Poem

This poem was written and shared by our pastor at church. It is based upon 2 Corinthians 4:7 and Phillippians 4:13.  If you read it and share it, please be sure to give proper credit. Hope you find it an encouragment to you today!

Woman of weakness, woman of strength
Clothed in humanity, upheld by God's grace
Prone to get tired, discouraged, undone.
Yet able, in Christ to be joyful and strong.

You know as a Mom, as  a vessel of clay
The weight of the burdens you shoulder each day
Pressed in your patience, laden with cares
Constantly tending to others' affairs
And though you're resourceful, still more help you seek
You know that you're lacking, you know that you're weak.

But weakness isn't a thing to be fought
Or something to stew on to make you distraught
For God is well-pleased, to take all of you
And bring Himself glory, while showing it's true
That when you are weak, you truly are strong
As you walk in dependence on Him all day long.

When you are perplexed, He's infinitely wise
When you are undone, He's never surprised
When you are exhuasted, He won't shut HIs eyes
All that you lack, He fully supplies
For He gives His grace, and He gives without measure
And shines forth the gospel, and displays it as treasure.

So when you are weary, when feeling dismayed
Don't be discouraged, and don't be afraid.
Don't be depressed, or lay down in despair
Don't look inside, to muster what's there.
Instead look to Jesus, who lives within you.
Whose Spirit empowers all that you do.

So declare it in faith, declare it as true.
Declare this great hope with each day when it's new.
Declare it each hour, again and again
That "I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH JESUS!" Amen

Women of weakness, women of strength
Clothed in humanity, upheld by God's grace.
Prone to get tired, discouraged, undone
Yet able, in Christ, to be joyful and strong.  

Just calling in...

Hi there, blogging friends!
Or should I say, "Cheerio?" I've been on a fun trip through some of Europe. Our youngest daughter ended her semester study in Spain , and my husband, oldest daughter, and I met here there and then travelled on to several other countries. We were here on our last stop. Can you guess where this is?
I am catching up on rest and still haven't sorted our mail, but I'll be back in a day or so to catch up with you!
Have a blessed Sunday!

Thank You!

Thank you so much, Our Daily Bread Designs, for choosing my card last week as one of your favorites! I am so pleased that you did!! What an honor to be featured among so many talented card makers!!
I love the ODBD blog and the stamp sets are so detailed in beauty and font...it makes it easy to create with!! You can view their stamps here.

Framing Your Image

Our Daily Bread Designs has a challenge this week to "frame" your design. I love this paper collection, "Sparkling Spring" by Prima and used the design in the paper and a framed stamp image to frame this sentiment from ODBD "Lift Up Our Hands." I added a punched lattice border on the bottom to give it a bit more substance. The gorgeous flower is from Prima, and I added vellum leaves sponged with TH "Peeled Paint" (green) for the leaves.

I hope you enjoy this card creation.
I haven't been feeling well for a couple of weeks now...and would just ask for prayer from my friends as I don't know what the culprit is...though I am thinking hormones or thyroid. Dizziness, extreme lethargy, and just overall blech. I wouldn't be too concerned, except our entire family is due to take a vacation overseas in just two weeks, and I want to be feeling much better in order to make the most of that trip. I do have a dr. appointment coming up in a couple of days, so that should help. Not to cause anyone worry, but your prayers would be really appreciated.
Thanks so much for coming by.

Happy Birthday!

I had fun coloring up this popular Pure Innocence little girl and adding a "jeweled" crown using this pretty paper and stickles for a bit of sparkle! These are colors I don't pick up very often, orange, greens, and of course, a dose of pink...otherwise it just wouldn't be "me."
I hope she gives you a smile today...thanks for popping in! Blessings on your day!

Charming Gardener



A charming gardener, I am most definitely not. That is probably why I am so drawn to florals on cards, the vibrant colors and cascading blossoms on paper make me giddy!!
I attempted last year to dig up an unused space on the side of our lawn and went to top-notch nurseries with the idea of making a beautiful, bountiful, lush garden. I planted long stemmed daisies and gerberas, with the image of vases with fresh-cut flowers brightening the multiple spaces in our home. I waited expectantly and watched as the stalks reached dwarf length, flowers budded in tight gnarled knots, then withered away in the afternoon sun. Not one single bloom to show for the money and time spent!!
Anyway, this is a card for a Flourishes challenge , "A Cut Above the Rest." The challenge is to make a cut on your card. This sentiment was cut out using the deckled rectangles from Spellbinders, and circle nestabilities for the bird.
This card was also my first attempt at sewing...and was happy to say I only had the needle jammed once...yippee! This was one of those cards that was days in the making, I kept fiddling with the layout, then the origonal black base was too somber for the sentiment, so I cut it out and framed it with yellow and then mounted on a white base. At least with this card I have a single rose bud to show for my efforts!
What about you, do you enjoy gardening? And if so, do you have any tips?
Thanks for stopping by, and it's almost spring here in Colorado. Time to go plant some more stuff and hope for the best!

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge

Isaiah 40:8
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever."

We have a lovely spring day outside, so I took a chance with the wind and quickly snapped this photograph of my card for this week's SSIC challenge. You can see the challenge by clicking on the blinkie in my sidebar. This week we were to use flowers in our card...and they needed to be stamped.  I used a Verve stamp for the verse and some Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps ( a gift from a friend)...to frame the verse in a wreath. These were so fun to work with the different colors of inks and florals to adorn this verse.
I hope you enjoy this card today and your spirits are lifted as you trust in God's word.
Thank you so much for stopping by!

A Keepsake Letter

There is a story behind this card today...one of those times when the story is much bigger than the card, actually.
As most of you know, my Grandmother, Odell Gray, passed away on February 7. I had the assignment of planning her memorial service, and part of that was providing an obituary. I realized how very little I knew of this woman who had lived for almost a century...and making a few phone calls to my Mom from the funeral home didn't help with any details. I went home that day thinking sadly to myself, that we have an entire legacy lost from this era...as no one in my family could recall any details of her life. I had only been around my grandmother as a young child, and then again in the last few years, and because of her being deaf and refusing to wear a hearing aid, communication with her was very limited.
Then there was the difficulty of Mom, being confined to the nursing home for the previous three months and declining health, as well as I am sure the shock and grief upon her...well, there just wasn't much information to go on.
A few days later, I was at my Grand mom's home, and helping my Dad find some important documents and pictures, we discovered three albums of pictures, and I took them back to my Dad's.  Later that evening, as I was thumbing through an old album, this letter was creased between the pages. It was a letter my Mom had given her mother in 2002. And in the letter lie all the details of this woman's life, summed up in four handwritten pages penned by her daughter...from her beginnings with my Grandad starting up a small farm in East Texas to moves they had made necessitated by hardship, and woven throughout the words were a picture of my Grand mom and her life that I had not had before.
I was able to read the letter written by my Mom at Grand mom's memorial service, all four pages without tears. At the end though, my Mom praised her Mother for all of her character qualities, and listed them all...generous, kind, a heart that was so big and yet safe to keep secrets, and a treasured friend.  And I am thankful to say my Mom has been all these to me, and more , since I was at the age of six and went with my brother to live permanently with my Dad and his new bride.
Over and over again since reading this letter, I have felt God's goodness toward our family to provide this at just the right time, and have been thanking Him for that. But it has also reminded me to send a letter to a loved one along with a card...especially at birthdays or Mother's or Father's Day...because even after the memory fades and confusion sets in, those words can be a balm of healing and restoration to the soul.
This card was made with a Flourishes image given to me by a sweet friend this year.  I embossed the image in white and then outlined it with a copic marker just slightly darker than the paper. I made a vellum strip with the words, "Just Because."
This will be  a card containing a letter to my Mom...
thanks for stopping in today...blessings on your day!

Pretty Posies

I haven't attempted to make a post here in so long, let's see if I still remember how! Our youngest daughter is far far away in a distant land...but thank goodness for Skype I can still "see" her and have long chats every now and then. Some days I can even get our Corgi, Copper to get close enough to the monitor for a sniff and snort so Erin can see him!! Although not homesick, she did request a few items from the homeland that she can either not find there, or are expensive, or, maybe she just wants some mail!!
Anyway, I had received this little cloth drawstring purse from her for Christmas; it contained a beautiful bracelet and earrings from my favorite jeweler, Brighton. I was so taken with this purse, that it must have somehow subliminally seeped into my card as this blossom on the bottom of my card looks a lot like the one in the bag, don't you think? (I tried to add the photo of the entire bag but having difficulty, so see that little corner right by my posie? That is the bag. I decided to fill it with some sweet treat to go in her little package...and at this rate of my slow collecting of things, she may be home before she gets it in the mail!
This little girl is another image from "Pure Innocence," and since I paper pieced her dress green, I am entering her into this week's Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge here. This week's devotional was written by a dear friend of mine, Peggysue, and I would encourage you to go and read it for yourself. She has a way of putting pictures with words that stick in your brain...and for me, that is a good thing!!
I am going to post this weekend a little update of my visit to my parents and share something that has special meaning for me...so hope to see you again soon.

Framed!

Well, since I am still away from home, and feeling rather out of my element lately, thought I would share with you a project I did for gifts this year.
These are the inexpensive wood frames from Michael's...all mod-podged and stained and adorned with those oh-so-pretty rhinestone flourishes and Prima flowers. Rather than leaving the inserts empty for a frame, I took the cardboard insert and covered them with contrasting designer paper. That way if the recipient wanted to, they could leave them as is, or add a favorite quote or inspirational verse, using the matting as another "frame." Make sense? I gave these to my daughters, and neither of them have added a picture or anything to the inside.
On the white/black frame I did not paint, instead, I chose a light wood base and it blended really nicely. The blue/brown frame I used a regular minwax wood stain product and antiqued the paper to blend with the darker stain.
On a personal note, I have been at my parent's home helping my Dad transition from the nursing home following knee surgery with the intent of him becoming stronger and building endurance. So right now I am in the caregiving role. In what I can only determine is the providential Lord's plan, my grandmother (mom's mom) passed away shortly after my arrival. So that has added to the length and also the breadth of this trip...now I am in the midst of funeral arrangements. Although a bit sad for my mom in losing her mother, at the age of 94, I am grateful that she had her as long as she did.
Thanks for stopping in today!

You've Been so Kind

Lately life has consisted of nursing home visits and care conferences, doctor appointments, and dog sitting for my parents. While this has been a trying time, I am so thankful for the staff at the care center at Mantey Heights in my hometown. Especially the women in the rehab department working daily with Dad and so good-humored and caring at the same time. I will be there in a couple of days, and wanted to let them know how much I appreciate their hard work and heart...so made a few thank you notes. This was inspired by Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday sketch...which of course, was last week.
For me to keep up with challenges or be on time lately is too much, but I am enjoying my stamp time when I have it and hope the cheeriness of these notes gives you a dose of sunshine this wintry day!!

PS...Yes, the blog candy winner was notified. It was Kelly! I am tickled at all your inspiring comments, if you did not get a chance, scroll down two posts, there are some really wonderful ones!!
Thanks for popping in and to all my friends, for your continued support through a very difficult season in life. Blessings to you!

Time to Celebrate!

Isn't this card the cutest?? I love these critters on this Stampavie image to color, and even though it takes me awhile to get it all paper pieced, glittered up, the shiney on the balloons, and the frosting with actual peaks...you get the idea...but this is for my special friend, Charlene's birthday next week! The Teapotters sent Charlene cards with her favorite candy, m&m's. We were asked to buy a bag of the candy and use it in our card. Well, I perused the aisle looking for purple, as that is my friend's fave color, and the side panel with the polks dots is the wrapper!!

Hope my card brings you a smile!!

First Blog Candy of the New Year!!

 

I've been waiting to have a blog candy giveaway here, and this week is a perfect opportunity! To enter please:

1. Sign my guest book at the end of my blog.

2. In your comments, tell me your favorite inspirational quote or verse and be sure to give credit to the author!
3. You may enter as many days between now and next Sunday, but each post must contain a new inspirational thought or verse! I will draw a winner next Monday!

Here are the items:

My friend, Joyce, sent me this cute hand sewn bird pincushion for my birthday, and an extra for a friend! So I am giving one of these cuties away with my blog candy. There is so much detail on this, the wings are blanket stitched, a flower on each side has a button center with twine tied and pearl button eyes...so adorable!! If you visit Joyce's blog here, you will find her Etsy site link. You can view another bird pincushion and a matching bag by scrolling down a few posts on her main blog page also. Just leave a comment on her blog if you'd like her to make you one!
Also included:
My favorite things:

1. Basic Grey Curio Paper Pad
2. Basic Grey die-cut shapes to coordinate with paper pad
3. KaiserCraft Pearl Flourishes in Elegant Latte
4. KaiserCraft Rhinestone strips in black and gold/amber
5. KaiserCraft Pearl Strips in Brown/Cream
6. Prima Flowers pack of 6 large organza flowers with pearl stamen centers

There's a NEW store in my town...Fort Collins, Colorado has a new stamp store, Scrap2IT and with one stop I was able to find all these beautiful items!!

Thanks for stopping in and I look forward to reading your comments!