Mustard Seed Challenges ~New Challenge!

Hi and welcome to our Mustard Seed Faith Challenges blog with a new challenge this week! Once again, Peggysue is sharing a new challenge and this time it is a sketch! So hop on over to our blog and be inspired by a beautiful worship song that celebrates our Lord as creator.
One of my favorite things to do while I stamp is listen to praise music, either instrumentals or with choruses...depending on how hard I am trying to concentrate. I find it uplifting to my soul and spirit, don't you?

We are figuring out some of this as we go along...but wanted to share a sketch challenge this week based on the above photo. You can view all of our interpretations by visiting our blog! Nothing like a sketch to get you thinking outside of the typical box, don't you think?

I used a die cut as the oval for my interpretation, and a birds nest to resemble the circle, and the scripture, which is one of my favorites, as the sentiment.
This was a lot of fun to do...the bird's nest was actually an after thought, after stamping the verse and thinking I would use the nest as a corner embellishment; then realizing it was far too big...I then stamped over the embossed image and of course, it didn't show up very well...so I colored it in lightly with copic cmarkers.
The little bird was stamped and the little eye added with a micron pen, cut out and I added a couple of layers of the Ranger Glossy accents for stability, then a little twine to resemble the nest.
Card Recipe:
Paper: Papertrey Ink white, Retired designer paper (SU!)
Stamps: Scripture from Papertrey Ink, Bird (Nesting,) Papertrey Ink, Nest (Spring Has Sprung)retired illustrated by Marcella Hawley
Accessories: Die, foam mounting tape, twine, Glossy Accents, copic markers
Thank you for your visit...I hope you can play along in our challenge over the next two weeks, and enjoy hopping to our design team blogs.
Just start here and you can see the entire team's cards and the praise song featured this week!
Your kind comments are always appreciated...my heart does a little leap when I see a comment was added in my inbox...so thank you!

Lovely Day Card and Parrot Tulips in my Garden~

I've mentioned several times that I purchased the loveliest bag of tulip bulbs last October and my husband and I actually planted them! We have a deck outside of our kitchen that overlooks a sloped hill covered in river rock, small rock, Aspens and shrubs. I have wanted some color there for awhile...but always forgot about spring flowers until it was spring and then it was too late to plant.
So here are a couple of  photographs of our daffodils and tulips.

They are good and strong and bright yellow...and look dramatic against the rock and mulch. Bringing me much happiness as I look out my kitchen window.

These tulips started out white, and their color has deepened to a very dark pink striation as they have matured. This is from the top of the stairs and at the bottom of our little slope you can see the Aspens and the bird bath and feeders. We have three clusters of these and I hope to plant more in the Fall.

And another spring inspired card using designer paper and matching the tulips from Papertrey Ink with inks...a bit of washi tape on the side, copic colored pearls and a scalloped border. I was pretty pleased with incorporating stamps using designer paper as I usually find it to be challenging.
Thanks for taking a meander and wishing you a lovely day!!

Birthday card for Caitlyn

This month's Power and Spark Challenge is a fun one from Julie Koerber, Pick-a-Sketch! As you can see in the graphic above, there are three to choose from. I decided on the oval with the side panel. I wanted to make our daughter a birthday card for her big 3-0 and we won't say how old that makes me!! Why is it, as I am aging now...I feel younger, yet when I was that age, I felt older? The older I get, the younger my mind seems to be...it is very strange. I feel more like dancing, daring, artful, happy, and yet...I also sit in my recliner a lot in the evenings.

Anyway, that was just a side tangent...we will see her when she returns from Cuba on a 4 day birthday trip adventure her and her younger sister are taking this week. I don't have much to wrap or do since we will be eating out...maybe I'll bring a boquet of these flowers to go with her card...that would be fun!

The stamp I used is a retired Flourishes illustrated by Marcella Hawley (now Power Poppy.) I think she has one like this in her store though. I water colored these with bright vivid colors using zig markers. The oval was almost too big, but I didn't want to cut off a single bloom. I layered a blue tonal polkadot paper and stamped a smaller version in versamark on the soft blue on the other side panel. The bow and button and twine were added, along with a sweet tag and flower jewel. The Gerber daisies were all crowned with Wink of Stella pen clear glitter and it looks so much prettier in person.

 I also used my white signo gel pen to add accents to the flower centers and petals.  I hope this is one she enjoys!

The tag sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Make It Market Mini Kit "Bloom and Grow."

Thanks so much for popping in...your kind comments and wishing you a happy day full of spring flowers and sunshine! Or rain...we are having that here and it is so needed...and it is making me happy because our flowers need some rain to grow!

Mustard Seed Faith Challenge~Traveling Mercies

Hi friends!

Happy Resurrection Day!  I've been celebrating Easter for the past few entries...but I wanted to wish you a joyous Easter celebration!

Thanks so much for stopping in on my little piece of blog land! Today we are sharing a devotional on the term many Christians use "traveling mercies." Where did the term originate and what does it mean for believers?
I know when one of our daughters boards a plane for Taiwan or Cuba or any other number of places where they are alone in a distant country without any family or nearby help...I tend to worry and ask for prayer from my praying friends for safety on the flight, that the plane will not disappear mid-air or that my daughters won't be abducted by sex traffickers or get lost...or the list goes on. I think all these concerns are valid while traveling to far away countries, especially if those countries are ruled by corrupt dictators...but our prayers for "travel mercies" do extend beyond the far off travel and protection for our family members or ourselves. I would encourage you to "take a trip"

to our Mustard Seed Faith Challenges blog and read a few words of wisdom on the subject!
Our challenge over the next two weeks is make a card using a mode of travel (boat, car, bicycle, map, etc...)
How about hot air balloons? I have not been in one before, but I've seen a few in the sky and they are so brightly colored and festive...not sure if I'd rather see a balloon all inflated mid air or the landscape all small from the air...hmmm...let me think on that awhile! :)

Stamps: PTI Up Up and Away
Paper:  PTI white, SU! Soft Sky and black, DSP: Lili of the Valley (clouds)
Accessories: PTI cloud die, balloon die, washi tape (floral bottom strip), rhinestones

The washi tape strip at the bottom was a last minute decision as I felt it needed some color to balance the balloons...I kind of like it!
Would love for you to join in on our challenges this week at Mustard Seed Faith Challenges!
Thanks for stopping in and your comments are always read and appreciated.

Happy Spring!

We've had some nice warm sun-shiney days around here followed by much needed rain to green things up! It is too early to do any kind of planting, but the daffodil and parrot tulip bulbs we planted last Fall along the side of our house did their happy emergence and are still alive and looking lovely!
The blooms are a sure reminder that even in the dreariest of winters; Spring will arrive again and bring with it beauty, color, new life, and the promise of the resurrection as the seeds lie dormant over winter.
"Earth, teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring."~William Alexander

My card, which uses a retired stamp (initially Flourishes illustrated by Marcella Hawley) captures my heart and the joy of Spring! I love this image, the bird and flowers rejoicing...these were colored with copics and flourishes from another stamp were added as symbols of joy at the top rather than a sky.
The tag has a heart cut out that frames one of the flowers.
 I leave you with these words from the Bible

His going forth is as certain as the dawn, and He will come to us like the spring rain watering the Earth. ~Hosea 6:8

Thank you for stopping in and wishing you blessings on your day!

Mustard Seed Faith Challenge~Easter!

Welcome to the second challenge at Mustard Seed Faith Challenges!
You can find our challenge Here!
 We are looking forward to celebrating Easter early to give everyone an opportunity to actually make a card and give it away or mail it out before Easter.
Our scripture for this challenge:
John 11:25-26
"Jesus said to her, :I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Our challenge: Make a card with an Easter theme!
(project,scrapbook page, Bible journal page; all are good!)

My Easter card is  made using a Power Poppy digital image, "Joyful Lilies"  The image was colored with copic markers, coloring and shading just like the Lily I've seen and I wanted to color it in these vibrant pink shades to contrast with the cross. I cut out the image by hand (fussy cut) and once colored, mounted it on the embossed die cut. The tag is a separate sentiment and the inside has the scripture included. Lace, twine and pearls finish it off.

This verse is also part of the Power Poppy digital, "Joyful Lilies." I used a vine and berry from Papertrey Ink's "Joyful Garden" set to add some color to the corners.

This scripture is so thought provoking and wonderful and encouraging...

One of the wonderful benefits of making cards with scripture is the opportunity to think about what you are making, meditating on the scripture here and the meaning behind it...even the name of the stamp, Joyful Lilies! How can we, if we believe,not have incredible joy while considering Jesus' love that meant his willingness to give his life...on a cross...so that we could live with him forever!! It is such an amazing event in history that should radically change the way we view our momentary troubles and trials...knowing that life is so short compared to eternity!
I encourage you to visit Mustard Seed Faith challenges and read the short devotional by Peggysue, as I am sure you will be blessed!
Then be sure to make a card or project and add it to the link on the blog. We on the team look forward to seeing your creations!!

Sing to the Lord!

I have been anticipating Spring since last winter...more this year than any other. It doesn't take much convincing in the middle of winter, amidst a lot of dreariness, the angst of our sweet dog, Beulah, having to undergo major surgery, the loss of my husband's dear Dad and the family monarch, and scary news headlines and political madness...
I needed Spring and the promise of new life, color, beauty, and reminder that God is on his throne and always making all things new again!
We planted spring bulbs for the first time since living in our home...and a few are beginning to make an appearance which I will share very soon since right now we are experiencing much needed rain. (And it is a little wet to be out taking photographs!)
I ordered this stamp from Papertrey Ink's February release and decided to pair it up with this SU! DSP (retired.)

So I made a set of note cards...pretty quick and simple! I colored in the font lines with several copics, added the musical notes, and some pretty yellow sequins for added interest.
I can't think of a better scripture to herald Spring and all the promise scripture gives us!!
I will be back tomorrow for our second Mustard Seed Faith Challenge so hope to have you visit soon!