Like a Mother to Me

I have the best mother-in-law in the world! She's a kind, compassionate, intelligent, Christian lady who loves to help others. Her health is so great it's hard to realize that she's 87. Moreover, she raised a wonderful son! Here is a card I made just for her.  I used the Perfect Sentiments Challenge #29 Sketch and the intriguing palette from The Play Date Cafe Challenge #129.

I had some paper  similar colors in my Basic Grey "Eva" collection but I had seen the challenge at Our Creative Corner to use watercolors, so I decided to make my own ink using reinkers for the butterfly corner stamp (greenish yellow) and mixed watercolors to get the other two colors for the butterfly.

The challenge from Our Creative Corner was also to make a Mother's Day card with Embossing, ribbon, and brads or buttons with the watercoloring. I actually painted the butterfly more than once to get the layers of color I wanted. I purposely left a few white splotches on the edges of the wings. The butterfly was stamped and cut out twice so it's layered. The entire yellowish corner was stamped using a mixture of Sunkiss Yellow and Sweet Leaf mixed then poured on a small pad that passed as a stamp pad. The white daisies on the yellow area were stamped on another paper, cut out, then adhered in place, so that more detail shows with the black ink.

The ribbon strips were cut from a piece of Eva then embossed, inked with Cotton Candy, then covered with ribbon. Brads that are Pansy Purple and Vineyard Berry were inserted into two of the flowers, which were also watercolored just in the center, then dried.

Thank you ladies for the fun challenges. I certainly got out of my usual "box" to craft this one.

Challenges:

Our Creative Corner - recipe for Mother's Day

Perfect Sentiments Challenge #29 - sketch

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #129 - Dusk, Magenta, Seedling

 5" x 6.5" Mother's Day card Recipe:

Paper - Bazzill (dusk)cardstock; Close To My Heart White Daisy cardstock and textured CS; Basic Grey "Eva"

Stamps - Our Daily Bread Designs "Butterfly Corner;" My Favorite Things (sentiment)

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Vineyard Berry (Painted some on butterfly)

Reinkers - CTMH Sunkiss Yellow, Sweet Leaf

Other - CTMH watercolors, brads, Cuttlebug "Mary Ann" and Holly Ribbons embossing folders; Recollections floral embellishments; The Robbie Stanley collection magenta ribbon

Psalm 46:1 for Mojo Monday 239

I've been a Christian for 56 years. Now that I'm at the "grandma age" with its aches and pains or sleepless nights, I find that the first thing I'm saying to the Lord at those times is this, "You are my refuge and my strength." I take comfort in those words but I'm also acknowledging to Him that I trust Him to see me through the difficulty. King David must have cried out those words many times. I'm hoping that Psalm 46:1 will bring encouragement to someone with this card.

Abby has a lovely devotional at her blog, Little Birdie Blessings, that includes the words to one of my favorite Hymns, Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Her springtime images and this hymn remind us that no matter how long the winter, His mercies are new every morning. Springtime always follows winter. If He can do that for the seasons, I know He can do that for me after a night of little sleep or in any other of life's problems.

I used the sketch from Mojo Monday 239, but, like the circular example, I added the scalloped border to the square card.

I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the card and its two frames using the scalloped square key. The black frame was cut with the Layer key and the orangish frame was cut with the Decorative Layer key. All three of those were cut at 5.25" to fit in my 5.5" envelopes. The white card was random stamped with the medium flower from Hope Blooms using Cotton Candy and Sorbet inks first and second generation. The black scalloped mat for the sentiment has three black buttons, but they're really hard to see in the photos. I added the scallops, flowers, and buttons for the challenge #1217 at CCEE Stampers this week.

May you find refuge and comfort in the Lord. May you experience His strength when the day's burdens increase and your own strength seems inadequate.

Challenges:

CCEE Stampers Challenge 1217 - scallops, flowers, and buttons

Little Birdie Blessings Linking Party

Mojo Monday 239 sketch

5.25" Square Encouragement Card Recipe:

Paper - Basic Grey "Sweet Threads;" Close To MY Heart White Daisy, Black, and Sweet Leaf cardstock

Stamps - Verve "Psalm 46:1" Plain Jane, "Hope Blooms"

Ink - CTMH Cotton Candy, Sorbet, Black

Other - CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, black buttons, Colonial White waxy flax; Spellbinders Nestabilities Lattice Rectangle; Cheery Lynn Designs tropical flourish dye; Recollections floral embellishment; ribbon unknown

Grow in Grace

Many years ago a friend at church asked me to sing a duet with her. The song was new to me but the words have stuck so I want to share them with you because they kept playing through my mind as I made this card.

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase,
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

• His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
  His power no boundary known unto men,
  For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
  He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half-done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

I used the wonderful Frosted Designs Card Sketch 17 and Challenge #106 at Our Daily Bread Designs to use no designer paper but make your own background. Here's the sketch:

The challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ provided the inspiration to use something related to a tree. Their focus verse is "Those who trust in the Lord] shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8

Here's my card with no designer paper.

For the background I brayered Garden Green ink on the embossing folder on the side with the leaves raised so that only the leaves would get the ink. I set the paper on the opposite side and closed it carefully so it wouldn't smear the ink and ran it through my Wizard. I used the debossed side that is inked. The middle strip was stamped with a leafy border stamp.

The stamps are from Our Daily Bread Designs. The dogwood image was stamped with Garden Green and colored with a blender pen that picked up ink from a Sweet Leaf ink pad. Then I used a black watercolor pencil to darken the wood and flower centers.

May you be aware of God's grace working in your life as you face the challenges of this week.

Challenges:
Frosted Designs Card Sketch #17
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #106 - No designer paper
Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #137 - use the image of something planted or the color green

5" x 6.5" Card Recipe:
Paper - Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf, White Daisy, Black cardstock
Stamps - Our Daily Bread Designs "Grow in Grace"
Ink - CTMH Garden Green, Sweet Leaf; Memento Tuxedo Black
Other - Cuttlebug embossing folder; brayer; Martha Stewart border punch; CTMH black buttons, white organdy ribbon, Blending pen, black watercolor pencil; black crochet thread;

The Final Flutter By Wednesdays Card

I was sad to see that this would be the last challenge at Flutter By Wednesdays. I have a passion for butterflies. So I decided to make this last card special with my favorite butterfly stamp. They provided a great sketch for us to use this last time. I also used the challenge at The Paper Players for additional creative ideas.

I used the first row going down for the Tic Tac Toe - flowers, blue colors, and spring. The chick hatching is definitely for spring along with flowers that look like primroses. Little Red Wagon's challenge to use at least 3 flowers helped me with the finishing touches. I used 8 flowers.

I stamped the butterfly twice with Twilight ink- once on Twilight cardstock (bottom layer) and again on Crystal Blue patterned paper so that the pattern would show more. I inked the edges with Chocolate ink like I did all of the other papers.  In real life, my stamped butterfly matches the color of the one in the patterned paper, but lighting in my house changes things! I used an unusual piece of ribbon I'd been saving for something special. After wrapping it around the card there was a small piece left for a knotted-type bow. In the upper right corner I stamped "best wishes" for the Flutter By Team whose challenges and samples I've enjoyed.

May God bless you as you Fly on to New Pursuits!

Challenges:
Flutter By Wednesdays Challenge #200 Sketch
Little Red Wagon - Use at least 3 flowers
The Paper Players - Challenge #93 Tic Tac Toe

5" x 6.5" Card Recipe:
Paper - Graphic 45 - Once Upon a Springtime; Close To My Heart New England Ivy, Twilight, Colonial White Cardstock, Twitterpated patterned paper
Stamps - CTMH "Find Your Style" (butterfly), "A Little Buzz" (best wishes)
Inks - CTMH Chocolate, New England Ivy, Twilight
Other - Cuttlebug embossing folder, Recollections floral embellishments, Prima (small flowers), CTMH Mocha pearls, ribbon unknown

Best Mom Ever

I've been looking at a few old photos of my mom this weekend to decide what to scrapbook. Even though she's no longer here on earth with me, she seems very close in my thoughts. I had determined that when I think about her, I'd remember something good and try to bless another mother in her memory, so here's another Mother's Day card.

When I saw the sketch for Just Add Ink Challenge #115 I knew it was a perfect match for The Color Throwdown palette #189.  

They also went well with the Bingo at Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #166. I chose the bottom row, Blue, Flowers, Emboss.

The striped paper I had with my Stella and Rose "Mabel" paper pad was a fairly close match to these colors. I just added a punched navy blue border and a heart circle mat of a color close to the coral.

I used two different techniques on this card. First, I rubbed a Buttercup ink pad on the raised line design of the embossing folder, attached the front of the paper to the other side, closed the folder carefully and ran it through my Wizard. This way the debossed side shows the design with some color in the recessed area. I also inked a small rose stamp with Buttercup ink and sponged on some Sorbet along the edges. I chose those light colors because they do go together in nature, but also so that they wouldn't overwhelm the sentiment that I stamped over it using Outdoor Denim ink.

May God bless you with loving memories whenever you think about your mom!

Challenges:

Color Throwdown #189

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #166 - Let's Play Bingo - blue, flowers, emboss

Just Add Ink Sketch Challenge #115

5.5" x 4.25" Mother's Day Card Recipe:

Paper - My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose "Mabel;" Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim, Sorbet, Colonial White cardstock

Stamps - CTMH rose from Roxie Workshop on the Go; My Favorite Things - "Clearly Sentimental About Mothers"

Ink - Buttercup, Outdoor Denim, Sorbet (CTMH)

Other - Cuttlebug embossing folder, Martha Stewart border punch, Spellbinders Nestabilities Heart Circles, CTMH cranberry grosgrain ribbon, Recollections floral embellishments

You Blow Me Away

Cards and Things Challenge #117 has this sketch that I thought would be great with my "fish" stamps. I'm assembling a box of cards for the children's hospital and wanted to include some from this set. Here's their lovely sketch:

I made mine rectangular to fit the preferred dimensions requested by Send a Smile 4 Kids. I embossed the juniper rectangle  with swirls resembling ocean waves before I cut it into 4 parts. I'm showing the "debossed side." I used three different greenish blue cardstocks, including the Dotty for You. The fish was colored with a blender pen and three colors of ink. Five clear buttons were attached with Liquid Glass to continue the look of bubbles in the water. The stamped waves took the place of the ribbon since the sentiment is part of the fish image.

Challenge:

Cards & Things #117 Sketch

5.5" x 4.25" Kids Card Recipe:

Paper - Close To My Heart "Dotty for You," Juniper, White Daisy, Outdoor Denim cardstock

Stamps - CTMH Under the Sea

Ink - CTMH Lagoon, Sunflower, Sorbet, Sunset; Memento Tuxedo Black

Other - Cuttlebug swirls embossing folder, CTMH clear buttons

Bundle of Love with Calico

This is such a great image I found at A Day for Daisies. It's perfect for a Mother's Day card for a young mother with a baby. I can almost taste that precious baby kiss!  The challenge #42 this week at A Day for Daisies is to use papers with calico patterns with their images. I used the Papertake Weekly Challenge Sketch #67 for this card. The sentiment stamp is from My Favorite Things.

Mother's Day Butterflies

Flowers and butterflies are all over my yard now that Spring is in full swing. In fact, my irises bloomed three weeks ahead of schedule this year. They usually bloom around Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May. Chupa's sketch this week makes a great Mother's Day card. I interpreted her sketch for Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #56 pretty literally because it went so well with elements I had sitting out to create with. Here's her lovely sketch:

I used a fairly deep embossing folder to get the heart/vines pattern. I thought that pattern worked well with the paper which had flowers and leaves made of hearts. The lighter pink pattern half circle is the backside of the main pattern that mixes several shades of pink. I could have inked the edges of the butterflies like I usually do, but I thought they needed to stay white for contrast with the busy paper.

May God bless you and the mothers you love.

Challenges:
Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #56 sketch
Crafts 4 Eternity #69 - Spring inspired
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes


5.5" x 4.25" Mother's Day Card Recipe:
Paper - Close To My Heart "Sweetheart" paper pack, White, Baby Pink, Vineyard Berry Cardstock
Stamp - My Favorite Things "Clearly Sentimental about Mothers"
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Other - Sizzix Swirly Vines with Hearts embossing folder; Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Circle; CTMH Just Blooms white daisy and butterflies, Black opaques; Reminisce small white daisy; 2.5" circle punch

Love You Forever, Mom

This is my second post this evening using the same paper and the stamp from "Love You Forever." I love the way the shapes look stitched. Stitching always gives me that "homemade" warm fuzzy feeling. The kind you get from moms.  That's why this one is a Mother's Day card for the children's hospital in Iowa. (See Send a Smile 4 Kids for more information.)This time I showed more of the striped paper and more white. I used this great sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

I made mine more rectangular, embossed the front with a wood grain embossing folder, and cut out the stamped images after coloring so they could be pop dotted on the circle.

I chose the thin red line of red  in the patterned paper to be my accent color for the flower, twine, and mat for the letters. The 3" white circle for the nest image was made a little smaller by attaching a thin 3" open circular mat of Kraft cardstock that I cut out on the Cricut. That allowed some of the image to overlap. The pop dots were cut into thin slivers so they wouldn't show. Such a fun sketch and actually quite simple. I wanted it to be Clean and Simple for CAS-ual Fridays challenge this week! The sentiment letters were stamped on 1/2" circles then matted on 5/8" circles.

Challenges:
Freshly Made Sketches - Sketch #32
CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #50 - Spring creations with flowers or trees

5.5" x 4.25" Mother's Day Card Recipe:
Paper - Close To My Heart (retired Fun-tastic pp - very old!), White Daisy, Cranberry, and Kraft cardstock
Stamps - Love You Forever, Tiny Typewriter
Ink - Tuxedo Black-Memento
Other - My Mind's Eye Lime Twist Twine, Sizzix Wood Grain embossing folder; Copic markers; CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge

Love You Forever

One of my oldest daughter's favorite books that she read to her children when they were young is Robert Munsch's Love You Forever. The stamp set on this card for a young boy has the verse that the mother repeats to her child at each stage of life. When the mother gets old the son goes to her house and repeats it to her, changing the words to indicate "your baby I'll be." It's sort of a tear jerker for those of us who are tender hearted, but it's endearing.

I made this card with Earth Day in mind, using a green leafy pattern, a green and Spring iris striped paper and kraft cardstock. I love the way the color of Kraft cardstock blends with the other two colors. The CPS sketch #262 was perfect for the image and sentiment.

I used paper piecing so that the birds would be Spring Iris color like the sentiment. The ric rac was added instead of ribbon because that seemed appropriate for a young boy.

Challenges:
CPS Card Sketch Challenge #262
The Kraft Journal: Make It Monday, Challenge #68 - Just for Kids
Sentimental Sundays Challenge #99 - Celebrating Earth Day

4.25" x 5.5" Card Recipe:
Paper - Close To My Heart "Emporium" (green),  and stripe (retired), White Daisy and Spring Iris Cardstock; Kraft Cardstock
Stamps - CTMH Love You Forever
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Other - CTMH markers Sweet Leaf, Desert Sand, Bamboo, Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge (scalloped circle); Copic marker BV 04; CTMH White Ric Rac; Reminisce white flower

Dad - Perfect in Every Way

I just discovered the blog, Cards for Men. With a husband, a son, some son-in-laws, and five grandsons, I find it important to make masculine cards. Even though my own father and father-in-law have gone on to be with the Lord, I want to encourage others to honor their dads with recognition, whether it's on birthdays, Father's Day, or "just because." The sentiment I chose for this card is perfect for my husband! (I'm so lucky!)
This card is one that I'm sending tomorrow for the Muscle Challenge at Operation Write Home. It's also for the Cards for Men Challenge #9 - to use Texture:

I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for Argyle background texture. The CTMH Pemberley paper has a diamond pattern that coordinates with the argyle. The corrugated star and arrow are also from CTMH and were inked to highlight the ridges or edges. The  chipboard oval was dotted with Outdoor Denim ink on a sponge and the edges were sponged with Desert Sand ink. The Perfect in every way is a phrase from some older, discontinued paper that I'd love to use up, so more masculine cards on the way!

Viva La Verve Card of Encouragement

I have two friends looking for office jobs right now. I love them dearly and pray for them regularly that God will open the right doors for the job He has planned for them. One of them is partial to pink, so this is her card, inspired by the Viva La Verve April sketch for week 3 and the lovely palette suggested by the ladies at CR84FN Color Challenge #52.

I used the office ledger paper because she works with accounting. The overhead light made a shadow on the sentiment which says, "All things are possible." I cut out a piece of the banner paper then cut matching flags from the remainder to make it more 3-D. Most of the banner pieces have hearts, just like the Kraft background circle. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the verse and the sentiment and used a stipple brush to brush Cotton Candy ink over the verse, making it darker near the edges of the circle. The mocha pearls and the felt rose were the final touches. The stamps were Verve's Jeremiah 29:11 Plain Jane and Joy for the Journey set.

Challenges:
Viva La Verve April 2012 - Week 3
CR84FN Color Challenge - Medium Pink, Tan, and Cream
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Clean and Simple - Mother You're the Best

Today I was praying for a friend who isn't treated well by her older teenage children. It's a common problem in many homes. I'm praying for these young "adults" that they will learn the Biblical truth to honor their mother that it may go well with them, the first commandment with a promise.

I was making this card when my daughter called me on her way home from work. I feel so blessed to have children who passed through that difficult stage and are on track spiritually. I suddenly realized how important it will be for me to encourage the mother who will be ignored on Mother's Day with a card that tells her some day they'll come to the realization of what she's done for them. I'm glad that this particular friend has decided to lovingly scrapbook these kids when she feel down about it, hoping that someday they'll also see her love for them in the scrapbooks.

Here's the card that was inspired by the colors in the Craft your passion challenge #107 photo and the sketch from CAS-ual Fridays.

The photo has feminine decorations in pinks and brown, so I chose to make a feminine card with the colors and embossing with this particular folder is definitely girly and fits well with the Kaboodle Doodles Challenge 116, embossing.

Challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays- Challenge #49 Sketch

Craft Your Passion Challenge 107 - photo inspiration

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge 116 - Embossing

5.5" x 4.25" Mother's Day Card Recipe:

Paper - Close To My Heart White Daisy and Cotton Candy cardstock

Stamps (both retired) - CTMH Reminisce, Family ("Mother")

Ink - CTMH Baby Pink, Chocolate

Other - CTMH Baby Pink organdy ribbon, Sizzix embossing folder - Ornate Swirls, 1 3/8" circle punch, Spellbinders Nestabilities -scalloped circles

Card Patterns Sketch 162 for Mother's Day

I love to save paper scraps because I usually see a card in the making and can't bear to throw them away. My hubby would say I can't even bear to put them away. This card definitely qualifies for the "Shopping Our Stash" category since it came from my Basic Grey paper scraps and old ribbon and very old brads that I hadn't used yet. This week Challenge #49 challenges us to use things that start with "B." I used brads, a bow, an embossing folder called Kassie's Brocade, and one mat of black cardstock to make the title pop. I used the simply lovely sketch from Card Patterns, just slightly altered to fit the scrap.

Challenges:
Card Patterns - Sketch 162
Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge - Challenge 49 - starts with "B"

Word Art Wednesday Wedding Card

One of my dear friends is preparing for her fourth daughter's wedding. It seems like this is the third summer in a row that she's been wrapped up in beautiful preparations. Her daughter just graduated from college and is working for the same school district where I used to work. I remember when she was a young high school student who volunteered to work at a church camp for special needs children. She was nervous and scared, but who would have ever guessed that the experience would shape her future. Those are the children she's helping now. But even more so, the spiritual lessons she's learned along the way have molded her into a lovely Christian lady with strong convictions who is marrying a wonderful Christian man with equally strong convictions.  This wedding card is to celebrate the beautiful relationship they have and will have as God continues to lead and guide their life together. I'm sharing this verse with the congratulations for their joyous occassion:

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:18
I used the verse from this week at Word Art Wednesday, which I printed on glossy photo paper, and the lovely sketch from the Deconstructed Sketch #48, although I widened it into a 6" x 6" card. I stamped the "Congratualations" with Stazon ink on the glossy paper. I learned long ago to try it out on a scrap first so you get the right pressure, etc. without sliding the stamp since both the ink and the paper can be slick. I made the ribbon shape actual folded ribbon, then added a bow at the top.

Challenges:
Word Art Wednesday
The Deconstructed Sketch #48
Everybody Art Challenge #190 - Weddings

6 x 6" Wedding Card Recipe:
Paper - Bo Bunny, White and Black Cardstock, Epson Premium Glossy photo paper
Stamps - Close To My Heart Gracious Greetings
Ink - Stazon-Black
Other - Cuttlebug embossing folder - Rebecca; CTMH black ribbon and adhesive pearls

MOJO Monday 238 You Are Not Forgotten

My husband and I spent Earth Day together in our large yard fighting the battle of new wild trees and weeds that attempt to take over this former farm land that used to be woods. Cutting back fast growing seedlings that love our foundation or want to crowd out landscaped areas seems antagonistic when compared to school kids who are out planting trees. I've planted more than my share but still have to protect them from interlopers.

The best part of the day was the time we spent together in this joint project. I recognize plants easily so I know what to keep and what to cut, but my hubby has the strength, so together is the best way to accomplish the "weeding." Since I've been making cards for our service men and women to send, I chose the sketch at Mojo Monday today and the challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge, Go Green,  to make another card for the Muscle Card Challenge at Operation Write Home due next Monday. I used the color green and I recycled the shiny, back cover of a Graphic45 paper pad (too attractive to remain a back cover).  Here's the sketch I used and my card.



The recycled material is the black and floral cardstock. It's a little thicker than other cardstock, but  I think it adds a little "pop" and even the orange splashes of color coordinate with the other greens. It is also the mat behind the tag. All of the squares are 1.25" and the image was a rectangle I stamped on white and punched out with a 2.5" circle punch. Both stamps used were from the Our Daily Bread Designs "Not Forgotten" set. I think the sentiment could be one that a serviceman could give to someone back home or to a fellow serviceman or woman serving elsewhere that they want to remind about love and friendship.

I hope that you, too, will pray for the men and women who serve your country, usually leaving family and friends behind while they do their duty. May God bless and keep them and their families.

Challenges:
Mojo Monday Challenge #238
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #105 - Go Green

5.5" x 4.25" Masculine Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey (Lauderdale lime green); Close To My Heart (Sweet Leaf hexagons from Lucy); Graphic 45 (back cover of Tropical Travelogue)
Stamps - Our Daily Bread Designs "Not Forgotten"
Ink - CTMH New Englad Ivy, Memento Tuxedo Black
Other - brown jute, Spellbinders Nestabilities, corner rounder

Jeremiah 29:11 Card with Spring Coloured Stripes

Not too long after I met my friend, Kathy, she introduced me to this verse. She quoted it to me while we were discussing a prayer request for one of my kids. I'm sure I'd heard it before but I'd never memorized it. It soon became one of my favorites. It was the first stamp I ordered from Verve when I was looking for scripture stamps of encouragement. Here is the Viva La Verve April sketch for Week 4 using that stamp with bright, spring colors. I thought stripes in spring colors would be great for the chevron design.

This week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ, Challenge #136 has a devotional about God's Word being a light unto our path. The challenge is to use light pastel colors. I thought the design of the Verve challeng was perfect because the chevron/arrow shape looks like it's pointing the way to go and the verse I chose talks about God having the best plans for us. The challenge also said we could use black and white which I did for contrast and to make the verse "pop," which is also the challenge at Crazy 4 Challenges - use black to make it pop! 

Challenges:
Viva La Verve April 2012 - Week 4
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - Challenge #136 Use soft pastels
Crazy 4 Challenges - add black to make it pop
DYSU #68 - Stripes
Basic Grey Challenges - #66 Spring Colours

5" x 6.25" Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey Lauderdale (green) and Lollipop Shoppe (stripes), white and black cardstock
Stamp - Verve Jeremiah 29:11
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Other - Spellbinder's Nestabilities Lacey Circle; Cricut Art Philosophy (2.75" and 3" circles); K & Co felt flower; Michaels Ribbon

Lucy Workshops on the Go Layouts

Saturday our scrapbook club met at the church and made these four layouts using the Lucy paper packs, glittery rub-ons, and some bitty sparkles and flowers. I used Easter photos because it's the only time of year I can justify having so many grandsons' photos on pink and pastel papers! My daughter-in-law and I were the only ones with any pink in our clothes. I hope this lets you see that the colors don't have to exactly match, they can contrast with the main colors.

If you weren't there Saturday, I hope these pictures help you put yours together. I'm posting the left page, then the right page of each layout.
The main workshop layout is slightly different than the workshop brochure. I redesigned this one and the third one in order to get the most out of our paper.

The photos are 6" x 4" and 2.5" x 2.5"
Both pages: All papers were inked on the edges with Gray Wool. The patterned green shapes had a half inch cut off of each of the short sides, then they were cut lengthwise, 2" for the left page and 1.5" for the right page. The flowers (already cut out with the Cricut Art Philosophy) were stamped with gray wool for the outline, blush for the solid portion, and Creme Brulee using the large circle center stamp. The crowns were rub-ons placed on the small blush rectangle, then cut out, then with extra sparkles added to decorate. The Creme Brulee strips of cardstock were slightly sanded. The word "dream" is part of a stamped sentiment that we masked. We stamped the entire sentiment, cut out the word dream, then placed it under the crown and stamped again with Gray Wool. Title can be stamped with words and font of your choice.

Here's the second workshop layout.

The photos are 6" x 4" and 7" x 9". The large photo could be divided into two 4.5" x 7" photos, taking two 5x7 photos and cutting off 1/2" on the long side of each.

The Gray Wool papers were slightly sanded. Flowers were stamped as before and a few rub-ons and sparkles were added. I only used part of the rub-on title because I wanted to use the word "Smile" on a different layout. I added extra rub-on flowers where the workshop showed the word "Smile."

Here's the third layout. Instead of using all green paper the way they did in the book on p. 28, I pieced a different background, but kept the same photo arrangement. This was taken from Magic- Love Potion.

The photos are 6 x 4, 3x3, and 6x6.

The last layout is one that Jeanette Lynton gave us on her blog at the beginning of February when the new book came out. She gave a fourth photo for every new paper packet that would go with the stickers or rub-ons, etc. It uses the Blush cardstock as a backing and only has five small strips of paper. It's really filled with lots of small photos and a couple of large ones.

I didn't use the "Sassy and Beautiful"  title from the rub-on. I used the d-a-y from "sassy, and." Some of the other ladies thought the orginal title worked for them. I'm just glad my grandkids haven't reached the sassy stage yet!

On the last page, instead of having a 9" x 7" photo as suggested in Imagine, I used two photos that were 4.5" x 7." The fence in the bottom photo made a good divider between the two. You wouldn't want to do that and have heads touching feet in two photos. You can add rub-ons and bitty buds and sparkles as desired. If you use Easter photos, you could even decorate the bottom of this page with some colorful eggs. I took stamps and the Cricut for eggs, so let me know if you want me to bring them next month to scrapbook club. Also, you can either cut your journaling into strips, cut a journaling rectangle to fit, or just journal on the Blush paper.

Have fun putting your layouts together with your photos! Now I'm off to start my journaling!!

Masculine Card for Shopping Our Stash Weekly

This card was made with my father-in-law in mind. He was a great guy who had been a college ball player, math and science teacher (when World War II put an end to his plans to become a doctor), ana chemist for a couple of large companies. But what he loved most was spending the day farming here where we live. This quote from George Washington fits him perfectly just like it does other dads here in the heart of America where I live.

This was for the challenge at Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #47 - Masculine or boy colors. I definitely used my stash that had been waiting too long. Scraps of the paper that were from many years ago, a stamp set that had never been used yet, and twill I'd bought in abundance several years ago. I try to save "boy" paper because I have so many grandson to make cards for and to scrapbook.

I didn't have to distress the papers. They came that way. They look like the dirt you have everywhere when you live on a farm like we do. I used a sketch from Operation Write Home, although I'm not putting it in that particular challenge. I'm sending it at the end of the month for their Muscle Card challenge so that they have more masculine cards for service men and women to send to the dads or other men in their lives.

All I want for Christmas is... Love, Hope, Peace

I haven't made many Christmas cards lately, so I joined in the challenge at Christmas Challenges (with sketches) #24 to use red, green, and white/cream with the following sketch:

Inside I combined two sentiments from older stamp sets to make this new one:

(All of the supplies are from Close To My Heart unless noted.)

6.5" x 5" Christmas Card Recipe:

Paper - "Mistletoe" paper pack

Stamps - I Believe (Santa); Festive Thoughts, Christmas Memories (both retired, sentiments)

Ink - Cranberry, New England Ivy

Other - Red button collection, Colonial White Waxy Flax, Olive Organdy Ribbon; Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Oval; Sizzix embossing folder "Frost"