Thin Cuts Blog Hop

Welcome to our Thin Cuts Blog Hop!  If you've come here from Kathy Burrows blog, you're on the right path.  You can see the entire list of participants at Melinda Everitt's blog.

I wanted to make a card for some dear friends who are retired from the ministry. To coordinate with the stamp set I chose to use, Bible Verses, B1665, I used two sets of heart Thin Cuts. (This stamp set is only available as a hostess reward through the end of April.) The Basic Hearts  are slightly bigger than the Stitched Hearts, so they work well for mats behind the Stitched Hearts.

The black heart below is the 2nd largest one in the Basic Hearts die set and the pink Ballerina heart that I stamped is the 2nd largest one in the Stitched Hearts set.  I used the largest Basic Hearts die to cut the window, papers from I Heart Us and a Mint Shimmer Brush on the smallest heart. The Blush Shimmer Ribbon is a good match for the Ballerina cardstock stitched and stamped heart. To make a window card like this you can pop up the top panel with 3-D Foam tape  and the small Mint heart with Thin 3-D Foam dots.

The Decorative Borders dies are great to decorate the edge of the inside of cards as well as the front.  I used the scalloped die which is outlined with stitches, but they don't show up too well with the patterned paper.

Thank you for visiting! Now you're ready to move on to see Brandi Robinson's creation and more ideas for using Thin Cuts Dies.

My Teenage Valentine

I used to be able to give my eight grandkids cute little valentines, but now most of them are in grades 7 to 12. When I saw the graph patterned paper in the new Heart Happy paper pack, I knew that would be perfect for one of my grandkids, especially if I die cut the right side with the torn notebook paper die instead of just a scallop.  The Color My Heart Color Dare was great for this one, too.

.I used Carolina, Peach, Smoothie, Mint, and Gold.  This weeks sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge was just right for adding a trio of hearts:

Here's a better photo of the Mint XO, hugs and kisses,  paper from the paper pack:

I die cut the edge with Thin Cuts-Decorative Borders, the hearts with the Stitched Hearts die, the arrow from Cricut Flower Market, and the sentiment from Cricut Artbooking.

Thanks for visiting! May you be blessed as you share your love with all the valentines in your life!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #302
Aud Sentiments Challenge #220 - Love or Valentines sentiment
Color My Heart Color Dare #329 - Love of Color
Craft Rocket Challenge #56 - Valentine
Cuttlebug Mania - Be My Valentine
Dream Valley Challenge #195 - Love and Kisses
Simply Create Too #146 - anything goes, option- use hearts

Verse of the Day:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:43-45 KJV

I Heart Us Card

Here's my second rainbow-colored heart card for today, hopefully bright and cheery enough to overcome the dull gray, icy day we're having here in Missouri. It uses three PML cards and some chipboard die cuts that all coordinate with the CTMH I Heart Us paper pack.  When I saw the multi-colored words and hearts, I knew they'd be great together.

If you'd like another idea for using PML cards, scroll down to my previous post. They're really fun and easy to use!

Thanks for visiting! May you be blessed as you bless others with your creations!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Dragonfly Dreams February Challenge - Include a heart
Dragonfly Journey Challenge #133 - I heart you
Simply Create Too #145 - anything goes/ optional twist - hearts

The Paper Players challenge #427 - Love is in the air theme

Bright and Cheerful, Love You More

It's a gray, icy day here in Missouri.  I need some bright colors so today I pulled out the PML cards that go with the I Heart Us paper pack from CTMH. I usually find a few that make great cards. Since they already have images and sentiments, I like to see if they go with the current UnstampaBelles challenge. Here's one that I made for the challenge: Simply Bright and Cheerful with the twist to do something arsty.  I stacked three of the PML cards and added a strip of rainbow stripes from the paper pack, with strands of silver twine. My artsy techniques were to doodle around the edge of the trimmed title panel and to double emboss the dotted panel. First I used a heart embossing folder, then I rubbed the hearts with pigment ink, sprinkled on silver embossing powder, and heat embossed them. Last, I added three butterfly stickers from the set that coordinated with that paper pack.

Rainbows, hearts, love, and butterflies are some of the images that speak cheerful thoughts to me! I hope they do for someone who receives this card.

Thank you for visiting! May you be blessed as you bless others with your creations!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Crafting By Designs - anything goes
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #226 - add some texture
Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday February challenge - dies/punches or something with hearts
Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #426 - hearts and flowers
UnstampaBelles Challenge #86 - simply bright and cheerful, twist: something arty


Verse of the Day:

He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Proverbs 21:21 KJV

Simple Divinity

I love to encourage others with scripture cards. Over the years I've collected a good number of stamp sets with Bible verses, many from Our Daily Bread Designs. Did you know they've recently changed their name to Divinity Designs? I've also been hoarding a lot of papers from previous Basic Grey collections, My conscience has been pricked again to attempt using them up. So I pulled out the Lemonade collection and began making simple cards with scripture and those beautiful retired papers. Here are the simple results :

I decided to make larger cards using the same design in order to create faster and use up more paper. Here's one with the same scripture that I already had out and on a block. I decorated both of these with stickers. The owl and sentiment are from Green at Heart, but it had similar colors as Lemonade. It's for my granddaughter who loves anything with owls.

Next I decided to use die cuts from my drawer of previously cut shapes. I inked the edges with long-retired CTMH Kiwi ink. I matched scriptures from the first set I had purchased from Papertrey Ink years ago. Both of these cards used smaller scraps of Basic Grey. I cut each scrap in half to make two cards:

I finished each card with some old CTMH embellishments. The entire process took three hours and I still have most of the paper pack left. I really need to do this faster and more often. If you have any suggestions for making more cards, using more of some long hoarded paper, feel free to share your idea in the comments.

Thank you for visiting! Blessings to you always!

I'm sharing this with the following challenges:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies Challenge #23 - anything goes with a critter
613 Avenue Create Challenge #218 - anything goes/ optional add a critter
Crafty Friends Challenge #102 - animals/birds
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper February Challenge - anything goes with patterned paper
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #372-373 - anything goes

Verse of the day: 

But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.

Psalm 59:16 ESV

XOXO

For several years I've found myself signing cards and emails with 'Hugs!" I feel that sending some extra love expands my message to let the reader know how I really feel about them. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad a red heart is an emogi I can use when I send a text. I find myself using it at the end of a text message to my hubby and my friends.  So the XOXO hugs and kisses message of this card seems appropriate to me. I'm convinced we need to share a lot more love and kindness in this world.

I always think it's fun to make cards about love for Valentine's Day or Anniversaries and such. This one came together so easily. I was inspired by the copper foiled "XOXO" card (from DCWV Copper Luxury). The pink and green floral border inspired the other paper panels. I love those colors on Kraft cards, so I embossed the card front with a retired CTMH hearts embossing folder and lightly rubbed them with a small Smoothie pigment ink. I added lace, half of a 4" doily, twine, and pink enamel dots to finish.

Thank you for visiting! May you have many opportunities to share love!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

All Sorts Challenge #505 - Love
Card Mania Challenge #113 - Love Is In the Air
Challenge Up Your Life Challenge #105 - Love Is in the Air
Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #133 - I Heart You
Scrap from Your Heart Challenge #30 - Valentines or Mother's Day
Use Your Stuff Challenge #345 - enamel dots

Verse of the Day:

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV

February SOTM Blog Hop - Heartfelt Sentiments

Welcome to our February Stamp of the Month blog hop. If you came from Darlys Recker's blog you're on the right path. To see the entire list of participants, visit Melinda Everitt's post.

I wanted to try two  techniques using watercolor paints with salt and dyed salt to the wet paint.  I knew the large stamp had flowers on the border surrounding the sentiment. so I wanted colored salt in a border and plain salt in the middle. I used Celtic sea salt that I already had and mixed some in a lid with a couple of drops of food color. (Next time I'd like to try reinkers with larger Kosher salt.)  First I made  a trial sample on a small piece of watercolor paper (2 5/8" x 4 7/8") to be sure it would work. When it did, I used it as a background panel to make a small card with that sample. I stamped the tiny flowers from the stamp set and the ribbon banner (using Ballerina ink) with one of the sentiments. The flowers were colored with watercolor pencils. You can see how the plain salt gave the blue watercolored area in the middle a mottled/dotted look. The sapphire and lagoon hearts paper is from the So Much Happy collection.

I used a larger piece (4 3/4" x 6 1/4") of watercolor paper to make a 5" x 7" card from folded Peacock cardstock. First I white embossed the large sentiment image. Then I quickly wet the top of that panel under running water so it was very wet. I painted the entire surface with two colors of a greenish blue, keeping it wet, and quickly sprinkled the plain sea salt in the middle and the red and the green salts around a border. I didn't get as much red salt on the panel as I did on the first one. The paint dries lighter than when it's wet. I allowed the panel to dry completely, then I scraped off the salt into the sink until it was smooth. Then I painted the flowers, leaves and letter details with a Waterbrush and watercolors. I white embossed the ribbon banner onto a scrap of Peacock cardstock, trimmed it, and adhered it over the matching image on the panel using Thin 3-D Foam dots.

I used the white and gold ribbon and some I Heart Us Sequins. I also included White Glitter Paper strips on each side of the panel.

You can get this large stamp set only in February for $18.95 or for only $5.00 with a $50.00 purchase from your consultant or here.
Thank you for visiting.  Now you're ready to see the wonderful artwork made by Becca Whitham. 

Peony Leaf Background

About 17 years ago, Kristy Bishop,  a CTMH director, taught classes in a North Kansas City high school. After attending the first one, I could hardly wait for the next class. The technique she taught us was random stamping. We were using rubber stamps on wood blocks. We made each little stamp a different color and stamped the first design in a visual triangle. That was my addicting introduction to stamping. (The day I found out CTMH went from wood mounted stamps to acrylic stamps I signed up to become a consultant. I knew I'd need a discount for all the stamps I wanted to get.)

I was inspired by the challenge at Heart 2 Heart to use random stamping. My technique and stamps have changed a little. I thought I'd use only the foliage of the Budding Peony stamp set with the new lighter shade of Sage ink to make the background for this card.

I added the soft shade of Mint checks with bright pops of a Lagoon strip and Raspberry for the die cut sentiment and background mat. Of course I had to stamp the leafy sprig again with New England Ivy on Sage cardstock and cut with the coordinating thin cut die. I wanted to make the random stamping into a soft background for a Clean and Simple card.

Since the card base is black I finished with a few black enamel dots on the front and a couple of leafy sprigs on two inside corners. I looked at this card and truly wished for spring!!!

Kristy Bishop is now a college professor in another state far away, so she may not know the directions her card classes have taken or how many people have been blessed along the way.  May you be blessed as you share your love of stamping, cardmaking, and giving, blessing your friends who receive your creations. What you enjoy can be a part of something much bigger than yourself!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Crafting from the Heart Challenge - anything goes

Die Cut Divas - Something New (Budding Peony stamp and die are new)

Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies January Challenge 

Heart 2 Heart January Technique Challenge - stamped backgrounds

Stampotique Designer Challenge #315 - Clean and Simple

Budding Peony  

365 Promises - Promise #25: I will not withhold anything good from those with an upright heart.

Psalm 84:11 (WEB)

For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield.
Yahweh will give grace and glory.
He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.

Seeking His Strength

I've been enjoying Ginny Maxim's blog for several years. She often shares images and word art that we can use in our own artwork. Here's a card I made with one of her images with a verse of encouragement. There are a lot of verses in scripture encouraging us to seek the Lord. Those verses assure us that when we seek Him, we will find Him. I love the verse on Ginny's image that encourages us to seek the Lord and His strength. I'm at an age when strength seems more elusive, so I'm frequently praying for strength as well as guidance and wisdom. I made this card to share the encouragement with someone else.

After printing the image, I colored it with Copics and fussy cut it. The left flowering branch is tied with a ribbon. I colored it yellow and painted it with a gold shimmer brush to match the gold dots in the pink paper.

An image like this looks best on solid cardstock or paper with no pattern, but the tiny gold dots on this paper seemed to enhance the image.
The papers are from DCWV Wildflower. The black and gold ribbon is CTMH.





I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Colour Crazy Challenge - anything goes with coloring
Craft-Dee BowZ - anything goes with handtied bow
Crafty Calendar Challenge -  Make it flowery
Simply Create Too #145 - anything goes
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #370 - 371 - anything goes

I like to share the promises and photo from the daily 365 Promises. Click on the link to see more on the daily devotional.

365 Promises - Promise #20: If you search for Me with all your heart, you will find Me.Jeremiah 29:13 (WEB)
You shall seek me, and find me,
when you shall search for me with all your heart.

Loving Silhouette

I'm taking advantage of my hubby being gone today to make a card for him celebrating our love. This card is for the Heart 2 Heart challenge to illustrate "The Important Thing." I believe the most important thing is LOVE, both the kind we feel and show to our family and friends and the kind we show to those we don't know. It's so important that it's the greatest commandment in scripture to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love others as we love ourselves.  It's a subject I could expound on for days! Most of the problems of the world exist because of a lack of love.

Here's a mood board from Crafts Dreamy that I found with a perfect mix of colors, text, and a heart, just right for his card:

I used the challenge at Crafting By Designs and added a circular frame. I put a smaller circle die inside the next larger one to make the frame. For the challenge at Moving Along with the times, I chose a Cricut die cut that had a heart balloon. 

The striped diagonal that looks like it has black stripes is actually a silver foil sticker with no black, but I did add charcoal, white, and gray enamel dots to match the other elements.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you'll share love in new ways to  those around you!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Crafting By Designs - Corners, borders, frames

Crafts Dreamy Challenge #2 - anything, using the mood board

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - anything goes with patterned paper

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - The important thing

Moving Along with the Times - Have a Heart

365 Promises - Promise #2: I am full of mercy and grace and I overflow with love. Psalm 103:8 (WEB)

Yahweh is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.

So Much Sympathy

Last night I received news from a friend of a serious infection she has. A few minutes later there was a call of a cousin who had a heart attack. As I sat to begin writing this post I received a call that a dear friend had just passed away. Life as an older adult brings so many challenges, so much bad news. The good news is that God is with us and loves us through all our trials.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness. I'm thankful I had just made these two cards and will certainly need more.

I was playing with the color orange. I used Nectarine dye ink and a water brush for the first one and watercolor paints for the second.

I'm sharing these cards with the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create #217 - anything goes/option watercolors

Make My Monday #87 - use words or a sentiment

Unicorn Challenge Blog #39 - Things with wings

Word Art Wednesday #370 - 371 - anything goes

Thank you for visiting! May you be strengthened by the Lord when life brings its trials. 

365 Promises:  Promise #18: My power will rest on you when you are weak.2 Corinthians 12:9 (WEB)

He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.

January SOTM Blog Hop - Card Captions

Happy New Year! Welcome to our blog hop featuring the January Stamp of the Month, Card Captions.  If you arrived here from Jean McNulty's blog, your on the right path. You can see the entire list of participants at Melinda Everitt's blog.

This stamp set has a greeting for every occasion. I have two granddaughters with birthdays in the next week, so I chose one of the three birthday greetings for this card. Although this sentiment is in one longer line, I wanted to show you how you can cut between the words to stack the words to fit a different sized shape.

I cut the scalloped border twice from the same paper. The light gray with white grid on the back of the dark gray dotted side doesn't show the pattern in my photo. The leaf or branch pattern at the top is one of the strips on the new Feels Like Home on the side to cut shapes and strips.


Thank you for visiting!  Now you're ready to see Miss Carrie's Creations!

Birthday Card Recipe:
Paper - Candy Apple and Black cardstock, Mix-in Paper Collection (black dotted/pebble grid), Feels Like Home (branch pattern on top), Black Glitter Paper
Stamps - January SOTM Card Captions, Dandelion Wishes
Ink - Versamark
Tools - Decorative Borders Thin Cuts, White Superfine Embossing Powder, (Cricut shapes - heart)
Embellishments - Red Pearls, Black Shimmer Trim